~Tempest, D4F~
I can't say I don't like being milled over by my prep team. I love being from District 4, because they can't stop talking about how beautiful I am.
"I say, the prettiest girls come from Four," says one of them, with crazy turquoise hair and lipstick, clashing with a vomit-colored aura. . "They have beautiful tan skin and hair, and the prettiest eyes, oh, my dear!" She takes my hair in her hands and bounces it to feel the wavy texture.
"They're not skinny like the low-life from the outer Districts," remarks the only guy of the bunch, with orange hair and yellow eyes, which clash horribly with his bright greenish brown aura. "And they're not overrated like those bells from District 1. No, this one's got plenty of muscle in all the right places!"
"They're not manly like some of the girls from District 2," remarks another, with lavender hair and baby blue eyes, and an ugly brown aura.
"I don't see what's wrong with looking masculine," I remark as they spin me around to tease and trim my hair. "Honestly, beauty standards forced on women are ridiculous. Why should anyone care what kind of hair you have?"
My prep team freezes, and then bursts out laughing. I snarl a bit but don't do more than that. The Isidore inside of my head advises me against it. It's usually better to listen to his advice than anyone else's. Lee'd say, "BEAT UP THAT BITCH!" which is out of the question. Rafferty would agree with Lee, as he always does, and say something like "Yeah, she deserves it!" Tiller would probably tsk and shake his head but not do anything to stop me.
I just ignore the little gray and yellow and periwinkle wisps in my mind telling me what to do and listen to the calm blue wisp that says "Just let it go." I watch as they put shiny green polish on my toes and fake nails over my real ones.
"Ahem, these will come off before training, correct?" I ask, making a claw with one of my hands and pretending I'm a very menacing claw machine, ready to pick up a stuffed animal at any second, which just amuses me.
"I suppose if you must."
"I need short nails so I can pick up weapons without feeling like a human claw machine." I snicker to myself. "There's also another reason having short nails is better." I wink, causing my prep team to simply freak the fuck out. I laugh to myself as they go back to work, saying things like "You little mink!" and the like. I can't stop laughing though. My friends and brother in my head appreciated that though. Isidore is shaking his head, but he's still laughing. Rafferty is laughing because the others are, but he doesn't get it. I don't think he's ever touched a pussy in his life. I don't think he's even considered it.
However, the room is next to silent as my prep team finishes their work. Nobody knows what to say to break the awkward silence. Good, I think, I like it that way. After all, I like to cause trouble.
My main stylist comes in, breaking the silence. He's a young man, much younger than I expected. He has neatly-combed blue hair and bright green eyes. His aura matches, a light sky blue that merges into a deep royal purple at the bottom. Finally, someone I can actually look at without getting a headache.
"You got them to shut up," he says, eyebrows raised at me.
"What, like it's hard?" I fire back.
"You're spirited. And also sharp. I think we might have a Victor here!"
My prep team gasps like he's said something totally crazy. I put a hand on my hip, not at all embarrassed to be stark naked in front of them. "What, you have no faith in me!?"
"He's never predicted a Victor so soon before!" gasps Ugly Brown.
"You really think so!?" asks Vomit.
"You haven't even talked to her more than five words!" says Clashy Green-Brown.
"Hush, I'm aware. I see the spirit in her. She has potential like none other I've seen before in my years of betting."
"What's going on, why's this guy's word so important?" I ask. I don't get it, honestly.
"Aquarius was one of the top Games betters!" gushes Vomit. "It seemed he was never wrong!"
"I thought stylists couldn't bet?" I ask.
"We can't, dear. Although we should be able to." He snarls.
"What made you give it up? Surely being a top-notch better pays much better than being a stylist."
"I got into a pretty bad fight last year after I won against a guy so adamantly betting for that Four boy. I decided to duck out of it this year to prevent injury." He twitches a sleek white robotic hand and my stomach drops. Games betting must get pretty serious. "So, I decided why not chase my dream in the meantime? I can get back to the betting next year."
"Or you could stay with us!" says Clashy Green-Brown.
"Possibly." Aquarius gives me a look that says, Ugh. I snicker. "Well, let's see what we have here, then. After all, I pegged you for a Victor, and I very rarely take back my word. You look to be in good shape. Your volunteering was big and bold. You look to be quite strong and fiery, which is always good. But rational."
"I am the golden child," I tell him. "I didn't volunteer to lose."
"Of course you didn't. I like it. You're not going to be pushed around."
"Why would I come here to be pushed around?"
"A good question. You've got fight in you, so I'll stop asking dumb questions. I hope that you and I can be friends by the end of this. Because you're going to have lots of media covering you as a Victor, and you'll have to look your best."
"I hope so too. Because the others hurt my eyes."
He laughs as the others quickly look back down to their work. "You'd think that your prep team would be more tastefully dressed, wouldn't you? I would as well."
I snort. He talks as if he's not a Capitolite. He acts like he isn't one, too. I mean, it's refreshing after being groomed and talked at by three airheads.
I remember just then that people don't know about my synesthesia. You see, it's such a common part of my life I forget that not everyone sees colors like I do. And I don't look special or anything. I decide not to say anything quite yet, as the conversation topic changes to my dress. I expect the worst: a literal mermaid costume with a tail where I can't walk and nothing but two measly seashells for protection up top. I'm pleasantly surprised.
Looking at Aquarius, I could put together easily that he was the designer. The dress is a mellow, almost metallic light blue, with a tight, satiny bodice and a skirt that swirls out and is patterned like fish scales. I feel like a glorified angelfish when they zip it up. They are making a lot of last-minute adjustments as I just sit still and suck in air to be thinner as they zip it up. I relax and find the dress to be very itchy and tight, but pretty. At least it's not suffocatingly tight.
I sit still as they put my hair up in a high ponytail and add some extensions to make it look fuller than is humanly possible. I just sit still and let them do what they want. I sit still as they do my make-up, smiling when they say for blush and trying not to lick at the red glossy stuff they put on my lips.
"So, what did you say that made them shut up?" Aquarius asks, amused, as he messes with my hair.
"It was… not very appropriate," I laugh, and the others make noises of dissatisfaction.
Aquarius lets go of my hair to laugh and practically doubles over he's laughing so hard. "Ah! Of course!"
I grin a bit, though it still feels like I should lick the sticky gloss off my lips. Aquarius goes over to a cabinet and starts searching through.
"What are you doing Sir?!" asks Vomit.
"I'm looking for a last touch," he says, in thought, opening some drawers. I sit patiently and watch as he looks through a bunch of items, before finally pulling out a golden hairpiece that looks a tiara made out of leaves. "Tiaras are usually reserved for 1, and laurels for 2, but we're gonna change that," he says thoughtfully. "This can be your practice for when President Snow crowns you the Victor." I laugh but hold my head up high as he fixes the piece on my head. "You say you're the golden child, it's your job to prove it."
"Yes sir." I smile at him and he returns it.
"Your District partner and escort will be waiting for you," Aquarius says, putting a hand on my shoulder and guiding me away from my prep team and back out to the main room.
My eyes glaze right over Branden and Evianna and go straight to the horses that are going to pull our chariot. I run over to the horse, pleased by how my dress flows after me rather than restricting me. The creature is absolutely magnificent. Its power is awesome, and it's so gentle even though it could easily kill other creatures if it so desired. I stare up at the horse in awe, slowly reaching up a hand to touch the horse's snout, rubbing it lightly. What an amazing thing. What a spectacular creature. I've always wanted to run free like a stallion. I've always wanted to work with creatures like these.
The horse is gentle, and calmly puffs air out of his nose. I nuzzle his snout with the side of my face gently.
"Amazing, aren't they?"
I look up and see my District partner there, his red and orange aura still unsettling me.
"Yeah. I love these animals. I think they're… Beautiful."
He has a calm smile on his face as he rubs the horse's ear. "I think so, too."
I glance at his outfit. He has a crown of seashells on his head, half-buried under his waves of brown hair. He wears a tunic of different shades of blue and green, and when he moves looks like waves. He has gladiator sandals that go halfway up his shins. It's actually pretty tasteful as well.
"This is the opportunity of a lifetime. I'm glad I get to spend it with someone like you." I glance over to figure out if he's actually serious. He cracks me a smile and I return it, though I refuse to let my guard down.
"Don't be getting all gross with me," I say. "We both have to kill to get home and one of us is gonna be dead in a couple weeks. And I'll be damned if it's me."
He laughs. "You're right."
I look at the horse again. I want to give it lots of kisses and be cute and disgusting, but I know that'd probably hurt my image.
"Time to get in!" Eviana says, and I realize that I totally forgot to see what everyone else is wearing. Branden climbs up into the chariot and holds a hand down to me.
"Need help?"
"Of course not," I say, nudging his hand out of the way and crawling up myself. In front of us, the Three boy has been put in a tight silver jumpsuit, it looks, trying to accentuate his muscles considering very few District 3 kids are built quite like he is. His blondish brown hair is just as messy as it was when he was reaped. That's all I can tell from behind. He has a soft pink aura swirled with mellow green, which is pretty interesting for someone built like that.
The girl appears to be the same way, to accentuate her curves. Her black hair is silky and smooth, and I bet she's caked in make-up. Her aura is a very deep, dark red combining with deep dark navy. To me, this is less surprising. It oozes maturity and sensuality.
I look in front of them, trying to get a glimpse at the 2 tributes to make out their auras better than I could on the television, but can't see anything beyond the three pair. I hear loud chattering in the chariot behind us, but don't make out the words. It seems the girl's doing much of the talking. I watch as the door opens and the District 1 chariot exits. Both of their tributes are dressed in sequins and big feathery headpieces, as is the norm for District 1. Two's chariot follows, then Three's, and then we're on our way.
"Smile big and stand proud," Branden says, patting me on the shoulder. "Let's remind our District that they're definitely going to have a Victor this year."
I nod. And that Victor will be me.
We go out into the cheering crowd. At first, it's amazing. There are people everywhere, screaming and waving. I hear people from all over shouting my name, and Branden's. As I look at the crowd, though, the colors are all bursting in front of my eyes. The clashing auras with the colors of the crowd overwhelm my eyes and make my head pound. I close my eyes, taking in a breath and smiling as I keep my head up. I hear shouting that makes my ears ring it's so loud. I try to take it all in, but everytime I open my eyes they're distracted and my head pounds. I feel nothing but dizziness when the chariot slows to a stop in front of the President.
President Snow welcomes everyone to this wonderful event. His aura is a sickly kind of mustard yellow fading into a bright blood red. I haven't liked it from the moment I saw it on the screen. In real life, it's just as unsettling. He stands in front of everyone and makes his typical speech, but the words blend together. I don't notice I'm leaning to the side until I bump into Branden by mistake. He helps me up again, though. I give him a smile of thanks as the chariots start to race off again. The way back is even worse than the way to. Clashing colors, of every different vibrancy and hue attack my eyes. My head pounds and I feel overwhelmed and try to keep a good smile on. I can't notice anything.
When we finally reach the main room again, my ears are ringing and my head is pounding. I still feel dizzy. I can't let anyone see the weakness, though, no matter how light-headed I am. My vision starts to tunnel as I start to dismount my chariot, though, and soon I topple over the side before I know what's happening, and everything goes black.
When I open my eyes, I see the calmest aura I've ever seen before in my whole life. It looks exactly like the sunrise on a normal District 4 day. I realize that I'd collapsed into someone else's arms. I see a face looking down on me, concerned. Looking at his aura, I feel like I've met him before a million different times in a million different lives.
"Hey, you okay?" he asks. I suddenly feel embarrassed, and stand up, brushing myself off.
"Of course. I'm fine."
"Tempest, right? I'm Ezekiel, but people usually call me Ezie. I'm from District 2."
"You came all the way from the 2 chariot to ours?" I ask, my eyebrow raising.
"I was going to talk to the others right away, but I noticed you seemed kind of wobbly."
I feel a hot blush spread across my face. I probably looked like an idiot, passing out at chariots!
"Don't worry, you weren't even out for five minutes," he says. "What happened?"
"I… didn't drink enough, I guess," I lie. I can't go around telling everyone about my synesthesia. It's a secret strength of mine, it helps me judge people. The colors are usually pretty accurate. I stop looking at his gentle, soft aura and get a load of his features. He has coppery hair and skin that's a dark caramel color. His eyes are luminescent blue. His outfit is the typical 2: gladiator-esque with lots of gold.
"I know, right, they couldn't have even given us snack breaks when they were dolling us up!? What's up with that?!" I laugh a bit, my mood raised. "C'mon, let's go find the others."
I follow him to where the other Careers stand in a cluster. I wish I could keep staring at his aura, though, it's so calm and soothing to the eyes instead of the bright vibrancy of the Careers.
"Oh, there you are!" says the girl from 1, waving. Her aura is a bright orange with pricks of yellow. Her District partner beside her has a magenta aura with accents of dark purple.
"Are you alright?" asks Branden, looking concerned.
"Yeah," I say, embarrassed again.
"Tempest and I are gonna start a petition for snack breaks during styling time!" Ezie says, giving them all a smile. "How else are we gonna be properly fed and hydrated before the big ride!?" his light attitude causes everyone else to brush over the problem, which is a relief. Branden doesn't seem convinced, though.
"I'd sign the shit out of that!" Whimsy says, giggling a bit, and her District partner Alma nods in agreement. Bellona from 2 has been silent this whole time. Her aura is a deep maroon color fading a warm chestnut brown, very sophisticated.
"Well, if you didn't know or forgot, I'm Whimsy! That's Alma, and Bellona, and Ezekiel, and Tempest, and Branden! Look at this Career pack! This is so exciting!"
"I volunteered to fight," Bellona says, her face not cracking a smile. "Fight and win. I hope you all did as well."
"Definitely," I say, and the others nod.
"So, do you think any of the outer District tributes will approach us?" Alma asks, giving the others a glance.
"How about that kid from 9? He just started cackling when he was reaped. He might try his luck," Branden says, causing me to shiver a bit. Beowulf, I remember his name, his aura is by far the most interesting of all that I've seen so far, but also the most unsettling. Purple that fades to black, which fades into a cascade of red. Sometimes I think I see flecks of silver when I blink. He chats with the boy from District 8, who is an 18-year-old but looks tiny compared to him. They decided to leave Beowulf shirtless, exposing red lines down his back and on his arms. I shudder again and turn back around.
"The kid from 3 may think he's super cool because he's built, which isn't the case," suggests Whimsy. Winchester is talking to the 5 tributes currently, I notice.
"Both Seven tributes are older, as well," Ezie observes, a playful smirk going across his face as he flings a side-glance at Bellona. "Seven tributes sometimes have a chance in the Careers. Or think they do, at least."
Bellona's face goes into a scowl as she sees them. "The District 7 tributes are my kill," she says, tense. Nobody wants to ask about it, though, for fear of pushing her, so the subject is dropped. Ezie has a look in his eye like he might know why, though, possibly from a conversation on the train ride.
"Maybe that scary guy from 10," I say, "But a lot of times those ones go off on their own."
"True. So I guess none of them are going to brave coming over," I say.
"I thought maybe we could all say why we volunteered," Whimsy says. "I don't want to know about your whole backstory, of course, for fear that we'd be anything more than allies, but just a simple reason you're in it. So that when we all say avenge me, the others will have a reason to do some avenging. I'll start. I volunteered because, well, because the girl that was supposed to was knocked up by her boyfriend, and you can't train very well when you're pregnant. From there, I want to win to bring honor to my District and my family, and myself!"
"Well, I'm volunteering for honor, and the money isn't a bad thing," Alma says. "My Dad's a trainer so he was a lot of help with everything."
Bellona speaks up. "I'm volunteering to show the world that I am not a coward. I want to make something for myself, and win the honor for my name. I put in the time and the effort, and I worked up from the very bottom. I'm ready."
"I volunteered for the honor," Ezie says, "It was really because of my Mom that I volunteered. That's all there is to it." He shrugs simply.
All eyes are on me now. "I volunteered to make a name for myself. My family is full of weak women that married for money and gave their voices away. I refuse to have the same fate as them."
Branden smiles, "Well-"
I'm interrupted by a tug on my dress. When I turn around, the least likely person is there. It's that little girl from 12, the one that's probably going to die first.
"Excuse me," she says, clearing her throat. I don't know if her dress was meant to be fashionable or what, but she looks like a lump of coal in that thing. "You look like the kind that can be shot of a cannon. Could you teach me?"
"Er…" I glance back at my allies, who all look stunned.
"Or what about being a contortionist?" she asks, skipping into the middle of the circle closer to Alma.
"Look kid, I'm not a-"
"How about twirling ribbons?!" she asks, almost treading on Whimsy's dress. Her aura is surprisingly bright for a starving girl from 12. It's a bright playful green, with streaks of orange and yellow. "Or riding a motorcycle around those circular cages!" She stares up at Branden with wide gray eyes before she goes to Ezie. "I can't wait until they bring out the chainsaws! How many of those can you juggle at once?! I bet a lot! Oh, and when will they bring out the tigers! I really want to see Bellona at work with them!"
The rest of us exchange a look, unsure what to do with this girl. She must have deluded herself into thinking that this isn't the Hunger Games or something.
"Oh, the zombie's calling me over! Oo, he's talking to Lindsay the seal trainer! I want to learn how to train seals! Bye!" she races off, her braid bouncing behind her.
"Well…" we're left in an awkward silence.
"What were you saying Branden?" We decide not to dwell on Monterey any longer until we can get some kind of story out of her.
"Er, right. Well, I'm naturally competitive, so this is kind of the ultimate competition, now isn't it? I mean, I did well in training, and I'm determined to get out with the victory. That's what it means to me."
"So we all have the same reasons, pretty much! Which is a great way we can fight for each other! If… The worst happened." Whimsy sighs. We all agree quickly, not wanting to think about it for any longer than we have to.
"Right."
"So, let's get a long night of good rest so we can be super duper ready for training tomorrow!" Whimsy says.
Training tomorrow. I forgot. This is all going by so fast! I can't wait to show off my skills.
"Yeah!" we agree.
"Night everyone," Ezie says cooly. "See you all tomorrow."
We all go to elevator together. Whimsy and Alma board it first, not allowing room for others because their costumes are so big. We board the elevator after with the 2 tributes. I try not to stare at Ezie's aura, because he'll totally get the wrong idea and think I'm staring at him because I think he's attractive or something. Which is totally not true! Not at all! He's just as average as any other guy I know. Definitely.
The 2 tributes get off, leaving Branden and I alone.
"You look stunning in that getup, by the way,"
"Gold is my color," I say simply. We get out and go to our rooms.
"Good night, Tempest," he says.
"Night," I reply simply. I go into my room.
I get showered and dressed in PJs. Then, I crawl into bed and cover up, yawning sleepily.
When I close my eyes, sleep comes easily.
~.~.
A/N: Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a while! But, it's officially summer, so I should have some more time to update my stories! Now I'm really getting excited about this! This was supposed to have 2 POVs in it but Tempest's was getting really long because I love all these tributes so much! So next chapter will be another chariots chapter, this time from Torque's POV. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the characters in it! Next chapter will have more from the outer District characters!
Chapter Question: How do you like the relationship between the characters? Any predictions for the alliances yet? Any interactions you want to see between tributes in future chapters?
