Nine – The Parade
The Parade – Division Three (3.3)
Tiberius and my prep team practically push me through the door where Radia and her stylists are preparing. I'm so relieved to see her again. We only have a moment to smile at each other when her stylist, Tatiana, and her own prep team swarm over to meet me.
"Henry!" Tatiana shouts. She's so tall that she has to bend down to give me a greeting hug. "You look gorgeous!"
Tiberius and my prep team also leave to bother Radia, also excitedly squealing to meet the other tribute of the district.
I'm so overwhelmed by this new batch of faces, ear-piercing sounds, and assaulting colours that I politely excuse myself to talk to Radia. The stylists didn't seem to mind, leaving Radia and I alone to loudly gossip with each other.
"Hey." we awkwardly exchange.
Our costumes were complementary, meaning hers are exactly the same. Even the simple headdress. The differences were that her golden hair flowed out of her headdress in a braid, she has a bit more make-up, and nothing is provocative.
She also examines me. Her worried expression clearly tells me she's also not on board, and not hopeful for the garnering of any support. She looks down at my costume.
"Um." she starts.
"Please don't look there." I say. "I'm sensitive about it."
"I'll respect that."
She peered over my shoulder as if to make sure none of our stylists would hear us, then she finally says it.
"I hate it."
"Goodness, me too." I sigh.
"How are the people going to love us in this thing?"
"No idea." I answer. "But you don't look too bad."
"We both look pretty bad." she says bluntly.
"I guess we do."
"I just hated the whole thing." she admits. "Being naked, being waxed."
"Getting waxed was a total hour of pain."
"You got waxed too?"
"Yes," I say, almost sounding like I'm crying. "How's your stylist?"
We both look at the head that giraffes over all the other stylists.
"She's fun, I guess." Radia says. "How's yours?"
I look back at my stylist. He seems to be keeping an eye on me, and we briefly make eye contact. I smile and nod to get rid of a suspicion that we're talking about them.
"Helpful, but creepy." I say. "He tells me the costumes are going to have a surprise when the actually ceremony starts but they're not showing us."
"Really?" Radia says. "In that case, I predict our costumes will spontaneously combust."
"I'll do you one better." I respond. "I think they're going to spontaneously explode."
"No, I think-"
We get interrupted by Beetee and Jovan entering the room. I'm gladdened to see them back too.
"This a party?" Jovan jokingly asks. "Where's our special boy and girl?"
Tiberius and Tatiana swarm our mentors and drag them over to us, shrieking things like, "Here's what we did for you!"
Jovan makes a believable fake smile that could've fooled me if I wasn't focusing on him. Beetee did not change his face.
"How does it look?" asks Tiberius.
"It's-" Jovan stutters and gulps. "It's great!"
"Do you like it?" Tatiana questions Beetee.
"I love it." Beetee says, but he probably means he loves the special wire that's been discovered and developed recently back in District 3.
Tatiana and Tiberius dart back off to our prep teams, and Jovan drops the smile and rolls his eyes.
"What did they do to you guys?" he asks exaggeratedly. "We asked them to make you look flashy, not mediocre!"
"There might be something they'll do once we're at the parade." I mention.
"Henry thinks we're going to explode." Radia says.
"Talk about going out with a bang." Jovan jokes, but nobody laughs. "Well, you don't look horrible. You could be worse, but this isn't going to win any favour from the people."
"Hold on," speaks Beetee. "Can I feel one of your costumes quickly?"
"Uh, sure." I say. "Go ahead."
Beetee steps forward to feel the material on my arm, and he raises an eyebrow. He spends more time touching the thicker parts of the costume.
"What is it?" I say.
"It's the surprise I think you're talking about." Beetee says. "If it works, you're going to look quite amazing. I don't know why they're keeping it a secret, though. It's not that big of a deal."
"Then tell us." demands Radia.
"Maybe not." says Beetee, and he slowly turns to leave. Radia, Jovan, and I are left looking puzzled.
"Oh come on." complains Jovan. He quickly feels my costume to see what Beetee found, and that unfortunately includes tickling me on my side. "What is it that the wise man saw?"
I shove him away. "Don't touch me. Anyway, can you hold this for me?"
I hand Jovan the butter caramel candy which I had in my palm for the whole time during dressing. I have no pockets for it and I can't exactly wave to the crowd with it.
"It's wet." He says, but puts it in his pocket regardless.
"I think it's time to head down." Radia says.
She directs us to Beetee and the prep teams exiting the room, and Tiberius and Tatiana coming closer to call us out.
We're eventually led towards the lowest level of the Remake Center, where all the golden drawn chariots and different coloured horses were set. The four horses pulling our chariot alternated grey and dark coats, and are so well-trained that they would be the ones guiding us around the city. Gentle creatures, too. I expected them to smell like animals often do, but there's nothing.
Pairs of tributes are being loaded into their chariots and I realise this will be my first look at the tributes in person. Tiberius and Tatiana don't load us up yet, though.
"May the mentors cover our tributes' eyes, please?"
"It's a test!" says Martinus. I didn't even notice him join us. Maybe it's because he now looks so regular in the sea of our prep teams' outfits.
Jovan covers my eyes before I could prepare for what's going to happen, but I close my eyes regardless. I hear Radia telling Beetee to watch her make-up, but luckily I don't think I had as much treatment on my eyes.
"Oh, I'm excited to see what it is." Jovan tells me from behind.
"Why are they still not letting us see the surprise?"
"They want your genuine reactions up on screen." answers Jovan.
"Here goes!" says Tatiana.
She and Tiberius then make a countdown. I don't know what to expect, except I focus on my sense of touch. Once they hit one, I don't suddenly burn, nor do we explode. I don't hear or feel anything different except Jovan's gasp.
"It works!" shouts Tatiana.
"Oh, that's marvellous!" trills Martinus.
Jovan swears. "We haven't seen something like this at the opening ceremonies yet. I take back what I said about this being mediocre."
"Do you feel anything weird?" asks Tiberius. "Does anything hurt?"
Both Radia and I say no. I do start to feel a little warmer, but nothing too substantial.
"Okay, I'll turn them off." Tiberius announces.
"No, keep them on." says Jovan.
"No." responds Tiberius. "Open your eyes now!"
I immediately look at my costume. It looks the same. I wonder what happened to elicit that reaction from Jovan. Did our costumes suddenly change colour? Our prep teams are jumping excitedly.
"Why have we never thought of that before?" I overhear Martinus say to our stylists.
"Okay, you both have a big chance now." says Jovan to Radia and I. "Do what we did on the train."
"Cry?" I ask.
"No. Smile. Wave. Blow kisses. They will love you." Jovan sounds certain, and Beetee does not appear to disagree.
Tiberius and Tatiana help load us onto our chariot and help position ourselves for the best image. It's a little high, so a fall from this height could compromise my ability to train.
"Nervous?" Radia asks me.
"A little bit." I say. I'm not sure what I could think of to make me smile without feeling guilty afterwards, so I'm not convinced that I will win the crowd, even with whatever gimmick our costume has. "I want to cover my bottom half."
"It's not obvious." assures Radia.
I end the subject. "Anyway, are you nervous?"
"It's the good nervous." she says. "This is grand. I'm positive we'll do really well."
I admire Radia's optimism in these circumstances so much.
"But if we don't?"
"You will!" Tatiana yells. She has already disembarked from the chariot, but her height allows her to hear us well. Tiberius is still on the chariot.
"One last touch." He says, before giving my father's watch to put on. I thank him. I look at Radia's neck and only now notice a necklace tucked under her costume. Must be her token.
"We'll activate your costumes just when you pull out onto the streets!" says Tiberius. "Good luck, and big smiles!" Tiberius jumps off the chariot.
Radia turns to me. "Is that your token?"
I nod. "It used to be my father's." I explain. "I see you have yours."
Then the opening music begins. Music. Other than hearing myself sing to Jovan and Radia, I haven't listened to music since the day before the reaping. The music blasts through speakers all over the Capitol through speakers, and sounds a bit more upbeat than traditional marches, incorporating a lot of drums and brass instruments. It's not my favourite genre, but it is probably the music withdrawals or the loud beat entering my ears that I can't help but to smile. Maybe this music will be my source of happiness.
I look down at our prep teams, stylists, mentors, and escort on the ground all clapping for us in hope. District 1 moves into position in front of the large doors that have just slid open onto the Capitol's crowd-lined streets. Even from here, I hear the citizens' loud cheers and see the screens mounted up absolutely everywhere. Radia and I glance at each other. It's happening. The 66th Hunger Games opens now.
The tributes from District 1 ride out in their chariot, pulled by beautiful horses coloured like snow. Being the luxury district, they always have a wide variety of costumes to wear each year, but the common theme is that they look absolutely bedazzling. This year, they wear beautiful tunics covered in dark blue jewels. Probably sapphire? Regardless, they set a high standard and the crowd always loves them.
Our horses move into position behind District 2, who move off, with their towering tributes dressed in copper-coloured metallic armour, complete with helmets. They look ready to go fight in the arena, right here and right now. The crowd roars for them too.
Radia and I are next, and I'm really hoping the spectacle our stylists have planned doesn't come too late where the impression will already be done, or even worse, malfunction. Our costumes are nothing compared to 1 and 2. We start to move, and Radia and I look at each other in desperation. Then she smiles and turns away to get ready for the crowd, but that only makes her look like she is grimacing. As we approach the doors, I prepare for a twenty minute ride of humiliation around the Capitol.
But just as we spill out on the streets, Radia starts flashing lights. She doesn't notice, as she's already waving.
"Holy crap!" I say, pulling my hand out to wave. "That's the surprise!"
The cameras have already been trained on us, as we appear at the screen. We look amazing. Certain parts of our costume lit up in bright, soft-edged circles of different colours. Even the headdress was part of the colour, too. At first I thought it was cheesy to remain a flashing rainbow, but soon the colours coordinated. Greens and dark greens remind me of nature and the wilds. Reds, oranges, and yellows to imitate fire. Sorry District 4, but there arr also teals, blues, and purples to represent the calming ocean. Finally, the rainbow, then it loops back to random flashing. It not perfect, but they are still a sspectacular sight to see. District 3 has always been monochrome. Now we flashed every colour out there.
"Flat lights!" Radia exclaims. "How did I not think of those? We produce them back in District 3!"
"District 3!" The crowd echoes. I'm shocked that they're really loving us.
This really boosts my confidence enough for me to properly wave, smile, and single out some of my fans for kisses and attention.
The cameras do not stay on us for long as they have to cut to other districts, but our share of screen time seemed noticeably longer than those for Districts 1 and 2. I only catch a glimpse of the tributes from District 4 behind us, attempting to capitalise on Finnick Odair's success by not wearing much other than fashionable fishing nets and fabric that resembles coral.
But they do not get as much attention as we do.
"Radia! Radia!" The people to the left of the crowd shout out, and to my right, I hear shouts of my first name. Those people have open programmes in their hand.
Their chants give me the energy to add a little bit of flair, and I dance to the music. This completely wins them over. They increase their volume and start to throw us some flowers and the ones thrown too low gather at our feet. The ones thrown high enough we try to catch. Radia snatches a beautiful white flower and gives it a big whiff.
I attempt to do the same, but I lean forward at a red flower tossed a little too short. I have to lean over the edge of the chariot to catch it, but I lose my balance and almost fall over.
Well, I wouldn't have fallen over, but Radia grabs my wrist which stops me from impacting the chariot edge. My arm slips a little further from her grip so it becomes my hand that she holds.
If the crowd wasn't absolutely nuts before, they are now.
I've already regained my balance which allows me to turn to her, but we keep holding each other's hands.
"They love it!" I shout over the crowd.
"Your butt flashes too!" Radia merely says.
"Oh, that's flattering!"
I appease the crowd for the rest of the ride, while I also check the screens that display the other districts. The stylists from District 6 attempted to make their tributes float like hovercrafts, but the clear platform they're standing on is obvious at most angles. The boy from 9 is really hyping up their district's costumes, consisting of silver, layered wear with a proliferating golden headdress. It also appears we aren't the only tributes to hold hands, as the cameras zoom in towards the tributes of District 10, but it doesn't seem so heartfelt when the two are dressed like cows.
But the most unfortunate spectacle comes at the end of our field. District 12 have literally stripped off their usual baggy miner costumes to be completely naked yet smothered with dark coal dust. Radia and I had to stop waving to take it in. I'm feeling that it's not working with the crowd.
The children don't look embarrassed, but they looked terrified. They're already competing in a fight to the death against their will. Who's idea was it to further humiliate them by having them naked? I couldn't look at the screen anymore because it felt wrong. I felt so sorry for the tributes. My costume doesn't seem so flashy anymore. I tone done my waving and smiling and I stop dancing.
District 12 is already a poor district, and they decide to crush their dignity like this. If tensions are rising in District 3 about the Games, I can only imagine how rebellious they would be. I have a feeling, one day, they'll cause a splash, an even bigger splash than ours.
But the attention quickly moves off from District 12, and back to the favourites. Of course they are the wealthier districts with the Careers, but also us. My energy returns to stun the audience with Radia. We really might have a sponsor willing to give us some gifts. We might have some extra food, water, medicine, weapons... We might become as rich as the Careers. I know Radia has no reason not to try now.
The audience appears to grow larger and larger by the second. The music shifts into an instrumental and more epic rendition of the anthem of Panem, indicating we are almost at the City Circle, our final destination of this parade. The anthem is the only song I dislike because of it's affiliation with the Capitol, but this rendition was almost nothing like the original thing that I had to bounce to it as well. On the road before the Circle, the unbelievably large audience sat in stadium-like bleachers rising on either side. Our horses guide our chariots in between a number of personnel drumming the timpani to the music. Screens display an amazing shot of all twelve districts, neatly traversing to the City Circle. The whole atmosphere is electrifying.
Eventually, our chariots pull into the loop of the circle and the twenty minutes of parading comes to an end. The music ends with a flourish just as District 12 comes to a halt. I am afraid that when President Snow emerges to give his official welcome, our flashing lights would be distracting. However, the lights seem to be under control, remaining on yellows for Radia and blues for me.
The president is a small, thin man with a white beard and a hunger for power and segregation. I loathe him for allowing these Games to happen, but nobody can do anything. Not one person or even a group of people.
President Snow delivers his speech on the balcony of his mansion above us, and the screens cut to the faces of the tributes as he's doing so. I notice they show us twice and District 12 gets only around one second. The media is making it really obvious who the early favourites are. Naturally, I don't like it because it isn't humbling at all, but now, our lives depend on it.
The real national anthem plays at the end of President Snow's presentation, and our lights start flashing again, gaining the attention of the cameras as they attempt to cut to each pair of tributes as we disappear into the Training Center.
Martinus, Beetee, Jovan, our stylists, and our prep teams have somehow already been transported here as they and a couple prep teams from other tributes engulf us to give unintelligible praise. We've stopped close to the chariots District 1 and 2, and I catch the tributes staring with contempt, except the oblivious smiling boy from 1. The two of us have become clearer targets, but right now, I don't care. The parade may be over but I'm still feeling the rush.
Tiberius and Tatiana help us down from the chariot and Radia and I give them our sincere thanks. No matter how untrustworthy Tiberius may be, or how unlike Tatiana is from us, our success could not have been achieved without them. They have worked hard to genuinely help us get those potentially life-saving sponsors. I'm sorry for ever doubting the worth of their costumes.
The prep teams disperse just as Beetee and Jovan congratulate Radia and I.
"That was great!" Jovan says. "You dancing too? That was killer! Who's idea was it to hold hands?"
"It was an accident."
"A really good accident, then. They loved it." Jovan hugs the both of us. "I'm so proud of you two."
"Really well done, both of you." says Beetee. "We're really on track for sponsors and good publicity."
"Radia's a natural!" trills Martinus. "Henry isn't perfect though. There were a few hiccups that need to be solved!"
I want to give him a slap so good that his wig would fly, but he's right. I still need to improve. In the future, I won't have any music to fuel me.
Jovan pats Radia and I on the back. "You both need a hard-earned rest. Martinus, take them to their rooms to make themselves comfortable and Beetee and I will be back with them soon."
As Martinus walks Radia and I to the elevator, our escort rambles about how great we were and how great we will be.
"My very first pair of tributes who've done so well!" he says. "So surprising! I feel like I can finally retire."
"Why don't you help me improve?" I ask him. "This is a very hard thing for me and you act like such an expert."
"Oh, that's your mentors' job, not mine." He says, looking at his nails. We have reached the elevator. "And you're doing so well compared to what the people usually think of your kind that you don't need any extra help! It's enough for me to tell everybody how great District 3 is despite how it looks!"
So he just cares about bragging rights, the glitz and the glamour. The fact that he tries to show how we're so special without even remotely trying to help me, or even better, help our district, is sickening.
"Beetee and Jovan have not been as privileged as you!" I snap, still trying to sound friendly. "You know so much more than them about presentation but you aren't doing anything about it. Maybe the reason why the other tributes don't do well is because you-"
Radia warns me to stop talking as a pair of tributes are approaching the elevator and us, but I don't think anything of what I have said has registered with Martinus, as he is ecstatic to converse with the tributes' escort.
"Martinus!" shrieks the woman in a sleek green dress.
"Fern!" he squeals back.
Her name is pretty ironic, as she is chaperoning the boy and the girl from District 7. I deduce the pair who've approached us are from the lumber district, because of their costumes resembling-
"Trees." The girl says in a small voice. She is probably only thirteen, fourteen at most. It's a bit hard to tell with their large, leafy headdresses. The boy looks clearly younger. He does not pay any attention to us. "We've been wearing trees for the past twenty years." she continues, before looking at us directly. "Hi, I'm Connie."
I'm still fuming at Martinus, but I can't be mad when meeting a new person.
"Hey, Connie." That's all I say. I don't know what else to say. I didn't expect to meet another tribute now, and that makes me nervous. Luckily, Radia catches on and carries the conversation.
"Hello, Connie! It's nice to meet you." she says. "I'm Radia, and this is Henry, and we're from District 3. Are you from District 7?"
She nods. "Trees. Nice to meet you."
"And who's your partner?"
"Ringo." she answers. "Ringo, it's the people with the lights!"
The boy turns to us. "Hi." he says dejectedly, turning back to the elevator doors before we could greet him back. The both of them are so young, the idea of killing one another is absolutely awful. They don't deserve any of this. I'm afraid I will get too attached to them the more we talk, and if I do get too attached I might not be able to handle the thought of them dead.
"You both looked great out there." acknowledges Connie.
Radia and I say thanks. I wonder why Connie wants to talk to us. Mostly, the tributes are quiet, like Ringo. Maybe she was just born and raised to be conversational like Radia, or she's looking for allies with the popular tributes.
Fern and Martinus aren't listening to us at all, chatting about the flashy debut we made, no doubt. They are so enthusiastically speaking to each other that we four tributes could probably disperse and they wouldn't even notice.
The elevator eventually arrives to pick us up. I have never ridden on an elevator before, but I knew they exist at some of the factories, including the one I work in. I'm not allowed on them, though. They're only permitted for authorised personnel and transporting products between floors.
But I didn't know that elevators could be crystal clear, like this one in the Training Center. Fern presses the button saying 7, Martinus pushes 3, and the platform shoots us up as we see the people below us shrink into tiny, colourful dots.
The awe the four of us make is audible. The sight that, if it wasn't for the glass, you could fall from a height with the weird feeling of the floor pushing up against you is thrilling.
I start to feel a little nervous at how high we are when the elevator stops at our floor. Martinus, Radia and I step out, but I immediately want to step back in for a longer ride. District 12 is lucky that they get a longer time of fun in the elevator.
"See you!" Connie waves to us. We wave back as they proceed to move closer to the sky.
Radia turns to me as soon as our doors close.
"They're so young and cute!" She exclaims.
But Radia has the tone and expression where it's clear she knows that she had basically stared at dead children. Nobody their age has ever won the Hunger Games. I wouldn't count them out, though. District 7, having great experience with axes enough to harm another, are probably the most skilled outside of the Career districts. And that could be good for us if we stick with them.
Or it can go very bad. It's hard to trust anybody around here.