A/N: Hello again my lovelies! Another edited chapter for you! Reviews keep me writing and make me happy! Again I do not own the characters or world!
Lily grimaced as another chunk of her skin was ripped off. Well, that was what it felt like. In reality she was being plucked like a turkey. Her prep team that glided around her were slowly but surely ridding her body of all its hair.
They had scrubbed her down several times and Lily had been mortified by the amount of dead skin and dirt that had been removed in the process. As she prepared for the next swathe of hair to come off, she distracted herself by watching her prep team in fascination.
They all looked bizarre with their Capitol fashion sense. They consisted of three people; Gwen, a very petite woman, standing at only about 5 foot but with shockingly yellow hair and surgically enlarged blue eyes with enormously long lashes. As Lily watched her she tried to determine the colour of her eyes precisely. They were the colour of the sky on a hot summer's day, when you'd want to sit with a cold drink in the shade, and despite their enlarged rather freakish appearance, Lily couldn't help but think they were beautiful.
On her other side was Jayen. Where Gwen was petite, Jayen was freakishly tall in comparison, something she emphasised with heeled shoes that were about eight inches high. Her hair fell around her shoulders in the pastel colours of the rainbow. Her lips were painted a garish fuchsia, though these were now pursed in concentration as she applied the strip of cloth that would rip out Lily's leg hair. Her face seemed rather gaunt, as if she hadn't been eating enough and this confused Lily because they had far more food in the Capitol than they could even dream of in the Districts, which meant it must've been a choice. Lily couldn't imagine why anyone would want to be that thin.
At her feet sat Ronar, a man with vibrant Orange hair that fell over his eyes. He was by far the most normal looking of the three but there was still something other worldly about him, just like the others. This much was made evident as they buzzed around her excitedly as they worked, raving about how delightful the games were going to be with so many 18 year olds competing against each other. They declared that this year's games were going to be the most exciting ever. Lily couldn't help but despise them.
"Last one!" came Jayen's nasally voice as she ripped the last bit of hair off her legs. They made her stand up and take off her robe and they circled her like vultures, plucking and picking at any individual hairs left on her body. Lily cringed in embarrassment but allowed them to continue. They were just doing their job, they didn't know any different. And Lily's heart softened a little towards them. How could she judge them when if she was in their shoes she may well feel the same? And it seemed like they truly cared about making her as beautiful as possible.
Finally they declared her finished and told her to wait for her stylist to come in. She had been plucked and polished, primped and primed. Her nails had been shaped, her face was baby soft and she was far cleaner than she could ever remember being. The door opened and Lily resisted the urge to cover herself as her stylist circled her with an eager eye, silently taking in every inch of her body.
As she circled, Lily observed her. Her skin was dyed a jaundicey yellow and had been dotted with pink and orange stars. Her hair was cut pixie short, barely touching her ears and seemed to be shimmering like gold. Finally, the woman waved her hand, indicating for Lily to put her dressing gown back on.
"My name is Cerus" she said with a small bow, "And I am the person who's going to help you make an impression in these games" she said, a twinkle in her eye. "Now" she clapped her hands, "Shall we have some lunch?" she pressed a panel on the wall and a door opened.
Cerus put a hand on Lily's back and lead her through the door. Lily, who could feel her nails, almost claw like through the thin fabric of the dressing gown, allowed her to lead her to a round chair where she perched on the edge, attempting to keep herself covered in the short garment. Cerus sunk back into a chair opposite her and smiled. She pressed another button and a table appeared through the floor. An assortment of breads and cheeses on intricate looking platters, bowls of stew and rice, a type of roasted bird Lily had never seen before, resting on a bed of leaves with tiny little pearls of something orange interspersed...the food made Lily feel a little sick, thinking of how little they had back home in the districts but here food could appear magically at the press of a button. She felt Cerus' gaze on her and looked up. The woman dropped her gaze quickly and picked up a piece of bread.
"So!" she said as she began helping herself to food, gesturing for Lily to do the same, "This year we've decided to portray you as a sort of matching pair. Your fellow tribute will be dressed, not matching you, but complimenting you. " She smiled across the table at Lily, "How do you feel about leather?"
Several hours later she found herself standing beside Severus, both getting finishing touches to their costumes before they were to climb up into their carriage. Lily tugged uncomfortably at the bottom of the dress she had been placed in. To be fair, theirs wasn't the worst costume. She saw the District twelve tributes naked and covered in black powder. She felt severely sorry for them, but at least they wouldn't look so bad.
Beside her Severus was dressed in an old fashioned cowboy outfit. He wore a checked shirt, a leather vest and trousers that looked like they were made directly from cow hide, with large black and white spots. He had tan boots on that stretched half way up his calf and he was pulling at the string around his neck which helped hold his ridiculous hat in place. Yes, he looked ridiculous, but at least he wasn't in danger of exposing himself in from of thousands and thousands of people.
Because where Severus was dressed as the cow boy, she was dressed as the cow.
Well, sort of.
Tight black leather clung to her in a strapless dress that only came a few inches down her thighs. It was skin tight and she struggled to move in it. To make matters worse, the dress was in a sweetheart neckline that emphasised her chest by pushing it up and forward. She felt like the dress would ride up or expose her at any moment. She had on black stilletto heels, which she tottered into the square on. It was a good thing she wouldn't have to move whilst on the chariot. Her prep team had put something heavy black and ink like all around her eyes, far further than she thought necessary, they had almost reached her cheekbone. They had made the large black lines meet together in a sharp point on either side of her face. Thankfully they had mostly left her hair alone. They had curled it slightly but left it hanging down the side of her face.
As her make-up was touched up she moved her eyes, watching the rest of the tributes until they fell on the District four tributes. Whilst the girl was dressed reasonably tastefully in a mermaid type costume, consisting of a tight skirt with shimmering scales that came to just below her knees, with a purple strappy top that joined to it. The effect was rather attractive she had to admit. At that point a stylist moved and Lily's eyes fell on...on...
It was him.
James.
Scowling slightly and playing with his costume.
To be honest he probably shouldn't be playing with it because it seemed to be placed incredibly precisely. Like her, James didn't seem to be wearing much at all. A very carefully placed net was knotted around his waist, covering everything that needed covered but allowing his physique to be admired. He seemed to be shimmering and Lily could only assume they'd smothered him in a gold like powder. He looked...well...god-like... Lily struggled to form a coherent thought. His broad shoulders and toned body seemed to be staring right at her and she couldn't look away. How could the scrawny little boy she'd played with for years turn into this? He looked, well...Lily couldn't help but find him remarkably attractive and knew the audience would eat it up and fall in love with him instantly.
As if feeling her gaze, James' eyes shot up, searching through the tributes gathered around him and his gaze locked onto hers. His mouth dropped open slightly and his eyes widened and Lily saw them travelling down her body before snapping up to her face again. They seemed to hold their locked gaze for hours; Lily gulped and pulled at her dress subconsciously. A change came over James' face and suddenly he was scowling at her, his eyes narrowed, his mouth downturned. Unsure how to react to his new development she still found it difficult to tear her eyes away from him, chewing on her lip until...
"What are you drooling over him for Lily, he's obviously not interested" Severus smirked a little and Lily's eyes shot down to the floor, breaking their contact with James.
"I'm not drooling" she hissed at him. Her eyes returned to James without even thinking and found him deep in a passionate conversation with his district partner. She turned away, suddenly finding it too much to bear. Her stomach flipped over several times and she took a few shuddering breaths, made difficult by the tightness of the dress. "I think I might faint in this thing" she muttered, placing her hands on her hips and attempting to catch her breath.
"I think you look utterly wonderful" said Severus, a strange look in his eyes that Lily couldn't quite understand. "You look like you could rip someone's throat out" he grinned, "The Capitol will love it"
Lily caught her lip in her teeth again. She certainly didn't feel wonderful, and she could imagine her family's reaction to the outfit when they saw the broadcast. And if she was being honest, James' reaction to her had shocked her. She didn't know what she'd been expecting but it certainly wasn't that reaction.
She mentally shook herself.
Why was she being so emotionally attached?
They'd have to face each other in the arena soon; there would be no place for sentimentality there.
It seemed that James was already prepared for just that. And frankly that scared her.
"Right," declared Rhyad delightedly, "Oh you both look so fantastic! You're going to knock them dead out there" she paused and then laughed, "Did you hear what I did then? You'll knock them dead?" she laughed, prettily, a feat Lily had never been able to accomplish. When she laughed she tended to snort. Once Rhyad had pulled herself together a little she added, "Come on then, up onto the Chariot! Make your districts proud! Remember this is a very important moment to catch the eyes of sponsors! If you impress them now they're more likely to help you later in the arena!"
Severus climbed up into the carriage and offered his hand to Lily to help her up. Gratefully she took it and allowed him to help her up. With the gargantuan heels she was wearing she needed all the help she could get not to topple over.
She wobbled slightly as she positioned her feet on the floor of the chariot and gripped hold of Severus' arm to steady herself. She noticed a pained sort of look cross his face and let go, using her arms to balance herself. After a few minutes she had found a way to positioning her feet so that the likelihood of her falling over was reduced.
Her gaze travelled several chariots over, brushing over districts one and two who looked amazing, despite some of their brutal appearances. Their costumes complemented that side of them perfectly. Her eyes once again fell onto the District four chariot, where her eyes locked onto James without her even thinking. His back was facing her and she watched his muscles tighten slightly at his neck and arms.
Severus coughed and she glanced over at him, feeling guilty but not sure why. "You might want to focus on the task ahead" he said, "Looking at him is not going to help you win sponsors."
Furious with him for being so judging but also for being slightly right, Lily faced the front, watching the gates open and the trumpet sounds of the anthem began to play.
Without a word spoken to them, the horses of the chariots started moving them forward, at a measured pace. Lily watched and listened as the chariots at the front moved out into the open. She listened for the cheers of the ecstatic crowd and within moment the cries of excitedness and delightedness assaulted her ears.
Three, 4, 5, the carriages rolled out of the gates, equidistant apart and Lily had to admire the skill and training of the horses. They rolled forwards towards the gate. Seven, Eight, 9.
And then they were rolling out into the light of the setting sun. The crowds cheered as they entered into their view. Lily swallowed and stood, arms slightly away from her body, her back straight, shoulders back and put on her best intense eyes, the ones she gave Severus when he was being irritating. Perhaps she could convince them that she could be fierce. She allowed herself a small smile as they rolled down the straight to the applause of the spectators. Some people began shouting out "District Ten!" as they passed and Lily raised a hand in wave. The crowd seemed to love it and her smile stretched. Might as well attempt to make people like her. She heard some cries of "Lily!" from the audience, as they obviously searched the program for their names. Lily found herself a little confused as they called her name. She hadn't expected to make an impression.
But then she caught a glance of herself in one of the screens. And...she had to admit, she looked good. The dark makeup surrounding her eyes made the whites more piercing and made the green jump out. The dress, though shorter and more revealing than she was comfortable with, actually made her look fierce and actually, to her surprise complimented her figure remarkably well. She looked like a dark angel of some sort. She lifted her chin slightly and waved in faux confidence to the crowds. Because though she now knew she looked good, there was nothing stopping her heart beating in her throat at a hundred beats a minute.
If anything it made her even more petrified.
Remarkably Lily kept her balance as the chariot rolled forward and then veered to the left as they reached the inner circle. And then she found herself at a standstill, surrounded by the other tributes, facing the presidential residence where President Riddle stood, waiting pale and distant, like a nightmare waiting for you to fall asleep so it could pull you into its clutches. She watched with bated breath as the anthem played and he stepped forward out of the shadows.
Though not what you would call a beautiful man, he had a striking quality to him that made you want to both watch him and recoil from him at once. The way a snake has brightly coloured scales but a venomous bite. You know better than to be deceived by the exterior.
"Welcome Tributes!" he proclaimed, "We honour you today for your courage, your valour and your sacrifice!" his voice seemed almost snake like in its refined elegance "You remind us of the strength and courage it took to get where we are and our continued commitment to keep it" he paused, the spell he seemed to have cast over everyone holding securely "Your sacrifice in the coming weeks gives us hope and is the reason we, as a nation can continue to grow strong" he finished with a flourish, "May the odds be ever in your favour" and he raised his glass as if to salute them.
The crowd broke into tremendous applause and hysterical screaming as one by one the chariots turned around from where they stood and headed towards the Training Centre.
Where they would have three days to learn all they could, to impress the gamemakers, to give themselves their best chance.
So they might survive.