Silence [The Hunger Games]

Chapter Ten

I was very pleasantly surprised. I stood before a full length mirror admiring the handiwork of my stylists. Leonie and Sophia had worked alongside each other for another hour to perfect my hair and makeup. My hair was pulled back very tightly into a high ponytail, and my eyes looked stunning, rimmed with thick black eyeliner and long eyelashes. Then, I had to put on the costume. Leonie insisted that I close my eyes so as not to spoil the surprise. I obeyed unsurely. I was given very tight fitting underwear which made it hard to breathe, and then was put into a full body costume. When I opened my eyes, I was able to see it was made from full leather, hugging to my body, but it had been padded out to make me look more muscly than I am. My breasts had been padded out too, and I suddenly didn’t feel so weak. I stepped into big leather boots with lots of straps and stood boldly to look at my reflection. I looked like a warrior. For the first time, I thought of the possibility that I could win. I looked like a victor. I could be one, couldn’t I?

 “Do you like it?” Sophia asked, adjusting the zipper on the back of my suit.

 “I love it,” I breathed. “I look so…powerful.”

 “That was the effect I was going for. You’ll find that Logan looks very similar to you, but for the interview, I have something entirely different in store. I wonder…can you be sexy? The dress I have for you is a little provocative. Can you be provocative?”

 I wavered. I’m not a very sexy sort person, and never have been. I gave it a go, though. I put my hands on my hips and put on what I hoped might be a seductive smile. To my dismay, both Leonie and Sophia burst out laughing. I glared at them.

 “I’m glad you find it amusing! What am I supposed to do now? I’ll make a fool of myself if I don’t get it right!”

 Sophia looked a little taken aback but carried on chuckling “Well, at least we know you have passion. Don’t worry, though. We have time to work on that. Let’s get you to the chariot.”

 There was no sign of Logan or his prep team when we arrived at the bottom floor of the Remake centre. Annabella and Felix were there, though, and the cooed at the sight of me.

 “Darling, you look utterly fabulous!” they chorused. I smiled weakly and tuned out of what they were saying. The other tributes were glaring at me, so I glared back, whilst taking in their costumes. I couldn’t help feeling sorry for some of them. The District 4 tributes were dressed as a pair of shrimps, and the tributes from District 1 were mocking them. The worst must have been the ones from District 7, though. Imagine dressing someone entirely in paper! Ridiculous, I thought. Several tributes stuck in my mind right away, however. The tall, handsome boy from District 1. A striking girl with cat eyes from District 2. District 8’s girl, a beautiful redhead dressed tastefully in a long sleeved pink tunic. The boy from District 1 suddenly turned and caught my eye. His face twisted into a menacing smile. He drew a dagger made entirely of jewels from his belt, and swung it skilfully, before drawing it along his neck in a death motion. The dagger was pretend, of course, and he was only trying to intimidate me, but it scared me all the same. Instead of letting it show, I smiled back, and motioned for him to come over to me. He froze, unsure what to do. There. I’d stumped him. He scowled, and I mouthed to him Come get me.

 “Raven! Did you listen to what I just said?” Annabella screeched in her silly Capitol voice.