Submerged

Chapter 5

Sorry about yet another long hiatus. These chapters are turning into seasons of Sherlock. Wait, I'm not Moffat. Even I'm not that evil. Well, probably.  Maybe.

Chapter 5

                As the chariot pulled away, I looked down at Dylan, only to see that he was wearing a slightly simpler costume. While I had enough feathers to fly, he had a kilt in the same blinding turquoise as my costume. In his right hand, he held a matching trident. His hair was slightly ruffled. The entire costume looked a little ridiculous on such a young boy.

                We had to hold on to the chariot’s edges in order to not fall off due to the horses’ gait. Luckily, the stupid headdress didn’t slip off of my head as we bounced along.

                Directly ahead of us was the chariot for District 3. The two tributes were wearing white lab coats that were not a loose as one would expect. I wasn’t quite sure what they were supposed to be, but my best guess was ‘sexy scientists’. Luckily for District 3’s stylist, both tributes were at least fifteen. That look would not have worked on twelve year-olds. At least those costumes made some sense; I looked like a giant blue bird.

                It was then that I realized my costume wasn’t meant to be clever at all. It was only meant to get attention. Great. My fate was in the hands of sexist pigs. How wonderful.

                I did get attention. After the first flower was thrown in my direction, I started to make the most of it. Putting on my biggest smile, I waved. After the second flower, I blew a kiss. I caught the third flower, gave it a sniff, and tossed it back. That was the last flower.

                I glance behind me when I hear a sudden burst of excitement from the crowd. A few chariots behind us was what must have been District 7. A small girl and a boy who looked about my age were wearing leaves. Yes, leaves. They were only covered by a handful of strategically placed leaves. Apparently, all of the stylists were going for the skimpy look.

                The boy was doing some weird, vaguely sexual dance and grinning like an idiot. I assumed he’d be the first to go, unless he already had five hundred and two sponsors from the Capitol.

                The horses pulled us into a large courtyard, where we were displayed in front of President Snow. He gave a speech, but I couldn’t force myself to listen. He was probably just welcoming us.

                After the horses carried us back, Adelyn, Mara, Finnick, and Mags greeted us.

                “You see now?” Mara snapped, “Fabulous. The crowd loved it.”

                “Shaving my head was still a little harsh,” I muttered under my breath.

                “Whatever!” Adelyn said cheerily, “Its high fashion. A lot of stylish trendsetters are doing it. You look fabulous!”

                “None of this fashion stuff really matters once you’re in the games,” Finnick admitted, seeing my bored expression, “But, it might get a few sponsors. By the way, maybe I was wrong. You did seem to get a lot of attention out there. Good job.”

                I wasn’t sure if telling me that I got ‘a lot of attention out there’ counted as a compliment, but I decided I would take what I could get.

                “Thanks,” I smiled.