Conrad Martell 18, District 6

Once the prep team have finished scrubbing me down, I am left waiting until finally they return to dress me in my parade outfit. It was one of the more humiliating experiences that has happened to me but I'm sure far worse is still to come. They begin dressing me in this kind of old yellow and blue cotton shirt with two rusty buttons in the centre to keep it together, along with brown, leather, string tied pants. To top it all off, the outfit is fitted with various old, metal cogs, platings and even an exhaust pipe on the back so much so that I almost end up looking like a cyborg.

Now that they are finished the prep team hastily leaves and my stylist re-enters. She has a smug and almost callous look on her face as usual.

"Come look in the mirror," she orders, gesturing with her finger.

I shuffle, awkwardly over to her thanks to the metal plating hindering my movements until I'm stood in front of her, facing my own reflection in the mirror. Under my dark blond, messy hair and blue eyes, under my facade of confidence I can see a scared kid looking back at me. One that lost everything at a young age. I don't think anyone can see it though and I can't let them.

"What do you think?" Are next words that come from my stylist's mouth.

"It's… a bit old school. Not really my style," I say honestly.

She scoffs at my reply, almost like she's offended. I would find these people's lack of awareness of our situation almost hilarious, if it wasn't happening to me.

"Old school? Would you rather be dressed like a tramp, just the way I found you?"

I don't answer her insult, only continuing to stare into my own dark blue eyes.

"Old school? Think about it, everything in the past is always better than the present," she continues.

So now I understand her thought process behind the outfit. Is it pure nostalgia?

She walks off towards the cabinet to fetch what looks like some powder to polish me off I guess.

"You're right things in the past are always better than things in the present," I agree, as she turns her back.

"Because five minutes ago… you weren't here," I say under my breath, so she can't hear me.

She returns with the powder and dabs it quickly on my face before staring into my eyes for long enough that it makes me uncomfortable.

"If all else fails just use your good looks to win them over," she says, shaking my cheek like I'm a puppy or something.

Not long after, I am led out to the chariot where Emily is waiting in a similarish outfit only she has a dirty old brown jacket along with a brown cowboy hat, matching her curly mid length hair that has been tied. She looks a little sheepish, like she is in a kind of trance of stunned silence from being reaped. Unsure what to do. Quick Conrad, think of something funny to say to cheer her up.

"No fair I didn't get one of those," I joke, pointing to her hat.

She sends me a quick chuckle which gives me a warm feeling in my heart, knowing that at least I've been able to make someone feel a little better in this awful situation.

"How you holding up?" I ask.

She shrugs with a nod, trying to feign that she might be ok.

"Sorry that was a dumb question," I laugh.

"No no… I appreciate your concern," she smiles.

I glance around briefly at the other tributes in their various costumes. I notice the small district 3 boy dressed in a big, fluffy bumblebee outfit although he seems a lot happier than he should be. Buzzing around and acting as if he was a bee. I feel a small smile appear on my face at this boys antics but also my gut fills with butterflies of sadness, knowing what awaits him soon. Yet I'm also intrigued. My mind quickly makes a note of this tribute, stood out from the others as "Goofy bee boy from District 3."

"Well, it could be worse," I say, turning back to Emily, gesturing to the District 3 boys costume. She smiles again which in turn makes me smile.

Together we clamber awkwardly onto the chariot with our cumbersome costumes. The chariots begin moving finally, with the District 5 pair directly in front dressed in an electric blue suit. As we are suddenly illuminated by the blinding light and roars from the crowd, I catch Emily staring at my profile.

"Now I remember where I recognise you from," she suddenly chimes.

"That…night…" she croaks, as if the memory is hurting her a little.

"You were in a red vehicle."

A red vehicle? She must be talking about my junker.

"That does sound like me," I chuckle.

"You almost hit me…" she finishes.

"That… may also sound like me," I admit with a pause.

"It's ok," she laughs.

"It actually wasn't the worst thing that happened to me that night," her voice is slowly drowned out by the crowd as she gets to the end of her sentence.

Adelina Claire 12, District 10

Multiple hands tug at my arms and shoulders, slamming me down onto the table! My legs are still kicking the prep team wildly, now that I can't hit them any more with my fists.

"Get a-hold of yourself!" My Stylist shouts.

I don't answer, only continuing to scream and thrash about.

Two more people clamp my legs down! No I feel completely out of control, fear and panic floods through my every vein. There's nothing I can do to stop it, no way out.

I see my stylist approaching me cautiously again, she reaches forward, gripping my jaw with her disgusting leathery fingers.

"Listen, the more you struggle the harder this is going to be."

The only response I give snapping bite to her fingers! She stumbles back, clutching her two fingers in pain and cursing at me.

"She bit me!"

In the end they dressed me as some kind of old farmer from a long time ago, I feel extremely uncomfortable and itchy in it but at least I have my cloth doll that my parents gave to me before they died. I hug it to my chest, its the only form of comfort I can bring myself in this place. Now that I'm out in the open, I begin to see the other tributes dressed in their various costumes.

District 8 seem to stand out for me, they are dressed formally in a kind of military uniform with the pale girl adorned in golden jewellery above it. There is a small girl from district 7, no older than me but like me she has a district partner in his late teens. They are both dressed in a kind of wooden armour to match the theme of their district. Although it looks a little ridiculous on the girl as most of the plates are too big for her small body. She catches me looking at her briefly, so I quickly divert my eyes down.

The tributes from District 2 also catch my eye as they are dressed quite literally as stone statues. District 9 are the last to get my attention, both dressed as scarecrows and fluffed up with corn but more interestingly they seem to be keeping a safe distance from each other and trying to avoid as much contact with each other as possible. They couldn't hate each other more than me and Jonathan do? Surely?

Of course finally my eyes turn to Jonathan. The pale freak is glaring at me but this time I just face away and ignore him. Our escort made sure there are Peacekeepers constantly monitoring us so we don't end up in a fight again, ready to step in. That's the last thing I want because although I hate Jonathan, I still hate Peacekeepers and find it hard to restrain myself from assailing them.

Then we are practically forced up onto the chariot, I'm making sure still to avoid any eye contact with Jonathan just so he doesn't tick me off. I'm not sure if I would be able to stop myself from attacking him again if he annoys me and getting into a fight with him in the middle of the parade would only get me into more trouble.

The chariots begin moving forward again together and belows from the crowds begin filling my ears until they feel like they are getting assailed by an angry mob! I'm beginning to panic! I can't stand it! The crowds, the noise, the capitol, Jonathan… it's all too much! I feel my heart racing with anxiety! Now I feel myself start to jump up and down. Panicking and covering my ears! We are only half way through the parade, make it stop. Make it stop! This has to be over soon!

Jade Hastings, 18, District 1

I lay on a cushioned metal table, surrounded by my prep team. I do what they say and let them scrub and shave me clean. The wax rips hairs out of my skin, hair in places I never gave a second thought to. Every time they do something new and painful, they thank me for my cooperation and praise my lack of complaints. Apparently last years female tribute was high maintenance. Under normal circumstances, I might have expressed my displeasure, but my mind is focused on something else – the Careers.

Henry has shown me his hand, and he's going to regret it. I'll give him some credit – it took me off guard. To my knowledge, Rosaline refused to talk after her…"accident". She wouldn't tell anyone how it happened or who it was with. But somehow, someone put two and two together and spread it around the Academy. Now that I know he knows, I'll be prepared if he tries to bring it up to our allies. In the meantime, I need to assert myself as a leader.

I wasn't too impressed with those who ended up volunteering from Two. The girl looks young, like Henry, and the boy lacks personality. Although the arena is where we shine, we need to be likable, appealing to the Capitol audience. Otherwise, we risk being outshined by lower districts. I refuse to be outshined by those losers.

I was more impressed by the two from Four. Both look strong, and have already made quite the impression. There's something about the boy I can't quite place. He's hiding something, and I need to know what. And the girl, literally shoving someone off the stage at the reapings, she's certainly got a fight. I don't blame her. I did worse to secure my spot.

So it's important I make a strong first impression. Even Henry can't ruin that for me.

"Alright love, you're ready for your dress!" One of them squeals and I smile. As they leave the room, I close my eyes and whisper to myself.

"Please be a fabulous dress."

An hour later, I'm standing with Henry at our carriage at the front of the pack. My stylist, a lovely younger gentleman named Raymus, designed both of our outfits. He put me in a long ball gown, the corset is white and lined with diamonds following my curves. They flow down to the puffy skirt, and line the sheer layer that lays on top of a shimmery white material. In the light, I basically glow.

My hair is up in a braided bun. Before I left the dressing room, Raymus put glitter in my hair. "A nice touch." He said. I didn't complain.

He put Henry in a white suit that's also lined with diamonds along the cuffs and down the center. His hair is slicked back with gel, which to me makes him look like a little kid trying on his father's clothes. When Raymus brought me out, I told him just that. He explained that he'll look older from a distance. I hope he's right. Although I'm clearly the one that will gain more attention, it's important that he looks good too. His reputation will be linked to mine.

"Nice dress." Henry says to me very nonchalantly, like he didn't passively threaten me on the train. I just smile back.

"Thanks. Nice suit." I shoot back, making sure he can see my sly smirk. He won't catch me off guard again, and he knows it.

As we stand in silence, I watch as the other Career tributes begin to file out. Tatiana and Franz are first, standing out in their large statue-esque outfits. Are they literally dressed as statues?

Tatiana doesn't seem too pleased about it, but Franz looks unbothered. His eyes find mine and I waste no time walking over to them. I outstretch my hand.

"Jade Hastings. District One." Franz takes it, his grip is firm. I'm a little unsettled by his lack of emotion. Out of my peripheral vision, I see Henry realize I'm missing and coming to join us.

"Franz." He finally says, letting go of my hand. Tatiana doesn't move to take it, so I let it drop by my side.

"Tatiana. What do you want?" She asks.

I was trained for this. "Well, this is the first time we're meeting. We need to become familiar with each other before we have to rely on each other out in the arena. That is, unless you aren't a part of the Career pact this year." I raise my eyebrow, gauging her reaction. There is none.

"No, it was just a question." She turns her head and I follow, watching Marissa and Taliesin walk in behind two kids dressed in armor that is seemingly made of wood. Must be from Seven.

Marissa and Taliesin join us, and that's when I realize how exquisit their outfits are. Marissa is wearing a sheer top embroidered with seashells and glitter. She has a tight purple skirt that flares out right at her ankles. It's detailed the same as her top. Her hair is half up half down, braided and also glittered out. She looks amazing.

Taliesin got the same treatment, except in his right hand is a trident decked out in gemstones and glitter. Up close, I can tell its rubber, but from a distance, it's marvelous.

"What are you staring at?" Marissa directs at me. I feel my face getting hot, but I push it back.

"Just looking at your costume. It's well done." I say, letting my eyes move away from her. I don't miss the snicker from Talisein that he doesn't really try to hide.

"I do outshine you all." Marissa mutters loud enough for us all to hear. I think Henry is about to speak up, but she cuts him off. "Alright. Enough small talk. I want us to know our strategy now. And I want to lead." This shocks me.

"I-" I'm cut off by the robotic announcer telling us to board our chariots. Marissa and I stare at one another, each waiting for the other to make a move.

"We'll put it to a vote later. Come on." Franz says, moving towards his chariot. Tatiana follows, and the rest of us slowly disperse. As I return to our chariot, I find myself more confused than I ever anticipated. Henry seems to be getting a kick out of it, but I just ignore him.

I need to keep my head straight, or it'll fall off in no time.

Tristan Card, 14, District 8

I stand besides Aeliana as the trumpets begin to blast and my ears begin to ring. I can see anger in Aeliana's eyes, and I try to take her hand as a way to comfort her, like I used to do with Arianwen. But Aeliana pulls away and gives me a threatening glance, so I grip onto the handle bars and keep my focus ahead.

The horses in the front begin moving and as expected, the crowd erupts. From a distance, I can see the pair from One shining extremely bright from the lights above them. They both seem to be eating up the attention, waving and blowing kisses. Definitely a favorite.

Next is the pair from Two, and despite their unconventional outfit this year, they get equal, if not more, applause from the crowd. Although both of them seem a little more uncomfortable than their predecessors, they do alright.

When the pair from Three emerge, I can hear laughter fill the auditorium. The boy's bee costume is a joke compared to the Careers. Although the audience knows it, the boy doesn't seem to catch on. There's something sweet about his innocence though. It causes a pain in my heart when I think about his likely fate in the arena.

The crowd turns their laughter into cheers when they see the costumes from Four. I realize how strong the love is for the Career districts this year. They'll all have rich sponsors for sure.
When District Five comes out in their electric blue suits, they receive some of the leftover applause from the previous District. It dies down even more with Six, with the pair wearing a pretty antique cowboy type thing equipped with metal accessories. I'm not sure what their stylists were going for. Even the wooden armor from Seven seems more popular than that.

With District Seven out in the lights, I realize we're next. Our outfits aren't amazing, we're wearing formal military outfits garnished with medals on our shirts. I think the outfits are a replica of what Capitol soldiers wore in the war against the Districts during the Dark Days, but I'm not sure. Regardless, the Capitol citizens clap for us as we emerge out onto the stage. I manage to compose myself and wave to the stadium, earning a bit more cheers. Hopefully one of you likes me enough to support me.

It might work in my favor that the two from Nine are dressed in horrible scarecrow outfits. I wish I knew what their stylists were thinking. Even the farmer get-up the two from Ten were put in make a better impression than that.

I'm at first surprised by the louder reaction when District 11 makes their entrance, but after I get a quick glance at them, I'm not really surprised. They're both wearing golden outfits; the girl in a dress and the boy in a suit; with golden capes and golden crowns. The girl's crown looks like it's floating on her curls, adding to the effect. They do look good.

And the excitement dies down with District 12, who are wearing the same coal miner outfit they do each year. I think they powdered their outfits and bodies in coal dust, but it's hard to tell from a distance. Regardless, the crowd isn't impressed.

With all of the chariots out on the stage, I finally get to see all 24 of us together. Looking from chariot to chariot, from competitor to competitor, I realize how much it's going to take to beat all of them for the title of victor. I gulp, but I begin formulating a plan in my mind. I can't go down without a fight.

Hey hey we're back with another chapter. I (nautics) has had some personal issues but I hope to be back to a regular schedule. The first two povs were written by nautics and the second two by Team Shadow. See you next time for the training days!