𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟏𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬

[5] - In the Spotlight

^Simon Chung, Luna and Damien's mentor from District Five.

~ ~ ~

Our train arrives in the Capitol to much fanfare. The train station is packed with spectators as we step out for the first time, and the streets are flooded with people as a luxurious horse-drawn taxi leads us through the city. I'm shocked at how excited these people are to see us; we're all just ordinary kids from the poorest stretches of Panem, and now we're suddenly celebrities. All because we were unlucky enough to have our names pulled at the Reapings.

Not all of us are ordinary kids, though. I have to remind myself of that already. The girls from Two are celebrities in their own right just from their relation to last year's Victor, Camilla Russo.

When we arrive at the Training Center, we barely have time to breathe before we're whisked off by Capitol attendants. I'm brought to a long, dimly lit room, and what I endure for the next hour can only be described as pure hell.

I've never felt so vulnerable in my life. Never have I been so aggressively, poked, prodded, and plucked; I feel naked, not just physically but mentally. If this is bad, though, I can only imagine how bad the actual Games are going to be.

Now, I'm seated with my own stylist. Lavinia, she said her name was; she's a lively woman, and although she has three assistants, she's so overbearing that they barely do any of the work. To my relief, Lavinia's allowed me to wear a bathrobe while she continues to 'perfect my look'.

I stare into the mirror as the three brightly dressed men work around me. I've always been too busy in my life to worry about my own appearance, but I've suddenly become painfully aware of it, and a pit has started to form in my stomach. Do I look as pretty as the other girls? Will I stand out from the others, or am I just another generic face in the crowd?

"Just a trim down to the shoulders," Lavinia orders one of her assistants. "Let me take a good look at this outfit..."

The man pulls at my hair gently before grabbing a pair of sharp scissors. I bite my lip - my hair has always been something that I've been proud of, and it has always been hard for me to let it be cut like this - but I don't say anything. I stay silent, because Lavinia knows best. If there's one thing I'm sure of right now, it's that these people know what they're doing. If I can't trust Lavinia - or Simon, for that matter - I won't stand a chance. I don't know how these people want me to look, but whatever it is that I need to do, I will do it. If I need to shave my head, I will.

Lavinia's assistant snips carefully at my hair, his eyes narrowing with focus. His eyelashes are dyed pink just like his hair; both match his carefully tailored clothes. Next to him, another man dressed in all blue helps by holding some of my hair out of the way.

The man in pink finishes his job, brushing my shoulders clean. I don't like what I see - he's cut my hair into a short bob, and it makes me look like a child - but I keep my mouth shut.

"Alright, this should do," Lavinia says, returning with a sparkly heeled shoe. "Oh, Marco!"

Lavinia shoves the shoes into the blue man's hands, reaching for my hair and running her hair through it. "I said down to the shoulders," she says, frustrated. "This is far too short!"

Marco mumbles an apology, and Lavinia just shakes her head. "It's fine," she huffs. "Doesn't matter anyway. Come on, dear, let's get you into your outfit."

I'm so taken aback by Lavinia's comment that it takes me a few seconds to stand. Doesn't matter anyway. I can tell what she really means - it doesn't matter that Marco's cut my hair too short, because nobody will care anyway. If I don't look perfect, it won't matter, because I'm just the girl from Five. Nobody will notice.