Sorry for the late chapter! My computer was broken for about a month and all my documents were deleted. Luckily, I've been writing the next chapters in my notebook so after I copy them all to my computer, I can submit those! Anyway, here's Chapter 2!

~Ohsnapitspercy~

Chapter 2

I stared out the window as the Capitol came into view. Peeta stood next to me, waving at the colorful crowd.

Effie came up behind us, "This is where you will be spending the two weeks leading up to the games."

"It's also where you train and get allies." Haymitch added. "Which is an important part of survival."

I looked up at Peeta. "Are we going to be allies in the Arena?"

He shrugged. "If you want, I'm pretty useless though."

"We can be useless together then."

After exiting the train, we made our way through the crowd of people and into the building.

We followed Effie into an elevator. "District Twelve is the top floor. You get the penthouse." She pressed the twelve button and we lurched upwards at a sickening speed.

I was sent to my room, which had a bed, shower, programmable closet, and a bunch of other unnecessary gadgets.

I took a quick shower, being careful about which buttons I pushed. I programmed the closet to my style and put on one of the nightgowns it held.

I climbed into bed and pulled the blankets over my head. I closed my eyes hoping I would get some sleep before training tomorrow, but sleep brought nightmares.

I was in the arena. All I could see were trees in every direction. The grass below me was dead and yellow.

I was about to take a step forward when a body slammed into me. It was a girl with a knife. I screamed as she drove it into my heart.

I woke up in a cold sweat. There was someone hovering over me but it was too dark to make out who it was.

I imagined it being the girl from my dreams. Without thinking, I pushed her off me.

She hit the ground with a thud. "Lexi, calm down, it's just me." It was Peeta.

I hopped out of bed and helped him to his feet.

"Why are you in my room?" I demanded.

"Well, you were screaming your head off and I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He replied.

"Oh..." I sighed. "Sorry, I was just having a nightmare. You can go back to bed."

He nodded. "Feel free to come get me if it happens again."

After he left I sat in bed for the remaining hours of the night. At about 7:30, Effie knocked on my door and told me to get ready for a 'big, big, day'.

I quickly got dressed and made my way down to breakfast.

There was a huge table filled with eggs, bacon, sausage, and just about any other breakfast food you could think of. I grabbed a plate and overflowed it with food.

Peeta was already eating so I sat next to him and dug in. "Try not to eat too much, we have the parade today." He whispered into my ear.

Despite his suggestion, I eat most of what is on my plate.

"Today you guys are going to meet your Prep Team and Stylist. No matter what they do to you, don't complain. Just go with it and it will be over faster." Haymitch said.

I glanced at Peeta and I could tell he was thinking the same thing I was; What ridiculous outfit are they going to put us in this year?

When we all had finished, I was taken to a room where I would meet my Prep Team. All I was allowed to wear was a think white robe but as soon as the three odd people entered the room I was forced to remove that as well.

They walked in circles, inspecting every inch of me. I felt uncomfortable, but I remembered what Haymitch had told me earlier.

A woman with pea green skin and a vibrant wig directed me to a table and told me to sit down. She slathered a thick yellowish substance on something that resembles paper. She puts it on my leg then rips it off.

"Ouch!" I scream. I look down at my leg and see it is free of hair.

"I'm sorry!" She apologizes. "Just a few more and you're done!" She had an annoying Capitol accent. The same accent Haven and I would always make fun of when we were alone.

The lady kept talking as she worked. She told me her name was Octavia and the other members of my Prep Team were Flavius and Venia.

After a lot of pain, Octavia was finally done. She patted my arm and called to a man with orange hair and purple lipstick who was apparently Flavius.

He came over and started to brush out my hair. He cut at least an inch off and then he started to style it. He pulled all the hair to the side of my head and started to braid. I tried to watch out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn't see it very well.

"Perfect." Flavius uttered breathlessly. He held a mirror in front of my face. This wasn't like the braids we wore back in District Twelve.

"It's called a Fishtail Braid." Flavius informed me.

My hair was tightly woven into the braid along with red, orange, and yellow ribbon. "It's beautiful." Maybe it will take attention away from whatever outfit I have to wear.

Another woman with aqua hair, Venia, came over and grabbed my hand. She stared at my cracked nails with a disapproving expression. She soaked them in some kind of liquid, filed them, and then started to paint them.

First, she painted my whole nail black. Then she went in with small brushes and strange tools. After she had closed the nail polishes, she sprayed them with something I didn't know the name of.

"There. What do you think?" She asked.

I looked down at my nails. They had flame designs that looked very realistic and delicate. "Amazing," I said with a smile. "You did a fantastic job."

"Cinna, your stylist, will be here in a little bit. He'll talk to you about what you will be wearing for the opening ceremony." My Prep Team left the room. I wondered what it's like being them, getting to know a tribute and then having to watch them get killed in the arena. Would they even remember me after I die? Will they try to forget me?

The door opened and a man entered. He wore a plain black shirt and jeans. The only thing colored about him was the thin line of gold eyeliner about his eyelashes. "Hello, I'm Cinna, your stylist."

"Y-You're normal." I stammered.

He laughed slightly. "Look, I'm sorry this happened to you but I'm here to help you get sponsors. Sponsors are people from the Capitol who donate money to their favorite tributes to pay for things you might need like medicine or food."

I walked away from me and grabbed a bag from a rack. "This is what you will be wearing when you are introduced to all of Panem."

He unzipped the bag and pulled out a plain black jumpsuit. "Put this on."

I did as I was told and soon I was dressed in the outfit. Cinna put a black cape around my neck and put a matching crown on my head, careful not to mess up my braid. "Before you get into your chariot, I am going to light your cape and crown on fire." I started to object but he quieted me and continued. "It won't be real fire, but it will the look just the same."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

He laid his hand on my shoulder. "I promise you will be perfectly safe."

"Do I have to wear any makeup?" Usually all the tributes wear tons of makeup, so much that when they were put in the arena, they were barely recognizable. Thankfully, Cinna shook his head.

"I want you to look like you. Besides, you don't have anything to improve. Your beauty is natural."

Cinna takes me to the place where we will be meeting with Peeta and his stylist, Portia. Peeta wears the same black jumpsuit and cape. He smiles at me as we get closer. He pulls me off to the side where nobody can hear us. "I'll rip your cape off if you rip off mine." He said. "Deal."

We are ushered into the chariot. Cinna lights my cape first and Peeta stared at my face, looking for any sign of discomfort.

I felt no heat at all. I smiled at Peeta and he let out a sigh of relief. After my crown is lit, Cinna crosses over to Peeta and soon we both have flames surrounding us.

The horses that pulled our chariot started to move. Peeta grabbed onto my hand as we lurched forward.

People gasped as we emerged. Claudius Templesmith, the announcer, voiced our District into a microphone. People chanted our names. I waved and smiled, mostly just trying to copy Peeta.

We came to a stop at the City Circle. President Snow stepped up to the podium to give his speech about the Dark Days and the Hunger Games but the crowd was still screaming. The President waited for them to calm, then he started to speak.

I mostly ignored him. I looked around at the audience; most of their eyes were focused on me. I was still smiling. Do I actually have a chance at this? Is it possible that Cinna just saved my life?

I wondered what my family was thinking. I knew they were going to be at home watching me, all of them piled into our small family room.

My thoughts were interrupted when our chariot started moving again. I almost lost my balance but Peeta was there to catch me. We made it back to Cinna and Portia.

"Wonderful job, you two! That was amazing! Everyone loved you!" Portia praised.

I nodded. All I wanted was rest. Today had been a long day. I didn't know if I was imagining it or not, but I thought I saw the boy from District two looking at me. I glanced over at him and sure enough, he was glaring at me. He was most likely mad that I had stolen his spotlight. I rolled my eyes and followed Effie
and Haymitch back into the training center.

When I got to my room I took off my jumpsuit and laid it on the nightstand. I slipped on a blue silky nightgown and I let myself fall on my bed and into a dreamless sleep.

I hope you enjoyed! Tell me what you think by reviewing. Thank you to the people who have followed and favorited my story, it really means a lot to me! Thank you for reading! May the odds be ever in your favor!

~Ohsnapitspercy~