" Riley! Get up we have arrived in the Capitol!" Portia squeaks from the opposite side of my door.
I slog out of bed and face plant on the rug with the District 12 symbol. I spit out pieces of rug that fell into my mouth and push myself up to a standing position. I am about to turn the door handle when Tucker barges in.
" Whoa let me leave the room first." I say, but he only chuckles. " Come on we are passing the mountains that border the Capitol. Also today is the Tribute Parade, look good." He turns around and heads for the door.
" Fine, but don't go all Portia on me next time." I laugh and he goes along to.
The step out of my room to find the smell of food rushing into my nose. I almost jump into the table of food but I restrain myself, we are about to be showered with cameras and publicity. I slowly make my way to the food and dine in on the delicacies. I pick up a roll, something called hot chocolate, a piece of apple pie, and small bowl of strawberries. I finish my food with time to spare as we finally arrive, in the Capitol. I rush to the crystal clear window that I get on my toes to look through it. Then I see it. The Capitol. All the large buildings and bright colors it look like someone grabbed multiple paint buckets and though them all at once. Many citizens appear out of nowhere when the train pulls up into the train station. I wave and smile at them hoping for sponsors to save my life, but that is just a dream for District 12. I mask my hate for them with smiles and kisses, but really I just want this train to malfunction and kill them all in a freak accident. Then that would be equal to the 23 children the kill a year. I did the math in class a few weeks ago and found out how many they owe us. 966 tributes reaped and dead. The number scares me at night. But after my hovercraft is lifting my dead body then they will have there 23.
Portia tells us to follow her out of the train. I agree but secretly want to run away and escape from this nightmare the Capitol created. I follow her out of the train as the sun's rays burn my eyes. I squint as the sun blinds me as I walk through a throng of people. Portia takes my hand and smiles as the cameras trap us. When we finally push past all the people we stand in front of a HUGE Capitol building. Marble walls with red Capitol fabric on the walls to clash with the fancy style it gives off. There are two large doors that lead into the Training Center, also where the Tribute Parade is held. As my feet pound on the hard cement floor we stroll inside. My jaw immediately drops at the glory. Dark black marble floors, beautiful chariots with tamed steads, gold and silver arrays stripe the walls of the building in a striking pattern. Portia has to wake me from reality as I was standing in the entryway.
I spot a room labeled ' District 12 Girl' and ' District 12 Boy'. I split sides with Tucker when I barge in through the hardwood double doors. I examine the place while I go along walking around. Furniture with blue cushions and gold frame, red granite floor, light yellow walls, and a table situated in the middle of the room with couches on either side. A perky girl followed behind me, and I know that because I could feel Capitol scum before I see it.
" Hello I am Jamie, your stylist today. So today is the Tribute Parade so I will have to show you off to all of Panem. So I need to get to work!" She squeaks as she tells me to go to the Remake Center as she makes the costume for me.
I nod and go to the Remake Center and find my prep team there, waiting for my arrival. I strip naked and place my body on the stone cold steel table and let them do their magic. First they strip me of my body hair, which luckily I don't have much so less pain. Then they fix my hair by untangling it and making a long brown waterfall of hair follicles. After that they put makeup on me, they mask my imperfections and make my skin appear as clear as a blood is red. The entire time I face the agonizing pain they put me through to get 'perfect'.
" There! You are done my beautiful darling. Now run along and go to Jamie."
I say my thanks and head to Jamie in the planning room for my costume. Jamie has my costume and of course, it is a coal miner suit. I grin but I don't really enjoy the costume in the slightest. Our costumes are always the same. I hate how the Capitol citizens will only sponsor us depending on our Training Scores and Tribute Parade costumes. It's not like they look good or could even throw a spear correctly without stabbing themselves. I put on the dark grey coal miners shirt and skimpy yellow overalls that clash with it. And don't forget the stupid miner helmet with a flashlight and pickax they gave me.
" You look... just get to the Chariot already."
She groans. I am on the Chariot when Tucker finally shows up in a male coal miner's costume. He smiles at me and I give him a reassuring smile back. A bunch of Capitol people are crowding around ours and other chariots to help with the trip to the Training Center building. I look around at the other tributes and we look like garbage compared to them. District with light fluffy cloud costumes with jewel embedded into it. District 2 wearing gladiator costumes and the girls wields a silver battleaxe and the guy wields a shiny silver sword. District 3 they look like different kinds of gears and bolts strung together creating a mechanical machine. District 4 with light blue fishing uniforms and nets hanging around them. 5 is an atom with scientific stuff with it. 6 wears a bunch of railroads that are strung together. 7 they appear to be a tree. 8 they wear soft silky fabric that creating a dress and suit for them. 9 wears grain flowing in a horizontal pattern creating a optical illusion. 10 wears a bunch of meat from their livestock. 11 as covered in flowers and different kinds of blossoming vegetation. We look like we don't even belong here. I sigh as the chariots roll out and the anthem sounds when 1 is leaving their stable. It takes a while for us to go and by then the audience just doesn't care about us. As I wave and smile only a handful of people are still entertained in us right now.
When the chariot stops I look up and see our president, Snow. He is the new President of Panem at the age of only 16.
" Welcome, welcome. Happy Hunger Games! And my the odds be EVER in your favor!"
He says as the crowd goes wild with their favorite T.v. show, Hunger Games. We are then whisked into the Training Center, my new home for the short while we are here in the Capitol.