I refrain myself from kicking that stupid, surgically-altered man-woman from the Capitol in the face again as he tears off yet another strip of hair off my leg. The first time he'd done it, I left a big red mark on his pale, eerily gray skin.
"Last one." He says in his odd Capitol accent, smiling at me with green teeth. Gross.
He gives a quick jerk and I feel the pain rippling up my legs, making me want to take one of my knives and slide it across his gray neck. I smile at the thought.
There's a small, plump woman sitting beside me, filing my nails down to perfect stubs and then polishing them off with a clear substance. Her hair is blue and green and in a beehive-style hairdo. Her lips are smothered in a dark purple and she furrows her purple eyebrows in focus as she works on my nails. My entire body aches from the hours of "perfecting" me, which is total bull crap. I may not be perfect, but I'm not ugly, and I certainly don't want to end up looking like these Capitol clowns. And the fact that they were covering up many of the scars that I've acquired over many years of training really pissed me off to an extent where I want to strangle them with my bare hands. I swallow the grim thought and grit my teeth. It's like trying to keep a monster down inside of me.
…...
I stand there awkwardly, only in my underwear as my stylist looks me up and down. His name is Cicero, and he's a young, handsome man in his late twenties. So far, he's the least abnormal citizen that I've met since my arrival at the Capitol, and the only odd thing that I see about him is the gigantic, silver and blue tattoo covering his entire right arm, covering it in swirls. I find myself blushing under his handsome gaze and silently curse myself for my foolishness. Now is not the time for little crushes.
"Beautiful young girl." Is all he says. I control my blushing this time. "Perfect for my design.
My prep team is giggling in the corner. I've learned that the man with the gray skin's name is Coriander and the plump woman with the beehive's name is Iris.
"Very well then. Let's get her off to her room." Then, turning towards me, he says, "Get some rest. Your prep team will be over in a few hours to prepare you for the Opening Ceremonies."
He struts out of the room, my prep team following him, and I'm left to stand there, shivering, in only my underwear. I just hope I don't look stupid.