Everglow ➳ F. ODAIR

Chapter Five

"Pink, seriously?" Slate begins his quiet complaints already. Though quietly so as to not let anyone know his frustrations other than his partner.

"I think it looks nice." Ebony tries to quell him while they wait to get on the chariots for the Tributes Parade.

"Of course, you think so. You're the Mayor's daughter." Slate rolls his eyes. "What will sponsors think when they see us in this?! We might as well just die now."

Ebony stares in horror as she glances around the backstage of the arena. No one is paying any mind to what Slate is groaning about, especially as there are final preparations each district makes for the tributes before the parade begins. Before Ebony can make any retort, Slate begins to sigh and shake his head.

"I guess it could be worse." Slate relents. "We could be wearing what the lower districts are wearing right now. I mean, look at District Twelve, they are just wearing flashier versions of their work attire. Nothing will get the sponsors' attention with that costume. No wonder they keep dying off."

"What about the other districts?" Ebony tries to retort against his remark. "Districts Eleven and Ten have won in the past. Many other districts have won as well."

"First impressions are important in the Hunger Games, Ebony." Slate brushes her off. "Why do you think Districts One, Two, and Four can get away with training at the academy? Because we put on a good show for them. And we can't do that with these outfits."

Before the young girl can respond, music from outside the arena sounds. This signals her and her district partner to hop onto their chariot for the parade. Before Ebony can gain her footing, the chariot quickly takes off into the arena.

Squinting from the sun's rays, the girl raises her hand to block the light. Once her eyes have adjusted, she glances around to see a crowd cheering for her and Slate. Freezing in the moment, Ebony drops her hand, as a horrified look appears on her face. Slate smacks her on her arm before leaning toward her.

"Wave." he whispers harshly. "We need sponsors and I don't want to lose them because you look scared."

Whether it is out of spite or because her brain is not able to compute the information given, Ebony begins to wave to the crowds of people coming to catch a glimpse of the tributes. At that moment, she feels like she is stuck in a cage in a zoo. Unable to escape the gazes of the people watching her. The young girl does her best to quell the fear in her by plastering a fake smile on her face. It is similar to how she typically does for events with her family back in District One.

After a few moments, the chariot slows down in front of a tall platform. Glancing up at the wall, Ebony spots a familiar man standing with a grin plastered on his face. Eventually, the chariot fully stops, as the twenty-four tributes stare up at the president.

"Welcome, tributes." he begins the same speech he always said during the tribute parade. "And may the odds be ever in your favor."

Despite the speech being towards no one in particular, Ebony cannot help but feel the president's gaze aimed towards her throughout that entire speech. It is almost like he knew she was going to be picked and sent into the arena. This isn't anything new because of the open secret that he would go after people indirectly who did not follow his plan to a t. And what are the odds that her name would be picked out of the thousands of little name slips? They were not high, that's for sure.

Before Ebony can gather her thoughts, the chariots move forward and away from the platform towards the arena where they had just left from. However, instead of showing her fear outwardly, she keeps her fear inwardly as millions of questions run through her mind. The biggest thought, however, is if she would survive the games long enough. And what would happen after she won?