The following morning I wake to a loud pounding on my door and Brandon Cole's voice yelling at me to "GET UP" and that there's a prep team and stylist waiting to prepare me for the chariots later today. I glance at the clock mounted on my wall. 6:00AM.A wave of anxiety slams into me like a bolt of lightning and I groan and roll reluctantly out of bed. Even though I saw the recordings of the other reapings two nights ago, today is the day that I will have to actually face my fellow tributes. The people who I will have to kill if I want to have any chance of making it out of the arena alive. The thought fills me with dread. Mr. Cole pounds on my door again.
"Ok, ok, ok! I'm coming" I yell.
"You have two minutes" Mr. Cole growls back.
Ten minutes later, I am standing in front of my prep team, the banana I had choked down for breakfast seeming to have stuck in my throat.
For four long hours I am subjected to the torture of the prep team as they brush and clean and basically perfect every inch of me. But when they finish and I am finally allowed to get up and look at myself in the mirror, I am stunned by the person I see. My eyes shine from beneath layers of makeup and my face seems to glow. My hair falls down my back in waves, a waterfall of shining blond with just a hint of purple. The first thing my stylist says to me when she sees me is "Wow, Miss Miranda, you are beautiful. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Sarah Greene." For a few seconds I can do nothing but stare at her. During the rebellion I had heard rumors that there were citizens who had defected from the Capitol to join the rebels. At the time I had been told not to believe those rumors, that they were lies. Now however, as I looked into the eyes of Sarah, I know that those rumors must have been true. Her manner as well as her hot pink hair, eyes and lips provide no doubt that Ms. Greene is from the capitol. Maybe I wasn't the only Capitol citizen who didn't agree with the way we treated the districts. Sarah clears her throat and I hurriedly extend my hand to meet hers. She smiles at me and asks if I'm ready to get started or if I might like to eat something first. I should be hungry right now but I am much to nervous to even think of food so I shake my head and say that I am ready to begin when she is. She nods, understanding that I'm nervous and then leads me to the room where I will get dressed for the chariots. As we walk she explains how the costumes will work.
"As I am sure you know, the costumes for tributes in previous hunger games were based off of what their district produced." I nod, remembering the fiery costumes that had adorned Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Sarah smiles. "Obviously, that theme is not going to work for these games. Instead each district will be represented by a different gem or precious metal... a way to show what the capitol used to be-"
"Wealthy, rich, the 'gems' of Panem." I cut in before she can finish.
"Exactly. District five will be represented by the ruby. Lucky you!" We arrive at the door to my dressing room and Sarah unlocks it and we walk in.
"I wouldn't call any of this lucky" I mutter under my breath.
Sarah obsessed over me for the next hour and a half, making me look "goddess like" as she called it. When she was finished however I looked in the mirror and gaped at a perfect stranger for the second time that day. The first thing I saw was my dress... long and heavy, reaching down to my feet and ending in a small train. Rings of rubies glistening from where they lined my throat, wrists and feet against the the thick, red velvet that made up most of the dress. My hair was piled on top of my head, a golden crown behind a sprinkle of yet more rubies. Everywhere I looked, the precious gems shined. The rebels must have spent a fortune on my outfit alone. I really did look "goddess like" and it took my breath away.
Finally, at 11:50 I was ushered to the makeshift stables where the chariots would launch. Halfway through the stable doors, I stopped dead in my tracks. Everywhere I looked, other tributes roamed about, a rainbow of colors. I felt myself pale. There was no way I was going to be able to do this. NO WAY. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to see Cameron, looking very handsome in an outfit similar to mine, but in the form of a suit.
"It's horrible isn't it" he whispered in my ear. Together we walked towards our chariot which is fifth in line. As we push through the crowd of kids moving towards their own chariots, I feel overwhelmed. A twelve year old girl, a thirteen year old boy. They were too young to die. We were all too young. I cling to Cameron as we climb onto the chariot. Just yesterday I would have been repulsed at the thought of spending any time near him, but now I am grateful for his company. Dazed, I watched the chariots ahead of us begin to move, district one, then two. After what felt like hours, my chariot began to move and blinding sunlight streamed into my vision as Cameron and I were paraded down the road for the rebels to see.
