Chapter 3

The crowd was massive, and completely all-encompassing. The citizens of The Capitol were there, in all crazy shapes and forms looking like strange aliens from another dimension. The colors were off the charts, so many different shades of red, blue, orange, purple, pink and more. Evanna looked like a common girl compared to some of the other citizens that Arielle saw. As she was ushered out of the train by the peacekeepers and into a private rail car, she couldn't help but gape at them through the window as they pointed and stared, laughing, some men pretending to swoon over her and other were waving. In the moment, Arielle couldn't help it- somehow with these people it was contagious, but she smiled and waved back until her mouth hurt. They quickly pulled into a long tunnel before coming out again and she couldn't believe what she saw.

The Capitol was a hustling and bustling city; everything was made out of white stone, the buildings as tall as the sky, looking limitless and intimidating. As they rolled down the street she more citizens walking around, as brightly colored as the others, some were shopping, others were walking dogs or even hanging out with friends. No one was working, or starving, no beggars on the streets. There wasn't a fight to be seen, a grungy area of the city where underground deals went down. Everyone here was as happy as they seemed, and Arielle couldn't help but be intoxicated by it.

"Where are we going now?" She asked Finnick and he looked over at her. Annie had been mumbling to herself for a few minutes now, and Finnick had been looking at her worried, whispering what were no doubt sweet nothings in her ear.

"To the building where you'll be housed with the other tributes until the games. Once we get there, the stylists will get you and Jemmie ready for the Tribute Parade tonight." Finnick said, he sounded lackluster, distracted, still concerned as to what was going on in Annie's mind.

"It's going by so fast…" Arielle mumbled to herself, looking back at the window, grabbing Jemmie's hand. Arielle couldn't help but smile as Jemmie ooh'd and aah'd at all the buildings, finding them fascinating and pointing at different ones asking what Arielle thought they were. It was a fun guessing game, a distraction to the earlier thought of how everything was moving way too fast, a pace that scared Arielle more than anything. It already seemed like it had gone by in the blink of an eye, and she didn't want to get to that arena any sooner than she had to.

All too soon the travel was over, and they pulled up in front of the building. It was different than the rest; it was intimidating and glossy, covered in nothing but windows on each floor it seemed. There wasn't too much traffic going into it, and peacekeepers were guarding every entrance, making sure no unwanted visitors even tried to enter the building.

"Move." A peacekeeper barked behind her and Jemmie, and the voice sounded familiar, like she had heard it somewhere before. It was the blonde one again, with the broken nose, but he was much older than the person that Arielle could have possibly thought that he was. Besides, in moments of sadness sometimes people often thought of things that weren't really there, right?

The building was cool, a reception desk in the middle before a long hallway leading to an elevator shaft. Arielle saw no one, to her; the building could have easily been another Capitol office building that was nothing out of the ordinary. But Arielle knew from Finnick that they scheduled it so that no tributes would see each other in person until the Tribute Parade, a confidence booster and a scare tactic at the same time, it was smart thinking on the president's part Arielle had to admit. The elevator ride was quick, you barely even knew you were ascending except for the number of doors you saw passing right in front of your eyes. The doors shoomed open somewhere around floor 21, and they stepped out. Finnick sighed turning to face both Arielle and Jemmie in front of a door Arielle assumed they were going to go into.

"This is where the mentors leave you. You're stylists and prep team are inside, ready help prep you before the Tribute Parade. We'll see you later." Finnick nodded, before they all walked off. He seemed so cold, and I saw him grab Annie's hand as they walked back to the elevator. Of course, he was still worried.

He was always worried.


The people working on me are the oddest people I have ever met. I had heard from Finnick himself that the stylists were 'characters' as he called them, but they were more than characters. They were other-worldly beings, if they lived in Panem, it was a completely different one than that of I was living in.

I was currently lying down on a table, completely naked, as the three of them poked and prodded my skin. They were all like Evanna, strange names, strange looks. One of them, Scarlette-Rose, seemed to take her name literally, trying to fashion herself like a delicate flower. Her skin was a light, tasteful pink, her hair red, grey eyes, and she donned herself in nothing but light pastel pinks and white makeup. She spoke in a light, airy voice that sounded more like a whisper than it was actually there, with her strange Capitol accent making her seem more like some strange fairy type than an actual person.

"Ow!" I cried as the other woman, Velvet, poked my boobs with full force so that they bounced and actually slapped me in the face a little bit. "Was that really necessary? Their big, I know." I cried angrily, feeling violated. Even if these people seemed more like ethereal beings than real people, it was still weird to be sitting in front of them naked; as they touched me in places I would rather not be touched.

"Are those real?" She asked me, staring me dead straight in the eye. She was completely orange, in a nauseating sort of way, with gold-colored tattoos designed all along her eyes, neck, arms, and her legs. She had green eyes contacts on that made her eyes look huge and designed with blue veins. She currently had glasses on that made her eyes even more magnified, and it freaked out, seeing the veiny pattern so up close and in my face that I had to look away.

I hated veins.

I hated gore.

And now I was going to the games where I would be forced to face, and participate in all of that head on.

"Do I look like I can afford plastic surgery?" I asked, cuttingly, glaring at the bright wall, wishing they could get this over with and just hand me off to my stylist. I didn't know why they were studying me and not actually doing anything, ripping off all my body hair or something like that.

"They're just so…perky!" Velvet cried, poking them again so that they jiggled once more and I glared at her before looking away again.

Those eyes…

"I'm not comfortable with you doing that so PLEASE stop." I said. I glared around as she giggled and poked some more, Scarlette still walking around and studying me. There was another back turned to me, fiddling with some of the tools on the table next to us, and I had half a mind to think they were torture tools. She sighed, calculating, before turning around to face me.

I was shocked, chills went down my spine. Unlike the others she was much older you could see, and all her plastic surgery had caught up with her. Her high cheekbones were sharp, her lips and eyes too big, her nose completely straight and perfect. She was cold and hard, with paste-why skin and completely black eyes, her hair dyed a white blonde so pale that you weren't even sure it was there. Her makeup was completely black, intense, including her lips.

"Enough." She said; her voice was cold, low. It was like steel blade, cutting into the air, making the other two silent and stop prodding me. Her name was Silka, and I saw her holding a syringe, drawing a gold liquid from a bottle before putting the bottle down and facing me.

"We're going to inject some gold highlights into your skin Arielle. Tigris likes your skin color but thinks that the gold will complement the bronze very nicely, like you just stepped out of the ocean and the sun was gleaming off your wet body. It's going to hurt and you'll feel it spread throughout your body, but once that's done you should be fine." She said all this, and before even giving me time to prepare the needle was plunged into my arm.

I gasped and groaned, grabbing onto the rail of the bed as I felt the cool liquid spread through my veins, everywhere in my body. I bit down on my lip as the syringe was pulled out and the liquid settled all over with a burning sensation and then dissolving. I sighed, looking at my skin and seeing tiny little specks of gold reflecting from the ceiling light. I looked healthy, vibrant, and I couldn't deny that there wasn't a sense of satisfaction in seeing that my skin looked this pretty and no one else's' did: I guess that's what all the other Capitol citizens felt as well.

"Hose her down." Silka said, and in an instant I was gripped from the table and plunged into a bath, four times, each one thick and congealed: some kind of moisturizer was in the liquid and after each bath they scrubbed and scrubbed, removing the hard thick layers of my skin that were dried and covered with callouses.

Being waxed was like having your feathers plucked right before being cooked so that people could eat you for dinner. I felt like a live turkey, as they placed burning-hot wax strips in every single area of my body and snapping them off with a flourish until I was completely hairless. My nails were filed, my teeth were whitened in a very painful procedure involving some form of blue light and cleaning system. It was an arduous process, with the three of them grabbing me and running me around like some pet they were getting ready to participate in some form of show.

But then again, I guess I was.

Finally it was over, and I stood in front of them once again, completely naked as they had me turn around while they ooh'd and aah'd at their 'work'.

"You know, even with the body hair, you were quite beautiful. But now, you're absolutely stunning!" Scarlette cried this and smiled, looking so innocent and naïve I couldn't but smile back at her a little bit. It wasn't her fault in the end, after all if I had grown up here, who's to say I wouldn't be the same?

"Tigris is going to love you! Don't you think so Silka?" Velvet asked, bouncing on her feet. I began to get a sense that bubbliness was a part of her overall nature.

"Yes…" Silka muttered, still studying me over. She stopped staring at a small area on my eyebrow. I didn't know what she was doing, until she had the tweezers in her hand and plucked final piece of hair. She put the tweezers down, studying me over again before actually smiling.

It was terrifying.

"Now you're perfect. Put on a robe, Tigris will see you now." She said, thrusting a blue silk robe at me. I hastily put it on before following her across the room until there was a door. It opened for us, and she told me to sit and wait for Tigris to come, before exciting.

Finally, I was alone. I sighed and examined my surrounding, wondering how Jemmie was doing right now. I hoped he wasn't getting nearly as much as I had gotten done, I didn't think that he could handle that sort of pain.

The room was bright and airy, and the wall to my left was completely windowed so that I could see out into the capitol. The walls and veiling were completely white, while the furniture was all different colors. Green rug, two plush red couches and a blue glass table. There was a door on the other side of the room, and I assumed that was where Tigris was, getting ready.

I sat, walked around, even pouring myself a drink before looking out the glass wall. The people outside looked so happy, socializing, having fun. It was a world like I had never even seen before, and I wondered why all the districts couldn't be like this.

"Enjoying the view?" A voice, female, purred this behind me and I turned around in shock. Tigris was finally here, and I immediately understood why that was her name. Her nose has been reduced to a small state, practically flat and she had black cat whiskers along her mouth, thin and long. Her eyes had been surgically altered to look wide and like a cat- but whereas mine were natural, hers were grotesque and purposefully put there. She is wearing yellow contacts, like those of a cat I had seen wandering the streets back home.

"Let me see." She purred- her voice naturally low, and I see that he had probably had some form of surgery to where she was able to make cat voices with her own throat.

I stripped off my robe, and Tigris slowly walked around me, and I could as she turned that she had a long spotted tail attached to her, which swished in excitement as she studied me.

She walked back over and sat down on the couch opposite the one I had been sitting on and gestured to it. I hastily put on my robe, and sat down, although it was starting to get easier to be naked in front of these 'people'.

Tigris pressed some form of button on the bottom of the table and it opened, platters upon platters of food rose up and settled, before the table closed again. Tigris immediately grabbed for some raw fish, eating it with her hands. I guess she took being a cat more seriously than I thought.

"Eat." She purred when she noticed I had not picked up anything, and so tentively I picked up a bread and fish platter, starting to eat. The fish tasted different here, it was the same as the kind we caught back in the district but covered in so many sauces you couldn't even taste the fish's natural flavor, and it made me feel a little sick.

"You're quite pretty you know." Tigris said, staring at me, watching me eat.

I stared at her dumbfounded. Wasn't this the part where she told me her strategy?

"So…what's the plan?" I ask her, and she stops. She seems interested in some form, surprised that I'm even asking for her advice. I realized that most of the other tributes must not even ask her what she's planning, just tell her what they think she should do and expect her to carry it out. That's what happens in the higher-up districts, your strategy is already laid out by the time you're 8 years old.

"I'm surprised; usually everyone from your district already has an idea of how they want to look for the parade."

"Well I'm not like the people from my district." I said, this cold, and stared at her long, finally before looked away and sighed.

"Well I have to say, looking at you now, I have one idea. But I don't know how well it would work for your brother, with you two being different skin tones and all.

"What is it?"

"You know in the old books of lore, the ones they teach you when your very young in school and they briefly talk about the world before Panem?"

"Yea…?" What is she getting at?

"Well in these old stories, they talked about aquatic creatures that were half man and half fish, they were called mermaids. Or merman if you were a man." She took another bite of fish and I glared at her, urging her to get to the point. "Anyway, there was an illustration of one in these books and seeing you, it reminded me of it. Now mind you, we can't really send you out wearing a tail while you're on that cart, you'll fall to your death. What we can do though, it try and make you look like one on land, another illustration they had in the book." She leaned back, folding her arms and her tail resting on her lap. She looked pleased with herself as she gave me time to mull it over.

Mermaids?

Well it is related to the District.

"What do you think?"

"Sounds perfect."


The area bay is filled with nothing but the smell of horses, hay, and the other tributes. They are all nervous, some of them trying to show off, others not saying a word. A few actually seem to be socializing with each other, or trying. It doesn't work of course, we're here to make impressions, to try and beat each other before we even enter the arena, in the hopes of giving ourselves a higher chance.

Making friends isn't exactly number 1 priority on the list.

I star down, wondering if this will work. The dress is blue, completely shimmery with crystals. The dress has an ombre design, the blue getting deeper as the dress gets longer, looking like I just stepped out of the ocean and was immediately wearing this dress. That was Tigris' whole plan of course, and it didn't cease to amaze me as to how she got all this done within the last couple of hours.

My makeup was light, light red lipstick and natural eye shadow was all that I was wearing, my hair down and brushed, letting the natural waves take over.

A breeze blew past, and I quickly held down the front of my dress. It stopped just above the knees, the back continued down onto the floor. The breeze finished, and I my dress settled. I heard a few whistles behind me and I turned to glare, when I saw her.

She was tall, blonde and skinny but still had enough of a figure to be noticeable. She was staring at me, completely transfixed, mouth open. I felt bad, awkward and blushed as she looked down. She was completely naked and black, covered in what I guess was supposed to be coal dust. I felt bad, I recognized her as the girl from 12. Whoever her stylist was, they weren't going to help in getting 12 a head start in the sponsors this year.

She stopped staring, and started walking forward. My brow furrowed as she approached, I didn't really understand her thinking, was she trying to make alliances with me? I couldn't afford to try and make any right now even if I wanted to; I had Jemmie to think of. And even if I did, she definitely wasn't a person I would consider, let alone pick.

"I'm sorry for staring. I don't want you to get the wrong idea, I'm not-" She started but I looked at her and cut her off.

"It's fine." I say it curtly, looking around at everyone else. The other tributes are staring- why are the mermaid girl and the 12 girl socializing?

"I just…you look like someone from my district. I didn't know anyone else looked like her…I thought it was just, you know, an anomaly." She looks into my eyes, her eyes a cold blue-grey. I couldn't tell, was she lying? But the idea that she was possibly trying to draw me in and make me feel close to her was absurd to me, she looked to be only 14. She seemed so innocent and young, and I think trusting at the idea that I looked like someone she obviously knew.

"Everyone looks like me in my district so how could she…I'm sorry, who are you?" I ask this, my brain starting to make a connection.

A woman who looked like me, in a far off district where blondes are the normal genetics? I couldn't help but think…

"I'm the girl from District 12, Crystal Jennings." She smiles slightly at me, holding out her hand to me.

"Arielle Greene, District 4." I say it seriously, warming up to her a little bit, shaking her hand. "How do you know this woman?"

"She's the town's healer, everyone knows who she is."

"How did she get that job?" I ask this, my suspicions growing stronger.

Woman who looks like me, in a district where my father's genetics seem to be commonplace…

"She wandered into town a few years back, and since she had healing skills they put her to work. No one really knew why she had run from what I guess was your district. She mostly keeps to herself." Crystal says this, before looking at me worried as I felt my brow furrow and I started to stare past her into space, my breath catching.

"Are you okay?"

"Yea…yea…what's her name?" I ask, staring at her, breathless.

"Um…Genevieve." She says.

I gulp, my heart pounding in my ears as my fears became reality.

Mom


"Mom?" I ask, standing in the doorway of her room.

I am 12 again, confused and scared at the scene that had just happened before.

"Mommy, are you okay?" I ask this and step further in the room. The lights are off, the room is a dark grey. My mom sits motionless, her back turned to me on the other side of her and my fathers bed. She's not moving, doesn't even seem to breathing, as she stares out the window hopelessly, seemingly lost and in thought.

I walk up to the edge of the bed, and hesitate for a couple of seconds, before deciding to climb up and touch her shoulder. She flinches for a second, shrugging my shoulder off. It is only then I hear her sniffling, and I realize that my mother is crying.

Why would she be crying? My childlike brain is unable to process that the fight before my father walked out of the door was anything more than him simply being mad and leaving to clear his head for a few hours, like he always did those days.

"Go away." My mother whispers, barely audible. Her voice is weak as tries to talk through thick tear, starting to come down a little harder now.

"Are you okay?" I ask again, wondering if I should really leave or not.

"Arielle, please, I want to be alone. You understand that sweetie? Alone." She turns her head slightly to the side, and I can see her red-rimmed eyes and the tears clearly, finally registering that something was not right, as my mother turned around fiddling with my father's locket.

It's the one she gave him on their first date, when they realized how much they loved each other and that they wanted to be together forever. He had worn it every day since, and so the idea that she was now wearing it instead scared me.

"Mommy, stop crying. Why are you crying?" I ask, touching her shoulder again. She pushed my hand away again, her voice starting to rise.

"Arielle, please just leave me alone."

"But mommy-"

"ALONE." The word is harsh, and cutting. It slices the air and she turns back around, staring out the window. I sit there, confused for a few minutes, not wanting to leave but not wanting to stay. My curiosity wins over however, and what happens next, has been etched into my memory forever.

"Is this about daddy?"

The question stirs something inside my mom, an animal instinct and an anger I had never seen in her. She was always so gentle, so loving and kind, it was like a rabid animal fighting its way out of being caged for all its life.

"SHUT-UP." She cries, turning around and staring at me, angry and wild. I am taken aback and move backwards, to the middle of the bed. "How dare you speak of him, you ungrateful child!" She cries, tears streaming down harder.

"Mommy, please. What happened to Daddy?"

"SHUT-UP! SHUT-UP, SHUT-UP, SHUT-UP!" She cries, clutching her head and trying to block me out. "Stop talking about him. You have no right! You and Jemmie, no right to speak of your father! You and Jemmie are both so ungrateful for EVERYTHING he's ever done for you, and now he's…he's" She gasps for air, clutching her chest and leaning forward gripping the bed tight. At some point I had moved back farther, scared, and was now standing in front of the edge of the bed.
"He's gone…and he's never coming back… because of
you." She says this low, and evil full of hatred and malice as she stared at me like I had never seen her before. I had suddenly been reborn in her eyes as an enemy, something to hate.

"Daddy's gone…?" I whisper, tears starting form on the edge of my eyes.

"Don't you DARE!" She cries, slapping me across the face. "Don't you dare pretend to cry, you never cared for him. YOU NEVER LOVED HIM LIKE I DID. And now…and now he's gone and it's all your fault and oh god.." She gasped, and suddenly fell forward crying into the bed sheet. "He's gone…he's gone…" She mumbled this to herself, over and over again, gasping and crying. I stared, I didn't know what to do, but run out of the room.

And so I did.

It was the last conversation I ever had with my mom before she left.


"Arielle?" Crystal asks this, and I snap out of my stupor as I hear the victor's parade begin to start.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to do that. I think you have to go to your cart, the parades about to begin."

"Oh." She says freezing for a moment, deciding whether or not to say something. "Will we…will we talk again tomorrow, during training?" She asks, quietly, hopeful. At this moment she reminds me of Jemmie, the good in her bright and in my face and I soften.

"Yes. Now go, please, I don't want to get you in trouble." She nods and runs back, and I quickly step up onto the cart as Jemmie runs out with Tigris and Finnick trailing behind, Evanna for once not to be seen.

"Arielle look!" He cries, laughing and running up onto the carriage. He's dress like a man from a shipwreck and I realize what we are: He's the damsel, and I'm the hero.

I can't help but laugh at this a little bit, before hugging Jemmie back.

"Arielle, you look BEAUTIFUL!" He cries, laughing and I smile.

"Thank you. You look handsome yourself." I say this and bop him on the nose, before looking over at Finnick who seems calmer now and is even smiling a little bit at me.

"Not bad, Greene. Although imagine me wearing something like that? Well, let's just say I'd rank higher than you in a contest." He says winking and I roll my eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had suddenly come in touch with your female side, Odair." I laughed as he protested.

"I didn't-"

"Didn't you?" I ask, smirking, imitating him and giving him a wink back.

"Fair enough." He smiles and suddenly he reaches up and hugs me intensely, before looking at me, completely serious.

"Good luck." He says, staring me straight in the eyes.

"Thank you." I whisper back, before he nods and strokes the horse's mane, popping a sugar cube into his mouth. Finnick always did have a thing for the sugar cubes.

The chariot lurches forward and we are suddenly out into the center of the walkway they have cleared for us, crowds on both sides and stands completely filled. The crowd is roaring, overly excited and enthusiastic at the sight of us. They throw things down, flowers, handkerchiefs. A couple land at my feet in the chariot, and I can't help but smile and laugh, the euphoria taking over. I wave at the crowd, smile, blow a couple of kisses, while still holding onto Jemmie's hand. Their impresses I can tell, completely in love with us tributes from District 4.