I twirl around in front of the mirror as Thaliana grins at me, her violet eyes dancing as she admires her work. My stylist. She is phenomenal. My dress, I can't believe that something so beautiful could possibly be made for me. And with it on, I look… I look like a goddess. It's a twinkling gold gown hemmed with jewels – rubies, sapphires, diamonds. You name it, my dress is glittering with it. They cluster around the hem and crawl up around my legs, the bravest even reaching up to my hips. I had thought that the gems themselves were the best thing about the dress. But then I moved. The sparkling and shining and shimmering at my feet make me look like I'm floating, gliding above the ground, free. When I finally pull my attention from my dress up to my face, I'm struck again by how striking I look. Turns out the prep team tattooed me. Arching above my eyebrows are two golden lines, starting at the insides of my eyebrows and arching back over my forehead and down to my temples and running back into my hairline. The contrast turns my plain blue eyes to piercing ice. I love this place. In District One, luxury means cutting and polishing and selling sapphires to make a living. In the Capitol, luxury means having liquid gold injected into your face and yellow diamonds set into your arms as a fashion statement. My usually straight, plain brown hair now shines with honey highlights and waves down my back. A headband of woven gold leather pulls it back from my face. My token adorns my finger as the sole piece of jewellery in the ensemble.

"You ready to go?" I take a deep breath and tear myself away from my reflection.

"Sure. Let's do this."

Thaliana links her arm through mine and guides me to the elevator which will take me down to the stables, where the parade will begin. As we reach the door she stops and lets go of me. "Aren't you coming?" I feel a panic begin to rise from my gut at the thought of going down there alone.

"Honey, relax. I'm coming down soon, I've just got to grab the capes."

"The what?" She clamps her mouth shut and shakes her head.

"Nothing, I'll be down there soon." Before I can say any more, she turns away. I watch her retreating back until the elevator doors slide shut. The knot in my stomach slows down the ride, and when I finally emerge into the stables the unsettling quiet does nothing to help my nerves. It looks like I'm one of the last to arrive, and the place is packed with Tributes, stylists, mentors, escorts and horses, but there is hardly a sound. I spot Jinx nearest the huge double doors that I assume we'll soon be surfacing through. We match. I mean, he's not wearing a dress, but his trousers are gold and hemmed in jewels and his shir- he's not wearing a shirt. Seriously? His chest has been dusted in gold powder and like me, he wears his token – a fine bronze chain around his neck. He's gawking at me, like I've sprouted a second head or something. I squash my nerves down, lift my head, stride over and stop right in front of him. He just stares at me.

"What?" I demand.

"Uh, n-nothing." He splutters back at me. Moron. What's his problem?

"Why is it so quiet?"

"It wasn't until you showed up." He glances over my shoulder and I twist around to see what he's looking at only to find that everybody else is looking back at me. Or us. A grin creeps onto my face as I notice the intimidation, even fear, in their eyes. The only kids who don't look away when I meet their gaze are the other Careers, and curiously, the boy from 9. He's slight, with dusky brown hair in spikes and darkness in his face that makes me wonder what has happened to him to bring him here. When our eyes meet, he just smirks at me. Odd. My attention is diverted when Gardenia taps me on the back.

"Silk. Jinx." she begins a spiel on how to behave during the ceremony – don't smile, or wave. Heads high. No eye contact. Don't touch each other. Stand up straight. Hold on tightly, with one hand only. Nothing I don't already know. We're loaded onto the chariot and Gardenia occupies herself with the back of my dress, making sure it hangs over the back just so. Wouldn't want it to trail in a funny way would we? I zone out as she continues chattering at us, and my mind wanders back home. What's everybody doing now? Placing bets no doubt. Who are they betting on? Not me. They have no reason to bet on me, not when I'm going up against Jinx. Maybe I'll get a couple of pity votes. I almost jump out of the chariot when Thaliana grabs my shoulder. As it is, I cuss loud enough to create an echo in the cavernous room and earn myself quite a scolding from Gardenia.

"Chillax Silk." Jinx leans in and whispers in my ear. Yeah, that helps. I leap away and crash into the side of the chariot. Gardenia looks like she's at the end of her tether, and I don't blame her. I haven't even been in the Capitol for a full day and I'm losing the plot already. I'm not even going to get pity votes.

I try to straighten myself with as much dignity as possible and turn to Thaliana. She looks sympathetic, and holds up a golden shawl. It shimmers like the rest of my dress, but when she moves it, it looks like its floating, entirely detached from her grip. She drapes it over my arms at the elbows, and attaches a similar cape to Jinx's shoulders. She and Gardenia to one last sweep, straightening hems and smoothing hairs, and the doors swing open. The horses lurch forward into a trot and the screams of the crowd escalate to a deafening volume as we emerge, the first Tributes to appear in the Opening Ceremony.