Alright I'm back with another chapter :D
Sorry, I didn't update last week because I went away somewhere! But now that I have...well you can read it now
Enjoy!
"GOODNESS! Does your hair always look like a dead badger?!"
I resist the urge of slapping them for such a comment. I try not to shout angry curses at the stylists as they surround me and observe my features. I hate it the way they act towards me-as if I am more inferior to them. And it makes me irritated.
Drew, a stylist with lots of pink makeup, places her hands on her hips and tilts her head slightly. She's wearing a glittered outfit and it sparkles as she moves around. She purses her lips and then sticks her finger at me.
"Well, I have no idea what to do with that," she says with that ridiculous accent. "This is absolutely mind-blowing!"
I want to slap her for looking at me as if I was a stray animal on the street. No, a stray animal would have received more privileges than me. But Aphrodite has told me not to get angry at them, which is a pretty hard thing to do. So instead I place a tight smile on my lips.
"I'm sure you can do something, you are the famous stylists after all." I say gritting my teeth at the end. Yes go ahead Piper, shower them with compliments. Make their egos grow larger.
Zethes, a man who wears an unbuttoned shirt showing off his chest and hair that is made into an odd hairstyle, looks at the other stylists. "That is true," then he takes a strand of my hair. "Her hair could use some of my treatments, no?"
I look over to the shelf that he's pointing to, where there are bottles and containers filled with colourful and smelly chemicals that he calls 'treatments'.
Drew wrinkles her nose then shakes her head. "No, don't do anything with the hair yet. We must make her face first."
Make my face?
The stylists mutter some things, and then they push my chair in front of a mirror.
"What are you doing?" I can't help but ask.
"We are following the orders from you stylist and mentor," says Zethes. "But in my opinion we could make your features a little sharper. But all we have to do right now is clean you,"
"And then we dress you up!" says Drew clapping her hands together.
I really do not know how to respond to their grinning faces.
They all grab something and start fiddling around with it. And now they are applying something to my skin. They are scrubbing my face with an equipment of some sort. They are drying it with a towel. They are brushing my hair. They are perfecting my face with all sorts of things.
It's all happening so quickly, they push my chair to one station-then to another. My nails are scrubbed, eyebrows are plucked, and my hair is sprayed with some funny-smelly-thing. As they do this, the stylists mutter on and talk about their own lives-how they got some new outfits, some new shoes, some new nails. I don't understand how they can get nails, but as I observe their working hands, I notice that Drew's are long and painted with some complicated design. It must be a trend.
They're appearances are all very peculiar-there's Drew with her short, curly black hair styled in a bob with pink accessories everywhere. Bangles, bracelets, earrings, necklaces. There are other stylists but I don't catch their names, and they're all dressed up in that ridiculous manner. I wonder if all Titans are like that.
I don't think I like any of them.
Zethes looks in the mirror for a while. He's standing there for a while. Then I realise he is admiring himself. Such arrogant people.
One stylist scolds him and he snaps out of his daze and focuses on my reflection.
"At least we finally have something to work with, all those others-just too boring!"
Boring? And I suppose they find their own looks ravishing, drop-dead-gorgeous, magnificent.
"I found that boy from 1 very handsome though, and then that Perseus Jackson!" says Drew. "They are both very good-looking." Then she looks at me. "I suppose you look alright."
Was that supposed to be a compliment?
"But her features look very exotic-very different, no?"
The others mumble in agreement. Drew shrugs and continues cleaning my nails. "That appearance is very common in 10, the skin and hair, but your eyes are very strange. I don't think I have seen anything like them."
"Where do you get your look from, I must know!" Zethes demands.
I don't really know what to start with. I suppose I have my father's hair colour and complexion. My appearance isn't that rare in the Village, like Drew said. Most have the same, except they have dark eyes. I of course, had to inherit my mother's eyes, but I don't think I look that different from any other village.
That's why Lacy and mother were often alienated at home, because they didn't look like any person in a Village family. Mother was from a different class before she married father, which explains the different complexion and hair. Lacy has the same light skin tone and golden locks like her. She has her own soft blue eyes, such nice beautiful blue eyes. I like them. I wish I had her eyes, but she always complains about how much she wants to have my features. And when I look at myself in the mirror I don't see anything that extraordinary. Brown hair, dark skin tone, big eyes.
Zethes is looking at me, still waiting for an answer.
"I look like my mother, at least that's what people tell me."
"She must be very pretty."
"She was."
And then they've forgotten about me again, and continue talking about that new hairstyle with the purple highlights and curled ends.
I wonder if they'll ever be done. They do everything over and over again as if I have a contagious disease and I must be cleaned thoroughly. They must actually think this, because I have come from a district, after all.
My skin is stinging, from the waxing. What have they done to me?!
"There!" Zethes says clapping his hands together. "You look much better now that we've fixed you!"
"All the hair is off your arms now so it's okay," says Drew. I think their comments are supposed to sound reassuring, but it only makes me want to kill them even more.
I still manage a small smile. "Thank you so much, we never get to be pampered like you all," I attempt to sound sweet and innocent. I'm trying to pretend that I love their work.
It apparently works and wins them over completely.
"Of course you don't! Oh it's alright, now that you have been you finally look a little more normal!" says Drew.
"Yes, you look much better than before!"
It's very hard not to get irritated with them, but I remind myself that it's just their way of being nice.
"Calypso will meet you in a moment and when she's done with you, you'll look gorgeous!" says Zethes. He looks at the others and claps his hands. "Come now!"
Then they all toddle off, and it's a good thing too because I would have exploded.
They've left me in a white robe, my hair is tied up high and I'm wearing no shoes as I stand in the centre of a room. There is a mirror nearby and I see myself, all cleaned and fresh. I also distinctively see my mother's eyes.
My mother.
I had asked Aphrodite if they could send my mother's dress back home and she said she would try to. I didn't want the people to take it-it might be a dress to them but to me it's a piece of home. I would have wanted to keep that piece as I moved on, but I can't. It's a dress after all. And since I can't hold onto it, it reminds me that I don't have anyone to go to I get hurt; I have to fend for myself.
The stylist will dress me up in a way that represents my District.
I wonder what they'll put me in; the past years they only had the tributes dress in patched clothing with different material on it, to represent Textiles and the use of different fabrics. It looks alright I suppose. Very colourful. But compared to the others it's nothing.
So I assume this person will dress me into something similar. I don't really care for my looks that much, but I know I don't want to be televised created into some crazy colourful outfit. The audience don't care for such, and I think all the designers have a tough time thinking through what we should wear.
I wonder what the others will be put in. District 1, something related to power. District 3-the sea. District 4-plants and nature. So on.
I continue staring at a blank wall, waiting for my stylist to arrive. I might be lucky enough to have someone who is sane-or will put me out naked, because looking at the situation from here it seems like the better option. I definitely do not want to be put out in a ridiculous outfit with sparkles and such. No, they won't be me out naked. District 10 is all about clothing; it wouldn't make sense if I wasn't dressed.
I hear the doors click open and I turn around.
A lady enters the room and gives me a smile. She steps forward and I am amazed at how natural she looks compared to the others.
"Hello Piper, I am your stylist. My name is Calypso."
She was beautiful, with caramel hair falling over one shoulder and a fresh glowing face that was free of makeup. She wore a simple sleeveless white top and black tights. She looks a little older than myself, probably seventeen or eighteen.
Her smile was kind and genuine. Overall she looked and seemed different from any other Titan I had met.
"Hello." I say. I force a smile to my lips. It's hard to act polite when you're going to be put on display for the whole nation to see.
Calypso then observes me, my facial features, my figure, hair, overall complexion. When she's done, she nods then leads me to another part of the room to have a seat.
"So, how are you?" Funny, a lot of people ask me that now these days.
"Alright, I suppose."
"That's good." She says nodding. "Are you excited for the parade?"
"Uh, I guess." I manage.
"Mmm..." Calypso hums as if in thought. "Yes, I think we'll have fun today."
Fun? What was fun about dressing people up for their death that was to come? Maybe she just means it will be better than I might think, but I wouldn't use the term 'fun'-especially here.
"Did you choose District 10?" I ask.
"In a way, yes," She says."Well to be more specific I asked for a girl,"
"Why?"
"Oh, you see all my past tributes have been males. It's quite dull working with the same thing over and over again." She pauses for a moment and her gaze seems distant. "I had Percy Jackson when he was in his last games. He's in again, isn't he?" I nod. "Mmm, volunteered for his brother. You volunteered as well, didn't you?"
"Yes I did."
She gives me a warm smile. "So what do you think I'm going to dress you in?"
I shrug. "Something to do with fabrics, I guess." Calypso nods.
"Yes, I have seen those past costumes, but too be honest they were never really satisfying-pretty but not unforgettable. I was planning on taking a different approach this year. Since you are known for your beautiful designs and materials, I am thinking of a dress made out of the finest. Would you like to see?"
I nod and she grins.
In a few minutes I'm whisked away to a studio. The stylists put subtle amount of makeup on my face-but not too much, following Calypso's request. They braid my hair to the side in an interesting way. The stylists compliment my hair colour, but Zethes insists that it would look better if dyed blue. They put in me in a long, white dress and put gold armbands around my biceps. A golden necklace is put around my neck and the stylists all clap their hands in delight.
Calypso seems happy with the result and she stands in front of a mirror beside me. "Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful."
I stare at my reflection and I don't recognise the person looking right back at me. I'm glad my face wasn't caked with powder and such. Just small amount of blush and lipstick were put, and it all looks natural. My braided hair falls onto my right shoulder with some flowers placed on my head. I'm also wearing golden sandals that fit perfectly. What really stuns me is the dress. I touch the fabric and it's soft and beautiful. It has a low v-neck which I don't feel comfortable wearing, but I have to remember to try and agree with everything. Too be honest, it's hard not to love this amazing dress. The material used must have been expensive and she really has out done herself...but-
"It doesn't really say much about my district." I say. Calypso shrugs.
"Maybe not-but it does say a lot about you and that's really what we look for. Everyone knows what district 10 is about, but what interests them most is your personality. Who you really are. I tried my best to capture your true appearance-or what I saw in you so far. Simple, but memorable."
I can't help smiling at her lovely compliment. But then I remember what we're really doing. We're just trying to collect supporters who will be watching are brutal deaths as entertainment. The smile on my lips vanishes. Calypso frowns; maybe she thought something was wrong. I wanted to tell her what I was thinking, but she wouldn't understand. She may be kind, but she's a Titan. She's just the same as the others.
"What's wrong?" she asks.
"I'm just...a bit nervous that's all." I say. She pats my back reassuringly.
"You'll be fine! You're going to have a lot of fun out there."
There's that word again, fun.
But I think Calypso is really just trying to help me so I thank her for her brilliant work.
Aphrodite loves the dress as well; I suspect she was behind the design along with Calypso. She keeps telling me that I'll be fine, and that I'll win them over for sure.
"Just don't doubt yourself," she says. Then she starts praising Calypso on how excellent she is. Calypso tells us not to get excited yet; she wants to see the reaction of the crowd.
"I'll only be happy when I know that we've made a scene!" She says clapping her hands. "The ceremony will start in a moment, so we'll have to hurry down."
We're lead down to a large area full of chariots and horses. Everyone is already getting ready and being helped up onto the chariots. There are so many stunning costumes that I'm afraid that I'll be just like all the other past tributes of 10-forgotten. But I can't doubt myself, so I try to think about the beautiful dress I'm wearing. We're all ready for the parade.
We'll be greeted by the crowd and will be ridden into a large camp that will be our home until the games. We'll train there, sleep there, eat there-but we cannot escape. It will also act as a prison.
We're waiting for our chariot to arrive. Aphrodite starts talking to another mentor and I'm left standing next to other tributes.
It suddenly feels cold, and I wish Calypso made a coat to go with the dress or something. I rub my arms to keep warm in the sleeveless gown. I wish they would hurry up and put us in the chariots already.
"Are you cold?" I turn my head and see a boy. He has pointy ears and curly brown hair. His mouth is twisted into a mischievous smile.
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." I say. I look the other way. The boy laughs.
"I think you are,"
"Why? Because you are?"
He snorts. "Please! Look at what I'm wearing." He wears a black suit that covers him from the neck to his legs. He has a long cape attached to him. "I'm feeling so hot right now...maybe because I am."
I scoff at his comment and try to turn away once again. Where is Aphrodite? She seemed to have just disappeared. I try and look for her face in the crowd of stylists and mentors.
"Are you trying to ignore me?" he says. I reluctantly look back at him.
Yes. "No."
"You are. Why?"
"Because."
"Because what?"
Because I don't need to make friends. We're all going to die in a few days anyways. I want say.
"Because...this isn't a place to make friends."
"True," The boy says. "But, who said I was going to be friends with you?"
I've just about had it with him.
"I'm joking, I'm joking," he offers his hand. "My name is Leo Valdez, the one and only."
"That's nice to know."
"Aren't you going to tell me your name?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to."
"It's alright, I already know your name: Pippy."
"It's Piper." I say.
"What?" Leo shouts, because the first tribute is already being sent out and you can hear the crowd roar.
"My name is Piper!" I say loudly.
"I can't hear you!" he shouts back.
"I said it's Piper! My name is Piper!"
"Piper? Oh yeah I know." He says grinning.
"Then why did you call my Pippy?"
"Just to annoy you." He says casually.
You did a good job.
I suddenly realise that he actually has remembered me. I don't know if there is a reason to why but I understand that I should have paid attention to the names of the other tributes. But I didn't think it would have mattered because we weren't befriending anyone.
Which is why I do not have any intention on talking any further with Leo.
Aphrodite finally comes back. She beams at me and dusts me off. "Just smile, you'll be alright."
"You're going out soon." Calypso says.
I hop into my white chariot with the number 10 written. Leo is in front of me in his own carriage. That's right; he was the boy from District 9.
The tribute from district 7 is sent out and my palms have started to sweat. What if they don't love me? I will never get any sponsors then.
The crowd goes wild for the girl from district 8, and I see Leo preparing for his own entrance. His stylist has a torch in his hand. I look at Leo in question.
"What are you doing?"
He grins at me. "Well I'm from District 9, and District 9 is known for-
"Forges," I answer.
"Right and in the forges we burn things, and what do we burn things with?" Leo asks. His cape suddenly lights up and his outfit is engulfed into flames. He smirks at my reaction. "Fire."
Then he's taken out and I can hear everybody cheering for the 'Flaming Leo', and all of a sudden my plain and pretty little dress seems dumb.
"Alright you're next." Aphrodite says. I smooth out my dress and Calypso pats my head gently.
"Everyone is going to love you." She says.
I swallow hard as I watch Leo's chariot ride off.
The announcer's voice booms "From District 10, Piper Mclean!"
I see all the people in the crowds, shouting and cheering. Just smile and keep your head high, I remind myself. I look back and Aphrodite gives me a thumbs up.
I try to ignore the nauseous feeling in my stomach. I don't like attention. Never did. And now I'm out here...
It's going to be alright. I can do this.
I can see myself on a big screen overhead. The crowd roars and they're calling out my name "Piper! Piper! Piper!"
What now?
Just relax. You won't die...at least not yet.
I take a deep breath in and try and give the best smile I can give.
I don't really know what to do at first, so I just wave at them just like the others did. They continue calling out my name. It's funny to think that they know me, even when I don't know them.
Right now, I can only see millions of faces all encouraging me to try to enjoy this moment. So I'll try to while it lasts.
I'm grinning at all of them. I even blow a few kisses to some.
It's actually not hard to have fun when everyone is shouting out to you and clapping. Everyone is awestruck at my dress. Calypso must be proud that her outfit did make an effect. I feel so grateful to her right now, she has succeeded.
It's all so exciting, the crowd screaming that they love me, that they want to look like me. These shouts bring some negative thoughts, but I block it out. I need to let loose, just for now.
My hand is starting to get tired, though, from all the waving.
The parade is coming to an end. I give one last kiss and wave to the audience then the horses lead me through the gates of the camp.
"That was exhausting," I say as I jump out of the chariot. Leo heads towards me grinning, while is cape is still alight.
"What did you think of it?" he says.
"It was...fun." I say. It's the only word that comes into my mind. Calypso said I would. And I did, except it doesn't feel right-shouldn't I fear for the worst to come, right now?
"Hey what's the matter?" Leo asks. I shake out of my thoughts.
"Nothing, it's just that...my face hurts from smiling so much." He laughs at this.
"You're funny, I like you." He says. The flames were really distracting me now. I'm a little scared that he might burn into ashes at any moment or maybe that I would get burnt as well. Thankfully, Leo's stylists extinguish his fiery outfit.
"Your costume was amazing." I say. I might as well compliment him.
"Thanks, oh and you too."
"Piper that was amazing!" Calypso says giving me, which I return it a little awkwardly. "I told you! Everyone went wild over you!"
"They went crazy over your dress,"
"Maybe it added a little bit to the effect, but the rest was all you!"
"Thank you Calypso," I say. "Your effort really means a lot to me." She grins.
"You're welcome dear. I cannot wait to start working on your interview dress!"
Oh no.
I forgot, we have to do interviews. They'll be asking us questions and about our life...
But that won't be happening right now, so I'll worry about it later.
"You were great." Aphrodite smiles at me and leads me towards the camp. "Now let's talk about your fighting skills for training."
I'll just focus on the problems that I'm going to face right now.
Well that was certainly longer than the other chapter ;)
Anyways, there isn't much action coming out right now, but don't worry-in the later chapters there will be heaps!
You'll just have to wait
MWAHAHA
-Di Blythe :D