If this was a dream then at least I've got
Memories for when morning comes
Now that I must leave with a heavy heart
Oooh, won-derland I love
Kaylee Vy
District 9, She/Her, 13
(Arrival at The Capitol)
...
The crowd outside is wild, a rainbow of colour stretching out across the city as we drive past. My eyes are wide with shock, pressed up against the window of the train. I have never seen anything like this. Little children wave ecstatically at me, Mothers trying to get them as close as possible to the train. It's only when Mikayla, my mentor, snaps at me to wave back that I remember what I'm supposed to be doing, I swallow down a sob and squeeze my eyes shut in preparation. Then, I turn back to the crowd and try my best to greet the Capitolites.
Adam is beside me, staring out at The Capitol with a look of anger on his face. I haven't spoken to him yet, honestly, I'm a little afraid of him. Who would willingly choose to be in something so horrible? I don't understand and I don't want to because I can only guess that someone who would volunteer for murder is someone that I won't get along with. He doesn't make my avoiding him difficult, though, he's very reserved and didn't even speak to Mikayla yesterday. I, on the other hand, spoke to her for most of the day. Well, more like cried to her. She wasn't very good at comforting me and simply held me, taking sips of wine, as I let the sobs escape. I've been better today, I guess, there really isn't a whole lot I can do except try to beat these impossible odds.
The train stops at a halt inside a brick building, it's the sort of place you would expect to see bustling with people and yet it's completely empty. It's creepy in a way that sends shivers down my spine and I feel a sudden longing for my Father to hold me in his arms and tell me that there's no reason to be afraid. He isn't here, though, and the fact that I will likely never see him again sends a sudden rush of emotion up me.
"Right, kids. Peacekeepers'll come and get ya in a minute." She slurs, she must've had more of that wine this morning.
Sure enough, a minute later, two Peacekeepers enter our carriage and grab Adam and me by our arms. I whimper at the man's tight grip but choose not to speak up, Mother and Father always tried to shelter me from the horrors of our District but I've seen that same gun that hangs at his side used more than once. As we leave the carriage, I look around to see the other tributes in similar situations. To the left of me, the girl from Eight snaps something at the Peacekeeper and he responds by pushing her forward. I don't see if or how she responds to that as I'm escorted into a small room with a singular wooden bench against the right wall.
"Sit down." The Peacekeeper orders and I do as I'm told, Adam perching next to me. "Your stylist and prep team will be here shortly." With that, the two of them storm out of the room and Adam and I are left to sit in silence. It makes me very uncomfortable and I'm about to break it when the door bursts open and an eccentric woman walks inside. She's short with bright, white hair and piercing purple eyes. I immediately shrink into the bench, in the hopes that she doesn't see me. However, it's futile and her freaky eyes lock with my own.
"Ah, Kaylee. You're to come with me." She says. A large smile stretches across her face and I'm horrified to find a complete lack of wrinkles, it looks very unnatural and my legs wobble as I stand up and follow her out of the room. "I'm Serpentine Threll. Your stylist, of course." I don't respond, taking deep breaths through my nose as I follow her down a long hallway. She stops in front of a metal door labelled 'D9F' and uses a keycard to let herself inside. I stand awkwardly, watching her enter and not sure whether I'm supposed to follow. She begins to walk on but turns when she realises I'm not following and beckons me inside.
It's a small room with blindingly bright lights and a bed placed in the middle. There are three other similarly eccentric Capitolites standing against the far wall, smiling at me in that same unnatural way. I avert my eyes to the floor and choose to avoid eye contact. "Please, lie down on the bed," Serpentine says as she digs through a wardrobe filled with a variety of colourful clothes. The bed is stiff and uncomfortable, causing me to shuffle a bit until I find a position that is somewhat bearable. "Okay, dear," Serpentine says excitedly as she spins back around to face me. "You are going to be wearing this." She holds up a set of clothes and a straw hat.
I quickly realise that it's a scarecrow costume and my heart starts beating rapidly because it's about the ugliest thing I've ever seen. This is going to be humiliating.
Ephron Amos
District 6, He/Him, 15
(Preparation)
...
"You're joking, right?" I laugh, sitting up in the bed I was told to lie in. Pierre (my stylist) narrows his eyes at me, he's a tall man with a shaved head and a large moustache that looks ridiculous on him but he seems to think suits him well.
"No, not joking," Pierre says, shaking his head. "You don't like it?" I laugh again, this time in disbelief. The outfit he holds up is a black blazer, a white buttoned-down shirt and black trousers with a black porter cap to go with it. It's an outfit for a train conductor and it looks beyond stupid. I don't bother telling Pierre that, though, he seems like he's worked hard on it and there's no point putting his work down when I'm going to have to wear it either way. I sigh and flop back down onto the bed, hurting my back as it lands on the springs under the mattress.
"Let's get this over with, I guess," I mutter and Pierre and his team don't waste another second, beginning to shuffle around and collect various things from around the room before all of them gather in a circle around the bed. "What is all this for?" I ask, genuinely confused by everything they're holding - most of which I've never seen before and is entirely alien to me.
"You don't want the Capitol to see you all hairy or spotty, hm?" Pierre asks, raising his eyebrow. I subconsciously bring my hand to my face and feel the pimples that have gathered there, it's never really been a problem for me and it's not like I'm able to wash my face every day. Plus, I'm hardly hairy! Maybe a little on my arms and legs but I doubt any of the Capitolites will even notice. "Take your clothes off." Pierre orders while opening a jar of a clear, orange substance. I stare back at him, mouth hanging open. Under no circumstances will my clothes be coming off.
"Absolutely not!" I cry and Pierre rolls his dark eyes at me.
"Fine, keep the underwear on. Everything else, off." He says as if he's doing me a favour, I sigh in frustration when Pierre doesn't back down and strip off my blue jeans and white shirt. I hope that I'll be able to keep those clothes, they're the only thing that I have left from home and I want to hold on to them even if it's just for a few more days. Once my clothes are off, Pierre and the rest of the stylists begin to apply the orange substance to my body. My legs, arms, armpits. Pretty much anywhere they can see skin is now covered. Then, Pierre places a square of tissue against my leg and sharply pulls it off. It takes everything in me to hold back a scream as the hair from my body is ripped off, the pain like a hundred knives finding their mark.
When they're done, I lie motionless on the bed. My breathing is heavy and my eyes brim with tears, The Games haven't even started yet and this could very possibly be the hardest thing I've ever had to do. The stylists remain silent and expressionless as they begin to apply a variety of different powders and creams to my face. I stay silent as they do it, feeling violated and ashamed by everything that has happened during the hours spent in this god-awful room.
Finally, Pierre helps me pull on the Train Conductor costume and I'm too tired to laugh or complain. "You have been perfect, Ephron. Well done." Pierre says, turning me to meet his beaming face. "A Peacekeeper is here to take you to your Chariot. Good luck, my tribute!" I almost throw up at the use of 'my', as if I'm a possession to be thrown around from Capitolite to Capitolite. I suppose I am, to them at least. Nothing but entertainment.
The Peacekeeper escorts me to another room where I'm met with screaming and shouting as people order each other about, many are rushing around the extravagant chariots making various fixes or adaptations. A headache starts to form as I make my way through the crowd of people and toward my respective Chariot, I'm ready for all of this to just be over already.
Sky is already standing on the chariot in a matching costume when I arrive, she stares forward with a neutral expression on her face. She spent most of yesterday cooped up in her room and, when I went past, I had heard muffled crying. The Peacekeeper leaves me to climb up on the chariot and, once I do, Sky turns to face me.
"How was that?" She asks.
"Shit. Complete shit." I mutter and she nods her head, now frowning.
"Agreed. Something tells me it's not about to get any better." She says and, with that, the chariot lurches forward as The Parade begins.
Kathryn Mallerd
Victor of The 23rd Hunger Games
(Chariot Parade)
...
Yesterday was a complete and utter nightmare.
Dawson has been preparing me all year for the role of mentor and when I walked onto the train, I felt ready. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't expecting it to be easy. As soon as I stepped onto that train, the memories of the year before came rushing back. First, it was entering that same train with Xavier. Then, it was Vinicio's horrified face staring back at me as I stuck my sword through him. That wasn't the worst of it though, no, it took me a few minutes to collect myself but I managed it.
Then, Cybill and I went to talk. That was when she told me that she had volunteered because of me, that I had inspired her. Immediately, I ran to the bathroom and vomited in the toilet - tears running down my face. I didn't come out of that bathroom until a couple of hours ago when Dawson told me I had to prepare for The Parade. Now, I'm standing among the other Mentors as I think about how my actions will result in yet another person's death.
"Hey, Kathryn." Someone says, interrupting my train of thought. I turn to see the District Seven Mentor, Stephan standing awkwardly behind me. "Sorry, I don't mean to disturb you. I just- Well, I know how hard it is and was wondering how you're holding up." He smiles, rubbing the back of his head. He's only been mentoring for two years so I guess this is all sort of new to him as well.
"I'm managing," I say, offering him a weak smile.
"I'm here if you, you know if you need anything." He stammers and I nod.
Dawson, standing next to me, taps me on the shoulder and whispers, "It's starting." I suck in a deep breath, though, I have no idea what I'm nervous about. I suppose some part of me wants Rowan and Cybill to do well, even if it means them acting as entertainment for The Capitol.
Robert and Aisling begin the Parade and gain a roar of applause from The Capitol. The two of them are wearing skin-tight, white suits which show off their muscular figures. Attached to the white suits are hundreds and hundreds of glittering jewels that make them, quite literally, shine. Aisling wears a neutral expression and waves with a little hesitance at the crowd. Robert does the same, offering a little more of a smile. "God, this is not what I told them to do." I hear Layton complain behind me.
Felix and Ranger are next, causing an even louder applause from the crowd. District Two is the favourite, as usual. They are both dressed as gladiators with golden armour and matching gold shields, they look stunningly terrifying. Felix holds his hand to his heart and nods in thanks to the crowd, smiling graciously. Ranger, on the other hand, stares forward with a slight frown on their face. "Now that is someone I wouldn't mess with." Dawson snickers next to me and I can't help but agree, Ranger looks ruthless and merciless and The Capitol are loving it.
My eyes snap to Cybill and Rowan as their chariot turns the corner, they're wearing green and black jumpsuits that seem to resemble a circuit board. Rowan is smiling maniacally and waving frantically at the crowd. It's almost laughable how Cybill is the complete antithesis of him, arms crossed and looking very unhappy with the clothes she has been forced to wear. Not perfect but it could be worse, I think. Then, (because of course, it does) it gets worse as Rowan accidentally hits Cybill in the face while he waves. Cybill's face goes red with rage and she shoves Rowan, causing him to stumble and almost fall out of the chariot. It's a complete mess and the crowd laughs hysterically at them.
I take a deep breath, focusing on Quincy and Scylla as their chariot rolls through. Quincy is shirtless and wearing silver shorts with a golden trident in his right hand, Scylla matches the silver theme but wears a rather revealing bikini. Quincy raises his trident to the sky and roars, the crowd roars with him and shouts a series of praise as he flexes his muscles. Scylla rolls his eyes at him, looking annoyed at his very existence. "I heard the two of them fought earlier," Dawson whispers. That's going to make for an interesting Career Pack.
Marcus and Nicole enter with a passionate kiss, the two of them wearing all black with a glowing white lightning bolt on their torso. Marcus screams something I can't hear and the two of them hold hands, using their other hands to make obscene gestures toward President Beaumont. There is a collective gasp and I hear their mentor, Kara, groan in frustration. The Gamemakers won't be letting either of them out of that arena.
Sky and Ephron are dressed as Train Conductors with matching black suits and porter caps. They both look very unhappy and I don't blame them, I know how invasive the stylists can be and it's definitely not a pleasant experience. The two of them offer small waves to the crowd but neither seems very enthusiastic and the applause for them quickly dies down, the crowd already bored.
Enver and Conifer reignite the applause as their chariot comes into view. Enver wears a dark green suit with various vines and tree roots attached to it, he's smiling sheepishly and waves at the crowd as he passes by. Conifer is in a dark green dress with matching vines and tree roots, she looks nervous and waves hesitantly with a rather obviously fake smile. "Well, decent enough." Eamonn laughs.
Saxony and Wells immediately stand out and the crowd goes wild. Saxony wears a colourful summer dress that seems to be made of hundreds of different patches of fabric, it's vibrant. She looks radiant as she smiles at the crowd and waves confidently. Wells also wears colourful fabrics but in the form of a suit, he seems anxious and continuously avoids eye contact with the crowd by looking to the floor. I can imagine myself being very similar if I had to do this now.
Adam and Kaylee gain a laugh out of the crowd and I feel terrible for them. They wear blue overalls with straw hats and straw seemingly stuck all over their skin, they're some kind of horrific portrayal of scarecrows. Kaylee goes red with shame and doesn't dare look at the crowd as they mock her. Adam doesn't seem to care and stares forward, emotionless. I avert my eyes in guilt, I didn't interact with Adam's sister - Gena - during The Games but, when it comes down to it, I'm here because she's not.
Ossian and Dahlia are next. Ossian wears a cow-print suit and a matching cow-print hat, he doesn't seem too bothered by the costume though and waves to the crowd with a small smile. Dahlia is in a cow-print skirt and vest, she's clearly embarrassed and uncomfortable as she holds down the skirt which keeps flapping up in the wind. "I hate that fucking stylist." Miguel slurs, Mikayla laughs wildly in response - the two of them already insanely drunk.
Odalis and Malory both wear a long-sleeved black shirt, black trousers and a black-feathered cape flowing behind them. They seem to be encouraging each other as I see their mouths moving and the two of them are holding hands as they wave at the crowd. Neither has a particularly confident smile but they are trying their best. "Could be possible allies for Cybill or Rowan," Dawson whispers and I nod, they seem somewhat trustworthy.
Finally, The Parade comes to an end with Smithsonian and Marya. The two of them are wearing the classic coal miner costume with a grey shirt, trousers, brown overalls and a mining helmet. Smithsonian is grinning at the crowd, waving very confidently and even blowing a few kisses. This elicits gasps and screams from the crowd as they strive for the attention of the attractive boy. In comparison, Marya is hardly seen as she waves timidly.
Once the chariots are lined up in front of the President, she begins her speech. "Tributes, we welcome you. We salute your courage and your sacrifice." God, it feels like only yesterday I was hearing these words. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour. Goodnight."
A/N: This chapter came out better than I expected! Excited to move on to training where we'll see our tributes securing some alliances and their strategies for The Games ahead. The training chapters will be made up of 5-6 POVs each so we will be hearing from each tribute at least once. See you then!
- Neb