[Flowers] • The Hunger Games

Eleven

Asteria had fallen asleep. She hadn't meant to, of course she hadn't meant to. Things were too important for all of that. But when she woke up, she found herself wrapped in her own room's bedding. Before she had even fully processed the events of the previous night, she was reaching towards where she subconsciously thought Finnick would be.

She met open air. An empty side of the bed, still warm. She opened her eyes all the way and sat up, confused. That's when a hundred memories played in her head at once.

She was exactly who she'd been last night. But now, she was more aware of the real world. That President Snow had undoubtedly seen the footage by now. And since she wasn't dead, she knew that Finnick would be fine. He was the Capitol's golden boy. They wouldn't touch a hair on his head.

Asteria dressed in nicer clothes. It would be her turn to deal with sponsors today- hell, if the tributes were even still alive. She had no idea how long she'd been sleeping for. Part of her didn't even care. She hadn't slept that well...she hadn't even slept through the night like that since before her games.

She took a few moments longer in front of the mirror. Mostly because she didn't want to deal with the reality that Gale and Madge could've gotten themselves killed while she'd been sleeping. She didn't want to walk out to news that would shatter her. So, she transfixed herself with anything besides leaving her suite.

She was almost unrecognizable from the girl she'd been just a week prior. Her face had gotten some color back into it. Her eyes had a special little shine in them. Her features that once made her look cold and menacing now made her look intelligent, sophisticated. Hopefully the sponsors would see her that way, too.

She'd never applied her own makeup. For that matter, she'd never even done her own hair in much more than a braid, or something similar. But the avoxes had left her a whole trunk full of things she didn't know how to use. Mechanisms for curing hair and smoothing the skin were foreign to her. She thought that the sponsors might respond to her better if she took the time to look like them.

The purple in her hair had faded. She assumed they only put on something semi-permanent. Under it, the piece remained blonde. Tinged a light lavender from the color. She worked with to create a simplistic look. Colored powder found its way to her eyes, a pink for her cheeks. She'd seen how they'd done her makeup before and tried to replicate it to her own abilities. The black liner for her eyes would be the worst. She hated having it done. But they insisted on it every time, so after a few frustrating attempts, she managed to get something that didn't make her look like a child playing dress-up.

She looked- well, not like herself. But she was like a more mature version of herself. One acclimated, adapted for the society she found herself in. Instead of the feral animal that she knew she really was to them.

Eventually, she ran out of things to do. And so she took in a small breath and exited the suite.

"Finally, you roll out of bed." Effie was the first to greet her. Haymitch sat on the couch, watching the screens. Asteria was relieved to see that both tributes had made it through their fabricated nights as well.

"What time is it?" She asked, coming into the dining room. She poked her nose around the food that sat out. The compulsion to assume everything was out to get her still tugged at the back of her mind. But the desire to satiate the growing hunger was getting even more overwhelming.

"Half past noon, well- at least you're up and dressed. I like what you've done with your makeup. Really accentuates your...youth." Effie gave her a once-over.

"Updates on Gale and Madge?" Asteria called out to Haymitch. He tilted his head slightly so he could see her.

"It's morning of day three for them. Gamemakers used a forest fire to push her back towards other tributes. She didn't get hurt- but it was a close call. She's a little on edge. The fire's pushed her within range of the careers. But if she's quiet and gets lucky, she might make it out of it." Haymitch told her in response.