A/N: So I'm gonna start making the chapters a little longer. And do you think I'm putting in too much detail? Is it boring? :o I think I might be paranoid...

Chapter 3: Allies... or Not

After watching the awful reapings I fell asleep. I had an amazing dream.

I was running through something so unreal it could only be a dream. There was beautiful cloth everywhere. Amazing colors, royal blue, purple, a sparkling silver dress wrapped around me. It flowed everywhere I went, dragging on the floor behind me. Then the cloth surrounding me turned into a deep red. The red got darker until it looked like blood. Then it wasn't silk anymore- it WAS blood. I started screaming. Something or something had grabbed me!

"WAKE UP!" I heard someone scream at me. It was Cadence. I opened my eyes and saw a worried expression etched into his features. I felt wet and hot and was breathing hard. I looked all around me and made sure the blood was gone. I was wrapped in my sheets so tight I could hardly move.

"What happened?" he asked me, I could still hear a hint of worry in his voice.

"It was a nightmare." my words were sharp and angry. I was embarrassed. I had fallen asleep on a train and I bet everyone heard me screaming.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he said.

"No. Just leave me alone!" I yelled. "Please. Just go." I watched him debate whether or not to leave me and then decide to go. He took a few steps away and then looked back at me. He looked like he wanted to say something. As soon as his mouth opened he decided against it ad just walked away.

***THE NEXT DAY***

I didn't sleep well that night. We had small uncomfortable beds on the train. I woke up and got dressed in a small white t-shirt and gray sweatpants someone had left on the bed.

I stepped out of the room and smelled bacon. Yum. I smiled and walked out, searching for the source of the delightful smell. I soon discovered a room with a little wooden table. Around it sat Tilia, Eli, and Cadence. A petite girl with dark brown hair in a bun pulled out my chair and left to bring the food. She was an avox. I had never seem one before. She had a sort of broken personality, like someone who had once been filled with life.

I watched everyone eating with proper manners. I tried to as well, using a fork and eating one bite of bacon at a time. But I was hungry. So of course, that didn't last long. I grabbed the bacon and shoved it, whole, into my mouth. Then I looked up at all the surprised faces staring at me. What seems like forever went by and then they copied me. With Tilia using her hands for even her eggs... huh, guess I wasn't the only hungry one.

After everyone was finished, the avox girl and a few others cleared the plates. Eli cleared his throat.

"Well I'd like to tell you all what we will be doing today. I don't know if you've noticed but this train doesn't exactly meet our needs..." Oh yeah, I noticed. "So we will be off this one in about 15 minutes. Then we are going to get on another one for a few hours until you meet your stylists. You are making your appearances on the chariots tonight." he finished, looking rather pleased with himself.

I nodded and waited a few minutes in an awkward silence before getting up and leaving. It seemed as if everyone was waiting for something to happen because once I got up so did they.

I sat on my small bed and started thinking about what they might dress me in. They tried to dress each tribute in something that represented which district they were from. District 8 was textiles and cloth. That could lead to a lot of interesting outfits...

15 minutes came and went so quickly. Before I knew it Cadence, Tilia, Eli, and I were all boarding another train. This one was big and fancy. Tilia escorted me to my bedroom. I couldn't stop staring at the pink ridges that were placed above her eyebrows. Her whole face looked a little scaly... almost like a fish. She gave me a couple of odd glances before asking, "Can I help you with something, Jasmine?"

"Uh... um... I was just wondering... never mind." I stuttered. She huffed and opened the door to my bedroom. As she stalked off she gave one more questioning glace back at me. And she thinks I'm weird. Whatever.

I stepped inside the room. It was amazing. I had spotless white sheets and a comforter that looked like a cloud. It had pink flowers on it. The whole room smelled like flowers, too. It was so peaceful. I realized how tired I was then and decided to take a nap. The last coherent thought I remember was the golden ribbon my mother tied in my hair.

I awoke to a slight knocking at my door. I got up to open it and loudly stumbled across the room. There was the little avox girl. She beckoned for me to follow her and I did. She led me off the train and into a tall building.

I observed my surroundings. Everything was a mess. There were bright pink roads, swirly neon colored buildings, and people walking around with pictures flashing across their faces. We were in the capitol. The tall building was a bright blue. I followed the avox girl down a wide hallway and entered the biggest room I had even been it. Inside were three of the strangest people I had ever seen.

There was a woman, about 7 feet tall, with a green braid running down her large back. She had a violet star on each cheek and her lips were black. She smiled at me, it looked a little insane.

Then there was a man with metallic blue hair. It stood up in bunches all over his head. His face was completely white. Even his lips, but his hands and body were a sort of orange color that definitely wasn't natural.

The last one was also a woman. From behind she looked somewhat normal. She had long black hair. It was completely straight and was pulled back in a long ponytail. Then she turned around. She had gold eyeshadow up past her eyebrows, golden cat eyes, and even gold, thick lips.

Did these people honestly believe they looked good?

"Okay. Let's begin." the gold covered one smiled. Then they all three nodded and lunged at me.

Everything hurt. My legs hurts. My faced burned. I looked in the mirror at a reflection that looked like me, but everything wrong had disappeared. My face was blemish free and everything was symmetrical. My eyebrow were perfectly shaped and my body was hair-free.

"You like it?" the large one with green hair asked, I found out her name was Lira, and before giving me a chance to answer said, "Good. Now let the fun begin!"

She ran off and returned with a brush. The man, whose name was Hett had eyeshadow, and the other one, Isolde, had lipstick.

I was surprised to say I liked this part. It didn't hurt, and with every passing minute, I looked more and more beautiful.

I've never worn make-up before. I may be 16, but I look about 14 without it. Now I looked like an adult.

I had a shimmering gray on my eyelids and sparkles on the side of my face. I had on dark red lipstick and my blonde curls had been put into a messy bun. But I looked stunning. I couldn't believe that girl looking back in the mirror was really me.

Then she stripped me of my clothes and walked out. I called a brief thank you to them before another person walked in. It was a woman, maybe middle-aged, and she looked completely normal except for her purple eyes.

"Hello my dear. I'm your stylist, Dena. Do not worry, I'm going to make you look flawless."

I stared at her, blinking a few times, waiting for her to disappear. I didn't like this woman. I waited and waited as she went over every little detail until she thought I looked "flawless."

"You're finished." She announced. Then I looked in the mirror for the final time tonight, and all I could think was: I really hate this woman.