Author's Note: Yay! Chapter 3 is up! (Finally... you guys can't imagine the time this took me.) I lightly consider this as a filler, not very much action, just presenting new characters... The parade and the first encounter with the other tributes shall be in the next chapter, even though I slightly begin to mention them in this one. As all the characters in this chapter, I feel as if I babble and describe a little too much... no? Please give me your thoughts, I really want to make this story the most prominent possible. So, I hope you like it... Enjoy and pretty please review?

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. Only the characters you don't recognize from the books.

Chapter 3 - Interested

Shortly, the lights in the train come back again. The sunbeams severely blast through the window, inviting me to peer over the wedge. We arrived in the Capitol. Gigantic steel sculptures fill the whole island, shining rivers running around the land. It would truly reflect a paradise city, if the monuments wouldn't seem so unreal.

By the time the train arrives to the station, my body is shaking from the constant weaving and the cheering spectacle to which assist my wide and startled eyes. Truthfully speaking, the Capitolians are everything I've ever imagined. Dressed in fine clothes, gems and feathers, they all look different and happy, smiling and laughing, applauding and jumping. And all of this, for two tributes from district six. At first look, they definitely do not seem like crazy species, absolutely wanting to kill wretched children for simple reasons of entertainment.

Soon enough, the train completely stops, and I clearly hear the shouts and the joy spreading from outside. Daphna quickly rushes in the compartment, now dressed in a light ivory sun dress, with pearls embellishing her platinum hair-do. Again, she looks extremely divine, just as Heart, who she tightly clenches to her side.

"Esmay dear, we arrived…" she says smoothly, her voice definitely changed from the direct business woman who she was only minutes ago. Stalking past me, I quickly stand up, not wanting to make her wait in the surely filled schedule. We are roughly the same height, even though she wears heels, which accord her a few more inches than me. The rabbit still in between her fingers, she comes forward, a generous smile gracing her angular face. She passes a few times her hand in my hair, twisting the strands, making it slightly messier as well as more voluminous. Not minding her touch as she scrutinizes me, I keep my eyes floating in the emptiness behind her. Heavy pressure is waiting for me; I have to make them like me, in order to survive. The importance of the moments and days to come are unavoidable. With a little help from Daphna, she will probably know just the way to make me likeable enough to the Capitol's eyes.

"Such a pretty face… you definitely look like a baby doll. Irresistible!" she suddenly purrs, her tongue flicking over her teeth at the end of her sentence. I can't decide what she is so fascinated by. Is it my actual face or only the fact that I am simply different? Still, nobody ever told me that I looked like a 'baby doll'. What are dolls even supposed to look like? Do they have small chins, sharp cheekbones and light pouting lips like me? Or are they just plain and plastic? Dragging me out of my thoughts, Daphna's voice rings on the walls, notifying me that we must go. Her heels clacking on the marbled floor, I follow her, doing my best to keep up with her undeniably fast steps.

We meet Aster and Daviel in the adjacent room. Helis is nowhere to be found but Daphna quickly assures me that I will see him before the parade. The dark looks and rolling eyes that Aster constantly repeats make Daphna hurry up and order the porter to open the sliding doors.

Daviel nudges my arm, as for getting my attention, before he smirks, his gaze directed to the crowd. Looking at him intently, I try to discover his intentions, but Aster dryly pushes us forward. Her fierce look and aggressive frown strictly suggest that she doesn't want to lose her precious time. Daphna flashes jolly smiles, surely recognizing some familiar faces among the mob. As cameras flash constantly, I keep my lips slightly open and adopt a surprised expression, as well as smiling now and then. Looking over my shoulder, I see Daviel do the same. Irreproachably, he likes the media's attention.

Pushing through the crowd, we rapidly get into an expensive car, humping on the comfortable leather seats. Relieved, we soon arrive to what seems like the training station, even though I had to endure Aster's annoyed looks, as well as Daviel's poor attempts at breaking the intense silence. Thank god, Daphna kept calm, avoiding Aster's rude comments.

Before I even realize it, Daphna is practically dragging me through the doors, climbing stairs after stairs before arriving to large opened doors. The room is plain white, with a classic bathtub and other unrecognizable furniture. I didn't even realize that Daviel and Aster were left behind, until I see splendid new faces intently staring at me.

"Here she is! Oh. My. God. Daphna you were so right! She is absolutely wonderful!" shouts an extremely piercing voice, before skinny arms tightly wrap around my trembling body, hugging me in a triumphant way. I didn't even see the woman's face before I realize that she is clenching powdery flowers very close to my nose, making me slightly sneeze. Hearing my discomfort, she quickly pulls away, offering me a tissue.

"Gush, I'm so sorry! I was just so excited to finally see you! You have such beautiful hair! Daphna, you didn't tell me it was THIS black, it's like the darkest night shade ever! And gush, look at those eyes, I which I had those, I could match so many colors and patterns and…" she babbles childishly, before Daphna interrupts her. At this point, the agitated woman already gave me a yellow flower bouquet and touched my hair and face about fifty times.

"Andromeda! She just arrived! Give her space." proclaims Daphna, before contouring me and going to drop her pricy bags and precious pet on a near armchair. Andromeda continued to gaze at me, her wide sea foam colored eyes almost popping out form their orbs.

"I'm Andromeda, me and Anastachia are your prep team. I'm so glad to finally meet you, Esmay! Been waiting for this since this morning! I was so scared that we would have a silly tribute, but you are so beautiful! Gush, I can't wait to start!" she says, quickly pointing to a woman with folded arms behind her, before hiding me her view. Nodding, I smile shyly, confused of her warm welcome. Am I supposed to appreciate it or ignore it? I have to remind myself that these people are actually sending me to my death. Andromeda clearly doesn't seem to have much patience, while the other one, Anastachia, behind her, seems purely disinterested.

Andromeda is totally made out of flesh and bones, tall and skinny, with hollow eyes, which now and then light up, by pure surprise. It makes me slightly suspicious, about what sort of treatment she receives. She would look dead, if it wouldn't be for her piercing eyes and the joyful smile that goes up to showing some of her gum, which is garnished with beautiful white teeth. She seems to be in her early 20's, with a very bubbly and naive personality. Still, every time I profoundly look into her eyes, I can see a growing desire for help, and maybe comprehension. Her hair is a very similar to Daphna's pearl blonde, but it's still a shade darker. Her pointy nose screams silicone, as well as her cheeks, which seem to have triangle shaped implants in them. Nevertheless, Andromeda looks very beautiful, her turquoise eyes adding reality to her alien face.

"What are these called?" I ask quietly, looking away from her glittery features, to the flower bouquet in my hands. They are ravishing, soft yellow with an orange middle. I never saw something like them before. Mother used to occasionally receive roses from father, but it was only on special events, as her birthday, or professional achievements. It's not like I've accomplished anything. I didn't even win yet, and they are already offering me flowers

"Oh, those are daffodils, my favorites…" she expresses, smiling brightly.

"Andromeda, I had enough of your immature behavior! The poor girl is surely annoyed and we have to start to prepare her, since the parade begins in eight hours!" shouts Anastachia, the other half of my prep team. Her petulant frame clearly radiates that she had enough of the chit-chat, and that she wants to get the preparations done the quickest possible. Still, eight hours seem like an eternity. Am I really in such a bad shape that they have to fix me for eight complete hours? Why the heck did I have to arrive here this early? It seems like long hours are about to come.

"Are you annoyed?" suddenly asks Andromeda, turning to face me with a despondent look. I assure her that no, a smile spreading on my lips at her innocence, as the gems of her eyes bashfully gaze at me. She's looking at me with such adoration; it's difficult not to already be fond of her. Even though I it appears that I have more chemistry with Daphna, Andromeda and I will surely have an assured friendship.

"Enough! Andromeda, let's get to work! What will Lierel think if we don't give him the report in 3 hours?" shriek Anastachia, already having some weird products in her hands, ready to begin my metamorphosis. Clearly, she is more focused and exact in her duties than her partner. I guess she's the serious half, while Andromeda brings the joy and gossip in the work. Taking my hands carefully, Anastachia guides me behind a folding paper screen, demanding me to strip. Well, I guess I am not ashamed, not having anything to hide. Still, Anastachia scrutinizes me in an uninterested way, before flipping her perfectly curled hair in such a fashioned way, and turning away. I never bothered with my appearance, not having anybody to impress, but Anastachia makes me feel more self-conscious than ever before. Truthfully, she is the snobbish and unconcerned person I thought all Capitolians would be.

Afterwards, they instruct me to lie down on a hard table, as to perform some sort of surgery. Plucking and pulling hair, are the next tasks of my prep team. As I stay still as a wretch, Andromeda keeps chatting with Daphna, who relaxes, a glass of champagne between her fingers. She dances and turns around the large room, gripping on a magazine, while swings her feet in such a sweet way, it gives me the urge to dance as well. Anastachia keeps quiet, and only argues when Andromeda forgets to wax my left leg.

"Gush, Ana… It's no big deal; there's almost nothing to remove!" says Andromeda, even though I know she lies. She had been trying to convince her partner that I am perfect since the last hour. Still, Anastachia doesn't seem to agree, always giving that elegant eye roll to her 'friend'. Not that I agree with either of them. Andormeda has been practically harassing me with nice comments since she welcomed me in this preparation room. And I slightly feel bad that I didn't even say a word since they putted me on this table. I could have at least thanked her.

"Girls, she's has red spots from the plucking… It would be better to get her in the bath already." says lightly Daphna, raising her bleached eyebrows at the sign of irritation on my exposed legs.

Soon enough, I am almost drowned in a flower scented bubble bathtub. The warmth of the water wrapping around my body is enough to make me release the tension that has been building up in me. Even though Andromeda and Anastachia scrub every single of my ribs, I keep calm, and listen to their conversation.

"We like to do things the classic way… Don't you feel like a princess?" sighs Andromeda, before continuing to babble, her mouth not even stopping for a breath.

"Daphna, did Lierel tell you anything about his plans for the parade outfit? It would be such a shame to dress Esmay in a boring astronaut costume, it would be awful to hide her beautiful legs and curves…" dramatically mentions Andromeda. Lierel, one of the stylists of district six, is quite repetitive. He doesn't put any effort in his tribute's presentation unless he or she is truly prominent and worth the work of creating an original costume. He usually puts them in an astronaut disguise, even though district six rarely produces space ships.

"No, no, he didn't tell me anything… I'm slightly scared; it would be a bummer if he gets repetitive again. She can't pull off the rough astronaut!" states, Daphna, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she continues to search for new trends in her magazine.

"Gee, hope so… Did you see the recaps of the reapings?"

"Oh, wait I'll turn the TV on… Esmay darling didn't even see her competitors yet!" chirps Daphna, before pushing a few buttons, illuminating a tremendous plasma television, plastered on the wall in front of me. It is nice to watch TV while taking a lovely bath. But not when the faces you see, are the people you are meant to kill in a few days, in order to survive.

Unsurprisingly, district one and two are deceiving. Their tributes are all volunteers, bulky boys and charming girls, the fire of blood thirst already igniting in their eyes. Anastachia only makes a hushed comment about how horrible the short pixie hair looks on the girl from two, while Andromeda remarks every single detail, sharing her thoughts on her preferences.

District three passes, until district four comes up, to display a girl with tanned skin and major curly brown hair. She looks quite strong, as you can see some of her abs through her almost transparent shirt. Staring into the camera with her menacing cold eyes, I note that I will have to watch out for her.

Further on, the television presents a humble boy from five as his small district partner clenches tightly onto him. I register pity on Daphna's face, before she passes forward on my reaping, judging it would better to skip it. District seven is the standard mousy brown haired kids, with nervous green eyes.

The taint air of district height comes up, patched dresses and worn out jeans flashing in the ranks. At this point, Anastachia is rigorously shampooing my hair, the toxic product dripping in my eyes, blurring my vision. I can't see anything on the screen, but only hear Andromeda's sleek voice, eagerly commenting on the boy tribute.

"That guy looks so… handsome! Look at those dimples, perfect teeth…Wow…" she gushes, stopping to file my nails. As I rub my eyes, I can faintly see a figure on the television, a white smile plastered on its face. Andromeda stares open mouthed, surely fantasizing, until Daphna interrupts her thoughts.

"Come on, he's way too young for you. Still, with a face like that, 'Sponsor Me' could be written on his forehead." she chuckles, playfully shoving Andromeda's knee with her perfectly shooed foot, some glitters falling off of it. Even though I can't see clearly enough to judge the guy's face, Daphna's statement is truly false, Andromeda isn't that old. And I doubt that the kid from eight is that young either.

Abandoning my hopeless attempts to get the foam out of my eyes, I wait patiently, blinking, the rest of the tributes unrecognizable to me. Still, I feel slightly disappointed that I didn't properly see the male tribute from district eight. Not that I was interested. I was only curious, of Andromeda's standards, of who she finds attractive.

As I see Anastachia's face next to me, I can detect the illusion of a smirk crossing her lime green lips. Can she read my mind?

Time passes, until I'm ridiculously tired and annoyed. It's been about three hours since my prep team continuously babbles, hydrates my skin, brushes my hair, teeth and every single part of my body. My flesh feels slightly sore, and my feet are tired from all the standing that they require, but still, I feel fresh and clean. Daphna left half an hour ago, leaving mister Heart as well as all her expensive bags on the seat, desperately leaving me with my prep team. She said that she would return soon, intending to have a word in the fitting of my parade outfit.

Andromeda and Anastachia eventually put me in black underwear, the top feeling loose while the bottom a little bit tight. Anastachia irreproachably grunts a comment, until her partner states that I could always resort to plastic surgery to get a breast augmentation after the games. If I win. I never cared about my flat chest, and I certainly will not inject some sort of silicone into them, just to make myself more desirable.

Getting lost in my thoughts, I miss my stylist's grand entrance, which weirdly makes Anastachia flinch. The man is clearly smaller than me, probably in his thirties, but his gold colored eyes have an interesting glaze, forbidding me to stare. A chill runs up to my spine, my face quickly darting away from the judgmental look his raised eyebrows project. So this is Lierel.

Surprisingly, Andromeda is the first one to welcome him, going on to give him a devoted hug, just as she did with me. Never would I have thought that her bubbly personality could fit with this slaying eyed creature. He seems so cold and ruthless; he could only be a match to Anastachia, to which I look over, and see her secretly rolling her eyes.

Andromeda and him exchange a few bashing news, before they both interrupt in hysterical laughter, excluding us, his gold teeth sparkling against his tattooed skin. It seems that Andromeda's friendliness can win anyone over. Even Anastachia, who is too elaborated to admit that her partner brightens her work.

"Come on… Meet Esmay…" suddenly says Andromeda, as they both gracefully walk over at where I and Anastachia impatiently stand. He passes his eyes over my almost naked body a few times, contouring me, taking my cheek in his hand before stepping back.

"Walk for me…" he whispers, his tongue heedlessly turning in his neutral mouth. I do a tour, walking bare foot, slightly ashamed as I turn my back to him. As I return, I can see the small wonder in his eyes. Could it be interest?

"Good enough… Did she handle the operation well…?" he defines smoothly, turning to face Andromeda, not even giving a glimpse of a look to Anastachia. Speaking of operation, I really don't think it's the right term. Even though it was slightly painful, they didn't pour blood or anything. Lierel might take this very seriously, but his costumes are never really interesting.

"Oh yes, she didn't say much during the whole process, such a sweetheart…" chirps Andromeda gently, smiling so brightly she could faint from the constant stretching of her mouth.

"The report?" he then questions, turning to Anastachia expectantly, before raising an eyebrow as his menacing eyes travel over her frame.

"Honey, fruit prints are so last season..." he critiques, on Anastachia's corset and high waist pencil skirt embellished with lemon patterns. She looks at him with puzzled eyes and an open mouth, not believing his words. Truthfully, Lierel isn't better dressed in his black and gold jewelry. I sense that she's about to bite back, but Andromeda outstrips her.

"Talking about that, where did you get those handcuffs…?" she asks, pointing to his snake shaped bracelets, the tail twirling up until his biceps.

"Oh, my own collection, it will be in store this fall… It's it dazzling? Now the report! Quick I don't have much time." he says urgently, before Anastachia frantically picks up a note book, passing it to Andromeda, who reads it out loud.

"Sharp cheeks, wide grey eyes, button chin…" she describes me, before Lierel interrupts her.

"The negative aspects." he says sharply, as Anastachia gets to read the sheet this time.

"Her upper lip is very thin. Still, the bottom one complements it. Her eyebrows were quite tick and she has a slight gap in between her two front teeth. Her skin is very pale and dry, as the freckles are a little too much…" she continues emotionless. She typically sounds like some sort of robotic machine, enumerating menu options. It occurs to me that these people know way too much things about my body than I ever noticed.

"Yes… the freckles definitely need some coverage. And that horrible haircut, thank god she has long hair. Continue with the body." Lierel states abruptly, saying some rambling words.

"Her body is slim enough, we can see some of her bones, but her thighs definitely need some exercise, they are only 7 inches apart. She practically doesn't have any breasts, as for the legs…" continues Anastachia with a monotone voice, never looking up from her paper. Good thing, because I don't think she would want to see the disrupted look on my face. Whoever wrote those things wants me to be a skeleton. Seriously, I doubt Anastachia even has a 7 inches thigh gap. Andromeda surely has more, but she can be almost considered as anorexic, if she isn't already. Even after all the last three hours that she tried to convince Anastachia that I was perfect, and all the adoration Daphna gave me, I realize that the expectancies to fit for Lierel's interest are atrociously high.

"She has pretty long legs, very beautiful, if it wouldn't be for the bruises covering them…" calmly stated Andromeda.

"What bruises?" questions Lierel, as he gets down to the length of my legs, frowning at the blue and purple marks.

"Where did you get these…?" he asks me, not looking up, continuing to stare weirdly at my legs, which is making me slightly uncomfortable.

"I… I used to dance… and fell a lot." I mutter, unsure of my answer. The truth is that even I don't know where those bruises come from.

"Dance? Could you twirl for me? Ballerina style…" he asks quizzically. Nodding, I step back, and prepare myself, carefully standing on my tip-toes. I never truly learned to dance, not having the money. I guess I taught myself, feeling the mute rhythm and music in my veins, reaching my feet like electric streaks.

Even though I fell slightly embarrassed, by fear that my underwear will do a flash while twirling, I still give it a go, spinning on one pointed feet, while extending my arms, in what would seem like a gracious way. Just for a moment, I forget everything. That I am probably going to die in a few days, that my feet horribly hurt and that my body isn't good enough for Capitolians to sponsor. As I stop, a smile tugs on my lips, as dancing always brings me some sort of accomplishment and infinity I can never achieve when I'm simply standing. But what I'm even more proud about is the glint in Lierel's fierce black lined eyes, as if he truly got impressed. He smiles perspicuously before nodding, as he comes forward, starting to take my measurements. Andromeda flashes me an excited full smile, tugging Rabbit Heart between her arms.

"So girls, for the makeup and hair, I want big curls, wide eyes, reduce the freckles a bit and conceal those bruises on her legs, I really want to expose them…" states Lierel, pointing at a few pictures in his hands, to which my prep team brings serious interest.

"I thought she could wear some tights to hide those marks." nervously says Anastachia, to which Lierel gives her an utterly annoyed look, as if he wants to scream.

"Excuse me? Are you serious? Did you see those legs?" he asks, acidly raising his eyebrow at her comment.

"It's ok, we will use some concealer and powder. That will surely work…" defends Andromeda, an understanding smile at her partner's failure. Lierel then nods, before quickly leaving. Does this mean that he will actually do a new outfit for me, leaving the boring astronaut costume? Astronauts don't wear skirts after all.

Soon enough, my prep team gets to work again, applying pigments and creams to my face, while at the same time almost burning my hair. They don't let me look at myself in a mirror, but they are kind enough to allow me to eat a few raspberries, while caressing Heart's soft pelage. For the past two hours of hearing a hair dryer, there has been no sign of Daphna or Helis. They will surely come at the same time as my parade outfit, which leads me to think about the other tributes. After what I saw on TV, the competition is high, and after what I heard from Andromeda's and Daphna's enchantment, I assume the guy from eight will have all the sponsors, even though I didn't even see him yet. And I swear if Helis wants me to team up with Daviel, I would better go die in the bloodbath than try to survive with him.

Almost magically, Helis appears next to me, scrutinizing me with his brown eyes, before sitting down next to me, as Anastachia silently continues to curl my hair.

"So… How are you feeling?" he asks me, question marks covering his face at the view of mister Heart in my arms.

"Well enough, I guess…" I mutter silently, not giving much attention to his words.

"Do you know what you will wear for the parade?" he asks again, as I shake my head, continuing to eat my raspberries soundlessly.

"It will be short, really short… Lierel wants the whole nation to see her legs or something." playfully states Andromeda, as she comes back form the back room, with a new pallet of colors. She can't decide which one will fit better with my eyes, and at this point, I'm slightly afraid that I will turn out as a clown. Sighing in disapproval, Helis stares at me, flexing his knuckles.

"I didn't quite figure out your strategy yet, I still have to take a look at how those other tributes will act." he eventually says, as if this whole thing is an incredible mind game in which he had to decipher everyone's plan, even before they actually made them. I don't think anyone has a true idea of how they will play the games, yet. Except maybe the careers. But they are always so repetitive.

"As for the parade, I really want you to stay back, act like you know a lot, mysterious, a little wicked, charming, but still rather dark and manipulator, as if you knew everyone's secret…" he rabbles, before I can briefly stop him. It seems like Helis doesn't really know himself what I am supposed to be in public.

"How am I supposed to do all those at the same time?" I ask frantically, scowling at his long speech.

"Ok, just act like yourself, but with a slight twist. Slow your movements and stare widely. A smug smile can't hurt." he then says, before offering me a comforting smile and assuring me that everything will be alright. And that I should prepare my hand to wave. He then leaves, excusing himself that he has some business.

An hour before the parade, Lierel pops in the doorway, Daphna fiery following on his heels. She doesn't look too happy, as she constantly shakes her head in disapproval, fixing the white box that Lierel firmly holds in between his hands. My costume.

"Lierel! I repeat. There is no way that Esmay will wear that ridiculous outfit." shouts Daphna, accusingly pointing to the box, while Lierel casually ignores her. She is again, dressed differently, this time in a heavily embroidered dress with a diamond cage shaped head piece, the whole thing covered in pearls and divine ruffles. As usually, she is herself heavenly.

"Let me try it on at least…" I whisper from Anastachia's grip, still pinning my hair. I offer Daphna an apologetic look, as she purses her lips at me, trying hard to calm down.

Quickly pulling some sort of tight fabric on me, Lierel and Andromeda dress me up, while Anastachia makes sure that my makeup doesn't smudge.

"Well... It's kinda short. But it will fit her perfectly." somewhat states Andromeda, before allowing me to see myself in a mirror.

My reflection staring at me, the first thing I realize is my artistic shaped hair. The curls are very dramatic, almost giving them a vintage look. My grey eyes are still the same, only defined with gold and brown colors, while the edges are black, giving me more of a flirty look. Red lips and a few remaining freckles complete my face, as I dart my eyes down to the scarlet dress and navy velvet jacket. The skirt barely covers my aft, while the top is clearly meant to give full coverage to my non-existent breasts. I guess Lierel highlighted my most prominent features, while he hid the uninteresting ones. Only then do I realize that this outfit is non-other than a district six train conductor uniform. The gold buttons on the jacket matching with the gold pendant jewelry on my ears are perfect, while the high heeled ankle boots make me even taller. To say the least, I am very satisfied with the result, even though the skater dress is revealing a bit too much. After all, I have to impress them with something, no?

Incredibly, this outfit makes me feel slightly desirable, while the makeup and hair are pronouncing a more innocent look. If mother could see me now, I'm sure she would be impressed. But still not proud.

"I like it." I suddenly whisper, my voice coming out more naively than I intended to. The wide eyes and happy cheers are interrupted by Daphna's refusing glare and annoyed features. She still looks beautiful, even though she is clearly mad.

She keeps arguing with Lierel and Anastachia, pleading them to add at least a small piece of fabric to the dress. At the same time, Andromeda eagerly continues to spray my body and get me ready, implying that there isn't much time left. Al the voices and toxic products are making my head turn in a daze.

These people will very soon drive me crazy.