I'm immediately shoved into a building behind me and into a smelly room surrounded by Peacekeepers. My breaths are getting smaller and faster. It eventually drops so low that a Peacekeeper had to slap my back 34 times for me to not faint. I sit on a rusty bench and wait. Just when I thought I was going to pass out, Savanna burst into the room. "OH MY GOODNESS CHIA! I JUST VISITED MAX AND HE WAS SOBBING LIKE CRAZY! I TOLD HIM TO ST—"
    "Savanna! STOP! I'm going to the games and I'm going to die. Deal with it. You have to live without me. At least don't spend the last 3 minutes we have together forever yelling at me!" I shout.

    "Chia, I'm sorry. I.... I'm just... overwhelmed..."  Savanna sighs into her palm. A Peacekeeper peeks in and signals 30 more seconds. Without wasting any time, Savanna shoves something wide and fragile in the shape of a circle into my palm and I shove the taffy bag that I bought earlier into her hand in exchange. Before I could tell, Savanna was screaming goodbye as Peacekeepers dragged her out. Tears filled my eyes, and the minute the door slammed shut, I started bawling like a baby. Before I could wipe my tears away, Emma bursts into the room. "EMMA!" I scream.

    "CHIA! I CAN DIE BUT I CAN'T LET YOU DIE!" Emma shouts. The next three minutes go by FAST. We just hugged each other tightly, sobbing into each other's shoulders. I whisper goodbye and Emma trudges out the door.

I am pulled into another room. There, a muscular, young brown haired woman named Georgia Mains and a dark-skinned, old man named Athens Commons greet me with nervous but assuring smiles and hoard me into a train. My thoughts are still foggy, so it's hard to notice when Georgia shoves me onto a plush velvet chair. It feels nice. People in Districts 5-12 think that we are corrupt and rich, but we're not as advanced as District 1, 3, 4, and the Capitol, so it feels nice to live in luxury. Especially because when you barely have a family and your neighbors scraps to eat everyday, getting a taste of being rich feels sweet! My body is in a daze because I don't even notice when my fellow District 2 tribute trudge into the train car. His back straightens as he runs toward me. "CHIA!" he yells.

    "Max!" I shout back. I embrace Max's hug and we stay there for a long time. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Georgia rolling her eyes. Georgia is a tall, muscular woman; she spins a knife around on the tip of her fingers like a pro. Athens is a older man who doesn't have as many muscles, but he sure is strong, loud, and fast. Trina is on the other side, chatting away with a Peacekeeper. Max and I finally break apart, and Georgia raises her eyebrows. "Siblings?" she asked while abruptly pausing her knife tricks. I can see sweat trickling down Max's head. I squeeze my eyes shut and nod. Then, Georgia walks up to me and kneels down. She places a warm hand on my shoulder and brushes my hair to the side. I slowly open my eyes and see her face has turned softer than before. "Only one of you can win. I get it," she whispers. "What?" I whisper back.

"My twin brother was in the games with me. His name was Akon. We were allies the entire games, until it was just me, him, and a handful of others. One morning, Akon decided to leave. When I woke up and saw he was gone, I heard the cannon. In the distance, I saw the hovercraft pick up a body with ashy hair and a spear in his back. Then, I knew it was Akon who died. In anger, I raged and grabbed my throwing knives. That evening, all the tributes have been killed by me. I made sure no one, even the kid who killed Akon, was left behind. I emerged as victor and that was that. I've lived in regret ever since that one fateful day," Georgia says, her voice steady.

"Oh... I'm sorry for your loss Georgia," I whisper.

I get up and come back with a plate in my hands. I hand it to her.

"Thanks for the chicken and soup."

"No problem."

Suddenly, Athens bursts into the conversation. "We're by the Capitol! Come and wave kiddos! They'll love you!" he yells. I laugh and smile. Once we get to the stop, we pass a red carpet looking thing. Everyone is throwing roses at Max and skimming my arms. I cringe because I do not like people touching my arms. Max slaps me on the back and says through gritted teeth, "Smile!". Someone grabs my sleeve and yanks it, sending me flying to the left. I eventually grumble and fake smile to the end, where Trina leads me down a hall while Athens takes Max somewhere else.

Three strange looking women stare at me like I'M the odd looking one. "Chia, this is your prep team. Chia, meet Drea, Tori, and Lia. You will soon meet your stylist, Shade. He will "glam you up" for the parade tomorrow!" Trina announces and struts away. I sighed as Drea, Tori, and Lia took turns scrubbing my hands, toes, and neck. They waxed my upper lip and thighs. I was washed several times and my eyebrows were threaded.

I looked in a mirror and in it I saw a stranger. She had a perfect, smooth face and glowing green eyes. The girl's makeup was not too strong but very pretty, and her once knotted and tangled hair was as soft as a fluffy dog's fur. It was long and loose, shiny and let down.

Everything hurt. I felt numb as a silk robe was slid onto me on top of the t shirt and I walked into a dim, white room. A tall figure comes out of the shadows. When he approaches me, it's clear he grew up in the Capitol. He had jet black hair with a white streak. He had long eyelashes and red eyeliner. His skin was smooth and dark, and he wore a puffy and odd looking white feather coat thing, with matching pants. But he seemed nice.

"Shade. Nice to meet you Chia."

I shake his hand and feel his cold ring.

It reminds me of my last time seeing Savanna, the object she places in my palm.

"Do you have any preferences for your parade dress?" He asks.

I pull out the ring that Savanna gave me. It was bronze and had something engraved in the back. It said, "Even if you come out, you won't come out the same." I hesitate for a moment. I release the breath and shove it back into my pocket.

"Nope. Do what you like."

He laughs and takes my measurements. He told me that my dress would be ready soon, and that I should get some rest.

I wander through the halls, desperately trying to find my room. I've never seen such luxury in my entire life! Pure gold walls line the floors and pictures of kings and queens line the walls. Eventually, I find an elevator that is larger than my bedroom and hit "2". The elevator lurches upward, and in a matter of milliseconds, the doors swing open, I step out in shock, staring all around me. On my left, there are 4 stairs to a dining room. On my right, there is a luxury couch in front of a T.V. Directly in front of me are 4 doors. The first one says "Georgia Mains", the second one says "Athens Commons", the third one says "District 2 Female Tribute" and the last one says "District 2 Male Tribute".

I step into my room and stare in wonder. As I sit on a plush beanbag, Trina yells, "Honey! It's dinner time! Come when you're ready!" and walks out. After changing my clothes into a long sleeved gray top with sweatpants, I approach the dinner table.

Let's do this.