The Demigod Games (PJO/THG)

32 - The Woman With The Purple Wig

- District 12, a week prior.  

As 1pm struck on the day of the annual reaping, an eerie silence filled the main square… compact with tension and anticipation, as if the entire population was holding their breath. An elevated stage had been installed for the occasion, like every time - the Gamemakers just couldn't stand lowering themselves to the people's level, it appeared. 

On stage, facing the restless crowd, a woman known as Effie Trinket stood in high heels, wearing her trademark look - a quite fascinating mixture of disgust and condescendence packed with fake sympathy and politeness plastered on her expression, equally combined with a ton of very unmatching makeup spread like butter on her entire botoxed face. Yellow lipstick, orange blush, green eyeliner, blue mascara… and a purple wig on top of that: the woman looked like a low-budget advertisement panel for a Gay Pride defilé - quite ironical, considering she couldn't have been more homophobic. 

Effie surveyed the crowd, squinting through the sunlight and inspecting each and every one of the citizen's faces patiently. It was obvious to anyone that the woman could feel the tension, and was relishing it; she was fully conscient of the power she had in her hands. Quite literally, by speaking the name written on the piece of paper crumpled in her hands, she chose the life or death of one of these people - and this lady was quite set on enjoying the suspense as much as he could. 

At last, breaking the unbearable silence roaming over the public square, Effie pursed her lips, clearing her throat, and the tiniest smile could be seen on her mouth as she uttered the two words inscribed on thepaper in the small micro. 

"Katniss… Everdeen?" 

Silence. No-one dared to speak, or raise their hand. After a few moments, the woman cleared her throat once more and repeated the name, the words tainted with impatience. Ugh, couldn't they just accept their fate already? It irritated her to the highest point whenever a tribute stalled like this. Didn't everyone have other things to do? 

"Katniss Everdeen, will you please come forth?" 

The crowd shifted, heads turning and quiet murmurs and whispers rippling through the square. Katniss? Did you see her? Not since yesterday. I saw her selling deer meat at the market, just last night.  It seemed everyone in the District knew the girl - which irritated Effie even further. 

She gave a lazy twist of her hand, glancing sideways… 

… and with that simple flick of the wrist, everything erupted into chaos.

Peacekeepers shouldered their way into the ground, not even bothering to push people out of the way - simple knocking down everyone standing on their path. "Katniss Everdeen!" They roared at unison, almost like an opera's choir. "Come forth now, or there will be severe consequences." The people scattered, getting out of the way as quick as possible, the usual terrorized looks on their faces whenever the imposing policemen came anywhere close to them.  

But Katniss Everdeen was nowhere to be found. 

At the far edge of the square, so unnoticeable one would have to squint to make their silhouette out in the shadows, a woman - in her forties, although she looked so exhausted one could've mistaked her for an elderly woman - held her daughter by the hand, a determined expression on her face. "It's gonna be okay, Primrose," she whispered to the girl. "We'll be fine. Katniss will come back. We just have to be patient… you know what to say, my dear." 

The girl nodded quietly, a ripped-up brown teddy bear held tightly to her chest.
 "When the Peacekeepers burst through the door, I'll tell them Katniss had disappeared during the night. And I'll cry, as much as I can." The girl's expression suddenly morphed to one full of sadness and childish fear, reducing her traits to that of a five-year-old's. A small tear trickled down her cheek, dropping down on the floor, and no-one who crossed the anguished girl's path at that precise moment would've resisted taking her in their arms and giving her a comforting hug. 
"Is this okay?" She lifted her head up to her mother, who nodded with a sigh.