THE MAN IN THE HANGING TREE | Gale Hawthorne

ELEVEN - The Start of Everything

YOUR POINT OF VIEW

"Just one last touch, dear." Says Flavius, the one who does hair in the prep team. He twists my hair in a sort of up-do, then weaves some flowers into it— crisp white roses.

Venia, another on the prep team, is in charge of eyebrows. She plucked mine earlier, and is now doing my makeup delicately.

And Octavia does nails. She painted mine soft pink, with little white roses on them. I sense a theme rather quickly, and realize even quicker that our dear president wears the same flower on his lapel every time he's on air.

This is a message from him, I can tell. Don't screw this up. He seems to tell me, from miles and miles away.

Aside from the ominous message, I'm really not sure why all of this is necessary for one little interview.

"And we're done!" Says Venia finally. The three of them back away, smiling at their work.

"Oh darling! You look absolutely stunning!" Exclaims Octavia, and the three of them steer me to the floor length mirror in my room, all practically gushing over me.

I peer at my reflection, and am quite surprised at what I find. "Wow." I breathe. Now I understand their enthusiasm.

Effie picked out the dress I'm wearing, and I have to admit, it's gorgeous. It's a pale blue thin strapped, A-line dress, complete with a sweetheart neckline. It flows down to just above my knees, where the hem of the skirt is embroidered with white roses, as is the hem of the bodice.

My makeup is neutral, not too noticeable, it just enhances everything. Makes my eyes appear brighter, my lips pinker, my eyelashes fuller. And my hair looks amazing. Strands twisted up and back, leaving two wavy pieces down to frame my face. Flowers weaved in it match my dress and my nails, perfecting the entire ensemble.

"You guys are really good at your job." I tell them, I look like some sort of princess.

The three of them give me a hug, telling me how beautiful I look once more. I suppose not all Capitol people are bad, some are just pawns in this game too.

Effie walks in the room then, marching straight up to the group of us. "Oh, look at you dear! You look gorgeous!" She gushes.

"Thank you." I say, smiling appreciatively, though the prep team did all the work.

"Here." She says, with another grin. "The last part of your outfit." Effie hands me a pair of wedges. They're clear, with a single white rose suspended in the heel, staying with the theme.

A clear message all the way from the Capitol.

"They're beautiful." I say, a bit apprehensively. "But I don't think I'll be able to walk in them." They are far too tall compared to the shoes I normally wear.

Effie lets out a tsking sort of noise, dismissing me with a wave of her perfectly manicured hand. "I can give you a quick lesson, put them on."

So I put on the heels, stumbling slightly as I stand. And in the next few minutes, Effie shows me how to walk properly in high heels. I try my best to copy her actions, and improve a bit from my stumbly start, before there is a knock on my bedroom door.

"You can come in!" Calls Effie, eyes still trained on fixing my lacking posture.

Haymitch enters, tablet still clutched in his hands. "Everyone else has been interviewed. It's yours and Gale's turn." His eyes flicker over me, noting how different I look now.

I nod, still a bit wobblily, I then turn towards the prep team and Effie Trinket. "Thank you so much." I thank them once more, before following Haymitch to the winding stairs.