AN- First we'd like to thank 'Ifweburnyouburnwithus' for her review regarding the interview outfits. We hope this chapter does you and your outfits justice (we changed a few things). Sorry I haven't updated in a while. So, done with rambling, here's the real chapter 12.
Disclaimer and enjoy!
Chapter 12:
I tiptoe down the stairs and make sure that Mommy and Daddy don't see me. I'll get in trouble if they see me up this late, but I couldn't sleep because of the monsters. Mommy sings me a song every night to keep the monsters away, but she didn't tuck me in tonight.
"You what?" Mommy exclaims, her brow furrowing. "You lost the house?"
"I can get it back! I just need to win tomorrow's match-!"
"No! I've had enough! She asks me why things keep disappearing, Lark too. She asks me 'Where's Daddy? Does he still love me?' and I can't take it! You're setting a horrible example for the both of them! Why don't you get your crap straight and call me."
Crap? Lark told me that is a bad word. Why is Mommy saying it then?
Mommy storms out of the house and Daddy yells, "Wait! Come back!"
Mommy? Mommy, where are you going? Are you leaving like Daddy does every night? But you said you would tuck me in every night until I was a big girl! I leap from my hiding spot and dash down the stairs not caring if Daddy spots me. "Mommy, come back!" I scream. I manage to get outside and Daddy follows me, holding me back.
My eyes search over the front yard, seafront, and the neighbor's front yard. She's not there.
"Mommy! Mommy! Come back!" I scream and scream and scream.
"Aura! Stop it! Come on, stop it!" Daddy yells over my screams. I eventually stop struggling and cry into his shoulder. He ends up crying too. "You look so much like her…" he cries.
Daddy... Daddy is crying... But I always thought he never got sad. He gets angry or happy sometimes, but never sad. Will she be back? She promised me... she promised she would treat me like a princess on my seventh birthday. Lark told me never to break promises. Is Mommy breaking a promise to me?
Mommy... why?
The scene changes and I'm standing in the middle of a dark forest. "Aura! Aura!" someone yells. It's Dad's voice.
"Dad?" I call running towards the sound of his voice. "Help me!"
"Dad! Dad!" I scream, getting closer and closer with each step. More voices chime in. There's a ray of light and I see him. Him and others. They're all tied and someone comes from behind them. My eyes widen and I scream. "No-!"
…
I jerk awake and I'm broken out in sweat.
"Are you okay?" Lachlan asks sleepily.
It takes me a few seconds to realize where I am. I'm still in the hallway, in the Capitol, with an interview tomorrow, next to a now-awake Lachlan.
"Yeah. Just a nightmare," I reply.
It was just a nightmare, I think as I lay back down. It was just a nightmare.
…
I can hear low murmurs from my state of sleep and my eyes bolt open from last night's memory. I see Marlene and Finnick standing in front of us, Finnick crossing his arms and Marlene standing there. I scream in surprise, waking a sleeping Lachlan whose arms are still wrapped around my waist. "What the hell are you two doing here?" Lachlan yelps.
"I could ask you two the same question," states Finnick, barely blinking, glaring down at us.
"Couldn't sleep," I reply plainly, before somehow this gets out of hand. Before Finnick or Lachlan has time to answer, Marlene says, "Look, your prep teams are waiting, so let's get the show on the road."
Thank you Marlene!
I get up from the ground, but peck Lachlan on the cheek for good measure. Marlene quickly smiles and turns down the hall. "They're in your room!" she calls down the hall. I race to my room a few feet away and shut the door, before the yelling can start.
Glycia, Trinna, and Montris stand there styling equipment in hand. "There you are! Let's get started shall we?" Glycia exclaims, her high voice seeming strangely relaxing.
They go through the ritual done to me days before, but because I was 'late' *cough five minutes* they pluck and scrub harder than before. They work diligently without saying much and eventually Montris fetches Laguna and the three disappear, murmuring a quick good luck.
Laguna greets me and says she has a surprise for me. She holds up a blue garment bag marked 'Aura' in black fancy letters, hopefully containing my dress. She undoes the zipper and I gasp in shock; a strapless, medium aqua dress with sparkles in a pattern like waves waits before me. "Want to put it on?"
"Yes!" I can hardly conceal my excitement. I put it on and find that it's made of satin material and reaches just above my knees. When I twirl around, I look down and see that the wave-like sparkles move when I do. I grin up at her and she holds up matching heels that have a tint of green in them. As I put them on, she moves to fasten a gold necklace with a small yet fashionable emerald around my neck. I clasp two gold bracelets around my wrists while Laguna hooks a satin cape that attaches to the bracelets. I lift my arms and find that the cape does not get in the way. Laguna brings me in front of the vanity mirror and twists my reddish brown hair into a messy, yet fun, side bun holding it with a fish barrette. She minimizes the use of my makeup, using a light blue eyeliner and aqua eye shadow that's only a few hues lighter and brings out my eyes.
Laguna rests her warm hands on my bare shoulder and looks at me. "Remember, you'll do great. Good luck, Aura." She smiles widely at me.
"Come on, let's go meet the others."
We turn down the hall and wait for the others. They come down the opposite hall and stop before us. Lachlan is wearing a satin medium aqua dress shirt and dark blue slacks and a matching jacket. Pinned to the pocket of his jacket, is a fish pin similar to the one I have in my hair. On his left wrist, a gold watch embroidered with emeralds. His ebony hair is trimmed and gelled back, making him look very handsome, but his face says he hates it. "You look…wow."
"Thanks. You too."
"Shall we get the show on the road?" suggests Finnick, gesturing to the opening elevator, staring at me.
"Let's," I say, blushing under his stare.
As we pile into the elevator-two mentors, two stylists, and two tributes- Lachlan mumbles into my ear, "I can't believe they cut it."
I stifle a laugh and smirk. "It'll grow back, don't worry."
As we're nearing the floor where the stage is, I slip my hand into Lachlan's larger one. The elevator doors swing open and the floor dings, and Wolfe and Laguna remain inside. "Good luck you two," Wolfe says.
As the door closes, I squeeze Lachlan's hand. Comforting me with a kiss on the lips, he asks, "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
AN- Please review (Reviews make me happy)! So to recap: Aura has a nightmare about her mom when sleeping in the hallway with Lachlan. When they wake up, Finnick and Marlene are there and Finnick is upset. Marlene has Aura go get ready for the interview to calm down tension between mentor and tribute. So Aura gets ready and loves her outfit and the gang goes into the elevator. The time comes and the couple stands outside of the stage. What will happen? Will Aura overcome her nervousness?
Stay tuned to find out!