CHAPTER 2 : PRESENTATIONS

"Please meet your mentor, Levi Ackerman."

The man stared at Faye and Eren. He was judging them, wondering how bad and stupid they could possibly be. Faye felt uncomfortable. He did not seem very happy to be here. He finally introduced himself in a few words. Victorious sixteen years ago, he had won the Games at the age of twelve. Hearing this number, Faye imagined all the tributes he had seen die. While he was talking about the Games, she lost focus. The inside of the wagon was so luxurious, so shiny and so big. Never in her life could she have dreamed of traveling in such a transport.

"Am I bothering you ?" he asked in a cold voice.

"Oh," said Faye realizing that he was directly speaking to her. "Sorry, I was just thinking how everything is still so unrealistic."

"Right ?" answered Hange, excited. "Even if your time here is short, I suggest you to enjoy the opportunity."

Faye turned her head, avoiding the heavy gaze of the man in front of her. She was still having trouble gathering her thoughts. She wondered if these people were trustworthy. She desperately wanted to tell them what had happened. The Games were rigged, there was no longer any doubt. But, Faye was suspicious. What if worse awaited her by revealing everything she knew?

"What about you ?"

The young woman jumped, realizing she had once again absolutely not followed the conversation. Eren and Levi were both waiting for an answer to a question Faye had not listened at all. Her cheek was still hurting. Without controlling it, she lost consciousness for a second and her eyes closed. Eren noticed her weak behavior so he gently touched her shoulder.

"Are you sure everything is alright ? How did you get hurt ?" he asked, pointing to his own cheek. "You didn't have it during the ceremony."

"I fell." Faye lied.

"I see," Eren replied without insisting. "We were talking about our skills. I said I was pretty good at building and climbing."

She had not really thought about it. What were her strengths ? No matter how hard she tried to think, she could not find anything. She had this annoying habit of never complimenting herself.

"It doesn't matter," the boy smiled. "We will have plenty of time to improve. Speaking of which, what will happen now ?"

"You both have two weeks of training," explained Hange in a more serious tone. "There will be different events such as a television show and an exam. Your score will be very important since it will represent you during the Games."

"Your popularity should not be neglected," added Levi. "Sponsors, the people who watch you, can help you once you're in the arena. Some water, some matches or even a bandage can make the difference. You have to make them like you."

"Really ?" replied Faye, surprised. "I mean, we can still kill everyone else even if people don't like us."

"If your opponents are more loved than you, there is a good chance they have an advantage you don't have. Are you worried ?"

Faye felt he had already guessed what type of person she was. Someone who pretended she did not want friends when in reality she just did not know how to make some.

Resting his elbows on the table, he continued coldly :

"And it's the same for allies. Find yourself strong and popular allies who will gain you sponsors."

"What if I don't want allies ?" Faye asked, frowning.

"Then you are already dead."

Levi pushed back his chair to stand up. He asked Hange to show the tributes around. Joyful, the woman clapped her hands and grabbed their arms to lead them towards the bedrooms.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning at the same table," Levi said before disappearing.

In the evening, in her bed, Faye turned on the TV. All the channels only talked about the Games. She was deeply disgusted to hear these presenters and spectators excited to see innocent people die. The tributes were their entertainment, like caged animals condemned for a few smiles. Clicking on the buttons on her remote control, she found a channel reviewing the tributes. They were mainly talking about districts that had already several winners. Some presenters were already talking about their favorites and their bets. They showed video clips of several participants, including a blonde girl with blue eyes who had volunteered with her partner. They looked determined, talented and above all serene. When they started to show fights of last year's arena, Faye turned off the screen.

She woke up the next morning with stomach aches. She had barely slept. The anxiety of the days to come had kept her awake all night. Faye slowly stood up. She was lacking motivation. Entering the bathroom, she cleaned her face before facing the mirror. Her cheek was purple, her bruise was spreading below her eye. She had a bad face, she was ashamed to show herself this way.

The young woman left her room to join the others. About to enter, Faye observed Eren and the mentor through the glass. They were having lunch together while talking. Losing herself again in all the luxury items around her, Faye walked closer without paying attention and the sliding door opened. She jumped, Levi stopped the conversation to look at her. Embarassed, she slowly approached them. Eren greeted her then invited her to sit next to him at the table.

"How did you sleep ?"

"I slept fine," she lied to Eren.

The boy noticed she was not in a talkative mood. Faye did not want to open up. Her eyes were rather lost in the food on the table. She could bet she had never tasted most of what was in front of her. Her stomach could not pretend any longer. Shyly, she began to eat. She had never enjoyed a meal so much. Her district was quite familiar with fruits and vegetables but they were normally not allowed to eat them. Everything was for the Capitol. However, she had already tasted some in secret. One bowl in particular suddenly caught her attention.

"What's that ?" she asked intrigued.

"Honey," Levi replied simply.

An ingredient that Faye never had the opportunity to taste. Honey was a luxurious product, only reserved for the wealthiest people in the country. When she bit into her bread full with honey, her eyes widened.

"How to not die of cold if I can't make a fire ?" Eren continued, adressing his mentor.

"Everything will depend on the arena," Levi explained holding his cup of coffee. "The easiest way would be to find a shelter. If you can't, maybe consider hiding in trees."

"Hiding in trees is not very discreet," indicated Faye, taking part in the conversation.

"I agree," Eren added.

"Describe to me what is above us," Levi suddently asked them.

Eren stopped chewing his food, realizing he actually had no idea.

"You dont necessarily always pay attention to what's around you," the man continued. "In the heat of the moment and with panic, these details will be even harder to see."

"A chandelier," Faye replied barely audibly, "narrow at the top and wider at the bottom. Chains of blue beads connect the chandelier to the candlesticks."

She felt the sudden attention on her. Eren was impressed and did not fail to share it while Levi just started at her. At the same time, Hange arrived in the room. Her hair was messy, she sat down next to the mentor. She still looked half asleep, her glasses were not even straight on her nose.

"Please pardon me for being late," Hange said with a yawn.

"I assure you," Levi said dryly, "no one was waiting for you."

"Are you ready for today ?" she asked the tributes while ignoring Levi.

"Today ?" Eren repeated confused.

"For the opening ceremony ?" Hange insisted, suddendly worried.

"We are not aware of.."

"Levi !" Hange screamed, slamming her fork on the table.

"Ah," he replied bringing his cup of coffee close to his face, "I forgot about that."

The train suddently whistled, warning them they arrived at destination. Everyone got up to approach the windows. Faye could already see the huge city she was about to stay in. Hange explained to them they had just entered the futuristic city of Panem, a city owned by the Capitol and a home to all of the richest people in the country. As the train was slowing down, Faye began to see hands waving towards her.

"A bunch of idiots," Levi growled.

Hange slapped the mentor's arm while rolling her eyes. These men and women were all dressed extremely extravagantly. With yellow, green then blue, their outfits showed how different and superior they were. They applauded the tributes, they welcomed them. In reality, they were just happy to accomodate their entertainement for the next few weeks.

Peacekeepers aboard the train helped clear a path through the crowd. Faye got on a bus, accompanied by Eren. As they were driving away, Faye stared at Levi worriedly. Hange barely had time to explain to them they were about to be pampered by professional artists from the Capitol. The goal ? To make them beautiful and presentable for television. Faye did not question their talent but she had a hard time imagining what they could possibly do with her.

Quickly, the bus stopped and Faye entered the girls' building while Eren went to the other side. For the first time in a long time, she took a hot shower. Feeling the water running down her hair, her face and her whole body made her feel good. If a peacekeeper had not alarmed her about how long she was staying in there, she could have stayed for hours longer.

A man, with long nails and rather extravagant makeup, guided Faye to a private room. Several tables were seperated by curtains and shelves filled with accessories. He asked her to lie down then called two other women to take care of her. They brushed her hair and her eyebrows. They used strips to pull out every hair on her legs. They also took care of her nails, carefully painting them with blue. Faye had never felt so clean in her life.

She waited for a while until an older woman walked in nonchalantly. She had short white hair. Her face was pale, the only color standing out was the pink she had on her cheeks and lips. She was wearing a lot of rings, at least one on each finger. Her clothes were chic. The woman slowly lowered the imposing black glasses on her nose before looking at Faye, up and down.

"Who are you again ?" she questioned her with haughty gestures.

"My name is Faye," she introduced herself embarassed. "I come from district eleven."

"Ugh agriculture and nature," the woman sighed. "Everything I hate. What are you doing here ?"

"What do you mean ?" Faye asked confused.

"I mean, are you a loser or a winner ?

Faye remained silent, she did not want to lie to this woman and to herself. Waiting for an answer, the woman became annoyed. She rolled her eyes, complaining that she did not want to deal with someone as sad as Faye. As the tribute was observing her walking back and forth in the room, the woman suddenly stopped. She pointed her finger at Faye.

"You may be nobody but I am the great Jenna Owen and I will not allow you to show yourself to the world in such a ridiculous costume."

Faye caught a sudden satisfied smile on Jenna's lips. She hurried her to get up and to sit on the chair in front of the mirror. With very mannered hand gestures, she elegantly placed a black sheet under Faye's hair. The young woman turned her head and panicked when she was a pair of scissors.

"No," replied Jenna while placing her hand on her hip, "you have to trust me."

Faye focused again on her reflection in the mirror. Jenna said she wanted to bring those hair back to life. Then, she started to cut it. The more Faye was seeing her hair falling on the ground, the more uncomfortable she felt. Almost an hour later, she observed the result. Jenna had gotten rid of at least half of her hair which now barely reached Faye's shoulders. She was pleasantly surprised. This new length definitely restored some volum in her hair. As for makeup, Jenna picked black and dark blue. Faye closed her eyes for a moment and suddenly imagined that her mother was standing behind her. She quickly came back to reality when Jenna announced she was done.

Jenna rushed in with Faye's dress. She urged her to try it on. Faye followed her instructions and also put on the jewelry given by the stylist.

"Splendid !" Jenna screamed. "A beauty !"

She grabbed Faye by the shoulders to force her to look at herself. Faye stopped breathing for a second or two, surprised not to recognize the young woman in front of her. Two necklaces of shiny stones were placed on her head. She had pearls in the corner of her eyes that followed the continuity of her makeup and on her cheeks. They looked like tears flowing down her face. Her dress was blue, straight and long. The sleeves were short. Faye could not deny it, this dress was incredible and she was proud to wear it.

"Thank you Jenna," said Faye shyly. "Still, isn't my dress supposed to represent my district ?"

"Honey," retorted the woman while putting her dark glasses back on her nose, "you definitely don't understand anything about fashion."

An hour later, Faye found herself in the ceremony hall. Eren quickly joined her side. She let out of thin smile when she noticed they were perfectly matched. The boy did not hide his surprise for Faye's new haircut. Little by litte, other tributes also filled the area. Faye tried not to pay attention to them too much. Some faces, however, remained in her memory more than others. While the final details of their costumes were being finalized, Jenna approached Faye and Eren to explain one last point.

"Your sleeves are actually long. When the attention is on you, unfold them."

The two tributes turned towards each other, exchanging the same confused look. Faye still did not understand what her dress was suppose to represent. She suddenly heard the sound of a gong. The ceremony was about to begin. Carriages lined up for the districts a few meters away. Faye walked over to the one with number eleven. Inside, grass and plants. Flowers were also attached to the carriage. Hesitantly, she climbed the steps while glancing behind her. Jenna's smile was showing confidence, it was telling her to trust her.

The carriages moved forward and slowly Faye could see the large alley they were about to cross. Around it, gigantic benches several meters high were crowded with people. They were shouting, clapping and dancing. Big screens directly were showing the presenters commenting the ceremony. They detailed the costumes for each district, clearly displaying their favorite through their compliments. Faye could notice objects on the ground which where none other than offerings from the public. Eren caught Faye's attention by touching her hand when the presenters were about to move on to them. She stared at Eren, he nodded while smiling. He was telling her not to be afraid. Then, simultaneously, they revealed their sleeves.

"Oh look at that !" complimented the excited presenter. "The idea is incredible ! I'm a fan, I love it !"

Faye could not believe it, she could not believe it was possible to create such an illusion. Water was running down her sleeves and falling from her wrists. It was crashing at her feet, on the carriage. The flowers and plats, still young, began to grow and gain colors. The crowd shouted, waved their hands and threw objects. Faye turned towards the bench of her district. Jenna raised her glass in her direction. The young woman had finally understood. Suddenly confident and proud to show such a symbol, she lowered her head back while opening her arms. She was the sky that brought rain to the fields. She was the water that allowed the crops to grow. She was the one that gave victory to her district.