¹THE HUNGER GAMES ▸ REPUGNANT

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙞𝙭 - 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙥𝙩. 2

I HAD TO BE humble, but entertaining and charismatic. I had to be the opposite of what I was like to Finnick. I need to seem... Well, nothing like how I'm feeling now, but I can fake it. 

I plastered a smile on my face before walking out, squinting as the lights that seemed to be coming from everywhere, blinded me.

The audience was overwhelming, I mean like, the entire Capitol was in this room, watching my every move, my every step, every wrinkle in my face to see if it's from the fake smile, or from pure disgust that 23 people being brutally slaughtered by each other is being celebrated and applauded.

Caesar graciously held out his hand for me to sit down, giving me his signature smile. His hair was a different color every Hunger Games, and this time, it was a bright neon green. "My, oh my Cassowary. You look stunning... Doesn't she look stunning, everyone?" More applause and shouts of approval.

I plastered a fake grin on my face. My goodness, how does Finnick do it?

"Thank you Caesar." I reply, trying to keep my voice as sweet as possible. Those who knew me would immediately see through my facade and would notice that I was faking the whole thing. However, those who didn't know me - which was basically almost everyone in this room - would think I was being genuine. That didn't stop me from thinking about my last thought about the Capitol seeing right through my fake smile.

"How about you twirl for us dear?" Caesar asked in a cheery mood. I nodded, the ghost of a smirk I couldn't hold back slowly making its way up my face. 

Yes, this was disgusting, being celebrated for killing people, but that thought was also amusing since I knew that these people would go crazy (which they already are) if I were to twirl.

I snuck a glance at the cameras before taking one foot and twisting it, while taking the other foot and twisting it in the same direction. I did this over and over, slowly gaining momentum before I was spinning around like a flower stem being rolled around in someone's fingers.

I heard the gasps of the audience, noticing that they're finally seeing the whole design of the dress and how gorgeous it was. Covered in an array of jewels, the dress sparkled and glistened with every spin and twirl I made.

Starting from the bottom, the hem of the dress was adorned with small, delicate diamonds that caught the light and reflected it in all directions, its faces glinting like a thousand tiny mirrors. Just like a mirrorball.

Moving up, the jewels grew larger and more extravagant, forming intricate patterns and designs that wrapped around the skirt of the dress. Sapphires, rubies, and emeralds adorned the fabric, creating a palette of rich, vibrant colors that seemed to dance and twinkle with each turn.

As everyone's eyes moved up the dress, (seemingly at the same time) it was impossible not to be captivated by the bodice, which was encrusted with larger, iridescent pearls that seemed to glow from within.

The jewels seemed to dance every time they caught the light. Since I was directly in front of the light, all the jewels glistened and dazzled.

I could imagine myself sitting in the audience, watching someone else twirl around in this magnificent piece of craftsmanship. I could imagine the dazzling display, barely being able to see the person in the dress because my eyes were probably too entranced by the artwork of the dress and how it dazzled every time it caught the light.

The neckline of it was surrounded by a delicate sparkling trim of diamonds that resembled a constellation of scars scattered across the fabric. The intricate bead work and embellishments seemed to come alive as they caught the light, creating a mesmerizing display that left almost all the onlookers in awe.