Rising Storm

Chapter 20

Katniss

I walk into the dressing room to see my prep team waiting, looking very solemn. As they begin to undress me, Venia catches my eye as she notices the slight swell of my belly.

"Oh my dear, I'm so," I hold up my hand to stop her.

"Please, don't dwell on it," I say quietly so the others don't hear. "Your tears, anyone's tears, they can't do anything for me or her father now. Just do your job well, as you always have.

"I'm going to tell Cinna," she says quietly. "Incase alterations need made on your clothing." I nod and she leaves me with the other two who while kind, are more dim witted about my condition than she, who I know has carried a child of her own before.

The remove every hair from my body, scrape and scrub my skin just as before. They then hand me a robe and leave me with semi dry hair sitting alone in the styling room. I'm stuck as in their frenzy of scrubbing and cleaning, they left my leg and its equipment accross the room neatly in a pile. I groan a little as I feel my baby kicking.

"Ivy, please stop it," I whisper. "You know I don't like it." She responds by moving and pressing what ever appendage she's been pushing against the outerworld into a kidney. I frown but just continue to run my fingers over her. "Thats not any better, Ivy."

"That's a pretty name," I hear Cinna say and I look up to see him standing there with a long bag that must be my costume for the parade. "Is that what you call her?"

"I needed something," I say. "I don't know whether she even is a she for sure, but I needed to be able to call my child something." I look up at him and he smiles as I remove my hand and he looks me over.

"Your clothes should be fine," he says. "You're mostly corseted in to them, so there isn't any real sizing. And you aren't very far along." I nod and he helps me attach my leg and stand. I'm dressed in a long black dress with a bodice glittering with black stones. It's heavy on my shoulders but I move my shoulders a little so it settles as it's tightened to my body.

"It's beautiful as always," I say quietly and he just smiles sadly as he begins to curl my hair. I look at the green ring on my finger and speak again. "I know I was stupid to end up like this."

"In the games again?" He asks.

"Pregnant," I state plainly. He shurgs as he brushes part of my hair back.

"Its not my place to judge you for that," he says. "You are young and in love. It happens. Although I will say you chose quite the time to have this happen." I nod and he walks around me. He grabs a small black headband and pins it into my hair and smiles at me. "Now go out there and make them pay for doing this to you again." I nod and follow him out into the town square where they are making the horses ready for the tribute parade.

I walk over to the District 12 coach and the coal black horses. I smile as one nudges my skirts and I brush the forelock through my fingers and smile sadly at him. He has be raised for the entertainment of others and eventually will be consumed once he's lived his use. I'm honestly not that different in their eyes. Entertainment that will then be consumed by the Capital.

"How did we get here?" I ask him and he sniffs at my hand, looking for treats.

"I think he's looking for one of these?" Someone says behind me and I turn to see Finnick Odair, the Capital Sex Symbol and unfortunately for them, their District 4 male tribute. "These sugarcubes are supposed to before them, but they have. their whole lives for the sweet things while we," he pops one of the cubes into his mouth, " when we see something sweet, we better grab it. You, my dear, would have made a killing here given the time."