Me and Mike are led onto a train after our goodbye's. We are seated in a booth and the Capitol woman smiles her ridiculous smile and walks away. I look up at Mike and get a good look at his face. He has short black hair. I would consider him good looking if it weren't for his ridiculously pale skin. It contradicts his dark black hair and makes him look pasty and ghostlike. I sigh and look out the window as the train zooms forward.
"How will anybody win this thing?" Mike suddenly asks, making me turn to face him. I don't want to look at him; the more I look at him, the more I picture him lying on the ground with a knife in his back.
"I don't know," I say. "Maybe everyone will resist the games and won't fight each other."
"I doubt it," Mike says.
"Well, excuse me for having hope," I snap. I don't know why; I just seem angry. After snapping at him, however, I feel tears start to grow in my eyes. I quickly blink them away and turn back to the window.
"Hope is fine, but what you're saying is just ridiculous," Mike says.
"I have a family!" I exclaim, whipping my head back around to him. "A little sister! A mom! A dad! I don't want them to see me get stabbed in the heart by some twelve year old!"
"I have a family too," Mike says quietly.
I open my mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. What can I say? I turn my head back to the window and watch as District 7 quickly disappears. I only wish that I would have given something to Beth. Something to remind her of me in case I die in the games.
The Capitol is amazing. The outside is the best, with its large towering buildings. The inside isn't quite as fabulous, more weird than anything. The people wear ridiculous outfits that make them look like they're dressing up for Halloween.
I am taken to what the Capitol people call the Remake Center. Once I enter it, three Capitol people walk over to me and immediately start stripping me of my clothes. I am alarmed and quickly cover myself up with my hands, but the Capitol people take me over to a table and lay me on it. They start waxing my legs and telling me that it is all part of the procedure. After waxing, they pluck my eyebrows and scrub my body until all the dirt from cutting trees is gone. After that, they lead me into another room and sit me on a table, still nude.
"Oliver will see you soon," one of the Capitol people says before shutting the door.
So I sit there for a few minutes. My skin is cold but there isn't a speck of dirt on it. The door swings open and a man walks in and examines me. I look over at a robe and fight the urge to grab it.
"You're from 7," he says slowly, looking me over. "Which is lumber, correct?" I nod my head. "Well," he continues. "Then I suppose you should be dressed in something that resembles wood, shouldn't you? I'm not thinking about a ridiculous tree costume. Something much more wow than that."
I walk onto my chariot alongside Mike, who matches my costume. The Panem anthem starts and the chariot we're on starts to roll forward. I breath heavily. For some reason, I actually care what the crowd will care about me. Oliver told me a bit about the Games. He told me about sponsors and how they'd give tributes things if they were impressed by them. So if I made an impression, I'd get stuff that would help me stay alive.
Our chariot enters the stadium and the Capitol citizens cheer at us. I look up at the screens and see that I'm not fabulous, but not hideous. All of my skin is painted brown to look like wood, except for my face. The wood fades out to my normal face. I'm naked other than the paint covering me. Mike looks the same way. Luckily, there's just enough paint to cover the private parts, but I still feel uncomfortable and have the urge to cover my body. I look down at the axe that has been given to me. I think it is to resemble District 7's Lumber, but now that I look at it I see that instead of wood shavings at the end of it, there's blood. It makes me want to hurl. Obviously, they're preparing us for what to expect in the arena.
The chariots reach a stop and President Hutson smiles down at us.
"Happy Hunger Games!" he says. "May the odds be ever in your favor!"
How are the Hunger Games happy? And what the heck does "may the odds be ever in your favor" even mean? I look over at Mike and he shrugs, not knowing what Hutson is saying either. Our chariots roll forward and we're greeted by our stylists.
"You looked great out there," Oliver says to us. I smile slightly, though I don't feel great at all. I feel like I should have some sort of clothing on.
"Thanks," I say as I step off my chariot. "What was all that even for?"
"To get the Capitol citizens to notice you," Oliver says. "If they notice you and like you, sponsors might get you stuff in the arena."
Right. It always came down to the sponsors and how important they were.
"What's next?" I ask.
"You get to eat and go to bed," Oliver says, grinning.
"Can I... uh... get dressed first?" Mike asks, sending a wave of relief through me. I didn't want to ask the question. It seemed too awkward.
"Of course," Oliver says.
I breathe a silent sigh of relief as Oliver leads us into a building. I pass by all of the other tributes and get a quick glimpse at them. Some of them are in magnificent costumes, others not so much. We head up to District 7's floor and Oliver shows me to my room. I nod my thanks to him and he closes the door to show Mike his room. I turn on the hot water and step in. The paint washes off, thankfully. I breathe another sigh of relief. I admit it; I was scared that the paint wouldn't come off. My name's already weird; I don't want to look weird too.
The warm water washes over me and soaks my hair. I sit there for at least an hour, just warming myself and letting the water soothe me. I hear a knock on my door and Oliver telling me that it's dinner. I quickly shut off the water and pull on the clothes that have been laid out for me. They're simple - a tank top and shorts - but comfortable.
I head to the dinner table and sit down on a chair. Mike, Oliver, and the Capitol lady are already seated and our eating. In front of me is a bowl of soup, and I immediately start eating it. I haven't eaten all day, so I'm pretty hungry.
After dinner I say goodnight to Mike and Oliver, and I would have to the Capitol lady but she's already left. I head to my bedroom and pull down my bed sheets. I slip on my nightgown and turn off the lights. I crawl into bed and close my eyes. Right before I fall asleep, I think of Beth and if she can sleep.