METANOIA ↝ THE HUNGER GAMES [1]

[7]

The dress clung to Aspen's body like a second skin as she followed Hero through the crowds of tributes and their mentors, each of them dressed in an outfit more spectacular and over-the-top than the last. A flash of warm hues matching Aspen's caught the edge of her vision from the center of the crowd, and she and Hero followed it to find Alder waiting with his stylist Tatiana, a woman with platinum silver hair and an ensemble to match, as well as Johanna and Blight.

"There she is," Johanna announced as Aspen reached them, setting down the hem of her dress that she'd been careful not to trip over on the walk from the Tribute Center.

Johanna gestured for Aspen and Alder to climb into the chariot, which Alder did first before extending a hand down to help Aspen. She took his hand, allowing the younger boy to pull her up into the chariot, and instantly Hero and Tatiana were back in front of them, adjusting their clothes to lay just right and fixing any stray hairs that had begun to fall out of place, Aspen's normally wavy hair coiled up atop of her head.

As they waited for the Tribute Parade to begin, Aspen allowed her eyes to wander around the room once more, taking in the various other tributes and the Victors that accompanied them. The tributes from District Twelve stood at the very end of the line, dressed up in little more than coal dust for the mines that made up their home. A couple chariots behind Aspen and Alder housed two kids dressed like stalks of wheat, the symbol of District Nine emblazoned on the front of the vehicle. As she finally turned around to study the line in front of her, she caught sight of an iridescent pattern mimicking fish scales to adorn the tributes from District Four, a brunette in the chariot locking eyes with Aspen and sending a sneer in her direction before one of the mentors on the ground captured her attention, and she broke eye contact before responding to whatever it was he was saying.

"Careers," Blight said, following Aspen's line of sight and pulling her attention back to the ground in front of them, along with Alder's. "Those kids from Four, along with One and Two. Whatever you do, don't trust them."

Aspen nodded as the horns began to sound in front of them, signaling the beginning of the Tribute Parade, and Aspen hurriedly stood up straighter, looking back in the direction of the line in front of them, as well as the two horses pulling the chariot.

"Remember to smile," Johanna reminded them as the chariot began to move, and Aspen quickly grabbed the front of the chariot to brace herself, in her attempts not to go toppling off the edge before Panem had the chance to make a first impression of the girl who would be fighting for District Seven.

Aspen glanced back at Hero once, who gave her a reassuring smile in return, and she nodded back before looking up ahead, the chariot growing closer and closer to where the cheers had begun to erupt from the Capitol citizens in the stands. As the horses pulled the chariot out into the blinding lights of the Tribute Parade, Aspen soon felt all eyes on her, and she looked up at the thousands of people who had gathered to cheer on the tributes, their eyes moving back and forth between the different chariots as they continued to yell and scream. Aspen reached up a hand, waving at the Capitol citizens as she began to smile, even if everything in her body begged her to go, to jump off of the chariot and run far, far away from the city that was cheering on the promise of so much suffering to come, for all twenty-four of the children now being paraded for all of Panem to see.

Aspen dared a glance back over at Alder to see him doing the same, a big toothy smile she'd never seen before painted on the boy's face as he waved to his side of the crowd, his suit of matching fall colors glowing brightly against the setting sun. When she looked back up, she was surprised to see herself reflected on one of the banners, the heavy makeup, hair, and clothing portraying a girl she'd never met before hidden inside her own skin. She hardly recognized the girl on the banner, nor did she expect anyone back home to, either.