『 𝗧𝗢𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗥𝗡 』𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Flames

( Hey! so sorry for the extra long wait! My laptop has not been working well, but it's working at the moment so I decided to hop on here and update! I will really try to update often but honestly it might end up being just once a week or two. I'm quite busy, and with the holidays coming up... It's just a lot. I will update when I can! Thank you all for understanding! ) 

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" There it is!" Peeta suddenly shouts, startling you out of your thoughts. He jumps up from his seat and rushes to the window of the train car, leaning as close as he could get to the glass without his face touching it. 

You watched him with raised eyebrows. You aren't quite sure why he's so happy to see the capital. Even if it is beautiful, it's still inevitably where you'll be fighting for your lives. You can't seem to get that thought out of your head, how can somewhere so beautiful be so dreadful? 

" Y/n, you really have to see this." Peeta turns around with a smile on his face, waving you over with his hand. Slowly, you stand from your chair and walk towards the window next to him. You watch as you draw nearer to the train station, where a huge crowd of people are waiting. Your stomach turns at the sight of so many people and soon enough the train glides to a quiet stop and you are face to face with many of them. They cheer as Peeta throws them a small wave from the window, smiling to them all as if it was nothing. 

You notice a small girl staring at you from behind the safety of her fathers legs, timidly waving to you. You feel yourself begin to smile, waving slightly back at her. She smiles shyly and giggles as her father turns to her and picks her up in his arms, also waving to you with a broad grin. 

" Y/n? You coming?" Peeta called. 

You turn from the window to see that they are already making their way to exit the train. You nod as you pull away from the window, following Peeta down the aisle. 

You squint as you exit the train, the outside much brighter than the dark environment of the train. You try to remember your plan as you blindly follow behind Peeta, don't let them see you're afraid.  It was much easier back home, but now, with so many people around you, you can't help but feel overwhelmed. 

Despite your discomfort, you lift your head, straighten your posture, and keep your expression neutral. You notice Peeta took a different approach to the situation, smiling and waving to the crowd. You know he's just acting, just like you, but you can't help but feel like he's doing a much better job than you are. 

Finally you make it to the car that would take you to the tributes' center. " Where are we going now?" Petta asked Effie, you sliding into the seat beside him. 

" You're going to the Remake Center, where you'll meet your prep team and your stylist," Effie explains, an excited smile on her face. It faded, however, when Haymitch entered the car with a bottle of alcohol in his hand. 

" You don't think it's too early for that? " Effie asks, not even trying to hide her judgment. 

Haymitch doesn't reply, only lifting the rim to his lips and taking a swig. You and Effie simultaneously roll your eyes, both turning away to look out the window. 

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To describe the Remake Center in one word... hell.

You were not prepared when your prep team came in and waxed every last hair off your body. They must not have thought you were clean enough because they scrubbed you down until you were numb. The things they said about you were shameless, almost as if they didn't know you were there. ( " Oh dear, these eyebrows." " Is that dirt or are your nails normally this black?" )