Sorry it took so long to get this out. It never turned out quite right. Still not fully satisfied but I can't think of anything to add/change. If you have any ideas I would LOVE to hear them! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!
"Ouch!" I couldn't help letting the small gasp out as the strangely dressed people poked and prodded me with dyed and tattooed fingers. One woman with shimmering gold skin and fire red hair grabbed my face with her hand and squeezed my cheeks.
"Honey, how do you expect to look good with so little meat on you?" She asked a bit melodramatically. She turned to another man who had deep blue hair and slightly lighter skin. "Orthro, I think she is in need of a full body makeover. How could anyone work with so little!" She released my face. My cheeks burned from where she squeezed.
Mara only warned us about our prep teams a few minutes before Ryder and I were delivered into their clutches. They know what they're doing, you don't. That was all she offered as advice as I was led away by the strange gold lady and Ryder by a woman that had burnt orange hair and deeply tanned skin. I wanted to yell and shriek at them to leave me alone ad stop surveying me like I was livestock. But I held my tongue and endured the dissatisfied stares and unwanted pokes in particularly boney areas of my body.
"I agree Iris. Grey said not to do anything to her, but I am sure that a full body makeover will be perfect for her! Then perhaps she won't be so horrible to look at!" Orthro said it with such enthusiasm that I almost wanted this makeover thing. That is until they shoved a gas mask over my face, forcing me into a deep and dreamless sleep.
I woke to the smell of disinfectant and a buzzing headache. I lay where I was trying to collect my thoughts which swam through my foggy brain. That's when my ears registered the quiet beeping to my left and the shuffle of feet. My eyes popped open and I found myself in an all white room filled with different high-tech equipment. The beeping came from a machine that had a small line dipping all over the screen. The feet were from Mara and Gren, who stood by the bedside.
"Good to see you up," Mara smiled and sat down on the bed next to me, "We came in here three other times and you were out cold." I looked out the large window. It was already getting dark. The Opening Ceremonies would be starting in a few hours. But I still needed to meet my stylist and be prepared.
"How long have I been out?" My voice was raspy as if I had been talking too much.
"Only for a few hours. As soon as you can walk we're taking you to your stylist." Gren walked over to a counter and picked up a mirror. "Have you seen yourself yet? You look beautiful." I didn't know what he could be talking about. Not much could have changed in just a few hours. But then Gren handed me the mirror and I understood what Iris and Orthro had been talking about when they said 'full body makeover.'
My face was no longer hollow and pasty. I now had rosy cheeks and bright eyes. My once dry and tangled hair was now a glossy, thick red-brown curtain that fell past my shoulders. I put the mirror down and looked at the rest of my body. My form was filled out and I could no longer count ribs. My legs and arms were toned and completely rid of hair. It was as if I was removed from my old broken body and placed in this beautiful new one. It was me, yet it wasn't.
"Pretty neat what they can do here, right?" Mara laughed. Probably at the way I was gawking over myself. I just nod.
"Can I stand?" I don't wait for an answer. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand up on wobbly legs. Gren catches me as I start to fall and with Mara's help he hauled me back up. They help me out of the skimpy paper like gown and into a soft shirt and loose pants. By the time we're done I have regained most of my strength. They take me down the hall and into another room that reminds me very much of the train car. Then they leave me.
I watch the sun sink lower and lower in the sky. What feels like hours pass before there is a knock at the door and a young man with dusty blond hair and tanned skin. He smiles at me and nods approvingly. He takes the seat opposite of me.
"Hello Trinity. I'm your stylist Grey. Sorry, we don't really have time for familiarities. Your makeover took longer than expected and the ceremonies are scheduled to start in only two hours. We need to discuss your costume." He looked me in the eye and I could tell that he was trying to figure me out; trying to identify my angles and whatnot. I however, was more concerned about the costume. Sometimes they were great. Others…. Well let's just say that nudity is a new style for some.
"So what do you have in mind?"
Grey smiled and nodded to himself. "How do you feel about old legends, fire, and wings?"
Half an hour later I was dressed in what looked like something you would find in a horror story. Long floor length black dress with a lace back and long sleeves that dropped down to my feet. Inside those sleeves were hidden wrist canisters filled with a liquid that on contact with the air burst into flames. The lightest touch of my ring finger and they would spit the fire into the night. My eyes had been decorated with black and deep purple eye shadow that shimmered in the light; my lips were coated in a dark maroon color. My skin had been patted with shimmering white powder. My hair was braided into two braids then looped back and pinned to my head. Attached to my back were large sleek black wings that expanded fourteen feet. They moved automatically, extending and closing as if I were a bird.
I stood by the carriage that would take Ryder and me to the city center. The ink black horses were being fitted with shoes that shot sparks when they hit the streets. I didn't see Ryder anywhere.
"You look like the Devil's wife. But in a good way." I smiled as Ryder materialized next to me. He had been groomed and polished as much as me. He was dressed in a well-fitting black suit and his hair had been arranged so that wisps fell over his eyes, giving him a strange dark look. He too had been covered in white powder, but his didn't shimmer. And he didn't have wings.
"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself." I smile and climb into the carriage. Ryder follows. "Do you know what they plan to do with us?" He nods.
"Of course. But, I'm more interested in this legend that we're supposed to be."
"Some god and goddess pair. If I remember correctly they're over fire and death. Such happy things for such happy times." I lean against the back of the driver's seat. It would later be removed to let the platform spin below us. Ryder nods to himself and runs his hands through his dark hair, examining my face.
"Did they do something to you? You look different, and it's not just the makeup." It's my turn to nod and stay silent. When I meet Ryder's eyes, he's looking at me with a look that asks for a verbal answer.
"They did some weird sort of makeover to my whole body. I now look like one of these Capitol folks, but I guess it's somewhat of a favor. Once we get into the arena, the pounds will drop fast." He keeps staring at me, so I look at me feet. I'm not one for stare downs.
"Alright kids," Gren appears with Mara at his side, "Time to give them a show." He smiles at us and I try to return it. Mine was weak. Mara steps forward and motions us to come closer. Men have appeared to take the driver's seat away. Their loud drills covered our voices.
"Good luck out there. You two have more guts than I would have thought. I would never let them light the floor under me on fire." She laughs as my eyes widen. "What? They didn't tell you?" When neither Ryder nor I answered, she again laughed and looked from me to him.
"Well, I heard that it's safe. You won't get burned. Just go out there and show them the reincarnations of Death." She gives us each a small nod and hurries away, Gren following. Grey walks up to us, Ryder's stylist, Lana, at his heels.
"Alright you two, we're on in three minutes. Let me light this and get ready for you debut." He takes out what looks like what people here call a blowtorch and points the open flame at the carriage floor. It erupts around us in red and orange tongues. Ryder and I both jump, trying to outrun the fire. Grey laughed as I fell and scrambled back on my hands and feet.
"It's not going to hurt you Trinity. It's perfectly safe! This is the same fire that the liquid in your bracers makes. Touch it. It feels like a dog is licking you." That was real reassuring. The only dogs I had ever seen were wild and vicious. I would as soon be licked by one of them as I would rip out my own heart. But I reluctantly let the fire crawl up my arms and legs. It felt soft and slightly cold. It tickled my skin as the flames climb into the air.
"Wow," I sounded like a small child awed with a falling star. I grinned over at Ryder. His expression mimicked mine. Grey and Lana smiled at us. "This is amazing!"
"Glad you think so. Ok get up, it's your turn. Remember: you're indestructible! They'll love you!" And then the horses start in a trot, sparks shooting from their hooves, and Ryder and I are alone. I hear the crowd roaring and suddenly I'm overcome with stage fright. There's a reason I didn't run to the district after my parents died. I didn't want the weight of all those people's stares bearing down on me. I didn't want their pity or their worried glances. Just how I didn't want these people's cheers or eyes, no matter how approving or disapproving they were.
I feel my knees go weak and my face start to sweat. I swallow hard and grab Ryder's hand to steady myself. He looks at our hands and then at me, a questioning look on his pale face. I swallow again and somehow manage to squeak out, "Hold me up Ryder. I think I'm going to be sick." It was no sooner than the words passed my lips that nausea overwhelms me. I close my eyes and feel myself sway.
"I'd prefer it if you didn't. I'm only renting this suit." I open my eyes and manage to smile and force a small laugh. I wanted to tell him how grateful I was to have him here. But at the moment I was trying to keep my lunch down.
"Here we go," Ryder squeezed my hand and let it go. We were now under the eyes of every citizen in Panem. And Grey was right. They loved us. The cheers had an energizing effect on me; the screams feed my strength. The platform started to turn slowly and I remembered my bracers with the liquid fire. I slowly raise my arms above my head and press the button. Flames at least fifteen feet long shoot from what seems to be my hands. I lift my head and see that Ryder and I hold the large screens that are placed every hundred feet. He is shooting his flames too. The inner columns of flame combine to form a towering wall of flame. The fire at our feet has faded to a glowing red so it looked as if we were standing on burning embers.
People scream our names and the district we represent. The platform finishes its turn and we lower our arms, the flames burning out behind us. It's all too soon over and we reach the City Center. Just as the carriage was pulling to a standstill, Ryder grasps my hand.
"Just go with it." He says through gritted teeth. I let my hand go limp and he holds our intertwined hands up above our heads. The crowd went wild, the roars deafening us. We were once again holding the large screens, though now I didn't know why. This small act of friendship, that said we were not yet enemies, seemed like almost nothing. Once we stopped, Ryder dropped my hand and we waited for the President to announce the rules and any changes. We didn't wait long. Soon the anthem is blaring and the President comes out from her balcony.
The president was an older woman, at least in her fifties, with a thin mouth and brown hair peppered with white. Her skin had yet to wrinkle, but her sky blue eyes refused to give way to age. President Atlen let the anthem finish before clearing her throat and starting.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! And welcome to the 210th annual Hunger Games!" Her voice rings out over the crowd. They cheer and clap and suddenly everything's ringing and I can't hear. It was too loud and too crowded. I feel myself sway and have to grab Ryder again. I really needed to get use to people. It takes me a while to realize that President Atlen had started to talk again.
"I'm glad to say that this year will be one of the most interesting years yet! But before we release the tributes to the Training Center, I need to announce some changes to the rules for only this year's Games!" Why is she yelling? And why did she sound so excited? The crowd is a mix of cheers and nervous murmurs. I can see the other tributes, faded in our firelight, glance around uneasily. I guess no one knew about this rule change but the President and the Gamemakers. "First, we are having change to the weapons allowed in the arena. All tributes will have the same weapons this year." What? Tributes were always allowed to fight the bloodbath outside the cornucopia for weapons. "This year all tributes will be set with a knife, a standard bow, and a set of twenty-four arrows. No more, no less. If you attempt to bring more, your pressure plate will detonate and you will die. The cornucopia will still be there, but it will only have supplies for survival. Food, water, shelter. The next one is that due to the fact that all tributes will have weapons upon arrival in the arena, your time in the Training Center will be reduced to four days. Use it wisely. One of these will be reserved for tribute interviews and another for private sessions with the Gamemakers. That is all. Good luck and Happy Hunger Games!"
And then the carriages are moving again and we're in the training center. The news had begun to sink in as I was helped out of the carriage. I would be able to use my bow. And twenty-four arrows are more than enough to find food and take out the others. I could win. I would win. The only problem would be gaining and keeping sponsors. But I was too happy about having a bow with me from the start to let that ruin the moment. It was all I could do to not to jump up and down. Grey, Lana, and Mara run up to us; they all look ecstatic.
"That was amazing! You have them eating out of their hands!" Grey and Lana shake our hands and hug us. But I am having a hard time paying attention with the president's words drilling holes in my scull. I break away from everyone and make my way to where Mara and Gren were standing. Ryder follows.
"Did you know that they were going to change the rules?" I'm as curious as I am glad.
"Actually no, we didn't." Gren shakes his head reinforcing his words. Mara looks around nervously.
"We better get out of here. Up to the twelfth floor. Too many eyes." She starts away without waiting to see if we're following. I get a chance to look at the other tributes before I am pushed into the elevator.
One, the boy from District 1, caught my attention. He and his partner were draped in lavished diamond studded togas. The boy was about twice my size, with about three times as much muscle. His eyes directed such a burning hatred at everyone that I was surprised the room didn't burst into flames. He was one to stay clear of.
The next tributes that caught my eyes were the pair from 4. They were coated in bronze and draped in gold net like garments. They both had a mean look to them and stood as far away as possible from each other.
The third was the small girl with startling blonde hair from District 8. She looks up at me and catches my. Her eyes were what I had imaged to be a clear sky blue, but were now covered in a milky white film. It took me a moment to realize she was blind. She held my stare for a second before I dropped mine to my shoes. What kind of twisted and sick people would put a blind girl in this life and death game!
I didn't want to know. I hurried into the elevator and let myself be swallowed up by this plush, pampered world.