MATERIAL GIRL.
The luxurious high speed train arrived at the Capitol's main station, the morning after the delivery of the pink envelopes. A short figure of a woman stood patiently waiting; petite and pretty, looking a little tired from the stress of the rush to pack and arrive on time to this important life changing event.
She wore a very large blonde wig with aqua highlights on her slightly rounded head; a puffy moon shaped skirt with light blue striped leggings and a patterned spiral turquoise top, which matched the tone of her contact lenses perfectly. Effie Trinket sure did look the part, even if she did say so herself.
Her brand new job would be grand, exciting, exquisite! Everything she'd always wanted it to be. And, yet, something just didn't feel right. The Escort shook away the inklings, blaming them on nerves as it was the most important event to have happened to her to date. Nerves were expected in this art. Especially since, the manically upbeat woman wanted to feel important for a change. She wanted to make a difference, wanted to be remembered for eternity, and that had been the main reason why she'd applied for the job in the first place. She wanted to help, unlike alot of the previous Escorts. It was then, that a loud squeaky voice broke the short woman from her reverie.
"Train 224 is awaiting it's passenger. Good luck and have a very safe journey." It whistled in a thick Capitol accent. Crackling, ended the voice over as Effie's assistant grabbed her many large suitcases. The glittering train was waiting for her, and her alone, ready to take her on the biggest adventure of her life. She'd only ever dreamed of this moment.
"Enjoy your journey, Miss Trinket. Haymitch Abernathy and Stylo Grenadine are already on board. Haymitch will be the Mentor to the two selected Tributes this year and Stylo is your designer. We hope you travel safely, and with little haste." The meet-and-greeter beamed, checking the glossy pink envelopes contents to verify that the woman in front of him was in fact the new Escort to District 12. There had been a few cases of fraud in the past, so check-in was essential.
"Thank you very much, dear." Effie chimed, stepping on to the state-of-the-art train with a brilliant white grin. Everything looked so fantastic and stylish! She could definitely get used to this kind of lifestyle after the upbringing she'd had in the Capitol. There was poverty there too, not just in the other Districts.
Every single wall inside the vehicle was made of the finest shimmering gold, to match all the cutlery in the kitchen and new living room. Most of the rooms were joined together, to give an appearance of larger living space and richness. Ornaments had been kept to a minimal, and in Effie's opinion, the decor just lacked a few homely touches. Thankfully, she'd packed a couple of little trinkets, which would do the job quite nicely.
A loud bashing noise suddenly startled the Escort as she took her first steps into paradise. She turned in a bustle to see a dark mysterious looking figure in the door way. The hooded man grabbed her in a matter of seconds and shoved her up against a wall, roughly pressed a sharp knife into her neck, lightly digging it in to the fragile peachy flesh. The man was slumped over from tiredness, and his stained shirt was hanging out on one side, his deep blue eyes sagged from the aftershock of the booze in his tight masculine grip.
"Oh my!... Goodness! Pardon... me. Hello? I'm very sorry to intrude. I'm the... new Escort. My name's-umm- My name is-" Effie babbled in a rushed panicky tone, frightened of the large knife on her neck. One swift movement could end her life before it had even begun.
"- I don't care." The figure interrupted as he dropped her to the ground, swanning over to the small bar to switch his whiskey from a larger bottle of rum. Effie flopped to the floor as she was released, and gripped her throat with the fear of it being missing. Dramatic gasps were leaving her parted lips as she tried to convince herself that she wasn't already dead.
"Charming." The material girl muttered sarcastically under her breath as she arose to her dainty feet once more, shaking a little. "I can just see that we are going to get on splendidly." She mumbled in a croaky tone, mostly to herself, trying to stay positive. After that encounter, Effie would do anything to convince herself that she could work with this wretched man.
"I wouldn't count on that, sweetheart." He grumbled, taking a large swig from his bottle. He then, reached up to remove his hood, showing his face to the woman in front of him with a sigh.
"You must be Haymitch." Effie said softly, the fake smile never leaving her petite face as she offered her shaky hand, which he ignored.
"And, you must be one of those bitches they send to boss me around each year, huh?" Haymitch replied, quirking an eyebrow and laughing at the shocked expression on Effie's face. "What's wrong, Princess? Never heard someone curse before?"
And that, was how Haymitch and Effie first meet. It was sudden, rushed and frightening. Effie wasn't really sure what to do next, but to follow procedure. He'd casually grabbed a large bottle of scotch and flopped onto the sofa, lying on his back and drowning his sorrows in the liquid venom.
"So, have you got any clever strategies planned out for this years games?" Effie blurted in a happy tone after five minutes of mutual silence. Haymitch shrugged and sipped his drink, not even bothering to give her a second glance.
"Not my problem, sweetheart." The sulky man mumbled aggressively, taking another large swig from his bottle of booze as Effie sat, mouth agape. Firstly, he'd called her a 'bitch' and then, now he was acting as if he didn't care about the lives of two innocent children from his own district? How disturbing! Effie thought mentally.
The Escort retorted in a slightly harsher tone. "If you don't mind me saying so, you are being very rude, Mr Abernathy, and I do not appreciate it one little bit."
Haymitch laughed, wholeheartedly. "Oh, really? You know, I'd apologize for my behavior, but then I'd just be telling a pack of lies, and I doubt you'd appreciate that very much either, Miss, whatever your name is." He mocked, putting on a thick Capitol accent to match her own.
"It's Effie, Effie Trinket, actually. And, please, tell me, have I done something to offend you?" The manically upbeat woman asked after another few minutes of depressing silence. This man confused her, more than any other human being she'd ever encountered. He was harsh and easily agitated, but she'd never even laid eyes on him until today, and for some reason, he's already passed quite a deep judgement on her.
"No, you've just made me freakin' blind with all the atrocious colours you're wearing." He answered back harshly, turning onto his front to bury his stubbly rough face in a nearby cushion. And with that, Effie began to walk away.
She looked down at him once more, before moving towards her bedroom, which was only across the hall. "I apologize sincerely for any offense I may have caused you, Mr Abernathy." The Escort muttered softly. She wasn't sure what she may have said to upset him, but whatever it was, an apology seemed appropriate. And, in return, to her surprise, Haymitch grunted and handed over the bottle in his hand.
"Put that back on the bar, would ya, Princess?" He didn't even look up, but shoved the object into her frail arms.
"With pleasure." Effie smiled gently, dropping the bottle back where it truly belonged, before exiting, retreating to her new room.
Maybe she'd be able to think of a way to win Haymitch over before the train stopped in the center of the Capitol. Today was the Eve of the Annual Hunger Games, before the reaping, before everything, and they had a parade to attend. The Escorts and Mentors would be shown off to the world that night and the last thing Effie wanted was for everyone to see her as a fool.
Caesar Flickerman would be there afterwards to interview her on the parades standards and presentation, as it would be her responsibility to dress up and look good. Being a new Escort meant that everyone in the Capitol would be watching out for her in particular. She needed to look her best, to give away her Material Girl image.
"Knock Knock." A strange voice rang suddenly, in an accent similar to her own, breaking the woman from her deep thoughts. She hadn't been expecting any visitors on this train, as she'd been told that it was pretty exclusive. However, Effie put on her usual brilliantly white smile and answered the door.
A man, pale as snow with glimmering golden eyes and flaming red hair stood before her, sharing a similar grin on his face. "Hello, darling! I'm Stylo Grenadine! I'm sure you've heard of me, the stylist for this years games. Well, your stylist for this years games. I couldn't care less about people who don't appreciate traditional Capitol couture. But, you look splendid, I must say! It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Trinket. I've been hearing songs of good praise." He beamed, offering his hand, which she shook instantly. Finally, there was someone on this train to talk to with decent manners and etiquette.
"That is superb. I'm thrilled to have you here, Stylo." She nodded enthusiastically, opening her door fully to allow him into her chambers. Effie lead him over to her extremely large wardrobe, which was currently empty, as she hadn't unpacked her few items of clothing yet. Stylo was here to make the rest from scratch. Typical designer Capitol couture was expected.
"Tonight you need something grand, I think! Big, bold, possibly pink? No, blue. Hmm, maybe both. I'll see. I'm thinking glitter, that turns into ice." Stylo rambled excitedly, mostly to himself, holding up his thumb to visually measure her from a distance.
Effie did a little twirl, and wrote down her measurement from him. "Whatever you think is best, dear." She nodded, checking her watch. Only three hours left till they arrived at the parade.
Author's Note: Chapter two, my loves! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Just so you all know, I'm almost on my way to getting full study leave! My school didn't want to be like everyone else, you know, normal! So, they gave us semi-study leave, where we only come into school for the lessons we have exams in. Which means, I'll be finished with everything next week! Yaaaay! Then, I'll be bombarded with loads of free time and my Hayffie feels! Life is fully complete! Thank you so much for all the reviews so far, they really mean alot! And, please keep them coming! Hugs and butterfly kisses, love Starproof.