Chapter 4
The ride to the Capitol hadn't lasted exactly as long as Annie had hoped. In a way she wished it had lasted forever, but of course it couldn't have.
Sooner or later she had to accept her fate, and that time may have been closer than she thought.
As the train pulled to a halt, she noticed plenty of people were standing outside waiting for District 4 to arrive. Maybe they did like the look of them. Maybe they did think they made a good team. But of course she forgot one thing. The most important of all things. Finnick Odair was her mentor. As she slid out of the train, the chanting got louder.
"Finnick! Finnick!" they screamed. Some of the woman fainted as he stepped of the train and onto the platform. He flashed a smile at the camera, but continued walking.
Annie didn't see how it wasn't obvious that his personality was all an act. But then again, the Capitol would believe anything, hence why they believed the Hunger Games was a good idea.
Being pushed through the crowds of people trying to get to Finnick was brutalizing. It made her feel like she was on a mission and that was her hardship. Her mission was to get out alive.
He gave small winks to the cameras every now and then and waved at the crowds of people.
Annie and Garb walked behind him, acting invisible. If having him as their mentor meant sponsors then by all means they should let him do his thing.
And he seemed to be enjoying it, too. It seemed like he was eating off of his own plate.
But it wasn't until Annie realised that it all made sense. Maybe they should steal Finnick's time on screen. There hasn't been a single District4 victor since him. Was it because of how famous he was? It made sense. The tributes not getting enough screen time would be a major set back.
Suddenly she begun to feel irritated with Finnick. Did he want to get them killed? She wasn't sure but the longer his face was on that screen, the more irritated she got.
"Trust me, it will help a lot." was all Mags said. Annie understood what she meant, but it still was on her nerve.
As they entered the Remake Center, Annie started to feel a little guilty about her annoyance with Finnick. He was doing his job, and he must have thought he was doing it for their well-being. He had no other reason to become a mentor, anyway.
Annie was suddenly separated from the rest of her team as she was ushered into a white room with bright lights.
Finnick had told her it was only a 'fix up'. She was unsure by what he had meant, though she had a feeling that it was supposed to make you look good for the cameras.
She changed into a thin white robe and took a seat on the bed in the middle of the room.
Suddenly, the doors bursted open and two Capitol people entered. Annie straight away guessed them to be her prep team.
The woman, also known as Talia, had long blue lashes that looked like thin twigs coming off her face. Her eyebrows, hair and lips all were the same colour, though her hair was also decorated in fake birds as if it were meant to represent the sky.
The man, Mack, had mixes of green and sliver hairs all over the top of his head.
His face was concealed in silver tattoos that traced out delicate patterns and defined his features.
After introducing themselves, they got straight to work. Waxing legs, arms, any unwanted hair was gone. They applied mountains worth of make up, trying to hide some slightly visible scars which Annie received from years of swimming in the corals. Her hair was washed and styled, though by the time they had finished with her, her body felt like it was burning and heavy.
Talia and Mack gossiped the whole time, talking dirty of others, swapping information about rumors and such. One person they mentioned several times was Annie's stylist, Julius. She had guessed they didn't like him much, from what they were saying. He had too harsh a judgement, apparently.
Looking in the mirror, Annie didn't notice much difference at that point. So much effort went into making her look good yet the only difference was how old she looked. And even then, she only looked maybe two to three years older, not enough to make a major impact.
Talia and Mack stood a few feet away, their faces grave. Their usual bubbly selfs had been lost in some sort of despair.
"Time for you to meet your stylist, Julius."
Over the years, Annie had heard plenty about Julius. He was very well known for his line of 'outrageous' clothes in the Capitol, though to Annie and the rest of District 4, he was known for his styling in the games. Other than this, he was also known for his passion for fashion. And a passion he had.
He was quite a stick of a man. He had pure white hair, though his bright pink skin made up for the lack of colours. He paced slowly around her, inspecting every inch of her body in sight, making sure the alterations made were just right. Her hair had been made longer, thicker, too, and had big lucious curls flowing through it. The fake eyelashes added to her originals felt like they could possibly weigh her eyelids down forever.
He let out a long desperate sigh.
"How long I've been waiting for someone who looks like you. But if only I had more to work with," he walked a few more paces. "You looked better on television."
His last comment made it official. He was harder to talk to than he was to look at. Suddenly he clapped his hands together, signaling the start of work.
He painted Annie's skin a pale green, not permanently, but it was still odd. She looked down at her legs and arms, inspecting the change of tints. It wasn't an intimidating green, but a nice light shade only barely noticeable.
A few delicate red designs were imbedded on her face and arms, making her feel as if she were being made into a fish.
As she was handed the costume from Julius, he gave her crude, but specific instructions.
"Do try the dress on, though try hard not to rip it. I need to know what I'm working with," he looked her up and down before turning away. He called over his shoulder. "I'll be in the sitting room once you're done"
She took the dress and silently found her way into the changing Rooms.
The top of the dress had a v neck with a tall collar at the back. It was green, almost matching the colour of her skin, though a little darker.
The bottom of it was a rich red, the same as the patterns in her face. It was long, so long it was touching the floor. The red coral design rimmed the bottom of the dress. It was both lightweight and looked nice, which was a bonus for Annie.
Admiring Julius's work in the mirror, she suddenly realised where she was supposed to be.
She rushed to the sitting room, spinning a few times for Julius once she arrived.
"Wonderful, dear." he said patting the spot next to him, as if to say 'sit'. "Just a few alterations and it will be absolutely priceless."
After dinner, Annie left for the tributes parade. She assembled into the stables, where all the other tributes in just moments would be lining up too.
She found chariot 4, which was decorated in bright red corals and green seaweed. It had suddenly occurred to her that the stylists had decided on a theme. And it was a lovely theme.
She was positioned herself in the chariot just before she saw Finnick rush over.
"Garb is on his way." he said, flashing a smile.
Annie furrowed her eyebrows.
"And why is this news important to me?"
"Well, I wanted to see both your costumes before anyone else."
She nodded, not entirely certain.
"Okay."
"Oh, and Julius wanted me to give you this. He forgot to give it to you before."
He handed her a red metallic bracelet.
"It's lovely."
"Isn't it?" he said rubbing his jaw. "Well, good luck! You look great, Annie."
"Thank you." she whispered as he ran off towards the cameras, maybe to actually do mentor duties this time.
As he exited, Garb entered, looking slightly glum and grumpy.
He stood up in the chariot next to her, taking a quick glance at what she was wearing.
"You look like a mermaid," he said, looking forward once more.
And he was right. Annie hadn't noticed it but she was dressed like a mermaid. That was why the dress was so long.
She looked at Garb and his costume. He had the same red markings on his face and arms. His chest was bare, and also had the red imbedded in it.
He wore a slightly revealing skirt which was green and resembled seaweed. The waist line had red chunks of coral wrapped around it.
His arm also held the bracelet Finnick had brought to her not even a minute before.
"Ready?" she asked lightly.
"When will I ever be ready for what's to come?" he asked sourly.
Suddenly the trumpets sounded and the chariot launched forward.
"Whether you're ready or not, We're heading there anyway."
District 1 appeared on the large screen first. The crowd of Capitol people went crazy, watching in bedazzlement as Amphine and Danny waved delightfully.
Before she knew it, Annie's face was on the screen. The red decorations on her face seemed to pop out at her, but they contrasted well against her green skin. Luckily for her, her sudden fear was masked by the make up and her shaking hands were gripping to tightly to the chariot to be noticed.
It felt funny hearing her and Garb's name being chanted by the crowds. Obviously they had made more of an impact than she had thought.
The bright lights and screaming people made Annie feel lost. She didn't feel like she was meant to be there. In the Capitol, that was.
She stopped looking at the screen as they pulled up in the Centre Circle.
President Snow appeared, muttering a welcoming speech to the tributes.
Goosebumps formed on Annie's arms and legs. She felt there was a certain discomfort in the air as he spoke. The look on Garb's face told her so, as did all the other tributes. At least she wasn't alone in her fear.
As the ceremony closed, the anthem played. They headed back to the Training Center where they met up with their stylists.
"Great job, Annie." Talia and Mack congratulated.
She felt like hadn't done anything but stand, though they seemed to think otherwise.
She even got a small nod of appreciation from Julius before being lightly pushed into the elevator by Gracella.
Whatever for, she may have never known.