Chapter 3- The Qautre Quell.
Freya is my stylist. She is a young woman wearing a grey frumpy frock and glasses. She is zipping me up from the back. My dress is made from white feathers, it comes up just below my knees. It is the most breath taking thing I have ever seen in my life.
There is a knock on the door and Exma comes in. Upon seeing me he clasps his hands together and tilts his head to the side to admire.
"You are beautiful." He says simply.
"Its amazing what a clothes can do to a person."
He waves Freya away and she leaves. He comes towards me holds both my hands comfortingly. "Its amazing what you can do to the clothes. This dress was tried on several models and each of them looked hideous. We were going to throw it out until we saw you in person last night. Then we decided to have a back up dress just in case."
By 'we' I assumed he meant Freya and himself.
"Why are you taking a lot of interest in me when Duncan is your tribute?" My blunt question seems to take him back. He wanders over to the coner of the room behind me and comes back with a set of large bird wings.
"Because Harry and I will be mentoring both of you equally."
He helps me put the wings on and sets me in front of the mirror. If I thought the dress was beautiful before, its stunning now. I am a dove. This has to be the best costume our district has ever had. Normally we are dressed as farmers or animals. There are many birds in District 10. But they all thrive in freedom beyond the border of 10, in the forests.
"Now when you go out there, dazzle them. This will be your first impression on everyone and you must come across as a desirable young lady."
"Okay." I look down at the floor. Controlling myself. I've never liked to be in large unknown crowds. But when I am, I'm always very social.
Desirable. I have no idea how I'm going to play that but I have to somehow. Desirable. That's probably the last thing I am.
He takes me to the area backstage where all the chariots are waiting. Exma tells me to climb in and he will go and get Duncan.
People are rushing to and fro. Most of the chariots have been loaded up with their tributes. As I pass district eleven to get to mine, they stare at me. Its very unnerving. I don't like attention.
When I get to the chariot try to figure out how I'm going to climb into it. These are quite high and have a barrier at the back to stop tributes from jumping out and running away as some attempted to in the past. There's supposed to be a ladder but I'm guessing one of the other tributes stole ours.
"Excuse me?" I call to one of the people rushing about. But I don't think they've heard me as they continue to rush.
"Here,"
Says a voice from behind me. I turn around to see a blonde boy with grey eyes, he's holding a step ladder.
"Oh thank you," I say. I'm about to take the step ladder when he places it on the floor next to the chariot for me to get on. I smile politely and climb it.
Before I can do anything, his hand takes mine delicately and he helps me climb up the ladder. When I'm standing in the chariot he comes around the front and leans against the horse.
"So you're from district ten," it sounds more like a statement than a question, but I answer any way.
"Yes, and you are..." I indicate for him to tell me.
"Xavier," he shakes my hand, "District one."
"Pleased to meet you." I say cordially. My polite tone seems to amuse him.
"What's so funny?"
A smile spreads across my face when I see Duncan standing behind Xavier. He has to turn to see him.
"Nothing." Xavier replies nonchalantly. He stands up, "I'll see you around Scarlett." He says and with that he brushes roughly past Duncan and leaves. I don't know how he knows my name, he probably watched a rerun of the reapings. But I don't really care. My eyes are fixed on Duncan. He is wearing a black shirt and trousers. But that isn't the mesmerising part. He has large black wings, the same as mine. I don't know what bird he is, but he is dashing.
Just as I am staring at him, I catch him staring back at me.
"You look..." He trails off.
"Thanks." I say anyway, a smile on my face. "You look... Too."
He chuckles and climbs into the chariot with me.
The anthem of Panem starts up and District one's chariot roles out. They are met with a roar of applause. And that is the start of the Hunger Games opening ceremony. Duncan and I wait in silence as the other chariots role out. The waiting is the hardest part. I hate it. The only thing to interput our waiting is when Exema accidently knocks over a man holding a bowl full of papers, we turn back to see what happened and then turn away again when he helps him put the papers back, losing interest.
"This is it." Duncan whispers when district nine has just roled out. We will be next. A knot forms in the pit of my stomach. I am most nervous about the audience reaction towards our costumes. A man whips the horses and they begin trotting. Before long we our out on the streets of Panem.
I didn't have to worry. They are screaming with applause. I can't hear myself think over their loudness. It is overwhelming. As we role into the stadium the camera's train on us and I can see why they were so loud with appreciation. Duncan and I standing together look positively wonderful. Radiant infact. The camera's linger on us even as district eleven roles through. Then eventually they flicker to them. What must be going through my mothers head right now? Are my other parents with her? Comforting her? I really hope they are.
The chariot hits a bump and I fall. Before I hit the side of the chariot and fall out Duncan stops waving and grabs me quickly. He hovers there, just staring at me, then pulls me up next to him. He doesn't let go of my hand, for fear I might fall again. But I don't mind. When I look up I can see everyone cheering, the camera's caught my fall, but that makes the crowd much louder and I can even hear some wolf-whistles.
It re-assures me and even instills some confidence in me. But as I continue waving, a feel a chill down my spine. Some one is watching me. Its silly of course, millions of people are watching me. But there's one person whose eyes are fixed on me. And as I look to the stage I can see who it is. President Snow. My father. This is the first time I have seen him in person since I was younger. All I can think is, he is so old. I meet his gaze. His face is graven and wrinkly. What is he thinking about? I smile at him, only to be cordial, and to my surprise his face lights up and he smiles back.
The chariots halt to a stop and runners come with step ladders. Duncan gets out first and holds his hand out for me to take as I climb down. I can't help but think he's acting rather possessive since Xavier did the same thing. We all climb onto the stage and the crowd is silenced. President Snow takes the center stage, in front of a microphone.
"Welcome, welcome to the anual Hunger Games! And this year it is a Quatre Quell! My my, what an exciting year, the 100th Games." The crowd cheer then quiten down, like their cheers during speaches are staged. A man with a brown rectangular box steps foreward. "Now then, let's get down to business." Says Snow. He recites the reason for the Hunger Games and the reason for the Quatre Quell. He talks about the past three Quatre Quells and what they entailed. Once he is done he goes to the box. "This year," he opens it and goes to the fourth envelope, he opens it slowly. No doubt he already knows what is written on it. "To show the the mercy of Panem against the surviving traitors, one District may be exempt from the Humger Games this year." Simultaneosly, every single person in that stadium inhales charply at his word. Exempt...They won't have to die. This means the world to the tributes. My mind puts it together. There is no way that any other district apart from mine will become exempt.
"I will get you out of this sweetie...You won't have to fight." My mothers words echo in my mind. Did she and Snow formulate a plan to stop me being in the Hunger Games. I look at Snow to find him glancing at me quickly. He knows what I am thinking. While the crowd is in frenzy he quickly speaks.
"Yes," he says into the microphone, that yes was directed at me, "it is truely wonderful. Now to maintain a fair chance. Each district has been placed in this ball once." A man with a glass ball walks out onto stage. It was the one that tripped. I understood why there was a reaping ball now. Except this ball was not going to pick the people dying, it was going to pick the people surviving. More importantly, it was going to pick district 10.
"Good luck," Snow said, and almost ironically; "May the odds be ever in your favour." He dived his hand in. Snow would never do this unless he was sure every single paper in there said district ten. He pulled out a paper when he was satisfied. A camera is trained on the piece of paper behind him. So when he opens it the entire world will see also. He pulls it open and glancing, not really reading the paper, then booms.
"District Te-" he looks again at the paper to see if he really did see what he saw. Because the paper does not say district ten.
It says district eleven.
