This Isn't Me ↠ Sequel to INWYTIA ↠ Team Crafted and Hunger Games Fanfiction

Chapter 11: Spy

Snow

The lights were blinding. Each glimmer of a streamer or flash of a camera made me extremely uneasy. Party poppers were echoing throughout the hall.

"Snow, smile for the camera!" Caesar Flickerman instructed with a smile that was almost as blinding as the bright mirage around me. Even so, I obeyed and beamed ear to ear. All the while, my stomach did backflips. "Go ahead and change out of your dress," he said once the photographer gave him a thumbs up. "You'll need your energy for the ball."

I nodded and forced a thin lipped smile. "Thank you Caesar, always lovely seeing you."

Caesar bowed and strolled off down the hall toward a tall figure standing in a plain white suit. The figure's blonde hair rippled as a gust of wind blew through an open window. His striking blue eyes were locked on me. 

Before Kern could say anything, I picked up my dress, whirled around, and hurried off. There was no way I could finish our conversation from earlier. Not today, not ever.

My prep team was waiting obediently for me by my bedroom door. The rays of sun streaming through the skylight above them made their powdered faces look ghastly. Even though their appearance was frightening, the warmth from the daylight lifted my mood. Coriolanus Snow was many horrible things, but he had allowed me to move into a room by the ceiling window. It was fortified, of course, but it was still a nice touch. The sight of the sun was a hint of freedom. 

"Miss Pristeen," the head attendant bowed. The others followed in suit.

"Rise," I said. "The visitors from the Districts are arriving soon. When I greet them, I must be prepped and ready."

They flurried around me like a swarm of bees. "We will begin immediately." 

My head spun almost as much as their fluttering brushes. The air seemed to suffocate me with the stence of heavy rose perfume. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. 

"Breathe in," the Capitol attendant behind me instructed as he pulled the strings of my dress together. This dress was a tight-waisted gold number. The color shifted as I turned in the light. One moment it was a shimmery gold, and the next moment it was tinted in rose. It barely brushed the floor. 

"Cinna," I whispered before I realized what I was saying. The name brought back a jolting memory of the Games. On my back, the Capitol attendant's fingers froze. His fingertips barely brushed my shoulder blades, but I could feel them shaking.

"Pardon?" he asked. "I'm not sure I heard you correctly-"

"Cinna," I repeated. The memory tugged at me, but my mind was foggy. "My stylist in the Games, only he could have made this dress." It was probably unwise for me to bring up his name. "Where is he?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about Miss Pristeen, my apologies. If you would like, I can find out for you-"

"That won't be necessary," the head attendant interrupted. Her voice was calm but filled with warning. Originally, I'd viewed her as a good server, but brainless and foolish like most of those who lived in the Capitol. After all, her hair was in the most god awful shade of lavender. Her eyebrows looked like square root symbols, and her lips had been drawn in the shape of a perpetual red "O". However, her strong stance and steely gaze made me reconsider my first judgement. 

"You're dismissed," I said after the silence had settled. "Except for you." I looked at the head attendant carefully. This time, my brain kicked into overdrive analyzing everything about her. 

"How can I assist you, Miss Pristeen?" she asked. 

Suddenly, I could see how calculating her moves were. The way she stood, spoke, and looked at me screamed danger. Yet, there was something comforting about her grey eyes.