The 76th Hunger Games

Chapter 4

     Fifi is pounding on my door, shrieking, "It's a big, big day today! Get up! Get up, get up!"

     I groan and sit up. We should be in the Capitol soon. But before I am sent to my new quarters in the Capitol, I should eat some breakfast and probably dress. Maybe even bathe. I walk to the bathroom slowly, just to bother my escort who is still shrieking at me to get up. I open the shower door and step in. The water is scalding hot at first, compared to what I'm used to, but I get used to it quickly. I can still hear Fifi calling my name, telling me I need to hurry up. I push all sorts of different buttons and come out of the bathroom, cleaner than I've probably ever been. I dress in a green top and black pants. When I open the door and see Fifi's annoyed expression, I can't help the grin that spreads across my face.

     Fifi rushes me to the dining cart and goes to deal with "important business". Brian, Cecelia, and Woof are already loading their plates with food. I fill my plate with creamy white yogurt, exotic fruits, and warm, buttery rolls. I start eating slowly, not making eye contact with anyone else. After I'm done, I push my plate farther away from me and set my napkin on it. "So, how are you liking the...Luxury?" Cecelia asks me. "It's nice, I guess." I say, shrugging. It's not like I'll be enjoying it for very long. "We should be at the train station in half an hour or so. Maybe forty five minutes." Woof says. Me and Brian nod, not really wanting to say anything.  

      The thirty minutes pass faster than I expected. Soon enough, Brian and me are looking out the windows at the Capitol citizens. They gawk at us, cheering and smiling and waving, almost as if to say, Those are the tributes from District 8! I can't wait to see them die! The people are like the birds of paradise I saw in an arena one year. Brightly coloured, exotic, strange-looking. I wonder how much it hurts to have diamonds implanted in your skin. I put a small smile on my face and wave halfheartedly from time to time. After the citizens disappear, the train stops and the doors slide open. Brian, Cecelia, Woof, Fifi, and I are escorted into a large building. "This is the Remake Center," Fifi explains, "You'll meet your prep team soon, and after they've made you presentable, you get to meet your stylist!" I try not to roll my eyes. Peacekeepers mob us and I am brought to a large room. I lie down on a table and wait.

     I grit my teeth as Romeo, a fat man with green skin and orange hair, pulls another wax strip from my leg. "Stop whining." He scolds. I curse under my breath and close my eyes. After several minutes of this torture my prep teams scurries out of the room, giggling and gossiping. God, they talked so much, it was almost as painful as having my legs waxed. "Don't be afraid, honey," Larissa, a woman with gold curls and blue gems implanted in her skin croons, "Melinda can work with whatever we've left her." I grit my teeth and wait for my stylist to show up. Soon enough, a door slides open and reveals a petite lady with hair dyed purple. She wears almost no makeup, just pink lipstick and silver eyeliner. "So you're my stylist?" I ask, surprised that she hasn't fallen for the silly Capitol fashions. Well, maybe except for the purple hair. "I am. My name is Melinda, but my prep team must've already told you that." Melinda says. Yes they did, I think, several times. "Well, as you know, for the Opening Ceremony the tributes are dressed in costumes that represent their District. As you know, District 8 does textiles." She explains. Oh no. I think. She's going to dress me in something with a clash of different fabrics and colours. I'll look as the tributes from my District do every year in the Opening Ceremony-- stupid. "I'll be right back." Melinda tells me with a smile, and she exits the room through the same door she came, leaving me wondering why she's going.