Here's Chapter Two! This is up to the Launch Room, and then will be the Games. I realize it's not the most exciting chapter, but I needed something to happen between Glimmer's interview and the Games, so bear with me. I promise the last chapter will be really cool.

Also I want to thank all the people who Favorited/put this on Story Alert/reviewed this! (And those who were amazing enough to add me to Favorite Authors, that means a lot.) I love knowing that someone's reading my work, and I try to respond to reviews.

Disclaimer: If I owned The Hunger Games, I would not have to write fanfiction, would I?

"Let's see if she does indeed shine….Glimmer!" Caesar Flickerman shouts.

I smile and walk to my chair, making sure my skirt stays above mid-thigh the whole time. I love my dress; shimmery gold fabric with a puffy skirt that bounces with every step.

Caesar asks me if I'm ready for the Games; I nod and tell him I'm very ready. This is not entirely true, because my training score was the lowest of the Careers and I haven't gotten good at using a manual bow-and-arrow. At home we have the kind that position and aim themselves, and all I need to do it press the switch that send the arrow flying. This is called an unfair advantage to One and Two, because we're in charge of luxury items and weapons, so only we really have access to such weapons. Maybe Three- technology, or Four, if they can afford it, but never the outcast districts.

The Capitol interviews are always perfect, with the right questions to win sponsors already picked out. Mine focus mainly on my district and what advantages I'll have in the arena. And, of course, my appearance. Caesar focuses on this for almost a minute of the three I have, and people go crazy. They all think I'm beautiful.

Then my interview is over and Marvel, with his dumb grin, takes his place on the chair. His blue suit looks childish compared to my mature dress, but his angle is different than mine, I suppose. Marvel could never pull off sexy.

As Marvel responds almost eagerly to his questions, I think back on how my interview went. I don't think anything went wrong, and I must have looked great if all of the audience was cheering. My mind keeps returning to the sentence Caesar Flickerman started with: "Let's see if she does indeed shine…" I decide I like this phrase a lot. Of course I shine. My name, my looks, my skills, they all shine. And I will outshine every other tribute in the arena this year.

Atala warned us in training that most of the tributes will die of natural causes. I can't even imagine what a pathetic death that would be. Having so few sponsors that you can't even get some water, or a blanket, or some matches? I'll probably have enough to build my own mansion in the middle of the arena. The Careers combined should, anyway.

I glance up and see the very attractive boy from Two walking up to greet Caesar. His name is Cato, and he's absolutely gorgeous. I can't help imagining how we would look together, and if maybe we'd pull more sponsors if we acted like we were in love or something. It would give me an excuse to stare. I know I shouldn't be thinking like this, the night before the Games when my mind should be on living and fighting and shining.

Cato's interview seems to go by too fast, and then I stop paying attention completely until the tiny girl from Eleven is up. I think her name's Rue. She's very small and seems clever enough to get past the bloodbath. She claims to be fast and good at climbing. Exactly the kind of tribute a bow and arrow should be able to finish off. If only I could figure out how to use the darn thing.

Then comes the girl from Twelve, the one with the eleven in training. I hate her, even if I don't think she's a threat. Especially not after she gets up and twirls, giggling, for the audience. I can see the girl from Two, Clove, making a disgusted face behind the stage. If she were from my district, the Fire Girl's behavior would be admired. But from the coal district? No way. And even more surprisingly, the boy from her district announces he's in love with her. I want to laugh. He looks so serious saying it, and she's caught blushing on camera. Does she really believe it? Even I can see right through it, and I just had a similar idea for myself and Cato. It's an act. Girl on Fire is obviously pretty simpleminded.

That night, trying to fall asleep, I keep seeing the interviews in my head. My golden dress floating around my legs, Marvel's loud grin, Cato's handsomeness, Rue's earnest face, Twelve twirling, and Lover Boy sniffing Caesar. I've got to have outshined them. Glimmer. Even my name makes me shine. As I finally drift into sleep, I think of how pretty the Victor's Crown will look with my blonde hair. How proud my family will be, how many younger kids will look up to me, how people will cheer on my Victory Tour. Tomorrow is my chance to make an impression, not on the Capitol, but on the citizens of Panem. They need to believe in me too.

"Up, up, up!" Emer Spring is shaking my arm, pushing some bags into my hand, and sending me out the door to where a hovercraft waits. My stylist, a middle-aged woman named Rhea, talks with me about the clothes I'm going to wear in the arena as she unpacks them.

"This is a heat-retaining jacket, so you can be expecting it to get cold. We'll need to do your hair so it won't get caught in the hood, so let's do it like you had it at the reaping. Then you can put these boots on…" I obey her instruction and admire myself in the mirror when I'm done. I look attractive, but dangerous and almost threatening at the same time. Rhea claps her hands.

"Perfect! Amazing! Let's get you to the hovercraft so they can put a tracker in you, and I'll be waiting in the Launch Room. Cashmere will be bringing you to the Launch Room."

I say a quick good-bye to Cashmere and Emer, telling them I'll be back soon. Both of them smile and wish me luck, but I see them meet each others' eyes when I start to turn around. Maybe not everyone believes that I do indeed shine, like Caesar Flickerman. I'll show them. I'll show each and every one of them. I am Glimmer, and I do shine.

I swear I used the word "Shine" like twenty times in this chapter. Oh, only nine times. Right.

Reviews get virtual cookies! Also know that on Wednesday I'm going on vacation for nine days, and the rainforest does not have Wi-fi (I'm devastated), so if I don't update before that, Chapter Three will be uploaded sometime next week.