The Girl With The Shimmering Smile

The Tribute Parade

They made me strip down my clothes in front of them while they were watching. I've never felt uncomfortable in my own body before but the way they judged me made my insecurities start blossoming. They scrubbed my naked body with soap and rinsed it with warm water. The soap smelled like the flower shop back home and I couldn't help but fantasize about district 1. The long roads were filled with all kinds of little shops. Everything from jewel stores to small cafes. I missed it. I know it's a great honor to participate in the games... but I missed my friends, my parents and even the academy.

They're supposed to wax my entire body but they just ended up brushing my hair since it was already taken care of. They then left me to wait for my main stylist, still naked. I wanted to cover my body with something but I knew I had to act confident. Cashmere taught me about these exact scenarios. I knew what to do. So when my stylist finally arrived I sat up and greeted him with a smile. I let him see every part of me. He was a white man, maybe in his thirties with pink hair in a bun. Vance and lots of makeup. He is a well known stylist to district 1. He had some great designs in previous years and I just hoped he would do me justice.

Vance looked at me intensely. He watched every part of me. I had to fight every muscle in my body to not move. He then started circling me and measuring my body. I almost slapped him when his hand went a little bit too high up on my thigh. He didn't even say hi when he walked into the room and now he's touching me like I haven't allowed anyone else to touch me before. I felt disgusted but I forced myself to just sit still and smile at him. He could ruin every possible sponsorship if he decided to give me an ugly outfit. "I think we can work.. with this" he said with a hint of disgust. How dare he?

I looked at myself through the little mirror I had in my hand. Vance had chosen a dark pink fuschia dress for me covered in shiny sequins and feathers. It also had a soft magenta cape. My golden hair was a little bit curlier than usual and I loved it. The feather crown covered with little diamonds was a little bit too much for my taste but there's no way I would say that to Vance. He had also given me purple eyeshadow and pink lipstick. I wasn't sure about it but I trusted him. Kind of. I more hoped he knew what he was doing.. Marvel had a very similar design and I really did not want to admit it but he looked great in it. I needed him to trust me. I wanted him to see me as a non threat, leaving him to believe he could kill me whenever he wanted to. So I put a hand on his shoulder and complimented how good he looked in the outfit. He gave me an almost shy smile and for the first time ever I didn't want to punch his face.

I looked around at the other tribute pairs. District 8 had the ugliest parade outfits I've ever seen. They were supposed to represent textiles but they both just looked like sad clowns. My eyes wandered to the tributes from district 12. They had black clothes with minimal makeup except for some eyeliner. Interesting. Usually they were dressed up as coal miners. I recognised the girl as the first ever volunteer from district 12. She volunteered for her little sister. Sponsors love that shit... My eyes keep wandering until they stop at golden armor. District 2. Of course they wore gold Roman themed armor.. And they both looked absolutely gorgeous. I tried to pull my eyes off them but it was impossible. The armor fitted perfectly around their athletic bodies and their helmets looked much more badass than my feather hat. The golden feathers on their chest together with the wings on the helmet made the costume look almost like a golden eagle. Big and mighty. A-predators. They wanted people to be scared of them. They wanted to look frightening. I bet some tributes are scared shitless of them. But they're not scared of me thanks to my silly costume. Good. They'll think all I can do is smile and look pretty. They'll never see my knife coming.

I don't know for how long I was staring at them but the girl eventually turned around and looked me right in the eyes. I immediately turned around and pretended to talk with Marvel. How embarrassing. I felt my cheeks start to turn pink. They even turned pinker after Marvel commented on it. I told him I was just nervous about the parade. He then did something that took me by complete surprise. He hugged me. It was a short hug - but he hugged me. For the second time that day I didn't want to punch him in the face. He started to become more human to me. Great. Just what I needed. I can't form bonds here because I know only one of us will make it back.

I turned around again and saw the girl from district 2 was still watching me. I'll have to watch out for her, she looks like she wants me dead. Her fists were clenched and she had a guarded posture. Still, with all the anger - she looked absolutely stunning. Cato finally turned around to see what she was watching, or rather who, and he cracked a little side smile. I don't know if he thought I looked ridiculous or what that smile was supposed to mean. I'm usually very good with social cues but he was hard to read. Despite his confusing smile I gave him one back. A real one. Well as real as I can perform at least. I even give him a small flirtatious wave. He actually cracked up with a real smile this time and I felt satisfied with myself. The short girl had already turned her back at me.

I petted one of the white horses pulling our chariot. I've always loved animals. We used to have a little fluffy dog named Pearl, sadly she died only a few days before the reaping. I felt a hand on my shoulder and a low voice saying "It's time". Marvel was much sweeter now than back home. I wasn't sure if he was scared and tried to seek comfort in me or if he was playing a game. I knew I couldn't trust him.. but maybe I didn't have to hate him anymore. We entered the cart and I took a deep breath. This is it. This is the first impression the sponsors will have of me. I have to do good. I have to make them love me.

The horses started to pull the chariot through the massive doors and hundreds of thousands people started cheering as we trotted down the road. I felt confident regardless of the dress. I waved to everyone, blew kisses and smiled. They started throwing roses at us and I caught one with my right hand. I smelled it and gave it to Marvel. He took it between his teeth and winked at me.The crowd went wild, screaming our names even louder. It felt amazing. Until the attention turned to district 12. I could see big banners hanging everywhere and right now they showed the girl from 12th. She was on fire. Literal fire. The crowd screamed her name even louder than they had screamed ours. I almost started to grind my teeth. No one is allowed to take my sponsors away from me. No one. I need them in the arena. You're as good as dead without sponsors. You just painted a big target on your back girl from district 12.