Arena (*Hunger Games Fanfic*)

Chapter 9

The room was small, but stocked full of make-up, jewelry, dresses, suits, and almost every other piece of vanity imaginable. No mentors were allowed in this so-called 'dressing room' since our debut performance was supposed to be special. I was still in a loose t-shirt and baggy grey pants, along with Silus. Other tributes were dressed in intricate costumes clearly laid out and designed especially for them.

A tribute from the Northern district of Alemagnia was decorated in strips of buckwheat, implying their district relied heavily on alcohol. He held a jug next to him, presumably filled with ale. A female tribute, about my age, had long blonde hair and a snake-like face. Diamonds drizzled down her long gown, and she turned to me, and faintly smiled.

"What are you supposed to be?" She snorted. "A sack of potatoes? What, are you from Hibernia?" I felt my face get warm.

"You'll have to wait and see, you overpriced piece of..." Silus walked inbetween us. He was in the same outfit as me, and the girl stared him up.

"Ladies please." He turned to Miss Diamond. "We're actually from Judaea, and this isn't even our costume. Now what are you supposed to be? A salt chunk?"

The girl shook her head, prepared for him to ask. "I'm a diamond. You know, the precious gemstone used by classy people. You Judaeans are no better than the Athiopian District. But at least they have gold." She pointed to a pair of tributes, with skin as crisp as a raisin, but eyes as striking as night. They had golden chains alligned along them, and they spoke so fluidly, but almost in a different language.

I decided to fend Miss Diamond by myself. "Well what district are you from? It can't be anything better than Senatia."

She looked like I just challenged her to a duel. "Thanks for asking, but I'm from Belgica, land of diamonds. Our district actually can afford nice stuff, like good food, stylish clothing, ..."

"Oh Vivienne, shut up." A boy rushed up behind her. He seemed around sixteen, tall, lean, but had a strange aura to him, like he knew how to play the game. "She's acting like our district is perfect. She wouldn't know a single thing about work, since her family can just afford to pay off all the miners to collect diamonds for her."

Vivienne, also known as Miss Diamond, turned around and glared the boy in the face. "Olivier, I told you not to tell anybody about my family!" Her face glowed red, and she stormed away to the row of newly introduced chariots.

"Sorry about Vivienne." Olivier said. "She's pissed because she can't go back to her mansion overlooking the sea. It's pathetic if you ask me."

"She did seem stuck-up." Silus noted. "But if she's so rich, why can't her parents just tip off the Senate to let her go?"

Olivier laughed. "It doesn't work like that. Her family decided to leave Senatia for Belgica, so they then suffered the wrath of the empire. It's a stupid concept, if you ask me." He looked me up and down.

"The chariot show is about to start. I'd start bringing in the Judaean pizazz." He stepped away, closer to his diamond-studded chariot. It was unrealistic how luxurious these festivities were. If only they spent half of what they spent here on feeding Judaea...

"Lucerna! Silus!" Nero shouted. "Over here!" We trotted over to my designer, even though he didn't have much to design. "It's time to begin the parade. Remember, don't pull a Panem stunt. Don't stand out, fit in, but play natural." He smiled, held out a razor, and began to swiftly, yet carefully, cut my clothes off. I stood in the brisk room, trying to conceal my body.

"Oh honey, don't cover it. Flaunt it! You rule the world tonight!" Nero shouted, and pushed me towards the textile-covered chariot. If I died, I know I didn't want to die without my dignity.

Silus followed suit behind me, and I didn't dare look at him, and the same rule applied to him. We stood in the chariot, with a few other tributes and designers gasp at us. We stood on separate ends of the chariot, and put on our best brave face, ready for the show to begin.

I didn't realize the chariot show was beginning until a huge flash of light hit me. The warm Sun made it easier to bare the nude, but it was still difficult. I looked in the stands, and put on a dull grin. Most of the Senatians looked decently unimpressed with the tributes this year, but occasionally I saw a few smile. Other stands were filled with high-ranking officials from each district. I finally saw the stand for Judaea near the end, with Hecatia and Oddius being the only ones occupying it. Honestly, I was disappointed my family couldn't make it to say one last goodbye, but I don't think I would want their final image of me being naked and embarrassed.

I waved shyly to Hecatia, who gave a disgusted smile in return. Oddius looked half-annoyed, half-enchanted by Nero's non-existing fashion statement. At the end, the chariots lined up extremely close together, almost touching. A royal band sounded through the streets, packed between the highly condensed skyscrapers flanking us.

Silus gently tapped my shoulder. "Look, it's the emperor himself." He pointed to our left, down a narrow street. A whole army of imperial guards marched down the streets, some with guns, others with ceremonial swords. In the front was the Emperor Gustav, Presider of the Euro-Centric Empire and Consult of the Districts. He wore a royal purple outfit, along with gold-plated shoulder plates and a laurel wreath over his head.

The girl to my right bumped into me. I was about to scold her when she gave me an obnoxious smile. "Look at the Emperor. He looks cuter in pictures than in real life." She guilefully slipped me a portrait of the Emperor, carefully chiseling out his chubbiness and untamed hairstyle.

I leaned into the girl next to me. "I would hate to have the job of bathing him. Just look at how gross he is." I whispered, and the girl snickered. She had brown curled hair, and bright blue eyes. She was beautiful, and her outfit was barely better than being nude.

"What district are you from?" She asked, noticing my non-decency. "It seems to me that it's a very open district, wherever it is."

I sighed. "Judaea. We actually aren't that open, it's just my designer is an idiot."

The girl shrugged. "Textiles triumph over grains. I mean, come on! Gaul has to be literally the worst district. Everyday it's the same, collect the harvest, bake bread, go to sleep, and repeat. I'm almost glad I had the chance to escape reality!" She ranted. "By the way, the name's Lina Massilia."

I smiled politely, but hushed, knowing it wasn't the most appropriate place to be denouncing the Emperor and Empire. "I'm Lucerna. Now what is the Emperor doing now?" I pointed, and he was blowing kisses to the screaming Senatian women in the stands closest to him.

Lina giggled. "It's his fan club. He probably paid them all to pretend to like him."

I began to laugh overly, and a solider started to stare at me, so I then returned to the attention mode. The Emperor finally dropped off his golden chariot, and commenced his annual speech, which would be played across all districts of the Euro Empire.

"People of my Empire, rejoice at these strong heroes and heroines ready to lay their lives down at your feet, for the entertainment and order of our kingdom! From the ruined soil of Panem was the Great Rebellion, which has weakened the empire for ages! Their new president, Felix Hyde, has threatened our beautiful and prominent civilization from taking right in the pretentious Hunger Games! I now declare the festivities to begin, in rejection to the vile Felix's plan for our destruction!"

Emperor Gustav raised his hand, as did all of the crowd. My arm wavered in the air, begging to not be singled out. Luckily, a Senatian woman in the stands objected to saluting the Emperor, gaining the attention of all nearby guards who went to arrest and execute her. As the chariots returned to the dressing room, I couldn't help to spot the national motto along the entrance of the stables.

'THE SACRIFICE OF ONE LEADS TO THE SALVATION OF A HUNDRED'

As I stepped back into the room, I couldn't help but think, could I be that one?