Guess who's back?
I am so so so so incredibly sorry! I can't believe how long its been since I've updated! But I've had a lot going on.
In the time it's been, I've moved to a new town, started at a new school, and of course that means homework, essays, projects, the works, and I do have a social life(no matter how little it is). I have, like, no time for fanfiction anymore. But I promise that I'll keep trying to make time.
I love you guys! Thank you for all of your follows and favorites and reviews and private messages and everything! You guys are the best. Really.
Now on with the much awaited chapter 6!
Chapter 6
Nina
We arrived in the Capitol and we gazed out the windows. People were cheering, dressed in crazy colors and clothes. The city itself was lovely-of course, anything after District 12 was beautiful. I looked over at Fabian-his face was lit up like a kid on Christmas. He was waving to the crowd below us, and he grinned at me. I began to wave as well. Soon enough, Effie was ushering us into a building they call the Remake Center, where Fabian and I were quickly separated.
Patricia
R-i-i-i-p! I bit back a scream as a brightly colored woman yanked a strip of fabric from my leg, tearing out the hair beneath it. "Sorry!" she piped. "You're just so hairy!"
The woman made what was supposed to be a sympathetic face. "Good news, though. This is the last one. Ready?" I gritted my teeth while I gripped the sides of the table and nodded. The last swathe of my hair was uprooted in a painful jerk.
I'd been in the remake center for more than three hours and I still hadn't met my stylist. Apparently he had no interest in meeting me until my prep team addressed some obvious problems. These so-called "problems" included scrubbing down my body with a gritty foam that removed not only dirt but at least three layers of skin, turning my nails into uniform shape, ridding my legs, arms, torso, underarms, and parts of my eyebrows of hair, and of course removing the dozens, possibly even hundreds of scars on my wrist.
My prep team rubbed me down with a lotion that at first stung but then soothed my raw skin. They then pulled me from the table and ordered me to remove the thin robe I had been allowed to wear off and on. I stood there, 100% naked, as the three circled me, wielding tweezers to remove any last bits of hair.
"Excellent!" One squeaked. "You look almost like a human being now!"
"Are you kidding? I feel like a..." I suddenly realized that I should be nicer to these people. Although they are basically prepping me for slaughter, they were raised on the notion that this was okay. They were doing what they thought was right. Whoa, when did I become considerate? Being Piper must be getting to my head. "Like a real human, for once. Back home we don't have much cause, I guess."
This seems to win them over. "Of course you don't, you poor darling!" one exclaims in a distressed tone.
I faked a grin as they went to find my stylist.
Nina
I looked at the cold white walls and floors and resisted the impulse to retrieve my robe. But I knew that my stylist, whoever he was, would only make me remove it.
The door opened and a young man who must be my stylist entered. I was taken aback by how purely normal he looked, unlike all others in this strange city. His close-cropped hair appeared to be in its natural shade of brown. He wore in a simple black shirt and pants. The only makeup he wore was metallic gold eyeliner that brought out flecks of gold in his green eyes.
"Hello, Nina. I'm Cinna, your stylist," he says in a quiet voice that somewhat lacks the silly Capitol accent.
"Hello," I respond cautiously.
"Just give me a moment, alright?" he asked. He walked around my naked body, not touching me, but taking in every inch of it with his eyes. I resisted the impulse to cross my arms over my chest.
"Why don't you put on your robe and we'll have a chat."
Pulling on my robe, I followed him through a door into a sitting room. Two red couches faced off over a low table. Three walls were blank, and the fourth was entirely glass, providing a window to the city. I could see by the light that it must be around noon, although the once sunny sky had become overcast. Cinna invited me to sit on one of the couches and then took his place across from me. He pressed a button on the side of the table. The top split and from below a second tabletop rose that held our food. I look at the delicious, fancy, Capitol food and somehow find myself disappointed. Even looking at this I would rather be eating Trudy's food.
"So, Nina, about your costume for the opening ceremonies. My partner, Portia, is the stylist for your fellow tribute, Fabian. And our current thought is to dress you in complementary costumes," Cinna said. "As you know, its customary to reflect the flavor of the district."
"So I'll be..." I racked my brain. Why was I without memories from this foreign land? Luckily my short time in 12 had given me an idea. "In a coal miner's outfit?"
"Not exactly. You see, Portia and I think that coal miner thing is very overdone. No one will remember you in that. And we see it as our job to make the District Twelve tributes as unforgettable."
By now I was thoroughly confused.
"So rather than focusing on the coal mining itself, we're going to focus on the coal." He said. "And what do we do with coal? We burn it." He grinned. "You aren't afraid of fire, are you, Nina?"
Eddie
After our stylists were finished prepping us for this stupid parade thing, I made my way through the crowd as quickly as possible to my Yacker. Wait. My Yacker? What? I mean just Yacker. Ordinary Yacker that I definitely DON'T like. Okay, maybe I do. Just a bit. But I can't date her because we're going to die in only two or so and-getting sidetracked!
Anyways so I ran through the crowd. Most of these people looked oddly familiar, but I just needed to find Trixie. Trixie? What is wrong with me today?
So I shoved through the ocean of strangely dressed, strangely familiar people. Red hair, red hair, I thought. Soon enough I saw her, dressed almost identically to me.
"Yacker!" I yelled, grabbing her shoulder.
"Oh, hey Eddie!" She said, turning around. I pulled her aside. "What?"
"They're gone."
"What's gone?" She piped, oblivious and oddly cheerful.
I pulled up my sleeve. "Gone!"
She pulled up hers as well. "Mine, too."
"Guess they want us all flawless and pretty for their stupid entertainment." I grumbled. She put a comforting hand on my shoulder, and I felt a rush of electricity run through me.
"Come on. They want entertainment, let's give them entertainment." I forced a grin in her direction, and we walked, hand in hand, to where our chariot waited.
Nina
I caught a glimpse of Fabian chatting to...Amber? Why was she here? He waved me over and I walked up to them.
"Nina, this is Amber. Amber, this is my friend Nina."
"I know, we've met before." I mumbled.
"Huh?" My blonde best friend asked. "I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else. I'm Amber, from District One?" She held put her hand out, clearly asking for me to shake, but I ignored her.
"Come on, Amber. Please remember! Sibuna? Cup of Ankh? Mask of Anubis? Senkhara? Rufus? Victor? Anubis house? Mr. Sweet? Trudy? Fabina? Amfie-slash-Alber? Please, Amber, please remember!"
She shook her head. "Sorry-Nina, is it? You seem really nice and all, but I have no idea what you're going on about."
Fabian and I exchanged a look. "What about this?" I asked, rolling up my sleeve. Amber gasped.
"Matching tats? Aww! That's totes adorbs!" Then she remembered something. "I got the same one on my ankle! The guy said it was a popular tat!" I mentally face palmed. I wished she remembered. Then I saw Cinna and Portia waving us over.
I just realized I haven't told you about my costume yet! Let me explain:
I was dressed in what was either going to be the most sensational or the deadliest costume in the opening ceremonies. I wore a simple black unitard that covered me from ankle to neck, and a matching headdress. Cinna planned to light these on fire just before our chariot rolls onto the streets. For shoes I had on shiny leather boots laced up to my knees. My hair was in a simple braid down my back. Makeup-wise I had on very little. Cinna said he wanted people to recognize me in the arena.
"It's not real flame, of course. Just a little synthetic fire Portia and I came up with," he told me. Still, I wasn't sure if I would live long enough to make it into the Games at all. He saw the look on my face and laughed. "I want people to remember you. Nina, the girl who was on fire."
I glanced at Fabian, who was pale and giving me nervous glances as he spoke to Portia. I nearly laughed at the sight of him.
Cinna finished talking and I ran to Fabian.
"What do you think of the flame?" I asked.
"I'll rip off my clothes if you'll do the same." I giggled and he groaned. "Not funny, I'm seriously terrified."
"Really? We'd be in our underwear, Fabes. In front of the entire world. Not the best idea."
"Well, they did say they wanted us to be unforgettable." I laughed so hard I thought I might run out of air. I doubled over and Fabian laughed too, and we stood there, among all the crazily dressed people looking at us like we were the crazy ones. I guess we were so nervous about the Games, and, more pressingly, being turned into human torches, that we weren't acting sensibly. Then it was time to get in the chariots.
District One went.
Then Two.
And Three.
And Four through Eleven went, too. Then It was Twelve's turn.
Cinna appeared with a lighted torch. "Here we go then."
And before we had time to protest, he set us on fire.
I gasped, waiting for the burn, but all I felt was a slight tickle. I heard a relieved sigh from Fabian and I felt him relax next to me.
Cinna also sighed in relief. "It works." He tucked a hand under my chin. "Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you!"
He walked away as we begin to go. He shouted something, but the music drowns him out. He shouted again and gestured.
"What's he saying?" I looked at Fabian for the first time and realize that, ablaze with the fake flame, he is dazzling. And I must be, too.
"I think he said for us to hold hands," Fabian responds with a nervous glance at me. I grabbed his left hand in my right, and we looked at Cinna for confirmation. He gave a thumbs-up, and that's the last thing I saw before we entered the city.
All eyes were on me and Fabian as we rode through the city. Every cheer changed from whatever they were saying before to shouts of "District Twelve!" I caught a glimpse of myself as my chariot drove on and I understood the cheers I was receiving. I knew I was on fire but I didn't realize exactly how I looked to the people of the Capitol.
I wasn't beautiful.
I wasn't pretty.
Dazzling wasn't even the right word.
I was as radiant as the sun, surrounded in flames.
Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you! Cinna's voice echoed in my head. I lifted my chin a bit higher, put on my most winning smile, and waved to the crowed with my free hand. I was glad I had Fabian to hold onto for balance, he was so steady, solid as a rock. As I gained confidence, I even blew a few kisses to the crowd. The people of the Capitol were going nuts, showering us with flowers, shouting our names, our first names, which they had bothered to find on the program. I could tell right then that no one would ever forget me. Not my name, not my face. Nina. The girl who was on fire.
For the first time, I felt a flicker of hope. Surely there would be one person willing to sponsor me! And with a little extra help, some food, the right weapon, I could win these Games. I could outsmart Senkhara! I could show her that I wasn't just her fragile little Chosen One, that I wasn't just a piece in her game. And maybe, with a little luck, I could even get back to Anubis House.
"Nina! Nina!" I could hear my voice called from all sides. Everyone wanted my kisses.
It wasn't until we entered the City Circle that I realized I must've cut off all circulation in poor Fabian's hand. I was holding him that tightly. I started to loosen my grip, but this only made him hold me tighter.
"No, don't let go of me." He told me. The firelight flickered off his blue eyes. "Please. I might fall out of this thing."
I giggled. That was the Fabian I knew. The clumsy nerd. The last place he should be is standing in a chariot, on fire. "Ok," I told him, still giggling. So I kept holding on.
President Zeno gave us the official welcome from his balcony above us as the music ended and I nearly did fall out of the chariot.
"Fabian!" I hissed. "You do know who that is right?"
"Of course," he whispered. "That's President Zeno."
"No! That's Rufus Zeno! Crazy maniac, obsessed with living forever? Come on, Fabian, remember!"
His eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Nina, I just don't remember. You have no idea how badly I want to, but I just...I just don't remember."
"I'm sorry. I don't want to pressure you over it." I sighed. "It's just so frustrating! At this point you probably think that I'm just some delusional girl from District Twelve."
"No, Nina, that's not at all what I think. I actually think you're-" but he was cut off as the national anthem began to play and our chariot made its final loop around the circle and then entered the Training Center.
The doors had only just shut behind us when we were attacked by our prep teams, who were nearly unintelligible as they babbled out praise. I noticed the other tributes glaring at us, which only proved my theory that we'd literally outshone them all. Then Cinna and Portia arrived and helped us down from the chariot, carefully removing our flaming capes and headdresses and extinguishing them.
I realized that I was still holding tight to Fabian's hand and I forced myself to release him.
"Thanks for keeping hold of me. I was getting a little shaky there," he told me.
"It really didn't show," I reassured him. "I'm sure no one noticed."
"I'm sure they didn't notice anything but you. You should wear flames more often." He said. "They suit you." Then he gave me a smile that reminded me so much of my Fabian that I nearly burst into tears-it was so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness and it was the same smile I fell in love with.
And because I was so in love with this smile, I couldn't help myself. I stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. His blush didn't fade until long after we entered the elevator.
That's all for now! I gave you a nice long chapter to make up for my horribleness these past months. I hope you enjoyed it!
Remember that if you review, you get a preview of the next chapter! See you soon!
