I still felt alone when I woke up the day of the Games. A mentor couldn't win this for me, and neither could her strange friend. My allies from the first Resurrection Games weren't here this time. The only way Emma could win this for me was by dying. And Dustin was a long way away, and so old I'd barely know him.
I didn't get to see Emma that morning, just like it always was the day of the Games. I was ushered into a hovercraft and taken off to who knows where. I didn't need to get a tracker this time, since they'd thoughtfully implanted it right when they cloned me. The hovercraft touched down and seamlessly merged into a series of tunnels that guided me into the bowels of the earth, down to where the launch pads were.
For the last time (hopefully), I saw my stylists. They looked happier than usual, and I soon discovered why.
"You're just going to love your outfit," Claire said. She held up a blush-white dress with a scratchy-looking skirt and a flower on either sleeve. "This is so exciting. Arena uniforms never look this pretty."
Yeah, so exciting, I thought, but I didn't spoil their fun. They had so little brains. It wasn't nice to antagonize them. I hadn't gotten makeup the other times. This time they added pink lip gloss that tasted like frosting and white, powdery shimmers on my cheeks. They curled my hair and teased it up so it looked bouncy. That would definitely be useful in the Arena.
They all waved as I got into the tubes. Cornflower lurked by the door, peeking at me to see if I wanted to say something but content to keep lurking if I didn't. I waved back at them all and bounced my hair for them, pretending to care about their shenanigans.
The first time I almost threw up as I rose into the Arena. The second time it didn't feel as real. This time it just felt familiar. The Arena felt more like home than the Capitol. At home I had to fight and hunt to stay alive. I almost felt like I belonged as I rose into the air.
I expected something silly was awaiting me at the surface, and I wasn't surprised. Rose picked the Arena, and it looked exactly what I'd think a girl her age would pick for such an occasion. This was her birthday, and the Arena was her party.
There were party tables all around us, some of them covered in cakes and treats. To my left there was an empty roller-skating rink, and to my right there was a giant inflatable bouncy house. The chairs around the table were festooned with balloons. Behind me was a swimming pool full of floaties and plastic toys. Emma was two platforms to my left, looking at the scenery just like I was. Rapture was two platforms beyond her. Off in the distance, I saw a circle of ponies wandering inside a fence. Beyond that, there were other games and attractions scattered across a flat grassy plain.
There wasn't a Cornucopia in the middle of the circle, which was odd. The only thing I could see between us was a pile of thin sticks. An image shimmered into view in the sky. It was Rose, dressed in a blue party dress and wearing a crown of roses. She was smiling down at us. An announcer started to speak.
"Happy tenth birthday, Rose! We're sure it will be the best one ever! Won't you all join in?"
Music started to play, and I recognized the tune. There were a few notes to get everyone ready, and then we all did what we had to.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..." I sang along with the others. I didn't want to get exploded because I was being stubborn. I was just happy the announcer was the loudest so no one heard my sour voice.
As the music played, a hovercraft appeared above Rose's picture. Its bottom opened and it started to lower something toward us. It was rainbow and its edges fuzzed in the wind. When it was close enough for me to see, I actually laughed. It was the cornucopia. The cornucopia was a pinata. A donkey pinata.
The pinata lowered until it hovered seven feet off the ground. It settled into place as the song drew to a close. It was obvious the song was in lieu of a countdown, but none of us wanted to jump the gun, so we waited until the last word.
"Happy birthday to you!" we sang. As the last word rang out, confetti shot from the ground and the hovercraft, clearly signaling it was time to start. And so we did.