When I leave my room and re-enter the large living space I see most of the others have left. Sitting by the window is the boy from Six and Athena sits by a television, watching a host, Kosmos, talking. She sees me enter and smiles weakly at me. I cross the room and sit next to her.
"Where is everyone?" I ask her.
"Most already started transformations. A few were taken a few minutes ago. We'll probably be here for a few more minutes." She tells me.
I look to the television where a clip is being voiced over by Kosmos.
"Tonight," He begins, "We will be broadcasting the official funerals of the fallen tributes taking place tonight in Districts One, Two and Three." I turn quickly to Athena, I'd forgotten that we had supposedly died to the rest of the world. We had funerals. Athena bites her lip, and I see her blink away tears.
"They shipped over other bodies, people who were similar height and weight and could be disguised in our caskets. They'll be burying other people in our name. Nobodies from the Capitol morgues." She explains.
"They were someone to somebody." I say, turning back to the television that now shows the stories of the tributes they'll bury tonight.
"Beginning with Cassius, from District One. He was voted most likely to win the games with 32% of the Capitol vote, followed closely by Willow, from District Twelve with 31%. At the opening ceremonies he charmed us all with his looks and confidence, showing no signs of weakness. Then we couldn't ignore his training score of a ten. But I think we can all agree when I say we really loved his relationship with Willow of Twelve. Such a tragic end to a beautiful story of second chances." He pauses as the image of Cassius fades to one of Athena,
"On the topic of tragedy, we have Athena, who suffered from extreme hypothermia while battling the cold of the arena. Her spirit warmed out hearts and her passion led to her end. After Cassius and Willow abandoned her with a dying Daria, she felt a new rage toward the duo. She managed to track down a lost Cassius in search of Willow, who'd left him during the night. Athena and Cassius fought below a spying Willow and eventually Athena met her end." Once again the screen shows a new set of faces, his time Bronte and Knox together.
"Both Bronte and Knox were forces to be reckoned with in the arena, however we never truly got to see their strength as they were taken out during the bloodbath by the remaining Careers and Willow." An image of Cella from Three takes their place.
Kosmos continues recounting her story, but midway through the elevator doors open with a ding and a man in a white uniform steps out.
"You three, your turn." He says and beckons us over with a finger. Athena shuts off the television and we both stand, joining Darrow from Six and the man in white. We step into the elevator and he closes it behind us.
"You've all been assigned a stylist and you'll undergo your transformation. All changes are permanent and for your safety as well as the safety of other rescues." He says as the elevator begins to move downwards.
"Why did you decide to help us?" Darrow asks the man. He looks at the twelve year old and smirks.
"Because I was rescued two years ago. With three others." He says, we all fall silent.
"You were in the games?" Athena asks. The man nods.
"Yohan Drew from Seven. I was one of the lucky ones and was one of the four rescued. That was the first year of the salvage program and I was assigned a job as a cook in the Capitol. Been living here ever since." He tells us.
"I didn't even recognize you." Darrow says. Yohan laughs.
"Thats the point kid." Athena laughs as well and we fall silent. I can't help wonder what I'll look like after, I've hardly ever worn makeup, let alone change my entire appearance. And then I'll be relocated somewhere in the Capitol, forced to live among people who watched me fight for my life for their own entertainment.
The doors of the elevator open and Yohan steps out.
"Last three!" He calls out as we step out of the elevator one at a time. As soon as I step out someone grabs my arm and pulls me away. I grab the hand and twist it back out of reflex from the arena. The woman yelps in shock and releases me. I look up and see someone I should have expected.
Priscilla is standing right in front of me, her hair now a somewhat natural looking blonde, a great improvement from the neon green I'd seen prior to the games.
"Oh, Willow." She begins as she approves me again. This time I let her touch me and she pulls me in for a hug.
"I'm so sorry." She whispers. I know to everyone else it will seem like she's sorry for my dying and Ryes unawareness in this whole situation. But I know there's so much more. I know Priscilla is begging for forgiveness in saying Ryes name when in reality he was never drawn at the reaping. All for a better show. And that's the the Capitol got indeed.
I turn back and see both Athena and Darrow being dragged away by other stylists. Some seem to be from the Capitol like Priscilla, whereas others are obviously rebels who've come to support the rehabilitation of tributes such as myself.
Priscilla begins walking me down the dimly lit cement halls, her shoes clicking rhythmically as she steps.
"How did you find out?" I ask her quietly.
"I'm smarter than I look." She tells me. "I act like a ditz for the cameras, for the public, in reality I'm like a lot of others, fighting in silence." She says. I furrow my eyebrows at her.
"What do you mean, fighting in silence?" I ask her. She shakes her head.
"You'll see tomorrow. Just try and enjoy today, it's your last free day before assignments." She explains. This confuses me more. Priscilla looks over at me and must see the confusion on my face.
"Oh dear, I forgot you've only just woken up. Just trust me and enjoy today." She tells me. She suddenly halts before a gray curtain that covers the entrance to a room. She slips a hand between the wall and the curtain and pulls it aside, gesturing for me to enter.
I slip between the wall and curtain to find myself in another concrete room with harsh white lighting, somewhat similar to my prep rooms before the games began. Priscilla walks in behind me and gestures for me to sit up on a table. I take a few steps back and then sit on the table, observing my surroundings.
"How are you doing?" Priscilla asks me. I look blankly at her. This seems to answer her question.
"Right." She says with a curt nod. "Dew will be here shortly." She continues as she sits in a plastic chair near the curtain.
"What exactly are they going to do?" I ask her.
"Remake you entirely. Hair, eyes, nose, the whole nine yards. They've been experimenting with voice changes, but they haven't been confirmed yet. It shouldn't hurt."
"I'm not particularly worried about pain." I state.
"I'm sure." Theres a long pause where neither of us speak.
"Fenalia took my job." Priscilla says. I look up at her as I try to remember who Fenalia is. Then I remember, she was at the reaping with Amethyst. I had forgotten about her, she seemed so normal compared to other Capitolites, forgettable.
"I'm having trouble sympathising with you." I say. Priscilla is about to reply when a loud grumbling interrupts her. I recognise it as my stomach and wrap an arm around my stomach.
"Sorry, I haven't really eaten much since the games started." I tell her.
An expression of horror registers on her face. Her well manicured hand flies to her mouth and I see her eyes begin to gloss over with tears.
"I'm so sorry." She whispers as she shakes her head. She suddenly stands and turns to exit the room,
"Thats why I'm leaving the Capitol." She says as she draws the curtain aside and quickly walks out.
I don't have long to question her words before the curtain is drawn aside once more and I see Dew enter. My breath catches in my throat when her eyes meet mine. I briefly see Cliff's eyes instead of hers and I avert my gaze downward toward the floor.
"I'm not angry." Dew says. I briefly look up at her. She has her back to me as she fumbles with some tubes of liquid on the counter. She withdraws a syringe and needle as three vials of liquid.
"Blue, green, or brown?" She asks me.
"What?" I ask.
"Eye colour. You pick." She explains. I look at the vials and shrug.
"Green I guess." I say. Dew nods and places two of the vils back on the counter. She turns her back on me again as I watch her hands as they load the syringe with the murky liquid.
"Honestly though, I'm not mad. I don't blame you." Dew says while she turns around, syringe in hand. She inspects the fine tip of the needle and takes a few steps toward me. She places a hand under my chin and inclines my head upward. She then moves her hand to one of my eyes and holds the lids open.
"This will probably hurt." She tells me as she brings the needle near my eye.
"Deep breath." She instructs, I oblige. I inhale deeply as she pierces the top layer of my eye with the needle. I stifle a scream of pain and suddenly the pain is gone.
"Other eye." She tells me as she shifts positions to the other side of my body. I bite my lip, bracing for the painful injection. I comes quickly and dissipates just as soon.
"Thats the worst part." Dew tells me as she removes the needle from the syringe and throws both in a trash bin at the end of the table I sit on.
"Now hair." She says as she opens a cupboard on the wall. She steps aside to allow me a view of the contents of the cupboard, however my entire field of view is a blur with a tinge of green.
"Any colour." She says. I shake my head.
"I can't see anything. Everything is spinning" I tell her. She sighs out of realisation.
"You pick." I tell her. I see her nod and select a bottle of which I cannot see the colour.
Dew grabs my hand and helps me into a standing position, her hand is the only thing keeping me upright through the dizziness. She walks me over a few steps and then helps me sit in another chair.
"If you fall asleep let it happen. It'll help with the process." She instructs.
"The injection changes your eye colour as well as sends instructions to the brain that encourage cell growth. It causes minor changes in facial structure. I could explain the science but it would take quite awhile." Her words fade in and out as I feel a dull throb in my nose.
"We might as well have this conversation now, it'll be easiest." Dew says. Even through my sketchy consciousness I know what she means.
"I thought I would never see him again." I say in a near whisper.
"Neither did I. And then you came." She pauses and she places a cold gel on my head.
"I left soon after he was born. I couldn't handle it. I ran away, as far as I could, and that meant the Capitol. I was living as a homeless woman."
"There are homeless people in the Capitol?" I interrupt. Dew chuckles.
"Of course, but they're hidden from the richest areas of the Capitol. Anyways, I eventually made my way through the ranks of the Capitol and found myself as a stylist for the games. They took a chance on me and sent me in as Eleven. The stylist of the Victor gets first pick of the tribute for the next year. Last year I was the girls stylist of Five, Juliette. I got first pick this year."
"And you picked me." I finish for her.
"I picked you." She pauses. "I had my ways to keep in touch. My husband died in the mines but he had someone keep me informed all these years. I knew about you and Cliff. I had a feeling you'd volunteer."
"How?" I ask.
"You took the tesserae and then gave it to others. You were part of the richest family in the entire district and you donated what you could to the poor without your family knowing. I've never heard of anyone ever doing that. Anyone who does that would no doubt volunteer for a weak child who would no doubt die in the games. I knew you'd volunteer, and I wanted to meet you." As she finishes her words I feel myself fading into sleep as the drugs take their toll on my mind.