Chapter 3

I wake up from a nightmare-free night, which is surprising enough, to Annatelle slamming my door open. She's yelling what sounds like the schedule for today as she throws my curtains open and rips the covers off of me.

Finally, I've had enough. "Get the freak out of here!" Annatelle looks at me and quickly scampers out of the room. I trudge out of bed and over to the door. I look across to see Chase stretching, without a shirt on. I quickly slam the door shut before he sees how red I'm going.

"You have 1 hour, young lady! You better be at the breakfast table or else!" I hear Annatelle's screechy voice cutting through the air and I almost groan. I quickly shower, setting everything as I did yesterday. It took a little longer than usually because it had to be perfect, otherwise who knew what could happen. Then I put on a moss green tunic and dark brown leggings; it reminds me of a day in the forest, especially with the smell of pine needles on me. I decide to walk out barefoot, it's not like I'm going to attempt to put one on my left foot anyways. I pull my waist-long hair into a bun and pull the end of it out. I do this mostly to school; never hunting because the hair would get into my face. I use my crutches, which someone brought back to my room from the corridor, and start walking to the table. It's still pretty slow going, but I think I've gotten the hang of it. By the time I get there everyone is already seated and waiting for me. Annatelle is muttering something about the time to herself, Jordan has looked up and is smiling at me, and Chase is fiddling with something in his hands.

I slide into the empty seat next to Jordan.

"Good morning everyone," I say softly, not wanting to break the silence.

"Hi Aaliyah, glad you could make it," Annatelle says snippily, "you should've been here 10 minutes ago! I warned you!"

"Sorry!"

"There are no 'sorries' here! We lost valuable time talking about your strategies and what you need to do!"

Annatelle is cut short by Jordan, "Calm down! We weren't even going to talk about much anyways. Maybe the Chariots, that's it."

Annatelle gives her a sheepish look and throws out a sorry in my general direction.

I decide to speak up before the silence gets any longer. "So what about the 'Chariots' were you going to tell us?"

Capitol attendants start filing out with trays of food as Jordan starts to talk. "Okay, so tonight you will be on the Chariots. I know you all know what that is from the previous Games. I can't tell you anything about your stylist or your prep teams except that I believe they'll be new this year. And if you were wondering your prep team are people who prepare you for these public event and your stylist is the person who designs your clothes. Any questions so far?" Chase and I both shake our heads no. By now the plates have come and are occupied by bowls of colourful fruit and light pastries. They also have bacon and eggs that are done in every possible way. Then they serve me a dark brown liquid which they call coffee. After taking a sip, I put it down and push it slightly away from me. The taste is much too bitter, I prefer tea. I begin eating as Jordan resumes her speech.

"The prep teams will do many things to you that you will hate. A lot. I think it may be worth it though, but try not to kill them in the process. Try and be charming." Jordan breaks off and looks at Annatelle who has just finished eating. "Why don't you go back to your room, Annatelle?"

"But I…" Annatelle trails off after looking at Jordan's face. She wipes her face with her napkin then gets up from the table and leaves.

"Sorry, I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Okay now as I was saying. Sponsors are the things that you really want. They can be the difference between life and death. So you need to be charming, funny those kinds of things. You need to win the crowd over. I know you hate them, but it is something you must do."

"What if you don't want to? I mean, surely someone has survived without the gifts. It's not like they can give you life-saving things." That is the first time I've heard Chase speak this morning and he sounds really serious.

"What about if you were lying somewhere starving? I could send you some bread. Or if you were dying of thirst? I could send you water. Maybe you want to 'make a difference' but it's hard when you're lying in a ditch dying." Chase stays very quiet and just nods at her. All of us have finished our breakfast by now, and I believe her speech is over.

"Wave, smile. Act nice. That's it for now, I guess. Do whatever your stylist says, and oh, we're here." We suddenly are plunged into darkness. I scramble over to the window to look for any sign of light. Then we are out and the shining Capitol appears before our eyes. Chase quickly joins me by the window as we look out. They have tall building which ends in spires and are every colour of the rainbow. Throngs of people crowd the tracks edge, hoping to get a glimpse of the Tributes inside. I look at Chase and he shrugs and we both start waving. I smile as big as I can and it sickens me. I haven't smiled this much for so long and I know it's not even real. Finally, we reach the station and Annatelle and Jordan join both of use as they push us towards the door.

"AhhOWWW! I left my crutches by the table; can I go get them?"

"No time, sweetie!" Annatelle shrieks through a smile. I look around desperately, perhaps for something to hold on to.

I turn and see Chase extending his hand, "Forgiven?" I think my heart melted, again, looking into those chocolate brown eyes. I smile at him and take his hand.

"That easily?" Even though that sounds mean, my tone says it all. He smiles back at me and we step out together with me leaning against him, his arm around me and mine around his shoulders, and partially hopping on one foot. Suddenly, I am bombarded with buzzes of noise, bright flashes of cameras, and questions, so many questions. They all fly around me as I am hustled to the training center, where we will be staying before the games. Once we get behind the doors I feel someone grab my arm and drag me away.

"What's going on?"

Jordan waves her hand and says something, but I can't hear her over the growing gap. I turn around and dig my heels into the ground which is very, very painful and strain against their pull. We come to a complete stop as my captors (if you will) stare at me in utter confusion.

In their irritating clipped Capitol accents the 3 of them try to get me going. I shake my head vehemently at them.

It seems that one of the smarter ones realizes I want an explanation. "We will be the people who prep you for your public events during the Hunger Games. Also known as your Prep Team." I look at the 3 of them skeptically. They look like lollipops from a candy store. From their vibrantly coloured hair, to their clothes. I nod, but I tell them to lead me. They take me to a room in the Remake Center where they tell me to strip off all my clothing. I look at them as if their brain has just fallen out of their head.

"If you think I would ever strip of all my clothing you are a bloody idiot!" They all jump back at my outburst, and it seems as if they might cry. I kind of feel bad that I hurt their feelings, but I would never! That's outrageous! I fold my arms in a decisive way, but I think I have come up with an idea.

I point to the door, "Get out. I will tell you when you can come back in." They all reluctantly agree, but the one who explained to me earlier looks back at me and signals 5. Okay, that's enough time. I carefully take off my clothes. Then I search through the closet for a robe and find one which I slip on. Then I open the door and beckon them in.

One of them has short, electric blue hair and gray eyes. She has done some surgery to clear the wrinkles in her forehead which only makes stand out more. She has put on too much makeup including a bright red lipstick. She has a tattoo running up her right arm which I think is her name. She is extremely tall and thin which makes her seem grotesque.

She looks at me inquisitively and says, "We need you to be fully undressed for the process." She speaks slowly as if I have a disorder.

"What is first?" I ask.

The other lady who's hair is neon orange and falls to the floor answers. "We need to wash you to get the dirt off of your body." She has her skin dyed a soft pink colour and has forest green lipstick on. She is rather short and stubby.

I look at them incredulously. I am perfectly clean! I take a bath every day in the forest! "I am perfectly fine. I take a bath every day," I manage through gritted teeth.

The blue-haired lady shakes her head vehemently, "You have layers of dirt on your body that you don't even realize!" I know that I must give in so I reluctantly give them my hands. They lead me into a large bathroom and rip my robe off of me. They then dump me into a tub full of weird water. They start scrubbing me down so hard I feel as if they are skinning me alive. They begin babbling about their lives and I honestly don't care so I just zone out. The third person is the one who explained who they were in the first place. She doesn't seem like the average Capitol citizen. She has a mousy look about her. She has brown hair which she keeps in a bun. She has a pale complexion and crystal blue eyes, which I find to be absolutely gorgeous. She has no weird features or anything. I feel them prodding me again and get up out of the bathtub. They lay me down on a cold, steel table where they cover my upper body with a sheet. The blue-haired lady whose name is Camarada starts filling at my nails, the normal one, Misty starts brushing at my hair, and the pink one, Framboise, starts speaking to me.

"Okay, this will be very painful Aaliyah. I will try my best to make it quick, okay? I will rub you down with this oil but it will still hurt."

I just nod my head for lack of understanding. I have no idea what is going on, but I can't stop it.

The next hour is the most painful I have ever spent. Framboise started stripping all hair from my body, except from my head, of course. Strip after strip of fabric is laid down then yanked up, uprooting the hair from underneath it. I ball my hands into fists as the minutes roll by. At first, you could feel the pain like a sharp wound, but after a little while I just felt numb. Finally, I unclench my fists and open my eyes to find my Prep Team staring down at me with concern.

"We're done almost done," Misty tentatively says, "we are just going to rub you down which will make the pain secede." I nod and they start rubbing me down. At first, my skin is left with a burning sensation but then feels good. They examine me another time to make sure they didn't miss any spots. Once they're done I quickly retrieve my robe and put it on. Then they start babbling about how excited they are for me.

Camarada and Framboise are really the ones speaking as Misty steps back.

"You look so pretty!" Camarada says and Misty comes forward before they say any more.

"We must get Talyn now." Everyone nods their ascent and they all leave the room. I wait in silence for Talyn, who I suppose is my stylist.

In a few moments the door opens and a slender woman who must be in her mid to late 30's walks in. She looks almost exactly like Misty except more, flamboyant. Maybe. She has the same colour hair as I did before the incident. She has sparkling blue eyes that are outline with jet-black eyeliner and mascara. She is dressed in a white tank top with black leather pants and a black sweater that is stopped short ad her stomach. She is wearing a nude coloured lip gloss and red heels that rival Annatelle's shoes.

"She smiles warmly at me and sticks her hand out, "I'm Talyn. I've heard about you Aaliyah. I presume that the Prep Team did most of the work?" I nod my head in agreement and it seems I won't have to take my robe off.

"Come. Let's have lunch, shall we?" I nod again and follow her through doors into a brightly lit room. The walls are a sterile white except for one that is entirely made of glass that looks out over the Capitol. I sit down on a couch that is placed by the window. Talyn its across from me as I look out over the city. It is sort of pretty in its own way. She presses a button on the table and food rises up out of it. How fanastic would that be to have food at the touch of a button? I look at it and begin to eat. There is chicken drizzled in a sauce that has lots of taste. A bowl of rice comes with it. There is also a bowl of fresh fruit which I begin to eat. I start to eat the chicken and the rice together, but I find I don't have much of an appetite for these rich foods. I see Talyn staring at me from across the table and I begin to talk to her.

"I know you're my stylist, so what do you have in mind for me to wear on the Chariots?"

She looks at me for a second then begins to speak, "Well me and my partner, Zayn who is Chase's stylist have come up with an idea. Power fuels electricity, right? Well, we've stretched the idea and have latched on to lightning which is the symbol of power. It may alarm you at first, but no worries, it'll be fine."

I'm not sure what to think of this so I just nod my head. As she was talking I finished my lunch and I suppose she doesn't want to eat because she gestures for me to go back into the main room. She hand me a silver unitard that all of me except my head. She paints my nails with a lemon yellow colour and then starts on my makeup.

She doesn't put much on at all. She just brushes something onto my cheeks which is supposed to make my features more prominent. Then she puts on a smidge of black eyeliner and mascara and then put on a clear lip gloss. She then braids my hair across my head then leaves it in a side ponytail. The last addition she puts on is a thin yellow headband before she escorts us out. Chase is waiting with whom I presume is Zayn. He is dressed like me mostly, except he has fewer details done. He looked like he was about to say something, but suddenly we are shoved into the elevator, which leads us down to the bottom level of the Remake Center. It looks like a giant stable with all the Chariots crowded around along with the horses and the Tributes. All of the Tributes are being loaded and positioned onto their Chariots by their stylists. Our Stylists begin to help us up onto the Chariot that is being led by 2 silver horses. As I try to get on, I notice that my ankle is throbbing painfully. I carefully hop onto the Chariot not knowing what else to do.

Talyn starts instructing us on what to do. "Okay once District 2 goes out you need to flip the switch that is a little behind your right hip, here I'll show you now." She points them out to both of us and she and Zayn start to walk away. I don't know how I'm going to stay on the Chariot because trying to stay on 2 feet is painful and I can't balance myself on just one foot very well. I can't lean back, and it would be awkward if I tried to lean forward. I start to freak out because I don't know what I should do, and I hear the opening music begin to play. The District 1 Chariot slowly rolls out and I hear the screams emanating from the Capitol citizens. Time is running out and I still have no idea what to do, when I notice Chase is staring at me with a puzzled look. I wave at my ankle and he notices how I'm being extra gentle with it.

"You know I can help you," Chase mumbled.

I get his drift and although I know I'm going to be on National television, I can't help but want to be in his arms. My first reaction does not really scream that.

"Have you gone stark mad? We're going on NATIONAL TELEVISION; what would they think?"

He regards me with a slight smirk, cocks and eyebrow, and replies tartly, "Well, if you didn't want them to see that vision then you shouldn't have practically been hugging me when we got off the train." I scowl at that which only makes his smirk bigger, if that's possible. District 2's Chariot starts to roll out, and we must turn on our costumes. I think as sweet as he may seem he is quite the asshole.

I turn my face into an even bigger scowl and lean against him for my support. "We only live once," I mutter to myself. I don't think he heard, but he stiffens a little so I'm not sure what to think. We position ourselves the same way we did when we came out of the train, his arm around my waist and mine around his shoulder. I'm balancing partly on one foot because I don't need to walk. We both turn to the switches that Talyn instructed us to flip. I'm not sure what to expect is coming, but I never think of what does come. I first don't feel much but then I start feeling a tingling heat. Then I notice Chase and he looks… electrifying, literally. I see white, blue, and yellow sparks like lightning coming off of him. Hummph. If he looks that way then… I lift up my arms to see the same lighting strikes coming off of me.

I look back at Chase to see him looking at me; his mouth shaped like an O. The light makes his eyes sparkle and it gives him a mischievous look. I shake my head and look back at him. "You done staring?" Not uber fantastic since I was staring at him, but when he shakes his head and closes his mouth I guess he's just embarrassed. I look up to find that District 3 has gone out and District 4 is beginning to go out into the City Circle. I notice that Chase is starting to tremble with nervousness, I guess.

"Are you okay?" I question.

"Yah, just kind of nervous," he gives me a lopsided smile and turns back around. I feel almost sorry for him and just want to help him even if it's in my own little way. I take his left hand in mine and I intertwine our fingers. He stiffens again and turns around mouth open to argue.

Suddenly, I feel a lurch and we begin moving towards the open doors that lead into the screaming crowd.

"Come on, you know you want to," I wink at him and turn around, a small smile playing at my lips. As we first come into view, it sounds like the audience is shell-shocked. Then I hear the screams all around us my name, Chase's name, District 5. It's such an odd feeling. You know these people want to see you die, but I think in the heat of the moment everything gets to us. Chase and I look at each other, a giddy look plastered on both of our faces. I turn towards the crowd and begin to wave. I smile my most dazzling smile. The effect it has is absolutely outrageous.

I hear the volume of the screams increase and I think I absolutely love it. Maybe it's all the attention I've missed having that makes me have this feeling that I'm floating on air every time I hear another voice ringing out my name. Finally, we enter the City Circle and we come to a stop in front of the President's mansion. As the 12 Chariots fill the Circle, the music stops, and President Auburn steps out onto his balcony. He is a lean, tall man whose short, thinning hair is the colour of olives. My nose almost wrinkles in disgust and the sides of my mouth turn down slightly just at the sight of him. He begins to welcome us and my eyes wander around. I see all the other Tributes facing down into the floor of their Chariot or staring straight at the President. I look down to see that my hand is almost blue from loss of blood circulation. I shrug my shoulders and look around some more. I look at the Districts costumes and none of them seem to stand out to me much. I look towards District 7's Chariot. The girl is towering over the boy and looks like she is ready to squash him as easily as a fly. She is not very well represented by her costume as she and her partner are dressed almost like imps. Odd choice, but perhaps it is meant to represent the foresty area of the Lumber District. As I'm pondering these thoughts, the boy looks up at me. His shock of jet black hair contrasts his pale skin. As I look into his eyes I notice that they are a purple colour. I've never seen them before and find them quite entrancing.

The National Anthem begins to play and we both snap back to reality. I take a look at the screen to see the other Tributes again. I can't help but think about how fantastic Chase and I look. I keep my eyes on the screen to take a closer look at the District 7 boy. Up close I notice how handsome he really is, with his angular features. It gives him a pixie-ish look. Finally, we begin to make our final rounds and we disappear into the Training Centre.