Trick or treat, lovelies! :) Thought you might enjoy a little costume and Parade stuff on your Halloween.

I'll update this chapter Saturday with all my usual schpeal of thank yous. But for now, thanks for reading and sticking with me so far! You guys are great.

Updated 11/3/13:

Alright, not an actual update (and sorry I didn't have time to add this in Thursday night before bed), just me updating to say a big "thank you!" for all the favorites, follows, and reviews that the last chapter got. Special thanks to Grace (Thank you. I've tried really hard to convey all the emotions going on otherwise I think it seems like people are just crying all the time over nothing, which is bad and not what I want at all. The Cecelia bit wasn't actually new though, she had kids in the books, but I thought it made it more personable here. Cato didn't know Nic wasn't going so he thought he was protecting her. So that's why he Volunteered. Thanks again for reviewing!), pretty-pleasee, MissRose91, Tiff (The grandmother/grandson team will pop up a bit. They're kind of a parallel to Mags and Finnick so they'll play a role in how things go down. It is very tragic though. And yeah... Cato... we both know he'll like it though. He's in to fighting and stuff. Thanks for reviewing!), and mangesboy01 for their wonderful reviews. :)

The next day begins quietly. I wake up in the same bed as Finnick, having collapsed there after a long night of mutual sobbing and self-loathing followed by alternated nightmares. Then the icing on the cake- a lovely panic attack after a dream where President Snow sent a firing squad of Peacekeepers into District 2's main square to kill every person I loved. It was awful. By far the worst dream I've ever had.

I take my sweet time showering after I get up and go into the bathroom, letting the hot water pound against my muscles and take some of my pain and worry from last night with it down the drain. I get dressed by myself in a simple, black dress that I found in the closet and pull my hair back in my signature bun. I skip breakfast and choose instead to meander around the train, lost in thought, until I catch sight of the glistening Capitol. Then, I make my way to the main compartment where the others are waiting.

Liam holds a glass of clear liquid in his hand, whether it's alcohol or water, I can't be sure, but he doesn't seem to be falling over so I let it slide. Mags sends me a kind smile and gestures to the empty seat next to her. I gladly plop down beside her only to have Finnick dump something in the seat beside me.

Heels. Bright, red heels. Bright, red heels that will have my feet aching in seconds.

My brow furrows and I glance up at him in complete confusion.

"You still have to look the part, Nicci. Probably even more so now. You have to entice people just as much as the Tributes do. Even fantastic Tributes don't get good Sponsors unless their Mentors are capable of drawing them in."

"How do Brutus and Enobaria manage it then? They're the most unpleasant people in the world," I reply snidely, holding the heels out at arms length so he can take them away. I won't be wearing them.

"Sex. So unless you want to take your clothes off, you'll have to dress a little provocatively to keep their attention."

My eyes fly over to Mags and she gives me a sad smile of agreeance.

"You have three Tributes, Nic. Don't forget that."

I don't mention the others that I've adopted in my head. It'd take too long.

We pull into the train station amid crowds of screaming citizens. Among them, many are sobbing, tears flowing freely and unashamedly down their cheeks as they watch Finnick strut and Mags totter through the crowd. There's a lot less color now too, I note, not the bright, overwhelming rainbow from times past. Black can be seen everywhere. Even the Capitol citizens are in mourning. My heart warms just a little bit at the sight of it, maybe they aren't as naive as I thought they were.

Despite this, they still manage to send me smiles and cheer my name along with my Tributes'.

I smile graciously at them and give them a little wave as I carefully make my way down the aisle. It's been too long since I've worn heels and I'm terrified I'll fall over, but Liam stays by my side, smiling and waving at them in time with me.

A sigh escapes me as the doors to the Training Center close behind us and my face falls. I've been here five minutes and already I want to leave.

Finnick smirks at me, his sea-green eyes glinting mischievously. "Don't think you're done yet, cupcake. Now you've got to get ready to win the big leaguers over."

Before I can ask what he means, my old Prep Team swoops in. Hera and Leto rush over to me, hugging me close and kissing my cheeks. They're adorned in short, sequined dresses in bright yellow and green with their hair piled high on top of their heads… well… on top of Leto's head. Hera's shaved all of hers off and now has gold tattoos in the shape of leaves weaving their way around her head like a crown.

"I'm so glad you didn't Volunteer!"

"I'm so sorry about Cato!"

"I could have died when he Volunteered!

"Don't worry, we'll take care of you!"

"We're so glad you're back!"

"We missed you!"

"Girls!" It's Galatea. "Go take care of Finnick. I'll take care of Nicaea." She smiles warmly at me, spreading her arms wide and I find myself melting into her embrace and taking in the scent of mint. It's much more comforting than I could have imagined. Maybe it's just the familiarity of it. Maybe it's just Galatea and the strength she radiates. After a moment, she cups my cheeks in her hands. "Wait until you see what I've got planned." Her arm slides around my shoulders and she guides me towards the elevators on the other side of the foyer.

With a final glance over my shoulder, I see Finnick smiling flirtatiously at Hera and Leto as they lead him away. It's nice to see him like his old self, even if it is a facade. Mags is also being gently escorted away by Gerard and another male from the other Prep Team. Liam is talking calmly with Helena and, it would seem, not drunk at all.

The doors to the elevator open with a ding and we step inside, Tea hitting the button with the number four emblazoned on it. Soon, we're rising up towards what will be home for the next couple weeks.

She gives me a small smile and grabs my hand in her darker one. As soon as the doors ding open, she tugs me into the room. The apartment looks the same as always- turquoise walls, brown couches, huge floor to ceiling windows, even the little table with the goldfish is in place.

"You'll only be staying here until the Games start. Then we'll move you across town to the Mentor apartments. They're attached to the the Gamekeeper's Headquarters. It makes it easier for you to mentor if you're close to the people in charge."

Ophelia whisks past us, her hand jutting out to catch the elevator doors. "I'll be back later, ladies. I'm going to try and snag some Sponsors in the meantime."

The doors slide shut and the elevator descends, taking Ophelia with it.

"She's actually quite good at that. She'll have a list of names for you by the time we leave for the Parade."

"How does that work?" I ask, glad for an opening and a non-upset, non-drunk person to ask. "Sponsors, that is. How do you use them to get things?"

"We'll explain that later. Right now, we need to get you ready for tonight."

The next hour flies by. Galatea makes good use of it though, thoroughly hiding the lingering bruises on my skin, shaving my legs, fixing my eyebrows, trimming my hair and nails. It's as mindnumbing as always so it takes me by surprise when she warns me.

"Make-up now, darling. Keep still."

Less than a half hour later, she begins working on my hair. She curls it loosely and lets it flow around me before pulling a small bit of it back. Then she pats my shoulders, signalling me to stand up.

"This dress isn't as long as I wanted it to be. It should sweep down to the floor, but with all the people, I thought shorter would be better."

The black dress is traded for a tighter, strapless, lilac one. The whole thing is covered in ruching and clings to me like a second skin, accentuating the curves I have. I guess Finnick was right- my goal now is to capture people's attention so I can win them over and spend their money.

She slips my feet into strappy white heels and buckles them tight around my ankles. A large amethyst surrounded by diamonds hangs from my neck and matching stones dangle from my ears.

"A gift," she says softly, "from one of your Sponsors last year. Finnick insisted you wear it."

I nod mutely. "Thanks, Tea. For everything."

Her brown eyes look deeply into mine before she nods. "You're welcome. I'll send Gerard to get you when it's time to go."

I nod again and slump down on the bed as she leaves. A small sigh escapes me for what feels like the millionth time today. I need to see Cato and I need to see him soon. With every second ticking closer to the Arena, closer to his potential death, it seems like any time spent without him is a waste.

Tears cloud my eyes at the thought of him gone.

I can't let that happen.

I can't let any of them die.

I grin over at Gerard as we make our way down the hall towards the stables. He's been making faces at me to try to cheer me up and now he's taken to bumping me in the shoulder whenever I seem too down or he catches me not smiling.

"Gerard, do you ever talk?" I ask, tilting my head as I look over at him. It's just occurred to me that I've never heard him say anything in the year that we've known each other. He hesitates for a moment and I begin prattling to compensate for whatever mistake I've made. "I mean, it's no big deal if you don't. I always kind of assumed it was because Hera and Leto are always talking, but you haven't said a word the whole time we've been together. So I was just curious."

He looks at me for a minute longer before opening his mouth.

Bile rises in my throat as I take in what's missing and what it means. Gerard's tongue was cut off. Gerard was an Avox at some point. He offended the Capitol and they made him a slave until he or someone who loved him could buy his freedom. Gerard must hate the Capitol and Snow as much as I do. My eyes meet his and they crinkle slightly as he smiles. My face remains like stone though. "I'm so sorry, Gerard. I had no idea."

He shrugs and begins walking down the hallway again like it's no big deal. When I don't follow, he makes another face over his shoulder at me and winks. With a small laugh, I jog to catch up with him and follow him into the stables. I'll worry about Gerard more later, right now I have bigger fish to fry. Sponsors to win over.

"Sugarcube?"

I turn and grin over at Finnick before covering my mouth as laughter overwhelms me. "What are you wearing?" I ask incredulously between giggles.

He strikes a seductive pose and I move my hand over my eyes.

"Quit moving! I don't want to see that!"

I can sense the eyeroll he gives me. "It's not going to move, cupcake. Trust me, I tried."

I remove my hand as my shoulders slump and roll my eyes back at him. "Why would you try?" I glance down at his outfit again. Netting like the ones on ships back home is draped loosely across his chest and comes together in a decently sized knot to cover him up and keep him decent. It's hard to believe the woman who has designed so many gorgeous outfits for me has created this mess. I can't deny the possibility that Finnick asked for it though… part of me hopes that that's what this was. It honestly couldn't be put past him.

"Why wouldn't I? Don't tell me you don't jump around in your dresses to see what you can and can't do. It's human nature, cupcake." He tosses another sugarcube in his mouth as he gazes behind me at the other Tributes walking in. "The girl from 12 looks like she's about to pass out," he murmurs.

I glance over my shoulder to see her gripping the edge of her chariot tightly, her eyes trained on the creatures in front of her. "I'll go see what I can do," mumble back.

"No need!" he crows, jutting forward with a smirk on his face. I watch with mild horror as he makes his way over to her before leaning against the chariot beside her. Her eyes lower to him for a millisecond before going back to the horses. He holds his hand out and I watch the words shape on his lips as he winks up at her and she glances back down at him. "Sugarcube?"

Another round of giggles goes through me as I watch her face contort in confusion. Finnick just waggles his eyebrows at her and her cheeks go bright red. Before he can do any further damage, I make my way over to the two of them.

"Ignore him. He just likes making people uncomfortable," I say smiling up at her while giving Finnick a good punch in the arm. "Your name's Madge, right? The mayor's daughter?"

She nods, her blue eyes looking directly into mine.

My brow furrows a bit. "Is everything ok? Has someone done something? You don't have to take that you know. I'll take care of it."

Her head shakes slightly from left to right. No. "I'm-" she stops and clears her throat- "I'm scared of the horses," she whispers, her eyes ducking down in shame for a second before returning to their job of staring at the creatures before her.

I find myself nodding even though she can't see me.

"Then allow me to rescue you," Finnick says with a bow before extending his hand to help her down from the chariot.

I hadn't noticed before, but she's wearing heels as high as mine and she probably hasn't had much practice with them.

"I don't know… this is where Cinna left me." She's nibbling her bottom lip now.

"It'll be alright," I promise. "We'll get you back here in time." I offer up my hand as well and she cautiously takes them both before stepping even more carefully out of the chariot. "What you did was really brave," I say once we're a few steps away. "Did you know Prim?"

Before she can answer there's a shout and we all turn to see the source of the noise. It's the boy from her District, I think his name was Gale, Posy's brother. He's heading straight for us, a determined, hate-filled look in his eyes. His outfit matches hers, a black jumpsuit coated in sparkling bits of diamond with glowing orange and red bits to make them look like burning embers. Galatea and Helena will hate Cinna for his designs this year as well.

I swear Gale growls at as once he's close enough for us to hear. "What's going on, Madge? Are these guys trying to intimidate you?" He looks down his slightly crooked nose at me. I can't help wondering how many times he's broken it and why.

"Actually, we were thinking about offering her an alliance," Finnick interjects coolly. He never breaks a sweat during these confrontations. I wish I were as calm as him. My palms always start to sweat when this happens.

Gale snorts and grabs at Madge's hand to pull her away and back over by him. "Like we would ever-" He spits the word out at me, a little bit landing on my face, as he moves closer and closer so that he's looming over me, "consider joining an alliance with you after what you did last year. You're nothing but a bunch of lying, manipulative bit-"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you."

I don't look beyond Gale's face. I don't need to. I know exactly what's glaring him in the back of the head.

When Gale doesn't respond or move, Cato keeps on going. "You'd think a little Seam rat would be able to appreciate someone else's ability to scrap and come out on top. You'd think they'd admire a little tenacity, wouldn't you, Finnick?"

It's a low blow, calling Gale a rat, but he's pissed and when Cato's pissed, he doesn't think much. He just reacts and right now he's leaning on the hatred and slurs he's grown up with. "Cato," I say sternly, my eyes locking with his. "Don't." My eyes turn back to Gale. "Get."

He gives me one last glare before turning on his heel and stalking off, bumping his shoulder against Cato's. It doesn't work though. Cato doesn't even move.

Next to me, Madge is nibbling her bottom lip again. "I should go," she mumbles, her eyes flicking back to me.

I give a small shrug. "If you ever need to talk or anything, come see me, ok? Despite what he thinks, I'm not the enemy."

She gives a noncommittal shrug before trudging off, her heeled feet barely leaving the ground.

"Don't give me that look!" I turn to see Cato down glaring at Finnick. "It's not like I'd have let him hurt her. In case you forgot, I was protecting her back when you wanted her dead, Hadley."

I sigh and shake my head. "Boys, not the point." My eyes lock with Cato's and I can see the anger still bubbling beneath. I quirk an eyebrow at him. "Do you really think I couldn't have handled him? Have you seen these shoes? They're called stilettos for a reason." I pretend to try and kick him in the stomach but he just shakes his head and pulls me close. I can hear him breathing in deeply, smelling me as he crushes me against his chest.

"Of course you could have, but it's my job to make sure you don't have too."

I snort. "Good luck with that. I'm getting thrown into a crowd of Capitol citizens."

He growls and pulls me close to his side as we begin walking towards his chariot. Finnick hits him in the ear with a sugarcube when we pass the District 7 chariot. He must have slunk off after I had Cato's attention. He's talking with Johanna Mason who's adorned in a ridiculous tree costume. Cato makes a crude hand gesture at him in retaliation and I just roll my eyes again.

"This is going to be the worst alliance ever."

Cato chuckles. "It's about to get worse. Vic wants in."

I groan. "She's psychotic! Why can't she go with the other Careers? You know, the creepy ones?" My eyes flick over to Cashmere and Gloss who are silently scoping out their competition. They look like exotic birds, bright feathers coating their private areas and large plumes rising from the tops of their heads.

"She thinks that's who we're allying with."

"Boy is she in for a shock," I murmur. For the first time I look him up and down, taking in the costume he's wearing. It looks like a drape, like… like a really low-cut black dress Galatea might make for me… if she were drunk. He has what are supposed to look like wounds painted on him as well, fake blood dripping from them. I can't help the semi-disgusted face I make. "What are you exactly?"

"Death," he says simply as he plops down on the edge of the chariot.

"And Death wears a dress?" I ask slowly, speaking like I would to a small child.

He shrugs. "He wears a cape thing in a lot of old paintings." After a moment he adds dejectedly, "It looked cooler with the scythe."

I let out a snort and hide a smile behind my hand. He looks like Keenan when his toys are taken away.

"It's not funny, Nic! I'm wearing a dress right now!"

I double over as a wave of giggles hits me. Finally, I calm down a bit and look him in the eye, a small smile still tugging at my lips. "That's ok. The Sponsors won't care about that. It's easier to get off than pants." I wink and he begins laughing too.

The roars from the crowd get louder as Vic wanders over. She's in a similar black dress with paint all over her body to make her look like a bloody corpse. I can feel my nose wrinkling slightly. District 2 is so grotesque.

"I'll see you after. I need to check on Mags and Finnick then get up in the stands. I love you."

He grabs me by the waist and pulls me close for a kiss on the cheek and a quickly whispered "I love you."

I nod and scamper off to the District 4 chariot.

Finnick waves at me when I get close and Mags gives me a small smile. She's lovely in a simple tan dress that looks like the beach. There are shells dangling from her ears and her long silvery hair's been braided to look like netting around her head. She looks beautiful.

"Mags, you look wonderful!"

She brushes it off and points behind me.

I turn to see what she's pointing at. It's Liam, gesturing impatiently for me to hurry up. "I'll see you later," I say with a smile as I glance over my shoulder at them. "Much luck, guys!"

"Mermaid, cupcake! Mermaid!" Finnick shouts as I scurry away.