Chapter 11.- Silver Bellcreek
I hold the sparkling silver dress in my hands and stare in awe at it. "It's to symbolize the diamonds of your district," Kensa says. Kensa is my stylist, and I like her very much so far. She looks more like people from home than anyone I've seen yet; my prep team was so altered and dyed and tattooed they frightened me a little. I look in the mirror; my hair is done up in an elaborate twist, my face has been drawn out with the makeup. I look stunning. "Thank you, Kensa!" I say. She beams at me. "You'll be the hit of the opening ceremonies!" she says in her high pitched Capitol accent.
I get escorted downstairs by Kensa and two assistants from the Remake Center; we come out from the elevator into a large stable. Glow is standing by what I think are our horses talking to the brutish boy from District 11. Someone taps me on the shoulder and I whirl around to see the beautiful girl from District 9. "Hi. I'm Beade," she says, sticking out her hand. I shake it, saying, "Silver." Sadly, Beade's outfit doesn't fit her beauty; she and her district partner are dressed as stalks of grain. "Nice costume," I say. She snorts. "My stylist is an idiot. Wish I could have had yours." I spin around and I am engulfed in a shower of diamonds.
"Oh look, 10's joining us," Beade says in a sarcastic tone. Sure enough, the tough looking girl from 10 is marching over, dressed as a cow of all things. She plants herself in front of us. "Osa Bellock, age thirteen. I do not want us to be enemies in the arena, at least not at first." Beade and I look at each other. "Alright then," I say after a brief silence.
"Everyone over to your horses!" someone calls. Beade pats my shoulder. "See you later, Silver." I walk to the front of the line, to the shining silver horses. "Up you get," Kensa says. Glow gets up beside me. Then the doors open, and we start off. And the Capitol people love us. "Silver! Silver!" they call. I grin more widely than I have ever before. I start to wave, to blow them kisses, to call back to them, "Thank you! Thank you!" Glow is waving next to me, just as enthusiastic as I am. "I love you all!" I cry, and the crowd goes wild. We go around the City Circle, make a loop. I get a glimpse of the other tributes' costumes. The District 4 tributes are mermaids, how stupid! The District 2s are dressed as warriors, which is very fitting. The girl, Curia I think her name is, is very, very lethal looking. Of course, the District 12 tribute costumes are dreadful: the girl is dressed simply in a grey leotard with a headlamp on her head; the boy has a unitard with the headlamp.
The president makes a speech, but I don't pay attention to it. Instead I am mesmerized by watching the other tributes. The District 7 girl looks incredibly angry, the boy looks sick and nervous; the 5 girl, Violet, is watching the president speak with an unwavering stare, her red hair tied up in a braided hair wrap with little lights tied into it; her costume is a long twinkling dress studded with lightbulbs. Of course, District 5. Power. Suddenly, the president has stopped speaking and the horses start up again, start to pull us back towards the Remake Center. I jump down almost as soon as we get back inside the doors. "Great job, Silver! You looked fantastic!" Kensa says. I beam at her. "Let's get you to your quarters in the Training Center where you'll be staying." Glow and I follow her out of the building; I turn back and wave to Beade as I leave. Could she be a future ally?