A Million Pieces - Hunger Games (Catching Fire & Mockingjay)

Chapter 7

We arrive in the Capitol early in the morning.

It's Janus who comes to my room to wake me up, and apparently he has no sense of privacy because he throws the door open without knocking. So he sees me and Caspian laying together, our legs hanging off the mattress.

When he shouts, "Time to get up! We're here, we're going to meet with your prep teams immediately!", Cas and I both jump to our feet. I'm immediately disoriented by my surroundings, until I remember when I am.

Janus purses his lips when I thank him for waking us, and he shoots an unhappy look between Caspian and me. I wait for him to comment, but he doesn't, and he leaves the room with a swish of the cloak he's wearing.

I expect Caspian to be uncomfortable - he's never been as easy-going with those kinds of things as Finnick and me - but he just smiles teasingly. "Guess he doesn't approve."

So instead I'm the one who's shy, and I have to turn around on the pretext of searching for clothes to hide my blush. "We won't invite him to the wedding, then," I say, and my voice betrays none of my nervousness.

Caspian laughs and leaves the room to let me get dressed. I've barely put on my clothes and run my fingers through my hair when Janus comes back, clearly happier now that Caspian is gone. He hurries me out of the train and into the Training Center. I'm sent into my own private beauty room before I realise we're on the ground floor: the Remake Center.

Janus leaves to check on Finnick, and I'm alone. The quiet is eerie. It's never completely silent in District 4. Even in the dead of night when the constant chatter in the house finally dies, there's always the soft sound of the waves on the beach.

The silence doesn't last long, but when my prep team arrives, I almost wish for it to return.

"Ah! Here she is! Sapphire, darling!"

At the sound of the shrill voice, I turn around and come face to face with three people. My first thought is that they are absolutely terrifying. I have been here before, and I see them on television, so I believed I would be more ready. But seeing Capitol people up close for the first time in years makes me think I could live here a lifetime and never get used to it.

The woman who cried out to me is called Hebe. She is wearing an enormous green dress with huge leaves attached to the back. They stick out from behind her like she's some sort of palm tree peacock. Her dark skin swirls with green tattoos. Her big hair is cut into the shape of a flower, and resting on top is a daisy chain. It's cute, in a way, but way out of my comfort zone.

The man is absentmindedly introduced as Adonis and he gives me a vague wave. He has on a white shirt and white pants with black swirls, and a black jacket with white swirls. His skin is completely covered in silver and gold designs. His hair is spiked up, each spike matching a colour on his outfit.

The last woman looks more serious. She wears a form-fitting blue dress, and her hair is in black and blue waves. She doesn't have tattoos like the other two (I can't decide whether they're permanent or not) but her skin is tinged a pale cyan. She has a lot of make-up on; her eyelids, lips, and cheeks are brushed with blue. She is clearly taking her role as District 4 assistant stylist seriously, and she is already busy inspecting every inch of my body.

"Ah, I see. Well, she's not bad looking," she says. When she sees me looking at her, she gives a little start, as if remembering I'm an actual human being. "Oh, yes. Miss Ayers, I am Persephone. Now, get all these clothes off and let me see what I can do for you."

I obey silently and the three start circling me like vultures. Or Persephone does. Adonis is looking at himself in a pocket mirror, and Hebe just bounces around happily. I try to avoid eye contact, memories of my first trip to the Capitol flashing back at me. I was just a guest and not a tribute, so the prep team I had been assigned back then had gone easy enough on me, since I was only appearing for an interview.