Welcome all to the 3620 word chapter that is the chariots rides. I hope you all enjoy these POV's and how I portrayed characters.
Also, if you see any tributes you want your character to have interactions with from friendship, relationship, fling or alliance, let me know and I shall try my best.
Anyway, The Capitol's top five tribute consumes and current Alliances are at the bottom, enjoy.
"The sponsors get to see the tributes for the first time. The importance of this moment can't be overstated."
Crown Leroy POV:
They had to wash me down and restyle my hair. Me, the rich kid. I hate to think what they did to the other saps from the other Districts. I was sure no one was shocked to learn that I was a bull but I was by far the best looking bull there had ever been. I wasn't very stylish though.
My body was painted black with a hint of brown mixed in. Not a single patch of my original skin colour was showing. They did keep my natural, platinum blonde hair though, they wouldn't dare remove that. Although, it did look rather odd next to the dark colour of the rest of my body. They also had the decency to put briefs on me though. Even if they did stuff it, I wasn't that small.
At least I wasn't naked like the two from twelve. It was just horrid to look at. The girl had her more private parts covered but the male wasn't so lucky. It was rather funny, watching them try to hide from onlookers.
My district partner clearly got the better stylist. She was dressed as a butcher, dressed in brown corset with a long, white trail and splattered with blood. In her hand, she held a large, cleaver. It was hardly fair, she looked scary, I looked funny.
"Why do you get to be the butcher?" I snapped, standing up to my full height and crossing my muscular arms.
"Because I don't look like a bull," Fora growled back, slapping her cleaver on the chariot.
"Yeah, but you look like a cow," I mumbled under my breath, earning a gasp from my older District partner.
"Nah, it's because they know Fora is going to win out of you two!" the male from District One called over, a humorous look on his face. Him and his sister had been wondering the chariots with the District Two male for some time, looking at the competition. Although, the Two male seemed more interested in the two from Eleven and their mentor. He was dressed as a gladiator, holding a large, fake sword and was watching the group from Eleven with anger. Hate to be them when the gong goes off. I assumed it was something that went deeper than chariot costumes and skill. The girl was dressed as an apple and the boy was dressed as a banana. Plus, they were both little kids. No competition there.
"Consus, have you seen him?" The female from one asked, pointing over to me, "She wouldn't stand a chance," she laughed, Consus laughed with her, making Fora shrink into herself.
"Only because you think he is hot," Consus laughed, earning a punch in the side from his sister. The two looked pretty cool in their costumes, making me wish I was from One. Consus was dressed in nothing but a long piece of fabric that was draped over his shoulder and turned into some sort of skirt around his waist. His clothing was covered from head to toe in diamonds, including his knee high boots. His sister was by far the best but maybe that was just me being biased. She was dressed in a tight, golden corset with similar knee high boots to her brother but these were heels, making her already long legs seem longer. I was also appreciative of the boob window in her corset.
"I am off to see Atlas," She growled, her face red with embarrassment. Maybe I would have a chance with her if I tried or she might slit my throat but hey, anything was worth a try. I even tried the moves Fora. She was a bitch anyway.
"You think he is hot too, don't cha!" Consus called after her, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Shut up Consus!" his sister replied as she took a seat next to Atlas on the floor near the District Eleven chariot. Much to the dislike of her stylist's who ran over and made them both stand up.
"You kids play nice," Consus laughed as he turned to walk back to his chariot .
"Easy for a career to say," Flora sighed, very clearly trying not to show fear.
"I ain't that bad," he laughed before running off. Flora didn't seem to agree as she turned back to the front of the chariot, her pervious confident nature, gone. I had to agree with Consus, the careers seemed rather fun. And hot.
Bug Doe POV:
"You look nice," I said to my district partner as I got into the chariot. The young girl was lent over, stroking the horse in front of her. She looked up and gave me an anger look and move away from the horse.
"And you horrid," she snapped turning away from me and crossing her arms and pouting.
"No need to be like that, I was only being nice," I sighed, leaning against the back of the chariot and playing with my wheat skirt, the only item of clothing on my body, I didn't even have shoes. At least Finley had that. Maybe it was because she was younger and they wanted to protect her more. I don't think they would put her in the Games if that was the truth. It was sometimes nice to believe the lies though.
"I am sorry, I know you was just being nice...I just don't like my costume, that is all," Finley said quietly, I could only just hear. I had to admit, it was rather revealing for someone her age. She was only thirteen yet she was dressed in some wheat that only just covered her private parts. If I was her mother or father, I would be furious, I was sure they would be at home cursing the stylists.
"That's what The Capitol does, exploits children, no matter their age. They make you into an object then kill you," a tall male about my age grumbled from behind us, completely naked. It looked rather funny to see him with such a serious face but covering his down stairs. At least his District partner had coal covering her bits.
"You can't say that," Finley gasped in barely a whisper.
"Yeah, if you are going to speak like that can you please leave?" I agreed with him but the last thing I wanted was to be shot before the Games even started. Whatever his plan was, I didn't want to be part of it.
"Okay, I am sorry, I just wanted to ask you two if you wanted to join mine and Neki's alliance?" He said, pointing over to the young boy from District eleven, he seemed like an odd choice. Very young and rather weak.
"I will only join if Bug joins," Finley said, standing up straight with determination on her face. It made me warm and fuzzy to know two people wanted to ally with me, I guess I wasn't that useless after all.
"I would like to get to know you two better, if that is okay?" The boy from twelve smile and gave me a nod.
"Fair enough, we can get to know each other during training in the morning," he laughed.
"Nice, I am Bug and this is Finley," I said gesturing for Finley to come forward but she just shook her head and stayed behind me.
"Cool, I am Ash...I would shake your hand but, you know," he laughed, gesturing towards the part his hands were covering. It was all good, I wasn't sure I would want to shake his hand after where it had been. I watched as he walked slowly back to his own chariot, clearly terrified of the eyes that were watching him go past.
"I feel better about our costumes now," Finley sighed, a slight smile on her face. I laughed in reply and leaned over to stroke my horse. I guess I was wrong about collecting water in the morning, someone else in my family had to get it today, if they got it at all. I would be back soon and no one would have to get water. We could hire people to get it for us. All I had to do was win and they would never have to work again. However, when I looked around me, at the twenty-three other faces, at Finley's face, I felt sick. They would have to die if I wanted to win. Their families would never get their son or daughter's back. Maybe some of them needed a victory more than me.
Kendrick Everborn POV:
"And don't forget to smile, you are in The Capitol and you are happy," our mentor, Hix said while she fed a sugar cube to the horse.
"But we ain't happy," Acacia sighed, pulling at her train conductor outfit. There was clear wardrobe malfunction, the outfit was at least two sizes too big for her small form. Someone was getting fired. I was happy mine fit but I was also a train so the happiness was short lived. I would have found it funny if it wasn't happening to me.
"Please, try and act like it Acacia, I promised your mother I would take care of you but I can't do everything for you...so please try and seem excited," she said, she was clearly distressed. I didn't blame her, she was the same age as me and had only won the year before and now had the lives of two children on her shoulders.
"Whoo, I am so excited for this death game!" I cheered, pulling Acacia close to me and pumping my fist in the air. Some people seemed amused by it but some people, who clearly didn't know what a joke was, scowled at me for cheering on twenty-three of their deaths. Hix seemed amused though and offered a soft smile.
"Thanks Kendrick, but please, I promise it will be worth it in the end," and with that she walked off, leaving us to ourselves. I looked over to Acacia who despite her best efforts, was clearly terrified. Big brother Kenny to the rescue.
"Who do you think has the best and the worst costumes?" I asked, a cheeky smile plastered on my lips. Acacia looked up and gave a thankful smile before standing on her tiptoes, looking at the hundred different costumes.
"Joint best has to be Seven and Five and worst has to be Four, no competition," She giggled. She was right about the two from Four, they were both dressed as large fish. I think one was a guppy and one was a lionfish. It was hard to think they were from a career District, they looked like children entertainers at the moment.
Seven looked like they had been plucked out of stage play for five year olds. The male was dressed as a tree but the stylist didn't even try to make it look like clothes. The male had a working bird in his branches while his District partner was clearly a lumber worker. She didn't look too pleased. The male looked like he had accepted it. I understood the reason for the costume, the male clearly had some problem with his back from his reaping, the tree most likely had supports to help him. It was still kind of silly and lacked imagination.
I personally thought the District fives were the worse. They looked like a cross between spacemen and solar panels, their faces were covered in silver paint and they were dressed in some sort of silver overalls. I don't think the stylists even knew what they were doing.
"Who do you think is the hottest guy here," the question caught me off guard and I got straight to work thinking of an excuse, only to remember that she knew my secret. I told her on the train after I told my family. It still shocked me how caring they were towards me. They didn't care about my sexuality, they just wanted me home and alive. My grandmother even knew since I was young. After I got their acceptance, I saw no harm in letting Acacia know, she was a nice kid.
"Ermm, Ezra is good looking...and so is Crown but I am going to take a wild stab in the dark and say he is into women," I laughed, not to mention that Crown seemed like a jerk, I could never put up with someone that arrogant.
"Put on a wig, he seems dumb enough to fall for it," Acacia giggled.
"I do have a very feminine face," I laughed, dramatically rubbing my hands over my face. I could feel the makeup, it was gross. "So who do you like?" I asked, Acacia just pulled a face.
"Everyone here is gross," she stuck her tongue out for effect. I gave a dramatic gasp and her face dropped.
"Oh no, you are okay," I turned to her and ruffled her hair.
"Damn right, kid," I laughed, giving her a small wink. At least my District partner was fun.
Tobias Murkon POV:
"For your safety, please keep at least on hand on your chariots at all times, the last thing we want is anyone taking a tumble," Me and my District partner, Loveless, didn't have to worry about that. We were dressed in the latest in Capitol fashion, we looked stupid but at least we would be warm. It was the two from three who had to be worried.
Their legs were tied together, in black, shiny suits. It didn't make much sense to me but I knew one thing, it would be hard for them to keep their balance.
"Also, I am sure you mentors have told you, but smile and wave because sponsors will be watching and sponsors could be a lifeline if you have nothing," for me, sponsors were only going to pay attention right now. My mentor was trying to get my speaker fixed and promised if it wasn't, I would have a translator. No sponsors were going to listen to the speechless kid though. They would put me down as weak, even though my speech had nothing to do with my skill to survive.
"Any questions?" The instructor asked, looking down at her clipboard, as if she was ticking off rules. If anyone had any questions, no one spoke up and we were lined up in District order.
Some people smiled and looked ready to go while others looked terrified that their lives might depend on this moment.
"Let the first chariot go in three, two, one!" She pointed to the man who was near the gates, he whipped the horse and let it go. He waited about half a minute then let the other horse go. Being so far behind, it took a few moments for us to move. It was strange at first, like a jolting movement, if I wasn't holding on, I would have been thrown backwards.
"It's going to be okay," Loveless said with a smile as we exited the building. I didn't even know I looked frightened. I was grateful for the kind remark though.
The two from Seven were getting a lot more laughs than cheers but the laughter was happy, people were cheering them on for having unique costumes.
"And there we see District Six as a train and it's conductor, very cute and very clever, just like the two from Seven, behind them, a tree and a lumberjack, you know there seems to be a lot of pairs were the weaker of the two is controlling or deadly to the stronger one. Maybe a hint for this years arena?" the hosts for the night said as they watched the chariots go past. I never really did like The Capitol accent, it was always so, squeaky. I had to admit, it got on my nerves.
"Not really, I just think the stylist shared notes," another host laughed. These were always the best part of being forced to watch The Games, the tributes always looked so happy and the costumes were always so pretty. The host were also rather funny once you got past the accent. But being here, I felt like I was going to be sick. There was more people in this one location than I think I had ever met in my whole life. I couldn't help but wonder how many happy tributes really felt like I was. Small and insignificant.
"And here comes District Eight, wearing some of the latest in Capitol fashion!" One host cheered with excitement. "Oh, they want to be lucky about that, I bet most folks just want to rip those clothes off them," I looked around at the cheering crowd, some of them were chanting for my district to win. I felt flattered, they liked us.
"Does it annoy you that they don't like us, they like our costumes?" Loveless said, sadness in her eyes as she waved at the crowd. I slowed my waving for a moment, thinking about her words. They were not cheering US on they were cheering our clothes on. They picked their favorites based on their clothes then cheered them on no matter what. As bleak as it was, it gave me hope. If they could love a tribute because of their clothes, maybe they could love a tribute who didn't speak.
Finch Maylor POV:
I was an apple. Of all the things that my District represents, they picked an apple. They didn't even do it tastefully, it was just a big apple with my red face poking out of it. At first I tried to smile and wave but after a minute of being laughed at, I just wanted to run and hide. My District partner wasn't doing much better. His fists were clenched and his face was red with anger. It stood out a lot next to his yellow banana costume. No roses were thrown to us, only apples and banana's because people thought they were funny, I guess.
As they pulled into the clearing at the end of tribute walk, were we listened to Snow's speech, I could still hear the laughing but this time it was directed at the naked tributes from twelve. I felt sorry for them, it wasn't their fault their stylists were jerks. There were a hundred things I could think off to do with mining other than being naked. I honestly wasn't sure how it even matched. Then again, I guess the One and Two didn't really match their District, otherwise one would have been a gemstone and two would have been blocks of that, would have been funny to see.
President Bunsa looked down at us while the final chariots came to a stop. She was an anging women with green hair and golden teeth. Her skin was blue and overall, she looked insane. I would love to meet the crazy person who chose her as president, you know, it not being public vote and all.
"Tributes, today we celebrate your sacrifice and bravery so tonight, I wish you happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour!" the president shouted, smiling a golden, toothy grin towards us. After that, the District One chariot pulled forward, the others following suit and leaving the cheering crowd behind.
"Do you want to ally with me, Miss Apple?" my District partner, Neki asked, looking up towards me. He was only slightly older than my two brothers but he was far more mature. It was like his personality didn't fit his young body. "District partners and fruit have to stick together, after all," he have a wink, forcing a smile onto my face. Our chariot came to a hold, people taking the horses away.
"Sure," I said with a smile, shaking his hand but my smile quickly dropped. Neki turned to follow my gaze. The District Two chariot was parked right next to us. The female tribute was talking happily with her mentor while her stylist cheered on her performance. The male, on the other hand, was lent against his chariot watching us. He stayed there, his eyes locked with ours until the female from one walked over to him, taking his attention away.
"Are you up for training with weapons tomorrow morning?" the blonde girl asked, she was very clearly nervous, only being able to keep eye contact for a few moments before looking away.
"Sure, I also think we should ask the two from Four if they want to ally, they seem strong, better to have them on our side," he said, bluntly. He then turned back to look at us. The female from One followed his gaze then looked back to him.
"Atlas, are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
"Yeah," Atlas said, he seemed confused by the question as he looked down at the blonde woman. She gave a nod and walked slowly off, passing Atlas' mentor on the way.
"Do you think he knows she likes him?" Neki asked, cocking his head to the side.
"She likes him?" I whispered, looking back to the career. "I guess it explains her reaction to him, strange to think of Careers having emotions. I always just saw them as the enemy," I said, leaning back.
"They are, everyone here but yourselves are the enemy, don't forget that," our mentor Lelio said, a stern look on her face. Atlas and his mentor turned to look at her. The anger in Atlas' eyes made me worry for Lelio's safety but he was quickly led away by his mentor. I was relieved though, if he just hated Leilo, it meant he didn't hate me.
Chariot Costumes:
District 1: Golden Gods
District 2: Roman Gladiators
District 3: Motherboard
District 4: Guppy and Lion fish
District 5: Power plant Workers
District 6: Train and Conductor
District 7: Tree and lumberjack.
District 8: The Latest Capitol fashion
District 9: Wheat Clothing
District 10: Bull and Butcher
District 11: Apply and Banana
District 12: Naked, Holding Coal
Popularity Based on Chariots, top five:
1st:District 2
2nd:District 1
3rd:District 10
4th:District 4
5th:District 8
Current Alliances:
Careers: Consus Zephyrus (D1), Lavina Zephyrus (D1), Atlas Geo (D2) and Selina Kayl (D2).
Alliance One: Bug Doe (D9) and Finley Magik (D9)
Alliance Two: Neki Ompoto (D11), Finch Maylor (D11) and Ashton Khell (D12).