Piper Cullen, 17: District 7 Female

Use the sleeves on my sweater

Let's have an adventure

Head in the clouds but my gravity's centered

Touch my neck and I'll touch yours

You in those little high waisted shorts, oh

I've been able to keep my nerves under control up until now. The minute that the skyscrapers of the Capitol came into view over the mountains, I've been nothing short of a nervous wreck. I've been raking my hands through my hair and pacing back and forth through the living room. Celsus, Sequoia, Arbor, and Tyler are all watching me like I have three heads, which is making me even more uncomfortable.

"You know getting all worked up like this won't help you survive at all," Sequoia says. Gee, thanks. I would've never thought. Sequoia's odd method of telling me everything I'm doing wrong hasn't really helped me. I look over at Arbor, who has an arm around Tyler like he's shielding him from whatever invisible threat that's around us. It reminds me of how Dad used to hold me whenever I was feeling bad. I can't help but feel a bit jealous that Tyler got Arbor and I'm stuck with Sequoia.

"Piper, why don't you have a seat," Arbor suggests. "It might help you calm your nerves."

There he goes again. Goodness, why does Arbor have to be such a dad? I'm not even his tribute and he seems to care about me so much, even after what I said to Tyler yesterday. I don't get it.

I plop down on the end of the sofa next to Celsus, who is dressed in a burgundy suit with his dark brown hair slicked back. He pulls out his pocket watch, checking the time. He breathes a sigh of relief and returns the watch back to his pocket.

"We're actually a few minutes ahead of schedule," he says. "We'll be at the train station in about five minutes. From there, you will go directly to the Remake Center where you will be prepped for the Tribute Parade. There will be hundreds of people itching to get a first look at you two, but do not engage. We may be early, but we're still on a tight schedule. After the Parade, you'll go up to your apartment and have dinner. After that, you're free to do whatever but I recommend that you go to bed because you'll have to get up early for training tomorrow."

I shift in my seat uncomfortably, struggling to process all the information Celsus just threw at us.

"What's your problem now?" Sequoia asks.

"I'm about to be put on display in front of thousands of people," I say. "It's pretty nerve-wracking, don't you think?"

"I would've never thought you would be so nervous about this considering how bold you were acting yesterday," Tyler says. I'm a little taken aback. I didn't think that Tyler was the type of person to say such a thing. I don't think he meant it in a bad way, but Arbor still looks surprised, but like always he jumps into action with the perfect string of words.

"Tyler, I know you're still upset with Piper, but now's not the time to be so rash," he says. Of course Tyler's upset. He has every right to be. I completely dismissed him and his life simply because I was too scared to consider the fact that I'm not the only one with a life back home.

"Sorry, Piper," Tyler mumbles. Gosh, even when he's mad, he's so polite. It's almost sickening. I would've almost liked it better if he would yell at me or give me the cold shoulder. Him recovering from my outburst so well just makes me feel guiltier. This kid, who's twelve years old, has more patience than I do. If I had the guts to sit down with him and talk to the kid one-on-one to get a better understanding of him, I would. But my guilty conscience isn't even letting me forgive myself.

"It's okay," I whisper.

I can feel the train slowing down, signaling our arrival at the train station. My heart starts racing even faster. My eyes dart to Tyler, who's staring forward, eyes wide, waiting for the doors to open. I look at Celsus, who's bouncing his leg in anticipation. I look at Arbor, who pulls Tyler closer to him, rubbing his shoulder to make him feel more comfortable. Finally, my eyes land on Sequoia, who looks back at me, arms folded. My eyes dart away from her, she's the last person I want to engage with right now.

The train comes to a complete stop and the doors slide open, exposing us to a crowd of people dressed in all sorts of wild clothes, taking pictures with the flash on, disorienting me as we make our way to the Remake Center. When we make it inside, I exhaled a breath I didn't even know I was holding. Then I remember I still have the Parade.

Eris Kalking, 12: District 12 Female

You're a sour little boy with a fragile masculinity

You saw me as your toy, now that I'm not you abuse me

You're a sour little boy, absolutely no fun

You saw me as your toy, now that I'm not you throw a tantrum

"You're so adorable," the green woman says.

"And clean too, especially for a 12 tribute," the blue man adds.

"Janus will be so happy that he has such a great canvas to work with," the purple woman says.

That's all the Remake Team, or, as I like to call them, the Painted People, see me as. A canvas for them to work on. The moment I arrived in the Remake Center, the three of them have been poking, feeling, and picking at different parts of my body. They don't even think about asking how I feel about being handled like this. To them, I'm not a person. I'm their doll.

"Alright, let's get you cleaned up," the blue man says, helping me off of the steel table.

"I thought you said I was already clean," I say.

"You are," the green woman says. "But we still need to give you a special bath to get that last stubborn layer of grime off."

I don't understand these Captiol people. They're always contradicting themselves. They say I'm clean, then say I need a special bath. They say my hair looks great, then proceed to pick at it like it's infested. Make up your mind.

The green woman leads me to a metal tub filled with water mixed with some sort of chemical making it impossible to see the bottom through the milky white liquid. She tells me to disrobe and get in the tub. I hesitantly take my robe off and dip a foot in the tub. I'm immediately hit with an intense burning sensation. I wince and pull my foot out, much to the annoyance of the green woman.

"It'll only burn for a few seconds," she says. "Now hop back in."

I slowly ease my body into the tub. The burning sensation comes back, but it goes away soon enough. The green woman grabs a sponge and begins vigorously scrubbing every inch of my body with it. She goes at this for a few minutes until my skin is completely rubbed raw. When I get out of the tub, the air of the Remake Center is extremely cold. I quickly put my robe back on in an attempt to warm myself up. The green woman leads me back to the metal table where she instructs me to sit and wait while she gets my stylist. With my skin rubbed raw, I'm extra sensitive to the fabric of my robe against my body. It's an odd feeling, and I can't decide whether I like it or not.

"Ms. Eris Kalking?" an unfamiliar voice chirps. I look up to see a man, pale as a ghost. He's wearing a mesh shirt and some sort of jacket made of electrical cords or something. It's all sorts of awful to look at.

"That's me," I confirm. He approaches, getting right into my face.

"Aren't you the most adorable little thing, I'm Janus Stark and I'm your stylist," he says, reaching out to pinch my cheek.

"Don't touch me," I snap, coldly looking into his eyes. He looks surprised.

"No need to be harsh," he says.

"Whatever," I say. "Let's just get this over with."

Janus looks a little disappointed with my attitude, but I don't care. He's not the one about to be put in a glorified deathmatch. Putting up with me won't kill him.

"Well, let's go ahead and have a look at your costume for the Parade," Janus says. "I would like to know what you think of it."

The blue man comes in with a shiny black bodysuit with metallic black plates on the chest, shoulders, elbows, and knees. I guess it's supposed to represent coal. There's also a black headdress and leather cape to go along with the bodysuit.

"So, what do you think?" Janus asks.

"I really don't care," I say. "I'll only be wearing it for a couple hours."

"It might seem like something that you only have to wear for a few hours, but this outfit will help you get sponsors," Janus says. "That'll help you greatly in the arena."

Sponsors. Those might come in handy. However, this outfit probably won't help as much as Janus thinks. I'm young, so the sponsors probably won't even bat an eye at me. It doesn't help that my district partner is much older and stronger. They'll probably all flock to him. That's fine with me. I don't really need any sponsors. My plan will work well without them.

Elecc Linux, 14: District 3 Male

A little bit of wish dust

Reveals a purpose worth the wait

And with the crash of nightfall

Comes tiny magic on a plate

I've met way too many people in the past 48 hours to be comfortable with. I've barely had any time to myself since I got on the train. All the different voices, faces, and sounds are too much to keep up with. However, right now, I'm alone in this small room in the Remake Center. The room if pretty plain, with bare walls and a metal table that I'm sitting on. It's not my ideal environment, but I'm still enjoying my few moments of peace.

Suddenly, the door swings open, startling me. A rather normal-looking man wearing a gray suit steps in. He doesn't wear any makeup and has no other modifications. If it weren't for the suit, I could've imagined him walking the streets of District 3.

"Hello, Elecc," I don't detect a Capitol accent, but he sounds professional.

"Hello," I mumble, avoiding eye contact.

"Koios Tuominen," he says, holding a hand out. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, sir," I say, weakly shaking his hand. Tuominen, that's a name that I'll never be able to spell.

"How have you been?" he asks. "Has Mr. Volta been treating you well?"

"Mack?" I ask.

"Yes, Mack," he confirms. "He's a good man."

"Yeah," I mutter.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" Koios asks.

"Not really," I answer.

"That's fine. I hope I didn't make you too uncomfortable," he says.

"It's okay," I say. "I'll be fine."

The truth of the matter is that I am uncomfortable. Strangers always make me feel uncomfortable. Combine that with unfamiliar surroundings and I'm the farthest thing from comfortable. However, Koios seems okay. I'm a little relieved that he's being so nice to me. I always thought that all Capitol citizens treated people from the district like they were garbage. I don't get that feeling with Koios.

"It's okay to be nervous, Elecc," Koios says. "But I'm only here to help you."

Help me by putting me in a silly costume for all of Panem to see? How is that helping me?

"Okay," I say.

"I have your costume ready," Koios says, pressing a button on the wall. A section of the wall separates from the rest and rolls out. It turns around to show a silver jacket and pants of the same color. There are copper wires running all around both garments. There are also a few copper wires above the jacket. I'm guessing it's some sort of headpiece. A black pair of boots complete the ensemble.

"Let's try this on for size," Koios says. I hop off the table and gingerly approach the costume. Koios takes it off of the wall and leads me to a smaller room attached that's attached to the one I'm currently in. I step into the room with the costume. I put it on, noticing the odd texture of the outfit. I step out and look at myself in the mirror. I cringe at my reflection. However, Koios looks impressed.

"You already look amazing," he says. "But wait until you see this."

Koios kneels down and connects the ends of the copper wires to the top of my boots. Then he pulls out a small remote and presses a button. Suddenly, stripes of blue light shoot up the boots. I jump a little bit.

"Don't worry, it's totally safe," Koios says. The light keeps creeping upward onto the copper wires. The light intensifies as it moves up my body. When it meets the headpiece, the light wraps around my head, giving my black hair a faint blue glow. I'm utterly fascinated by the light dancing around my body. I've never felt this cool before in my life.

"Holy shit," I whisper.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Koios asks, arms crossed proudly.

"Yeah," I say.

"The crowd will love it."

My heart drops into my stomach at the thought of going out into the crowd. All those people excited to get a look at me are the same people who can't wait to watch me die. Koios must've noticed my change in mood, because he walks up to me and pats my shoulder.

"You know what, don't pay attention to the crowd," he says. "Your costume will do the talking."

Cece Sandwell, 18: District 4 Female

I was told when I get older

All my fears would shrink

But now I'm insecure

And I care what people think

Jason and I are the final pair to make it to the stables. Most of the other tributes are mainly sticking to their district partners, most likely too nervous to be talking to one another. However, the other Careers are already making conversation. The District 1 pair are dressed in robes made of red velvet with gold accents, and the pair from 2 dressed some sort of barbaric looking warriors, with fur pelts and leather boots. Alto has a drinking horn attached to his hip and Ancatha has on a large pendant with an unusual looking symbol on it. I'm in an extra long dress that's all different shades of blue, teal, and green blended together with a crown made of coral. Jason is in a tunic and trouser combo with the same color scheme. His coral crown is a little smaller and less ornate than mine. He doesn't look too comfortable in the outfit.

"Do I have to talk to them with all this makeup on?" Jason asks.

"Unfortunately, yes," I say. "But pretty much everyone else has makeup on too."

Jason groans as we approach the other Careers. All four of the turn their attention to us. To my surprise, Jason initiates our introduction.

"Hey, guys," he starts. "Jason Lager, District 4. I'm excited to finally meet you guys."

Jason extends his hand forward, waiting for one of the others to shake his hand. After a little bit of awkward silence, the District 1 boy, Cyrus, sighs and shakes his hand.

"Cyrus Velaz-Ruiz," he says. "Nice to meet you."

The girl from Two, Ancatha approaches me, followed by Annese from One. Neither of them look very friendly, but I suck it up and push forward with my introduction.

"Cece Sandwell," I say, holding out my hand to Ancatha, the more friendly-looking of the two. She shakes my hand.

"Ancatha Adrienez," she says.

"Annese Dior," the girl from One says. We shake hands.

"Hey, Cece," Alto says, pushing through Ancatha and Annese. "You're looking mighty fine this evening."

Alto wraps an arm around my shoulder. He looks into my eyes in what I'm guessing is supposed to be a seductive manner. Too bad he just looks like an idiot.

"I don't know if you're trying to flirt with me, but the answer is no," I say, throwing his arm off my shoulder.

"Oh, come on," Alto says. "I'm just trying to be nice."

"I know a thirsty boy when I see one," I reply. "And I'm sorry, but I'm not quenching that thirst."

Alto's eyes narrow at me. He crosses his arms and huffs. He looks like a toddler about to throw a temper tantrum.

"That's fine. I don't want a prude like you anyways," he says. Ancatha and I roll our eyes at the same time. I go over to her and pull her aside, just out of earshot of Alto.

"Is he always like this?" I ask.

"Sadly, yes," Ancatha says. "He's way too cocky for his own good."

"I can tell," I say. "I just hope it doesn't get us killed."

"Hey, the four of you get over here," Jason calls out. We all gather around, forming a circle.

"Alright, so Cyrus and I have been discussing our training plan, and we've made the decision that I'll be the leader for the time being," Jason says. I'm surprised once again. Jason never struck me as the leader type.

"What made you think you could make a decision without our input?" Annese asks. "What if I wanted to be the leader?"

"Well, Annese, did you want to be the leader?" Cyrus asks.

"No, but- "

"Then it's settled," Jason says, interrupting Annese. "I'll be leading you guys during training, and-"

"Hold on just a second," Alto says. "I'm obviously the best choice for leader, so you need to back off, bucko."

"You didn't let me finish," Jason says. "This is only a temporary decision. I'm only leading you guys in training for now. Our training scores will decide who will be leading us in the arena."

"That's a stupid plan," Alto says. "No one else here wants to do this."

"Let's take a vote then," Jason says. "Everyone in favor of my plan raise your hand."

Everyone but Alto raises their hand. Alto isn't pleased by this.

"Majority rules," Cyrus says. "Jason's the leader."

"Tributes, please board your chariots. The first chariot will be released in two minutes," the voice of Chikere Idowu, Master of Ceremonies, says. We all break for our respective chariots.

"Where did this Jason come from?" I ask as we mount the chariot.

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"You taking charge and making decisions and all that jazz," I say. "Where did all that come from?"

"I don't know," he says. "It just came naturally."

André Barley, 18: District 11 Male

The same kind of music

Haunts her bedroom

I'm almost me again

She's almost you

Chikere's voice over the intercom signals that it's time for the Parade to start. The District 1 Chariot pulls out of the stables. Cyrus is dressed in light robes made of red velvet with gold accents. He has on red eye shadow and blush to go along with the look. He waves to the crowd, but his expression stays blank. The crowd cheers loudly for Cyrus as they do with all of the Careers. Annese is in a similar looking set of red velvet robes. She has on red and gold makeup to match her robes. She smiles and waves enthusiastically, stopping intermittently to blow kisses at the crowd. The Capitol audience eats this up, throwing flowers and beads.

The crowd doesn't die down as District 2 rolls out. They're both dressed as some type of warrior. Alto looks especially intimidating in his outfit, with leather and fur pelts covering his torso and baggy pants tucked into leather boots. He has a large horn attached to his hip and he's wielding a giant battle axe. He stares forward with a confident smirk on his face, not waving or even acknowledging the crowd. Ancatha is dressed in a matching outfit, but it's not made to look as intimidating as Alto. She doesn't wave at the crowd either and looks quite bored.

The District 3 chariot follows. Elecc is in a tight silver jacket and pants, and Artemisia has a matching silver jumpsuit. They both have wires around their head. It's not the best look in my opinion, and the crowd agrees. Just when it seems like the Capitol has had enough of District 3, blue streaks of light shoot up their bodies and around their heads. The crowd erupts in applause. It's the most impressive outfit so far. Even more beads and flowers go flying, and deafening cheers of the tributes' names fill the area.

District 4 is up next, and the crowd cheers even louder if that's even possible. Jason is in a blue tunic that fades to green at the bottom, and matching pants that start green ad fade to blue at the ankle. He has on a small coral crown as well. Jason waves to the crowd grinning from ear to ear. Cece is in a very long dress with the same colors. Her coral crown is much bigger than Jason's and it catches some of the beads being thrown. She waves as well, but she tries to make it look as elegant as possible.

The crowd dies down for District 5. Both Tomaz and Alice are dressed in black jumpsuits covered in tiny solar panels. Tomaz waves rather unenthusiastically to the crowd. Alice, however, does not wave. She looks very angry with a scowl on her face.

The District 6 pair is dressed as bikers. Taj is wearing a black tee shirt with a skull on the front with a leather vest with a variety of patches and black leather pants with leather boots. He stares straight ahead, expressionless. He's mumbling to himself, lips moving rapidly. North is wearing a studded leather jacket with a plain black shirt underneath. She has leather pants and boots with a black bandana tied around her braided hair. She doesn't wave either, but she looks fierce.

Next up is District 7. Of course, like always, they're dressed as trees. Tyler is in a brown, bark-textured bodysuit with vines wrapped all around his body. He has leaves and twigs sticking out of his coily hair. He gives a crooked smile as he waves to the crowd. Piper is in a matching dress with even more branches and leaves in her hair. She smiles nervously, giving small waves to the crowd.

The District 8 chariot rolls out next. Isaak is dressed in an orange and pink suit with a matching flat cap. He waves to the crowd and forces a smile. Azo is in a matching dress with a pink bandana tied around her head. She's holding onto the chariot for dear life, eyes wide and darting around anxiously.

District 9 is next. Cannoli is in a beige colored bodysuit with what looks to be tan whicker wrapped around his torso and legs. It looks very constricting, and Cannoli doesn't look pleased with his outfit. Avena has on a beige bodysuit as well, with whicker wrapped around her chest, arms, and legs. She's waving to the crowd, but her range of motion is restricted by the whicker on her arms.

District 10 rolls out next. They're both in classic cowboy outfits. Kaven has on a white button-down shirt with an intricate silver design on the shoulders. He has a silver cowboy hat and silver pants as well. He isn't waving at the crowd. He just looks angry, glaring at the audience. Kaliah is in an identical outfit. She waves at the crowd with a big smile on her face.

Our chariot lurches forward. I hold on to the railing tight. I'm wearing a tan gown with different types of grain woven and wrapped around me like a sash. Niobe wears the same thing, but she has a crown made of white flowers. We both wave to the crowd. I force an awkward smile as I look into the crowd. A few flowers and beads are thrown at us, but not as much as the Career districts.

I look back to see the District 12 chariot moving. Eris is in a black bodysuit with black metal plates and has a black headdress and leather cape. She stares straight ahead, looking like she's zoned out. Callum is in a similar bodysuit, but without the cape. He waves at the crowd but doesn't smile.

The chariots at the front of the line start slowing down, pulling into an opening just below the President's Tower. We stop in between the District 10 and 12 chariots. President Tiberius Stone steps out onto the balcony.

Kaven Brock, 15: District 10 Male

Rappin' to prove nothin', just writin' to say somethin'

'Cause I wasn't the only one who wasn't rushin' to sayin' nothin'

This doesn't mean I lost my dream

It's just right now I got a really crazy mind to clean

"Good evening, Panem," President Stone starts. "Tributes, thank you for your bravery, courage, and sacrifice. It is with great pride and honor that I welcome you to the Capitol. We are grateful for you and what you will provide for us this year. Happy Hunger Games. And may the odds be ever in your favor."

The crowd erupts all around us. The anthem of Panem plays as we ride back to the stables. District One leads, so by the time we get to the stables, the first few districts are already off of their chariots and headed to the Training Center with their stylists and mentors. Soon enough, Cupid Drake, our stylist, escort and mentors approach us. Cupid's red feathered jacket ruffles as he walks over, grin plastered on his face.

"You two looked amazing out there!" Cupid exclaims. "The sponsors are already lining up."

"That's great," I say. "Now get me out of this stupid costume."

"You'll be able to change when we get to the apartment," Drusus says.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go," I say. Turning and walking to the elevator. I don't look back, but I can hear Kaliah, Drusus, Clint, and Bovina following close behind me. There's a small group of other tributes, escorts, and mentors gathered around the elevator doors. I push my way to the front to make sure I'm the first one on the elevator. Just as I'm about to get to the doors, my shoulder brushes up against the District 2 boy.

"Watch where you're going, cowboy," he says. I turn around to look him in the eye.

"Oh, I was watching," I say. "I just had to get you out of the way."

"You little shit, I oughta knock your lights out!" he yells, lunging at me. His district partner and mentor have to hold him back.

"You're too much of a bitch to do anything anyways," I say.

"Kaven, what the hell are you doing?" Clint barks, rushing up to me. Kaliah, Bovina, and Drusus follow.

"I moved him out of the way," I say, shrugging. The elevator door opens. I quickly step on, and so do the rest of the District 10 team. I press the floor number the force the door to close before anyone else can get on. Just before we start going up. I catch a glimpse of the 2 boy glaring at me through the glass door. I take the opportunity to flip him the bird, then we shoot upwards.

"What the hell is your problem? Do you have a death wish?" Clint asks.

"The kid's a bitch anyways," I say. "He won't do anything to me."

"You've just put a huge target on your back, kid," Clint says. "That kid's a Career. He'll kill you the first chance he gets."

"What makes you think that he'll kill me so easily?" I ask.

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me," Clint says. "You'll see tomorrow."

For once, Clint's answer actually concerns me. What does he mean when he says I'll see tomorrow? What could the District 2 boy do that could possibly scare me?

The elevator comes to a sudden stop on the tenth floor. The doors slide open, revealing an apartment twenty times more extravagant than the train. High ceilings, ornate decorations, and expensive furniture-all of it looks grand.

"Wow," Kaliah says. "All of this is ours?"

"Yes, it's all yours for the next four nights," Drusus says. "Enjoy it while you can."

"You best believe I will," Kaliah says, kicking her boots off. She hops on the sofa in the living room and kicks her feet up on the coffee table.

"Kaliah, feet off the table!" Drusus cries. Kaliah sighs and puts her feet down.

"How am I supposed to enjoy this place if I can't even put my feet up?" Kaliah asks.

"You enjoy it respectfully," Drusus says.

"Alright, dude," Kaliah says, leaning back.

"I'll be going to my room," I say. I walk into the hallway connected to the living room, and enter the door labelled 'Kaven Brock-D10M'. What greets me on the other side is nothing short of amazing. The bed is huge, and the floor-to ceiling windows give a spectacular view of the Capitol skyline.

I probably won't be punching any holes in these walls.

Hello again, I'm back with the parade chapter. Once again, I planned on getting this chapter out several days before now. However, like always, I didn't follow through. Oh well, I guess I'm Mr. Unreliable.

Questions:

Best costume?
Worst costume?

What do you think of the Careers' leadership decision?

Next chapter will be Night 1.

Until next time,

Ty