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R-i-i-i-p! gritted her teeth as Lilith, a woman with lilac hair and gold tattoos above her eyebrows, yanked a strip of fabric from her right leg, tearing out the hair beneath it. "Sorry!" she piped in her silly Capitol accent. "You're just a bit hairy!"

Why did these people speak in such a high pitch? Why did their jaws barely open when they talked? Why did the ends of their sentences go up as if they were asking a question? Odd vowels, clipped words, and always a hiss on the letter s. no wonder it was impossible not to mimic them. They seemed more like a race of aliens to Rose rather than actual people.

Lilith made what was supposed to be a sympathetic face. "Good news, though. This is the last one. Ready?" Rose got a grip on the edges of the table. She seated on and nod. The final swathe of her leg hair was uprooted in a painful jerk.

She had been in the Remake Center for more than three hours and she still hadn't met her stylist. Apparently she had no interest in seeing her until Lilith and the other members of her prep team had addressed some obvious problems. This has included scrubbing down her body with a gritty loam that had removed not only dirt but at least three layers of skin, turning mer nails into uniform shapes, and primarily, ridding her body of hair. Her legs, arms, torso, underarms, and even parts of her eyebrows had been stripped off, leaving Rose feeling like a plucked bird, ready for roasting.

She told herself that she didn't like it and that her skin felt sore and tingling and intensely vulnerable. She was too stubborn to admit that the velvety feel felt quite nice.

"You're doing very well," said some guy named Leo. He gave his orange corkscrew locks a shake and applied a fresh coat of purple lipstick to his mouth. "If there's one thing we can't stand, it's a whiner. Grease her down!"

Lilith and Dita, a plump woman whose entire body has been dyed a pale shade of pea green, rub Rose down with a lotion that at first stung but then soothed her raw skin. Then they pulled her from the table, removing the thin robe she had been allowed to wear off and on. She just stood there, completely naked, as the three circled her, wielding tweezers to remove any last bits of hair.

Rose's heartbeat quickened and her cheeks reddened, a bit embarrassed but she tried to shake it off.

The three then stepped back and admired their work. "Excellent! You look like a human being now!" Leo exclaimed, and they all laughed.

Rose's body stiffened even more but she forced her lips up into a smile to show how 'grateful' she was "Thank you," she said sweetly. "We don't have much cause to look nice in District Seven."

This won them over completely. "Of course, you don't, you poor darling!" Dita clasped her hands together in distress for the girl.

"But don't worry," Lilith smiled. "By the time Venus is through with you, you're going to be absolutely gorgeous!"

"We promise! You know, now that we've gotten rid of all the hair and filth, you're not horrible at all!" Leo clapped encouragingly. "Let's call Venus!"
And with that they darted out of the room.

It's hard for Rose to hate her prep team. They were such total idiots. And yet, in an odd way, she knew that they were sincerely trying to help her. Sure, the Hunger Games wasn't a beauty contest but the most attractive tributes won a lot more sponsors.

Rose looked at the cold white walls and floor and resisted the impulse to retrieve her robe. But this Venus, her stylist, will surely make her remove it at once. At least, Rose thanked the universe that she had a female stylist.

While looking around the room, Rose's gaze stopped to the bench where her reaping clothes were. Her mothers dress looked as beautiful as always, while next to it there was the white rose that her sister gave her. The blood on it was still quite evident, even from far away. It wasn't that lucky of a present after all... But exactly next to it was her mothers golden necklace, shining from the other side of the room.

Her mother. She wondered what would happen if her mother was still alive. If all of this was just a nightmare and that she would some way open her eyes and be back home...

Suddenly the door opened and a young woman, who must have been Venus entered. Rose was kind of taken aback by how normal she looked next to her prep team. Most of the stylists they interviewed on television were so dyed, stenciled, and surgically altered they were grotesque. But Venus' dark brown hair appeared to be its natural shade of brown, and just braided up in a ponytail. Her makeup was glamorous but she only wore natural tones to enhance her deep chocolate eyes. The one thing that really got Rose's attention though was her outfit. It was kind of eccentric in a way, but mostly elegant. She was wearing a silky long black dress with an open chest with two metallic gold covers for her nipples and a translucent pink fabric on top. As for her earrings, they were each a planet with a ring around it.

And, despite Rose's disgust with the Capitol and their hideous fashions, she couldn't help thinking how attractive Venus looked. She truly did look like a goddess herself.

"Hello, darling Rose" Venus smiled cheekily "I'm Venus, your stylist,"

"Hello" Rose smiled back, still admiring her earrings.

Venus walked up towards the girl and opened her arms "Come here love, no need to be shy when we're working together" she wrapped her hands around the younger girl tightly, trapping her a big hug.

Even though naked, Rose suddenly felt a bit less embarrassed and shy and most of all, a bit safer.

"Now just give me a second" Venus said, starting to walking around Rose's naked body, not touching her, but taking in every inch of it with her eyes.

"You're such a hottie you know" Venus stated "I'm sure you're kind of popular among boys back home" she winked but Rose just bursted out laughing

"Nah, I mean not really" she shrugged and for once she felt a little happy since the moment her name was reaped.

"Really?" Venus crossed her hands over her chest "Well, listen, after that tribute parade today you will be crowned the most desirable tribute" she smirked "How does that sound?"

It hadn't crossed Rose's mind much, but most if not all the tributes this year were mildly attractive "It would be kind of hard, right? I mean, most of the others-"

"No no no, we don't care about the others. That's how we outshine them."

Venus then looked over at the bench were Rose's stuff were at and started walking towards it "Step number one; I have to get to know you so I can make your personality rather than your face shine tonight"

She then held Rose's mother's dress up and examined it "Wasn't this your reaping dress? Looked nice on you" she said impressed and Rose was also impressed that Venus remembered what outfit she was wearing at the reaping while litteral children where send to their death-

"Let me guess, your mother's?"

She was a but taken aback by the question but Rose nodded proudly "It was"

Venus looked down "I'm sure it looked as beautiful on her as it did on you" then she let the dress down and picked up the necklace "I'm guessing this was hers as well"

The lack of an answer was an answer by itself.

"It's beautiful. Classic really. She seemed to like roses, judging on your name as well" Venus pointed out.

Rose had expected someone flamboyant, someone who viewed her as a piece of meat to be prepared for a platter. Venus had met none of those expectations.

"Alright, darling you can put on your robe and then follow me"

Pulling on her robe quickly, Rose ran a little in order to catch up with Venus and followed her through a door into a sitting room. Two light pink couches made of velvet faced off over a low table. Three walls were blank grey, the fourth was entirely glass, providing a window to the city. Rose could see by the light that it must have been around noon, although the sunny sky had turned overcast. Venus motioned her over to sit on one of the couches and took her place across from her. She then pressed a button on the side of the table. The top splitted and from below rose a second tabletop that held their lunch.

Duck and chunks of raspberries cooked in a creamy sauce laid on a bed of pearly white grain, tiny green peas and onions, rolls shaped like flowers, and for dessert, a pudding the color of honey.

Rose tried to imagine what it would take to assemble this meal herself back home but her brain could not comprehend it. Ducks were way too expensive, only richer neighbourhoods could afford it and still it mostly was for special occasions. The best replacement could be a chicken or a wild turkey. Goat's milk would have to substitute for cream. She could grow peas and raspberries in her garden, but she'd have to get wild onions from the woods. Although, she did recognize the grain. Her uncle used some of that for the finest bread on the bakery, which was fairly expensive. As for the pudding, she couldn't even guess what was in it. Days of hunting and gathering for this one meal and even then it would be a poor substitution for the Capitol version.

Rose truly wondered what it must have been like to live in a world where food appeared at the press of a button? How would she spend the hours she now commited to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by? What did they do all day, these people in the Capitol, besides decorating their bodies and waiting around for a new shipment of tributes to roll in and die for their entertainment? It was a paranoia, that's for sure.

"So, Rose, about your costume for the opening ceremonies."

Rose looked up at Venus, who grounded her back to reality.

"Thankfully for us, my partner, Amor, as well as the stylist for your fellow tribute, Oliver-"

Rose accidentally rolled her eyes at the mention of his name

"-is also my twin sister" Venus continued "and between us" she leaned closer towards Rose and whispered "my sister and I don't see as much potential in Oliver, especially after the reaping"

Rose's eyes widened in an instant "What-" she responded a little too loud

"Shhhh!" Venus looked towards the doors and Rose followed her gaze.

"Sorry. But wait what's that supposed to mean?"

Venus smirked, sitting back at her chair "It means, missy, that were gonna help you shine brighter than him and yeah the other tributes in general."

"And.. how exactly are we going to do that?" Rose fidgeted with her fingers and the ribbons of her robe anxiously.

"Well, our current thought is to dress you in complementary costumes," Venus said "As you know, it's customary to reflect the flavor of the district."

For the opening ceremonies, the tributes were supposed to wear something that suggested their district's principal industry. District 11, agriculture. District 4, fishing. District 3, factories. This meant that coming from District 7, Oliver and Rose would be dressed like some kind of tree. It was always dreadful and did nothing to win favor with the crowd. Rose prepared herself for the worst.

"So, I'll be in a tree outfit?" Rose asked, at least hoping it won't be indecent.

Instead of answering, Venus cracked up "That would be a good idea darling but no" she said, laughing "Last year I was stylist for District 1, I don't think that I would go around dressing people as trees after that"

Rose found herself giggling as well "Well that's good news"

"You cannot believe how overdone that tree thing is. No one will remember you in that. Your face has to be like a melody. It shouldn't leave their head. And both my sister and I see it as our job to make you the most unforgettable tribute" Venus smiled proudly but remembered something "Oh and of course, try to help Oliver a bit as well"

"I'm fine with that" Rose grinned, raising an eyebrow.

"So, listen, rather than focus on the wood industry part of the district, we're going to focus on the forest part" Venus said "And what's the most magical thing about forests?"

"Uh..."

Venus saw the girl's expression and grinned."So, tell me Rose. Are you ready for a fairytale?"

A few hours later, Rose was dressed in what would either be the most sensational or the weirdest costume in the opening ceremonies. She was in a simple sage maxi dress that hugged her curves perfectly. It even had pink and white flowers embroidered all over it. Light pink velvet covered high heels with ribbons laced around her knees, with some butterflies of the same color on them.

But what defined the costume was the costume it would change to.

Venus had put a button like feature in one of the roses imbroided in Rose's dress and all she had to do was press it and the outfit would change into a completely different one.

Oliver's costume of course didn't have a feature like that, but honestly, the stylists didn't believe that he himself would want a feature like that. He had expressed terrible fear that he didn't want to wear something over the top and go with something simple. Even the first outfit seemed too much in his eyes.

Rose was told not to touch her face to prevent any smudging. She had full on glam makeup. Highlighter everywhere and magnificent sparkly green eye makeup as well as a bit of lipgloss. She looked like a fairy but not those little ones on children stories. She looked majestic. Even more with her hair brushed out and then curled and at points braided. But even after all that, she was still easily recognisable as herself.

"I want the audience to roar when they see you in the arena," Venus smiled "Rose, District 7's fairy."

"Not that much of a fairy when I'll end up having a killing count higher than the others" Rose giggled jokingly, slightly trying to cope by using humor.

"That's my girl!" Venus trapped her in a tight hug "You got this"

A few minutes later, Oliver showed up as well, dressed in an identical costume. His stylist, Amor, and her team accompanied him in, and everyone was absolutely giddy with excitement over what a splash they'd make. Venus and Amor smirked at each other and then winked at Rose. She knew that she would make a big impression but she wasn't that sure as to if it would be positive or if the costume thing would not work and if she would make a fool of herself in front of everyone...

Eventually, they were whisked down to the bottom level of the Remake Center, which was essentially a gigantic stable. The opening ceremonies were about to start. Pairs of tributes were being loaded into chariots pulled by teams of four horses. District Seven's was wooden with green velvet on the inside. The animals were so well trained, no one even needed to guide their reins. Venus and Amor directed them into the chariot and carefully arranged their body positions before moving off to consult with each other.

The opening music began. It was easy to hear, blasted around the Capitol. Massive doors slid open revealing the crowd-lined streets. Rose was getting more and more nervous, her heart pounding audibly in her chest. She had to pick the best time to do the trick Venus told her.

The ride around Capitol was going to last about twenty minutes and would end up at the City Circle, where they will welcome the tributes, play the anthem, and escort them into the Training Center, which would be their home/prison until the Games began.

It started.

The tributes from District 1 rode out in a chariot pulled by snow-white horses. They looked so beautiful, red attires with silver and gold accessories and glittering with jewels. District 1 made luxury items for the Capitol. You can hear the roar of the crowd. They were always favorites.

District 2 got into position to follow them, then District 3 followed, then 4,5,6 and in no time at all, 7 was approaching the door and Rose could see that between the overcast sky and evening hour the light was turning gray.

'Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you!' Diana's voice ringed in Rose's mind.

Their chariot entered the city and in the beginning there wasn't that much cheering. And definitely not as much as Districts 1 and 2.

Rose gritted her teeth, suppressing a smile. Then caught sight of herself on a large television screen and wondered how could there be that little cheering when she looked indeed breathtaking. If she didn't make a good impression then she'd lose sponsors and if she didn't have sponsors then her odds of winning were decreasing. And she wouldn't risk not seing Daisy again.

"That's it" she whispered angrily and Oliver only caught a glimpse of her before she pressed the white flower on the right side of her chest.

Then the flower light up, and so did the others and the crowd's shouts immediately changed to cheers as the flowers on Rose's dress started dissolving into fairy dust that circled around her. Rose looked around, trying to find a television screen to look at the transformation as well.

She was glowing while the rest of the dress slowly morphed into an entire different dress. A corset with flowers engraved on it. As for her long skirt, it dissolved into a satin glittering one.

Every head was turned their way, pulling the focus from all three chariots ahead of them. At first, Rose was frozen, but looking over at a tv she was floored by how breathtaking she looked. In the deepening twilight, the fairy dust illuminated her face.

And then, as if this wasn't enough, some sparks appeared behind Rose's back and as the audience gasped, some fairy wings formed. Rose's eyes and smile widened even more and she looked behind her to get a better look. Green and gold translucent large wings that beamed a warm light.

"Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you!" She heared Diana's voice in her head once again and remembered to look in front of her and admire being a fairy later.

She lifted her chin a bit higher, put on her most winning smile, and waved at the crowd. Meanwhile, Oliver looked visibly mad at what just happened. He even tried to push the flowers on his costume to see if the same would happen but he wasn't as lucky.

As Rose gained confidence, she actually blowed a few kisses to the crowd. The people of the Capitol were going nuts, showering the District 7 tributes with flowers, shouting Rose's name and some even Oliver's, which they had bothered to find on the program.

The pounding music, the cheers, the admiration work their way into Rose's blood, and she couldn't suppress her excitement. Venus had given her a great advantage. No one will forget her. Not her look, not her name. Rose. District 7's fairy. A deadly fairy.

Surely, after all this there must be at least one sponsor willing to take her on! And with a little extra help, some food, the right weapon, why should she count myself out of the Games?

Someone threw her a red rose. She caught it, gave it a delicate sniff, and blew a kiss back in the general direction of the giver. A hundred hands reached up to catch her kiss, as if it were a real and tangible thing.

"Rose! Rose! Rose!" she could hear her name being called from all sides.

Eventually, the twelve chariots filled the loop of the City Circle. On the buildings that surrounded the Circle, every window was packed with the most prestigious citizens of the Capitol. The horses pulled the District Seven's chariot right up the middle of the line and they came to a halt. The music ended with a flourish.

The president, a small, thin man with paper-white hair, gave the official welcome from a balcony above the tributes. It was traditional to cut away to the faces of the tributes during the speech. But Rose could see on the screen that they were getting way more than their share of airtime. The darker it became, the more difficult it was for someone to take their eyes off the bright fairy dust that surrounded her and now Oliver as well. When the national anthem played, they did make an effort to do a quick cut around to each pair of tributes, but the camera held on the District 7 chariot a little longer as it paraded around the circle one final time and disappeared into the Training Center.

The doors had only just shut behind them when they were engulfed by the prep teams, who were nearly unintelligible as they babbled out praise. As Rose glance around, she noticed a lot of the other tributes were shooting them dirty looks, which confirmed what she'd suspected, she'd literally outshined them all.

Then Venus and Amor were there, helping them down from the chariot, and acting as they didn't hear Oliver's angry complaints about the different costume designs.

When their team was away from the other tributes, on a corridor on the other side of the building Oliver was starting to snap for real. Yelling at his stylist as well as her sister.

"You're supposed to be my team as well and you just practically sign my death bed in order to what? Give her even more attention? How much more attention? Isn't this enough? Or is it?"

Venus had enough of him "Look mister prince charming, I don't know who you think you are but as your prep team, we know what's better for you" she stepped closer to him, pointing a finger straight at him "Whether you like it or not. And don't forget that you were the one who told your stylist that you specifically wanted something normal and not over the top"

Oliver turned to look at her "Or just Rose made you pull this little act to embarrass me once again. Yeah, believe me she likes to do that every chance she gets"

"Okay stop it" Rose stepped in, grabbing him by his shoulder "What's your goddamn problem with me? You're the one always starting fights and now that things aren't going your way it's my fault again?"

"It's always your fault" he yelled, stepping closer to her

"Oh yeah? Well guess what, these Games are a fight to the death and you're just mad I know what to do to survive, as I'm doing right now-"

Oliver pushed her aside roughly and she hit the wall. He wasn't having it "Shut up" he grabbed her by the throat "Just shut up!" he pushed her harder and she couldn't speak. Oliver's hand was draining her of oxygen and she couldn't do anything about it. He was stronger than her.

The stylist's attempts of trying to take him off of Rose weren't working when suddenly, Johanna and Blight appeared in the corner of the corridor, in front of them.

They both froze at the sight before them and Oliver took his hand off of Rose. She fell on the ground, gasping for air as the two mentors came running towards them.

Blight tried to help Rose to get up when Johanna yelled at the younger boy "What the fuck is going on"

"I want to be trained separately" Oliver spat all of a sudden

"What?" everyone replied in unison.

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