Bitter

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The horses are getting restless, and the thump of their hooves coincides with my heart. My eleven friends and rivals stand slightly apart from each other, and I can’t help but observe what their stylists have chosen to do. Baekhyun is in heavy black eyeliner as well, but he’s wearing some kind of reptile skin as his vest and pants. For some reason, it makes me shiver. Sehun is wearing a white muscle tee, the opposite color mine is. He has little or no makeup on, but is sporting two small diamonds on the corners of his eyes. Honestly, I don’t know what his stylist was aiming for. Kris is in all black leather, and his eyebrow is pierced with a silver sphere. Overall, he looks dangerous, but a more aggressive kind of dangerous. I look at the next person, Tao, and blink. They must have requested their stylists to work together, for he is dressed almost identically save for the piercing being on the opposite eyebrow. It makes my brain hurt to think of all the things this could mean, so I push it aside for now. Chanyeol is in a deep maroon hoodie, and the hood is pulled up. His face is shadowed from where I stand, but I think I see a small flame tattoo adorning his cheek. We haven’t gotten our powers yet, so I have no idea what that means, either. Perhaps he only hopes he will receive that. Fire, though, is always one of the more coveted abilities. Luhan looks like an angel - he’s in all white; what looks like a dinner jacket, and pressed pants. The only color present is a small rose in his pocket. He has natural makeup on, and looks quite at ease. His stylist made a good choice, for with his pretty face Luhan truly looks ethereal. The sponsors will love him. Jongdae makes my head spin. He’s in an outlandishly shiny tank that sports blue and purple sheens. His pants are connected halfway from the top - they look half skirt, in fact. Whatever it is, it will do a good job at garnering attention. Joonmyun has a hoodie similar to Chanyeol’s, except it’s blue, instead. He also has a tear etched onto his face. Jongin and Kyungsoo are huddled together again. Since they already have their alliance, I doubt they cared much what the stylists did. Jongin is elegant in a black suit and tie attire, and Kyungsoo in a grey version. Lastly, Yixing wears a white t-shirt and white skinny jeans. He looks very muted.

I take in everyone at once, and can only conclude for sure  that Jongdae will be noticed. The little nuances in the way the others are dressed is hard to figure out, what with Kris and Tao matching, Jongin and Kyungsoo kind of matching, and all the hidden meanings the other stylists must have tried to weave into their tributes’ outfits. Comparing myself to rest of them, I think Stephanie did a good job of being simple yet daring.

A woman comes up with a clipboard and starts calling out names. Once we’re all in our respective carriages, she checks us off and steps back. Stephanie runs up to me. “Minseok! I forgot to say, don’t wipe your eyes, the eyeliner will smear. I don’t care what you do out there as long as you don’t look super happy. You know what I mean, right? Smiles are okay, but small smiles! Or no smiles at all! Remember, you look daring, you look dangerous. Do what fits, okay? I’ll be there later to prep for your interview and stuff.” She stares at me, suddenly quiet. “And remember, I’ll be out here cheering for you.” With her last words, she flashes a thumbs up and backs away just as the huge doors start to open. Since I’m Sector One, my carriage is the first in line. I don’t know what’s coming, but Stephanie’s words give me hope, and I stand a little taller.

It seems the entire world has come to see us. The doors part to reveal an enormous crowd, to such a point that I cannot see the ends of it. The people are the sea and sky. As the carriages start to roll out, a rumbling roar begins and builds up to an amplified, intense sound. I catch my face on the screen, and for a few seconds I only stand there, frozen and terrified. On the screen, I see Yixing smiling and waving at the crowd, and that snaps me out of it. I loosen up a bit, and fold my arms across my chest. I try out a small smirk, but it doesn’t fit, so I wipe it away. I’m trying to give off the impression of being distant and formidable, but I’m not sure if it’s coming across. I stare straight ahead of me, not bothering to look at the crowd. One more quick glance tells me I’m succeeding. On screen, I look much more fierce than I actually feel. There’s a deep, angry burning in my eyes that is strangely satisfying. Still, I haven’t made as much of a splash as I’d hoped for. By far, Kai and Luhan are getting the most screen time, which is not unexpected. Kai has that dangerous smirk working for him, and Luhan’s face can get him any amount of sponsors. It isn’t fair, but I console myself that concerning most of the others, we’re on equal ground.

I spot Katniss as I turn the corner into a quiet area and arrive at another big building. She’s standing on the balcony again, staring down at her city with a strange look on her face. Is it wistful? Neutral? Bittersweet. I don’t know, but it almost seems she nods at me before I’m out of her line of sight.

The others ride in triumphantly, for the most part. Kris has dropped his bad boy act and looks a little green - I wonder for a second if he’s scared of heights, and store it away into my memory.

As soon as Baekhyun, the last tribute, gets down from his carriage, we’re ushered away by our respective stylists again. Stephanie sends a high five my way, and leads me to another dressing room that’s similar to the last. When the door is firmly closed, she turns around.

“Good job, Minseok. You did better than I had expected. I thought you were going to freak out-”

“Hey!”

She ignores me. “-but you did quite well. The expression, the anger, the almost-defiance. I can tell you’re going to be a fighter... like Katniss was.”

The mood in the room darkens. “Thank you, but I hardly think so. The expression part, that is. I barely got any screen time, just a little when I was coming out and a few flashes here and there.”

Stephanie nods. “Yes, I agree, but it’s not always a good thing to be the most noticed. There’s a lot of pressure... just think of Katniss. The whole world, it seems, was focused on her after her first Hunger Games when she came out in flames, literally. You can even say Cinna did too well of a job. Remember, many tributes act weak on purpose to hide their intentions as well, but I’d say middle ground is safe. You’re off to a good start.”

She looks me over critically. “Now, the question is, are we going to keep you like this for the interviews or change you up?”

I realize she’s waiting for an answer. “It’s up to you, really. You’re my stylist.”

Stephanie sighs. “Yes, I’m your stylist, but you’re the one going into that arena, not me. I don’t know what kind of image you’d like to have for the interview.”

“I... I think in that case I’d like to stay with this, then. It feels right.”

“Good, good, I was thinking the same. Just a few makeup changes, I believe, and we are set.” She snaps her fingers and disappears into the bathroom, coming back with some makeup. After a quick touchup, she adds a little silver eyeliner to the black and then replaces my black stud with a silver one.

“It’s more formal this way,” she explains. She adds a black leather vest, places a black rose in the pocket, and then we’re done.

And then we just talk.

Not about the Games, which she must know I don’t want to talk about, nor my life in the Sectors, which is similarly painful to recall. Instead, we discuss silly, unimportant things like our favorite color, animal, and so on. It’s a light-hearted time that passes more quickly than I would like to admit. At the end, Stephanie’s mood turns serious and she talks in low tones.

“Minseok, I thought I should warn you. You saw Chanyeol and Joonmyun, right? How they had on the fire and water?”

I nod. “Yes.”

Stephanie looks worried. “I know those stylists, and they are quite cozy with the scientists who perform the surgical procedures. I’m not sure if there’s something going on, and in my opinion it was stupid to advertise it at the opening ceremony, but there’s a good chance they are going to get those powers. I don’t know what you hope to get, but I doubt you will end up with fire or water.”

She’s right. Powers are rarely ever repeated in one game, and when they are, the Gamemakers usually devise something to take one of the said tributes out. I think about Stephanie’s words. At this point, I wasn’t actually sure what I wanted, just something not completely useless. However, fire and water are both very offensive powers. In the right kind of environment, they could be very powerful, but that part at least is thrown to chance. Powers, though, play a huge part in survival, so I need to hope for something equally offensive or a very good defensive ability.

Stephanie snaps a finger in front of my face. “Minseok? It’s time to go. You’re first up.” Our easy conversation comes to an end, and she leads me out through a side door into the interview building, where we’ll be broadcast live. The other tributes are already sitting down in order, waiting for their turn. I glance quickly at Suho and Chanyeol and find that they’ve switched to more generic outfits. Other than that, there aren’t any major clothes changes. Yixing tilts his head slightly as I walk by. Stephanie pats my arm, and then pushes open the door. I walk onto the brightly lit stage amidst the soft murmurs of the crowd. Caesar Flickerman is ready, and then we are off.

5 minutes later, when I walk back out the door, I can only remember a blur of fake smiles and laughing and camaraderie put on for the nation’s entertainment. Once again, I haven’t shocked the crowd or amazed them, but they will know who I am. As long as I stay in the middle of the pack, I should have a better chance.

Everyone else just does alright. As usual, it’s Luhan and Jongin really grabbing the spotlight. Caesar Flickerman comments especially on Jongin’s dark good looks, who exits his interview with a smirk. Caesar also asks Chanyeol and Suho about their cryptic outfits, and receives equally cryptic answers. Finally, Baekhyun ends the interviews smoothly with a bow and a smile.

As soon as all twelve of us are lined up again in the hallway, white coated scientists appear and lead us off. My wrist is twisted painfully as the scientist leads me down confusing turns and doors. When we reach a part of the building that seems very hospital-like, the masked scientist pushes me into a door and onto the operating table and straps my arms and legs down. My breath comes in panicked gasps, my chest rises up and down. The man leans close to my face, his eyes dull and dead. I start screaming when he holds up the needle in the light. A sharp prick in my neck, and then nothing.

-

There’s a vague remembrance of pain, incredible pain, lingering around my head. Flashes of red blur into silver scalpels and dull anesthetics, and a high, unbearable keening sound that must be me. Fluorescent white lights shift in and out of vision, coupled with the terrible, faceless white mask.

-

I wake up in a sterile whitewashed room.

I am still bound to the bed, but the operation is just a distant memory I would rather not think about. I suddenly remember: my powers. What are they? How can I know? But the effort to lift my head is too much, and weariness overtakes me.

It’s strange, but as I drift back into sleep, the room seems to be getting colder. There’s a prickling on my skin... almost as if frost was creeping up my body.

The shimmering of ice crystals on the wall is the last thing I see.

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