Caged | The Hunger Games AU ✓

v. domicile

five - domicile

- - - ➳

the training center is nothing like i could have ever imagined– it's better. it's designed exclusively for the tributes and their teams. each district has an entire floor to stay on, and the living quarters are easy to remember because each floor corresponds to the number of each district. 

effie, apparently, has been trying to gain us sponsors. "it won't be hard," she promises, "considering how well you did at the opening ceremony. everyone's talking about you. they say you may have even topped katniss and peeta! only they can seal the sponsor deals, though." effie sighs. "or haymitch, too, i suppose. i'm just warming them up for you."

"i can't believe you guys stole our thunder," peeta jokes, pretending to be upset. katniss smiles and i can see the fondness in her eyes as she looks at him. i remember peeta's interview from last year. he was very charming and laid back, always finding humor in the smallest things. i am so thankful for him and katniss. i don't think i would be able to survive with just haymitch as a mentor.

we are free to do whatever we want until supper, so i head to my room. it's bigger than my entire house back in twelve, which isn't really a surprise. everything is very advanced and i know no amount of time i spend here will be enough for me to get used to it. where i usually see wood and fraying carpets is replaced with drywall and smooth paint, lush carpets sinking under my foot upon each step. the floors are so sleek i'm almost worried i'll slip on them.

i decide to take another hot shower to rid myself of all the makeup. as i expected, the bathroom is just as fancy and the shower is nothing short of cutting-edge. there are so many buttons and knobs that i am instantly dumbfounded by all of my options. i choose the button with the vanilla-scented shampoo because it sounds lovely, and i rub it through my hair awkwardly because we don't have shampoo at home and i've only used it on the train. 

after scrubbing my body with wildberry-scented soap, i turn the water off and grab a fluffy white towel with the symbol of panem on it, stepping out of the shower. i press a button that sends hot air shooting out of vents, drying me in mere seconds. all i have to do is put my hand on a sensor and a current runs through my hair, untangling it and leaving it glossy and cleaner than it's ever been. i flip my head upside down and gather it all into a ponytail, then wrap a strand of hair around the band, covering it. it's the same hairstyle i used to wear almost every day back in twelve, and it reminds me a little too much of home.

though as i look closer at my reflection in the perfectly-clean mirror, i frown. there are already noticeable differences in my appearance. for once, my hair raven hair has always been unruly, though that may have been a side-effect of the poor washing conditions of twelve. my skin has been scrubbed of every inch of dirt. there isn't a trace under my fingernails, which are usually filthy since i spend so much time in the woods. my eyebrows had been plucked and shaped by my prep team. i still look like me, but still too perfect for my taste. it's unsettling.  

i leave the bathroom and program the closet system to fit an outfit of my taste– a silver sweater with black pants. i slip my feet into a pair of black flats, not choosing to put on a pair of sheer socks with them. it's plain, but i've never been one for flashy clothing. i'd been content to fade into the background back at home. 

i switch on the television, not really finding anything that fits my taste, but i stick to a capitol soap opera because it's hilarious to watch. i find myself mimicking their accents and dramatic words, and i am more than mortified when matthias catches me in the act.

"you're late to supper," he says from the doorway right as i am in the middle of reenacting an overly-theatrical death scene. i jump, my head whipping around so i am facing him. my hands fumble with the remote and i switch it off, though i could have just done it by voice command.