Chapter Text
Chapter 5: Violets
I am almost shocked when I turn in front of the mirror. Who is this? I think to myself as I twirl in my dress. The costume was a long silver holographic dress that had glowing icy blue circuit vector patterns encompassing the fabrics of the dress. My hair was tied into two long braids in the back with matching glowing wires interweaved. The part I couldn’t help but stare at the most was the circlet headpiece with a matching glowing blue gem in the center.
“This is who you truly are,” Ms. Monty says to me as she makes sure all the parts of the chariot costume are in place.
After the inspection, Ms. Monty brought me to where Watson was to prepare our departure on the carriage. As I begin to look around I see the different tributes, all different ages and dressed up. I feel like throwing up as my body shakes. It finally hits that this isn’t just dress up.
Amongst the chaos a comforting tap on the shoulder greets me, and I turn to see Watson gleaming down on me.
Watson was dressed quite sharply matching with me, but instead of a long dress, he was given a shirt with a long v-neck and pants. All were accessorized with the icy blue glow, especially the luminescent violets stuffed into the pocket of his shirt that shifted different shades of blue.
“It’s nice to be twinning with the loveliest girl in Panem,” Watson says playfully as he gives me a joking charismatic wink. I simply just chuckle and nod as he helps me into the chariot.
“Are you nervous?” he whispers in my ear as the other tributes prepare.
“How could I not be, I fear I might fall off the chariot midway by how much I am shaking” I shakily whisper, chuckling slightly into his ear.
“If you fall off the chariot, I'll join in pursuit. Wouldn’t that be a story? The District Three tributes crash before the games begin, never done before!” Watson grins smiling at me not caring to whisper anymore.
“We would truly be our district’s pride and joy” I joke back to him relaxing my body.
The horses began to rattle and neigh, the Chariot show was about to begin.
As the horses began to walk I felt my legs wobbling due to the sudden movement mixed in with the returning nerves. Watson interlocked his arm with mine, “for balance of course” he said whispering into my ear as the cameras zoomed into this small interaction.
“District 3, Wiress Plummer and Watson Enrold everyone! A radiant duo, look at them shine all shades of blue!“ Caesar Flickerman laughed into the mic.
As we continued to be paraded I couldn’t help but stare at the District 2 tributes in the chariot in front of us. The girl had striking blonde hair while the boy had a dark reddish tint to his hair. Both were dressed in cream-colored armor proudly holding their prop weapons as they stood, tying their costume together their burgundy cape flowed as the horses moved. It was clear they were meant to embody the statues of warriors, bloodlust and all.
When the chariots finally stopped at the City Circle the cameras panned across all the tributes one last time, with the announcers making their final commentary for the night.
“See you didn’t throw up” Watson whispered to me.
“If I stand on this chariot for another five minutes, I promise I will”
“Luckily we are finally done,” Watson says as he helps me out of the chariot.
All the tributes were now exiting their chariots, greeted by their mentors and escorts. Chrysa gives us a grand smile as she hugs us, “Well done the two of you, you guys are shimmering, Wiress’s beautiful dress and your handsome suit. Wow, just wow! Monty did absolute wonders! I might even cry” Chrysa says acting as if she might actually cry in this moment. While she rambles Beetee and Nano tell us we will be taking a car heading to the tribute training center.
While we stand there discussing, there is a growing tension between some of the tributes. The redhead girl from District 4 is glaring at the girl from District 2 who appears to take amusement from discontentment smirking towards her. While the boy from District 1 and the girl from District 5 look pissed at everyone there, although it appears as if they are angry for different reasons.
My heart begins to race as it registers that the people surrounding me in a few days will be the ones to kill me in the arena. It becomes hard to continue to pretend to listen to the conversation between Beetee and Nano, as my mind hyper-fixates on how each way these tributes may kill me like animals.
“Wiress, come on the car is here!” Watson calls out to me, snapping me back from my thoughts
As I ran towards them I glanced back at the remaining tributes and the beasts I saw from before were truly just children dressed in costumes.