The Hunger Games- Prim's Story

Chapter 9

When I wake up the next morning, it isn't Effie standing over me, but my prep team. They work on me until late afternoon, making sure my skin is soft and pink, filing and painting my nails with a clear polish, and brushing out my hair until it's a glowing blond sheet down my back. They braid a small chunk of my hair to the side and weave small roses through it, then curl the rest. Octavia starts on my makeup, with Venia and Flavius reminding her every few seconds to keep it light. That means strictly mascara and only a small amount of face makeup, so I don't look too weird on camera. But she pulls out some shimmery lipgloss and applies it lightly to my lips. She puts her finger to her lips and I giggle. As much as I hate how the audience is betting how short my lifespan will be, I can't help love dressing up. 

Cinna comes in and he's holding what I assume to be my dress. It's covered in white plastic and I can't even make out the color. "Close your eyes," Cinna says, and I do. They slip the dress over me and I feel the soft fabric on my skin. There's some adjusting and muttering but soon, Venia taps me and I open my eyes. It's a beautiful dress, off the shoulders, deep red with roses sewn on the top. It falls just above my knees, and it sways around me when I twirl. I step into black flats with a slightly pointed toe. I look at myself in the mirror. I don't look like me, but I haven't really since I've gotten here. Cinna has me walk back and forth to make sure I can move comfortably in the dress. Even though the heels were fun, the flats are a lot more practical and I don't have to focus on my walking. One less thing to worry about. 

We head to the elevator where the rest of our team is waiting. Effie and Portia compliment me on my dress and have me twirl for them. I'm grateful for the distraction they bring and I like that my dress seems to please Effie. Even Haymitch looks at me like he approves. I think it's a first. Peeta's dressed in a black suit with flame accents and he smiled when I walked out with Cinna. When the elevator opens, the other tributes are in a line, the girls preceding the boys, to be taken to the stage. Caesar's signature music, a bouncy upbeat tune plays, and the line proceeds to the stage. I grab Peeta's hands and do a small dance and he laughs until a Capitol worker roughly pushes me forward, towards the boy tribute from District 11. 

Caesar Flickerman enters the stage when we're all up. He has white powder all over his face and his hair is the same bright shade of blue as his eyelids and lips. He's had many surgeries, that's obvious. It's not like in District 12 when being old is an achievement and being round is a sign of success. They haven't succumbed to death or starvation like the rest of us. But here in the Capitol, it's not the same, those features are desirable. He tells a few jokes to the audience, but soon, it's down to business with the first tribute. 

I don't really pay attention to the other tribute's interviews, not even Rue's. I'm fiddling with my fingers, counting each one until it's finally my turn to get it over with. My legs are numb as I walk to center stage and shake Caesar's hand. "So, Prim- I'm sorry are we allowed to call you that?" 

Caesar gestures to the audience. I mind quite a bit that he wants the whole country calling me by my nickname, but instead, I laugh and say, "Of course you can!" 

"Good, good. Now how are you finding the Capitol so far Prim?" He asks.

To be honest I'm not sure how I'm finding the Capitol. I don't like the reason I'm here, that's for sure. But it really is beautiful and I've always wanted to go. I used to take blank papers and dance around the house talking about how I'd been invited to the Capitol for a fancy supper and dancing. I don't have time to think of anything, so I go with what Haymitch has drilled into me. "It's beautiful. Really. We don't have much time for beauty in District 12, and now I've been surrounded by it for the past week. It's a big change." 

Caesar nods and listens like he really wants to know what I have to say. When I'm finished, he asks, "Well what's your favorite thing you've seen here? There has to be one thing." 

I smile and say, "The cupcakes. The ones we had at lunch during training, with the butterflies. I've never seen anything like them."

He laughs and says, "Oh I understand. Those are very beautiful aren't they? It seems almost a crime to eat them." 

I laugh and nod. It's going smoothly, the more we talk, the less daunting it seems. "Now, onto your training score. I think I speak for all of us when I say we're very impressed." 

"Thank you, I was very surprised, to be honest. I didn't think they noticed me at all." I confess.

Caesar pats my hand and says reassuringly, "Of course they did. No one would want to miss you."

We talk more, but I always direct the conversation back to how glorious and stunning the Capitol is. Half of it isn't lying. But soon, the buzzer goes off and I go back up the stage to sit in my seat and Peeta goes down to give his interview. I finally did it. And it really wasn't as hard as I thought! And maybe I didn't get any sponsors but it still was a victory, albeit, a small one, for me.