Chapter 4:
I woke up screaming for my father to run. I haven't had this dream for over a year now because I have started to feel safer, since I have been with Peeta, the dreams slowly stopped but today the dreams are back and Peeta will be no comfort to me. I let myself start to dreamily think of Peeta, his eyes that make me forget every worry, his smile that could light up the Hob one those rare days he went with me, it wasn't until Effie started tapping on my door that I was drawn from my daydreaming. "Wake up; it is going to be a BIG, BIG day!" He voice trilled through my door with her Capitol accent and forced me to train my thoughts into getting up. Slowly I walked over to the shower and after five minutes of fiddling with various button I got it to work, lathering soap all over me until I felt clean and fresh. I picked some clothes from the draws in my room; the Capitol hadn't shied away from spending showing off its riches. There must have been dozens of different outfits to suit everyone's preferences. I opted for a satin shirt and black trousers, pulling on a pair of black boots so I didn't arrive at breakfast in a pair of socks. I then pinned my mockingjay pin to my shirt before leaving my room.
When I did go down the train into the dining compartment where Gale, Haymitch and Effie were already eating from huge piles of food placed in front of them. I sat down at the spare seat and an Avox immediately put in front of me a huge platter of fruits cheeses and hams, also there was a steaming cup of coffee and bread that was already on the table. I look across to Haymitch and say, "How do you get sponsors then?"
"Aren't you a little eager?"
"Well, let's see it is either being eager or die most likely so I think I will be eager. How. Do. You. Get. Sponsors?" I said it very slowly just to annoy him.
"Mind your manners young lady." Effie cut the conversation short, my manners were defiantly something to be desired, and I have never cared for manners so I have none. How will manners get food on the table when your mother is so depressed she can barely get out of bed? I think of saying this to Effie but I don't think she could understand or would want to. "Okay we need to discus today schedule. First we will arrive in the Capitol within the next hour, and then you will be taken to the prepping rooms where your prep team will make you all beautiful for the tribute parade and then your stylists will dress you and look after you until we go down for the parade. Finally after the parade we will go up to our floor where we will all be staying until the Games start. Okay?" Both myself and Gale nod our heads, I hate being told exactly what I have to do with my day but I think this will be the way Effie will operate until we go.
I turn to Haymitch smiling as sweetly as humanly possible "Any advice?"
"Don't say no to anything." I see the colour drain from Gales face and I am my face looks the same.
"But what if..." My sentence is cut short.
"Not buts your stylists will be smarter than you think." The entire train is then plunged into darkness as we passed through the tunnel that will take us to the Capitol. We all go silent and I walk up to the window, I want to see all the riches that they are keeping for themselves all the extras they have whilst we struggle to survive in District Twelve.
Light floods into the train as we emerge from the other side of the tunnel, I gasp as I see it. Every building glows with colour and bright lights and billboards are scattered on the buildings with Panem's sign plastered on every other building we passed. Each person we passed looked more grotesque than the last. The plastic surgery the Capitol offered its citizens ranged from thinning treatments to skin dying. I passed one person with purple skin, hair shaped into the perfect cube that had stripes of purple, pink and red. Clothes made of rich fabrics layered on top of each other, random decorations such as flattened images of animals or some had previous winners of the Hunger Games such as Finnick Odair who won his games at fourteen but was so gorgeous that he had every sponsor on his side and women falling over their feet to meet him. He is still so adored by the Capitol now even after he has gained his reputation for only dating women for a week before leaving them again.
We stopped at the train station where there was thousands upon thousands of Capitol citizens all wanting to catch a glimpse of their latest tributes. I checked I had my pin with me and then Effie pushed me and Gale toward the train doors before practically throwing us onto the train platform. People starting calling to us and waving and although I haven't spoken to Gale since we argued last night I found his hand and gripped to it as though my life depended on it. We managed to fight our way between the two sides at the crowd that was randomly grabbing at our arms trying to get a piece of our fame. When we finally made it to the training centre we were pulled apart and taken to separate training rooms.
(I am going to skip through the part with Cinna and the Prep team as that will be the exact same as in the book)
I arrived at the training centre and saw Gale wearing the same black catsuit as me and when he saw me he looked surprised and possibly slight awed. "Catnip, you look... You look amazing! I don't think I have ever seen you wearing anything apart from hunting gear."
"Well I suppose you scrubbed up well yourself," He laughs at me and I laugh too. It is the first time I have laughed in days. Cinna sets our capes on fire and then we are in the chariot. The flames feel hot to my neck but in a warm way not a 'get this cape off me I think I'm being set on fire way'. Then the chariots head out. Crowds are roaring as the horse drawn carriages enter the huge square and laps around it past all the spectators. Before us eleven other chariots pull out and then we entered the square. The immediate uproar is shocking, our names are called out and we have beautiful flowers thrown to us. I catch a rose and smile as the scent fills my nose, it is the perfect red rose and once I have blown a kiss in the direction the flower came from a collection of hands rise up to catch it. I find myself laughing thinking about a kiss being something you could catch.
After President Snow has given his speech and we are safely back inside a swarm of people come to extinguish our flames before Effie whisked us to our floor.