Life's too short to worry about what people think of you.
-Lily Casey Smith
The Train, June 17, 2:00 pm
Coral Ivory (19) District 4 Mentor POV
Victor of the 222nd Hunger Games
"There it is," Penny whispers. "The Capitol."
I roll my eyes and sigh. It hasn't even been 24 hours and I'm already so done with her. First, she breaks my best friend's ankle, which makes her feel like she has something to prove and dies. Then, she prevents my other best friend from following her dreams. Now she's just being flat out annoying. I've begged the other mentor, Archer Hudson, to switch with me countless times, but he refused. So I'm stuck with Penny and I can't even give her bad advice because then I won't be allowed to mentor anymore. Victors get paid extra the years that they mentor.
"Penny, calm down," I say, adjusting my black crop top and white shorts. "You're supposed to be confident, not eager. No one in the Capitol is going to like you if you keep acting like this."
"I just-" she protests.
"Whatever," I say. "Archer, Dustin, come here!"
After a moment, the boys walk into the room. Dustin is wearing cargo shorts and a sky blue T-shirt the same shade as Penny's sundress. Admittedly, they look good together. Archer and I match as well; his shorts are black and his shirt is white, so we're each other's inverse. Even Azura is wearing a black, white and sky blue ensemble. I give each of us a once over and smile. District 4 looks damn good for the cameras.
"Alright guys," I begin. "This is the first look the Capitol is going to have of you outside of the Reaping. Do you remember your angles?"
"Determined but sweet," Penny says.
"Casual," Dustin follows.
"Excellent," Archer says. "Remember, when you get out there, make lots of eye contact. Make the people waiting for you notice you. Both of you, Penny especially, lots of smiles. Are you ready?"
Both tributes nod and Azura grins and presses the button that will open the door to the train so we can get out.
"Remember, everyone," she says. "Left foot first! Coral, Penny, get on my left, Archer and Dustin on my right! Tributes next to me, mentors on the outside."
We all step out of the train and are immediately hit with people taking pictures of us. Between people asking Archer and me for autographs and pictures with them to people slamming Penny and Dustin with questions about the Games, it's enough to put all of us on sensory overload. Eventually, we make the walk from the train to the Tribute Building and find ourselves safely inside.
"Penny, Dustin, Azura is going to take you to the Remake Center," Archer says. "It's a basement underneath the Training Center. The building has two basements. Coral and I are going to go up to District 4's floor of the Tribute Building and make sure everything is okay. The parade starts at 8:00, and we'll be down to see you by 7. Sound good?"
"Yup," Dustin says.
Azura leaves with Penny and Dustin and once they're out of sight, Archer and I walk to the elevator. We step in directly after Irene and Cyrus Chap from District 1 do, and I smile at them.
"How are your tributes this year?" I ask as Archer presses the 4 button.
"Really good, actually," Cyrus says. "Julius especially. They're friendly with each other, so they'll work well as a team. I'd be surprised if either of them pulled less than a 9 in training."
"Great to hear," I say. "My tribute is a little bitch."
"Coral…" Archer warns.
"What's up with Penny?" Irene asks.
"I just have a history with her. And this one," I say, looking towards Archer. "Won't let me trade with him."
The elevator stops on District 1's floor and Irene and Cyrus bid us goodbye. Once we get to our floor, we do a quick walk-around to make sure everything is in order, and it looks like everything is. All of the electronics work, the beds are made and there's an Avox in every corner.
"I'm gonna take a nap," I say. "Wake me up when we have to leave."
"Will do," Archer says.
With that, I go to my room and quickly fall asleep. I've never done well sleeping on trains.
The Remake Center, June 17, 3:30 pm
Tessa Ray (15) POV
District 12 female
My prep team is made up of three women, some more colorful than others. Liana is my favorite. She has tan skin, rose gold hair and bright green eyes. With a black dress and gold heels and jewelry, she has the best fashion sense out of all of them. She's in charge of my makeup. The woman who's doing my hair is named Felista, and she has scaly green skin, yellow eyes, and one long, dark green braid. She looks like a lizard, and it's freaking me the hell out. Lastly, my nails are getting done by a woman named Angith, who has hot pink hair, eyes, and skin. It hurts to look at her.
"You are so gorgeous!" Felista exclaims, dragging her claws through my hair.
"I know," I say, pompously, sitting up a bit straighter in my chair.
"We'll have to wax her, though," Liana says. "Maybe do a pore strip."
Are they really sitting here calling me a hairy, pimply beast? In my presence? I glare at them, but they don't notice.
"We're going to leave the room," Angith chirps. "While we're gone, we need you to get undressed and put on that robe." She gestures to a chair where a gray silk robe sits. The three of them exit, and filled with fear that they'll come back while I'm naked, I take off my dress and put on the robe faster than I've ever changed in my life. I don't usually rush; when I was young, my father told me that I was a special and beautiful girl who was well worth waiting for, and from that day on, I decided not to hurry for anyone.
Once I've changed, I sit primly in the chair and wait for a few minutes for them to come back. Looks like I made a mistake rushing, but better safe than sorry. They eventually come back and escort me to a different room full of shower products. Liana motions for me to take off the robe and I do, slightly hesitantly, before getting into the warm bubble bath in the center of the room. Felista washes my hair, Angith files my nails, and Liana exfoliates my entire body. Honestly, if not for the nakedness, I could get used to this. That's just more incentive to win.
When that's done, I step out of the tub and am immediately blasted dry by vents that also untangle my hair. I reach for the robe to put it back on, but Angith stops me, shaking her head and motioning for me to lay down on a metal bed. The three of them then spend an unbearably long time waxing my body, and it's making me want to die.
That's over after what feels like an eternity, and they move onto actually doing my hair, makeup, and nails. Felisita puts some curls in my otherwise pin straight hair and pins back the front pieces, pulling out some strands to frame my face. Angith paints my nails matte black with silver tips; the black is unsurprising, being from the crappy coal District, but the silver has me hopeful. Maybe we won't be dressed up as coal miners. Last year was pretty cool, as was the year before. I'm hoping they keep it up for at least this year. I can't see the makeup as it's being applied, but I can see that Liana tends to be favoring silver and black eyeshadows, liquid eyeliner and fluttery false lashes. I'm handed a mirror, and by the end of the transformation, in my robe, I look like a prostitute. Not a cheap one from the Seam, though; like a trophy wife who needed a hobby.
"What do you think, Tessa?" Liana asks.
"Do you like it?" Felista asks.
I nod, smiling genuinely.
"Wait until she sees her costume," Angith whispers to them.
This puzzles me even more, and I'm forced to wait to see if the costume is really good or really bad, and with everything in me, I hope it's the former over the latter.
The Remake Center, June 17, 7:00 pm
Marsellus Hopson (18) POV
District 9 male
Waiting for my spray tan to set in gives me a lot of time to think about the coming weeks, as well as my life thus far. No amount of expecting to be Reaped could have prepared me for actually hearing my name called yesterday. My family is the largest in the District, and I've taken out all of the tessera allowed, including Portia while she was alive. All of this coupled with the fact that this was my last year of eligibility means that I had more names in the bowl than anyone else in the District. But still, I was completely shocked when I was chosen for the Games.
Oneka, on the other hand seemed less shocked and more… Well, I don't want to say happy, but her tears didn't look sad. What possible reason could she have where she wanted to be Reaped for the Games? She seems nice enough, but based on the train ride here alone, she's a pretty negative person, and while I would usually be fine allying with my District partner, I don't need more negativity before I'm supposed to fight for my life. I want to have as clear of a head as I can, because if I can come out of the arena alive, I would like to.
I guess I could say that she seemed relieved. While I would like the next week or so to last forever to avoid going into the Games, she seems like she wants to rush through them, as if she just wants to get to the point. What a shame that this time is going to fly by for me but crawl at a snail's pace for her. The universe isn't kind enough to give us both what we want, so instead, neither of us gets it. I understand that the concept of time in and of itself is a human construct, but it would have been nice to be able to pretend that everything was okay.
Oneka has helped me though, and I don't imagine she knows why. Seeing her in this vulnerable state reminds me a lot of my mother's constant postpartum depression. Seeing the pain in her eyes, indicative of a bad life just from the bad luck she inherited from her parents, took me back to the days when my mother would be curled up into a ball on the floor, sobbing and mumbling unidentifiable things to anyone that would listen.
"Marsellus…" a small voice whispers behind me, as I'm faced watching our mother lying face-down on the concrete floor. "Why is mommy crying?"
"Jayden, go outside," I say, as gently as I can. "Take your brother and go outside. I'll talk to Mom, okay?"
The twins go outside, leaving me at age twelve to attempt to console my desperately sobbing mother. Already, I'm past the point of stroking her hair and encouraging her, telling her that everything would be okay. I passed that point the same day I realized that it is not my responsibility, especially at age twelve, to look after my mother and not the other way around. As selfish as it seemed, it wasn't my place, and I couldn't deal with the pressure anymore.
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" I ask, my voice flat, my gaze fixed past her.
"It's… It's just…" she stumbles, trying to find the right words. "It's your first year for the Reaping in a few weeks. My first time having one of my kids eligible. I just wish there was something I could do to-"
"Well, you can't," I say, cutting her off. "You can't do anything to protect me, especially not in your current mental state. You can't protect us when you can barely even protect yourself."
"But that's not fair," she says, sobs wracking her body.
"That's life," I respond.
The Remake Center, June 17, 7:00 pm
Adelaide Simon (15) POV
District 11 female
Even with my weeks in the Capitol during last year's Games, I've never met anyone quite like my stylist and prep team. My stylist, Raff, is a man with deep coffee colored skin and hair dyed to look like a rainbow, and my prep team is each a different metallic color; my makeup artist is gold, the nail artist is silver, and the hair stylist is rose gold. They did my makeup in rose tones, straightened my hair, and painted my nails a pearly pink color.
When my stylist handed me the hanger with my costume on it, I expected the worst. The entire costume was covered with a layer of black nylon material, and I took it off to reveal a costume more colorful than I would pick out for myself, but ultimately nowhere near as bad as it could have been. Don't get me wrong, it's not as good as the season changing costumes District 11 had last year, but it's far better than the overalls, plaid shirts and straw hats which we're usually saddled with for being the agriculture District. The four colorful Capitolites left the room to allow me to change with some privacy, which I appreciated. I took off the robe that was provided for me and started putting the costume on.
The first thing I pull out is a pink bralette covered in protruding flowers, a piece more cute than sultry. The next is a flared skirt that hits just above my knee, which looks like it's made out of giant pink flower petals. I put them on, then rifle around in the bottom of the bag for the other pieces. I withdraw the most complicated pair of shoes I've ever seen; peach gladiator sandals that lace all the way up my legs to the middle of my thighs. With some struggle, I manage to put them on. Lastly, there's a hair clip adorned with flowers and berries. I hold off on putting that on because it looks complex and I don't want to do it wrong, but I hold it up to the side of my head to see how it would look, along with taking in my outfit in the full-length mirror.
The door opens, and my stylist and prep team walk in.
"Do you like it?" Raff asks.
"I really do," I say. "You did a good job. What's Coy in?"
"Vest, pants, and boots," he says. "In a color scheme to match your headpiece."
"Cute," I say.
Raff motions for me to sit in a director's chair, and I do without hesitation. He takes a section of my hair and teases it at the top so the headpiece will stay in place better.
"What time is it?" I ask.
"7:30," Raff says, checking his large gold watch. The parade starts in an hour, and I have to admit I'm a little nervous. What if people don't like me? I know it's not likely that I'll come out of the Games alive, but the thought of there being no one who wants me to win is discouraging, to say the least. "Are you okay?"
"I guess," I say. "I'm just trying to get into a better mindset. The parade has me kind of anxious."
"I get it," he says. "But I'm sure they'll love you. Last year's girl from District 11 was so unladylike; a real nightmare, if I'm being honest. And the year before that, she was only 12 and didn't have a fighting chance. But you're different. I have high hopes for you, Adelaide."
"Thank you," I say. "I'll try not to let you down."
"I'm sure you won't," he says, smiling. "Let's go next door and get Coy. You can be early to the parade and scope out the competition as they arrive. Maybe even get some allies, if either of you are into that."
Coy and I have already decided that we're allying with each other, and we'd like to get another person or two if we can. Since Coy and I each lost someone to the Games last year, it would be a dream if we could get the girl from 10 to join us, that would be perfect, but we're open to just about anyone who isn't a Career.
"Sounds great," I say. "Lead the way."
The Remake Center, June 17, 7:00 pm
Elijah Stork (16) POV
District 5 male
"Now, let me see you two together," my stylist says, motioning for me to stand next to Clio. "Yes, just like that. Now, twirl."
Clio looks up so her eyes meet mine, rolling her eyes slightly. I don't know why she is so opposed to this. We just spent the last several hours being completely made over, and now she doesn't even want to show it off. She looks good, too. We're both wearing completely gray outfits with electric blue accents, giving the illusion of sparks flying. Random springs adorn our costumes, fully embodying District Five. I like it, and I don't understand at all why she doesn't.
"Clio, you have to smile," her stylist says. "You have to mean it. Or at least pretend. What makes you happy? What can you think about to get you smiling?"
She meets her stylist's eye, followed by my own, and when it becomes apparent that none of us are going to help her out, she shrugs.
"Any friends?" my stylist asks, trying to help. "Parents, siblings, pets?"
"No," she says, flatly. "But… I'll smile, I guess. If it'll help."
"Wonderful!" her stylist exclaims. "Oh, you two look so lovely together. Your coloring and your features… It was as if you were made to stand together."
"Much more attractive than most of the kids we get from your District, too," mine pitches in Except maybe Miss Schripe, but she was only pretty after we were through with her."
"I always thought Alicia was beautiful," her stylist says simply. "Clio and Elijah are a different kind of beauty entirely."
"We should be getting to the stables, anyway," my stylist says, panicking. "We don't want to be late."
I open the door for the others, letting them out first. I spin around, take a last look at the room, and set off to make my second impression on the country.
The Remake Center, June 17, 7:30 pm
Edison Burt (12) POV
District 7 male
Looking down at my red plaid button-down shirt and pants that both look and feel like tree bark, I feel nothing but the utmost confusion as to what my stylist and prep team were going for with my costume. It's definitely unique to anything I've seen District 7 wear for the Tribute Parade in years past, but that just makes it all the more confusing to figure out what I'm supposed to be.
"Exactly what am I dressed as?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Can't you see it, Edison?!" exclaims my eccentric stylist, Huck Overwhill. "I wanted to dress you both as trees, and Lydia's stylist Rumor wanted to dress you as lumberjacks. Well, we love both ideas, so we decided to dress the top half of you as lumberjacks and the bottom half as trees. What do you think?"
I sigh. "Frankly, I find the idea of both trees and lumberjacks to be unoriginal and derivative of the ideas of the stylists who came before you," I say. "A more original idea would be something like paper craft, or some wildlife. Even a few years ago when they were dressed as birds was better than this."
"Serves us right for trying to be creative," Huck says, annoyed. "We spend our whole lives trying to make you kids happy before you die and this is the thanks we get!"
"I'm sorry you feel that way," I begin, insincerely. "But this is the life you chose for yourself, so you need to grow up and deal with it. You chose to be a stylist, so you should have seen things such as this coming. I, however, did not choose to be a tribute in the Hunger Games, so I like to think I have every reason to complain."
Huck sighs. "I honestly don't remember the last time I had a tribute as annoying as you are," he says in a clipped tone. "You should be grateful that you get a free trip to the Capitol. Not to mention the fact that we're even spending time on you. If we were really lazy, we could just send you both out there with nothing but maple leaves covering your-"
"I get the picture," I say, shortly. The last thing I want to picture right now is being naked in front of all of Panem, alongside my District partner who would likely be just as embarrassed. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I'm sure everyone watching is going to love wondering what Lydia and I are dressed as."
"Thank you," he says, not sensing my sarcasm. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get your District partner so we can see you two together for any adjustments that may need to be made."
"Alright," I say. "I'll wait here."
Huck and my prep team all leave the room to get Lydia, as well as her stylist and prep team, and I'm left to reflect. I don't think I was too mean to Huck. I just don't understand why this is something he thinks we would all like taking part in. If someone wants to be in the Hunger Games, they'll volunteer for them. It's as simple as that, really. The only time a Reaped tribute is excited for the Games is if they were either from a Career District or if they were mentally insane, and I'm neither of the two. I guess that promises of honor and glory is enough to make any Capitolite go wild, but I wonder just how many of them would volunteer for the Games if the offer was presented to them. The whole lot of them are obsessed with the idea of the Games, which leads me to think that they would be similar to Districts 1, 2, and 4, but would it be different for them if it was their own daughters, sons, and friends, or would they be equally as brainwashed? Is it the physical idea of the Games that they like, or just the idea of them?
My train of thought is cut short when eight chirping Capitol citizens lead in my incredibly uncomfortable-looking District partner, clad in a floor-length, tight skirt that looks like tree bark and a red plaid button down with a deep V-neck that goes down to her ribs. The woman who I'm assuming is her stylist due to her position next to Huck and in front of the others motions for Lydia to stand next to me, which she does with some reluctance. I have to strain my neck slightly to look up at her, because she has quite a few inches on me. I remind myself that she's 18, and could probably best any number of tributes- aside from Careers, of course- in any form of physical altercation. The thought sends a shiver down my spine, and I once again have to remind myself that she's my District partner, and that District partners don't cause each other harm unless it's absolutely necessary. If she were to kill me and return home victorious, she would be shunned. Better off dying in the arena, in my opinion.
"Yes," Huck says, nodding with his hand on his chin. "I like this a lot. Both of you, give me a spin?"
I meet eyes with Lydia again and she offers me a small smirk before twirling slightly. I follow suit.
"I think they're ready, Huck," says Lydia's stylist.
"I agree," he agrees, smiling bigger than ever. "Let's get them down to the Stables, shall we?"
Lydia gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and we leave the prep-room, coming closer to our inevitable deaths with every step we take.
The Hallway June 17, 8:30 pm
Christopher "Topher" Price (17) POV
District 2 male
As soon as Alecto and I saw each other, she practically dragged me to the Stables, grabbing my wrist and rushing me in the direction the signs were pointing us. She's an unexpectedly fast walker, but she has much shorter legs than I do.
"What's the rush?" I ask.
"S- Scope it out," she says, with a slight frustrated sigh. "Get there f- first."
I stop dead in my tracks. "Why didn't you say so?" I ask, bending over slightly. "Get on. I'd bet my life I'm a faster runner than you."
After some hesitation, she reluctantly climbs onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. As soon as I'm sure she's secure, I take off in a sprint and we both start laughing. We pass by a very confused looking pair from District 10 who stare at us, not knowing what to make of us, probably because District 2 is notorious for being vicious and emotionless.
"No questions!" I shout, laughing. "Something to prove!"
We continue running and Alecto starts laughing even harder, which makes me laugh. Eventually, we reach the Stables and burst through the door, only to be confronted by the wimpy looking pair from District 11.
"Son of a bitch," I mutter, putting Alecto down. "We tried. Want to find somewhere to sit and wait?"
She nods half-heartedly, and the two of us walk over to a bench which sits against the wall. I sit down and she sits on my left, and we wait for a few moments for the doors to swing open again, revealing Penny and Dustin from District 4. I wave them down and they come over, moving with no real purpose so as to allow the pair from 11 to notice them. They make it over to the bench, and since there's no room for all of us to sit on it, Alecto and I stand to meet them.
"I'm Penny," she says, smiling.
"Dustin," says her District partner.
"My name's Christopher, but I like Topher better," I say, shaking both of their hands. "This is Alecto."
"Can she not introduce herself?" Penny asks, narrowing her eyes.
"She doesn't say much," I say, simply. I didn't get the full story from Alecto, but from what she did tell me, she was in an accident that impairs her speech, and I don't want to press her. I'm not that much of an asshole.
"Fine," Penny says. "Did you guys look at anyone else to join the alliance? Obviously all six of us are just fine, but…"
"Neither of us is opposed to the girl from District 7," I say.
"We talked about her as well," Dustin says. "The girl from 10 could be good for attracting sponsors, if nothing else."
As if on cue, the tributes from District 10 walk into the stable, and the pair from 11 immediately approach the girl, while the boy wanders off by himself. She only talks with them for a moment before I see her shake her head and walk away. I meet her eye and she winks, walking past us to claim a different bench.
"Topher and what's-her-face sitting in a tree," Penny sings. "F-U-C-"
"For the record," I say, cutting her off. "I'm all but engaged, and if I win the Games, I will be."
"Cute," Penny says, sounding like she doesn't really mean it.
"You know," Dustin starts, staring at the girl from 10. "It wouldn't be the worst idea to let her into the alliance. She's already gonna have sponsors up the ass, so it couldn't hurt to aim those sponsors towards us."
"Do you have a crush, Dustin?" I ask, faking a sarcastic sympathy.
"Nah," he says, smirking. "The girl from 1 is more my type."
"Fair enough," I say. "I do like the idea of the girl from 10, now that I think about it. I guess we'll just have to see how she does in training."
"Sounds good," Penny says.
"Agreed," says Alecto, curtly.
Less than a minute later, Linda and Julius walk in, both looking as great as the rest of the Careers. We repeat the whole hand-shaking process; me introducing Alecto, Linda being confused, but this time, Dustin explains.
"She doesn't say much," he says. The tributes from 1 nod.
"I was thinking we could invite Conn and/or Marsellus into the alliance," Linda proposes.
"Whom are they?" Penny asks.
"The boys from 8 and 9-" Julius supplies. "They both seem pretty-"
"More importantly," I interrupt. "Did you just use the word whom?"
"It's grammatically correct!" Penny protests.
"It's actually not," Linda say.
"And how would you know?" Penny asks, crossing her arms.
"I can be smart and pretty," she responds.
"I don't think you're either," Penny says snidely.
"Girls, girls," I interject. "You're both pretty. Can we stop arguing please?"
"Topher's right," Julius says. "We have to get along if we want to have any chance of having one of us win."
"Fine," Penny says. "Truce?"
"Yeah," Linda says, half-heartedly.
In the next half hour, the rest of the tributes trickle in, and before I know it, the parade is starting.
The Stables, June 17, 8:15 pm
Coy Levionne (12) POV
District 11 male
Adelaide and I were the first people to arrive at the stables, but the pair from District 2 followed soon after. Unsurprising. They both seemed pretty upset that they didn't get here first. Also unsurprising. The last District to show up was 3, and both tributes looked extremely upset when they got here. They showed up with only 15 minutes to spare, while Adelaide and I came an hour early.
In the time that we've been here, we've talked to the girls from Districts 6 and 10, as well as both from 12. Alayne and Adrian said that they were open to an alliance, but that they would have to see how we did in training first, Terry said we just weren't what she was looking for, and Tessa flat-out refused. It's a start.
"Do you think we should talk to Heather and Cyno?" I ask Adelaide as she scans the room.
"Coy," she begins. "You're only 12, and you have more maturity than both of them combined. There aren't many people I don't want to ally with, but both of them are on that list."
"I guess," I say.
"Tributes, please enter your chariots," says a bored looking Capitol man with a clipboard. "The parade will be beginning in two minutes."
I don't know much about the Capitol yet, but I do know that when someone with a clipboard tells you to do something, it would be wise to do it, so I step into District 11's chariot, and Adelaide follows suit. Once everyone is in their chariots, the lights in the stables go completely out.
After a few moments of a still, dark silence, a pair of double doors open, shining a bright white light on the entrance. District 1's chariot pulls out into the light, pulled by two stark white horses. Both of the tributes are wearing pale gold togas adorned with rubies, emeralds, sapphires, amethysts, and topaz, with brown leather belts and gold headbands. The girl's blonde hair is in an elaborate looking updo, and together, they resemble Greek gods. A bit overdone, but it gets a massively positive review every time.
After District 1 comes 2, and these tributes look like they're meant to represent the stone quarries themselves. The boy is wearing a dark gray jumpsuit with a lighter gray blazer and boots, and the blazer has red, blue, and yellow buttons holding it together, and has his hair combed neatly to the side. His District partner has a light gray leotard and boots with a large flared skirt of the same color as the boy's buttons, which, when it catches the light correctly, looks like sparks. It's never been done before, and the audience doesn't seem sure how to take it.
District 3 is another cliche, even worse than the Greek gods from 1. They're both wearing tight neon green pants with what looks to be circuit boards on them. The boy is wearing a vest that's the same material on one side, and the other side is composed of red and blue wires. The girl is wearing a wrap shirt made of the same wires, along with a cape, and her hair is in a slicked back ponytail. It's pretty underwhelming, and the costumes mixed with how the tributes reacted to being Reaped makes the audience want to get to District 4.
The stylists for District 4 seemed to really want to highlight the tributes' physical attractiveness. The girl is wearing a bright red bikini and is cloaked by a black fishing net, and the boy is wearing a red bathing suit and is also covered loosely by a net. Both tributes are toned and muscular, no doubt due to their years of weapons training for the Games. It's definitely not the most original costume of the night, considering that the girl from District 4 last year wore largely the same thing in blue, but it still makes the crowd go wild.
District 5 is far more original than the two Districts that came before it. The girl is wearing a blue cropped corset and a silver tutu that looks like it's made of electrically charged screws. The boy is wearing silver cropped pants, a white button-down shirt, silver suspenders and a bright blue bowtie, and his suspenders have the same charged look as his District partner's skirt. The crowd screams again.
District 6 is definitely out of the ordinary, but I'm not sure it's a good thing. Both Alayne and her District partner are wearing sheer black jumpsuits covered in what looks to be street signs covering the most important parts that need to be fully covered. Both are also wearing capes that are made to look like traffic lights. The audience gives an applause that sounds hesitant at first, then gradually grows to the magnitude of all of the other Districts.
District 7 has me legitimately confused. The stylists for the lumber District choose to dress their tributes as either trees or lumberjacks nine times out of ten, but this year, it looks like the stylists have gone for both. Both of the tributes are wearing red plaid shirts with pants that look like a tree trunk. The audience claps, but it's nowhere near as enthusiastic as it was for the six Districts that came before.
District 8 would be better if the girl would stop scowling. Both tributes are wearing the same thing; short gray leotards with dark red capes with abstract designs on them. The girl is wearing turquoise heels and the boy is barefoot in an attempt to get them closer to the same height, and he looks like he's trying to be enthusiastic enough for both of them. I can tell that he's going to be far more favored in the Capitol than his District partner.
District 9 is a similar case to the previous one, where the girl is sullen and upset and the boy is trying in vain to get the crowd's attention. They're both wearing bottoms made of wheat stalks- the girl's is a skirt that's shorter in the front than the back, and the boy's resembles a loin cloth- and both are shirtless, but the girl has necklaces covering her chest. It was an interesting tactic to go with a more sexual look, as both tributes are relatively plain looking.
District 10 is definitely better off than they were this year than last. Terry has a pair of short horns on a headband resting on her braided updo, along with a tan leotard and deep brown boots that rise up past her knees. The boy is wearing a similar outfit but with longer, more masculine looking horns and a jacket and shorts instead of a leotard. I don't blame whoever decided to dress Terry to show off skin; she's definitely not bad to look at.
Just before my and Adelaide's chariot rolls out, I turn around quickly to take one last look at Adrian and Tessa. Tessa is wearing a long sleeved black romper covered in glittering diamonds with pale silver tights and black combat boots. Adrian is wearing a similar outfit, but with shorts and a blazer instead of a romper and without tights.
Our chariot rolls out and the audience claps and cheers for us just as loud and long as they did for the others. Adelaide and I look at each other and grin, ecstatic. We were both a bit nervous that we wouldn't be well received, so it's a relief that people actually like us.
Maybe we'll get more sponsors than we thought we would.
So uh. It's been a while. Haven't updated this story since I was 15.
Congratulations to Topher for having the longest fucking heading.
There's a poll up on my profile where you can vote for your favorites!
1)Thoughts on Coral?
2) Whose costume was your favorite?
3) Whose costume was your least favorite?
4) Who do you see as a Capitol favorite at the moment?
-No one says no to Gaston!