merchant hair is curled and left to rest on my shoulders, and the black makeup has been wiped clean, and instead of eyeshadow I wear thick,
black, fake eyelashes, that are coated in red glitter at the ends. My lips are painted a bright red colour, and lightly sprinkled with the same glitter,
and I get the feeling that as soon as the lights hit me I'll blind anyone who's looking at me.
I wait, second last in line, to go on stage. The tributes are all wearing brightly coloured suits and dresses, hair spiked up, flattened down, slicked back, curled, straightened and tied up. Each of them look focused, calm and collected. But all I can think is 'If Katniss was the girl on fire, does that mean I'm the girl that shimmered?'
Cole takes his place in line behind me, and I take in his sky blue suit with black lapel and black shirt. His dark hair is slicked back, out of his face,
and his dark grey irises seem as if they've been coated in glitter too.
Slowly, the line begins to move. I could watch the interviews from the screens beside my head, or hear the interviews just by paying attention, but I don't. I hear snippet, sometimes - the District 2 tribute telling everyone how excited she is, the district 4 boy cracking jokes - but nerves are getting the better of me. And then I realise, I'm at the front of the queue.
A Capitol woman with bright green curls puts her hand on my arm, and ushers me forward. I wait for Ceasar to introduce me, but I can barely hear him. My ears are shutting down, my brain losing control. I'm nervous. Too nervous. And then I feel a hand on my back, pushing me forward, so that I almost stumble onto the stage in my red heels. But as I take in the crowd, who are screaming my name, applauding and grinning, everything else goes away. THe butterflies that have been threatening to break through my stomach. The pounding in my head. The sweat on my palms.
Gone. And as I walk to the chair next to Ceasar, I become a natural.
Waving to the audience, I blow a kiss, and sit down next to Ceasar, automatically kissing him on the cheek. He seems shocked, and reacts with an "Oh!" and kisses my back. Then, he settles the audience, and I lean back in my chair. Looking at me, he says "So, Dahlia-"
"Please, call me Delly." I smile. Nobody's called me Delly since the last reaping day, when Peeta went away, and I have refused to let anyone call me it since. Not even Gale. But if it'll get the audience to like me, I'm going to let them.
"Well, Delly," Ceaser smiles. I can tell he was pleased by that. "We've done some digging, and we understand you have a friend at home, who you're...more than friendly with. Is that right?"
I swallow, my mouth feeling suddenly quite dry. Why was it that everyone wanted to bring up the very thing I wanted to forget? "Yes." I answer.
"Yes I do."
"What's his name, Delly? Where did you meet him?" Ceasar presses me.
"His name is..." I pause, and look directly to the camera, and to the audience, giving them a small smile. "His name is Gale." I say. "He's my best friend. I met him when we started school, I guess. I mend dresses for his mother. And I've always liked him. More than I should. More than he likes me. Though I wouldn't say I was the only one."
A small laugh from the audience.
"Well, surely, showing your love for him on national television will get him to notice you." Ceasar grinned.
"Surely." I reply.
"You say Gale is your best friend," Ceasar continues. "But what about Peeta? We understand he was a good friend of yours. Has his fate influenced you in any way?"
I feel my smile waver slightly, but I keep it up as best I can. "Well Ceasar, Peeta was so dear to me, and Katniss, too, that they're...disappearance couldn't not of influenced me." I say. "They've made me want to win, more than ever before."
Ceasar nods. "You say you were close to Katniss, too. What is it like being the next girl into the arena after her?"
"Well," I say, grinning. "Katniss went into the arena as the girl on fire. And I'm going in as the girl that glittered."
The audience laughs, some applaud, and Ceasar grins, pulling my closer to him with a small gesture. I lean in, my curls hanging in front of my face.
"You don't have any similar tricks up your sleeve, do you? With your dress?"
And then I remember what Inidigo had said to me after the opening ceremony. "Funny you should ask, Ceasar." I say. I slowly rise, and hear the audience already begin to applaud. I take a few steps forward, and begin to spin. At first, I think that nothing's happening, that the glitter is simply splaying outwards. But then I feel a shift in the dress, around my calves, and I keep twirling, and twirling, until I feel it reach the strapless bodice,
and hear the audience burst into applause and cheers. I look down to see my once red dress now gold: the colour of victory, the colour of success,
but more importantly, the colour of the pin.
Ceasar joins me at the front of the stage, embraces me, and we hold our arms out to the audience. I am then allowed to exit the stage, feeling slightly breathless, to the see an anxious Cole staring at me wide eyed.
"Was it too much?" I ask. "Was it too much like Katniss?"
He shakes his head. "It was amazing."