I was very pleasantly surprised. I stood before a full length mirror admiring the handiwork of my stylists. Leonie and Sophia had worked alongside each other for another hour to perfect my hair and makeup. My hair was pulled back very tightly into a high ponytail, and my eyes looked stunning, rimmed with thick black eyeliner and long eyelashes. Then, I had to put on the costume. Leonie insisted that I close my eyes so as not to spoil the surprise. I obeyed unsurely. I was given very tight fitting underwear which made it hard to breathe, and then was put into a full body costume. When I opened my eyes, I was able to see it was made from full leather, hugging to my body, but it had been padded out to make me look more muscly than I am. My breasts had been padded out too, and I suddenly didn’t feel so weak. I stepped into big leather boots with lots of straps and stood boldly to look at my reflection. I looked like a warrior. For the first time, I thought of the possibility that I could win. I looked like a victor. I could be one, couldn’t I?

“Do you like it?” Sophia asked, adjusting the zipper on the back of my suit.

“I love it,” I breathed. “I look so…powerful.”

“That was the effect I was going for. You’ll find that Logan looks very similar to you, but for the interview, I have something entirely different in store. I wonder…can you be sexy? The dress I have for you is a little provocative. Can you be provocative?”

I wavered. I’m not a very sexy sort person, and never have been. I gave it a go, though. I put my hands on my hips and put on what I hoped might be a seductive smile. To my dismay, both Leonie and Sophia burst out laughing. I glared at them.

“I’m glad you find it amusing! What am I supposed to do now? I’ll make a fool of myself if I don’t get it right!”

Sophia looked a little taken aback but carried on chuckling “Well, at least we know you have passion. Don’t worry, though. We have time to work on that. Let’s get you to the chariot.”

There was no sign of Logan or his prep team when we arrived at the bottom floor of the Remake centre. Annabella and Felix were there, though, and the cooed at the sight of me.

“Darling, you look utterly fabulous!” they chorused. I smiled weakly and tuned out of what they were saying. The other tributes were glaring at me, so I glared back, whilst taking in their costumes. I couldn’t help feeling sorry for some of them. The District 4 tributes were dressed as a pair of shrimps, and the tributes from District 1 were mocking them. The worst must have been the ones from District 7, though. Imagine dressing someone entirely in paper! Ridiculous, I thought. Several tributes stuck in my mind right away, however. The tall, handsome boy from District 1. A striking girl with cat eyes from District 2. District 8’s girl, a beautiful redhead dressed tastefully in a long sleeved pink tunic. The boy from District 1 suddenly turned and caught my eye. His face twisted into a menacing smile. He drew a dagger made entirely of jewels from his belt, and swung it skilfully, before drawing it along his neck in a death motion. The dagger was pretend, of course, and he was only trying to intimidate me, but it scared me all the same. Instead of letting it show, I smiled back, and motioned for him to come over to me. He froze, unsure what to do. There. I’d stumped him. He scowled, and I mouthed to him Come get me.

“Raven! Did you listen to what I just said?” Annabella screeched in her silly Capitol voice.

“No. Sorry. What did you say?”

“I said doesn’t Logan look absolutely dashing?”

I turned with a huff to see what all the fuss was about, and I couldn’t have agreed more with Annabella at that moment. He strode towards us with confidence, Magnus and his team scurrying to keep up with him. He had no makeup to kill his natural beauty, but he looked different. His hair was combed neatly as usual, and his suit, so similar to mine made him look like some sort of god.

“Hey,” he said coolly, as he reached me and pulled me into a hug. He smelt of summer in District 10. Grass and flowers and honey…

“Uhh, hey,” I said dumbly “Aren’t the costumes great?”

“Yeah. Everyone else looks pretty jealous.”

“Of course they do. Half of them look like idiots. I know I’ve already made one enemy today…” I trailed off, thinking of the boy from District 1.

“Logan! Raven! Come on, it’s time to get on the chariots,” Valeria said, appearing from behind me. We scurried over to our chariot. It had four pure white horses pulling it, and I stopped to stroke one of them before clambering on after Logan. Fear crept into my body then. I had forgotten to be nervous with all the excitement, but the thought of being in front of crowds of people made my knees go weak. I felt Logan tap my chin lightly, as the first carriage set off.

“Chin up,” he said. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Too soon, our carriage lurched forward and I was engulfed by the cheers of the crowd.

At first, I thought we were being ignored. Everyone’s eyes were on the beautiful girl from District 8. Then I heard the cry “Look at District 10!” Like a tidal wave, every head turned to look at us. The cheers grew louder. As expected, we had won the crowd’s attention. I caught a glimpse of us on the screen, stood bold and proud in our chariot, soaking up the crowd’s praise. But something was wrong. I realised that we should be united. Alone, we were powerful. Together, we were unstoppable. Ignoring the advice of Sophia and the team, I grabbed Logan’s hand and threw our hands into the air in triumph. The cheers grew even more wild, and some began to shout our names to grab our attention. I waved in a good natured manner, keeping myself cool, but not uninviting. I wanted the audience to like me, but not see me as too friendly. Sponsors are everything I reminded myself.

The chariot circled the City Centre, before pulling up in front of the President’s house. I quickly scanned the chariots again, and spotted the District 1 boy, his face filled with anger. He must have known he was easily forgotten compared to me and Logan. I allowed myself some satisfaction, and looked up to the balcony of the mansion before me to see the man I have only ever seen on television. President Snow. I guessed he might be in his late thirties, but already he looked thin and frail. His light hair was thinning and his skin was pale. Don’t be fooled I thought He is the most powerful man in Panem. Looks can be deceiving.

“Welcome, tributes. We honour your great sacrifice,” he began. A large hoot came from the stands, followed by a chorus of chanting. But when President Snow lifted his hand for quiet, silence fell immediately. He had them under his little finger. I couldn’t help despising him. I knew what he was capable of. I tuned out of his dreary speech and let my vision wander to the television screens. I wondered if my mother had forced herself to watch. Whether my father was comforting her, giving her hope that my successes so far could lead me to win. Whether Eddie sat with his mother, hoping that I would come home. Would he cry? I didn’t want to think about it. The screen, meanwhile, was flicking quickly over all the tributes. Occasionally, however, they would spend ten or so seconds showing the girl from District 8 or the chariot Logan and I shared. The president’s speech came to a close, and we were taken around the circle one more time.

When we arrived at the Training Centre, we were greeted by our prep team, plus Eli, Valeria and Drew. Drew stood on the side lines as we were congratulated, but gave me a small smile and nod when I went over to see him.

“Well done,” he said, emotion wiped from his voice. I patted his shoulder awkwardly.

“I know this is hard for you. You don’t need to act pleased for me.”

“I am pleased. Just…don’t change in the arena, okay? And don’t get too attached to Logan. The more you love the more you lose.”

I looked at Logan guiltily. The smile on his face made something inside me hurt. He was running out of time. Maybe I am too I thought. Could I really stand to lose him now?

“I won’t,” I assured him. But I wasn’t sure myself. Logan was the light to my darkness during our stay in the Capitol. And I didn’t want to give him up.