Tullis comes over to me shortly after. "We should get to the parade." For once she doesn't sound excited, for once she doesn't smile. I follow her from the building to a taxi and then back to the training center. She leads me through many hallways and down three flights of stairs to where the chariots await the tributes.
Only the tributes from District 12 are here. They are dressed simply as coal miners.
Tullis and I wait by the chariot for District 11. We don't speak, which is extremely odd for Tullis. Soon more and more tributes enter the room. Fergus and Sybille and one of the last pairs to come out and they have been completely transformed. Inala and another stylist follow behind them.
Sybille wears a strapless dress made entirely of what looks like eggplants. The bodice fits her form and the dress ends just above the knees. Fergus wears a similar suit that is also made of eggplants. I have to admit it looks a little odd paired with his dark skin.
I smile at the tributes as best I can. "Okay, so while you're on the chariot I want you to smile and wave at the audience."
"Smile and wave? While wearing this?" Fergus asks. His stylist raises her chin.
"Pretend you're not wearing that or suck it up. I don't really care," I say. "You guys have to realize that this is it, this is your life now. You smile for the cameras and you act like this is the best thing that's ever happened to you. There are people out there that could be your sponsors and that could mean saving your life. You won't get any sponsors if you don't put on the act."
Tullis nods. "Be confident." A voice comes on the speakers telling the tributes to get ready. They get on their chariots.
"We'll be waiting for you when you're done," I tell them as the District 1 tributes pull away. Tullis gives them a thumbs up and soon they're gone. I turn to Inala. "It's so good to see you again."
She smiles and hugs me. "How've you been, dear?"
I nod. "Uh, good," I say quickly.
She nods too. "Come on, let's go watch." We walk out to where the rest of the audience sits. Huge screens show each of the tributes as they ride down the street.
The District 1 tributes wear clothes that look fit for royalty. The girl wears a huge dress that's deep purple and the boy wears an extravagant suit in the same color. They even each have a crown atop their heads and they carry themselves with great confidence.
The outfits for District 2 are based on bricks. Both of their faces are partially covered by a wall of orange and brown bricks built up from their shoulder. Both outfits continue downward with the image, the girl's turning into a dress and the boy's ends in shorts. Like the tributes from 1 they have a lot of confidence.
Both District 3 tributes have bright green leggings on that look like circuit boards. The girl has a small dress and a very long train made out of different colored wires. The boy has a vest made partially of the wires and partially of more of the circuit board material. They both stare at the screens and cameras filming them.
The District 4 tributes wear what look like bathing suits with nets draped over them. They have the same attitude as the 1 and 2 tributes.
District five's tributes have fairly normal outfits on except attached to them are coils of metal that have electricity bouncing between them. They're both too scared of getting shocked to wave, smile, or even blink.
For District 6 they are dressed as train conductors did a long time ago. They both wear blue suit jackets and stiff blue hats. The girl wears short shorts made of the same material and the boy has suit pants. They give shy smiles and wave.
Both the dress and suit from District 7 look like they're made of bark. They are actually quite dull compared to other districts and the tributes know it. Their eyes gaze at the other tributes on the screen with jealousy.
The tributes from District 8 have outfits made of many different colored and patterned cloths. It almost hurts my eyes to look at them.
The clothes made from grain for District 9 give them an almost tribal look. It's as if they were born in the wilderness and had nothing other than wheat to clothe them. The girl clutches the chariot with white knuckles.
The tributes from 10 have had small antlers attached to their head to represent the livestock of their district. The boys antlers seem to be bothering him because he can't stop touching and moving them.
Fergus and Sybille are next and Inala looks proudly at Sybille's dress, which is quite gorgeous. They seem pretty confident and they smile and wave at the crowd.
The coal miner outfits from District 12 only look slightly better than the trees from 7. They don't smile, in fact they look miserable. The boys face is slightly green and he stares at his hands that hold onto the chariot tightly.
The chariots make their way through the street and then back to the training center. Tullis, Inala, the other stylist, Atla, and I all hurry back that direction to meet them.
"Good job!" I call as we approach them.
"You guys did so good, just fabulous," Tullis says.
They smile awkwardly. "Let's go up to our floor and you can get changed into more comfortable clothes. Then we'll have dinner." I turn to the stylists. "Would you like to join us?"
"We'd love to," Inala says before Atla can open her mouth.
"Oh wonderful!" Tullis leads us all to the elevator and pushes the button. We shoot upwards and the ride is over in seconds. The doors open and the tributes gape at what's beyond them.
The floor is twice as plush as the train, which is definitely saying something. When you walk in there's an entryway with a coat rack and a bench. Further in is the dining room which is raised off the floor a few feet. The table is glass and very clear and the chairs look like flexible blue plastic. It's already set and avoxes are waiting in various locations throughout the room. Beyond that is an area with a TV and several sofas and chairs. After that are the rooms, which the tributes head towards.
"Get changed quickly," Tullis tells them. "We'll be eating in thirty minutes." Tullis and Atla head towards the table.
"Inala," I say quickly before Tullis can wrap her in a Capitol conversation that could last hours. "I'd like to catch up with you in my room."
She looks at the other two and nods in understanding. She is one of the few good Capitol citizens I know and she helped me a lot last year. We go into my room and shut the door behind us. She gives me a genuine hug.
"How are you, dear?" She moves to the bed and pats the spot next to her.
I sit. "Um... I'm not really sure. Surviving I guess."
"Sometimes that's the best you can do." She takes a deep breath. "I suppose I know what you want to talk about."
"You do?"
She chuckles. "When you were about to go into the hunger games, you were worried about him. I'd told you I'd look out for him and that promise extended through the year you've been gone."
"How do you always know what's on my mind?" I sigh. "So how is Talon? I saw him on the train, but we didn't get a chance to talk much."
She hesitates. "As far as I can tell he is fine, but... about once a week he disappears for the whole day. It happens every week. I have reliable eyes all around the city and we've searched everywhere with no luck. I think the Capitol is taking him."
"What do they do to him?"
She swallows. "I don't know, but he seems to have no recollection of it."
"I hope they're not hurting him."
She puts her hand on mine. "Aldera, I must ask you what your relationship is with him exactly? What do you want between you two?"
I look at the ground. "I don't know. Before I went into the games we kissed, but they found us and we've never talked about it. We've never had the chance and I don't think there will ever be a way we can be together with the Capitol watching our every move."
"Do you love him?"
"I... I think I do." A tear rolls down my cheek, but I quickly wipe it away. "Why did this happen? Why did I fall in love with someone I can never have?"
She puts her arm around me. "Never say never, love often finds a way, but sometimes it needs a little push. I'm going to help you two in anyway I can. Listen, I've arranged for him to be an avox serving on your floor. Tonight after dinner you can see him. Wait until everyone's gone into their rooms and then follow this hallway all the way to the end. There's a stairway that leads up past floor 12 and onto the roof. There aren't any cameras up there and the wind is too loud for anyone to hear. He'll meet you up there."
I pull her into a hug. "How did you know...?"
She smiles. "I can tell when a person's in love."
"Thank you."