Hours later, I finally was Capitol ready. I had on a stunning ball gown, of sparkling blues. I looked like I was from the ocean. On my head, they placed a tiara, sparkling with blue jewels. My eyes were dotted in similar but much smaller crystals. I looked like a piece of art. I looked...
"Stunning." Meje said as he came in the room, wearing a dark blue tux that matched my dress. I smiled and did a twirl so he could see all my beauty. He smiled widely.
"I'm the luckiest man in all of Panem." He said. I kissed his cheek. We were ushered to the party venue and it was amazing how they mixed the themes of my birthday, victory, and district. Everything was beautiful and blue. I looked anxiously amongst the crowd, desperate to see Finnick. My eyes found him rather quickly, sitting at a table with a blonde girl. She had long hair and a pretty face. Thin. Very rich looking. But something about Finnick looked different. I couldn't place it. And then I saw Mags walk up to him. And it dawned on me.
Finnick had the blue streak taken out of his hair. I felt a little hurt, but I reassured myself it was all for tonight. Mags still had her streak though. Meje still had blue hair. And so did I. Even Raviah had it. But I couldn't allow myself to question it. That would just make tonight bad. And you only turn 18 once. I walked down the first step with Meje and the room fell into silence. All eyes were on us. No. All eyes were on me. I saw Flickerman smile from the bottom of the steps, as he looked into a camera.
"And here is our Queen of the Seas. Miss Annie Cresta. Victor. Birthday Girl. Beautiful. Our guest of honor tonight in the Capitol." He said to the camera. He made me feel gorgeous. Meje and I had our arms linked as we walked down the steps. My heels clicking the floor, echoing off the walls. It was so silent. Flickerman stopped me on my last step.
"Annie, anything you want to say?" he asked me. I looked at the audience, at Flickerman, and straight into the camera.
"This is the best birthday a girl from District 4 could ask for. I feel like a princess." I smiled as I said it. Everyone applauded. Except for Finnick and his date, who exchanged whispers. Meje saw me looking at them, followed my line of sight and pulled me closer. We looked at each other. Suddenly, I knew Meje knew I was using him. But I also knew he was okay with that.
"I think Annie looks beautiful. And I hope, that anyone who has ever rejected her sees her now. And regrets it." He said. I smiled. Flickerman laughed.
"I'm sure that's the case back in four." He said, in his typical manner. So no one else knew. Nobody had figured out that Meje was a pawn, other than Meje himself. We walked down the last step to cheers. President Snow stood, raising a glass.
"To Miss Cresta. Whose determination, beauty, and skill have brought her here today. Let this be a sign to all, that even with a score of 6, you can be a victor. Happy Birthday Annie. And may the odds be ever in your favor, tonight and always." He said, as everyone else raised their glasses to a toast. I smiled, and mouthed thank you to him. Meje and I were seated with Finnick, his date, and Mags. I was uncomfortable being seated with them. But I was between Mags and Meje so it wasn't as if I was seated next to Finnick or his lady friend. I turned to Meje, if Finnick was going to ignore me I would get back at him. I took off the necklace Finnick gave me and handed it to Meje.
"Take this gaudy thing. It clashes horribly with this outfit." I said. He smiled, and put it in his pocket.
"Great! Now I can give you this. Happy birthday." He said, handing me a small box. The room got hushed and cameras approached us. Flickerman narrated.
"As you can all see, Annie has gotten her first gift of the night, from District Nine victor Meje Cruan. Her boyfriend for a little over a week."
I opened it. It stole my breath. It was a gorgeous necklace. A simple silver chain leading to a very large blue crystal. Meje put it around my neck.
