When Mags wakes me up, it is about 7:00 PM. I'm supposed the be down at the Chariot Rides at eight. I rise out of bed: Wow, I feel so refreshed... I can't imagine any cloud being softer than that bed. I just want to stay there... Sleeping on that wonderful paradise of a bed... "How do you feel? I was so worried about you, Evan." Mags finally tells me.

"I'm fine, Mags. That nap really helped."

"Here Evan, I made this for you." In her hands, she had this 3-scooped chocolate ice cream cone, with whipped cream and hot fudge. When she hands it to me I instantly take a bite. It feels like an entire chocolate paradise has entered my mouth. This tastes so much better than the ice cream on the train! They should make this back in District Four. I could share this with Tony and Dally! I mean, I wish I could... "You should change into your costume once you've finished, dear." says Mags. "But first you should get washed up. The bathroom is in the back." "I decide that I should. I haven't bathed since I was back home. I also want to look good in front of Panem. So I enter the bathroom and I take a Capitol shower. The water feels so much like a relaxing massage. With the press of a button I can change the water amount, temperature, and even the type of massage. There are many different soap and shampoo dispensers for every different scent. I pick ocean breeze shampoo, for it said the word "ocean" in it. I knew that it'd smell good, but I spend awhile just inhaling the wonderful aroma.

After getting finishing the shower, I look at the clock. 7:50. I have ten minutes to get into my costume. I open the package Daryl had given me and find a boring sailor costume that's my size. I quickly dress into it, and meet up with Zelda out the door. I notice that she's wearing the same thing I was wearing, except that it was more geared towards girls. It had a skirt instead of trousers. We go down the elevator and all the way down to the training center. When the door opened, we found Daryl waiting for us. He walked us down to the area where the horses (which were pulling the chariots) were. There, we were able to see all of the other tributes face-to-face. Cedric and Emory of District One were dripping with diamonds and jewels. Though they had promised us that Careers were equal to us regular tributes, they sure were getting special treatment.

"When you get on that chariot, I want you two to wave to the crowd with great charisma. If you want sponsors, you need to make a good impression." Daryl told us. "And to make a good impression, you have to be unique. And to be unique, you just have to be yourself. No one likes a faker." The official announces that it's time for everyone to board the carriages. Zelda and I climb in and try to balance on the chariot. I notice that she tries to distance herself as much as possible from me. When it feels like the horses were about to start moving, Daryl approached me, putting his hand inside his pocket. From it, he takes out Tony's sapphire anchor necklace. He must have gotten it from Mags, since I had asked her to hold on to it for me while I slept. "Here, I almost forgot to give this to you." He says while putting the necklace around my neck. "The Capitol will go nuts for you when they see you wearing this. Sapphire is very valuable, and it's all the Capitol Citizens want to purchase. However it is very expensive."

As Daryl says this, he leans closer to me. "Between you and me, many Capitol Citizens would do anything to even get a glimpse at a thing like that."

Just then the horn rang and the horses went off. Zelda and I stood in position, ready to show our faces off to Panem. When the doors opened, we appeared in this stadium, similar to a horse-race stadium. District 3 is in front of us, and District 5 is behind us. I could hear the National Anthem all over the place. In the seats were thousands of screaming and adoring fans. The faces of the tributes were shown on the side of the big screen, one by one as they passed by. When it got to my face, the sapphire anchor necklace was shown, crystal clear. When the audience laid their eyes on it, I can't even begin to describe how loud they roared. They all screamed in adoration at the look at my necklace. A lot of them instantly took out their cameras and took a million photos. Man, the sapphire anchor is apparently a big deal here. Some of the Capitol girls my age started crying. Yes. You heard me. They bursted into tears and started holloring my name. I think that a few of them even fainted... That's when one girl in the audience stood up, and started to chant really loudly, "Evan Odair!" "Evan Odair!" This cheer eventually caught on with the person next to her, and pretty soon everyone in here was cheering my name.

They were at this for so long, that they nearly forgot about the other districts. Once the cheering finally calmed down, we approach President Snow, standing on the high balcony. President Snow is pretty young, only about 24 years old. Snow became Panem's leader a few years ago, when Baylen won His Hunger Games. You can tell that his favorite time of the year is The Hunger Games. As he looks down on us tributes, I can see a faint smile on his face. This face wasn't made to welcome us. It was made to subliminally strike fear into our hearts. That wicked smile wasn't made to honor us, or to congratulate us. It was made to tell us that we were powerless. I thought that everyone else noticed the smile, but I seemed to be the only one who knew. Once all of the chariots stop in front of Snow, all of the cheering and music starts to wind down. He looks at us, and begins to speak.

"Welcome, tributes. We welcome you to the Capitol, and to the 25th Annual Hunger Games, and the First Quarter Quell. Your Honor, Courage, and Sacrifice has inspired all who have seen you. We salute you and your families, who have bravely given you the honor of being here tonight. And we know that without you here, there would be no nation has we know it today. Happy Hunger Games, and may be odds be ever in your favor."

Lies! I think to myself. So many lies! He might as well just say something like "We have more power than you. You have been betrayed by your own friends and families. We don't care about you. All we want is to be entertained by you worthless tributes killing each other."

The crowd then resumes in cheering for us. I feel My necklace glimmer as we turn back around into the training center. When Zelda and I go in and get off the horses, we are greeted by Baylen, Mags, Trixie, and Daryl. "Good job, guys!" Mags told us. "You went out and bravely showed yourselves off to Panem." Baylen then says something, but his voice is so wheezy that I could barely understand him. Trixie seemed to be the most excited of all. "That necklace is the key! Now everyone here loves you! That necklace is going to create a big deal here in the Capitol! Wherever did you obtain such an expensive pendant?"

"Well Trixie, this sapphire anchor really belongs to my brother Tony. Whenever he's on lifeguard duty at the beach back home, he'd wear it. When I was picked to fight in the Quarter Quell, he gave it to me. So actually, the worth money-wise of this pendant means nothing to me. It's the fact that it was given to me by my brother, and I'll be able to have a piece of home with me at all times." Trixie looks at the pendant with great curiosity. "What a lovely one it is. These pendants are only found in the mines of District 12, though it is extremely rare. The miners can't keep it, so it is sent to be crafted in District 1, where they specialize in luxary. That's the only place where they are sold. Where did your brother find such a thing?"

Now that question comes to me. How did Tony get this necklace? I'll have try and figure it out before the Games.