A/N- Thanks for reading this far! I can promise you that it just keeps getting better from here! Please write a review, it makes my day when you do. :)
I spend the next morning talking with Alistair about the other Tributes and our strategy in the Games, and then with about 4 hours to spare until the chariot ride, Blue drags me away to start to get ready.
Once again, my legs are completely stripped of hair. But this time, they remove all hair on my body, leaving me feeling plucked like a bird. Blue finally lets me cover myself with a thin dressing gown. My hair is brushed for over half an hour by my prep team as they struggle to remove the knots. It is then braided along the front and down the side of my face. Blue pulls it back with a band, and starts on my make-up.
The costumes that the Tributes wear on the chariot ride are meant to represent their districts industry, for example, the District one Tributes are always covered in semi-precious stones to symbolize their industry of leisure. Blue orders my costume be brought in, and it's definitely not what I thought it would be. Poppy and Cecilia carry in a pile of wheat, similar to the stuff we harvest in eleven, and they dump it all on the plush sofa, pulling disgusted faces and wiping their precious Capitol hands with a stray piece of material.
"We don't even know if it's going to work!" Blue says happily. Great, I think. I am either going to be covered in wheat for the chariot ride or stark naked. I guess I can wave goodbye to sweet and innocent.
I am told to strip naked again, and Blue starts weaving the wheat stalks together, creating a chain of them. Then I notice the glistening colours intertwined. She has re-created my token! The costume turns out to me a mix of the wheat and nakedness, with the wheat loosely wrapping around my upper midriff, and doing the same down at my groin. She takes the last piece of wheat, which is covered in more of the small glass beads, and wraps it around my forehead. Cecilia then proceeds to cover me in a shimmery gold powder, and drapes my long hair over my slim body.
The mirror reflects someone else's image back at me, someone beautiful. The lack of clothes compliments my body well. I go to hug Blue for her efforts, but I remember I am covered in gold dust.
My prep team and stylist walk me to the elevator. The door opens, and Alistair is already in there. It seems his prep team have matched us, only he looks much, much better. The wheat is knotted at his groin also, but without the beads. His body is amazing, and looks much stronger than I thought he was. He is also covered in the shimmery gold dust, and is trying to dust some of it off his broad shoulders when he looks up.
"You should wear that more often", he says with a wink as I hop into the elevator with him. I laugh and give him a push, but when I step away, there are two hand prints on his chest and I keel over laughing. He looks down at his chest and tries to dust them off but it doesn't work, so he grabs me around the waist and puts a hand print on my back. I squeal and try to dust it off but I can't reach, so to get him back I slap his leg. We are both covered in hand prints, laughing our heads off. Alistair grabs my waist again, but this time pulls me closer. I stop laughing. He takes one arm off my hip and puts his hand softly on my cheek. His fingers trace my jaw line, lips, and then he moves in and kisses me gently. I do not hesitate to kiss him back. A warm feeling rises inside me and I know I won't be the first to pull away. The elevator stops. I can feel his head jerk a bit, hesitating, but ignores the fact that the doors are opening. I can hear people talking, preparing the tributes for the chariot rides. A sharp ding, announces are arrival, and as if it was staged, all eyes turn to the open elevator doors. He pulls apart, and we both turn to face everyone.
Angela's mouth is hanging open, and she drops her clipboard. Her blue wig is slightly off centre. Marc gives us both a piercing look, and the rest of the tributes, who's faces I can see for the first time just gawk at us. Then I remember the hand prints.
"It's not what it looks like", I say quickly, looking down. My cheeks burn. If it wasn't for the gold dust they would be bright red. Another elevator bings, and Blue and the prep teams step out.
"The costumes really are a must see-", she cuts off mid-sentence when she sees us standing in the elevator. "You have five minutes until the first chariot leaves, you'll just have to go like that." I can tell she is disappointed with me.
Marc leads us over to the district eleven chariot. Alistair gives me a hand to help me up.
From on the chariot I am able to see all the other tributes. The two lining up about to leave on the far right are district one. The boy is huge, towering above the small but stocky girl. She has purple hair and a mean look on her face. I don't think I like her. The next across is district two, three and four, the rest of the Careers. One girl catches my eye. She is nearly as tall as the district one boy, with flowing blonde hair and tan skin. District four, fishing. I think to myself. She is fighting with the boy from her district. He is trying to put his arm around her waist, present themselves as a couple to the Capitol, but she refuses, slamming a fist into his shoulder. Her mentor, a lady called Mags, calms her down and she puts her head in her hands, apologising to the boy who is rubbing his shoulder and looking frustrated.
None of the other tributes really make an impression on me, seeing as though I am yet to see what they can do in the training centre. It is nearly time to leave and I grip the front of the chariot, my knuckles turning white.
"If this is anything like the car ride to the train station back at eleven then I might jump off", Alistair says jokingly. It's the first time he has said anything since the kiss and I wonder if it even meant anything to him. Does it even matter anymore? I tell myself. I will be dead in a number of days anyway. I start to wonder how I will die, and if Alistair will win the games. As if to answer the question I just asked myself, he slides a hand round my waist, steadying me. I release my tight grip on the chariot, but grab onto it again when our chariot starts moving.
The chariot slides out into the light, and a thousand hands wave at me. I wave back, blowing kisses to the Capitol people, and they reach out to catch them. I honestly don't know who could ever love these freaks but I certainly don't. I look down at my costume, the pretty glass beads play in the light, and I flick my hair back over my shoulders. He pulls me closer to him, and we wave and wave until we enter the tunnel at the other end. I wonder what my family and friends will think of my provocative costume back home, and once again I feel my cheeks burn red.
When we arrive back to the training centre, Alistair walks me back to my room. When we arrive, he turns me around like he did on the train.
"The kiss-"
"I understand if you didn't mean it I just-"I say quickly, stumbling over my words.
"I meant it." He says, giving me a small smile.
"I.. um.. "
"You better get some rest," he says, "training tomorrow." He takes my hand and gives it a squeeze, leaving me standing at my door.
I climb into my bed, confused and tired. But as always, it takes me next to no time to drift off. To my place. To a place where families aren't tormented at the thought of losing a beloved child to the reaping. Where we can live in peace, where there is no Hunger Games.
Oh how I wish I could live in my dreams.