"See you soon."
I smiled wearily at Hero, who shot me a sleepy grin before leaving my suite, fully-clothed. I rolled over in bed and gazed outside at a beautiful sunrise, meaning I had a couple of hours left before I'd have to get up.
I felt a sudden pang of anticipation, and both excitement and nerves began to stir in the pit of my stomach. Today, I'd be going into the Arena. Today, I'd be taking the lives of those who slumbered floors above me. And I could hardly wait.
"Rise and shine, Shine!" Penelope cried, cackling at her pun. I cast her a disdainful glare.
"Get out. I need to change," I yawned, stretching up until my locked joints cracked. Penelope winced before laying an outfit across my stool.
"This is your Tribute uniform," she announced proudly, as if she'd been the one to create it instead of the Gamemakers. "Hurry and change now, we meet in the lounge in an hour!"
I made a rude gesture at her retreating back and raced into the bathroom to enjoy my last shower for a while. Clad in only a towel, I pulled a comb through my raven-coloured locks whilst they were damp and examined by Tribute uniform.
There was a flimsy black tank-top with thin straps and my district seal emblazoned onto the back, which instantly told me that the Arena was going to be hot. For some of the time, anyway. You never know with the Games.
Next, a gold water-proof jacket, again with my district seal emblazoned onto the back. They were really making a point of which tribute was who this year, weren't they?
The Capitolites must be getting stupider.
I removed my towel, selected some comfortable yet sexy underwear and tugged on the top and jacket. To complete the outfit were a pair of tight, tawny trousers and a sturdy pair of knee-high combat boots. I studied my appearance in the full-length mirror. I looked half-decent, at least. I couldn't wait until I could remove the jacket, though. I left my freshly-washed hair loose and flowing, and some of the inferior lot would probably view that as a sign of arrogance. They could assume whatever the fuck they wanted. I'm keeping my hair down, thank you very much. Scraping it up gave it awful kinks and ended up with me having a headache. I applied a dab of powder and concealer, and I was ready to go. Dashing into the lounge, I ran right into Dazzle and gave him a massive hug.
"I'm so excited!" I squealed, because I was. This would certainly be a memorable day in history. Count on that, Mr President.
Dazzle laughed and returned my embrace heartily. "No shit?"
I let him go and turned to Tiara, who was trying to suppress a smile.
"Is it time to go?" I asked keenly, bouncing on my toes.
"It most certainly is," she replied, and we said our goodbye's to Penelope, who thrust some weird food into our hands and was bawling hysterically. I cringed and was glad once the elevator doors slid open to reveal the rooftop, where our escort waved us off.
"I'll be watching you, my lovelies!" Penelope wailed as Tiara hurried us towards the hovercraft that was perched on a landing pad.
"Remember, in the Arena, you can only rely on yourself," she said, eyeing Dazzle and I sternly. "You have allies, sure, but once they turn on you, you cannot hesitate to kill them. Understood?"
I nodded dumbly, but I didn't fret. Hero wouldn't kill me. He couldn't, despite his words last night. I had to try and believe that.
Tiara gave Dazzle a supportive squeeze on the shoulder, to which he returned before heading towards the hovercraft. I moved to follow him, eager to leave the Capitol, but Tiara stopped me.
She pressed my token into my palm. I gasped and clutched the pendant to my chest. How could I have forgotten it?
Tiara gave me a wry half-smile. "I figured you'd want that."
I quickly put the necklace on, and then offered Tiara a smirk.
"Thanks."
"Anytime. I know we got off to a bad start, but I'm rooting for you, Shine. I have a lot of faith in you," said Tiara sincerely, her expression sad yet honest.
A Peacekeeper emerged from the hovercraft and motioned for me to get a move on.
I grinned. "Next time I see you, we'll be neighbours."
Tiara laughed, and it was a wonderful sound. "Of course."
I bounded up to the hovercraft and gave Tiara a parting salute before taking a seat opposite Dazzle. The rest of the tributes' eyes scrutinized me as I sauntered past, which only caused me to add more spring to my step.
"Someone's eager," Hero murmured, who was seated beside Dazz, smirking.
"Ready to kick some ass?" I giggled in reply.
"Most definitely," Hero chuckled.
I was escorted towards the Launch Room, and expected to enter alone. I pushed open the door warily, but my tension was immediately replaced by relief as I saw Flossie seated daintily, admiring her new manicure.
"I hate that colour," I remarked. Flossie's head snapped up, and then she beamed blindingly.
"Shine! I was beginning to worry. You look stunning, as usual."
I smiled. "I know. So, what do you make of the outfit?"
Flossie circled me, frowning in concentration and tweaking the fabric.
"It seems, considering the materials, that this Arena is gonna be a scorcher, but with the occasional downpour. My bet is that you won't be needing the jacket often, and those boots are tough, designed for crossing hard terrain. Expect to be taking a few hikes!"
I sighed before heading towards the tribute tube that would raise me into the Arena.
"So, this is the Stockyard?" I wondered aloud. Flossie shushed me frantically, gesturing wildly towards the Peacekeepers outside.
I rolled my eyes. "Sorry."
The Stockyard was the outlying districts' nickname for the Launch Room, as it was a place animals went before slaughter. I grimaced, the catacombs had that overpowering underground stench that I couldn't stand.
Flossie handed me a plastic cup, brimming with cool water. I took a hesitant sip.
"Drink. As I said, it's gonna be a scorcher," Flossie ordered. Even though I couldn't take her seriously, I did as asked. I'd probably thank her for it later.
Once finished, I stepped onto the Launch Plate, a metal disk that ascends from the Launch Room into the Arena and is surrounded by a glass cylinder. A woman's monotone voice announced that I had twenty seconds before launching.
"Good luck, Shine," Flossie whispered, beginning to get teary. I fought the urge to scoff and instead gave her a reassuring wink.
"I'll be fine."
And I would. I danced about eagerly as the seconds ticked by, until the glass cylinder closed around me. I stared upwards, and squinted as my eyes adjusted to the sunlight that beamed in. The Launch Plate began to rise, and suddenly, I was enveloped by warmth.
Flossie was right, it was gonna be a scorcher.