Sorry for the late post, guys and gals. I've edited this previously, but I tend to edit all of my chapters twice or even three times. However, I'm so tired that I didn't look over it a third time. If you spot any mistakes, do tell me. I appreciate it greatly.
Anywho, I hope everybody's been having a good weekend so far. :)
Enough jibber jabber on my part, enjoy!
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Suzanne Collins.
And once again, I'm back at the Capitol. I honestly thought I'd never come back. But how could I just let Peeta get manipulated by Glimmer, of all people? I'm not really sure how seeing me is supposed to help him, especially if he's really set his mind on… marrying her.
Even at the thought of Peeta marrying that wretched woman makes my throat feel tight. I swallow thickly, attempting to dislodge the tightness and lean back against the chair in my new room. I've been in the Capitol for two weeks now, living in Finnick's unsurprisingly grandiose house with Johanna popping up every day and staying for dinner. But tonight is finally the movie premiere and today is going to be the first time I've seen Peeta after practically half a year.
I wonder if he looks the same… silly, Katniss. It's been six months, not six years! He probably looks the same. If anything, his hair might be longer. But why do I feel so nervous? It's just Peeta. Peeta, who according to Finnick and Johanna, has changed for the worse. I just can't wrap my mind around it, Peeta's good through and through. It's strange to think of him otherwise...
"Katniss," Cinna spoke, looking at me with an amused expression. "Lost in thought, were you? I've been calling your name for a good thirty seconds."
"Cinna!" I gasp, jumping nimbly off the bed and into Cinna's awaiting arms.
He chuckles and hugs me warmly and I hug him back tightly, a sudden feeling of desperation coming over me. We part simultaneously and he eyes me discreetly.
"How are you, Katniss?"
"I've been better, I guess… but it's so good to see you, Cinna. It's truly been too long," I sigh, feeling the corners of my mouth turn down in a frown.
"The last time I saw you, you were wearing one of my designs. I brought you one of my dresses to wear tonight. You'll look spectacular, Katniss; nobody will be able to take their eyes off of you."
"I'm not sure about that, but your designs are beautiful. I can't wait to see the latest gown," I nod, giving him a tiny smile.
He tenderly brushes his thumb on my chin and smiles back at me.
"There we go, that's what I wanted to see. The prep team should be here shortly. Try not to mind their comments too much, alright?"
I nod silently as the trio bursts through the door, smiling and chattering animatedly. They stop short as they look at me, eyeing me apprehensively.
"Katniss, what happened to your brows?" Venia croaks, pressing a hand to her cheek.
"Look at those split ends!" wails Octavia.
"And those bags under your eyes, have you not been sleeping well?" Flavius sighs, shaking his head, causing his trademark corkscrew curls bounce.
I blush under their scrutiny, looking down at my bare feet with guilt.
"She's had more important things to worry about," Cinna tells them gently but firmly. "Don't give her any more grief. Now, please, get to work because she needs to be ready by 7."
I throw Cinna a look of gratitude as the trio set their bags, cases and tools down. He gives me the smallest of winks and turns around to leave.
"Okay, Katniss. Into the bathtub you go. We've got a long way to beautify you," Octavia tells me with a rueful expression.
I sigh inwardly and start stripping before slowly climbing into the gold bathtub. She soon pours all kinds of oils and dry flower petals to soften my skin. She lets my skin soak while she gently but firmly washes my hair, untangling it as carefully as possible. Soon her fingers are massaging my scalp and I close my eyes, letting out a soft and content sigh. She warns me about the bucketful of water she's about to dump on my head, so I hold my breath. She does this a couple of more times, mumbling about the thickness of my hair. Suddenly I get a whiff of coconut and Octavia starts massaging what I'm guessing is coconut oil into my hair. She wraps it in a hot towel as Venia comes in, holding a loofah in hand.
"Scrub time. Let's get that skin sparkling," she chirps as she dunks the loofah into the tub.
What feels like half an hour later, my skin is red and raw as they help me stand up in the bath and gingerly climb out of it. Flavius appears with a bottle in hand, handing it silently to Venia, who squeezes a goopful of iridescent pink lotion into her hand.
"This will help to soothe your skin," she smiles kindly at me as she lathers it on my skin.
Sure enough, it gives my skin a cooling sensation and I find myself relaxing. After smothering my body in it, she wraps me in a fluffy robe, leading me to the bedroom, where Flavius is waiting for me with his makeup kit propped up on the table. Once spotting me, he smiles widely, flashing his too-white teeth at me. I manage to give him a weak smile in return as I slowly sit down into the chair he's pointing at.
"Let's turn you into a smoldering goddess!" he says, reaching for an eyeshadow.
"Wait!" Venia cries. "I've got to fix those brows first!"
After much plucking and reshaping, Venia declares herself to be done, making way for Flavius to finally start on my makeup.
"Wait, does this mean you've seen my dress already?" I ask with closed eyes, knowing that Flavius would never let my makeup clash with the dress.
"Yes and it's so intricate and beautiful. Truly one of a kind! You'll be the most beautiful woman there!"
Curiosity piqued, I can't help but smile at the thought of what the dress looks like.
Could it be the same color as my other dress? No, I think Cinna would consider it greatly uncreative on his part.
Finally Flavius is done too, smiling and nodding at his work.
"Octavia, you're up! Remember that her hair has to be up," Venia reminds her.
"I know, I know," she mumbles as she frees my hair from the towel she had wrapped it in.
After brushing and drying it thoroughly, she starts to mold my hair into whatever she's going to style it into. First she creates a deep part and I feel her clip that section of hair to the side, undoubtedly coming back to it later. I feel her separate some strands in the back of my head and braid but I really have no idea what she's doing. Knowing Octavia, the end result will be beautiful and elegant.
I finally hear the door open and the trio stand in rapt attention.
"Are you done?" I hear Cinna's soft voice ask.
"Yes! We can't wait to see how she's going to look in her dress! Still, she could go naked and she would be the most beautiful woman there!" pipes Venia with a giggle.
I hear Cinna chuckle as his footsteps walk closer to me.
"Is she asleep?" he asks.
"No, I'm not. I was merely resting my eyes," I say, opening one eye to look at him.
He's smiling down at me, holding a black garment bag in his hands, causing me to straighten up with anticipation.
"Very well… we should get you dressed since you appear to be ready for the most part."
"For the most part?"
"Yes, you're still missing jewelry and shoes," he tells me with an of course tone.
I sigh and stand up slowly, curious to see how I look but tell myself to wait until I'm all dressed. I disrobe and Cinna starts unzipping the bag when he catches me looking at the item in his hands eagerly.
"Why don't you close your eyes, Katniss? It'll be better that way when you finally see yourself," he grins.
I sigh with frustration but do as he says.
"Okay, lift your arms up. The dress is going to feel a bit heavy but it's nothing you can't handle," he says encouragingly.
I comply and soon feel the cold material slide down my body, noticing how indeed it feels heavy; but he's right, it's not too much of a burden and as soon as he's finished zippering me up I find that I'm used to the weight already; still, the dress has to weigh a good fifty pounds and I wonder what he sewed on to it to make it so.
I can hear the trios' gasps and squeals, making me all the more eager to see myself.
"Can I open my eyes now?" I ask, pooching out my lower lip.
"No, not yet. We're going to put your jewelry and shoes on for you," he answers.
"But Cinna!" I protest, voice raising to a whine.
"In due time, Katniss, in due time," he chuckles.
I sigh petulantly and feel something that feels like beads or stones under my fingers as I lower my arms to my sides. Cinna places something cold and heavy around my throat which I guess is a necklace. It seems to be quite long actually; so long that with very careful fingers Cinna straightens it out between my breasts. I feel my cheeks turn warm but know that he means no harm. He suddenly makes a displeased noise and turns quiet for a moment. I'm afraid to disturb him so I keep quiet as a mouse. He finally turns the long chain around, so that it dangles down my back; the sensation startles me so that I let out a little squeal of surprise, straightening my posture.
Looks like I'll be showing quite a bit of skin again. But this time there's going to be so many more people and photographers…
Next Cinna puts some slightly heavy earrings on me and seems to be assessing the overall looks of my jewelry. It must have pleased him because I hear him ask Venia for the shoes.
"Okay, Katniss… I'm going to help sit you down so I can put your heels on, alright?"
I nod nervously as he gently guides me toward the chair. I wiggle my bottom experimentally, feeling the texture of the beads on my dress.
Hmm… seems like all the dress is covered in them. I'd touch more but I don't want Cinna to scold me. I know it means a lot to him… and because of that, it means a lot to me.
He finally finishes strapping the heels onto my feet and he helps me up again.
"Okay, Katniss… I want you to open your eyes now," he speaks slowly, an undercurrent of excitement in his voice.
I open my eyes and immediately look down.
"I was right! I knew the dress was beaded, that's why it feels heavy, huh?" I ask triumphantly.
Cinna just smiles and watches me.
The dress is a beautiful vivid red and every bit of it seems to be beaded with what looks like tiny rubies. It sparkles with every movement I make. The neckline is a deep v, which manages to show off the inner curves of my breasts; I blush as I look up at Cinna.
"It's quite revealing," I tell him nervously.
He laughs as he places a warm hand on my shoulder, raising a brow.
"Are you embarrassed? Anxious? It's a good thing Finnick brought you over two weeks earlier… I was told that he had to fatten you up a little bit. Because by the sound of it, you were positively skeletal when you arrived," he tells me in a low, worried voice.
"Not at all. I'm immensely proud to be wearing one of your designs again," I smile at him, choosing to ignore the skeletal bit.
While his eyes still show concern, he slowly breaks into a grin.
"There's a full-length mirror over there," he nods toward the other side of the room.
I walk slowly, observing how the material that pools around my feet trails behind me elegantly. I squint at the hem, about to ask Cinna if I'm seeing things when I catch sight of myself in the mirror.
I freeze, looking very much like an unfortunate deer that's caught at the end of an arrow. My body is slim but I pull off the revealing, sexy dress with elegance. It has no sleeves, though the beaded spaghetti straps are remind me of the ones from the other dress Cinna made for me. My lips are a deep crimson, the same shade of the dress; though upon closer inspection, there's a light gold dusting at the v of my top lip, giving the illusion of a fuller lip. My eyes are sooty, lined in soft black kohl that somehow makes them look bigger (despite my current look of surprise) but sultry. My brows are truly a work of art: neat, sharp but natural-looking; nothing like the mess of what they used to be. I turn my head slightly to the side, seeing how my prominent cheekbones give me a more striking look. A sparkle near my ear catches my eye, widening them further as I take in the subtle square shaped ruby that hangs from a string of tiny diamonds. Next my eyes travel to my neck, and I suddenly wonder how that wasn't the first thing I saw. On my collarbones rests a necklace inlaid with rubies the size of coins and other smaller ones along with flecks of diamonds and topazes. Curious to see how it looks from the back, I turn around slowly.
I knew the dress was backless again, but I didn't think it would show so much more off!
I blush as I stare at the dimples on my lower back; I didn't even know a person could have dimples there. My eyes find Cinna's in the mirror and see that he looks pleased. I look at the back of my dress once more, thinking how if the deep v of the backline dipped any lower, you'd definitely start seeing my butt. But once I get over my initial shock, I find that I look, well, smoldering. While the necklace hangs nicely down my back, I find that it's a little distracting from the dazzling beadwork of the dress.
"Cinna, I don't want to offend you, but isn't the necklace too much? It's lovely and all… but I feel like there's so much going on already," I tell him timidly, gesturing vaguely to my dress.
He stares at my back for a few moments before uncrossing his arms and striding over to me.
"You're right. It would definitely take away from your overall look," he nods as he unclasps the necklace with delicate fingers. "Also, don't you worry about offending me. I'll always want your honest opinion and a good stylist always listens to his client's advice. Of course, I don't quite consider you an client. We may not know each other for long, but I feel comfortable around you."
I smile at him with relief and gratitude as he puts the necklace away in a black velvet box. I immediately turn to look at my back once more and feel strangely pleased with myself.
There, it isn't so distracting now. Must admit… I look good. Even better than last time. I wonder what Peeta will think when he sees me.
I start to turn around when the hem of my dress catches my eye once more.
"Cinna, what did you do to the hem?" I ask, whirling around to look at him.
He lets out a laugh and beams at me.
"I'm sure you noticed that the bottom of your dress isn't entirely red, right? Well, I added some citrine, topaz and sapphires to make it look like the bottom of your dress is engulfed in flames with every step you take and even more when you twirl," he says, looking extremely proud of himself.
"Cinna! That's incredibly brilliant! You completely outdid yourself," I laugh delightedly, clapping my hands with enthusiasm.
He smiles modestly, shrugging a shoulder.
"You inspired it. Mostly how you took the media by a storm. You'll be the girl on fire. You really do look exquisite. I don't see how Peeta will be able to ignore you," he tells me softly, brushing an odd strand of hair away.
I let out a forlorn sigh and give him a weak smile.
"He must hate me by now," I whisper, biting my lip.
"No, stop! You'll ruin your lipstick. Come now, let me fix it for you…" he grumbles, taking me by the hand and smoothing over any errant teeth marks. "There we go."
"Thank you so much, Cinna. You're like my fairy godfather," I whisper affectionately.
He beams at me and pulls me into a hug.
"Go get 'em, girl. Ignore the haters and just be your own beautiful self," he tells me, pulling away from me and handing me a red satin bag. "It's a clutch. I'll store the lipstick in here just in case you need a touch-up."
We stare at each other for a few moments and I feel myself start to get nervous again.
"Finnick should be waiting for you. I'll be watching but I'd still like to hear how it went from you. Also, don't forget to mention the designer," he winks, pressing a kiss on my forehead and vanishing, taking the trio who were still ooh-ing and ahh-ing over me with him.
I look at myself one more time, as if that's all I need to give me strength.
"You can do this, Everdeen. Besides, Johanna and Finnick will be there and they wouldn't let anything bad or embarrassing happen to you…"
I watch myself with amazement and blush, scowling momentarily.
This is no time to fall in love with yourself, Katniss. Get out there, there's no doubt that Finnick's already waiting for you. Oh, boy… I wonder what he's going to say…
With a final look at myself, I straighten my shoulders and walk out slowly, feeling the butterflies flutter anxiously around in my stomach.
Thanks for reading, everybody! Again, sorry for posting this so late. T_T
See you all on Monday. ^_^