So I realized I'd forgotten to do the Chariot Ride when Brook and River first arrived in the Capitol, so I'm doing it know. I'm just gonna pretend the ride comes after Training, but before the private training sessions, which I'll do in the next chapter.

Chapter Five

Harvest Bane, Capitol Citizen, on the Tribute Parade

I was so excited! The Hunger Games were my favorite time of year and the Parade was one of the best parts! I had high hopes to be a tribute designer one year so I was determined to soak up all the costumes other stylists had created. Last year, I hadn't been able to get good seats and missed most of it but this year, my best friend Azalea had gotten Cordelia, Hollow, and us front row tickets! I bounced in my seat as I heard the blaring noise that announced the start of the parade. Around me, I could smell sweet candy and salty popcorn and the thousands of flowery perfumes people around me were wearing. Despite the calls for silence, people were still chattering excitedly. Cordelia, to my left, was scarfing down popcorn and anxiously discussing this year's arena to Hollow, who was sitting on her other side. I looked down at the long pathway lined with flowers and candles that the tributes would ride down in just a few minutes.

"I heard the two from District Four are siblings!" Azalea, on my right, announced. Azalea was obsessed with knowing everything one could know about the tributes. "The girl- she's a Career I think- she got in a fistfight with Glory something from District One!"

"Really?" I asked. This was good gossip. I turned to Cordelia and repeated what Azalea had told me to her. Grinning, she spun around to face Hollow and told him what I'd said.

Meanwhile, President Sapphire had appeared at the stage at the end of the bejeweled path. Our seats were pretty close to the gate that the chariots would emerge from so it was difficult to hear what she said, but the gesturing motion she made at the end told me it was starting. Immediately the crowd quieted down and turned its attention to the golden gate. I readied the roses in my hand. I'd bought plenty to make sure I had enough for every tribute.

Then the trumpet sounded and the first chariot rolled out. Everything about the chairot was a glowing, metallic gold, even the horses. The girl, Glory, wore a tight gold dress and a wreath of golden roses and leaves. She sparkled like the jewelry her District made. Her long blond hair was rippling down her back, little curls slipping down to frame her face. She was absolutely gorgeous, and she knew it. She smiled and threw kisses at the crowd and as she turned, I noticed a little bruise on her neck. It was hidden well, but I guessed it was from her fight with the District Four girl. She got a rose from me and all my friends. Her district partner, Shade, was dressed similarly in a gold suit, but lacked the looks to make it look good. The whole time, he was scowling like he just wanted to go kill someone. Only one rose was thrown at him.

A couple seconds later, District Two's chariot rolled out. Both were dressed in sparkling gray outfits I guessed were supposed to represent rocks, as the masonry was their District's thing. The guy, who was really hot, got a lot of roses, the girl got a decent amount.

District Three's tributes were dressed as robots and looked pretty stupid in their gray boxy outfits. The girl got a few pity roses, because she was pretty. The guy got none.

My jaw dropped when District Four's tributes came out. Every guy in the audience screamed when they saw the girl, who's name, Brooklyn, Azalea had just whispered to me; every girl in the audience screamed when they saw her brother, River. She was dressed in a blue dress, made to look like running water, that flowed down her tall, willowy form. A silvery blue, translucent cape fell off her shoulders like a wave crashing on the pale skin of her back. Her blond hair had streaks of blue, the color of her eyes, in it, and was pushed back by a glowing silver crown, making her look like the queen of some underwater kingdom. Her brother looked like the king of her watery realm. He too wore a crown, and was naked from waist up. Their chariot was made to look like a wave, with them riding on. While neither smiled, they looked majestic and powerful. I think everyone in the audience threw each of them at least two roses. Brooklyn caught one, raised it to her nose and delicately inhaled, before thrusting into the air like a sceptor. The crowd screamed when she did this.

I was so busy looking at them I missed the next three chariots, before my eyes finally caught on District Eight's tributes. They both wore fancy clothes, for her a dress and for him a suit, made to look as if they'd been created from many different materials. Meh.

District Nine's female, a young girl who looked scared at the sight of all the people, had a dress woven from grain. She looked like a nature spirit and got several roses. The guy, Salvatore, looked stupid in a farmer costume and got none.

The next chariot, District Ten, rolled out. Normally, their costumes looked bad, as District Ten's thing was livestock, but this years, the stylists had done well. She was dressed as a goose in a feathery white dress. When she raised her arms, huge wings made the audience scream. The male was dressed as a rooster with a multicolor outfit and slightly smaller wings. They both got a lot of roses, for both creativity and beauty.

Trees again. District Eleven's tributes were always trees. I threw the girl a rose because of the nice flower assortment her stylists had arranged in her hair.

Twelve's tributes wore dark, shiny outfits of smooth material that swirled around the two like smoke, giving them a ghostly look. The two, who I'd heard were lovers, looked deadly serious, but were a crowd favorite. Her lipstick and eye makeup were dark, making her look like some sort of ethereal witch. Pretty impressive, and would definitely get a lot of sponsors.

And that was it. The twelve chariots formed a circle around President Sapphire's Balcony, gazing up at her. Most people were staring at the District One, Four, Ten, or Twelve's tributes in awe.

Raising her hands, President Sapphire began her speech and the crowd hushed a little. Since she was too far away for us to hear, Azalea and I raved about our favorite tributes: the ones from District Four.

After she'd finished and the tributes had left, the four of us headed to a party we'd all been invited to. We drank away the evening and watched reruns of this and previous years' tribute parades, drunkenly comparing all of them. Eventually, I fell asleep to the sound of tributes killing each other in previous Hunger Games. What a wonderful day!