Time for the start of the pre-Games training with part one of the Chariot Race. Let's go.
"I do not require anything defamatory done to me!"
I seethed in anger at my stylist who backed away in fear of my rage, which they should. The cold metal table I was lying on seemed to have started to heat up. I mean, how they dare suggest that I receive a breast enhancement surgery to increase my attractiveness! The nerve…
I tried to get up if it wasn't for the fact that I was held down by the straps they have placed over my limbs to restrain me. I glared at each and every one of them until my eyes fell on my head stylist. I glared into his eyes as I barked my head off, shouting the most profane things I could. I had to get sedated until they could put on my dress. I flinched at the needle until I was stuck with it, losing consciousness and falling to sssssssslllllleeeeeeeee-
When I got to, I felt a cold metal behind me. I looked around and saw that I had somehow fallen to sleep in the stylist room. I spotted them a few feet away and muttering amongst themselves. I cleared my throat as loud as I can before I was paid the time of day.
"What have you done to me?!" I screamed as fear set into my mind. I looked down at myself, but lying down had made it difficult to clearly see anything. I got back up found that my restraints were gone. I bolted up and went for the nearest mirror and my jaw had dropped.
"I'm- I'm- beautiful!" I stammered as the stylist cheered for me. My dress was adorned with tiny pieces of diamond, yet each one was sparkling, causing it to look like I was glowing a holy white aura. I twirled, as a bright white veil enveloped me. It was pristine white and it was fabulous. And to my joy/disappointment, they have decided to left my breast alone. I looked at them, a devilish idea had stirred in my mind.
"Excellent job. Now put on my fabulous shoes and change my hairstyle, I hate it!" I said with mock anger as they consulted and did as they were told to my heart's content. I will enjoy making them sweat.
After about fifty adjustments and hairstyle options, I settled with what I current had- which was exactly like what I had on the first time, except with a little blush to my right eye and adding 3-inches to my heels. By now, the tributes were ready to go for the Chariot Ride. Before I could make another adjustment, they- and I do not exaggerate when I say this- push me out the door. I took one of my 12-inch heels and threw it at one of them, knocking off one of their expensive and strange wigs. I put my shoe back on as I met my other tributes.
They all were dressed in regal and white clothes, though due to my adjustments, I stood out the most. Maikoa and Henburn wore identical regal blue capes; both were embedded with small diamonds which made them glow. Underneath it was a white formal jacket and suit which had a sword sheathed to the side. On the handle, there was the symbol for District 1 on it. They had both seemed to be talking about something.
Oleander wore almost the exact same dress as me, but she had a white scarf around her shoulders, cosmetically designed to literally float around her. She smiled at me as I stared her down. With my shoes, I surpass her, although she is not far behind.
"You all look absolutely royal!" Plaice greets, as she soon loosely grabs us and pushes us forward. I nearly lose my balance from even walking. Maybe the extra height in my heels was a mistake. "Well then, pip pip! let's go! As District 1 you have to be at the front." Plaice says as she ushers us into the stable were the Tributes are to be before they go. We had to get on the Chariot first, since we were from District 1. We stood still until out horses are given the go to ride.
"Clematis, stand next to Henburn, like this. Maikoa, to Oleander in the same way." Plaice instructs as our Head Stylist is nowhere to be seen. I did as I was told, but I stood as far away from that boy as possible.
"So…" He starts small talk as we await for the others to get ready. "what about that weather, huh?"
"Really, the weather? Is that the best you can do?" I asked sarcastically. He looked away as he tried not to feel shame.
"Well I'm just trying to make some small talk. Are you worried about the competition this year?"
"What are you, Caesar Flickerman?! Stop asking me useless and annoying questions!"
"It's called 'Common Courtesy' sweetheart. Learn it."
"How about you take it and shove it up your canal." I was getting angrier.
"Hey! I don't need to be insulted by some girl!"
"Some girl?!" I literally screamed as the other two tributes decided to stay out of this. "Well 'Some girl' helped that six-year old friendless loser from getting killed that one time!"
I smirked as he looked away in embarrassment, his face flush. I knew he was remembering that one time back when I was six.
I was at a school picnic that was held for my year. My parents had decided that they would go this time instead of ignore it. Since had was separated from the other children due to my parents' status and placed with the children of other Victors. It was pretty boring. But when the males of my group plus the others decided to walk off, I knew I had to follow.
They went to a place called The Peak. The Peak is just a cliff with a dangerous sharp edge over a tall area that was near the border of District 1. It takes a whiles to get there from where our parents were but it was worth it. When you arrive to The Peak, you get this bright and precious view of the surrounding Districts and the sunset.
But the main reason was to play the Mocking Games. Every month, twenty four of the boys from any neighborhood ages 5-11 were picked to play a mock version of the Hunger Games. They used sticks and stones and sometimes fake weapons from their home. Nobody really got hurt, and each 'tribute' was required to lie down and not to move until a signal was given. The winner would receive ten bucks from each of the other 'tributes' once a week until the next Games.
I sat on a log, tired of hobbling as I tried to look as fabulous as possible. I almost tripped over when I hear a boy count down.
"3, 2, 1. Let the 75th Mocking Games begin!"
I sat up as I tried to scuttle away. Soon from now, boys would be throwing rocks and fake spears and who knows what else at each other. I tried to fabulously walk over to a clearing, when I see the sunlight and three shadows in front of it.
"Well, looks like your time is up, Henburn!" One of the older boys said as he and another cornered the last one on the cliff. The last one, Henburn, was covering in fear. They kicked him as they neared him closer to the edge. Henburn looked up as I spotted a little damp spot growing in his pants, a yellow liquid dripping down and spilling onto the dirt. They laughed as he soiled himself.
"Yeah! We're going to push you off the cliff! So say goodbye Henburn!"
I stumbled forward as I had tripped over my long dress, falling on my face. I grew livid. Stupid dress, stupid ground, stupid everything! I just want to scream. I glared up as the boys had looked back at me.
"Who's the little girl? How did she get here?!" They said as they looked at me in surprise. Henburn looked at me and smirked.
"She's my girlfriend and my doll. Don't you dare touch her! I'll protect her until I die!" He shouted as he got up, yet backed back down when they looked back at him. I grew even more angry as I had gotten up.
"Henburn's got a crush! Henburn's got a crush!"
They chorused as he looked back down and his face grew a bright shade of red. Mine grew redder as I got up and trotted over to them.
"I am no one's crush. And I am not your plaything." I turn to Henburn. "I am nothing to you Henburn Hemlock, and you are nothing to me, and we will never will be anything to each other in one million years!" I shouted a little louder than I should have. I felt all the other 'tributes' staring at me, not 'killing' each other but whatever. My childish six year old rage started to subside. He had started to cry as a audible sob escaped him.
"OOOHHHH! Henburn just got burned." One of them mocked. The other laughed.
"Yeah. Even his wife is stronger than him. But she's all bark and no bite."
I turned my fury to them as I walked over to them. I glared as they shuddered.
"I have you know that my Mom and Dad were both victors of the real Hunger Games when they were younger!" The other boys stared in awe, mockingly. "So that means I can kill you guys for real and not in some little act. That means I'm stronger than you'll ever be."
They mocked me and tried to provoke me, and it worked. I walked over, the light patting of raindrops fell as it started raining. They started to mock me and kept until one of them hit a nerve.
"You can't do nothing, musty 12."
My eye twitched as all sorts of bad things floated around in my head. I rushed forward and swung my hand at one of them, and it connected hard, breaking his face and sending him back. I then grabbed and twisted the arm of the other one, before deciding to kick both of them off the edge. They flew over as they screamed in horror. Their screams felt delicious, as I smiled in delight. Served those damn fools right! They deserved to die, good riddance to Oxygen wasters. I heard a loud splat as they ceased their being…
I looked at Henburn, whose urine stain was covered by the rainfall. He nodded at me before running away to the safety of his parents.
The Mocking Games had ended without a victory and it was stopped forever. In the end, the two idiots' murder was ruled as accidental. Evidence was pointing that due to the rainfall that they had fell off when the mud has lost its sturdiness. But while some had viewed it as a crime, others viewed it as promise for the real Hunger Games. My parents grew worried and took me away from school and home-schooled me. They didn't show any violent programming in fear that their past may have entered their present through their child; they thought I would grow up loathing violence.
I found their reasoning to be foolish.
Henburn looked at me and waved the memory away as he restarted.
"Well so much for being nice. I told Mai that this was a bad idea. You're a hopeless case."
"Excuse me?!" I was becoming livid again as my temper flared brighter than my dress.
"No matter what I try to befriend you, you always become this stuck up bitch who has no respect. You know what. Forget that memory and kiss my Career ass when we get in the arena."
"I'll show you whose a stuck up bitch!" I shouted as Oleander restrained me from killing Henburn. As I was told later, I couldn't kill him. We need him to form an alliance, and the Peacekeepers and in extension the Capitol would have dealt with us. Maikoa looked in dismay as I stood back up. I kept my space as the doors to the City Circle had opened. And for the first time in my life, I had felt too fabulous.
The anthem of the Capitol, and by extension Panem, had just blared on and immediately the horses jerked forward, causing me to fall back. Our Chariot marched onwards, as millions of citizens of the Capitol had lined up on the stands to cheer us on. We were riding over to the President's Mansion as on the sides the faces of the Districts appeared on screen.
My dress was the brightest as it was reacting beautifully to the lights of the Capitol. The others were okay, but it they were dust compared to me. And thanks to my heels adjustment, I stood the tallest. I looked in glee as I saw myself looking at the camera with my green eyes. I looked amazing and clearly the blush to the right helped. Then it switched to District 2 when we moved out of Camera view.
Flanc was dressed in a bunch of old world chainmail. He held a short broadsword inside his hands and raised it to the sky. Next to him, was Heleine, who leaned onto him and nuzzled against his neck, as she gripped her Pike spear. Twei and Lite both wore identical clothing, and were in the background to the power couple in front. I looked at their strange clothing, before Maikoa had muttered something to himself.
"…Dressing the strongest male and female as Aries and Nike…smart publicity…and I assume the twins are the beings Gemini…interesting…"
The crowds seemed to have loved it, shouting in glee and joy to the trumpets blaring around us.
I looked at the various and eccentric people who was here, cheering and shouting in joy, glad that their children did not receive such an honor every year. I was confused as to why they wouldn't want such a great thing. Oh well, their loss.
The camera had switched to District 5 and had their tributes wore clothes which shot off little bolts of fake lightning. Kriatis had a smug look on her face as she managed to outshine me a bit. I felt my rage extend as my dress glowed brighter.
The other Districts had flown by. A boy in District 8 had caught my eye, as he stared directly at the camera and smirked a daring smile. Nothing impressive, except for the fact that in the subtle corner of the frame, you could see him flipping the entire viewers off. Oh, the Capitol wouldn't like that, but the spectators cheered, not noticing.
District 10's costumes were degrading. The people were dressed as animals that they resembled. The girl with Leukemia was degradingly dressed as a bald jabberjay. Her skin was painted brown and wings were clumsily attached to her arms. She made sad cawing noises that resembled sobs. I felt pit for this girl. She shouldn't be treated like this. But I felt a guilty sense of calmness since I wasn't in that position.
District 11 wasn't memorable, but I noticed that the two males seemed more as brothers than ever before. And one of the females even resembled them in some remark. Dark skin, golden hazel-brown eyes and dark hair with the same facial structure. Cousins maybe?
But what really stood out was District 12. In the front of the chariot was a blond haired boy around my age wearing a suit which was dark like coal but had a formal appearance. He wore a crown made of the same color. He bore a striking resemblance to Haymitch! The others, who were dressed in rags, seemed to be following him, as if Haymitch brought hope to District 12 that they may be a way to win and survive the games.
I was furious and was sad that I couldn't get a clear shot at them with my shoe. They managed to outshine me. Especially that blond boy from 12. Come to think about it, where's Romeus? I scanned the 12s until I met the eyes of the lead boy and gasped. Those piercing sky blue eyes. That's Romeus! He had his hair altered to resemble Haymitch.
When the Chariots stopped, I looked over to the stand were the President stood. President Coriolanus Snow rose from his seat and his face had appeared on the giant screen.
"Tributes! Viewers! Welcome to the 50.5th Hunger Games!"