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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I pulled on the black stockings. They reached my mid thigh, allowing the short dress to show some skin, but not too much.
Once I was done. I couldn't help but stare at my reflection in the mirror. My makeup and hair were done, and the dress was a relief from what Ilana had first wanted to do. I hated to admit it, but I looked very good. The fabric was soft and silky, much to my comfort, and most importantly, I looked desirable.
Perfect for pulling in sponsors.
"This is perfect!" Ilana exclaimed. "I've surely outdone myself this year. Of course it helps that you're a lovely piece of cake."
That statement sent a shiver down my spine. I was reminded that I wasn't seen as a human here in the Capitol, only as a toy, to be used for their amusement.
"Thank you, Ilana." I said, semi-sincerely.
"The pleasure's all mine Nini." I raised and eyebrow at that. Nobody's ever called me that.
"I think we should get going." I gestured to the door. "Don't want to keep Marvel and the rest waiting."
She nodded, and strutted past the curtains, with me following in tow.
Sure enough, Marvel was already by the chariot, talking to a Capitol woman whom I could only assume was his designer. He was decked out in a red suit, similar to mine in shade, and black pants. His dark hair shone, glitter particles scattered through each strand. His stylist must have said something, as his head snapped up, directly looking at me.
Whatever they were talking about must have bored him, as his eyes immediately lit up. He moved towards me.
"Thank god you're finally here. Penny was just about to talk my ear off!"
Beside me, Ilana muffled her giggles, and mumbled something that sounded like "sounds like Penny".
I patted his arm in mock pity. "Well, I'm here now. Your precious ears shall stay intact."
Marvel scoffed, but a grin stayed on his face.
"Well, don't you look pretty, princess?" He gestured to my dress.
I flicked my hair, jokingly, in pride. "Why thank you, my knight. I do say, you clean up well."
The tall boy let out a hearty laugh, which abruptly stopped. He was looking somewhere else. Curious, I followed his gaze, locking eyes with clear blue eyes. He had been watching the two Tributes from 2, specifically the tall male, Cato. They were decked out in golden armor, my guess being a gladiator or an old warrior theme. Very fitting for District 2, knowing they had the largest amount of Victors. I couldn't help but admire the way their outfits hugged and highlighted their muscles. Of course, my ogling did not go unnoticed, as my eyes caught the male Tribute's. His mouth lifted upwards, turning into a sly smirk.
The area behind my neck neck burned, but I willed my face to remain impassive.
Cato and I had not broken eye contact, not until Marvel spoke up.
"Should we go talk to them?"
Shifting my eyes back to Marvel, I nodded, and we both made our way to the other two Careers.
The boy noticed us first, and nudged his partner. Clove turned to see us making our way to them, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Hey 2!" I let Marvel do the talking. He was obviously much better at this than I was, with his cheery grin and all.
Cato flicked his eyes back and forth between Marvel and I.
"Hey, Genevieve and...?" He rose an eyebrow expectantly at Marvel. He made it seem as if Marvel wasn't worth his time. But apparently I was.
My District partner did not look pleased, but he did not let it show too much. That could cost us an alliance.
"Marvel." His lips slightly twitched downwards, but his smile was still plastered on.
I chimed in. "Please, call me Gen. Not a fan of my full name. You must be Cato and Clove." I smiled at the girl, hoping to calm the tension her partner had set up between the boys.
Cato smirked, and Clove looked proud that I knew her name.
"You got that right, Gen." The shorter girl grinned. Her killer eyes had soften just a bit, but they still held the same intensity. "I'm guessing you guys want an alliance."
Well that was quick. Marvel shrugged his shoulders in an exaggerated way.
"It is sort of tradition." He strained the last word. "You know, 1 and 2 get together, 4 sometimes joins in, we stab a few people and one of us comes out."
The two other tributes shared a look, turned back to us and nodded.
"We'll talk to Brutus and Enobaria about it." Cato stated. "But I don't think we should count 4 in. If so, only the girl. The male Tribute barely scraped by puberty."
We all shifted our heads to catch a glimpse at 4's chariot, and sure enough, standing by a tall, tanned girl, was a boy, no more than 13. I felt a pang in my heart. He wasn't going to make it. The girl, however, was toned and definitely Career material.
"Nini! Marvel!" I resisted a strangled sigh escaping my lips from hearing that nickname. Ilana was by the white horses, waving us over.
"Come one! It's about to start."
I turned to go back to our chariot, Marvel at my heels, until I heard a loud "hey!" coming from behind.
I whirled back to find myself face to face with Cato again. He winked, the smirk never leaving his face.
