Gray Dresses and Ice Cream: Samantha Caim, District 2 Female Tribute
I watched as my stylist, December, hit a button on the arm of the chair she was sitting in and a table rose up from beneath the floor. On it were more delicacies than I'd ever dreamed of, even living in District Two.
"Go ahead and eat," December offered kindly. "No sense in heading out to the opening ceremonies on an empty stomach."
I actually managed to laugh. "I guess not," I replied, still eyeing various items on the table. My breath caught when I saw one of the items. There was nothing special about it, but that was what made it catch my attention. It was only ice cream. But it brought back so many memories...
Grandfather and I used to go out and get ice cream after training sometimes. On a hot summer day, Lily and Daniel might have tagged along. I'd always gotten chocolate. It was just perfect after a long, early-morning training session that was held to get it out of the way before the sun broiled us all. The ice-cream shop nearest to my grandfather's house was one of the cheeriest places in town, but rarely that busy. Maybe that was why we liked it. It was always just... ours.
But now it probably wouldn't be. Not if I didn't go home. And I knew that I had to.
"Something wrong?" December asked. Even through her Capitol accent, you could tell that she genuinely cared.
I shook my head, blinking back a sudden rush of tears at the memory. "No," I said, attempting a smile. "Just something that my grandfather used to tell me about ice-cream, that's all."
December looked confused, but smiled nonetheless. "What did he say?"
My attempt at smiling suddenly wasn't so pathetic. "He always said that ice-cream was like life. It melted if you didn't go for it fast enough, but it was always waiting for you if you had enough sense to put it in the freezer."
"And what did that mean to you?" It almost sounded like a therapy session, which, maybe, it sort of was.
"It meant... it meant that you always just had to go for it, take the chances. And... that if you had sense to find a way to make life wait for you to catch up to it, it would. But I don't know quite how that last part would work."
"You'll figure it out."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
We continued to eat lunch, but for that whole time, I didn't once go near the ice cream. There would be plenty of it in the freezer when I got home.
A bit of the remaining sunlight in the distance shined its way through the room on to the mirror, and I blinked, looking away from it as it blinded me.
"What do you think?" I heard December's voice quietly from behind me. I turned slightly to examine the full outfit in the mirror. It was a charcoal-gray dress that reached to the floor, the part towards the bottom seeming to be swept to the side. The scar on my arm was creatively covered with an armband, and I was wearing a large diamond necklace that even the richest girls in my school would be jealous of. My hair was tightly braided and put up in a bun with even more small diamonds in it.
"It's beautiful," I said, turning again. "And just perfect."
"I had a good feeling you'd say that. Can you tell me how it relates to District Two?"
"Um... it's gray, I guess. Like, for mining? And, the diamonds, too?"
December nodded. "Very good. Did you have your own plan for how to act on the chariots?"
"Well... no."
December nodded again. "That's what I thought. All of the Career stylists were working together to try and come up with what could be a common... attitude, for the Career districts."
"And?"
"Friendly."
"Really? It doesn't seem very... Career-like."
"Exactly. It isn't supposed to. People don't want to sponsor the Careers anymore, Samantha. They're tired of the same old tributes winning and always being the best. We thought that we'd try a slightly different angle."
"I guess I could try it," I commented.
"I'm sure that it will suit you," December said, almost flatly, her accent suddenly not so obvious. "But, you have to remember that some of your fellow Careers might be a bit... hesitant. Don't be too hard on them."
"I won't be."
"Good. Now, go down to the stable, will you? I have to go address your prep team."
I did, finding the clothes easy enough to move around in. I was pretty used to them from various parties and such. So I hurried down the stairs to meet up with my fellow Careers.
There they are, I thought. Marco, Chenille, Fabian, Ionia, Arsin...
I was the last one out of the pack to get there, though as an alliance, we seemed to be some of the earlier tributes. Without hesitation, I walked over to the group. "Hey," I greeted, as casually as I could, pretending that we wouldn't be trying to kill each other in a few days.
I got a few responses back, mostly 'hi' or even a 'nice to meet you' from Ionia. I decided that I might have liked her the best out of the others. "Love your dress," I commented, adressing Ionia.
"Thanks," she said, looking down at it slightly. It was clearly meant to represent the ocean waves of District Four, seeming to shift and move, particularly when Ionia was walking around, and it couldn't have been more brilliantly designed.
"So..." Arsin started, "Are we going to be having the typical alliance, this year, then?" He was almost oddly blunt about it; I hadn't expected it to be brought up quite like that, or so soon! It was only the opening ceremonies!
"Fine by me," I said, the first to respond.
"Sure," Ionia said.
"Mentor would kill me if I didn't agree," Chenille put in.
"Okay," Fabian said. "And... same here, on the mentor thing."
"Guess we wouldn't be the Careers without an alliance." Marco's comment made everyone stop for just a second. It was such a good point, even if it wasn't inentional. Who were we without faithful allies by our side? "What?" Marco snapped, noting that everyone was watching him.
"Nothing, nothing," several of us said in almost-unison, under our breaths.
"We should get in to our chariots now," Ionia said, just as an announcement came over the loud speaker:
"Will all tributes please take their places? Repeat: All tributes, please take your places. Thank you."
I wondered how Ionia had known that we had to move, but didn't dwell on it long. I climbed in to my chariot beside Marco, and got ready to smile for the crowd.
Of course, I thought. Smile for all of the people who want you dead.