Hey, it's Rainbow! Here's the new chapter, hope you enjoy! I know the stuff before the Arena is sort of boring, but what has to be done has to be done. Please review, good or bad, and I will do my best to post new chapters!
~RainbowTeeth8
Chapter Six
"Well, don't you look dashing." A voice comes from above me, a hand slipping down across the horse's neck. I look up from the animal's snout that I was lightly stroking, and meet his Vander's glassy irises. It's strange to look into his strange glassy eyes, concealed by contacts. His stylist and mine, Ro, have created hand-painted, absolutely beautiful colored eye-concealers, mine completely covering my iris and pupil with ruby shapes that glow out of my eye sockets. Vander's are gentler, a sweet blue in a sapphire shape, and he stares at me with his blindingly bright gem stones. Ro was right, we are gems.
"Dashing as in running away." I smirk, leaning against white horse that is nervously pawing the ground with its hoof. I stroke my fingers through his manicured mane, and he nuzzles my hand.
"You look great." He jumps down from the chariot and takes a look at my long, red dress. It is studded with blue gems, intricately woven into the silky fabric, and I notice with a pang that Vander's suit made of the fabric is the complete opposite. It is a deep midnight blue and shines in the lights of the stadium, and is woven with just the right amount of rubies. He is beautiful, he looks like our mother.
"I'm wearing red contacts. Isn't that supposed to mean I'm evil?"
Vander laughs and it sounds like a hundred bells tinkling. Why does he have to be so perfect? How is it that my mother passed all of her genes on to him, and I am my father all the way? I feel my chin to check to see if it is still pointed. It is.
"Hardly. Maybe it symbolizes blood lust?"
I shudder. "Maybe."
We are quiet for a moment.
"Check out the others." Vander nudges me in the ribs without looking at me. "District 1."
I let my eyes slip stealthily over to the chariot before ours, and my sight lands on two children, or rather adults. Careers if I have ever seen them in the strongest of ways.
The girl is strongly built, like me, but she is probably a good foot or so taller than my 5 foot three. (I am small for my strength.) She is broad-shouldered, made like Lyme, and she has mouse-brown hair to her shoulders. Her eyes are close together, like she is constantly trying to look at her too-big-for-her-face nose, and her bottom lip is too big for her miniscule top one. Her name seems to have escaped me, and now I know why. Her face is one you want to forget.
Her district partner is next to her, idly chatting without looking her in the squinty eyes. If there is such thing as complete opposites, these two are it. He has the whitest of blond hair, a beautiful sun ray of a color with little flecks of light brown. It is cut short, but not shaved, and his bangs meet right above his eyebrows. He has a slightly turned up nose and wide eyes, like he is surveying the area with them. I can't see from here what color they are, but I would bet they are a tinted green or hazel. Their stylists have draped them in peacock feathers, signifying their district produces luxury goods. Each of them has a huge, blown up peacock crowns and fluffed up circle of feathers on their back. The girl looks ridiculous, but somehow the boy pulls off the strange look.
"Do you remember either of their names?" I turn to him and then take one more peek back at the peacocks.
"Not the girl's. But I think the boy is Edwin or something with an Ed." He shrugs and turns to peek around his shoulder. "Rina, I think someone's watching us."
"What?" I turn around and look out over all the other tributes behind us. "I don't see anyone."
"District 4." He says without looking at me.
I let my eyes swivel to the chariot that is several feet behind us, behind the District 3 tributes. I lock eyes almost immediately with the girl, a girl with auburn hair and pale skin. Her eyes are lowered, but I can tell she is glaring at the two of us. Her name comes to me suddenly, Iris.
"What's her problem, do you think?" I ask Vander, and he shrugs.
"Maybe my beauty is just so stunning, he can't help looking away."
I smirk and slap his arm lightly. I am nervous enough already, why must these tributes give me more stress?
Suddenly, the Capitol Anthem is blaring through speakers all around us and in the stadium. My body surges with unwanted adrenaline as I watch Vander climb up into the chariot and offer me his hand. He stands there, waiting with his hand held out towards me, but I keep my feet planted into the ground.
"Irina, come on." He says, motioning for me to climb into the chariot. The two horses hooked to our little cart whinny and paw at the ground impatiently.
"I don't want to." My voice comes out weak. There is cheering and chanting from the stadium, and I suddenly don't want them to see me.
"Irina." His blue eyes are patient but I can tell that will only last for so long. I sigh and take his hand and he pulls me into the blue and red chariot. My knees are shaking for some reason, which is uncharacteristic because I rarely get nervous.
"I'm shaking." I whisper to myself, but somehow he still hears me. "Vander…"
His hand slips into mine, and he cups the side of my face in his free hand. I feel eyes boring into us, possibly trying to burn through our skulls. I just keep my eyes locked with Vander's, and he keeps me calm. His soft fingers slip down to feel my pulse, how I remember he did it when we were young. I was 11 and he was 12. Our father hit me…
I push the thoughts out of my mind. Vander leans in and kisses my forehead in a brotherly way, and it is more comforting than anything our parents have ever done for me. I pull away but keep on holding his hand.
"It'll be fine." He whispers to me as the chariot lurches forward after the District 1 tributes.
The stadium is jam packed with Capitol citizens cheering and crying out names and districts. There are flashes of bright colors, and I feel dizzy. Vander holds on to me to keep me steady, making sure I don't topple over in the midst of all of this.
There is a mob of people crying my name and beating their chests. A bouquet of roses flies my way and I catch a few flowers.
"Ouch!" I cry, pricking myself on one of the thorns. Vander looks away from his smiling and waving to look down at my finger. A trickle of blood flows down my thumb, and I wipe it on my silky dress. Vander laughs and waves with his free hand.
"How am I doing?" I call excitedly over the roar of the deafening crowd.
"Great, I think!" he calls back, laughing and waving our linked fingers together. The crowd oos and ahhs, probably looking through their pamphlets. I remember vaguely my mentors telling us to play up the brother and sister act to get more sponsors. (Sponsors are people who send in money to buy things to get sent to you in the Arena.) I throw my arm around Vander and act like he is my favorite person in the world.
We are quite popular with the crowd, thanks to Ro and Vander's stylist, and we are showered with flowers of every kind and color. I catch a few of them and make myself a bouquet. Vander puts one in his mouth and winks at me and I grin and laugh.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: THE TRIBUTES OF THE 52ND HUNGER GAMES!" I hear our Hunger Games announcer, Claudius Templesmith's voice come through the speakers, and there is the final name calling and wild cheering. I bow and smile and wave, all without letting go of Vander's hand. He is the one who grounds me.
Our chariots roll one by one out of the stadium, the horses gracefully swinging their heads and pawing the ground with their polished and painted hooves. I wave and grin some more, flashing my glowing red eyes at the Capitol citizens for one last time before we lurch forward the last time.
Ro meets us as soon as our chariots come to a halting stop, cheering, his red hair looking like a flame in the air. My hand slips from my brother's as he takes my waist and swings me down from the cart, spinning me around and around. I laugh like a manic, hiccupping when he sets me down. I fall backwards into Brutus who pushes me back up onto my feet.
"Up you go, crow head." He smirks his cruel smile, and I stumble again in my red heels from dizziness. I smile back gratefully, too pre-occupied to mind his death stares and brooding eyebrows.
"Dear God, Ro, you made the girl look like a damn devil!" Edda comes strolling in behind them, followed by the rest of my non-present mentors. She is shaking her finger at Ro and looking at me disapprovingly.
I look down at my dress. I haven't taken much consideration about my costume; I thought both Vander and I were beautiful. The flowing red dress studded with diamonds cut in jagged, precise lines, the pointed tipped heels and the red contacts in the shape of an emerald cut ruby. Maybe I do look like a devil.
"She does not." Vander comes to my rescue defensively. "The next thing you're going to be saying is I look like an angel!"
Actually, I've always thought Vander looks like an angel. With his clear blue eyes and hair curled in ringlets hanging very blond on his head. He is so muscular and beautiful and perfect, it is hard not to imagine him with wings.
"Well." Reed sticks his nose up. "She's no prize."
Vander's fists tighten. It's not like I can't beat Reed up if I felt like it, I could. It just feels good to have someone watching out for me. I rest my palm over his clenched fist, sliding my fingers over his wrist.
"I don't mind. Ro, the dress is beautiful." I defend my wonderful stylist. He winks at me and makes a twirling motion with his finger around his ear, motioning to Reed. I stifle a laugh and hide my face in my arm, attempting to make it look like a cough.
"Irina." I hear a quaint voice behind me. Lila is at my shoulder, whispering in my ear. "Don't look now, but some of the other tributes have their eyes on you."
I turn around slowly. The girl from one, who I have decided to nickname Mouse, is leaning against her chariot, her top lip pulled into a snarl. Edwin, if that is his name, is with her, fluffing his peacock feathers with his fingers. They both look at me with hatred, something I have never seen reflected in someone's eyes intended for me before. I look away shyly, embarrassed to even be observing.
I let my eyes slide carefully over to the District 4 girl, Iris. She is looking right back at me, arms crossed over the fishnets draped around her body, (District 4 is the fishing district.) I may look like the devil, but to me, she comes across as one. She is so much like a snake, thin and slender, with a small nose that is like two mere slits, I can't help imaging her with the body of the dangerous reptile.
"She makes me nervous." I whisper to Vander.
"Don't look at her. Her eyes with burn right through your skin." He jokes. Why doesn't he feel uneasy about her? Maybe I am just letting my nerves get to me, Iris is small, more my size, but she isn't as muscular as me; I feel I would be able to take her in a fight. She doesn't seem to me like Career material, possibly I can finish her off the first day if I am so concerned about her.
"You two looked great tonight." Nelson speaks up after taking Lila under his arm like a bird taking its young under its wing. "Training tomorrow."
Ah yes. Training. Where I will be showing off my skills and trying to earn myself a spot in the Career pack.
"That's right. You two should get your sleep." Ro winks at me one last time.
Training in the next chapter! Looking forward to putting it on as soon as possible!
3,
RainbowTeeth8