Me: maybe I should lay off the fanfics for a while...

Friend: I couldn't agree more.

Me:

Friend:

Me: NAH! XD

This conversation happened in real life so here's Chapter 6 :D and this one is in Maryl's POV

I was lying on some sort of table in a gray dimly-lit room. My prep team "cleaned me up" before sending me in here. They scrubbed me clean and hot waxed my entire body; it's not really as painful as one would imagine it to be.

I heard the door creak open and a man entered. Is he really from the Capitol? He's not wearing any of their gaudy fashions nor does he have any body alterations of some sort. If he is from here then he's the most normal-looking Capitol citizen ever.

"Hello I'm Cinna." he extended his hand. I took it and we shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you." I replied.

From this angle I noticed that he's not as "fashion-free" as I had expected. He has gold eyeliner but I think it brings out his eyes very well. It's pretty; I like it.

"I'm sorry this happened to you..." There was a sad tone in his voice and I could tell that he meant it. I wasn't really expecting any of this to come from him but by the looks of my current situation, the expected never happens.

"It's okay, it's not your fault. I'm just unlucky..." I said in reply. I can feel the tears well-up in my eyes. No, this is embarrassing; I shouldn't cry in front of a guy that I just met. That's improper.

"It's okay... It must have hurt, having to hear your name called." he said.

"Yes, it did-more than I could have ever imagine."

He gave me another concerned look. It almost looked like he knows that I'm hiding something and he's begging me to tell him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks.

Do I want to? People always say that talking about it makes one feel better but I feel so shy. It's just not comfortable having to tell a person that you just met your depressing life story. Maybe he'll think I'm overreacting. I don't really know if I am and all I know is that I want to forget about all of this for a while so I shook my head in reply.

"I just want to forget it." I told him.

He nodded and he didn't bring it up again. He explained his idea on our costume. We both know that the past ones were "less than ideal". He said he wants to help us in anyway he can and I believe him. He just seems like the kind of person you can trust.

"So tell me, where do we use coal?"

"To keep us warm, cook meals, make fire." I said in reply.

"Exactly, because coal burns. Anyways, Portia and I didn't think of coal miners, we thought of coal itself." he says.

Wait, is he really suggesting what I think he is suggesting? Coal burns, they thought of it when coming up with our costume so they're going to set us on fire?

"Are you suggesting that-" I cut myself off. There is no way of saying it without sounding mentally challenged.

"Yes, don't worry. It's not real fire." he reassures me.

"Oh, at first I thought you have gone mad." I admitted. I sort of expected him to get angry because of my comment but he didn't; he even chuckled a little.

"Anyways, let's put on your costume and we'll meet up with Portia and Maximillian." he says.

The costume was nothing like I had expected it, aside from being black that is. It's this full-body suit that is made out of some shinny reflective black material. It doesn't really look like coal but I guess that will change in a little while.

My hair was fixed into 2 braids and they placed some make up; it wasn't much, just enough to "highlight my features" or at least, that was what Cinna said.

I saw Max on the far corner with his stylist. He waved at us to come closer. We walked towards him.

"Hey Max!" I greeted.

"Hi. You look good by the way." he smiled.

"Right back at you."

Cinna walked towards us holding up a small lighter. He pressed a button on the side and a flame suddenly erupted from the top. That is fake right? It looks real to me. What if he got the wrong lighter? What if that flame is real? No, I'm thinking about this too much. It's fake, why wouldn't it be?

"Are you scared? It's okay if you're scared." said Cinna with genuine concern.

Am I really that obvious? I'm usually good at masking my emotions but I guess the games have made me into a total wreck. Even up to now I'm still holding on to the possibility that this is all just a nightmare but it's reality. I shouldn't act this way; I'm being silly. I must now come to terms that I'll die in the arena and I'll never meet my long lost parents then maybe I can act like myself again.

"Here, maybe this will help." he said as he placed a finger through the flame. He held it in there for about five seconds before taking it out, his finger was unscathed. It really is fake.

He lit both of our costumes then helped us up the chariot. We're from District 12 so we're in the last. I can see the other tributes in front of us; they have excellent costumes but I can honestly say that we have the best. Cinna is not a nutcase; he's a genius.

"I'm a little nervous." I whispered to Max.

"Don't be. Everything's going to be alright." he reassures me.

I admire him for being so calm and collected. It would seem that he's unfazed by all of this. He's the kind of guy that can appear bored in the face of death. If he is scared or anxious, he's doing an excellent job in hiding it. I wish I can be more like him- so unaffected.

We started to move and in the far distance I can see the crowd of people cheering and hovering above them is a huge screen that shows the tributes of each district. We suddenly appeared on the screen and the crowd roared with excitement. It feels so exhilarating and exciting to know that those cheers were for us.

"Uh Maryl?" there was a trace of worriment in his tone. That's unusual for Max; he is always so calm and unfazed. Something must be seriously wrong.

"Why?"

"Look at your arm."

I looked down and saw that my sleeve was slowly corroding against the fire. The flame licked my forearm; I thought it would be hot and I thought that the pain would be excruciating but I didn't feel any pain, just warmth. Maybe I'm hallucinating or maybe I'm getting an adrenaline rush and it prevented me from feeling any pain but the fact still remains-I'm on fire.

I looked at Max and noticed that he's clothing was slowly being consumed by flames as well. We exchanged worried glances but that's all we can do. We're both too shocked and too scared to move.

The cheers of the crowd slowly faded away from my ears, I couldn't feel the air against my face; the whole world dulled around me. I hummed my lullaby; hoping to forget. Something must have went wrong; I knew the on fire thing was a bad idea. I had a bad feeling about this from the very start.

Well, I'm going to die anyways...

I tried to further ignore my surroundings and I hummed louder, then the world stopped. I can almost hear my mother's voice- humming my source of comfort, and I can almost feel my father's comforting embrace. There are no games, I'm no orphan and I'm not going to die.

I heard Max call my name and I was instantly pulled back to reality. I looked at him and saw the huge grin on his face. He certainly looks happy for someone who's about to be burned to death. What the heck is going on anyways? I don't understand any of this!

"We've t-transformed..." he placed an emphasis on the word transform.

I looked down and noticed that the flames are starting to die down and we were both left undamaged. My black suit is nowhere to be seen and it has been replaced by a sparkly orange sundress; it was the soft kind of orange, like the sunset. I looked at Max and saw that he's now wearing black pants and an orange short-sleeved dress shirt with the same shade of orange. We stood out; we were glowing- like the reflective sea waves being bathed in the gentle light of a sunset.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." he smiled.

He offered his hand and took it. We then smiled and raised our interlocking hands; the crowd went wild. I don't think District 12 ever made such a big impression before.

A few moments later our horses slowed down and eventually came to a stop. The chariots were arranged in a semi-circle, we were surrounding a high balcony where a man was standing. I know who he is, he's none other than the infamous President Coriolanus Snow.

We got off, still smiling with excitement. I looked at the other tributes and my smile was instantly wiped off from my face; most of them were glaring at us. The tributes from one and two looked extremely pissed, four, seven, three and eight looked quite unhappy as well. The others didn't really care but the girl from district 9 was smiling at us. It wasn't the sort of mischievous or devious smile. It was a real one and I knew that she was sincerely happy for us, which was most unusual.

Effie and Haymitch came walking towards us with huge grins on their faces. I take it that they enjoyed our little 'performance' out there. Who wouldn't? Even we were surprised.

"That was astounding!" Exclaimed Effie.

"But we didn't really do anything." Max reasoned.

"It was great, nonetheless." She replied.

She turned to me and asked the most unexpected question. "Were you scared?" There was genuine concern in her voice which somehow made it weirder.

I think I have finally saw through Effie Trinket's mask. She was never happy about the games; there is always a hint of sadness in her eyes, there was concern in her voice. I can tell that she's hurting just as much as us. I don't know why but it feels like I've known her before and it's strange but I feel like I'm connected to her in a way.

"At first." I admitted.

"It's okay dear; it's over now..."

"Was it noticeable?" I asked.

"No, not at all. I was just concerned that's all." she replied.

We got the topmost floor. It's like we're living in this penthouse suite with avant-garde furniture, marble flooring and laminated glass-paned windows. I guess the upside to all of this is that we get to enjoy all of this for a little while but the thing is I don't want any of these fancy Capitol stuff; I want to be back in District 12 with my friends or better yet- I want to be with my parents.

Everything is just a distant memory, a thing of the past. I can never return to District 12, I'll never see my friends and I will never meet my parents. I'll never feel my mother's embrace, I can never listen to my father's advice, I can never be tucked in or be read stories to. The only thing I have is the scent of liquor and a lullaby and maybe that's enough to keep me sane until my death.

I was lying in bed, looking up into the roof, trying to get some sleep, when I heard a familiar tune; it was my lullaby. It's so vivid, it almost seems to be coming from the other room but I know it's not real. I must have gone insane. These games are toying with my mind- intertwining reality and imagination until I can barely tell the difference between the two.

There is a fine line between sanity and insanity...

Maybe I should stick to third person POV's... Anyways, I'll try to upload the next two chapters tomorrow or on Sunday (they sort of go together)

Anyways, please review :D