Hop Lostar's POV (D6M, 17)

I wasn't ready when the train came to an abrupt halt. I hadn't realized we would get to the Capitol so fast, and have admittedly been dreading the moment we did arrive.

As I step off the train, I look around to see all the other tributes getting off theirs as well. I shake my head and put my hands in my pockets, following my escort and mentor to the giant building ahead while Van rushes over to talk to some others.

I wince when I hear all the screaming and cheering Capitolites in the station as I leave the train, offering a sole half-hearted wave as we make our way to the station exit beyond.

The building we enter next is tiled, cold and... very gray. At least there isn't too much colour. As we walk, I wonder where we're being led. I've never seen this part of the Games before

I am not looking forward to the parade, I think disdainfully. My outfit better be at least respectable.

I can't help but look around as we near two doors labeled District Six Male and District Six Female. Haffa taps her foot impatiently, waiting as the other tributes pour in the building behind us. I spot Van in the crowd, and she rushes over to us.

"Finally!" Haffa sighs, exasperated. "Come on, it's time to get dressed. Get in your changing rooms."

We do as we're told without complaint, and thankfully, Van doesn't bother me as we separate and enter our own rooms.

I sit down on a wooden bench near the back of the room, looking around and waiting for my stylist to come. I huff in boredom as nobody arrives.

After a few minutes, three people finally burst in the doorway.

"We're so sorry to keep you waiting!" The man in the middle says. "We may begin now. My name is Nerix, your stylist, and these two are Darius and Adrienne." He points to each of the people beside him as he speaks their names.

"Now, let us get your outfit." Nerix flashes a grin before rushing over to a shelf to gather up some clothes. I groan internally— I can tell it will be a long day.

Jay Terrin's POV (D12M, 15)

As I step off my train, the thing that immediately catches my eye is a gigantic crowd of Capitolites. I wave to them, trying to put on a smile. My dry tears feel caked on my face after I started crying of fear and grief earlier.

Almost as I'm taking my step down from the platform, a girl rushes over to meet me.

"Hello!" She greets. She seems to calm down a bit as she approaches. "I'm Van, the girl from District Six. You can call me Vinnie, though. You?"

I blink in surprise as Vinnie and I make our way towards the exit. I hadn't expected someone to run up to me and just... start a conversation. I look around for Topaz, and spot her nearby, coming over.

"Uh, I'm Jay. District Twelve. That's my partner, Topaz," I say, pointing at Topaz as she's arriving.

"Nice to meet you two," Vinnie says curtly. Her voice is level, and her tone makes it impossible to figure out her intentions. Is she getting to know us to be friendly, or to scout out her enemies and victims? I shudder at the thought, and hope desperately that I don't start crying again.

"Nice to meet you, too," Topaz replies politely. "What's your name?"

"I'm Van, but everyone calls me Vinnie."

Topaz nods and I stay close to her as we enter the building and Vinnie rushes off to where her very annoyed-looking district partner and mentor are standing.

We're both led to a building that looks very gloomy inside, and I shudder at the cold air as we step inside.

Topaz and I find our own mentor again; she's standing outside two rooms labeled District Twelve Male and District Twelve Female.

"Your stylists will be ready now, you should get in your changing rooms," Magnolia says with a smile, her voice gentle.

Topaz nods, though I'm too scared to move. After the parade, everyone will know who I am. I'll really be part of the Games.

Topaz glances back at me, before grabbing my hand. "Come on Jay, we've gotta go. She opens my door and leaves me to walk inside while she enters her own. I shuffle to the back of my room, where there's a singular, very ominous-looking bench. I hop on and look around nervously. It's not long before a tall woman enters the room with a shorter woman by her side.

The woman in the middle is carrying a black and red outfit in her arms, while the other one is carrying a... hard hat?

What the hell is my outfit going to be?

"Hello, Jay," the woman that came in first, presumably my stylist, greets. I cringe at her strange accent.

"My name is Caramel, and I'm your stylist. This right here is Juliette, my assistant and currently the only member on my prep team." She doesn't break to look at me, grabbing a blue rob-like thing from a table and handing it to me.

"You may change over there," she says, pointing to a corner of a room that has a folding wall in it. "Hurry back, we don't have much time and I need to measure your proportions."

I do what I'm told without speaking, leaping off the bench and taking the blue robe with me. I slip off my clothes and put it on, before going to sit back on the bench.

"Before we start," Caramel adds, "what do you think of your outfit?"

She holds up the outfit to me, unraveling it.

Well, it's not coal dust.Beau Peterson's POV

I step off my train with Cervelt, doing my best to look determined and calm as I walk towards the end of the train station. Four other tributes join me and Cervelt, and we all wave at the countless cheering Capitolites around us.

Cervelt glances at them. "You're from Two," she says after a few moments of thinking, pointing to two of them, before turning to the others and saying, "so that makes you from Four."

The girl from Four nods. She's got beautiful brown hair and green eyes, and I can see some visible muscle beneath her tan skin. "Brooke Clearsnow," she says with a grin. The words seem to roll right off her tongue— do people from Four have an accent?

"I'm River Seastone," the boy introduces. Wow, his parents must have gotten creative with that one, I think sarcastically.

"Right. And I believe I saw you on TV, I watched some of the Reapings— Sonic and Macey?" She looks at the pair from Two.

"Yup," Macey says. "Macey Thorne. This is Sonic Riggee." She nudges her District partner, and he just grunts in response.

Our conversation is cut short when we push open the doors to the building beyond the station and our mentors beckon to us.

"Strength in numbers!" Macey calls as she hurries away with Sonic.

"Strength in numbers," we all repeat as we part ways.

Everything from there on happens extremely quickly. I'm rushed into a room and Cervelt is ushered into another. I sit on a cold, bland bench and my stylists help me fit into my parade outfit.

I get worried when they take away my token and put my outfit on— a beautiful suit full of a large array of blue and off-white crystals, with a headpiece made out of silver coming with it— but I feel myself smile when they bring back a few petals and tuck them in the corner of my shirt. I'm glad I can take something Denim gave me to this important event.

I exit the room, grouping up with the other Careers as we wait in line to mount our carriages. The pair from Four has to trail behind us, but me, Cervelt, Macey and Sonic are able to discuss strategies.

"I'd say we stick with the usual plan, murder everyone who gets in our way and hunt for tributes unless we're dying," Macey says simply.

Cervelt frowns. "Yeah, there's not much more to day. It'll only get more in-depth from there in the Arena."

Sonic looks like he's about to speak, but someone opens a door ahead of us and we're filed into the carriages, two at a time.

I hold on tightly to one of the railings, suddenly dreading how I would have to keep my balance since I have to stand and the carriage has no roof.

Squinting at the sunlight as we leave the shade, I wave to the people of the Capitol as they cheer loudly for all of the tributes. I notice how the gems on my outfit shimmer in the sun and put on a proud smile. The stylists outdid themselves. I glance at Cervelt, and our eyes lock for just a moment. She's wearing the same outfit as me, but in dress form, and she wears white elbow-length gloves and a furry scarf-like thing around her neck.

This is like a dream come true, I realize, and bask in all the publicity while I still can.

Sparks Ashlock's POV (D3F, 17)

I. Hate. This.

My body is covered from neck to toe in wires. Just— wires. Red and blue wires wrapping around me, and nothing else. My hair is pulled up in a ponytail that's fastened by copper wire, and I have a necklace made of the same material.

Rusty got the same treatment as me, though there's copper wire coiled tightly around his entire neck. Our chariot is decorated with lightbulbs and wires, and I don't even bother to look remotely happy as the Capitolites around us wave and cheer and throw stuff at us.

I secretly hope someone will throw a brick at one of the annoying tributes— then there would be at least one less competitor. May as well get everyone used to bloodshed already.

I narrow my eyes when I see some of the other tributes' outfits— surely, nobody got it worse than us. Well, except for the girl from Twelve, whose entire body is just covered in coal dust. But the pair from Four are wearing blue and gold outfits with seashells and pearls, and the pair from Seven have cream shirts and brown overalls with headdresses of intertwining branches. The boy has staff-looking sticks on the back of his shirt and the girl has vines and flowers running down her arms.

I snicker when I see the boy from Six's outfit— a gross gray shirt with tires sticking off of his shoulders. What the hell were the stylists thinking with that one?

Then again, I couldn't speak. I hated the feeling of wires coiled around my body, my ability to move restricted.

When will this all be over?

Briar Reckingstar's POV (D10T, 15)

I can tell me and Robin got the lucky with our stylists. My outfit is a super fuzzy, comfy coat and khaki shorts with a gray undershirt, though I feel a bit uncomfortable whenever I glance down and see the fake blood stains everywhere. I'm supposed to look like a hunter, apparently.

I will be honest, I'm absolutely loving all this attention. It makes me feel all happy inside, and wow, I never thought I was that kind of person. I ignore my doubts and wave and smile at everyone around me. Someone throws a bouquet of flowers at us and Robin catches it in surprise.

And then you have Robin's outfit. It's just... wow. There's no better word to describe it with than wow. It's like his stylist already knew he had the name of a bird; he's wearing a brown shirt and pants, but feathers cover them, swallowing them up almost completely, and he also has a headdress of feathers.

And to top it all off, he has beautiful wings sprouting from the back of his shirt. I just can't believe how amazing the stylist did. It's one of those things that makes your stomach feel weird and you feel oddly happy when looking at it. He's sure to gain some fans right off the bat.

Robin allows himself to wear a small smile on his face, waving to everyone in a similar but slightly more hesitant manner as me. We glance at each other once during the ride, and if I'm not mistaken, his grin seems to grow.

The parade is longer than I expected, and my arm starts to get tired after a while, so I bring it back down for a rest.

Who knew the Capitol would be so welcoming? Maybe I'll actually enjoy my time here...

Jay Terrin's POV (D12M, 15)

Wow, that's... that's a big yikes.

Topaz was grimacing upon exiting her changing room, and rightly so— literally her entire outfit is, well... dust. Coal dust, I would imagine, but it's just dust and barely anything else. She has red shoes and ugly red and black pulsing chunks in her hair, probably made to look like coals. Their design seems to be akin to the pulsing red where my heart is on my suit. Somehow, Topaz doesn't complain at all, and the Capitol seems to like her outfit.

Why do the Capitol make such weird outfits? I ask myself, before supplying myself with an answer in the form of another question, most likely one commonly asked in the districts, why does the Capitol do anything?

I froze up for the first half of the parade, but I start waving to everyone eventually. An awkward smile crosses my face, but I fail to hold it. I bring my arm back for a while, grasping at the side of the carriage with both hands. Topaz puts a comforting hand on my shoulder and I relax a little.

As we're nearing the end of the parade where President Timber waits for us on a balcony, Topaz nudges me.

"Hey," she whispers. "Maybe we could distract everyone from our horrible outfits by putting on a little show. Looking like friends or something, might get us some publicity."

I shrug. "O-okay." It's hard to keep my voice from shaking because I'm speaking quietly and, well, I'm nervous since I'll probably be brutally murdered in a week. I also wonder about how she worded that, does she nod regard us as friends already? Don't be stupid Jay, there's no reason for her to be your friend.

We've almost reached the circle where all of the carriages will line up so Topaz drapes an arm over my shoulders and I do the same to her, and on an identical train of thought, we put up our free hands and then bow. It might just be me, but I swear the cheering around us gets louder. Who knew two kids from Twelve could make a real impression on the Capitol?

Asher Heavenrock's POV (D8M, 17)

In my opinion, most of the outfits around the parade are... basic. They lack creativity and style. I can see the resemblance to the districts for each and every outfit, though, so at least they have that going for them.

My outfit, along with Silk's aren't the worst that I've seen by a mile, which is good. We wear a blue, patchy pair of shirt and pants and a "necklace" made out of twine. I have a blue hat, and Silk has a blue bonnet, along with twine bracelets. At least we look decent.

Some tributes definitely got the short end of the stick. The tributes from Three literally have wires wrapped around their body and nothing else, and the girl from Twelve is covered from head to toe in coal dust. The boy's outfit is just a black suit with red sleeves and a pulsating light with a hard hat, and Five's outfits are just yellow suits that stick up like static. They wear either lightning bolt-shaped ear pieces or a lightning bold headdress, and the designs definitely aren't creative, intricate or unique in any way. At least there's correlation between district and outfit.

Then there's the nicer outfits. The first ones to immediately catch my eye are District One's. A suit and a dress studded with beautiful jewels that shine in the sun. They both wear silver headpieces, and the girl has a furry white boa around her neck. When the carriages start rounding the corner to turn in a final circle, I get a glimpse of a flower poking out of the boy's suit.

Then there's District 10. The girl's outfit looks like a regular jacket, but wow, did they outdid themselves with the boy. He has long feathers covering his entire outfit, and wings sprout out of his back. Wasn't his name Robin? It's amazing that someone with a bird name got a bird costume. Such a beautiful one, too.

I had to admit, though it was creative, the bird outfit looked a little basic when you noticed it was a solid colour. But I was willing to overlook that.

I look up at President Timber to see she's already started her speech, welcoming us to the Capitol. I feel like we'll have a hectic time before the Games, I think, squeezing Silk's hand.