Coming from District 1 had its own luxuries, literally. Genevieve - Gen - Ashwood, like many girls from the richest District in all of Panem, simply could not wait to volunteer for the Hunger Games once she's turned 18.
But here she finds herself, r...
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Fear pumped through my veins as I woke up the next day. It ran through my entire body, colouring me in pale ink. But I couldn't let that fear show, not now, not today.
So I got up and scrubbed myself clean, adding colour to my skin as I massaged my body under the warm water. Once I was done in the shower, I put on a dress Glimmer had offered me. Whilst I had my own wardrobe, she always had access to nicer things, thanks to her brother's status as a Victor. Every so often, she would lend me clothes and jewellery, and I happily accepted. Who wouldn't?
The cupcake shaped dress was short and low cut, allowing my legs to peek through just bellow the hem. The material was a velvety black with splashes of glitter, allowing the microscopic pieces to reflect and shimmer, adding another wow factor to the piece.
It would be a lie to say that I did not know that I was attractive. I did know. I was often told so. But Glimmer was the social, happy girl with the nice things, and I mostly kept to myself. If Lapis only knew how flirty she really was, he'd have a heart attack at his baby sister ever dating anyone. With her taking the lead, I always relied on her for fashion tips and clothes. It was also why she decided to barge into my house at 9 am with no warning.
"Hiiii Mr and Mrs Ashwood! Is Gen already awake? I was hoping I could help her out!"
And before my parents could even respond, the bubbly blonde burst through the door, a makeup kit in hand.
"Gaaaah! Glimmer!!" I placed my hands above my ears, blocking out the load BANG her opening the door had caused.
"Rise and Shine- Oh you're already up! That's new." She chirped.
"Yeah, I know." I mumbled, furiously rubbing a dry towel through my damp hair. "How do you even have this much energy in the morning?
"Coffee." She immediately replied, slapping the towel away from my hands. "Do NOT do that! It'll frizz!"
"Bummer?" Was my sheepish reply.
"Well aren't you glad that I'm here?" She threw the towel onto my bed. " I'm going to make you look amazing! And I told you that dress would look amazing on you. I could never actually fit in that with my... upper area, but you fill it in perfectly!"
"That's great?"
"Not really! I would have loved to wear that myself, but oh well if it fits you better..." She glanced at her watch and gasped. "Oh, the time! Now let's make you look slightly as good as me!" Her eyes locked onto me twisting a lock of my hair between my fingers. "And stop doing that to your hair, you'll ruin it! Split ends, Gen! Split ends!"
Intimated, I sat in front of my dresser as Glimmer got to work. She dried my hair, naturally leaving it loose around my shoulders. I was content with this, since last year she had decided to curl it, which had taken so much time that we had to sprint to not be late to the Reaping.
The makeup lasted a bit longer though. She went for a more bold approach than what my normal routine was. It was still simple though. Whilst I mostly stuck to eyebrows, eyeliner and lip balm, Glimmer obviously wanted something more eye-catching. My eyelids were smoked out in pink shadow, accentuating my cat shaped eyes, and my eyeliner elongated. She touched up my lips with a peachy colour, and took a step back, nodding at the final product
Once done, she picked out two necklaces. One was what I always wore, a long, black string necklace with a matching pendant showcasing a crescent moon on it. The other one resembled a twisted braid, black and white, and wrapped itself along the base of my neck.
"Wow... you look - Gen, you look amazing."
And if Glimmer said I did, it meant that I was, in fact, amazing. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, hugging her tightly.
"Thank you, Glim." I whispered softly.
"Of course." Was her reply. "Anything for you."
Glimmer had left after that, refusing my parents' invitation to stay over for breakfast. We all could understand why. This could possibly be her last day with her family. It could be my last day with my family. It was best to spend time with them, just in case.
"Gen, you look beautiful today, honey." My mother complimented me as she petted my hair, setting a plate of pancakes in front of me.
"Thank you, mom."
I glanced over to my dad. He appeared to be calmly drinking coffee, but his thoughts were elsewhere - eyes glazed over and looking at anything but me. Like many parents in District 1, he wished for his children to have a chance at participating in the Hunger Games, bringing pride to the District and to the family. But that didn't mean that he wasn't scared, or worried for me. It still meant possible death. It hurt to see him avoid looking at me, but if it calmed him, then so be it. I wouldn't want anyone to cry on behalf of me
I glanced up to the clock on the wall. It was now 10:30, 2 hours and 30 mins until the Reaping ceremony.
