A shoutout to Muddyboots, jul312, DeadlyHuggles, and kealimepie, plus all the rest of you of course! Tysm for being with me in this story. :) Also, sorry for the slightly late update, Hurricane Harvey means no power and no computer to write this chapter. I started yesterday so.

XX

Evelyn Glint(Skyrah's Stylist) (D1)

When I saw Skyrah, I just about fainted. Literally. She was just...no! What could I do to make her look pretty? I was assigned to One because I had been here a long time, and I was glad for that. It was so easy to make those blonde-haired, sparkling-eyed girls look like goddesses. But Skyrah? Maybe...I had an idea. She might pull off the empress look well. If not...well, I'd think of something.

Mark was better. At least he had the handsome kind of look to him. Dark blue eyes, messed up brown hair...the charm look would go great on him. Obviously I would do a suit, but it had to be ...fantastic. Not just black and white. What color would stand out... Oh! Yes! Pink! Pink would be perfect on him, and maybe I could add some kind of hat to him too.

I asked for Colic's opinion and he agreed.

Echo Morose(Felix's Stylist) (D2)

Ugh, why did people underestimate me just because of my last name?! I got District Two again. I didn't want to get the heartless Districts, I wanted the ones who actually had some common sense in them. Sure, I had been working here for a long time, but at least they could've heard me out and given me something less typical. Two was so easy to do and I wanted a challenge, but the best I had ever gotten was Five.

I wish I were new.. I thought grumpily. Then I could do something more interesting. Now I'm too "experienced".

Me and my fellow Two stylist, Tina, watched the Reapings through thoughtful eyes. Persefone looked really well trained, maybe we could do some kind of camouflage suit or soldier costume. Yes, that would work..maybe we could even combine both. And as for Felix..we could do the same thing. Except- he wouldn't look good with a camouflage suit, so I made sure not to include that.

Just what I thought. Another easy year. Why couldn't I receive a pr- er- a demotion?

Celeste Turner(Tyler's Stylist) (D3)

I focused mainly on Tyler because he was the tribute I was in charge of, even though Neon said that I had to be fair on both. I was so excited to be back, designing clothes instead of running my insanely boring shop. Being stylist was so much fun- and you got paid!

Tyler was so easy to make up an outfit for. He would look great in a jumpsuit- despite Neon's groaning that he wouldn't- and I could put a star on the front to make him be noticed. This job was so important! I thought ecstatically. I had to make good first impressions!

Meanwhile, Calamity could have, eh, a jumpsuit maybe? Silver might look good on her, and then I could attach some wires across the front. That would do.

Dexter Bronzo(Algar's Stylist) (D4)

When I first saw Algar on TV, I was astonished. So he was rescued by the Capitol? Wow, I sincerely wished him luck in the actual Games. Azurine, meanwhile, was interesting to do. I decided upon a dress for her, one that would flow like ocean waves if I got all the measurements correct. Perfect for the District of fishing.

Then back to the topic of Algar.. I wanted to make him look really popping out. Four had to stand out so that everyone would root for them and sponsor them, and I would make sure of that. How to do that...why, jewels of course! Tons and tons of jewels, jewels in every shade of blue and covering him from head to toe. It would scream District Four and I would make sure it shimmered also, to give it a glamour equivalent to One.

He also needed a headpiece, so I decided upon something like a crown...made of coral to highlight Four. I was so happy with the way my tributes would turn out, and so was my fellow stylist for Azurine, Jala.

Millie Kaff(Mica's Stylist) (D5)

I must've been the smartest stylist out there- I mean, seriously, all the others were so stupid! They thought so positively and optimistically I yearned for them to speak just one negative thought, and they seemed to be just about air-headed. Well, at least I wasn't. I could actually think straight, unlike most of them, and that was going to make my costume the best.

It was hard to watch the Reapings because every time my eyes laid on the dreary landscape, I felt coldly disrespectful. They were so...terrible, compared to us. Why didn't they just take a bath! It looked like they hadn't taken one in over a year.

The girl who stepped up, my partner Jordan Fray, noted, was...unusual. She had red hair, like it was dyed. Where'd she get the hair dye? But I also felt some respect toward her that at least she looked a bit more decent than the rest of them.

And as for the parade outfit...I had to make her look stunning. Gorgeous. Something to make her stand out from all the rest. I thought and thought and then we decided on a black dress, floorlength, with glowing patches to resemble a building with its lights on. The shoes would be glowing heels and I couldn't resist adding a giant light bulb for a hat. This would light her perfectly! I thought.

Then there was Mica. Mica was a skinny boy, I noted, my mouth pulling down at the corners with barely veiled disapproval. He had a brilliant smile, adorably big eyes, and an upturned nose. Hmm, what could I do for him? I wondered. Definitely a suit, but it needed some light, something to make everyone go wow. Maybe..maybe flashing lights? They could be different colors, to make it really pop. I was so excited to begin making the suit that I didn't even consult Jordan first.

Ashen Robinson(Cameron's Stylist) (D6)

Bleh. I hated this job. Why was I a stylist? This job stunk. I hated being with clothes and doing all that, so mainly I just pushed all the work onto my partner, a sweet girl willing to do anything I wanted because she was just too nice. Her name was Samantha.

I barely paid attention to the Reapings because I knew Samantha would have it all taken care of, but that was when she turned to me, and gone was her smile. She said in a hard, steely tone, "What do you think we should do with Cameron?"

I blinked at her, confused. Who the heck was Cameron? "Um..," I said nervously, plucking at the sofa. "Who's that?"

She stared at me for a long moment, eyes blazing. Then she slapped me in the face.

"Hey!" I shouted, glaring at her. "What was that for?"

"You know," she hissed, seething like a dragon. "Don't shove onto me all the work and do it yourself." With that, she turned away and stomped out of the room in a flurry of pink satin. I stared after her, breathing heavily.

What was I going to do now? I couldn't make clothes. There was no way. I had always relied on my smile to make things good again. How had Samantha changed? Did somebody tell her? Ughhhhh. "Holy crap," I muttered to myself, pushing a hand through my dark hair. "Crap, crap, crap, crap."

God help me... I thought miserably. What was I going to do?!

Bea Blanc (Spruce's Stylist) (D7)

Yay! The tree District again! I was so glad to be doing this again because I always had the best ideas for Seven, I was sure I would do great this year too. I would make amazing trees this year, better than last. I didn't understand why everyone always hated on my tree costumes; they were simply gorgeous! Made from the purest of woods, if that was a thing, and fitting perfectly around my tributes!

Spruce looked very nice and I was so excited to get to work on him. His hair would fit perfectly with his costume, and his eyes were a sharp contrast, in a good way. He did look a bit...I don't know...tired? but I was sure I could fix that up. What couldn't my prep team do?

Since I was his stylist, I focused mainly on him. I made him have a suit this time, because everyone was always so negative about my trees, and more than enough tributes had complained how difficult it was to move around in them. It would be in the color brown, of course. Then, to make it a bit more highlighting nature, I added strings of leaves to go around his head and arms, draping about him magnificently.

I spent so much time on his outfit that before I knew it, it was midnight and I was yawning. I looked over at my partner, Corbin, who's brow was furrowed with concentration. He glanced up at me and forced a tired smile. "What've you got, B?"

I showed him my design excitedly and he gave all the right remarks, showing his in turn. I hadn't paid much attention to the girl, Alison or Alma or whatever her name was, but I knew instantly that his costume would go great. It included a bunch of bark-shape tattoos on the arms and legs, and there were tons of branches spun together into one dress. How he would do that, I didn't know, but I was sure he could pull it off nicely.

I was so eager to get started and meeting my tribute. Everything would be perfect!

Jonas Floreti (Lace's Stylist) (D8)

The moment I saw Lace, I knew she was going to be amazing. I just loved her spirit. My pen slid across my notepad fluidly, sketching down ideas and figures. I would do a deep sapphire dress, darkly colored to match her black hair. She would have coils of gems around her wrists and ankles, basically bathed in jewelry. As for her head...I drew a picture of a braided crown, not even caring that it had nothing to do with Eight. I would worry about that later.

Then I saw Leah, my partner's, picture and relaxed. She was drawing a magnificent blue suit to go with my dress, and her eyes darted to refer to my picture every minute or so. A couple green accents gleamed on the suit, so that it almost looked like we were designing costumes for Four, not Eight.

"Hey, Leah..," I began, wanting to point this out so that we could revise it, but she ignored me, her attention blazing on Rowan. I shrugged, pushing the thought away, and continued sketching my dreams.

When we were done...I was a bit concerned, to say the least. We had both done a great job, but the president would surely dislike how it had nothing to do with Eight's profession. My shoulders slumped, along with my heart, as I looked with yearning at the dress, wanting it to come true but knowing it was impossible.

"Leah," I started again, heart pounding rapidly against my chest.

She looked at me, eyelashes fluttering, blue hair waving around her shoulders. "Yes?" She folded her hands delicately, as if daring me to speak.

"Well, I...you see, these costumes, they won't be allowed."

"Says who?" she tipped her head, a look of childish curiosity on her face.

"Says the Capitol," I mumbled. "Says the president."

"Oh." She cast her gaze down, blinking rapidly the whole time as if she could not comprehend this. "Oh," she said again, dumbly.

"Yes, it's true," I took one of her hands and squeezed it, feeling guilty for breaking this to her. I always treated her like a child, because she acted that way, and now was no different.

She ripped her hand away and twisted around, lip twitching. Was she going to cry? I stepped forward, ready to comfort her, but she swept out of the room before I could do anything. I wondered what all that was about.

Vivian Kohl (Zahava's Stylist) (D9)

I watched the Reapings with increasing interest. I was always interested about the Districts, wanting to know more about them because they seemed so foreign compared to us, living rich lives. Well, we weren't really that rich, unlike most people thought. We were richer than the Districts, sure, but we didn't have jewels scattered around our house or anything like that. I had just a normal house, with nothing out of the ordinary, just the necessities. Many were disbelieving, but it was true.

I was positively bursting with ideas about Zahava, but decided on a Peacekeeper uniform. Sure, Nine wasn't about that, it was about wheat, but Two got good ratings on it last year so why not give it a try?

My partner, Edward, was disapproving of my idea. He was a total Capitolite, serving the president in every way possible. I rolled my eyes at his outfit. He intended Cornell to wear only a white loincloth and be sprinkled with gold glitter. It was very to the topic but...not the best costume. Of course, he didn't care. He just wanted the Capitol to like him.

I watched all the Reapings and really liked Lace's. She was so vivacious and fiery...it brought to mind another person, but of course I didn't let it come to the surface. He was dead now and I could not think about him, not now. I tried to be like him every day so that he would always "be with me" for the rest of my life.

I had promised myself that I would never love somebody again, or get too attached to a tribute because then when they died, my heart would go with them. That happened to me with him, and I couldn't risk it again. I had fallen into depression and it had taken a while for me to swim my way back.

Zahava was an interesting name, I thought. Nothing like the Capitol names...it was almost exotic-sounding. I was so eager to meet her, she looked so strong standing up there. But of course, I thought that about every tribute I came across.

I vowed that I would help her to the end, just like I did for all the rest of them. She would not die, and have a loved one receive her dead body. No, no, this year, I was going to help her win..by being out of the ordinary. Everyone would think that she was from Two, and when they found out the truth, I wanted to see the looks on their faces.

Keith Porkona (Dahlia's Stylist) (D10)

I calmly watched the Reapings. Then I calmly thought about outfits. Afterward I calmly sketched my ideas out on paper. Okay, okay, I think you get the idea. I am a very calm person. I rarely ever show feelings in public, only with my family and my children. If I kept up this calm, detached persona around them, they would just crack up, anyways.

The outfit I had chosen was a cowgirl outfit. It would look so adorable, I thought. I would definitely have to try it on my girls when this was all over. The outfit had a pink hat, wide on the outside, and her hair would definitely have to go in two pigtails. I allowed myself a chuckle, my heart reaching out to her because she reminded me of Felicity and Lynn.

I glanced at the chattering Dove Elvkin, who was showing me her outfit with great enthusiasm. The boy, Murray, would have painted black-and-white skin, like a cow's, with even a tail. There would be a cow mask, of course, plus one of those weird costume things in the shape of a cow, looking very hot indeed. Poor Murray. He would get roasted alive.

My thoughts strayed back again to Felicity and Lynn, because Dahlia was just so much like them. I smiled to myself and Dove shot me a quizzical glance. Ah, yes. She was used to my blank emotions by now. No wonder she was surprised.

They weren't my daughters, I told myself shortly. Nobody could replace my darlings.

Semele Dawns (Elizabeth's Stylist) (D11)

Hmm..what could I do for Elizabeth? I tapped my ballpoint pin against my chin, thinking hard. Maybe I could do a dress of some sort? Or maybe even a blouse, inspired off of her Reaping outfit? I was new and inexperienced, and unexpectedly, this put on me a bout of stress that I did not like.

I thought about my training. I had been wanting this since I was little...Think, Semele, think! What could I do for her? I looked back at the paused TV and saw the clear picture of her standing at the stage. Her skin was super pale, and her face was covered in freckles. Her hair was long and slightly wavy, in the color light blonde. She looked really sweet and shy, kind of sweeping her gaze awkwardly to the crowd. She was very tall, I noticed as I saw her beside her partner. He was a smidgen shorter than her.

I decided on a dress and a cute hairpiece for her, to highlight the shyness of her eyes, though it was more like closed and guarded. She would just have simple black flats, not those fancy things other stylists insisted on, with knee-high white socks. She almost looked like a schoolgirl in my drawing, I observed. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

I added a couple more things that I thought would give it a great touch, then decided it done. My more experienced partner, Crow, looked up at me in surprise.

"Already done?" he asked. I nodded, beaming proudly.

"Nice job," he said slightly, but the praise didn't go to his eyes. A certain degree of jealousy was in there instead, and my smile grew wider. He was more experienced than me and was jealous! Good job, me! Then I felt a twinge of pity and my thoughts abruptly shut up. I wondered where they had gone.

Wofford Clixi (Alice's Stylist) (D12)

Everybody always said that I had a weird name, and the president didn't really like me besides. Was it because of my charm? I thought smugly. But nevertheless, I was always placed to do Twelve, even though I'd been a stylist for seven years and should've been moved to at least Ten by now. I didn't mind, though. That meant I got all the cute girls. Their exhaustion, determined spark, or outright crying made them attractive.

I was so excited when I saw the girl I was assigned to do. She was absolutely beautiful! An angel, I thought admiringly. I had to do something to make these traits stand out. Maybe I could do a dress, yes, a dress would work. And it would be silver and white, angel colors.

I even made some wings, before I realized that I was doing Twelve, and not One. Grudgingly, I began accenting the outfit with coal-black, dusting it over with some powder I would get...somewhere. That didn't matter just yet.

I looked at Eva, my partner, for ideas because mine seriously stunk, then quickly glanced back. She was doing a black muscle shirt, combat boots, and cargo pants for Jackson. Alice's innocence would be just about ruined by that costume.

I took away the black and decided to just make a purplish-black dress that went down to her thighs. She would have a dark headband in her blonde hair, pretty shoes, and socks with lace trim. I hoped she didn't look like a devil in the outfit, but I had to admit that would make her kind of cute too.

I was so rooting for Alice. Such a pretty girl deserved to win, I thought with a huff as I watched the other Reapings. I would give her all the luck she needed. Maybe I could even sponsor.

9/1/17