Sweetest Downfall

“Okay, so you’re not too hairy so this won’t take too long.” Neetha said before she ripped off the white piece of fabric. I twitched and bit my lip, why the heck did people do this to themselves?!

I looked at the white clock on the wall, four hours had already passed and they were just starting to wax me. While Neetha worked on my arms, Talia worked on my legs and Kai was tweezing my eyebrows. I had unstoppable tears rolling down my cheeks as Kai pulled another hair out. “Don’t worry, even I cry when I get my eyebrows done. It’s because the nerves are sensitive there.”

Neetha grimly said, “Not the most sensitive. Cherry Pop, don’t kill me for this but Lomet wants you completely hairless.” Before I could respond I felt her putting the hot wax on my bikini line. I sucked in air as she tore the paper off; I let out a little wail.

“Good thing the walls are soundproof.” Talia said as she finished up my right arm and now moved to my left.

I winced and tried to follow what Mags had told me, “Be sweet, you have that kind of look about you. I told Herring to be cocky and in order to make him look stronger and you look even cuter to possible sponsors, you need to cry and be soft, like cotton. Your makeover team has the biggest mouths and they’ll be sure to tell the newspapers how you acted. Be so sweet they flock to you like honey and flies.” I gulped and held my ribbon in my manicured free hand while they finished up the waxing.

Kai smiled softly at me, his big yellow eyes popped against his dyed green skin and teeth. I never understood the Capitol fashion and I knew I never would. I looked at Neetha, she was the most ordinary of the three, she left her skin pale and her eyes were a natural-looking light brown, but her hair was dyed to look like a sunset, her roots were a pale pink and the tips were a very deep orange. Lastly I let my eyes fall on Talia; she was bigger than the other two, which was saying something. People in the capitol tended to run bigger than anyone else because everything was at their fingertips and I made my blood boil.

“Alright,” Talia finally said after another hour of polishing my skin and ‘making it glow.’

I stood butt naked in the middle of my little makeover room with them looking me over, triple checking to make sure they hadn’t missed a thing. I smiled kindly at them and Kai let out a long sigh. “Sugar you are just too cute! You’re giving me a toothache!”

I smiled shyly at them, “Will I see Lomet now?” I scratched my ear and as if that was the magic signal they waved their hands in delight and blew kisses as they walked out. I quickly put my fluffed robe back on, I felt like I was being constantly watched, and being naked wasn’t making that feeling any better.

A few moments of silence passed before a tall man with dark skin and brilliant head of sunflower-colored hair strode in. “So you’re the Cherry Pop that Neetha was chattering on about.”

I smiled sweetly, “Yes, sir.”

Lomet laughed and he motioned with his hand to take the robe off. I did as he asked and he circled me, but not in a predator-like way. He was measuring everything with his eyes, and though it was strange, it wasn’t violating. Lomet told me to put the robe back on as he scribbled something down in a pocket sized notebook. Soon he got to work on my hair; he hummed a soft melody as he cut off strings of blonde hair. “Your color and skin tone are lovely, and those blue eyes are very entangling, like a net.”

“Thank you,” I said, trying my best to get him to like me. If he was interviewed and possible sponsors watched him and he spoke well of me Mags could help to keep me alive in the damned arena.

“Is this your tactic? Act sweet and play on the viewers’ emotions?” I grew silent and he laughed, not in a mocking tone, but an understanding one. “Good tactic, you’ve got the face and features for it.”

I bit my lip and stopped talking. Was I that clear? That bad at hiding my goal? I let him dress me and do my makeup all without looking in the mirror. Lomet said he wanted to see my face after it was all finished. I shrugged when he put in me in clothes of every shade of blue. Some pieces were soft, some elastic and the final piece, a billowing sea-colored blue cape felt like a baby’s skin.

He finally let me see myself and I gasped. My hair was curled softly like the waves of a lake, my eyes were shadowed in a midnight blue and highlighted with whites and icey blues. He had stuck little gems to frame my eyes under long, fake white eyelashes. I looked at the clothing I wore; the main piece holding it all together was a V cut bathing suit, with sections of sapphires, reflecting the light like the surface of a river. Attached to that was a long some-what transparent netting that made a skirt down to the floor and then some. He draped the cape around my shoulders to complete the look and I held my hand over my mouth, I literally looked like the ocean. I saw little silhouettes of fish of all kind sewn into the cape.

“Lomet, this is beautiful,” I said breathlessly. He put plastic heels on my feet and took fifteen minutes to teach me how to walk before taking me down to the bottom floor of the Remake Center and to the chariots poised and in line ready for the opening ceremonies and the annual Tribute Parade.

I see Herring and his stylist, a strong-armed blue-skinned man, waiting for Lomet and I. As I got closer I saw Herring and he was very attractive in his parade suit. His was similar to mine in theme but changed to fit his big Career body. He was wearing a loose fitting fluffed white shirt with the first three buttons unbuttoned and navy blue trousers. His eyes were lined with what appeared to be air bubbles draw on, making a pattern coming from his mouth, over his eyes and floating up to the "surface" of his forehead. He looked at me cockily, sticking to what Mags had told him. His stylist and Lomet put us into the chariot and placed our arms and legs in the perfect positions. When they were finished putting us together Lomet pressed a hidden button on the inside of the chariot and a silent fan started up and blew our clothes and hair upward. I smiled and laughed as the wind tickled my bare legs and arms.

The opening music began and the ginormous doors slid open to reveal streets packed with Capitol citizens. The horses whinnied and I looked up ahead at the District 1 chariot and I gasped. The girl was wearing a glamorous peach colored dress what floated to an end around her peach colored knees. She wore a matching pink scarf with cream colored polka dots sprinkled like sugar along the scarf’s edges. Her token, a pretty gold necklace with a rounded crystal hung on top of the scarf, highlighted by the soft color of the dress it shone brightly. Glitter liner and shadow was on her eyes and cheekbones, highlighting her best features. Her dark blonde hair was pulled up in a high bun with fresh cut bangs covering her flawless forehead. She took a deep breath and I noticed the small cream wings that were hidden from my view until she moved. I felt a pang of guilt hit my stomach, her stylist had already set her up to die and be a beautiful angel and she didn’t even realize it. I turned my eyes to look at the boy, Emylin, from the train. He wasn’t dressed as fabulously; he had on a simple pair of tight cream pants that matched the scarf’s dots. Emylin was bare chested and his pecs and shoulders were decorated with swirls of glitter and starts of golden shimmer. His hair looked lighter then when I saw him on the train, and it was cut into a faux hawk and it made his facial features shine. He too, had small wings on his back, but his were smaller and looked like they had been broken at one point.

I sucked in a deep breath as the crowd cheered for them, calling out their names. Soon it was my turn and I felt my body start to shake a bit but I smiled pleasantly and waved to the crowd. They went wild when they saw us, the tributes of District 4. I just prayed that they liked me enough to sponsor me and let me go home to my family. I blew kisses to them and I heard a male voice call out, “We love you Shay!”

I giggled and inside my head I grinned. I had them. I had them in my hands and I was going to use them to get me through these games. I wasn’t ready to die.