Chapter Fifteen, Electrifying

The District 3 group gathered at the crystal elevator, Silyah and her prep-team arriving at the same time as Artemis's.

"That looks dashing!" Silyah complimented the boy, admiring his suit. Then, her gaze went to his face and the thin stroke of black eyeliner on his eyes.

Artemis sighed. "I know you want to laugh, please, just get over with it."

"No… I'm actually a fan of that guy-liner," she admitted, unsure if it was a good thing.

The boy raised an eyebrow. Was she teasing him or was she serious? Giving her a good glance, he took the time to take in her outfit. She was dazzling. The girl wore a floor-length strapless gown with an adjusted sequined top that hugged her curves. A silver jeweled belt accentuated her waist and her skirt was flowing and vaporous. Just like Artemis's suit, her whole dress glowed in various shades of blue, purple and white. The female tribute's hair had been left curly and included the same light mechanism as Artemis's. Her brown locks fell below waist-height, partially hiding her long-sleeved bolero made of a lace with gear patterns.

Effie looked at the two tributes. "Fashionistic! Absolutely fashionistic!" She placed one of her hands under Silyah's chin. "I love what you did with their make up!" She told the stylists as she went to Artemis. "The eyeliner really accentuates your unique eyes," the Capitol woman granted him a pleased smile.

If there were sentences Artemis had never expected to hear, that one was probably one of them. "Thank you," he said slowly and reluctantly as Effie pushed her group in the elevator and headed for the backstage area of Caesar Flickerman's show where the District 1 and 2 tributes were already waiting.

As they walked behind the others, Caskar stared at them and raised a glittery eyebrow. "Nice eyeliner, Art," he laughed.

Artemis's eyes narrowed, he had a feeling he would not mourn too long over that particular tribute's death if his time would have to come in the Games. "If I were you, I would not comment negatively on other tributes' make up, 'glitter-brows.'" This was not exactly the kind of insult Artemis was used to come up with, but it did feel really good to say it.

Elon and Crelin turned at the sound of Artemis's voice. They looked at him, not saying a word. Caskar clenched his fists and Geneva whispered something in his ear. The Career tribute smirked before noticing the pair of District 2 teens. "Are you going to stare at them like that forever? Do shiny lights put you in a trance?" he asked them as if they were unintelligent children.

Crelin moved her eyes to him, snapping out of a strange state. "Envious because we're not looking at you?" she asked back in a mocking tone as Elon simply laughed.

"Calm down Caskar," he said.

The District 1 Career gave him a look. Somehow, all of his credibility had left his side when his stylist had applied the second coat of long-lasting silver glitter on his brows.

Artemis smirked with satisfaction.

More tributes then began to arrive, all of them dressed beautifully despite the fact that no one was as eye-catching as the District 3 team… Except, perhaps, for Caskar`s eyebrows.

"Wow, Caskar, I never knew you were on that team," Silver's voice came through the line. "Pink suits you so well," she smirked, moving her blue eyes to Artemis and Silyah. "Still not fooling anyone," she whispered with a wink.

"It's not pink, it's silver, which is a lot worst," spat Caskar as Silyah waved "hello" to the District 6 girl.

Silver raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't suit your skin tone, but then again, I don't really think you can look good in anything," she replied back to the tall, irritating boy.

"Silver, stop provoking him," said the dark-haired boy with pale olive eyes beside her. He was the boy tribute from 6, Jehl Amnel.

Silver sighed, "Fine…" She knew that Jehl was a lot more nervous about the outcomes of the Games than she was.

"I need all of the tributes on stage!" suddenly yelled a man in the show's technical crew who appeared from behind the door leading to the stage.

"Don't let me trip," whispered a smiling Silyah to Artemis when they reached a set of stairs.

He knew that she was just joking; referring to the time when they first arrived in the Capitol. "No worries," the boy whispered back as the spotlight of the stage partially blinded him. On retrospect, it was a good thing that the tributes were not exactly able to make out clear faces in the giant crowd.

The twenty-four teenagers paraded on the stage and sat on their respective chairs; District 1 to 6 on the right side of the stage, 7 to 12 on the left one. In the middle of the stage were two tall chairs, one of which was facing away from the audience. In the seat was a man wearing a shimmering blue suit and aqua-colored hair.

A chorus of trumpets began to play and the massive Capitol crowd gathered in the City Circle, cheering loud enough to be heard from miles away. "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to your favorite Hunger Games' master of ceremony, the one and only; Caesar Flickerman!" announced Claudius Templesmith and his strong radio voice. At the same moment, a light appeared on the aqua-haired man and he turned to the audience, shining a radiant smile.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome everyone! Welcome to the 80th Annual Hunger Games!" he shouted as he got up, gleaming with confidence. "Aren't you all exited to see the tributes?" he asked with a wide grin; of course, he had the audience at his fingertips. "Well, it seems that the odds are in your favor, because look at who we've got here!"

The host made a brief a brief introduction of his talk show and called up the evening's first tribute, Geneva Crass from District 1.

The young woman walked up to Caesar, her feline features accentuated by her attitude. She looked like a lioness, proud of her looks and ready to attack.

After exactly three minutes, Geneva left her place for Caskar to be interviewed. The boy with the sparkly eyebrows now looked slightly more menacing as he talked about how prepared he was for the Games.

Crelin and Elon from 2 then followed, both vaguely speaking of their everyday lives and interest before discussing possible plans and strategies.

With a heart beating as loud as the cheering audience, Silyah mentally prepared herself to get under the spotlight.

"Our next tribute electrified all of Panem during the official parade and she keeps on shining bright; would you please welcome the lovely Silyah Natho!" shouted Caesar cheerfully. Trying to ignore the pounding in her ears, Silyah did as she was told and walked timidly to the empty chair next to the master of ceremony and smiled and waved at the applauding audience. "Oh my, you look like a techno clockwork angel!" exclaimed Caesar as he shook hands with the girl from 3. The pair sat down and the crowd became more attentive. "Ms. Silyah, I wish to point out your dress. You look amazing, but tell me, are the missing light bulbs on my stage somewhere in there?"

Silyah laughed along with the Capitol citizens. "Maybe, who knows? Perhaps you would have to ask my stylist, Xarone."

Caesar smiled kindly. "Do you like the fashion from the Capitol?"

"I think that it is very interesting," nodded Silyah. "I love how creative the people are."

"I heard somewhere that you actually had already worn light before, is that true?" he wondered.

"Yes, I did. I had designed some enlightened clothing for a project back in District 3. I had combined the teachings of my father, who comes from that District and those from my mother who used to live in 8."

"I'm sure they must have been proud," added Caesar. "How did they react after the Reaping?" Now, the questions were getting more serious.

"They were… shocked," suggested Silyah with a nostalgic smile. A few members of the audience suppressed a laugh. Shocked. "My younger brother reacted differently, however. He almost laughed at the way I shook my way on stage."

A collective "awww" came from the crowd. "Do you think that you are ready to face the Games? I see that you are not shaking anymore, so that is an improvement," he smiled at her.

Silyah smiled back, putting just the right hint of sorrow in her eyes. "I don't know if anyone can be ready for such a thing. Physically, I know that I am not the strongest, so I don't allow myself to be too confident… Emotionally, I think that I am fine, but that is my answer now. Ask me again when I will set a foot in the arena and I might sound a tad coward," she chuckled. Following Effie's advice, Silyah made eye contacts with Caesar and various members of his audience.

The master of ceremony then went on with a quick round of questions; one of which being about her opinion on the boy tribute for her District.

"I would not want to influence the viewer's opinions by answering, but he is a good person," she elusively answered before smiling and laughing, just like Effie had taught her.

"What do you think you will do first once you will get in the arena?" The tanned turquoise-haired host asked Silyah.

She took a deep breath, analyzing her possibilities. "I will evaluate my surroundings. I will see what the arena has to offer and I will try my hardest to survive."

A buzzer went off. "Seems like we are out of time," Caesar got up and took Silyah's hand. "Best of luck, Silyah Natho, the clockwork angel from District 3!" The audience cheered for the tribute as she went back to her seat, everyone's eyes following her glowing dress and optical fibre-like strands of hair.

Caesar then introduced Artemis and invited him in the chair Silyah had just gotten up from. Artemis sat down after shaking hands with the charismatic host. From somewhere in the crowd, a whistle was heard.

"Looks like you already have some fans," said Caesar, shining his billion watts smile.

Artemis gave a short nod, trying looking at the crowd through the light of the projectors. "Yes, it would appear so… I appreciate it," he said, thanking the one who had whistled.

Caesar laughed. "Oh, if only I could receive that much attention!" he said, almost innocently, causing a new wave of cheers and whistles coming from the Capitol citizens.

"It seems to me that you are rather popular too, not that it surprises me," commented Artemis, the corners of his mouth rising into a smirk.

"Why thank you!" said Caesar to his viewers. "But, let's bring the focus back on the boy beside me." The master of ceremony turned to the young man in question. "Have you ever expected to be selected during the Reaping? From what we have seen during the official videos, you have handled the situation with great calm."

"No, I certainly never thought that I would end up as a tribute… When I heard my name, I was unsure of how to react, I therefore decided to keep my reaction minimal."

Caesar nodded. "I recently learned that during the course of your training days, a certain Peeta Mellark has named you the Ice Prince… May we know the story behind the nickname?" he wondered, curious. Fittingly, the boy's outfit, as well as the fibre optics in his hair turned icy blue.

"Well, I don't know if it is as entertaining as you might hope, Caesar, but since you ask, my District companion and I went to Mr. Mellark's camouflage station during training. He asked us to impress him after having given us some camouflage challenges and unknowingly, both Silyah and I painted frost on our arms."

Caesar looked amazed. "Really? What a strange coincidence!"

"Indeed," nodded the pale teen.

"After the training and the private sessions, were you surprised and pleased by your score of seven?"

"Yes, I was rather pleased considering that I am not the most athletic person here. I do enjoy the fact that the Gamemakers took into account intellect instead of just relying on brute force."

"Is that how you plan to survive the Games, brain over brawl?"

"Most likely; as I already told you, my athletic abilities are not exactly in my favor, therefore I will probably rely on my intellect to keep myself alive."

Caesar nodded once again. "Have you discovered any new talents during your training days?"

"I actually managed to discover what I lack talent in," replied Artemis. "However, I master the art of tie knots."

"You know about tie knots? Would you please tell me if mine is all right? I had to do it myself while my stylist was running around to find my jacket," laughter filled the crowd. Caesar certainly knew how to make his guests sound great.

"Of course, Mr. Flickerman." The boy looked carefully at the host's tie. "Well, the knot looks slightly too large compared to the width of the tie…"

Caesar adjusted it. "Better like this?" Artemis nodded his approval. "After you win these Games, I'm counting on you to be my tie expert," Caesar added, making the audience cheer even louder. "That's a deal?"

"I would consider it an honor," said Artemis with a smirk.

The citizens of the Capitol clapped and screamed. "What skill from you District do you think will be the most useful in the arena?"

Artemis gave the host a mysterious smile. "I believe in the element of surprise, therefore, I am afraid you will have to wait to know, Caesar."

"Well, I cannot wait to see what you have in mind," said the master of ceremony as the buzzer went off. "That's all the time we had. Thank you and good luck to Artemis Fowl, the Ice Prince from District 3!" Caesar shook Artemis's hand a second time and Artemis sat back beside Silyah, letting District 4 have their turn up front.

The anthem of Panem played its last note as the tributes and their teams were sent to the training center's lobby. The District 3 group got into the crystal elevator and headed for their suite.

"So, when did you decide to flirt with the audience, Ice Prince?" Silyah's lips turned into a teasing smile as they went up.

Artemis raised an eyebrow at her. "I would hardly refer to it as flirting, Clockwork Angel, it was simply a strategy."

The elevator's doors opened up. The mentor, escort and stylists were the first ones to pass and then Silyah followed Artemis out of the crystal entrance, her heart skipping a beat as she let out a frightened squeal.

She would have fallen face-first if Artemis had not caught her as her thin high heel got stuck into the small crack between the elevator and the District 3 floor. However, as Artemis had never been the one for instincts, he had reacted just in time to catch the girl, but not exactly quickly enough not to be taken by surprise by the sudden weight pulling on him. The result: the two tributes crashed to the floor.

After her heart actually started beating again, Silyah got to her feet and held a hand for Artemis to get up. She went pale when she realized how close they had been and how she had ended up right on top of him just like in her dream… At least they had fallen on a soft carpet rather than on treacherous ice. "Are you okay?" asked the girl.

"Yes, I think so…" replied Artemis, getting up and smoothing out his jacket. "I've had worst falls than this."

Silyah grabbed him gently by the shoulder to maintain her balance as she raised her foot to take off her high heels.

"I'm glad they did not force me into a pair of these," said Artemis. For some reason, which he could not comprehend, his heart was also beating considerably faster… It was probably the sudden fall…

Silyah smiled. "Don't let Effie hear that, she might get some ideas for you! I just hope that the tribute's arena uniform will not include those," she said, removing her second shoe.

"I would highly doubt so… Everybody dying because of broken ankles; not exactly thrilling…" Artemis shook his head, now noticing for the first time that Silyah was shorted than him by an inch.

"Death by fashion, how dramatic! How… Fashionistic!" laughed the girl over her clear rapid heartbeat.

"Ah, yes, we better keep that idea to ourselves."

Silyah nodded and looked in Artemis's mismatching eyes. Her stare held Artemis's for a rather long time, until it almost became uncomfortable…

"Silyah?" wondered the boy.

The girl shook her head, fighting against her blush. "Sorry," she mouthed.

"Silyah? Artemis?" called Effie's voice from somewhere between the kitchen and the living room. "We're going to watch the recaps of the interviews while having supper."

Artemis sighed. "We are on our way, but first I really have to get the eyeliner out of my eyes."

"Oh, hush, it suits you," laughed Silyah. "But if you insist, Xarone left some makeup remover on my bathroom sink."

Artemis gave her a stern look.

"Do you need help taking it off?" she offered slightly awkwardly.

"Yes, please," admitted the boy.

Silyah led him to her room, glad that her toes were now free of her shoes. Once she got to the bathroom, she grabbed a small cloth dabbed in make up remover and tried her best not to poke Artemis's eyes.

"This is why men are not supposed to wear make up," murmured Artemis with annoyance.

"Men?' She raised a teasing eyebrow at him. "Stop blinking that much, I don't want to hurt you!"

"Strange thing to say for a person who will soon be placed in an arena for the only purpose of killing the 23 others…" commented Artemis in a dry tone.

"Do you want my help?" she asked, bothered by Artemis's comment. It reminded her too much of the dark part of her brain; the one which had sent her her nightmare.

The boy sighed. "Yes…"

After a few painful seconds, Silyah dropped the cloth. "There you go," she said softly. "It's the best I can do for now."

"Thank you."

Silyah was silent for a moment, eyeing Artemis's and her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Before we go," she turned around slowly, facing Artemis. "This might be the last time we will get to speak together, so I have to tell you; you are the only real friend I've ever had in a very, very long time… Just… Thank you for that," she uttered. Artemis was slightly taken aback. He gave her a sincere smile and a look that could have been interpreted as apologetic. What else could he do? "Let's go see our interviews," then said Silyah, trying to sound cheerful, while in fact she was not exactly sure that she really wanted to see what she had looked like during her three minutes in the spotlight.

"If we must," replied Artemis with just as much conviction as his fellow tribute.