Laying there nude while 3 strangers picked at and ripped apart her body was far from her (and possibly anybody's') ideal situation. She had drawn blood from her tongue multiple times trying not to cry out from what they were doing to her. District 8 didn't have much running water and she was rather filthy, much to their dismay.

"Each year, they get dirtier and dirtier, I am telling you, Beauregard," Amalyse proclaimed.

"Personally, I like the challenge," Iso continued.

After nearly 2 hours, she had been washed down (twice), every section of her body had been waxed and her hair had been washed, trimmed, and blow dried, something she had never experienced. It was extremely convenient. Every inch of her skin felt like it was tingling. Her nails had been trimmed, cleaned, and painted a magnificent purple.

The sat her upright in of a mirror and she finally saw the result.

Her hair had about 5 braids on each side coming up into a bun on the top of her head and beads of different colors were pinned to her bun. Her eyebrows were a few shades darker than usual and they were outlined with gold. Her eyelids were also coated in shimmering blue and gold. Her lips were a bright pink. She reached a finger upwards and glazed it against her face.

"You didn't cover my freckles," Immy said.

"They are adorable! I absolutely love them. They are going to just eat you up," Iso said passionately.

"Can I cover up now?" she asked. She was not used to being naked in front of anyone other than herself.

"Sure thing, sweetie. Eni will be in soon with your jewelry and outfit. We are all done now and we will see you soon. Cheers!" Iso said while leaning in to kiss her on both cheeks.

Once they were all gone she quickly stood up and grabbed a plain, white robe from the corner of the room.

The silence was disturbing. She could hear her own breath in the room as she waited for something to happen. She wondered if that was what her life was going to be like until she died; just waiting for something to happen.

Thoughts of her brother crossed her mind, no matter hard she attempted to push them out. His cries were still ringing in her ear, something that was going to haunt her.

"District 8: Textiles." Immy's head jerked towards the door and she found herself staring at her stylist. Eccentric clothing was not uncommon to her as her district was the one that produced all of the Capitol's clothing.

"Before we get to your outfit, tell me about yourself, Imogen," Eni said, taking a seat across from Immy.

"Immy," she muttered. "You can call me Immy." It was the first time that she had revealed her nickname to the people surrounding her.

"Immy, that has a great ring to it. Tell me about your family."

"There's just my father, my brother and I. My father is a factory worker, he just packages boxes and moves them to a train to bring to the Capital. My brother, he's only 12," Immy trailed off.

"That must be rather hard for you, being away from him," Eni stated. "From age 13 up, everyone in District 8 must put in at least 4 hours at one of the factories. What do you do?"

"I sew the designs together. I'm still at the novice stage, so I don't make clothing yet. Only tablecloths, quilts and stuff like that," Immy said. She was improving greatly, however, and they said that she would get to do clothing once she turned 18. It was petrifying to the that it is no longer once she turns 18, but rather if she makes it to 18.

"Do you have a tribute token with you?" Immy hesitated before pulling the locket over her head. She passed it to Eni. "It was my mother's."

"How lovely. I will be sure to incorporate this into all of your costumes. Is it okay if I hold onto it for now?" she asked.

"No!" Immy hurriedly said. That was the only thing keeping her family whole, something to remind her of them all.

Eni frowned and reached towards her to grab the locket. Immy pulled it back out of reach.

"Immy, I can't make you give it to me. But it is necessary to trust us, or at least me. You will get it back, I promise." Her solemn look pushed Immy over the edge and she shakenly handed over the locket.

"Thank you, Immy. It is time to put you in your outfit on." She pulled the costume out of the bag and Immy smiled. The outfit was very appealing, but nothing too strange.

Eni quickly put the outfit on her. She adjusted it slightly and added a pair of long, black feather earrings.

It was a 2-piece dress, the top having one side with a long sleeve and the other just a strap. It stopped just above her belly button showing her thin stomach. The skirt part was long, reaching just above her ankles. The top was constructed from lace and the skirt was pure silk. It incorporated many different colors, the most prominent being a baby blue and gold.

She had always seen the magnificent designs and results from the departments of the Clothing Building back in District 8, but she had never been allowed to wear any of them. District 8 did have some of the nicest clothes out of all of the districts, but her family had never had a lot of money. Their clothes were second hand and run down. She felt amazing being placed in something so elegant.

"It's beautiful," she whispered making Eni smile.

Eni brought over a pair of sparkling black high heels and held Immy upwards as she stepped into them

"Now, go to the elevator and go to the main floor. The chariot annex is there. Your mentors and escort will be there."

"Thank you, Eni. I really do love it," Immy told her while giving a warm smile.

"I will see you before your interview. I wish you the best of luck, Immy. I want to see you radiate confidence."

Immy did as Eni said and took the elevator the main floor. When she walked out, she saw Rhett standing there next to Woof and Ezri, Cecelia not in sight.

Rhett was wearing a suit with a matching pattern to hers. He had a strange headpiece attached to him making him look very uncomfortable.

"You both ready?" Woof asked them. They gave curt nods and he led the way out to the annex.

Once outside she took in her surroundings. She could hear the crowds of people cheering from up ahead, but she put that out of her mind once she saw the other tributes.

This was her first time seeing any of them and that left a flurry of butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't the only tribute glancing at their opponents as she noticed several other eyes wondering around.

She eyed the tributes from District 1 only briefly; they were larger, they were strong, and they were terrifying. The boy still had a baby face but his muscles were very clearly there. She believed that his arm and her body would be the same width. His eyes were menacing and penetrating, and she knew he was not one she wanted to cross.

The girl was strikingly beautiful, but it was easy to tell she was lusting for the win. She was tall and had a muscular build. She was not nearly as terrifying as her district partner.

"Careers," a voice whispered into Immy's ear. She jumped and her hand went straight to her heart. Cecelia was smiling down at her.

"What did you say?"

"I said Careers. I saw you looking at District 1, and they're Careers, along with District 2 and sometimes 4. They go to special school and train for the Games, to them winning is an honor." Immy could feel the lump in her throat. Not only did they want to win this, they were trained.

"They're very dangerous, they usually stick together. Avoid them at all costs, they're vicious and almost always win. District 4 got it last year, you remember watching that?"

She vividly did, and her thoughts went to Kacem. She had to sleep in his bed for a month straight because of the night terrors he got from watching last year's games. Rhett seemed to remember too because he visibly paled in front of them.

Ezri and Woof approached them and joined Cecelia. They whispered to each other for a moment before turning to look at the tributes.

Immy's eyes widened slightly once she took in Cecelia's appearance. She was dumbfounded that she hadn't noticed earlier. Her eyes looked even more tired than when she first met them and there were bruises along her arms. She had a split lip that looked extremely fresh and tender.

Immy diverted her eyes, not wanting to pry into someone else's life.

A loud horn sounded that made both tributes jump on the spot. She witnessed other tributes beginning to load onto their chariot and decided to follow suit.

"You look so calm," Rhett remarked. He, however, did not. He was pale and when she placed a hand on his shoulder she could feel him shaking.

"In all honesty, I feel like I could piss myself any moment I'm so scared. I'm just used to hiding it." She smiled when he cracked a grin and she placed her arm around his shoulders in a protective manner.

They both gasped as the large, charcoal black horses began to move their chariot forward. This was it.

She could hear somebody announcing 'District 1!' followed by unsettling cheers. Music with loud drums started to play making their entrance even more extravagant.

Immy looked around her, at the buildings surrounding her. It was nighttime, but she couldn't see one star in sight. The artificial lights from all the buildings were obstructing the natural beauty of the world.

But the Capitol's beauty was unarguably outstanding. The architecture was classically appealing; all the buildings managed to mesh together extremely well.

As she heard them cry out 'District 6' it suddenly felt as if someone had shoved fabric down her throat. Her breaths were much more rapid and she was looking away from Rhett, attempting not to alert him.

She heard the echo of cheers approaching closer and closer to them took several deep breaths to calm herself.

"Big smiles, Rhett." And that is just what they did.

"And here comes District 8, Textiles!"

As they became visible, the crowd roared. It was unlike anything she had experienced before, even more bizarre than when she got off the train. She held a wide grin and waved with her free hand at the spectators. She took a quick glance at Rhett and saw him smiling and waving at those around him.

Her eyes wandered through the crowd, never lasting on one person for very long. She witnessed Rhett catch a small teddy bear that had been thrown at him and she let out a cheerful laugh. Never in 1000 years did she expect herself to enjoy this kind of event, to feed off of their positivity towards this dog show.

The chariot came to a halt and stayed alongside the others. She continued to glance around and her eyes widened when she decided to look upwards. President Snow was there, on his ivory balcony, scrutinizing the tributes.

As District 12 appears with the rest of us, President Snow stood, and all the tributes finally got to look at the man who was putting them into the games. Immy shuddered as she looked at him; she could feel bile in her throat. She ground her teeth as she looked at him

He was in an all black suit with a white undershirt. Pinned to his chest was a beautiful, lively white rose. He had appeared on broadcasts before, but he had never looked so menacing. His eyes held such confidence and power, all while looking like a snake's eyes. It would be possible for him to make a grown man tremble.

"Welcome, all, to the 69th Hunger Games!" he announced, allowing the crowd to cheer vigorously. "With great honor, I welcome all of the tributes to the beautiful Capitol."

His gaze suddenly fell on Immy and she clenched her hands, attempting to appear firm.

"And may the odds be ever in your favor."