how would i spend the
hours i now commit to combing the woods for sustenance if it
were so easy to come by? what do 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?
i look up and find cinna’s eyes trained on mine. “how des-
picable we must seem to you,” he says.
has he seen this in my face or somehow read my thoughts?
he’s right, though. the whole rotten lot of them is despicable.
65
“no matter,” says cinna. “so, katniss, about your costume
for the opening ceremonies. my partner, portia, is the stylist
for your fellow tribute, peeta. and our current thought is to
dress you in complementary costumes,” says cinna. “as you
know, it’s customary to reflect the flavor of the district.”
for the opening ceremonies, you’re supposed to wear
something that suggests your district’s principal industry. dis-
trict 11, agriculture. district 4, fishing. district 3, factories.
this means that coming from district 12, peeta and i will be in
some kind of coal miner’s getup. since the baggy miner’s
jumpsuits are not particularly becoming, our tributes usually
end up in skimpy outfits and hats with headlamps. one year,
our tributes were stark naked and covered in black powder to
represent coal dust. it’s always dreadful and does nothing to
win favor with the crowd. i prepare myself for the worst.
“so, i’ll be in a coal miner outfit?” i ask, hoping it won’t be
indecent.
“not exactly. you see, portia and i think that coal miner
thing’s very overdone. no one will remember you in that. and
we both see it as our job to make the district twelve tributes
unforgettable,” says cinna.
i’ll be naked for sure, i think.
“so rather than focus on the coal mining itself, we’re going
to focus on the coal,” says cinna. naked and covered in black
dust, i think. “and what do we do with coal? we burn it,” says
cinna.
“you’re not afraid of fire, are you, katniss?” he sees my ex-
pression and grins.
66
a few hours later, i am dressed in what will either be the
most sensational or the deadliest costume in the opening ce-
remonies. i’m in a simple black unitard that covers me from
ankle to neck. shiny leather boots lace up to my knees. but it’s
the fluttering cape made of streams of orange, yellow, and red
and the matching headpiece that define this costume. cinna
plans to light them on fire just before our chariot rolls into the
streets.
“it’s not real flame, of course, just a little synthetic fire por-
tia and i came up with. you’ll be perfectly safe,” he says. but
i’m not convinced i won’t be perfectly barbecued by the time
we reach the city’s center.
my face is relatively clear of makeup, just a bit of highlight-
ing here and there. my hair has been brushed out and then
braided down my back in my usual style. “i want the audience
to recognize you when you’re in the arena,” says cinna drea-
mily. “katniss, the girl who was on fire.”
it crosses my mind that cinna’s calm and normal demeanor
masks a complete madman.
despite this morning’s revelation about peeta’s character,
i’m actually relieved when he shows up, dressed in an identic-
al costume. he should know about fire, being a baker’s son
and all. his stylist, portia, and her team accompany him in,
and everyone is absolutely giddy with excitement over what a
splash we’ll make. except cinna. he just seems a bit weary as
he accepts congratulations.
we’re whisked down to the bottom level of the remake
center, which is essentially a gigantic stable. the opening ce-
67
remonies are about to start. pairs of tributes are being loaded
into chariots pulled by teams of four horses. ours are coal
black. the animals are so well trained, no one even needs to
guide their reins. cinna and portia direct us into the chariot
and carefully arrange our body positions, the drape of our
capes, before moving off to consult with each other.
“what do you think?”
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