As we enter the stadium where the parade is being held, the cheers and whistles of the Capitol citizens are deafening. Harry is still holding my hand, and people have noticed. The crowd roars at us and Harry, ever ready to please, lets go of my hand and puts his arm around my waist, pulling me close to him. I can’t control my blushing now, but I wave to the crowd in an effort to look calm and collected. They’re going wild at our closeness, at Harry blowing kisses to them and at how his smile seems to brighten the world up. It almost seems like no one notices the other tributes until District 12 rolls into the stadium.
The crowd hushes, and everything becomes eerie as Prim and Gale come in. I can hear sobbing in the crowd, and I look down to my arm to look at my Mockingjay tattoo. Suddenly Harry takes his arm off of my waist and does the District 12 salute. The Capitol citizens copy him and I look at Primrose, whose face is showing on the holoscreen that hangs above our parade. She is smiling weakly, and her eyes are welling into tears. She does the salute back to the crowd, and they go wild with cheering and crying. Our chariot stops, and I look up to the balcony we are in front of to see President Snow. He’s menacing, and looks unhappy at the reminder of Katniss Everdeen.
“Tributes, Welcome. We welcome you.”
The Capitol citizens go wild. I look around and watch their faces; porcelain dolls cheering at the deaths of 23 children. The youngest is from District 3, a 9 year old named Rallie. Will they cheer at her death I wonder, before Snow raises his arms to hush the crowd and welcome our attention again.
“We honour your courage and your sacrifice. I am proud to have you in our 76th Hunger Games where we will celebrate a new, united Panem!”
The crowd is cheering louder than ever. Harry stifles a laugh and looks at me.
“United under what? Fear? Torture?” He whispers, and his hand finds mine again. I’m stunned at his comment and his willingness to be so open with it in the Capitol.
“We wish you a happy Hunger Games. And may the odds be ever in your favour!”
The chariots pull forward and I can hear the roaring cheers of the Capitol crowd begin to fade. I see Cainon, Havoc, Dainty, and Harry’s Stylist Naema waiting for us in the second prep room. Cainon waves to me, smiling widely.
“My dear you looked amazing! Like a real Dryad!” He laughs and winks at Harry, “I love the closeness between you too also, the sponsors are going to eat that up.”
“How could I resist getting close to her? Have you seen her?” Harry grabs me again, and gives me a huge hug. His arms feel crushing to me, and I realize he’s a lot stronger than he looks. Everyone laughs around us, and I can’t help but blush.
I look away from our group, and notice that the District 5 Tribute, Louis, is staring Harry down. I hadn’t paid much attention to him before, but now I can’t seem to look away. His pale blue eyes are intense, accented by his perfectly arching eyebrows. His hair is windswept and almost looks like the tongues of a flame. He’s wearing a bodysuit with a lightning bolt painted across the chest, and a cape that looks like storm clouds drapes over his shoulders. My focus on him is broken by Havoc saying something to me. I don’t hear what he says, and I turn to him.
“Sorry?”
“I said; Are you ready to see your room?”
“Oh! Yes. I’m sorry I’m just… tired.”
“Well we can take a nap then! Come on, I want to eat and relax a bit!” Harry laughs, and starts towards the doors with Naema and Dainty in tow. I turn and look at Louis again. He meets my gaze and smirks, and I start to feel uneasy. Cainon grabs my hand and we follow Harry, but I can’t stop watching Louis.
