576 Go In, 1 Comes Out Chapter 15: Parade, a hunger games fanfic

There is no Iris or Connectus in this chapter

Danny Draddock D9

The doors of the lift open and I am grasped hold of a pulled out by 3 weird looking people. They introduce themselves.

The first is a man of about age 20 and has pale while skin, however the normal parts of him stop there. He has spiky green hair on the top of his head and bright red pony-tail at the back of his head. His nails are a few inches long and are coloured in the same red-green arrangement. He has had so much plastic surgery that you can't see any wrinkles or smile lines or anything. His lips are so full of plastic that they looks like they're about to burst. His name is Lepidus.

The second is a woman who is a but older than Lepidus, maybe about 25. She hasn't had as much surgery as the first man however she has still had quite a lot. She has dark brown skin. I've heard about Capitol citizens having their eyes dyed and she has had it done. He eyes are a deep red that makes her look demon-like. He lips are pursed and he breasts are enormous. She has long pink hair and is wearing 8-inch heels that makes her tower over the rest of us. Her name is Wilhelmina.

The third looks so outrageous that I can't even describe it. I think it's a boy but I'm not too sure. But anyway, it's name is Hexus.

After they have introduced themselves they grab hold of my arms and strip off my clothes. They throw the clothes into an incinerator shaft. My last piece of home - gone.

They lay me down and put a mask over my face. I can see the ceiling and it looks beautiful. All ornate colours and patterns and swirls. This gas they're giving me smells really good. Like strawberries and cream, mmm. I love strawberries and cream. I feel sleepy. I yawn and Lepidus rubs my forehead, I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

When I wake lying on the same table I was put to sleep on. I raise my head too quickly and my head suddenly begins to throb. Must be side-effects of the gas. My whole body has been completely stripped of hair, minus my head-hair. I'd be so annoyed if they had taken my hair.

The door to my right opens wide and an old woman walks in. She has a walking stick and white hair. She looks completely natural and has had no plastic-surgery which is surprising. She's very small, probably only 4 ft 8 and is extremely wrinkly. Her back is arched. She hobbles in.

"Hello Danny, my name is Giselle and I will be your stylist for these games." She has a pure voice which I wasn't expecting from her and she sounds extremely friendly.

"Umm hi" I reply with.

"Now, let's get the business, you have the tribute parade in an hour an a half and need to be down in the holding area in an hour. I have made an amazing costume for you and I dearly hope that you love it."

"Why do we have a tribute parade?" I ask. I actually don't know. It all just seems a but tedious, parading children that are all going to die in a week around the city.

"You need to make a good impression Danny, and this year it is more than important to make a good impression, it is the strongest year ever. Everyone has already been a victor. Every tribute this year would be capable to win in a normal year, even you."

"OK then, well can we get started then Giselle?"

Giselle smiles and laughs. She walks over to a cupboard and opens it. She presses a small black button and a stand begins to wheel out. On there is a dummy with a suit on. It's made of all different types of grain. Rice, wheat, corn and maize. It's not very impressive at first however when Giselle presses a button on the side of it. The grain shimmers and shakes about. Giselle seems pleased with it. I'm not ridiculously pleased with it but it'll have to do. I get up and put it on. It's really comfortable. I look at myself in the mirror and sigh inside. It's not amazing.

She then does my hair in a gelled up quiff and takes me down to the holding room. In there is a huge range of people in costumes. I see Melissa who is wearing the same as me except as a short dress. She definitely looks better than I do. I look around the room to see the other people. 1 are dressed so well that they looks like diamonds which ever way you look at them. 2 are dressed as stone masons with huge hammers. They look extremely strong, especially the girl, I think her name is Iris or something. 3 are forgettable and are dressed head to toe in wires. 4 looks like mermen and women.

We get onto our chariot and I see Giselle. She's asking me to smile and wave at people. Just before the doors open, Melissa's stylist, an old man, presses our buttons and our dresses start to spin and shake. The doors open an the screams start. 1 goes out first, followed by 2 then 3. Soon 8 go and now us. We're transported into the straight. The chariot is going quite fast and I have to hold on tight to stay on. The people are screaming and cheering and shouting our names.

The grain suits have gone down better than expected. We get the most attention out of all the districts about 5. That's good. As Giselle said. We need to make an impression and pull in sponsors as soon as possible.

The chariots get the the end of the straight and come to a halt. Julius Snow appears on a podium above and the crows go wild.

"Welcome tributes, to this glorious occasion. We welcome you to the Capitol and will obey your every wish. You have already shown you are worthy of having the honour of competing in the second round of the 100th Hunger Games! We honour you courage and your sacrifice. I will be seeing 1 of you up here with me in 3 weeks time. Good luck..."

I mouth the rest with him, "And may the odds be ever in your favour."

The crowd literally goes mental and we're wheeled inside.

As soon as we're inside the Giselle, Melissa's stylist, Quetz and Harriet pounce on us with congratulations and that the people loved us.

Good, I hope they did.

Katniss Everdeen D12

The tributes have gone off with the prep team so I'm able to have some time to myself. I tried to talk to Cinna but the peacekeepers just won't let me. Hmm, it's a bit weird that they won't let me. They usually let victors go anywhere they want, I mean, they're victors. Cinna might now want to see me but I can't imagine why, we've been friends for 26 years.

Anyway, I have some time to myself so I decide to track down Finnick who was one of my first friends in the Capitol. He's about 10 years older than me at 50. Over the years, his horde of admirers slowly went off him and onto the newer tributes. Like for example, my fellow victor from District 12, Thomas. As soon as he won, people in the Capitol went crazy for him. Over the next few years, I don't think he even did any mentoring, just constant sleeping around. He hated it, of course, but what could he do? Nothing, that's what.

I'm looking around a bar while being escorted my peacekeepers, otherwise I would just be overrun by screaming fans. I see Finnick talking to Johanna in the distance.

"Finnick! Johanna! Hey guys! It's Katniss!" They turn their heads mid-sentence and instantly smile.

"Katniss!" Johanna says. "How are you?"

"Not so bad, and yourself?"

"Not too bad myself either, please join us for a drink."

I sit down on a sofa and a curtain is pulled round us so we can at least have some privacy over the noise in this bar. In here with Johanna, Finnick and I are Victoria, who is one of the nicer District 2 victors, she wasn't a volunteer and didn't join the career pack, she got a 5 in training, and Harriet, a District 9 victor.

We all talk for about 3 hours straight, drinking quite heavily too. When it's time to go and get ready for the parade, I feel a bit dizzy and everything anyone ever says is just hilarious!

I get back to my apartment. In there is an Avox who attaches some weird thing onto my mouth. It begins to suck and slowly I begin to come back to my senses. This weird machine, sucked all the alcohol out of my system.

"Thanks" I say. The Avox smiles and walks out of the room.

I sit down and I call the Avox back. She does my hair in the braid I always have and I slip on an elegant long black dress with a cut up the side so people can see my leg all the way up. It's strapless and have gold sequins dotted about that gives it a magical feel about it. I put on some make-up: dark red lipstick and black eyeliner. I look into the mirror and realise that this is the best I've ever looked, in my whole life.

I hear a knock on the door and go to answer.

A peacekeeper is here to take me to the victors stand on the parade strip.

When I get there, I'm the last one there. I see Thomas who is wearing black trousers, a white shirt, a plumped up blue tie and a grey, patterned waistcoat. His hair is done up into a quiff and he looks really good. He'll have the admirers flooding to him now. I hug him and he hugs back. He's my best friend. He has to be.

I go to hug Finnick and Johanna and sit with them. The music starts and the doors start to open.

The crowd goes wild.

District 1 look like diamonds.

District 2 are dressed as stone masons.

District 3 have wires all over and look pretty bland. I look over and see Beetee does not look happy.

District 4 are nearly naked and are dressed as a merman and woman. That'll get them sponsors, the boy has huge toned muscles and the girl looks beautiful and has an amazing figure.

District 5 are dressed as solar panels.

District 6 are dressed as trains.

District 7 are dressed as huge leaves. This is a change from the usual tree but it's still quite guessable. Johanna is not happy at all. The 12 year old doesn't look scared at all. Good for her.

District 8 are dressed like Capitol citizens, to show the Capitol that they make all their clothes. Clever.

District 9 look really good actually and are getting a lot of attention for something that isn't even that good. They're dressed in grain suits and the grain is spinning all around them making them look like grain people.

District 10 are dressed as cows and look horrible. Poor them

District 11 are dressed identically to how Thresh and Rue were dressed in my games, all in silver.

District 12, my district, are dressed like burning embers, just like I was in my victory interview. They look really good actually and are getting quite a bit of attention. Good.

So that's it. Julius Snow makes a speech.

They are wheeled inside and I'm sitting there stunned. This parade has been one of the best ever.

So what did you all think of the chapter? I thought it was one of my better ones but what do you all think? Remember to review, follow and favourite. Next we will have training!