Midnight Azalea-A Story of the 34th Hunger Games

Chapter 7-Entrance and Applause

Roars, loud roars, coming from a sea of people in golden wigs, fancy dresses, makeup, and riches beyond belief. Towers, mountains in the distance, and the Capitol. I see Natiel being dragged by Quorel to the open window. My face is pure shock, not an ounce of joy. Why are these people so happy? Because they want to see us die in a pool of blood? Be cooked alive by the other tributes? Get eaten by mutts? In no universe would I be excited for that, so I hold my smiles, and I peer around, confused at why the train is stopping. Natiel's face seems excited, then he sees the other excited faces and realizes what I realize. They clap for our deaths.

"C'non lets go, we wouldn't want to be late would we?" Cashatra motions for us to exit the train. Me and Natiel and escorted to the exit by Quorel, and Cashatra then blocks us from the outside. "Remember Chins up smiles on! Cameras will be rolling in 5...4..."

The moment of nervousness takes aim and stabs at me. What if I make a dry first impression? I see the other tributes walking along through a path that divides the crowd. Peacekeepers build a barricade against popparazzi that attempt to touch them, but the Peacekeeping batons bat them away like they are weaklings. District 5 goes, followed by 6,7,8...

"3...2...1..."

We exit into the daylight. My eyes take a second to adjust to the harsh morning sunlight, and once my white vision fades already people are heading out.

"These are the last two districts they'll barely pay any mind," says Quorel.

I agree. I look behind us, and sure enough the two "coal people" from 12 rush along. The boy seems puny, he's about 13 and the girl is pushing along just find, adapting to what will become her final home. She is 16.

After escaping from popularity hell, we are greeted and welcomed into the Tribute Center. We check in and advance to the second to highest floor, floor 11. There's a broken, unscrewed button called floor A, but I assume it was for delinquent tributes.

We settle in, and meet a breathtaking dining room, living quarters, and room. Mine has a wall that changes scenery. There's a Capitol street, forest, village, and sunset by a beach. I choose the village, since it is reminiscent of my small town in 11.

I am taken in for prettying-up, preparing to get my hairy legs waxed. I take this naked time to examine the many scratches and calluses, most likely from climbing my tree in 11. I notice a gash on my shin and prepare for pain.

A team of four stylists come in to examine my body. The man who has purple eye-liner and bright violet locks grimaces at my legs. "Honey, where did these happen?" He lifts up my gashed leg.

"Don't call me honey!" I yell.

"Eh." He drops my leg. "We can clean it."

"Cirrus!" A bubbly woman with golden skin and cyan hair backs me up, probably because she wants me to have a little respect before celebrating my death. "Sorry, he can be such a wuss sometimes!"

"Yes, Augusta is right! Ah...finally somebody says it," says a petite woman with pursed green lips and long, extravagant, green braids.

"Both of you shut up! We have work to do! Aurelia, ready the pads! Augusta, ready the ripping! And I, I will ready the tweezing!"

"Tweezing?" The name doesn't have a good appeal, and neither do the giant sticky pads that Aurelia applies to my skin.

"Aurelia! You forgot to wet it!" Cirrus sets down his tweezers and gently peels the pad.

I scream in pain. Tears of pain well up in my eyes, and then the nice one, Augusta, smacks Cirrus away. "It's hurting her!"

"Who cares? Pretty her up! The pain is better than her most certain death." Aurelia leans back against the wall. "If I did so much wrong, sue me!"