(A/N: Per request from Demigodgirl1000, and per shared feelings, since I'd like to get back to the Games, as well, I am going to be reposting every chapter up to where we left off before. n_n Sorry for spamming your inboxes, those of you who have me on Story/Author Alert. :3
Hold on to your seats!)
~Marie's POV~
I can hear the screaming already, and the doors haven't even opened yet. The slight gap in the bay doors of our train let in a small amount of the tumult outside, and it's loud. Agate and I are standing on either side of Harmonee, who is scowling crossly. The reason we haven't opened the doors and submitted ourselves to the clamor is because Ruby and Thyst had to make some last-minute touch-ups. I know for certain that they've done it to ruffle Harmonee's feathers; our two puerile mentors have made it a pastime of putting her beside herself with frustrated rage each and every year since Ruby helped Thyst win his Games.
"We're reeeeeady!" Ruby chirps in a high singsong voice. She and Thyst stride out from the compartment car, looking absolutely similar to how they looked when they left to get touched up, except for a glittery red stud on Ruby's forehead and a violet stud on Thyst's. There's no way those took a whole five minutes to put on.
"Finally!" Harmonee growls curtly. "Now, can we get into position so we can finally get this started, please!"
Thyst and Ruby both comically hiss at Harmonee, then take their places. Ruby takes Agate's arm in hers, and Thyst gives me a quick noogie before taking my hand. Slowly, the bay doors open and I can finally get a good look at what was outside.
The station itself is perfectly white, shiny, and clean, but the throng of writhing bodies within the station, surrounding us… They're shiny and clean, alright, but many of them are so colorful, it'd make the blind fret.
Before I can examine anything else, I feel Thyst burst out of the doors, dragging me with him. He lifts my hand into the air with his, and Ruby does the same thing with Agate.
"We're baaaaaack!" they scream out in that singsong voice again. The rolling wave of screams and cheers is overwhelming… Ruby and Thyst drag us through the crowd, shaking peoples' hands and leaning over to kiss people on the cheeks. Ruby and Thyst must be extremely popular, and it's not hard to see why. Their adolescent behavior must be like Capitol catnip…
I have to squint to keep my pupils from shriveling to dust on account on the endless camera flashes… Eventually, it's all too much and I close my eyes altogether as Thyst leads me blindly to who-knows-where…
~Jet's POV~
Ow… Dark spots dance in my vision as the screaming voices of the Capitol citizens start to dull down. Once the doors of the building I've entered are all the way closed, I can still hear their muffled cheers, but after a minute or so of walking, it's completely quiet except for the sound of my footsteps and Pyra's.
"Listen up, pretty boy. You're about to meet your prep team." Pyra starts, giving my arm a squeeze. "Don't ask questions, answer them. Don't object to their methods, especially not Hera's. They know best, remember that. For that matter, just don't speak unless spoken to. Got that?"
"Yes, ma'am." I reply. Pyra gives me a noogie.
"Don't even sweat it in there, kid. You're sexy; they're gonna love ya!"
Pyra stops following me and gives me a push forward to keep moving. "Door's ahead of you. They're waiting. I'll meet you on the other side, kid." Pyra says.
As I walk forward toward the door, I look around and notice that I'm completely alone… Alto and Rhymer were taken to the adjacent entrance to Two's section of the Remake Center by Laylark. I'm on my own in all this…
Nope. No. Nuh uh. It's too late to be squeamish and nervous now. I have to take whatever I'm in for like a man. I step into the doorway with a quick inhale and look around.
"Mr. Jet Hapler!" I hear a healthy voice cheer from beside me.
"Gah!" I jump in surprise, turning quickly to the pretty lady with stunning aqua hair who has her back pressed to the wall parallel to the left of the doorway. It looked as if it was her intention to scare whoever came through.
"We are glad to see you have made it." a gloomier voice says on my other side. I leap in shock again. There was a person standing to the right of the doorway, too… This woman had jet-back hair and an inky moon tattoo on her right cheek. Her eyes were a shining silver. I turn to face the two women, doing my best to calm my nerves.
"You scared me… Who are you?" I question, slapping myself mentally as I recollect Pyra's warning a second too late… Don't ask questions.
The two ladies don't seem to mind, though. The woman to my right giggles, while the one to my left just gives me a soft, yet oddly chilling smile.
"I'm so glad you asked! My name is Asira and this is Juno!" the aqua-haired woman said, gesturing to the black-haired woman beside her. Juno smiles and waves at me.
"I am Juno, as she says. I am Hera's sister. You will meet Hera soon enough. We must make you presentable beforehand. You smell of dust and sweat. This will not do. Take off your clothes."
Her monotonous drawl and her strange way of shifting quickly from one subject to the next inundates my mind... It takes me a moment to realize that she just asked me to strip. "Huh?"
"Mr. Jet Hapler, how are we supposed to remake you if we cannot see you?" Asira giggles. "Don't be shy! Please take off your clothes."
"We have no qualms about taking your clothes off for you." Juno follows Asira with another icy smile. "As a matter of fact, we would be delighted to, would we not, Asira?"
"Oh, absolutely!" Asira cheers, looking my clothed body up and down and licking her lips slowly.
"T-That's quite alright…" I say with a shrug. "I can take off my own clothes."
And the two of them proceed to watch me fixedly as I pull my shirt over my head.
~Tixxie's POV~
"Oh, my goodness! I didn't think it'd be possible, but you look even cuter without clothes on!"
I let out my fourth groan of the hour as my three stylists fawn over me. They've been swooning since I came in, but now that I'm naked and at their mercy, they're going absolutely bananas… I'm sixteen years old, and they're treating me like I'm ten because I look ten… It makes me so angry I want to punch the wall, but then they'd probably faint from how adorable it would look.
"And can you imagine, Karen, this is all before we've even touched her! Just imagine what she'll look like at Beauty Base Zero! Jamieson is going to love her!" my only male stylist, Vaughn, chimes. Karen, the woman who can't stop commenting on my cuteness, bounces up and down on her feet as she imagines me as a cherub, hairless except for the shiny golden waterfall flowing down from the top of my forehead to the back of my scalp and ending in cute little strands at my upper back.
"We must start waxing immediately!" Karen avouches, scooping my tiny form in her arms and carrying me over to the flat metal table near the center of the room.
"H-Hey, what are you doing?" I protest. "I have legs; I can walk! Put me d- Eek! Coldcoldcold!"
Vaughn, Karen, and my third stylist, Sul coo and squeal, commenting on how "my voice is adorable" and that I'm "so cute when I'm shivering"… Gag me with a spoon…
Under the detail lighting and the full-body mirror above me, I realize just how young I must look. My hands and feet are tiny compared to theirs. My face is round and pudgy and my bright blue eyes and lips are pouty, as always, and unfortunately, I'm forced to accept the fact that I have no breasts…
As I'm self-loathing, I don't even notice that Sul has told me to hold my breath as he slaps a wax-covered strip onto my arm. I realize a second later, though, and gasp.
"What the f-"
*RIP!*
~Hunter's POV~
I cross my arms over my chest and sigh as my mentors circle around me, giving me one last looking over. I just had the hair that was visible on my chest, arms, and legs buffed away. They've been at this for five minutes, and at this point I think they just enjoy the sight of me naked, quite a confounding thought, considering two out of three of my stylists are men…
"Yup! He's perfect!" Noyil, one of my two male mentors says at last. "Wies, go fetch Hyperion! Tell him that it's time he works his magic!"
My other male mentor, Wies, nods quickly before walking quickly out of the quiet room and down the hall.
Noyil has managed to busy himself with pacing and deep thought, but my female stylist, Nora, cannot take her eyes off of me. Her blatant scrutinizing, coupled with that fact that I'm pretty sure I know exactly where she's looking, annoys me greatly. I almost snap on her, actually, but my head stylist, Hyperion, comes in just in time, giving me a quick looking over before handing me a robe.
"You've done well, team." his smooth voice speaks, addressing the others, but keeping his eyes focused on my face. "Put that on, Hunter, then come with me. We have much to discuss and little time to do it."
I don't have to be asked twice. Anything to get Nora's eyes away from my crotch… I throw the robe on and follow Hyperion without looking back.
"I've heard good things about you, Hunter." Hyperion says as we walk. "Since I saw your Reaping recap, I've been working tirelessly on a suitable outfit for the opening ceremonies. I think you're really going to like it."
"What's the idea behind it?" I ask simply. Hyperion just chuckles.
"Initially, I was going to design a costume based around fish and nets, but after seeing your Reaping and that it was raining, I had a revolutionary idea. An outfit that focuses more on the essence of District Four. The reason it exists the way it does. I've been doing my research, Hunter, and guess what?"
"What?"
Hyperion stops suddenly and turns to me with a smile before turning around and throwing the door beside him wide open. I peer inside and see it hanging on the rack in the center of the room. My costume.
"We're going to turn you into a god." Hyperion announces proudly.
~Meaghen's POV~
I stare in awe at the costume on the rack, and the closer I get to it, the less I can believe that it's real.
It's a very bright yellow dress that flares out in eight radial tips in the four cardinal and four secondary directions. Inside of it, I think I would look kind of like a UFO… White tights and yellow metal boots adorn the bottom of the outfit. The sleeves are completely transparent, but are covered in shimmering glitter that sparkles whenever it moves. I also have metal gauntlets that look a lot like the boots. Up top is a helmet with a clear visor and a glowing yellow antenna sticking up from the top. The whole costume is completed by the long flowing cape with a lightning bolt embroidered onto it.
"W-Wow…" I breathe out, completely amazed. Dula, my head stylist, rubs my shoulder appreciatively.
"You like it? Choux will be wearing something similar." she tells me. I want to sneer when I hear Choux's name, but I don't, because I'm far too enchanted by the amazing job my stylists have done in such a short time…
"I love this… I'm going to look like a superhero in this…" I gasp, reaching out a hand to touch the tingling fabric.
"I know you must be dying to put this on, Meaghen, but you must soak before you can, just to make sure you're clean of all underlying dirt and unnecessary hair!" Dula chirps. "Head down that hall and meet Jules and Harper. They're already prepared your bath."
Dula directs me out the door and points down the corridor where I'm supposed to go. I have to wonder why I have to bathe again… I took a shower on the train. But Helox told me not to question them, so I don't. I obediently head down the hall, running into Jules as soon as I turn the first corner. His accent makes it impossible to understand him, but he says something about baths…
Jules leads me into a room where I see Harper pouring greenish solution into a tub of already vile-looking water. Whatever he's adding turns the evil-looking bath a rich, soft and totally disarming lavender color.
"Just take your robe off and soak in this solution for about ten minutes, darling!" Harper says happily. "You mustn't get out until we come back to say it's okay to leave!"
Harper and Jules wait until I've taken off my robe and dipped my body into the calm lavender bathwater before leaving. I just sigh contentedly. This is the life…
Suddenly, I start to feel an itchy tingling in my body that grows twice as intense with each passing second. Within a minute, I am trapped in agonizing pain… The soothing bath I had stepped into has turned into lava on my skin. I have to resist the urge to jump out of the shower and curl into a naked ball in the corner… I don't know how, but I manage to sit out the ten minutes, but as soon as the door opens and I see Jules' face, I jump out of the bathwater before he can tell me to get out slowly. The cool air against my tender skin is a whole different degree of hell…
~Kern's POV~
As the final piece of my costume is placed onto my head and I admire the work of my stylists in the large mirror hanging in the white-walled, I turn to Crane, my head stylist, and give her a warm smile. This outfit is perfect, at least to me.
On my head, I'm wearing a sort of beret with a golden number '6' stitched into it. On my body is a simple black shirt and an elaborate unbuttoned suit coat that's covered in tatters and manufactured tears; it looks like I've just stepped out of battle! Winning a battle wearing a suit coat… It's symbolism strikes me.
All over the suit coat are tiny badges, medals of honor, and such. My slacks are ripped at the knee, but this was not pre-manufactured. My head stylist ripped them herself because she said I "have great knees". Crane is definitely my favorite person in the Capitol right now. She's turned me into something that I've never thought I'd ever be: cool.
"So, Kern, do you like it?" she asks, her purple lips spreading in a wide grin.
"Like it? Crane, you've outdone yourself!" I start to praise. "I've seen your work on tributes from previous years, but this one takes the cake, for sure."
"Hm hm. They say that every year, my dear." Crane chuckled, peering for a moment down at her watch. "Well, since you're all bathed and dressed, and since it's getting close to midnight, I suggest you meander on down to the boarding stables to meet up with Sorrel and your chariot. You're scheduled to be a superstar in exactly 13 minutes and 49 seconds. I'll be in there with you momentarily."
With no more questions to ask, I nod my thanks to Crane before exiting the room and walking confidently down the hall. I don't think I've ever been surer of myself in my life! I've all but forgotten exactly where I am and why I'm really here. All that's mattering right now is this moment. My moment to shine!
I stop in front of a large set of doors marked 'Bo. Sta.' There's a faint clicking noise within the door, so that must mean it's now unlocked. I take a deep breath… This. Is. It. With my chest poked out and my head raised high, I burst through the doors, ready to show the competition that I'm not afraid of them!
I look around with an arrogant swagger at all the… shiny chariots. Beautiful horses… …No tributes… And then it dawns on me. I must be the first one here… Crap.
~Ellie's POV~
I hate this. I hate him. I hate everything right now… All this paint on my body is making my skin start to tingle… Although I'm duly impressed with how quickly they managed to transform me, that doesn't excuse them from what they transformed me into.
In the short two hours my prep team spent with me, they managed to dye my hair forest green and poof it up into a wondrous afro… Then they spray-painted the rest of my body wood brown and took thirty minutes to detail my naked form so that I looked like I was made of wood. They put brown contacts in over my light green eyes before showing me my actual costume: a very long skirt that is the same exact color and design as my body, and that's all. Yup, that's right. I am wearing nothing on my chest. Not that I have anything to be ashamed of in the body department… And the thick paint and careful detailing make it so that I'm actually exposing as little as possible. But the sad truth still stands: I'm naked from the waist up.
Besides the lack of chest coverage, I was overall impressed with the costume. I thought I'd look like a wonderful forest fairy or a sort of dryad, until I actually put it on and discovered that they turned me into a damn TREE! Grr, I wanted to strangle them all so badly! But I bottled my rage, smiled, and lied, telling them I loved it. Now I'm a door away from total embarrassment…
I swallow whatever pride may have festered as I open the boarding stable doors. I sort of hope that I'm early so there's not many people who notice my entrance. I'm wrong. I'm actually one of the last to arrive… On cue, 22 heads turn to look at me. Then the looks start flying. Many of the boys look impressed, for fair reason… But the girls are a lot more varied.
I see Marie from One, who's wearing a sparkly black dress covered in purple and golden studs, give me a dirty look after her eyes go straight to my kind-of bare breasts. I do note that her dress is not completely opaque and she's naked underneath… The studs, however, are strategically patterned to hide her naughty bits. Guess she thought she was going to be the only one dressed like an abstract whore at the party?
Rhymer from Two is wearing absolutely nothing, save for a single clay-colored ribbon that wraps around her chest and waist to just barely prevent what would be legally defined as 'indecent exposure', although the whole damn thing looks pretty indecent to me… I understand a little more why Marie would seem upset. She takes one look at me, immediately realizes I'm a tree, and bursts out laughing. Bitch…
Tixxie gives me the most understanding and sympathetic from in the world, and seeing what she's wearing, I understand why. Her outfit is way too complex to describe in human terminology, but she looks like the most expensive and most adorable toy robot ever.
Bronwyn the mermaid is probably the only girl who didn't look up at me. She has on a long skirt that looks like it has rainbow scales on it, and is busying herself with making sure her seashell bra is tight and secure. At least she gets a bra…
Sorrel, whose chariot is right beside mine, is the only one who actually looks somewhat impressed by my attire. I'm fairly impressed by hers. She's wearing a light blue elegant dress, holding a stave and wearing a crown with that ice ball I saw her clutching at her Reaping as the centerpiece. The stylists are starting to get better, for sure.
"Don't you dare laugh, Thorne…" I growl as I approach our chariot. He has his back turned to me, inspecting the inside of our ride.
"Laugh? Why would I laugh at- Holy!"
Thorne is immediately taken aback when he turns and gets an eyeful of me. After he recovers from the initial shock, he's amazed. To my dismay, he starts scrutinizing my attire, stepping closer to take my appearance in… I want to strangle him a little now, too.
"Ellie, your…"
"Yes, I'm naked from the waist up! I've gotten the looks already, Thorne, you don't have to-"
"I was going to say that your eyes are brown…" Thorne finishes with a brief blink. "I could've sworn they were green when I saw you last."
Damn. All of a sudden, I'm embarrassed… "It's color contacts… Just get in the chariot!" I snap. He shrugs and obeys, then I climb in with him, thankful that none of the other tributes are looking at me anymore, because they've now turned to Hunter as he walks in. I turn, too, and am simply stunned…
~Franklin's POV~
Paisley and I break from our hug to see that the male tribute from Four has entered the room. Hunter's hair has been dyed bright white so he looks both ancient and youthful at the same time. His entire body is covered in water, like they just soaked him through five seconds before sending him out here. He's not wearing a shirt, only a woven blue and green kilt with an elaborate pattern, and he's clutching a golden trident in his right hand. He has seaweed bands around his wrists and forehead, and his cold and powerful eyes scan the room as he approaches his chariot.
When Hunter's District partner Bronwyn first sees him, she starts to pass out, but bumps her head on her chariot and wakes back up with a start. She begins blushing madly as he approaches, and I think she might melt by the time they both climb into their chariot.
By my count, that was 23 tributes, including us. Paisley takes a quick look around to see who's alone, then spots Aylau. Her skin must have been painted for the chariot ride, because she doesn't look as yellow as she did when I saw Kyrain break her hand on her Reaping recap. Her skin tone looks fairly normal now. She's dressed like a wrangler from District Ten, with the poufy blouse, the big hat, and the spurs, and she's only wearing a big glove on one hand, the hand that got crushed… That must've been super-painful to put on her…
I hear doors open, and then he strolls in. Kyrain lumbers into the boarding stables, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. The expressions and stares he gets are all but unreadable… He's wearing a brown shirt and brown pants, both covered in coarse brown fur, and around his head is a band with two giant bloody horns protruding from either temple. A fake nose ring hangs from his nostrils… He looks like a giant bull, ready to charge.
As he passes us, Paisley pulls me close, as if he might lunge and swallow me whole if I'm too close. He ignores me, though. He ignores everybody, even Aylau, as he lurches his giant form into the chariot with her. There's no one who looks more terrified of that monster than his own District partner… And for good reason, too. I'd be scared of the kid who broke my hand with one squeeze, too…
I look up at Paisley to see if she's as scared as I am, but she's glaring angrily at Kyrain, and I'm a bit confused.
"Aren't you scared of him, Paisley?" I ask up at her, shaking off a shiver.
"Yeah, I'm scared…" she said, still holding the angry glare. "But I'm mad, too… That Kyrain jerk broke her hand, Franklin. He made her look smaller than she already is, and in front of all of Panem, too. No one deserves to be treated like that, especially not a twelve-year-old tribute… We need Aylau on our side."
My eyebrows rise. "Are you sure, Paisley?"
"Look at her, Frankie. She's not going to survive for long on her own. She needs friends in there, and we might just be those friends. You wanna go for it?"
"Well, sure!" I say happily. The more in our alliance, the better, I suppose!
It's about a minute before the chariots are scheduled to depart. The head stylists have started making their ways to their respective tributes' chariots.
"Chins up, you two! You're going to rake in the pity sponsors with these outfits!" my stylist Fade tells us. I look down at my outfit again, then at Paisley's.
Our outfits are almost completely similar. My base pink bodysuit is a mishmash of different colorful fabrics and patterns. It's kind of gaudy, actually, but I like it. What makes it special is that the pattern the fabric is set in makes it appear that in the center of it is half of a plain pink heart. Paisley's is almost a perfect match to me, but her pattern is a perfect mirror to mine, making it appear that we are two halves of a broken heart. Those who feel for our bout of unluckiness will certainly feel these outfits. We'll make tons of new fans within the hour, I'm sure.
"Remember, look downcast, you two. Lots of hugging. No waving to anyone, alright?" Paisley's stylist, Cyan instructs. We both nod.
"Good, good, good!" Fade cheers. "Get ready! They're going to start in ten seconds!"
Fade and Cyan both run off, leaving me and Paisley alone again. Ten seconds before we make our first impression on the Capitol… I pray it's a good one.
~Dawn's POV~
My heart starts to race as the giant exit doors at the end of the boarding stables open up, and the chariots begin to roll out, starting with District One. There's a television inside the boarding stable, so I can see what's going on. Marie and Agate are both wearing black with studs. With Marie, it's a semi-transparent black dress with gold and purple jewel studs, and Agate's wearing a solid black suit with green and red jewel studs. I think their angle this year was to represent their mentors as well as their Districts. The jewels must represent the luxury of District One, while the colors of the jewels represent District One's infamous mentors, Thyst and Ruby, along with the tributes themselves. Gold for Marie, whose last name is Gold, and green jewels for Agate, since I think agates are greenish. I can't remember…
I'm so distracted by the first chariot that I almost miss the second and third. Rhymer strikes a series of provocative poses, flaunting her barely-covered body for all it's worth, and the crowd is eating it up! Jet waves and blows kisses in his thick and sturdy grey suit, but it's Rhymer stealing the show, for sure. Tixxie and Trexler roll by, looking like cute little toys. The audience starts to squeal and coo as they pass. Now the cameras really start flashing.
A massive uproar bursts out as District Four's chariot starts to roll out. At first, Hunter just settles with standing regally while Bronwyn cheers and waves, but after a couple of seconds, Hunter wraps one arm around Bronwyn's waist and pulls her close to him, raising his trident high in the air. At first, Bronwyn is stunned beyond belief, but she starts to play along, placing the back of her hand on her forehead and throwing her head back, like she's swooning. Hunter swings Bronwyn's arched body to the other side of him, careful not to bump her head, and she lifts herself again to press her body against him, biting her bottom lip suggestively as she runs her fingers over his soaked chest. He responds just as lewdly by wringing his fingers possessively into her very dark blonde hair. I know this must be driving the audience wild, because I feel no attraction to Hunter, and even I'm getting jealous with the way he's holding her and the way she's responding to it…
Salt pokes me on the arm. I look over to see that he's smiling at me. "I see that look in your eye, Dawn. You like him, too, don't you?" he chuckles.
I pout, indignantly signing, "No, of course not! Don't be ridiculous!" He understands and chuckles at me, turning back to the television. Thanks to his distraction, I missed the Five and Six chariots… I just manage to catch Seven, though. Thorne's outfit is covered in fake plastic bush thorns… It's the cheapest outfit I've seen so far, and Thorne seems to know it, but he still smiles and waves. Ellie, though, looks surprising as a half-naked tree. If I could gasp right, I probably would've when I saw her walk into the stables.
It dawns on me that there's one more chariot before we start rolling out… The sibling tributes from Eight, Paisley and Franklin, hug each other close as they start to roll out, and the crowd starts to cry out in sympathy. So much drama, and so much emotion… District Nine is all but forgettable… My dress is a soft yellow, like the dawn of morning, and I have a sun painted on my forehead. Salt's suit is eggshell white, but he has a crown of wheat around his head. We're pretty basic, actually.
The piteous applause turns back into mediocre clapping and cheers, like I expect, as we start to roll out. The camera flashes diminish significantly, and there are only a few roses thrown our way.
"Tough crowd?" Salt asks me, glad for him that he's unable to hear the awkward descent into mediocrity that District Nine took the chariot rides…
I nod to Salt, going back to waving to the crowd. Two disadvantaged tributes in the same District… A lot harder to pull off than you would imagine. There's a lot of work to be done if we're going to have any chance in the arena…
~Kyrain's POV~
As soon as our chariot starts its route through the crowds, I lift my arms to the sky and roar as loud as I can. It freaks Aylau out, and she looks ten times as afraid as before. Some of the members of the audience look scared as well. There's a few seconds of calm in the crowd before the ruckus starts up. There's a pretty even mix of cheering and booing directed at us. Makes no difference to me whether they hate me or not. I don't need sponsors to win this. I'm damn well enough on my own.
Even our horses neigh in fear as I roar out again. The animals fear me as much as the people do. This stupid shock collar can't hold me back. They can send as many volts into my spine as they want; what doesn't kill me will only cause me to come back that much stronger…
I glance behind me at the two other chariots as they follow close behind. The District Eleven tributes are dressed up in ridiculous outfits covered in fruits. The squirt, Chiro, doesn't seem all that into it, but his partner Ariana absolutely adores it… She's bright, cheery, and waving to the crowd, nothing like the pathetic crybaby I saw at her recap.
Close behind them are District Thirteen's two tributes… Their bodies are painted like giant puzzle pieces, and some are blacked in, I suppose, to symbolize pieces missing… District Thirteen's stylists always made the costumes that were hardest to understand…
I shake my head, turning back around to see that we're approaching the President's mansion, where Centari is already set up, ready to give his speech. Our chariot rolls right up next to Nine's. When Eleven and Thirteen are in position, he taps his mike and begins to speak.
"Friends, tributes, countrymen! And women." he starts, getting a few laughs. "I graciously welcome you to the opening ceremonies for the 175th Annual Hunger Games. Standing before you now are the twenty-four bravest young people in Panem, to have put their lives on the line for the chance to make their District proud. Can we all agree?"
The audience erupts into massive applause again. Sickening… I cross my arms over my hair-covered shirt, trying to endure his drivel.
"Within a week from today, all twenty-four of these worthy souls will revolutionize the Hunger Games by submitting themselves to the Games' first-ever virtual arena, the likes of which Panem has never before seen!"
I swear to you, President Centari takes his eyes off of the crowd and looks directly at me as he says, "My, oh my, wonderful tributes, are you in for a treat."
There's no interpretation necessary. I'm going to be 'punished' somehow in the arena by inhibiting another tribute, that is, breaking Aylau's hand. Psh… Bring it on, Mr. President.
~Ariana's POV~
After President Centari concludes his speech, all twenty-four of us are led into a large building that will serve as the final home for twenty-three of the teenagers here… No, Ariana… I can't keep thinking like this! Sponsors will love happy cheery Ariana over weak and pitiful Ariana. I already shot myself in the foot by crying onstage at my Reaping. I can't afford to bum my rep anymore!
"This way, you guys. Heads high." Fletcher whispers, pointing briefly toward the elevator. Chiro and I both nod, turning up our chins and marching down the room, toward the elevator. Most of the other tributes are just talking with their mentors right now, and as we pass, they start to look at us.
"No fear…" I hear Olive murmur. I have no intentions of showing anymore fear. I make direct eye contact with everyone who looks at me, trying to look as strong and dignified as possibly in a dress covered in fruit. Very few of the tributes look particularly hostile… Aylau, Paisley, Franklin, and maybe Salt and Dawn. The rest look ready to kill something.
The only one whose glance I cannot meet is that Ebony girl's from Thirteen… Something about her eyes really freaks me out… It might just be the color, but those cold eyes are very unnerving… I quickly turn my head straight again, the first tribute in the elevator. Olive presses the button marked '11'. As the doors close and the glass elevator rises in silence, I just can't help myself. I start singing.
"There once was a boy, oh a coy little boy, yes a coy little boy was he!"
I open my mouth to sing the next verse, but Olive's beautiful voice stops me.
"The coy little boy took a coy little toy in the boughs of a big oak tree!"
I look at Olive and she smiles at me. "Coy Little Boy is my favorite song. Sing some more." she encourages, rubbing my shoulder. "I'll sing it with you."
Gladly, I give a beaming smile and begin to sing the next verse with my mentor.
"The coy little toy brought joy to the boy, brought joy to boy in the tree!
He leapt from the tree on 'One, two, three!' and fell and bumped his knee!"
Olive and I can't help but laugh. The song is so childish, but so funny at the same time. Chiro even manages a smile. Fletcher rolls his eyes sarcastically.
"Do you know any songs, Fletcher?" I giggle, poking him in the belly. I haven't been this happy since before I got Reaped.
"Pfft. I'm too old for stupid grade school songs." he responds. I thump him on the noggin.
"Silly! That's not what I asked! I asked if you knew any!" I laugh.
"Egh… Yeah, I remember a couple…" he admits with a shrug. He really was serious about not lying to us!
"Sing one! Sing one!" I goad. "Please?"
"Come on, Fletcher. One song wouldn't hurt." Olive pressed.
"…Fine, fine. But only one." he sighs, clearing his throat.
"Oh, plants! Oh, trees!
Oh, birds! Oh, bees!
Oh how, oh how do I-"
"Eek! I love Oh How Do I Love Thee!" I blurt out. When I look and see that Fletcher has stopped singing and is glaring crossly at me, I prod, "Keep singing!"
"Nope. You blew it, kid. No more singing for me today." he grumbles, crossing his arms. Chiro and I laugh at him. Olive, Chiro, and I continue the song anyway.
"Oh how, oh how do I loooooove thee!
Oh, sky! Oh, clouds!
Oh, faces in crowds!
Oh how, oh how do I loooooove thee!"
There are worse ways to spend your last days alive, I realize. Surrounded by friends who love to sing just like me has to be the absolute best in my book!
~Jinstance's POV~
"Whoooooaaaaaaaa…"
I stare in absolute awe out of our penthouse suite's gigantic window wall, all the bright lights and shiny things down there… If I could just run around the Capitol for a whole day and do nothing else, I'd die happy…
"Ebony, come check out this view!" I call out. After a few seconds, my fellow D13 tribute has joined me and is admiring the impressive sight, as well. She doesn't look quite as enchanted as I do, though. Maybe bright lights and shiny things aren't what she's into.
"Yup, it's real pretty… I'm going to go wash this puzzle off of me. See you in a few minutes, Jinstance." she says, passing behind me and disappearing down a hall.
As I stare out at the impressive cityscape, something catches my attention in the corner of my eye. I focus on the little glimmer, and am a bit surprised by what I faintly see.
Ticker, my mentor, is sharing some rather strong words with Ruby, one of the D1 mentors… They're both standing in a dark alley, and are standing in a place where they are completely unnoticeable, except from the air…
Ruby has her arms crossed and is listening intently to what Ticker is saying. When Ticker is finished, Ruby has some words of her own. She says them a lot calmer than Ticker, though. However, when Ruby is finished, I'm completely taken aback by what happens next. My mentor takes a gun out of his coat, a coat that he wasn't wearing when I saw him last, and points it right in Ruby's face!
Ticker said he had to 'catch up' with some of his old mentor buddies and would meet us in the room later. This doesn't look like any regular 'catching up', though! Ruby's eyes train on the gun in Ticker's hand, and her eyebrows rise slowly. She says something to Ticker, as calmly as she was before. I have no idea what Ruby could've said that would make Ticker do what he does next… Instead of shooting her, Ticker's hand starts to tremble for a moment before he drops the gun into Ruby's palm. Ruby places the gun in her own coat pocket and smiles at Ticker, giving him a kiss on the cheek before walking away and disappearing into the shadows…
I watch as Ticker curses under his breath and kicks a trash can as he runs off into the shadows in the other direction. As he disappears, I see him take a radio out of his pocket…
"Jinstance? You alright? You've been frozen in that spot for a while." Newt says, stepping up beside me. Her speckled eyes try to look where I'm looking, but there's nothing there anymore of course. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing, nothing." I say with a shake of my head. "I… think I'm going to head to bed early. I'll shower in the morning."
As I would soon find out, I actually lied, because I would've gotten absolutely no sleep that night.