Chapter Three: Sleeping Beauty

She awoke with a blinding headache, and a feeling of trepidation gnawing at her as she sensed the presence of another person in the room. When she 'sensed' someone, it was incredibly hard to miss the ruckus that was being made, by said person.

She cringed as the sound of another thing smashing made her head pound even louder. No sooner had the pain subsided once more to a dull throb, when another thing smashed. She sat up abruptly. Bad idea. The room swam uncertainly about her for a few minutes and she almost felt like retching, but was saved by the fact that her stomach was painfully empty.

The room once more came into focus just in time for her to witness the glass bottle as it smashed, into a hundred, different shards and littered the royal blue, velvet carpet with its painful, gleaming shower.

"Hey! YOU!" she yelled at the hunched over figure at the bottom of the bed.

Said figure stood and turned to face her, swaying uncertainly on bare feet as he did so. "You … (hiccup) are awake."

She glared at him. "Is this how you normally wake people, ransacking the place?" she seethed, angrily crossing her arms.

"What did you want? True love's first kiss?" he bit back.

"What the hell are you doing in here?"

"I was availing…of the services that …your mi-mini-bar had to offer."

She looked at him perplexed.

He looked at her as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "What did you do with the booze, sweetheart?"

"That is it!" she exclaimed angrily, whipping the sheets back and practically leaping out of bed. Another bad idea. The blue carpet beneath her feet suddenly became a raging sea and she swayed uncertainly.

"You drank it!" he suddenly accused.

"I did not! I have never drank alcohol in my life, and looking at you, I don't think I ever will," she shouted back. "Now, number one: I'm not your sweetheart. In fact, I am no one's sweetheart…"

Here he interrupted her. "I can see why."

"Scrap that! OUT!" she screamed at him.

"Jeez sweetheart, calm down…" he replied, putting up his hands defensively.

"Well… sweetheart, either remove yourself from this room, or I will!" she said, teeth grinding together in annoyance.

Surveying her flushed cheeks and clenched fists once more he rolled his eyes, and made his way to the door with uncertain steps. "I'll tell them…Sleeping Beauty isn't ready to get up yet," and then he slipped from the room.

She barely restrained herself from running out the door and throttling him. Now that the source of her annoyance was gone she readily collapsed back onto the soft bed again enjoying the silence. But all too soon the reason why she was on this train and where she was heading pushed its way to the forefront of her mind. She hugged her knees to her chest and for the first time noticed that someone had changed her out of her clothes and into some flimsy, silk nightgown. Her cheeks flamed as she thought of how she had stood before that man without a single ouch of shame.

Groaning inwardly, she had barely enough time to sit up and begin to assess her surroundings, before the door flew open. Immediately she picked up the nearest thing to her – which happened to be the alarm clock – ready to fling it at him. She was just able to still her arm in time as the purple and gold swirls of the District 3's escort appeared before her.

"Pet oh…pet, are you feeling better?" the words rushed out between mauve and gold lips.

"Y..yes," she replied uncertainly.

"Oh pet, you give us quite a fright you know, when you collapsed like that. My poor heart, you do not know how it jumped! You scared dear little Isa here to palpitations. But, now you are fine. It wouldn't do to have a tribute dying before you even got to the Capitol!" She gave a little high-pitched laugh and Stephanie merely grimaced, repulsed by her words. "But now that you are well again you can get changed and come and eat something. I'm sure you're hungry. Poor pet, I don't think you have the balance right." She tssked under her tongue meaningfully.

"Balance?" Stephanie inquired. The woman went to the built in wardrobe and begin to rummage through it, squealing in delight when she found what she was looking for.

"Yes, balance dear. You see, you are skinny pet, but you don't want to be so skinny that it is distasteful," she said, pressing something that Stephanie could only describe as a lot of bright ruffles up against her.

Stephanie gave a bitter smile. As if I've had a choice in the matter, she thought to herself, thinking of how her mother and father would be forced on many occasions, to go without to feed them.

"Now that's perfect pet! Just put it on and you will look like a complete doll. We are just down the hall," she said and clapping her hands giddily, she literally skipped from the room.

Stephanie stared at the object in her hands and with not a second thought, discarded it on the floor with the glass shards. She went over to the wardrobe but found nothing but bright colours and pieces of fabric that she couldn't even begin to fathom how to wear.

However, at the bottom of the wardrobe she found something that she could wear. It was a pair of black satin trousers. They seemed to be boys but she didn't care as she pulled them on, securing some intricate clasp that held them up. They clung tightly to her and the clasp dug uncomfortably into her skin, but she ignored it, and the pink frilly thing that she pulled out next.

She found an oversized green, silk shirt studded with what she considered fake gems, and slipped it on with ease. She rolled up her sleeves and then secured the loose fabric with the string that had previously held up her hair behind her back. Her hair now fell in brunette cascades down her back which she kept pushing back in annoyance as she searched for some shoes.

She wasn't as lucky in this department though, and frowning she picked out the 'best' of the lot in her opinion. The black boots came about half way up her shins, made of soft leather and laced up at the front. It was the four inch heel that she was staring at dubiously that concerned her.

Inching her way down the corridor, supporting herself on the walls she wondered what it was the Capitol people saw in heels. She liked the extra height that she gained but she wouldn't force herself to balance on dangerous and painful stilts to do so.

She heard voices coming from down the hall and as she reached the door it opened automatically, startling her for a moment. She inched her way into the carriage; it was the same one that she had collapsed in. There were people sitting in the chairs a few feet away from her. The seats were enormous and concave, suspended from the ceiling.

She was about to make her way over but suddenly Frenkin appeared from seemingly nowhere. He too was in fresh clothes and his face was covered in something greasy. Also he appeared apparently overjoyed to see her. She was perplexed by this. We may have to kill each other and he is welcoming me back like a long lost sister, she thought uneasily.

Gaining a better grasp on heels she walked slowly over to where the people were seated, only able to see the occupant of the chair facing her. Purple and gold lips were pulled down in a frown, while eyes greener than the shirt she was wearing, assessed her distastefully. Her escort gave an exasperated sigh.

"We have so got to work on your sense of style missy," she reprimanded sternly, while Stephanie fought the smile that threatened. "But anyways, here is your mentor; Haymitch Abernathy." As she said the words Isa's gaze became dreamy and she had a small smile.

Stephanie turned on her heels, eager to meet him but her face quickly drained of colour and she found herself lost for words and not in a good way.

Lounging languidly in his seat with a huge smirk on his face and a bottle of vodka in his hand…"Hello, Sleeping Beauty."