Rise From the Ashes

Chapter Six

A few hours later I'm wearing what could possibly be the deadliest costume ever. Either way, it'll be breathtaking. I glance nervously at Cinna.

"It's not real fire." He assures us. "It's synthetic, plus your suits are made to protect you."

I glance at Gale. I look away and glance towards the other tributes. The boy from two is staring at us. We must look like a meal to them. Unlucky for them, survival is second nature to me and I don't go down without a fight. I stare him directly in the eye and raise my chin. It may be stupid of me but he doesn't get to think of me like that. Beside him is the girl who won two years ago, the girl who killed my sister. As I look in his eyes, I realize that it's not hunger for my blood in them, it's pity. He must recognize me, or his mentor might. The girl with a dead sister. Well, I refuse to be the dead girl with a dead sister. They will know my name whether I live or die. At least my face is clear of makeup and my hair has been rebraided into a bunch of tiny braids and then one big braid.

"I want the audience to recognize you when you're in the arena. Ash Rooker, the girl on fire." Cinna says dreamily. It crosses my mind that he could be crazy. His demeanour suggests that it could be the case. I'm relieved that Gale shows up in the same outfit as me. His stylist, Portia, and her team are giddy with excitement about the splash we'll make but Cinna seems weary about the congratulations he receives. We're loaded into a chariot just like the other tributes. Our horses are coal black and so well trained they don't need someone to lead them.

Cinna and Portia make sure we're well arranged and then they step away to consult with each other. I look at Gale. "What do you think? About the fire?" I whisper.

"I'll rip off your cape if you'll rip off mine." Gale says through his teeth.

"Deal." I say. If we get them off soon enough, maybe we can avoid the worst of the burns. "I know we promised Haymitch we'd do exactly what they said, but I don't think he considered this angle."

"Where is Haymitch, anyway? Isn't he supposed to protect us from this sort of thing?" Gale asks.

"Well all the alcohol in him makes it unsafe for him to be around an open flame." I say. Suddenly we're laughing. I guess we're both so afraid of the games and more pressingly the flame that we aren't thinking or acting sensibly.

The opening music begins. It's very easy to hear. Massive doors slid open to reveal the street lined with crowds of citizens. The ride lasts around twenty minutes. They show us off to the districts. I'm hoping that during the Games they protect Prim. It will eventually lead to the Training Center where we will be housed until the Games.

District One pulls out of the Remake Center to loud applause. They're always favourites. They look beautiful, spray painted silver, in tunics covered in jewels.

District Two follows them taking the boy who pities me. Slowly the Districts trickle out and we reach the door. Right as the tributes from Eleven leave the Center, Cinna appears. He holds a torch and lights out capes and headdresses. I wait for the burning to start but it only tickles. He sighs in relief. "It works. Remember heads up high. Smiles." He tucks his hand under my chin and raises my head. "They'll love you."

Cinna jumps down and has another idea. He shouts something up at us but the music drowns him out. He shouts again and gestures at our hands.

"Whats he saying?" I ask Gale. I look at him and incased in flames he's dazzling. I must be too.

"I think he said for us to hold hands." Gale says. He grabs my hand and we look at Cinna, who nods and gives us a thumbs up. We pull into the city.

The crowds alarm at our appearance quickly turns to cheers and shouts of "District Twelve!" Everyone looks at us and we're the center of attention. I catch a look at us on the screen and Cinna was right about our makeup. We both look prettier but recognizable. Cinna's voice fills my head for a second and I raise my chin pushing on my most winning smile. I wave with my free hand and blow kisses in to the crowd. The crowd is going crazy. They're throwing flowers and shouting our first names.

Cinna has made me unforgettable. They won't forget Ash Rooker, the girl on fire. Someone throws a Rose and I catch it blowing them a kiss. They all reach up to grab it and they shout my name. I gently pull Gales hand up and hold them above our heads. As we enter the City Circle I realize that I must be cutting off the circulation in Gales hand. I lower our hands and loosen my grip. Gale regains it.

"No, don't let go of me. Please I might fall off." Gale says looking at me. The firelight reflects in his grey eyes.

"Okay." I answer. It makes me feel safer too. The twelve chariots fill the loop as we pull up to President Snows mansion. The president gives the official welcome, I can't believe I'm actually related to him. They traditionally show each tributes face but we have stolen the cameras. During the anthem they do try to get each tribute but they follow us as we finish the parade.

The doors shut behind us and we're engulfed by our prep teams. They're babbling our praise as they slowly fade more into incoherence. The tributes are giving us dirty looks confirming that we outshone them, literally. Except the boy from Two. His eyes hold less pity and a little bit of respect. Maybe he understands that I'm finally a contender.

Cinna and Portia carefully remove our capes and headpieces and Portia extinguishes them. I realize I'm still glued to Gale and force my hand to open. We both massage our hands trying to help the blood keep flowing.

"Thanks for keeping hold of me. I was getting a little shaky out there." Gale says.

"It didn't show. I'm sure no one noticed." I answer.

"I'm sure they didn't notice anything but you. You should wear flames more often. They suit you." He says sweetly. He smiles at me, its a genuine smile. I smile back and rub my arms.

"Let's go up to your room." Cinna says. I nod and we start up. They filter into an elevator but I stop.

"I'll catch the next one." I say. They nod and the elevator shoots upwards. I step into the next one and I'm joined by the boy from Two and his mentor.

"I'm Cato." The boy says softly. "I just wanted to say-"

"You don't have to feel sorry for me because of my sister." I cut in.

"No, but I want to apologize." His mentor, Terra says. She was the won who killed my sister. "I was just trying to get home."

"I understand." I answer. I bite my lip. "Ash."

"Nice to meet you Ash." Cato says holding out his hand. He surprisingly nice. I shake his hand.

"Well I think this is your stop." I say. They nod and leave. I shoot up to the twelfth floor and step out. All the districts have their own floor.

"Well what held you up?" Haymitch asks.

"Terra Hadley and the boy from Two joined my elevator." I answer. "They wanted to apologize for my sister."

Haymitch nods. "I liked your sister. She was sweet." He muses. "I wanted her to win."

"So did I." I say. I mainly just wanted her to be alive. So I didn't have to explain that one more person Drift loved wasn't coming back.