Safe and Sound || Hunger Games

Chapter Five - We Will Burn

As soon as we disappeared from sight of the people, Grayson turned to face me, looking petrified. I gulped as I looked at the boy. We both walked to the train door, before we gave each other an encouraging nod, when at last we were torn from each other's company and taken into the accommodation of our stylists.

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I always knew my pain threshold wasn't very good, but this was slightly ridiculous. I was now fighting back tears as Venia, a woman with golden tattoos above her eyebrows, lay the final waxing strip down on my leg. She had waxed my entire body and now I was feeling very much like a skinned rabbit. Venia looked me in the eyes as she patted down the strip and prepared herself to tear the last of my, I quote 'ugly', hair out of my body.

"Last one! Deep breath and-" Venia said in her weird accent, before she tore the strip from my poor, raw body. I yelped as the hair was torn from the layers my skin. Venia then smiled triumphantly, but then grimaced when she caught sight of the strip. "Bleurgh, I don't mean to be rude, but you District people are covered in so much hair."

"At least she isn't sobbing, it always makes the job much harder than it actually is." Octavia pointed out, giving me a pat on my shoulder with her bright green hand. I just grimaced, but she seemed pleased with my reaction, obviously thinking I had taken to it happily. Flavius then looked me up and down once more, then nodded in approval. I shivered in my thin dressing gown, the effects of having a hairless body finally hitting me hard.

"Good, good. Now, time for some lotion. She's looking a bit on the raw side." He said as he patted down his bright orange, corkscrew curls. Venia and Octavia then started rubbing my sore legs down with a lotion that stung, but eventually started to soothe my plucked skin. I breathed out in relief, but my joy was short lived, because they pulled me down off the table, then pulled off my thin dressing gown, meaning I was standing there naked. All three of them examined me, pulling out the last remains of my hair. I felt slightly self conscious, but I didn't argue and demand to let me put my robe back on again, Haymitch had told me not to argue, so I didn't dare say anything. "My dear, you almost look presentable now!" Flavius exclaimed, looking proud about his work.

"Time to fetch Cinna?" Venia asked, looking excited now. Flavius nodded and all three members of my prep team darted out of the room to get Cinna, my stylist. I just stood there, stark naked, wishing I was wearing my dressing gown, despite how thin it was.

At last, Cinna came walking in with his casual black shirt and trousers, his metallic gold eyeliner bringing out how wonderful his eyes were, despite the small wrinkles beginning to form under them. His hair was cut short and brown, but there were a few grey streaks. He was looking older now, but most unlike the other Capitol stylists, he hadn't tried to hide it. He gave me a kind smile.

"Hello Harper, I'm Cinna. I shall be your stylist. Let me have a look, don't be scared, I won't do anything." With that, Cinna started to examine my body, but I didn't feel too self conscious about it. He didn't make any comments, he was silent, but I could tell he was making mental notes, "Now, if you please, slip on your robe and follow me. We're going to have a little chat, nothing to be afraid of. You can relax, you're safe with me, I'm not going to rip you raw."

Cinna takes me into a simple room and beckons for me to sit down on a red sofa. Cinna also sat down and pressed a button, causing lunch to come out of a second layer and on to the table. I stared at the food hungrily, the Capitol food truly was delicious and somewhat, well, extremely appealing, especially after years of starvation and hunting for the family dinner, which would consist of a wild squirrel or two, and maybe even a wild turkey.

"Go ahead, take all you want." Cinna then said, smiling slightly as I grabbed a chicken roll, "So, Harper. As you know, I am your stylist and Portia is your fellow tribute, Grayson's. Our aim is to make the two of you represent the flavour of your District, as so to speak. You are both in District Twelve, so mining. Over the last however many years, Portia and I have created fiery outfits for your tributes. This year will be no different, except for the fact that it will be different." That made absolutely no sense to me. How could something not be different, but be different at the same time? That wasn't possible and I couldn't believe Cinna could even pull that one off.