Evertt puts me in the design right away, without hesitating. I don't get to even glance in a mirror before the prep team grabs me and sits me down in a chair. They're taking orders from Evertt; he is instructing them to do things with my hair, giving them all different types of commands.
Evertt and the prep team leave me in the room we are in, leaving me to evaluate myself in the mirror. I'm scared to look, and I hesitate to turn to the mirror at first. I breathe heavily and turn quickly so I don't have any time to change my mind. When I see myself I can see my eyes earing up. My hair was brought to the right side of my head, it wasn't curly, but it was wavier than normal. The waves looked natural even though they were not.
I'm wearing a sleek black dress that goes to my knee. Though I am already very slim, the dress is super sliming. The bottom of the dress hugs my leg and the tips of the dress are a perfect orangey red color imitating fire. The straps holding the dress up are medium width. Around my back and going through my elbows is a fiery red shawl. Maybe I wouldn't get my own nickname, but people will definitely remember me as Hailey Mellark.
I felt pretty, something I never felt. I always felt like the hunter girl with dirt under my nails. I've had boys have interest in me, but I never quite got why, now it's understandable to me as I'm wearing a Capitol dress, with Capitol makeup and hair. I felt like the prettiest girl in the world, not a single flaw in my body. I know I am acting extremely egotistical, but no one can hear my thoughts and I have never felt this way before in my life. So I allowed myself to be self-indulgent.
"We found this in the pocket of your jacket you wore here." I jump when I hear the high pitched voice behind me. It's Avia, the purple eyed one. I look in her hand, the mockingjay pin. I almost forgot about the little pin. She looks at me for a long time.
"Oh yes, my mother wanted me to wear it" I smile at Avia and take it from her, pinning it over my heart. Avia turns away quickly.
"Wait, thank you…thank you for making me pretty." I say to her. She turns her body smiling. Her teeth were sharp and bright.
"Oh darling, you're already a very beautiful girl, don't underrate yourself." I smile back at Avia. Its nice getting compliments and it does no harm to my self-esteem.
I'm taken to this big open area. I see all the other Districts are lining up with District 1 in the front and District 12 last, with Chariots next to them. I walk in and Evertt finds me immediately, he looks me up and down, like he did earlier, but this time the smile on his face is so big I can't help but smile back.
"You like?" he says, I nod my head and laugh at his excitement. Evertt leads me to 12's chariot. Then I see Nick. He is walking in through double doors. When I find him he is staring at me with his mouth half open staring at my body. And once again I feel myself blushing. He strolls over with his stylist, a light purple haired girl.
Nick is wearing black suit. On the edges of the suit is a fiery color that matches my shawl and the tips of my dress perfectly. He catches my eyes and he winks. If I thought Nick was extremely attractive, I have no idea when I thought of him now. Flawless, that's a perfect word. His brown hair was free and still looked as though someone tousled it, but it was perfect. He comes over and steps on the chariot. Evertt and the girl fixes Nick's suit jacket and then she comes over to fix my shawl.
"My name is Cherisa by the way, and you look very good Hailey." The girl says. I thank her and Evertt and Cherisa go off to the side. I feel Nick's eyes on me as I am staring blankly ahead to the District 11 tributes.
"You look gorgeous" he says so only I can hear. I try hard to blush, because frankly my cheeks are tired of being beet red at every one of Nick's words.
"You don't look so bad yourself Hawthorne." I saw coolly looking back at him. He smirks and I see once again his perfect dimple.
District 1's chariot springs forward and goes through the doors. I hear the crowd from over here. Through the doors, you go around the city circle and into the training center; we live and train there until the games.
Soon after District 1 leaves, it feels like seconds, District 11 leaves. Were next and last. Evertt and Cherisa come back over fixing us up one last time.
"Remember, Smiles! Bright eyes! Anything charming!" Cherisa says making sure we understand. Then before I know it we are heading into the doors, into the City Circle. I grip Nick's hand because I feel like I am going to fall out. I squeeze my hand then the door opens, revealing the bright huge City Circle.