I awoke, hearing cheers and chanting from outside the train windows. I rubbed my eyes and pulled myself out of bed. My hair was in uncomfortable knots, which I was forced to fix with a brush before revealing myself to the Capitol.
I yawned and walked into the center chamber, where Vienna and Chase were standing with Cato. Vienna's face was pressed against the window, leaving a small spot where her green make up smeared. She was watching the crowd in awe. Chase and Cato were in similar positions, leaning back slightly with arms folded, as if they were far from excited.
I looked out the window, my facial expression as intense as ever. I had never seen the inside of the Capitol, and it wasn't that important to me. Vienna, on the other hand, seemed totally lost in daydreams about how wonderful it was here. I never cared much for this environment. Everyone was stuck up and rude, like Emerald. I sighed and turned to Cato and Chase.
"Is this really as big of a deal as she makes it out to be?" I asked.
Chase shook his head. "Especially if you're not trying to be the annoying girl who gets sponsors for being nice."
"Good. That's definitely not what I'm going for." I explained.
A few hours passed and we were in our living quarters for the Games. Tonight we would begin with the Opening Ceremonies and the tribute parade. All I could think about was my stylist. What would we be forced to wear? Something that represented our district of course, but what could represent masonry?
Soon, I was lead to meet my stylist. My prep team brushed my hair extending it to its full length, and making it mostly tangle free. They shaved my legs, making them smooth, just like back home when my shave was fresh. I was stripped down and my stylist finally agreed to see me.
"You're Clove?" asked a tall, pale woman with thick black hair and large brown eyes.
I nodded in response.
"Congratulations on getting this far. You're just… so much younger than I'd expect." she replied. "I'm Ingrid. You're stylist." she added.
"Thanks. I guess." I said. "So what are we gonna be this year?" I asked.
"Well I was thinking of something that really represented District 2. Masonry. And I started thinking about the strength and power of your district. We need something that reflects how strong you are." she said.
The time for the ceremonies arrived. Cato and I were dressed in golden armor-like suits with fathered designs along the torso. A helmet matched with feathered wings. We resembled ancient gladiators, showing the strength of our district.
Cato appeared very proud of the designs and about how they made him look. The suits were sleeveless, which really showed off his muscular arms, as well as my own.
We stood proud on the chariot, pulled by black horses. The crowd applauded heavily for us, even more so than the tributes from District 1. I was proud of Ingrid. Her idea was genius and most likely won us sponsorships.
I watched and listened as the other tributes rode in. None had gotten quite the reaction that Cato and I had, until District 12. Fire? What the hell? Clearly, due to the creativity and danger of the general costume, the District 12 tributes received an amazing crowd reaction. My eyes narrowed and jealousy began to set it. "How can an outlying district be doing better than us?" I whispered.
Cato shrugged. "It doesn't matter how good their stylists are. They won't make it past us in the Arena." he said.
"You're right." I said. I gripped my arm and began to squeeze, keeping my aggression to myself.
Then, it was over. I rested in my room that night, sleeping as much as possible without waking up. Nightmares took over my mind as night fell. They mostly involved the girl from 12. I dreamt that she cornered me, no matter how many knives I threw, she wouldn't die. I screamed for Cato, until he appeared beside her, laughing. Emerald and Father appeared as well. Soon, they call caught on fire and burned me alive. I dreamed the same dream all night.
Soon, I decided that sleeping wasn't worth it any more. I sat up on my bed and waited until time to train. I was excited to train. By training, I could observe whatever the girl from 12's skills were, and find it easier to take her out.