The 275th Hunger Games

~Journey to the Capitol & Opening Ceremonies~

Hudson Bricker - District Six

Other than not having Mitchell and Theo with me, I'm not that nervous to be going into the big Games. I mean we're going up against girls here. It's going to be simple. They'll be gone in the bloodbath and then us boys will do the real fighting.

Over dinner on train, we talk to our mentor, Ashlyn. It's not just me who made it to the big Games from District Six, Cove Franklin made it too. "You both did well in your Games. Are you nervous for this one?" Asks Ashlyn. "Not really. We're going up against girls, it shouldn't be too hard," I say, producing a glare from Cove. "Umm, it should be kind of easy?" I try.

"You better watch what you say. The girls are pretty fierce. Don't count them out," Ashlyn says. "Whatever." I go back to eating. "How did your alliances go?" Wonders Ashlyn. "Both of mine were good. I loved being with Ocean and my other one was really good too," replies Cove. "I liked being with Mitchell and Theo. We worked well together," I say. I notice Cove get sad when I mention Theo's name.

Suddenly, Ashlyn jumps up. "I'll be right back," she says and walks off. "Hey, I'm sorry that you lost Theo," I say to Cove, looking at her. "Thanks. I'm sorry you lost him as your ally," she says quietly. "Thanks," I say, smiling slightly. We finish dinner and we settle in the living room. We watch the recap of the "reaping." Nothing new, just familiar faces.

North Cameron - District Nine

As we arrive at the Capitol hotel, I think about the alliance with Cami, Sky, Jacklyn, Cove, and Holly. We never really said if we were going to be allies in this game. I wonder if we will or not. I know Holly and Sky are going to be allies. But if I'm not with them, who am I gonna be with?

When we reach our floor, the escort Annalise Jones gives us a tour. Then we get to see our stylists. Mine is Nevaeh, I really like her. Nevaeh and I each sit at chairs. We first eat lunch, we have chicken and vegetable soup, warm rolls, and crackers.

"So North, this year, we were thinking of doing something like your interview dress for the ceremonies," begins Nevaeh. I nod. "I really liked that dress," I tell her. My dress for the interviews was was a two-piece dress. It was glittery and black; the top was cropped and long sleeved and the skirt was long and had a slit going up the leg. I really liked it, so I'm excited to wear a dress similar to it.

After we eat, Nevaeh brings out the dress. "It's beautiful!" I exclaim. The dress has a black cropped top like the other dress, but this one is short sleeved instead of long sleeved. It's also not glittery but just plain black. The skirt is really pretty. It's black and layered and poufy and made out of mesh.

"I love it," I tell Nevaeh. "You will look stunning in it," Nevaeh says, beaming. I blush and smile. In a few minutes we're brought down to the Remake Center to prepare for the ceremonies. I'm washed and scrubbed and waxed and all that fancy stuff by my prep team, Aimee, Emma, and Colton.

After I'm ready, they begin doing hair, makeup, and nails. They're soon all done and I get to put my dress on. I stand in front of the full-length mirror. My dark hair is in deep waves, and she's added a black butterfly clip in my hair. My makeup is silver eyeshadow, shimmery lipstick, and metallic eyeliner and mascara. My nails are shimmery black. "I love it!!" I exclaim to Nevaeh and my prep team. "You look beautiful!" They all tell me.

We head down and get on our chariots. I look around at everyone else. The first chariot is Cami and Calvin. Cami's in a gold and silver dress and Calvin's in a gold and silver suit. The next chariot is Sky. She's in a dark blue cropped top and a short skirt, plus a blue flower in her long hair. The third chariot is Trevor. He's in a silver tuxedo with black accents. Jacklyn is on the next chariot. She's wearing a light blue strapless dress. At the fifth chariot is Marcus. He's in a gray suit with white accents. Next up are Cove and Hudson. They're in black and silver, Cove a sleeveless dress and Hudson a suit.

After them is Holly. I really like her dress. It's red with a tight long sleeved top and a chiffon skirt. She has a brilliant red rose in her hair. Ashton is on the eighth chariot. He's in all white. I'm after Ashton and then lastly is Jordan. He's in a black suit with a red shirt and tie.

We soon lurch forward and ride through the streets. The stands are packed with people. They yell and cheer as our chariots ride by. I wave and blow kisses to people. We form a semi-circle in front of the mansion with our chariots. The president steps out. Fireworks begin, lighting up the sky. Beautiful, I think to myself.