President Talen Pov-
It's a fantastic afternoon for the chariot rides. I've already seen all of the tributes from the recap, but now I get to see their reactions in front of thousands of people. And who can resist the colorful, often ridiculous costumes?
District 1 comes into view. The boy wears a large fur coat that doubles his size and makes the chariot look miniature. Colorful gemstones are inlaid into the fabric that throw off beams of light whenever he moves. He wields a golden staff and crown. The girl wears a white skirt from which beads dangle like raindrops. As the chariot moves, the beads wobble around and strike against each other, producing pleasant harmonies that remind me of the sounds made by wind chimes. Colorful crystalline shoes decorate her feet. Both tributes wave to the audience, and the girl flashes a few flirty winks from time to time.
District 2 wheels by. The boy wears a spotless roman toga. He has been spray-painted head-to-toe with a hypnotizing brick design. The blocks alternate between orange and fiery-red and are lined with a grey color that reminds me of cinder. The boy stays perfectly still, only furthering the statue effect, and when he finally moves to begin waving, the audience gasps with surprise. The girl wears a peacekeeper uniform, but one glance tells me that it's not just any ordinary peacekeeper uniform. Just like her district partner, everything from the white outfit to the exposed skin is spray painted with a fiery brick pattern. Words flash and then disappear on the costume, cast there by small projectors built into the chariot. Superb stonework. Fortifying our cities. Support District 2.
District 3 brings on a whole new wave of cheers. The boy wears a full-piece bodysuit made of a piercing forest-green material. Silver and gold wires run up and down the costume, reminding me of a hard drive. His short hair is slicked back, and he wears glasses that run all the way around his head, giving the look a futuristic element. The girl wears a long black gown that runs from her shoulders to her feet. The audience gasps as a bolt of bright electricity jumps through the dress, illuminating the chariot and everything in a quarter-mile radius. A silver hairpiece reminiscent of gears decorates her head, and twisting wire designs are inked onto her arms.
District 4 is no less entertaining than the first two career districts. The boy is fully decked-out in pirate attire. He wears a torn and tattered black overcoat over a white lace-up vest. A red belt wraps tightly around his waist. A metal hook has been placed over his hand, and a strip of velvet underneath conceals his real hand. A cloth eyepatch covers his left eye, and a stuffed green parrot sits on his shoulder. The girl dons a long blue dress that spills over the edge of the chariot due to its large volume. The way the folds of the dress swirl together and spill over each other conjures an image of crashing sea foam. A sparkling silver crown sits on her head, wobbling slightly as she waves to the audience.
District 5 wheels by. It immediately becomes clear that each tribute represents a different method of generating power. The boy wears a heavy-looking suit consisting of many pipes, wires, spinning gears, and other mechanical pieces. The bottom of the chariot is flooded with about half a foot of water. The pipes suck up the water, and I watch as the liquid courses through his costume before being spit back into the chariot to be circled around again. An image of a dam comes to mind. The girl is dressed in a violent-orange blazer with a bright-red undershirt. Shining orange shoes cover her feet. Bright orange rays radiate outward from her head, giving the impression that her head is the sun.
District 6 obviously relates to transportation. The boy wears a tight, scratchy-looking black suit and black pants. It's only when the lights around me dim that I realize tiny pinpricks of light shine through the fabric, like stars in the night sky. Before the disaster that flooded much of the world's land, sailors often used stars to guide them at sea. The girl sports a long ribbon that winds around her body like a band of silver, reminding me of a train track or road. Her hair is sculpted into a bow, and many silver necklaces wrap around her neck.
District 7 comes next. The boy wears a fluffy brown suit down his entire torso, ruffled up in some places to simulate the bark of a tree. His arms are decorated like branches, painted with black and brown designs. A ribbon of vines wraps around his bulky frame, and his hair is dyed leaf-green. The girl is wrapped up in what appears to be a giant leaf. A headdress of branches sticks out of her long hair. It doesn't take a genius to work out that they have some of the more dim-witted stylists.
District 8 wheels by. The boy wears a shirt consisting of dozens of different squares of plaid that are sewn together. No less than eight needles stick out of the cloth in different places, and the boy stays completely still as though trying not to poke anything with the needles or drive them into his skin. The girl wears a dress reminiscent of a quilt. Blue silk sleeves decorate her arms, and a bright-pink bow sits on her head. Squares of color are painted onto her face, warped by her uncomfortable smile.
District 9 makes an entrance. The boy wears beige pants with fake grain climbing up the sides. His jacket has shoulder pads with buttons similar-looking to pieces of wheat. The girl wears a long dress with floor-length kimono sleeves that have the same grain design as her male counterpart. She also wears a wig of grain over her hair, giving the impression that wheat is growing out of her head.
District 10 comes into view. The boy dons brown leggings and a beige laced-up tailcoat. Fake horns sprout out of his head. The girl wears a cow-print ruffled skirt and knee-high black boots. A jean jacket covers her torso, and she wears a red bandana on her forehead. Her hair is in pigtails. It's hard not to notice the hatred fixed into her gaze as she glares over the audience.
District 11 ingresses. The boy wears a bulky orange vest that reminds me of a pumpkin. Puffy green pants cover his legs, and black sneakers his feet. His hair is slicked back and colored blue. The girl wears a green shirt and pencil skirt. A thick, cord of vine spirals around her green shirt, undulated into entrancing designs.
District 12 brings gasps from the audience. The girl stands in the chariot alone, her partner nowhere in sight. The girl wears a black headdress coated in sparkling ebony-colored beads. A sequined black dress covers her abdomen and legs. She holds a golden pickaxe in each hand, and coal dust is smeared on her face. There's a shout from somewhere in the audience, followed by a couple more shrieks. I take a look at the screen, and understanding dawns on me as to why everyone is panicking. The cameras show the boy from 12 climbing up the side of the presidential mansion. I swerve my neck around and spot him about ten feet above me, clinging to the wall of the mansion with his pickaxe.
"Mr. President." He drops beside me, nodding in greeting. "It was getting a little boring down there, so I thought I'd come up…"
The end of the boy's sentence is never heard as my two best peacekeeper close in on him. Two little darts enter his body, and he lolls backward, sedated for the time being.
Silence envelops the street as I approach the microphone. "We gather here today," I speak, my voice echoing around the square like thunder. "To celebrate the arrival of these twenty-four courageous young men and women."
The audience bursts into applause. "We are in deepest appreciation of their duty to their country and of their sacrifice. Let the eighty-third annual Hunger Games begin!"
Did you have a favorite costume? Please review!
Question 1: What animal does Cyan (District 4 Male) wear on his shoulder?
Question 2: What color are Luc's (District 9 Male's) pants?