The clock chimes and I know it's time to go. This is too early- 5am is not a reasonable time to expect me to travel. The avoxes are waiting at the door with my bags slung over their shoulders. I shuffle towards the door, not before catching a glance of myself in the long hallway mirrors. Urrgh. I look an awful mess. My hair looks like I've been electrocuted, there are dark circles underneath my eyes and my usually milky skin has an ashy tint. I am so tired. My mother would kill me for going out in public like this but it's only a short journey to the train. Using the elastic on my wrist I bundle my thick knotted black hair into a bun and sweep a little powder over my forehead. I still look like a mess- just not like a mess who has played with one of Beetee's inventions. I'm a regular mess. A regular mess will do for now, I'll sort myself out properly on the train. My blippi clicks and I know it's really time to go. The Blippi is some device Beetee gave me a few years ago; all 4 of us have one. It's a tiny flat sliver disc with a little clip on the back so it can be attached easily and discreetly to clothing. Beetee puts his in his sock or the inner rim of his shirt collar, Wiress attaches hers to the inside of the weird bolero she always wears and Hibiki puts his on his trouser waistband. I attach mine to the middle of my bra. The blippi has 3 miniscule buttons-one for each of the other district 3 victors. If I press a button I can send a click to the victor it corresponds to. They can do this to me as well. Beetee says this is important for us to keep in touch in case of emergency. One day, a couple of months after he gave it to me, I forget to wear it as I was pottering around my house. Back then I used to clip it in any old place. Beetee must have been trying to 'blip' me and saw that I wasn't responding. He came storming over from his house across the street and lambasted me for not wearing it. It was the first time I had ever seen him raise his voice in anger. In a way it was quite funny watching him stomping around my kitchen all deranged like that. Based on his extreme reaction though, It was clearly important to him that I wear it, so I started clipping it to my bra- where I'd always remember it.
The clicking now must be from Beetee reminding me to be prompt for my train. Although he won't be on the train, Beetee is very anally retentive about this sort of thing. He always knows what is happening with scheduling, even if he isn't involved. I nod to the avoxes to confirm that we can go now. We head out of the door, down the lift and into the car that waits to take us to the station. One of the avoxes holds the car door open and I slip inside. I sink back into the comfortable leather and peer out of the windows. I love these tinted black windows. I can see the whole world but no-one can see me. I love the anonymity of it, the receiving without the giving.
The buildings in the capitol are tall and shiny. In the morning sunrise, they gleam, sparkling like diamonds. Unsurprisingly the streets are dead- I'm only the fool with the misfortunate of being up at this hour around here. Back home the factory workers always start at the crack of dawn. My father opened the shop early every morning so they could come in and buy the sugar laden energy drinks that keep them working long hours. Here in the capitol no-one of any gravitas has a reason to be up at the crack of dawn. I admire emptiness as the area is infinitely more beautiful without the garish capitol fashions to distract from the smooth architecture and lovely (albeit fake) foliage that lines the streets. If only District 3 looked like this.
It's not long before I'm bundled onto the train and I've barely stepped foot into the lounge carriage when I hear squealing and screeching.
"Nashira! Oh Nashira" Shrieks Faunus running towards to me excitedly " Nashira! Nashir! How are you?"
He throws his arms around me tightly "How have you been? Are you excited for another year?" I can't answer his questions, let alone breathe with his hug practically suffocating me. That's ok though because Faunus asks many questions but never really wants answers. It's just the polite superficial chatter that is so common in the capitol. In the last 5 years I've become accustomed to this due to the sheer amount of functions I've had to attend but Faunus' fast high pitched babble is always overwhelming for the new tributes and I do take some pleasure of observing them react to him, trying to answer his frenzied questions only to be cut off by his next passing thought. Faunus is the district escort and is typically flamboyant. All the districts escorts are- they adore attention. They wouldn't have gone for the job of escort if they didn't. Despite the early hour Faunus looks dazzling. He is in his pyjamas- a long deep purple velvet dressing gown that drapes on the floor and a brown and yellow silk one-piece with fluffy purple slippers. His brown hair is ruffled and curled, it's supposed to look 'bedhead' no doubt, but knowing Faunus it took him hours of careful styling. His moustache is trimmed into what I think they call a 'Fu Manchu' style in the Capitol. Even Faunus' 'casual' look is highly contrived. As he pulls away from the hug he strokes his moustache, attempting to subtlety avert my attention to it.
"Wow Faunus! You look amazing! That moustache, is inspired.." I say. Faunus is much more pleasant when you compliment him and so self concious, that I always make a point to 'admire' his ludicrous styling.
"Really?" Faunus replies trying unsuccessfully to constrain the smile creeping on his face "do you really think so?".
"Yes. You'll be all the talk after the reaping. I'm sure they'll put you in prime place on the fashion recap".
Faunus Breaks into a huge grin and beams with pride "You know Nashira this is nothing really- I just woke up like this- I'm not even started". I nod my head, not daring to laugh. "You know it's been so long, it's so nice to see you again" Faunus says embracing me once again.
It's not been long at all in fact, I saw Faunus two weeks ago at a party. He clearly hasn't forgotten it either because he starts launching into gossip about some of the other attendees
"Well you'll never guess what I heard after Cornelius' party…you remember it? ... well you know Effie? …yes district 12.. Well… Ianus told Elissa that he had seen Effie with Haymitch…. Yes I know what you're thinking and that's exactly what I thought too… But Elissa said that Ianus said that Flora saw Effie and Haymitch together.. you know together... yes I know, I know… I know what you are going to say and that's what I said too... but Flora told Tania who told Ianus who told Elissa who told me… and then Flora said she never said that... I know right... do you think she knows what's going round?... She really is a state sometimes ..."
I laugh a little as Faunus goes on and on. There are always rumours about Effie Trinket the district 12 escort and the District 12 Victor Haymitch Abernathy. He is the only living victor from his district and so naturally he and Effie spend a lot of time together. It wouldn't be the first time that an escort and a victor have had rumours surrounding them but Haymitch and Effie are the gossip that just won't die. Every year without fail someone always claims to have a seen something or heard or something. I'm not sure if it's true or not, I mean they seem so different- She is so prim and proper. He is scruffy and perpetually drunk. However Capitol people are loose lipped at the best of times and I've come to learn there is never smoke without fire…
I've sometimes wondered what rumours are spread about me. Then I realise that I'd prefer not to know. Ignorance is bliss.
The Gossip continues for a little while until Faunus stops to take a breath and I grab the chance to ask him how long we've got till arrival. "About 3 hours" He says before casting his eyes up and down me disapprovingly "just enough for you to at least comb through those knots in your hair I should think". Typical Faunus. We air kiss and I excuse myself to my room. As soon I as enter the avox, who was fixing my bed, scurries out. This room has a lot of memories for me. I stayed here on my first journey to the capitol as a tribute. I remember throwing myself onto the soft bed and crying into the pillow- so sure I only had a month left to live.
How wrong I was.
When I travel to the capitol outside of game times It could be on any train but during the games the same train is always used. I flick my pyjamas onto the floor and head for the shower, grabbing a towel on the way. I step onto the marble flooring and it is warm, heated from the floor up. I remember the wonder I felt when I first saw this shower. We had a shower at home; it wasn't fancy like this though. It was your standard ergonomic shower; designed for efficiency not luxury – like everything in District 3. Cleanliness is extremely important back home. We wash ourselves morning, nightly and before meals. I guess our preoccupation with cleanliness is to overcompensate for our filthy polluted skies.
I can take a fancy shower whenever I want nowadays, I have three at my home back in the village. Just like the one I am in currently they have a sliding temperature dial, scent dispensers and a music player. I once used a shower in the Capitol that had a TV on the wall but it just seemed like sensory overload. Sometimes everything in the capitol feels like sensory overload. I choose a zesty lemon scent and some upbeat music to get me energized. I guess it works a little because when I step out of the shower I don't immediately want to collapse on the bed. I trudge over to my wardrobe. Marina and Elissa, the district stylists gave me some outfits to pick from for the reaping. I decide to choose a simple white polo neck dress. I don't like wearing the ostentatious clothes I might wear in the Capitol when I go back home, somehow it feels inappropriate. Of course the dress has a silver trimming and is much tighter and shorter than I would ideally prefer but it's the least gaudy item in the closest. I put on the pair of flat white over the knee boots that were obviously meant to match the dress and sit down on the dresser to do my hair. I've always liked my hair- its wavy ,thick and jet black. Before my games I always kept it to waist length or longer but when I arrived in the Capitol the first thing Elissa did was cut it off. Leaving me with a cute little bob. It was such a shock along with all the other obvious shocks of being a terrified tribute yet I grew to love it. I always keep it above my collarbone now. My mother and father don't like it at all.
I've become quite adept at doing my own makeup although I don't wear much. Some gloopy liquid to hide imperfections, powder to stop my face looking like a shiny moon and a little kohl around my eyes. I grew up watching my sisters and mother lining their big dark eyes with homemade kohl. I knew how to do that way before I met Elissa. On the morning of my reaping, I remember putting on my kohl as usual but I couldn't draw straight. I had to wipe my eyes and start again at least 4 times. I knew from the 3rd attempt it was just going to be 'one of those days'.
I spend a little more time perfecting myself before heading back to the lounge carriage. Faunus is already there spread out on of the sofas. He is clad in a tight glittery yellow one-piece. I think Faunus is going through a one-piece phase, although for the life of me I can't understand why as he just looks like an overgrown baby. Faunus often tries to 'make things happen' as he would say, he considers himself a trendsetter of sorts. Notice I say that he considers himself that. It's hardly the general consensus.
I lower myself to the sofa opposite him and suddenly realise that it's incredibly hard to look dignified sitting in a dress like this. I fiddle around for a moment crossing my legs back and forth trying to work out the best position. I am considering going back to change outfits when Faunus who must have noticed my fiddling pipes up "No don't you change Nashira…You look fabulous and if you give a little bit of show so what? They love that…"
'They' meaning the capitol because in district 3 it's simply indecent.
"What do you think?" he says running his hands across the glittery material covering his arms "do you like it? I think it will make an impact I really do. I'm trying out new things this year…" he strokes his Moustache. Subtlety is not in Faunus' nature. "You know Seneca Crane got a new beard cut for the games? "
My stomach drops slightly at the mention of that name.
Yes I was well aware of the new haircut.
".. He should stop trying to make that beard happen… it's not going to happen.. No-one is even thinking about beards anymore… I mean let's be honest…"
I nod in agreement but I just want Faunus to move away from this topic and quickly. This is a situation where I am appreciative of his short attention span because it's not long before he is gossiping about some other supposedly hideous fashion faux pas. I absorb his babble for once so I don't have to think. Out of the window on my left I spot the unmistakable cloud of smog in the distance.
Nearly home.