The people who woke me up were the prep team. They bounced around on my bed and were excited about making me beautiful again. I was still in a good mood from yesterday, so I allowed them to squeal all about the tributes and gossip about the Capitol citizens who have made terrible errors with their fashion choices.

Since the Remake Center, I hadn’t grown any hair and I had moisturized every night since. My prep team exfoliated me and dried me up in an hour.

Scarlett worked on my hair, which apparently needed more bounce than usual. She styled it in my signature long, flowing curled locks and added the bits of gold and blue in it.

Paisley added shimmering body powder from head to toe, which made me glisten, and made me look like I was a mermaid, which were probably Alta’s instructions. After he was done with that, he worked on my nails, which were to be painted light blue, with silver flecks of glitter on top.

Circa worked on my face makeup. He made my eyes look bigger and more attractive, drawing all the attention there with the eyeliner and eye shadow. They kept my lips near the original color, and painted it coral pink. They highlighted the same parts of my face and made me look like that ethereal beauty who was present in the parade. She added eyelashes about an inch thick, with tiny diamonds at the end of a few strands.

This was the girl that Slate had been attracted to initially. This was the girl that enticed the Capitol citizens.

On the inside, I was just that plain girl who swam during the afternoons after training with her father and brother and waved nets with her mother by the evening.

After they were done, they gave praises to me and patted themselves on the back. I thanked them for making me look so beautiful, once again.

Alta came in, with the dress in tow.

It was the subdued version of my parade dress, but not really. It was still beautiful in a simple way that the parade dress could never have achieved.

The dress made me look naked, but the trail was still very long. The flesh-colored gossamer material had silver linings and embroidered metal scales from my knees and increased near the hem. It looked like I was rising from the sea and was the siren that was ready to woo the crowd.

“Here,” Alta slipped in the shell bracelet from my father and tied it around my wrist. “You look wonderful, Serena. You’re beautiful all on your own. I just tried my best to make it show even more.”

I looked at the mirror, watching this person watching me. It didn’t look like the Serena that I knew. “Thank you for this. I don’t think anyone else could have made me look any better than I do now.”

She gave me a quick hug and I gave her one back. Somewhere along the way, she must have started caring for me. Her talent made me shine. Before my score, no one knew me except as the beautiful tribute.

“Let’s go.” Alta lifted the train from behind and I went out the door.

Xavier and his stylist and prep team was there, along with mine. Together, we all descended the elevator.

Once we reached the lobby, we saw that the other tributes were being assembled in one line according to district number. Aldo and Mari didn’t need to tell us what to do anymore. They had done what they could. Our District 4 team just looked on at the two of us with what I thought was pride.

Xavier and I took our places near the start.

Since everyone didn’t need to dress according to their district industries anymore, the stylists had more freedom to make them look the best as they could manage. Alta was the only one who stuck with my mermaid image, but then it was the smartest move that she made. It was memorable. Even Xavier seemed connected with District 4, with his dark green suit and a silver bow tie that matched the exact color of silver that was on my dress.

No matter how anyone dressed, I seemed to attract the most attention from the stylists, tributes and mentors though. There seemed to be a collective sigh from a few, and looks of envy from many.

Slate looked dashing in his suit, and he confidently strode over to me, looking at me with pride as he bent down and kissed me.

My prep team seemed to break down as they saw this kiss. It seemed right that the two most glamorous tributes be together. All the odds were against us.

“You’ve got a little pink on your lips.” I reached over to rub the lipstick off his mouth.

“Catch me later?” he said, saying the exact thing I said at the stables.

“You can bet on it,” I mimicked what he said as well.

We proceeded to get back in line and wait until we were ushered onto the stage.

The lights that illuminated our faces blinded me. The cheers from the crowd were deafening. At the moment when I stepped on stage, I had flashed the dazzling smile that I gave back in the parade. Caesar Flickerman was talking about something, but I hardly paid any attention.

Before I knew it, they had called Chiffon on stage. Caesar had the uncanny ability to make the tributes feel comfortable. He made anything boring sound like the funniest thing on Earth. For this year, he had his hair dyed silver, with his makeup painted similarly. Chiffon was going for the tough look, and her 9 was a testament to that.

I only started really paying attention when it was Lark’s turn.

“Well, aren’t you a tiny thing!” Caesar exclaimed when she went to take a seat next to him.

Lark smiled evilly and said, “Don’t judge me based on my looks. I didn’t get a 10 just to be looked down upon.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it! I’m quite scared now; actually, with the way you’re looking at me right now! Maybe you can save that for the other tributes!”

Lark was the unexpected threat. That was her image. When the buzzer sounded and her three minutes were up, she gave one last wicked look at Caesar and the audience. Caesar dramatically held onto his chest, as if he were gravelly affected. The audience laughed appreciatively.

“Well, here we are with you, Slate,” Caesar said as Slate took his seat. “I’ve personally been very curious about something that’s been going on inside that Training Center. Probably connected with a certain person from District 4?” He nudged him and winked theatrically.

Slate laughed. “What, with Xavier? I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

The audience reacted with loud laughs. Caesar pretended to be frustrated, but he went along and said it anyway. “As appealing as Xavier is, I’d like to focus more on your…shall we say relationship, with the beautiful Serena Elodea?”

“Oh, that?” Slate said, leaning back on the lounge. He was playing it cool. He looked at ease since he first stepped onto the stage. That was his image. Nothing could rattle him. It looked like he had a plan for everything. He was self-assured. “Tell me all about what you’ve heard, then.”

Of course, his refusal to give a direct answer just made the crowd even more intrigued, even more certain that there was something happening between Slate and me.

“Only rumors, I guess. But a lot of sources tell me that you’ve been sneaking off places with her, and even flirted a little before the opening ceremonies?” Caesar trailed, raising his eyebrows. “We’re dying over here! Tell us something about it.”

“Okay, okay,” he said, a cool smile playing on his lips. “I’ll tell you something about it, but she’ll have to answer the rest of your questions later.”

“What will you divulge then?”

“I want her to know that I really do care about her,” he looked up intensely and I could see his face staring directly at the camera. The screen had zoomed in on it and he looked absolutely threatening. “And if anyone plans to hurt her, they’ll have to go through me first.”

Caesar is even distracted for a few seconds. “There you have it folks. He even made that threat on live television!”

“I had to make people take me seriously,” Slate said, returning to his cool countenance.

The rest of his minutes were eventful, as they talked more about that relationship, and Slate kept avoiding telling details. Apparently, he would leave it up to me to tell them what information I wanted them to know. They also talked a little about Slate’s father, who was a victor.

The next two tribute interviews seemed to take only a few seconds, because before I knew it, I was being introduced.

I stood and waved at the crowd as I took my place at the chair. I could see on the screen that my train was doing its job. It looked just like on the chariot, with the waves flowing behind me effortlessly. Here I was, Serena the Mermaid. Their cheering wouldn’t die down unless Caesar brought them to order. I blew kisses right when they started to get ready for my turn.

“They really love you here, don’t they?” Caesar half-addressed me, and half-addressed the crowd, who cheered back in response. I smiled modestly. “I can see why too! You’re even more gorgeous in person!”

“I don’t think I can get all the credit for that. I mean, it’s my parents who decided to make me, so luckily, genetics favored me.” They laugh. It seemed like I could say anything even a little witty and they would laugh at it.

“It’s a bit unfair really, for those who have to try so hard to look even half as decent as you,” Caesar frowned, although he wasn’t very serious, since his face lit up the next second. “I know who else in your family has great genetics! Everyone here loves your brother Aldo just as much as they love you!”

I could hardly hear Caesar over the loud screams from the crowd. “Eh, he’s okay.” More laughs.

“What’s it like having a victor for a brother? We heard what Slate had to say about it, but what about you?”

“I knew that I had to get ready for anything. People would think that I would have a really good advantage, having a victor for a brother, but it really is difficult to live up to his standards. It’s very annoying, actually. We all know who the favorite is at home, don’t we Aldo?”

The camera had Aldo in the shot this time, and he was good-naturedly laughing and shaking his head.

“Okay, so now onto the juicy gossip…” Caesar said, glancing at Slate. It was obvious that he kept this last because it was the most anticipated. “Slate kept his lips closed, so will you finally tell us more about it?”

“I’ll tell you what I can,” I said vaguely.

“Oh come on now! You two are no fun!”

I smiled. “Go ahead. Shoot.”

“How did this whole thing start?”

“To tell you the truth, Slate’s kind of a flirt. You can ask Lark, Taffeta and Chiffon. They’ll all vouch for me.” The screen viewed the three said tributes nodding in agreement as they laughed. Slate was the only one shaking his head. “He was very sweet though, and very charming.”

“How do you feel, knowing that only one of you, or maybe none at all, will come out alive in this?” Caesar had turned solemn for this question.

“We’re the only ones that ranked 11 here, Caesar,” I said, looking at the camera with the same deadly intensity that Slate gave during his interview. “One of us will get out of that arena alive. If anyone ends him, I’m taking my revenge.”

I knew I had to get my score in there somewhere. Aldo told me to do so, if I didn’t want my image to remain as just that pretty girl who had a victor for a brother.

For the second time, it takes Caesar to regain his composure. “You two seem suited for each other, stopping our hearts like that. You should give us fair warning, if you do!”

“I can’t help it,” I smiled a lovely one, going back to my gorgeous image, “he just makes me do and say the craziest things.”

Caesar was on the verge of asking what those might be, but the buzzer sounds, and right on time too. I just wanted to keep them wanting for more. They’ll surely want us alive long enough in the arena to see how crazy for each other we were.

“How I wish we had more than three minutes!” Caesar said, stomping his feet comically. “I demand a change in these rules! We’re all left hanging with these unanswered questions!”

The rest of the interviews flit by without worry. All I knew was that mine had stood out, what with the victor brother, the forbidden romance and the obvious love the audience had for me. I could do this. I actually had a chance.

A favorite wouldn’t be killed off so early, since it would upset the crowd.

The anthem played after the interviews were finished, and we all were viewed one last time before we walked off the stage.

As we wait in the lobby for the elevators, Slate pulls on my arm. “Meet me at our spot after you say your goodbyes.” He kissed my forehead and went into the elevator that Lark was in.

Tomorrow, we would be heading into the arena. This would be my last night in a comfortable bed. I needed to eat and drink as much as I can tonight.