Chapter Four
A/N: Just wanted to say thanks to my amazing reviewers, ShiverInTheLight, ToriDhampir, Iloveloki, Emma and my special friends, headinclouds123 and MrsCMellark. Keep reviewing, guys!
Tonight was the night. The stylists and prep teams had been working flat out to prepare the tributes for their presentation to Panem, the Capitol and most importantly, the Hunger Games itself. The crowd had amassed to thousands upon thousands of citizens, each waving their district's flag. Upon first sight, Abby couldn't see anyone with a flag to represent District 12, but she wasn't remotely surprised. Not even the Victors had enough money to leave the district. If they had, they would've taken their children and ran to the Capitol. But they couldn't.
Twelve chariots were lined up, each with different horses being prepared to pull them. Each pair of tributes were dressed entirely different, in keeping with the tradition of costumes reflecting their district's purpose.
At last, the trumpets rang out and the gate was lifted, revealing the screaming crowds. They all mounted their chariots and prepared to leave.
As usual, District One went first. Abby was listening very carefully to the commentators, who were revealing the names of the tributes and their parents. The first districts tributes names were Coda Jackson and Sapphire Heartcore. Coda was the son of Princa, the Victor of the 64th Hunger Games, while Sapphire was the daughter of lengendary Victor, Oliver Heartcore, who won his nickname 'Oliver Heartless', due to his ability to kill without a moments hesitation. Something within Abby hoped that he hadn't passed on that skill to his daughter. They were actually dressed very finely, reflecting their luxury status, in navy blue. Coda's shirt tied in with Sapphire's dress, which was almost hidden beneath her hair with it's namesake streak of blue and navy fur shawl. They were wearing large plumed headresses and in Abby's opinion, they looked like a pair of ridiculously overdressed peacocks.
District Two were next. Their names were William Oldmanne and Ebony Richardon, the children of Charles Oldmanne and Nathan Richardon, two of the fiercest contestants in the Hunger Games. Between them, they had killed thirty-eight tributes, including tributes from their own district. The pair didn't really look that fierce, but then again neither had their fathers before them. They were dressed in stone grey, their skin coated in white powder that looked like brickwork dust. No-one could dispute that they came from District Two. With the hardhats on their head, they were definately dressed as masonry workers.
When it got to District Three, Abby was beginning to lose interest, just managing to catch that the tributes' names were Pascal and Ada Olana, the two children of Jamie Olana, the Victor of the 59th Hunger Games. They were dangerous while working as a team, but Abby could tell that their father would have drilled into them that it was a fight to the death and that their own blood should not stand in their path to victory. Their outfits were matching shining silver long playsuits, representing their District's link to technology and reflecting the moonlight and lanterns, making the pair look almost serene, had the reason for their costumes not been what it was.
The next District caught Abby's attention. She didn't recognise Charlotte Nott's daughter, Mina Luigi, for any particular reason, but the male tribute was someone she knew very well. His name was Harrian Odair, the son of Finnick Odair, her parents' friend and fellow tribute, and his wife, Annie Cresta, who still remained as one of Katniss' best friends to that very day. He was smiling beautifully, waving at all parts of the stadium and displaying the crowd-pleasing tactics that his father had used before him. He definately looked crowd-pleasing, dressed in a glittering fisherman's attire, Mina matching him, and sporting one of the best tribute costumes that District Four had ever produced.
When Abby's shock and sadness had worn off, she saw that District Five's tributes, Lux Nithin and Alumina James, had entered the arena. They were the children of Nina Nithin and Lily James, two Victors who everyone knew had won by pure luck that the others either starved or wiped each other out. They didn't really pose much of a threat, but they certainly looked good, dressed in shirts and dresses with lights flashing from them, symbolizing District Five's employment in Power.
District Six were the weakest looking Tributes so far, the difference between the almost luxurious District One and the poverty-stricken District Twelve becoming more pronounced as every chariot went by. The tribute's names were something like Nissan Mica and Narina Larma, Abby wasn't listening properly again, her eyes still pretty much focused on Harry two chariots ahead. They were dressed in some kind of brown, with streaks of age-worn brass across their chests and stomachs. Abby supposed that they would represent the railway network, but they were nothing really special.
District Seven brought Abby quite a shock. The male Tribute, Ainsley Charleston Jr, was a tall boy with almost rippling muscles. He was the namesake son of Ainsley Charleston Sr, his resemblance could tell anyone that much and his father was a deadly rival in his games. The 68th Hunger Games actually ended in two days, and eighteen of the Tributes were killed by his hand. The others died running from him. He would definately be a fierce rival. But the girl was the real shock. She couldn't have been more than bicep height to the man, who was six foot in turn, and was so petite that looked as if she could be snapped in half like a stale loaf. But it was her name that offered even more of a shock to Abby. Isabelle Chaneir-Mason, Johanna's daughter. She was even younger than Abby, by eye, and Abby was barely twelve and a half years of age. Her long golden blonde hair was falling in a shimmering waterfall down her back, over the shimmering green leaves of her tribute dress, intercepted only by her leafed headband. She looked stunning, but she definately did not look like a survivor.
District Eight passed right by Abby and she didn't even hear their names, because she was so busy staring at the tiny girl from Seven. She saw that the Tributes wore almost patchwork clothes made of hundreds of different types of fabric, which easily drew the eye for a while, but then District Nine emerged and the commentors asked for a round of applause for Tarquin McGane and Rachel Hennessy.
District Nine were slightly better built, due to their industry in grain. Their names were Joshua Sanders and Jennifer Harvey and they were dressed in what looked to be clothes made out of the actual grain sacks. Alex agreed that they were probably for the effect, but Abby felt that it could have a reflection on District Nine's failing economy as well. Nevertheless, they were fairly forgettable, both in costume and personality.
There wasn't much chance of forgetting the Tributes from District Ten. Their names were Adrean Casous and Gazelle Kastor. They were dressed in black and white costumes which bore a startlingly realistic resemblance to cowskin with horned headresses on their heads, stopping at nothing when showing their District's occupation, livestock rearing for the Capitol. They looked almost comical actually and more than a few chuckles came through the screaming crowds.
District Eleven came around next, wearing diamonte-adorned farming clothes to show their Algricultural occupation to the extreme. The man's name was Dairia Asling, and the girl's Costa-Ruanne Chilrana. But it was Costa's family that interested Abby. Her mother's name was Amaryllis Chilrana, the Victor of the 79th Hunger Games, but her aunt was a Tribute as well. Rue Chilrana, both hers and Abby's partial namesake.
Finally, the horses started out and Abby and Alex entered the stadium. The screaming crowds fell silent almost at once. They all knew at once that she was Katniss Everdeen's daughter, because her hair had been changed. Her stylist, Chanci, had asked her if her hair was naturally blonde and she had answered no, which was true enough, as it had been dyed that colour to lessen the risk of her being identified, and he had decided to dye it back for her. Now that he had, she was almost identical to her mother, and no-one forgot the face of Katniss Everdeen. But it wasn't only her face that they gasped at. Both she and Alex were dressed in bright red, deep amber and stunning yellow, the layers of her dress and his shirt overlapping and twisting to create the effect of a flickering flame in the wind. Suddenly, a flash of movement across the crowds caught Abby's attention.
A woman in the crowd had raised three fingers to her lips, then raised them into the air. The men either side did the same, and the same from the people beside them. The gesture was spreading like wildfire and turning to the officials, Abby could see it was angering them immensely. The entire crowd was standing in absolute silence, the gesture mirrored in every direction. The pair were now riding into the square, where the obligitory speech on the importance of the Hunger Games was made. It was fairly different to the one that her parents had been given, as it mainly detailed the Rebellion of the 74th Hunger Games, her mother and father's Games and how this Quarter Quell was to show the rebels amongst them that rebellion comes with a price. Abby pitied her mum at this point, who would be sitting at home with her dad, watching as President Paylor gave Primrose Everdeen as the example of what can happen if you disobey the Capitol. She wondered if Katniss would be proud of her right now, as she watched the gesture in the crowds that she had provoked?
Abby didn't get the chance to think more as the horses were led inside and doors shut, as Haymitch and Effie led the two away, ready for the training the next day.
The Hunger Games had officially begun.
A/N: I'M SORRY! Please don't kill me for taking so long, just review so that I know it was worth it!