In the Games.

The Parade

I wake up to a knock on the door. “Wake up, Rosebay!!! Today is the day!!! The Tribute Parade is in four hours!!!” Rebonica yells very joyfully. “It’s too early!” I complain. “Everyone’s already up and ready except you!” I hear Alamar say happily. Wait? Alamar? Happy? What? I’m so confused. I must still be dreaming. I guess that means I get to sleep more. “Wake up or I’m busting this door down.” Alamar says a little more annoyed. “Ugh. Fine!” I say getting out of my bed and stretching. I bathe quickly and walk out of my room in a casual t-shirt and shorts. I see my prep team and stylist sitting on the couch all looking quite anxious. “Good morning,” I say. Their heads turn to see me. Aquilia quickly stands up, “Well, let’s go. There’s much to do with such little time!!!” she says with her sharp Capitol accent.

They take me back to my room and they take the makeup and hair supplies from their bags. “At least you’re naturally pretty… We don’t need to spend so much time on your makeup,” Faustina says while combing out the knots in my hair.

When they finish, I look in the mirror. There’s some blue eye shadow on my eyes with some green on top that mixes with the blue. Dark blue eyeliner forms a beautiful wave on the side of my eyes. There’s little blush on my cheeks and some lip-gloss on my lips. My naturally straight blonde hair is curled to resemble waves with a small blue bow on the crown of my head. Verginia walks in and smiles at my beautifully done makeup and hair. She motions me to walk out of the bathroom. I walk out and see a dress on my bed. I grab it and put it on. I go back to the mirror to see the finished product. The dress is gorgeous. When I move, the dress moves swiftly like the waves back at home. It’s a simple blue strapless dress that flows all the way down to the floor. The ruffles on the bottom of the dress look like water crashing onto the shore. “It’s- it’s beautiful!” I say to Verginia while twirling in the dress. Alamar walks in. He’s wearing a blue suit and pants that move like waves like mine. His tie looks like actual water. “Ready?” he asks. “Lets go,” my prep team and I say simultaneously.

I’m there standing by the horses, feeding them sugar cubes. Every now and then, I’d throw a sugar cube in my mouth. Soon, it’s time to get on the chariots and start the parade. I hug my parents. “Good luck,” my mom says to me. I nod in reply. I get on the chariot with Alamar. I smile at him awkwardly. Ever since yesterday, it’s been kind of awkward between us two. I mean, sure Alamar’s okay, but I don’t want to just abandon Adrian. Adrian… I miss him so much. I just wish I could see him again before my death. I feel my eyes start to water. Alamar puts his hand on my shoulder. “Hey, are you alright?” he asks, obviously worried. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking of home,” I reply soundlessly. He nods, concern in his eyes. The horses start moving and I try to forget about everything, at least for this moment. I smile lightly. I breathe in and out slowly to calm my nerves. Here we go. We’re out now, in the Capitol. There’s screaming fans and roses being thrown, mostly at District 1. Most of the costumes are quite impressive this year. The only one that’s not that exciting is the one from 7, which is just a tree as always. I don’t pay much attention to the other tributes or their costumes. I just stare forward and smile and wave. A few Capitol citizens throw some flowers to me. I catch one, a rose. I hold it in my hand and just keep smiling. The horses stop and we’re all in a circle while President Snow introduces all the tributes. Once President Snow is done speaking, the Capitol anthem blares on. The horses continue walking into the training center. We’re given twenty minutes to change into other clothes for training. I put on the same t-shirt and shorts I was wearing earlier and head back down to the training center.

A longer chapter for ya'll ... Vote, comment, follow!!! Love ya'll !!

-Crystal