Sparks

Chapter Two

The Capitol


I stared at the woman sitting across the table from me. "How do I win?"

A grin spread across her face, a gleam in her scarlet eyes. "Finally, someone who gets straight to the point. I like that."

For someone who was going to be my mentor, Trista was surprisingly young. I racked my brain, trying to remember when she had won the Games. It wasn't too long ago, five or six years at most. The Games had always blurred together in my mind, a bloody, death filled mess. Yet now I was to play in the Games, and the only way to live was to win.

"How do I win." I repeated, raising an eyebrow at the former Victor.

"Easy. You outsmart the others." She stated simply, helping herself to the various breakfast foods laid out on the table. "Now eat up Serena, we're almost to the Capital."

"It's Bunny." I corrected, looking at the assortment of food before me before selecting a large flakey roll and putting it on my plate.

"Okay then, Bunny. Eat up, we are almost to the Capital." Trista smiled at me, tucking a strand of emerald green hair behind her ear.

I picked up a jar of jam and scooped some onto my roll; my usually big appetite had diminished over the past day. I stifled a laugh to myself at the irony of having as much food as I could ever want and yet having no appetite. Yet I forced myself to eat. There was no reason to starve myself before I even got to the Arena.

It was soft and flakey, quite different from the tough, whole grain biscuits I was used to back home. It was good, just different.

I looked up and tried not to laugh as Alex burst through the compartment door, half asleep, still in a wrinkled shirt and boxer shorts, and looking like a family of rats had made their nest in his hair. His nose up in the air, sniffing hungrily as he made his way to the table. He plopped down and pulled a plate towards him, piling it full of food.

"Well it seems like someone is hungry. Good morning Alex." Trista smiled at my fellow Tribute.

"Goomornin" he grumbled through a mouthful of sausage.

I rolled my eyes and looked around the compartment, noticing that everyone was here except for our colorful and usually extravagantly dressed District Escort. "Where's Molly?"

"Still doing her makeup would be my guess." Trista replied. "I never understood Capitol fashion trends."

I scoffed and glanced at her green hair and red eyes.

"So I picked up a few things from the Capitol. Believe me, if you think I look strange, wait until we get there. It shouldn't be too long before we do. Though Molly is one of the… less eccentric ones."

As if on cue, the redhead in question walked in, her high heels clacking against the floor. A mint green dress poofed out around her, matching the bow in her hair.

"Good Morning!" she exclaimed, seating herself at the head of the table. She reached over and slapped what I believed to be Alex's fifth roll out of his hand. "Don't stuff yourself like a pig. This isn't the end of the world or the last chance you will ever have to eat. There's a whole week for that once we get to the Capitol!"

Well what a lovely way to start a conversation.

Alex shoved his still half filled plate away from him, huffing.

"Careful!" Molly cried, a horrified look on her face. "That's a one of a kind china pattern made only in District Eight."

I could see Trista rolling her eyes and trying not to laugh at her companion.

"Serena!"

I looked up, startled, to see Molly shaking her head at me. "You know Serena, spacing out like that could mean death in the Arena. You need to pay more attention!"

I looked down at the napkin in my lap, fiddling with it. "Sorry. I guess I'm not used to people calling me that. Serena, that is. Most people call me Bunny."

"And that's what you'll be if you don't pay attention, a defenseless little bunny rabbit."

"Molly. Don't patronize them." Trista shot across the table.

Blue eyes rolled under orange bangs. "Well then." she clapped her hands together, "Let's talk about what's going to happen today, but first, Alex, you need to put some clothes on."

And with that, Molly stood up and grabbed Alex by the arm, pulling him out of the room.


I sat alone in the dining room, Trista having left quite some time ago. I looked down at the locket in my hand. It's lid was popped open and its twinkling melody filled my ears. I gazed down at the decorative face of the locket, the silver moon that seemed to change through the phases of the moon as it spun slowly around under the glass of the locket.

I held back tears as I thought of my family. I didn't know if I would ever see them again. I didn't know what to do.

"Deep breaths, Meatball Head. It's all going to be alright." I told myself.

Oh what was I thinking. Nothing was okay. I was in the Hunger Games. I was on my way to the Capitol. About to be carted off to my doom.

Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over and roll, hot and wet, down my cheeks.

"Are you okay?"

I jumped in my seat, snapping the locket shut, as tears began flowing down my cheeks.

"Woah, Bunny, calm down. It's just me, Trista. I didn't mean to startle you."

I closed my eyes and buried my face in my hands. "I can't do this."

The older woman sat down next to me, her arm wrapped around my shoulder. "Don't say that."

"But it's true. I'm gonna die. I'll be the first to die. And my family…" I burst into tears, unable to keep talking. Molly was right, I was just like a poor defenseless bunny rabbit.

Trista held my hand. "Bunny. Serena you will be alright. We have a week to get you ready for the Arena. I'm sure you will feel confident by then."

I shrugged, fiddling with the chain of my necklace. I liked the added weight of the locket around my neck. The crystal hung next to the golden star, shining in the light that came streaming in through the window.

"It's a beautiful necklace."

I looked up at my Mentor, wiping tears from my cheeks. "Thanks."

She smiled at me, a strange smile, as if she knew something I didn't. "I heard music earlier, I thought it sounded familiar."

"The locket is a music box." I explained, opening the lid, letting the melody wash over me. I glanced up at Trista, her scarlet eyes closed, seeming to be lost in a memory or trance. "Trista?'

She opened her eyes and looked at me. "Yes?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but decided against it. "Never mind."

The green haired woman stood up, shaking her head. "Well I came in here to tell you that Molly's looking for you. She wanted to talk to you about today before we got to there. By the looks of it we're getting pretty close."

I turned back to the window, watching the landscapes flickering by. The open fields and wooded areas had been replaced with factories and cement buildings, the occasional smokestack churning out billowing black clouds. We had entered the inner Districts. The Career Districts. The competition from these Districts would be fierce. Children trained to become Tributes from a young age. They craved the fame of being Victor and would do anything to win the title. I shuddered thinking about having to face them.

Trista placed her hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about the Careers, they often get cocky and get themselves killed. Now go find Molly, she'll be just as vicious as the other Tributes if she doesn't have her way."

I stood by the door of the train, unconsciously clenching and unclenching the hem of the baby pink lace dress Molly had picked out for me. "You'll look so pretty in it," she had told me, snatching up the simple, navy dress I had chosen for myself. We were going to be met by our prep teams at the train stop, so we had to look our best.

I felt the train slow to a stop, the first time I had felt as though the train was actually moving, other than when we had pulled out of the station in back in District Ten.

We pulled to a complete stop and the doors slid open, revealing a blinding view of the city. Masses of people and press were waiting for us. Cameras flashing and people cheering. I was quickly pulled off to the side to meet a small group of people.

I didn't pay too much attention, I was too busy taking in the sights around me.

Buildings scraped the clouds, bright colors shone everywhere, too vivid to seem real. Gold and silver, Emerald, sapphire, topaz, amethyst, azure. Colors every direction I looked. I had seen videos and photographs, but never imagined it could be even grander.

A small girl rushed past me, pulling me out of my moment of awe. I turned to see her rush at Trista and engulf her in a hug. The girl looked to be about ten, pale with large violet eyes and short black hair that framed her grinning face.

"Hotaru!" My green haired mentor smiled cheerfully, picking up the girl and hugging her back.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up into a pair of light blue eyes that belonged to a woman with sea green hair pulled back with a red ribbon stood behind me.

"I'm Michiru, part of your prep team, here to welcome you to the Capitol." She held out her hand for me to shake.

"Haruka." Said the tall short haired blonde standing next to her. "Again, welcome to the Capitol. And before you ask, I am not part of your prep team; I'm just the one with the car. And Michiru's girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you. You probably already know my name's Serena, but just about everyone calls me Bunny." I looked back and forth between Michiru and Haruka realizing that they were both females, something I wasn't accustomed to, having grown up in a small town, with no others around for miles. Yet they seemed happy together, and no one bothered to give them a second glance. I put the thought in the back on my mind as Trista looked our way, the little girl clinging to her hand.

"Come on; let's get you out of here. There's work to be done."


I soon found myself sitting on a stool, wearing nothing but a thin flimsy robe. I was free of hair except for my eyebrows and that on my head, which had been freshly washed and now tumbled down my back in a curtain of gold waves. My body had been scrubbed of any remaining specks of dirt and I felt cleaner than I ever had before.

A fairly normal looking blonde named Mina stood in front of me. She was to be my Stylist for my time at the Capitol. I was surprised at how ordinary she looked compared to some of the other people I had seen so far. Most of my Prep Team seemed ordinary, nothing too crazy. The team was made up of three girls, Michiru, who I had met at the train station, Amy, a petite girl with blue hair and lipstick, and Lita, a tall, strong brunette who wore rose earrings.

Mina looked as though she could almost be from back home. The red lips and black winged eyeliner made her blue eyes pop. The stars tattooed in spirals around her arms seemed almost natural on her. I knew immediately that I would get along with her. She had told me that one of her best friends, Rei, would be the Stylist for Alex.

Mina stood in front of me with her arms crossed. "We're going to have to cut your hair."

I clutched the knee-length, golden locks I had grown out for as long as i could remember. "What?"

Mina fingered the loose strands that now felt like silk after their much needed washing. "Just a bit. I'm worried that it might get caught on something in the Arena. Which might just get you stuck in a bad situation."

"Oh." I let my hands drop to rest in my lap.

"On a lighter note, I think me and Rei have your costumes for the Opening Ceremonies almost done. I'll just have to do a few adjustments. You're a bit smaller than I expected." Mina giggled.

I was quickly learning that Mina was a bit of one of those bubbly air headed blondes.

I looked up at her curiously. "Am I allowed to know what it is?"

"Well, duh!" she exclaimed, grabbing a sketch book she flipped it open to a page and handed it to me. "Sorry it's not the real dress. As I said, I just need to do a few minor changes."

My eyes grew wide at the sight of her drawing. "It's beautiful. But it's not a dress."

She leaned over my shoulder and quickly grabbed the sketch book from my hands. "Oops… Wrong sketch. You weren't supposed to see that one." She flipped the page and handed it back to me, double checking it was the right one. "Here you go."

I accepted it once more, once again amazed by the blonde's work. "Wow."

Mina blushed and hung her head. "It could be better. It would have if I had more of an advanced notice."

I stared at her. "I think it's amazing. I couldn't do something like this if I was given all the time in the world."

My words seemed to cheer her up. "Really?"

"Yep!"

The blonde engulfed me in a crushing hug.

"Uh… Mina. I kinda need to breath, unless you want a dead tribute before the Games even start." I gasped out, feeling my face start to turn an unnatural shade of blue.

"Oops!" she released me and gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry."

My stomach grumbled loudly, cutting off whatever she was about to say.

"Looks like someone's hungry." She laughed. She tossed me a light blue dress, some under-things, and a simple pair of sandals. "Put that on and we can go grab something to eat."


I stood in front of the mirror gasping at what I saw. For the first time in my life, I actually looked pretty.

The simple periwinkle and navy dress was the style of a milkmaids. It was supposed to represent our District. Livestock and farming. Mina had decided to dress me as a stereotypical farm girl. At least I wasn't stuffed into a cow like last years' tributes were.

My hair had yet to be cut and had been pulled back in two simple braids that wrapped around my head. Navy ribbons were woven into the braids. I reached up and adjusted the bit of ribbon that hung down from the braids. Mina turned the corner and came into the room. "You ready to go?"

I took a deep breath and nodded, taking one last look in the mirror.

I turned to follow her out the door and took in her outfit that consisted of a poofy shirt that seemed to be made of gold threads, with it coming from the Capitol, I wouldn't be surprised if it was. The shirt tucked into a high waisted, short, tight black skirt and black high heels that looked like torture devices to me. They were at least five inches tall, making Mina tower over me by what seemed like a foot. Sure I was a petite girl, but still I felt even shorter with Mina standing next to me in her heels.

"We're gonna meet Alex and Rei at the chariot. Okay?"

I nodded, starting to feel butterflies take flight in my stomach.

The Opening Ceremonies. Time for the people of Panem to make their first impression of me.

I silently followed Mina up to where the chariots were stopped, all the tributes waiting to get on.

A red haired girl caught my eye. A white silk dress sewn with diamonds told me she was from District One, no other District would have such a flashy and gem covered costume.

"That's Beryl." Someone whispered in my ear. I jumped backwards, nearly crashing into one of the horses. Alex stood next to me in denim overalls and a plaid shirt in the same colors as my dress.

"My goodness you scared me." I gasped, my hand over my heart.

He smiled at me, brushing his thick bangs out of his dark brown eyes. "I got to meet Beryl earlier, and, pardon my language, but she's a bitch. She dropped her headpiece and I handed it to her and she looked at me like I was a piece of trash and yelled at me to keep, and I quote, 'Your disgustingly grubby hands off my stuff!'"

I laughed as Alex did a falsetto voice when he quoted the District One girl..

"Well she is from D1." I replied.

The Panem anthem began to play and we hurried to our chariot. I looked back to see Mina and a raven haired girl, who I reckoned was Rei, smiling and waving at us as the horse drawn chariot started to make it's was down to the city square.

I waved to the screaming crowd as we passed by, their cheers echoing in my ears, most of them for other Districts. We pulled to a stop alongside the others. I looked around at all the crazy costumes that had been pulled up for this year.

District 1, Luxury: Beryl wore a, pardon my language, skanky white dress embroidered with sparkling gems, a shining circlet woven into her flaming red hair. The platinum haired boy stood next to her in a white suit encrusted with diamonds and a fluttering blue cape that hung from his shoulders.

District 2, Masonry: A tall boy with bright red hair stood, blocking my view of the girl tribute. What I could see of the boy was his fiery red hair and a stone gray pair of pants tucked into a pair of heavy boots and a black tank top styled shirt.

District 3, Technology: The two from District 3 wore shiny silver unitards with black markings that looked like it was supposed to represent the inside of the computers that they made.

District 4, Fishing: The boy tribute had oddly colored hair, and so did the girl. It looked like their Stylists had a lot of fun with their hair. The boy had teal hair with pink highlights while the girl's was dyed pink and had a few green highlights around the front.

District 5, Power: Once again, power plant workers.

District 6, Transportation: The girl stared at me with anger-filled eyes. I quickly looked away, only catching a glimpse of their shiny outfits.

District 7, Lumber: Another classic. They were both dressed as trees.

District 8, Textiles: I honestly have no idea what they were supposed to be because the 'trees' of District 7 were blocking them.

District 9, Grain: Fairly simple costumes, wheat colored clothing with patterns of grain on them. The girl had pieces of different grains braided into her hair.

District 11, Agriculture: They were wearing matching outfits, as most of the tributes were. They were decked out in different shades of green and had headpieces that looked like they were made out of plants.

District 12, Mining: The tributes were both in skimpy miner's outfits, complete with hats and everything. I could see the girl shivering in the cold night air, her long black ponytail waving behind her as she wrapped her arms around herself to try to stay warm.

'Poor girl,' I thought to myself. Being from a district where no one really ever wins. I remembered that there had only ever been two winners from District 12, one was now dead and the other a drunk.

I didn't realize I was staring at her until she raised her head and turned her dark blue gaze on me. Her eyes seemed empty. Probably from knowing what was coming on just a few days' time. I gave her a smile to let her know that she wasn't alone when suddenly I felt the chariot start to move beneath my feet as the anthem started up once more.

"Ooh!" I gave a small yelp, practically falling on Alex. I would have toppled out of the chariot if he hadn't caught me.I heard the crowd laugh as I tried to stand up but only succeeded in falling over once more.

The chariots pulled into the awning that covered the entrance to the Training Center. We were met once again by Mina and Rei, this time our prep teams were with them. Molly, Trista, and the little girl from this morning were there as well.

Molly led the way into the tall building where our prep teams departed, saying that they had to go. Our party of six made our way to one of the lifts in the lobby. I nervously got in. I had never been on a lift until arriving here at the Capitol.

The doors dinged open at the Tenth floor revealing an extraordinary sight: a lavishly decorated living room, filled with all the newest trends of the Capitol. I stepped into the room in a daze, amazed by all the different things the Capitol had to offer.

"Your room will be just down that hall." Molly pointed me to a corridor to our left. I thanked her and made my way down, pausing in front of a door that had a piece of paper with my name pinned to it.

Pinks and blues were the main color scheme of the room; a large window filled the entire wall showing the night sky. You could see the moon shining brightly and stars all around it. Or at least a picture of them. I had once heard that you couldn't see the stars in the Capitol. There was too much light pollution or something like that.

I pulled open the closet doors to see a wide variety of clothes, several of which had the number 'ten' on the sleeve; I presumed those were for the training, so other tributes would know what districts we were from. I grabbed a pair of silky pants and a loose fitting, tunic style top and pulled them on, admiring the feel of the fabric against my skin. I didn't care that they didn't match at all, I was just glad to get out of my Opening Ceremonies costume.

"Bunny?" I turned to see Molly standing in my doorway.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I see you found your room. I just wanted to tell you dinner's ready. I want my tributes to be well fed so you don't look starved tomorrow at the interviews." With that she left, leaving me running barefoot after her. My stomach growled once again with the thought of food, my appetite having come back.


I dropped my fork on my plate pushing the remains of my second piece of chocolate cake away from myself. I felt like I was about to pop. "I don't think I should have had so much to eat," I mumbled, holding back a burp.

Rei, who was sitting next to me at the large mahogany table that Molly had proudly shown off, laughed, her purple highlighted hair falling in her face as she did.

I looked across the table at the small girl who had been attached to Trista's side ever since that morning, Hotaru, who had a bit of chocolate frosting on the tip of her nose. I had learned that Hotaru had been orphaned and Trista had been kind enough to take her in. She had come to the Capitol a few days before we had and had been staying with Michiru and Haruka.

I leaned across the table, wiping her small nose off with my napkin then tossed it down on my plate.

The raven-haired girl next to me placed her napkin and silverware down and stood up. "Sorry guys. I gotta get going. Bye everyone."

"Bye Rei." I bid her farewell as she grabbed her bag and headed over to the door.

"I think it's about time that we all get to bed," Molly said, stretching her arms above her head. "We have a big day tomorrow. Bunny, Alex." She turned to us. "I wanna go over some things for the interviews with you tomorrow. So be ready for that."

I stood up and slowly made my way to my room, noticing Mina was following me. She stopped at the door across the hallway from mine. "Are you staying here?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I just find it easier to bunk here rather than keep going back and forth between here and my house. Well… `night!"

"Good night Mina." She gave me a quick hug before escaping to her room.

I opened the door and fell down on the large bed, sighing. I fell asleep before my head even touched the pillow.


I woke to a soft rustling noise coming from outside my half open door. I sleepily opened my eyes and saw an orange pajama clad figure.

"Mina?" I called softly turning on the lamp.

The blonde's head poked through my door. "You awake, Bunny?"

I nodded.

"Did I wake you?" she asked as she stepped into the room. Her glitzy outfit had been replaced with a t-shirt and what looked like a pair of orange silk boxer shorts, her long hair was pulled into a messy bun. A completely different look than the one I saw early today.

I shrugged, sitting up, letting the silky covers fall into my lap. "I'm a light sleeper."

"Sorry about that. I went to get a glass of water." She lifted said glass of water. "I guess I'll be going."

I called after her, a thought coming to mind. "Mina?"

She turned. "Yeah?"

"I was wondering about something." I motioned for her to come near. She balanced herself on the foot of the bed, sipping her her glass of water.

"That drawing I saw this afternoon? The one I saw when you went to show me the dress?" The blonde nodded. "Well I was just curious as to what it was of. It looked sorta familiar."

I asked recalling the beautifully drawn picture of a couple embracing. The one thing that had stood out to me the most was not the graceful palace in the background, but rather that there was a sketch of the earth were the moon would usually sit in the night sky.

Mina studied me for a while before responding. "You might think it's crazy, but my grandma used to tell me stories about a kingdom on the moon. She would tell me all these stories about the princess and how, even though it was forbidden, she fell in love with the prince of the earth. It was a wonderful story really." Mina looked at me a nostalgic expression on her face.

"Sounds like a beautiful story. What happens?"

"The whole forbidden romance thing. But it doesn't have a happy ending."

I gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"Well the story ends when an evil queen decides to attack the moon and is about to kill the princess when the prince takes the blade for her. He died and the princess was so distraught that she couldn't live without him, so she takes his sword and kills herself so she could be with her lover."

"Oh." I looked down at my hands clasped in my lap. I picked up my locket from the bedside table, where I guess Molly had placed it earlier, fiddling with the crystal on the chain.

Mina smiled at me. "Is that your Tribute Token?"

I nodded slowly, forcing back tears that threatened to sting my eyes.

"It's beautiful." Mina placed a hand on top of mine.

"Thank you. It was a gift." I flipped open the lid, looking at the silver moon on the inside. The twinkling tune flooded my mind, bringing Mina's story to life in my mind. I could see a silver haired girl in the arms of a tall, handsome man, smiling and gazing up into his eyes. The scenes played through my mind, a beautiful love blossoming between the two royals.

"Well, goodnight." I looked up into Mina's blue eyes at where she now stood by the door.

"`Night." I replied, not looking up from the hypnotizing music box locket, my mind now lost in the story of the prince and princess. I didn't know why but the story made my heart flutter with something that felt like hope.


Well that's all for this chapter.

Thank you to chaticwisdom for reviewing!

Hope you enjoyed it! I would love to hear what you guys think!

Lots of Love!

Allie