Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter. I'm very sorry it took so long, but I lost inspiration for this story for a long time. But I'm back.
Let's get to it.
Chapter 4- Tribute Parade
(Willow POV)
I slowly open my eyes, staring up at the ceiling of my room. We've been travelling on the train for over a day. We're supposed to be arriving in The Capitol in a few hours.
I don't know how long I sit here on my bed, not moving, just thinking about the coming days. In just a few days, I'm going to be thrown into the arena, where I'll be fighting for my life.
Finally, I hear a knocking on the door, and Effie declaring, "Up, up! It's a big, big day!"
I have to smile a bit before I finally get out of bed. I slowly dress myself before heading out of my room and heading towards the dining car.
As I get there, I see that everyone else is already there, including Tony, all eating from a lavish breakfast that has been prepared for us.
My dad looks over as I enter the dining car and smiles at me. "There you are, honey. I was about to come wake you up, sleepy head," he says.
"Well, I think with everything happening, I deserve to sleep in a little," I say with a grin.
"Come on, sit down. We have a few things we want to discuss before we get to the Capitol, and we should be getting there very soon," my dad says.
I take my seat at the table and begin helping myself to eggs and bacon as my dad says, "Alright. We'll be arriving in the Capitol within the hour. As soon as we get there, you two are going to be taken to the Remake Center, where you'll be prepped for the Tribute Parade. Now, whatever your stylists do, just go with it. Don't try to fight them on it. Of course, I'm pretty sure that Cinna is still one of the stylists for 12, so you'll be in good hands."
I nod simply, completely trusting Cinna to make us look good. Given his relationship with my parents, I've called him Uncle Cinna for my entire life.
"Remember, the Tribute Parade is incredibly important. The impression you make there can have a real impact on getting sponsors. And remember, having sponsors can in some cases mean the difference between life and death," my dad says. Me and Tony just nod in response.
Suddenly, we hear Robin say, "Hey, guys, there it is!" We all turn to look where he's standing, and out of the window we can see the Capitol finally coming into view.
"Well. Certainly doesn't disappoint," Tony says, leaning back in his chair somewhat.
After a few more seconds, the train moves into one of the tunnels leading through the mountain range surrounding the Capitol. With the train moving at extreme speed, it only takes a few minutes before we emerge from the tunnels, slowing down as we do, and begin to roll into the train station.
As we pull into the train station, we instantly hear cheering coming from out on the platform. Looking out of the window, we see a large crowd that has gathered to witness our arrival. As soon as they see me, their cheering increases, but many of them also start to get teary-eyed. I'm probably one of the most popular people in Panem, and the thought of possibly having me die in the arena is sure to devastate the people of the Capitol.
I feel someone beside me, and glance to the side and see Tony standing there. "Everyone looks really devastated that you're going into this," he says. He glances at me, then back out the window and again gets that cocky smirk on his face before saying, "That's good."
I look at Tony, wondering once again what in the world is up with this guy.
(Hours later)
I grit my teeth a little bit as I once again feel a wax strip being ripped off my leg. My prep team has been working on me for quite a while, and now they're trying to remove the last little bit of hair on my body before calling in Cinna.
"I'm sorry. You just have so much hair," one of my prep team says in a high pitched voice.
"But that looks like that's the last of it. You actually look pretty good. And once Cinna gets ahold of you, you'l be stunning.," another member of my team says to me before saying to the other two, "Let's go grab Cinna!" The team hurries out.
I sit down on a bench, putting my robe back on. This is something I'm both looking forward to and not looking forward to. I know Cinna will work wonders on me, and it will be good to have him there to support me, but it will also be hard to go through this with him knowing that I could die in the arena.
After what seems like an eternity, the door opens. I look in the direction of it, and sure enough, there's Cinna, wearing his usual black jeans and a shirt. Without a word, he walks over and pulls me into a big hug.
We hold each other tight for at least half a minute before Cinna pulls back and looks at me. "I've hoped this would never happen. But now that it has, I'm going to do everything I can to help you."
"I know you will, Cinna. I wish you didn't have to have this duty though," I say in response with sadness in my voice.
"I know. But I'm doing it anyway," he says. He smiles a bit, then says, "I've been working with Lillia, Tony's stylist, since the Reaping. You two are going to make quite an impact at the Tribute Parade."
I smile a little bit as I look at Cinna's determined look, and say, "I don't doubt it."
Cinna smiles a bit before leading me out of the room and into a smaller room where my outfit is. As Cinna opens the closet, I gasp a little bit. The outfit hanging there is absolutely beautiful. The outfit is a black dress without sleeves, but that does go up around my neck. The dress itself is completely black, and made of some kind of beautiful, very sleek material. The dress is inlaid with various gems meant to give the impression of flames. Then, on the back of the dress are what look like multiple streamers of the same material the dress is made of, all colored to resemble flames.
"It's beautiful, Cinna," I say in awe.
Cinna smiles confidently before he says, "Let's get you into this, and then I'll show you what this can really do."
I smile, and Cinna sets about helping me into the dress. It takes a few minutes, making sure that the dress goes on just right and nothing gets damaged or torn. Finally, it's on, and it fits absolutely perfectly. I look down at the dress, run my hands down it to reassure myself it's smoothed out, and then look at Cinna with a bright smile and say, "Thank you, Cinna. It's gorgeous."
Cinna smiles back at me before he says, "Let's get your hair and makeup done, and then we'll take you down to the loading area."
I stand in front of a full-length mirror as Cinna sets about touching up my hair and makeup. He mostly leaves my hairdo alone, which mom had done this morning, and adds in a little makeup before he declares me ready for the parade. I then head to the elevator down to area where the tributes are gathering for the parade.
As we walk out of the elevator, I see all the other tributes milling around their chariots with their stylists. Then, I see Tony over by a chariot with his stylist standing beside him. Tony is wearing an outfit made out of the same material as mine and with the same features, but his is a full body suit. Honestly, he looks pretty good.
Cinna and I walk over to the chariot. "Alright, you two. The parade should be starting very soon. Let's show you the last feature of your outfits," he says. He then raises a small device, about the size of a finger, and presses a button.
Instantly, I see light. Tony and I look down and see that our outfits have begun to glow. As we watch it, the glow shifts and changes, making us look like a burning coal. I now realize the streamers are meant to flap behind us as we are in the chariot, giving the appearance of flames coming off a burning coal.
"It's amazing, Cinna," I say.
"Nobody will be able to forget you two," Cinna says with delight. He looks around, then says, "You better get in that chariot. The parade will be starting soon. Good luck." He and Tony's stylist, Lillia, step back, and the two of us step into the chariot.
Tony looks at me for a second, then offers me his hand. "What do you say? Show the Capitol we're a team," he says. I stare at him for a moment, then shrug and say, "Sure." I take his hand, and ready myself to head out.
Within moments, we hear the anthem begin, and we see District 1's chariot begin moving, heading out of the prep area and out onto the Avenue of the Tributes. Tony and I wait impatiently as chariot after chariot heads out onto the street. Finally, we're the ones up, and our horses begin to move.
As we emerge onto the Avenue of the Tributes, we are greeted by screams and cries from the audience as they see me, which increase in volume as they take in our outfits. We literally look a burning coal, enveloped in fire. We hold our hands up triumphantly, and the roaring of the crowd only grows. As I look around, I look into the faces of Capitol citizens who have spent my life entire life adoring me, and who will soon be watching me possibly die. A sense of anger for the Capitol wells up in me, and I turn my attention away from them, focusing ahead.
Finally, we reach the City Circle, and we all come to a stop. As we do, President Snow steps up to the podium to give his brief speech. Despite the fact he's in his late 90s by now, he's still alive (regrettably) and ruling Panem. He's a little frailer these days, but it hasn't diminished his ruthlessness or his ability to rule Panem.
"Welcome. Welcome. Tributes, we welcome you to the Capitol. We salute your courage and sacrifice. And we wish you...Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor."
The crowd assembled on the Avenue erupts into applause at Snow's words. I just maintain a glare on Snow before the horses start moving again, and we follow the rest of the tributes into the Tribute Center.
As our horses slow to a stop, we see Cinna and Lillia walking over with my parents and Robin. As Tony and I step down from the chariot, my mother wraps me up in a big hug. "You were wonderful, sweetheart," she says.
"Thanks, mom," I say with a slight smile. I then pull back and look over at Tony and say, "Nice job, Tony." Tony just smirks in response, and I roll my eyes a bit.
"You two did very well. And Cinna, Lillia, you did excellent as always," my dad says with a lot of pride in his voice. Cinna and Lillia nod in response.
"Alright. Let's go upstairs and talk about the tributes and training," my dad says. We all nod, and everyone starts walking towards the elevators. As we do, Robin sidles up to me and puts his arm around me.
As we are riding up to our floor in the elevator, I look over at Tony. He is looking out of the elevator, that confident smirk on his face. I just look at him, wondering what on Earth is going on Tony's mind, and feeling there's a lot more to him than it seems.
And, I'll end there. Hope this wasn't too bad of a chapter. Next chapter, we start with training.
Next chapter will hopefully be up before the end of the year. Until it is, please leave a review and stay tuned!