Those Who Rise Shall Fall (Hunger Games fan fiction)

Pretty In Pink

Chapter Three: Pretty In Pink 

"Ow!" Lucy complained for the eighteenth time today. 

She was on a hospital type bed in the remake center, wearing a hospital gown to match, her prep team were ripping the hair out of her legs, plucking her eyebrows and anything else which involved making her 'beautiful.' But if she was honest, she felt like a chicken that was having all it's feathers torn out. 

"Almost done, I promise," Daphne, one of her prep team members, said. "We've got the worst part over and done with." 

"Thank goodness you're not a District 12 tribute! They're filthy!" Wanda, another of her prep team members, pulled a face. "But District 1 tributes are always clean, much higher class." 

"Um, thanks?" Lucy replied weakly, she really didn't know what to say to Capitol people because  she was worried she'd slip up and say something wrong.  

"We want you perfect for the tribute parade, as well as your District partner...well, isn't he a charmer?" Daphne giggled. 

"He's my friend," Lucy growled through gritted teeth as another wax strip was torn from her leg. She glanced at her legs and saw they'd got a nasty shade of red, she hoped the colour would die down for the tribute parade. 

"Didn't say he wasn't. Now go scrub yourself down with this, get rid of the dirt that we haven't managed to get rid of." Wanda thrust a bottle into her hand and pointed to a room nearby. 

Lucy saw there was a shower in there so she quickly entered and scrubbed herself down with the substance that removed all the unwanted dirt from her body and when she had finished she returned to her prep team who then began filing her nails and ridding them of minimal dirt.

"Excellent! Your stylist is going to be so impressed with us, you know that?" Steven said as he combed the knots out of her hair and Daphne added a simple clear coat to her nails. 

"I wish I was..." she muttered. 

The next thing she knew Daphne, Wanda and Steven led her down a corridor and into a room with two seats, they thrust a robe into her hand and closed the door behind them. Lucy took off her hospital gown and slipped on the robe before sitting down on one of the two chairs.  

She wondered how all the other tributes were getting on, perhaps they were still going through torture or maybe they had been cleaned up ages ago. Maybe it was just her that had to endure half an hour of wax strips? Then again, her prep team had said that the District 12 tributes were the worst, and the other poorer Districts had to be as bad...

She closed her eyes and tried desperately to take her mind off of The Hunger Games...and, even though she had been looking forward to the tribute parade, what would happen if she fell off the chariot? Well, she'd be the laughing stock of Panem of course...

But would Marvel catch her if she fell? Wasn't he the sort of person who would protect her no matter what? Would he continue to do this in the games? Surely not, he must want to get home himself. He might cry like her parents when she died, but wouldn't hang on the thought forever, which was fair enough...

Suddenly, Lucy's thoughts were whisked away as her stylist walked in. Just like the rest of the Capitol, he wore the crazy fashions that were in trend at the moment. He studied her then sat down on the chair opposite her and smiled. 

"Marcel," he said and held out a hand. Lucy took it weakly, hoping this was the right response. 

"Lucy," she replied nervously and he let go of her hand. "Probably going to be the first District 1 tribute to bring shame to their District."