Here's some random chicks
Soleil Kingston, District Eleven female (17)
My outfit was lovely. The hallway all us Tributes stood in was ornate and stunning and way more impressive than anything I'd seen before in my life. People were running every which way, from half-dressed Tributes to garish Capitolites. Everything was the fuss and hubbub and chaos of the parades and yet somehow I wasn't thinking about that at all.
For the first time in my life, I didn't want to be alone. Getting out and mixing with people and making friends had never seemed either easy or necessary for me. I always drew away from them, afraid of what they might judge me for or how I might embarrass myself in front of them. The last thing I wanted was a spotlight. But I couldn't afford that now. If I tried to play the Games on my own, I would die. Whether or not I wanted a friend, I needed one.
Out of twenty-three Tributes I really only had seventeen to work with. Obviously the Career pack wasn't the place for me. The Careers were the only ones all clumped together, their alliance made months before they even met each other. It must be strange to be a Career- to have your choices and allies so planned out for you. I couldn't imagine just meeting someone one day and being expected to live or die with them without knowing anything about them. I could see them awkwardly making small talk as they lurked around their chariots, most dressed in some martial uniform or another. Each District pair clumped together as they all tried to figure out their new allies. The Fours, I noticed, mingled more easily than the others. Perhaps they were an especially friendly pair, or maybe there was bad blood between them. That would be interesting- a Career pair who hated each other. Probably wouldn't last long in the Games.
My own District partner was the most obvious choice, and Cultur and I had already started floating the idea. We hadn't decided anything yet, so as I peeked around the room I marked down anyone who seemed like they might be helpful for me. The boy from Nine seemed responsible-looking and mature. He looked like he'd been through things before and knew what to do. His District partner looked capable as well, but I noticed she frequently started up conversations with Cultur and tried to keep them going. An extrovert and me would drive each other crazy as allies.
The girls from Three and Five both looked collected. They probably had skills opposite to mine, being urban while I was raised in the country, and that would hedge our bets for whatever Arena we ended up with. On the other hand, Kjole and the girl from Ten were both very strong-looking. I wouldn't want to pick a fight with someone who had them as an ally. The Ten girl was very exuberant but her simple friendliness didn't feel as overwhelming as it might have.
I looked over at Cultur as we waited backstage, standing awkwardly beside our chariot. Should I try to start a conversation? See how he feels about things? Or would it be too clingy? I was actually relieved when a gong sounded and we were hustled into our places. Then I just had the parade to worry about.
Nailah Nebit, District Two female (18)
One, two, three four. Hold. One, two, three four.
Noise. There was so much noise. Noise and rushing people. People everywhere, knocking into me as they ran across the backstage area to deliver something or put something into place. People clamoring and shouting over each other as they shoved the chariots into place and checked all the last details. Nero and I made eye contact and I saw the same confusion and apprehension on his face. I was sure all this made sense to the Capitolites and seemed perfectly logical. I knew a lot went into any big event but I hadn't known it would be this crazy.
The wall slid open in front of the chariot ahead of us and light poured in on me. I threw my arms in front of my face, dazzled by the sudden flood of light and noise. When I put them down the One chariot's horses started forward at some signal I'd missed. Music blared over my head and the crowd, already noisy, exploded into cheers as the chariot reached the top of the ramp.
Oh, that's going to be us in a minute. I just had time to realize before our chariot horses lurched forward, making me tip a little at the sudden motion. I grabbed onto the chariot edge as the horses pulled us up to the top of the ramp leading into the parade corridor.
That's...so...many...people...
The ornate bleachers went up like buildings on either side of the marble parade pathway. I couldn't even take a guess at how many people there must be. A town's worth, certainly. A city's worth? Just people upon people upon people. And every one of them making noise.
I turned my mind back to my exercises before I could get overwhelmed. One, two, three four. I took in a slow and deep breath, counting through the duration. I held the breath for another four seconds, thinking about spreading through me and grounding me. I let the air out slowly over a final four seconds. I don't like crowds. I don't like being this close to so many people. But I'll get through it. This will pass.
It might have helped if I wasn't wearing a ridiculous leopard outfit. Nero had a respectable soldier's outfit and I was a random catgirl. I felt as exposed and mortified as the kid who had an "accident" in school. I put up a furred hand to hide my face as we continued down the path.
"Meowwww." I thought I must have been hearing things and peeked out from my hand in sheer confusion. I was greeted with Nero dangling one of the feathers from his helmet in front of my face.
"Kitty kitty kitty," he said.
I clutched the edge of the chariot again as I burst out laughing. Sometimes it's that or cry, and I chose to make the best of it. As I laughed I let some of the tension drain away as I embraced the silliness. I still didn't like crowds. I was still miserable and just counting the seconds until we reached the other end of the corridor. But at least I could admit it was kind of funny.
Gigi Sampson, District Five female (16)
"What's this one?"
Tomorrow, training would begin. I'd spend all my time learning about how to survive or kill. I wouldn't have time for pretty things or daydreams. But this wasn't tomorrow. Right now I was with the stylists watching as they buzzed around and made me beautiful. I couldn't train yet so it was okay to enjoy this moment while it lasted. For these next few hours, I was a teenage girl getting a makeover.
"That's a contour brush," Tsarmina said. "You use it to sculpt your face to the shape you want."
"No way," I said wonderingly. The Capitol had brushes that could change the shape of your face.
"Can I maybe have a silver dress for the parade?" I asked as Gaia fussed at my eyebrows. A beautiful silver dress like I was wearing poured mercury. I always thought silver was a much more elegant color than gold. I would look like a beautiful princess in a silver gown.
"I think we might have a few lying around," Tsarmina said with a smile. "Maybe you'd like to come in and look through them?"
"Really?!" I sat forward in the chair, drawing a muttered scolding from Gaia. I hopped off the chair and followed Tsarmina into the next room, which was walled floor-to-ceiling in clothes racks. There were more dresses and suits and all manners of clothing than I'd probably ever seen in my life.
"It's nice to have a Tribute who appreciates fashion," Tsarmina said as I gaped at it all.
"What is Capitol fashion like?" I asked. "I've seen a little, of course, but what's it like overall?"
"Oh, you know fashion. It comes and it goes," Tsarmina said, waving a hand. "Seems like trends move faster these days, though. A few months ago faded pastels were in. Now it's all about the bolds and graphics. But I'd say in general Capitol fashion is about... being noticed. Anything that makes you stand out."
"Where did it come from?" I asked.
Tsarmina brightened. "I'm so glad you asked! Capitol fashion draws a lot from Roman influences, as well as from the Baroque and Neoclassical movements."
"How does someone get into fashion?" I asked. Not about myself, obviously. Not even about Districters. I was just curious how anyone got into such a desirable industry.
"I started out in makeup, actually," Tsarmina said. "I gathered an online following and eventually was offered a position on the Nine stylist team. I worked there for four years and when the head stylist slot for Five opened up I got the job."
"How would you describe your fashion?" I asked. I'd never been so close to such a glamorous, perfect life. It was fun even just hearing about it.
"I like to think I design for a person who wants to be seen. I don't think of fashion as something that beautifies you but as something that highlights you. It should be big. It should be bold. Life's too short to not live fully."
For the next few hours I continued pretending that I could be part of that world forever. When evening came I'd have to leave. I needed to get to bed early because I needed to rest. Training started tomorrow. I had to be serious and learn the things I needed to know. But for tonight there was no training. I was a teenager having a good time trying on clothes.
