The dress clung to Aspen's body like a second skin as she followed Hero through the crowds of tributes and their mentors, each of them dressed in an outfit more spectacular and over-the-top than the last. A flash of warm hues matching Aspen's caught the edge of her vision from the center of the crowd, and she and Hero followed it to find Alder waiting with his stylist Tatiana, a woman with platinum silver hair and an ensemble to match, as well as Johanna and Blight.

"There she is," Johanna announced as Aspen reached them, setting down the hem of her dress that she'd been careful not to trip over on the walk from the Tribute Center.

Johanna gestured for Aspen and Alder to climb into the chariot, which Alder did first before extending a hand down to help Aspen. She took his hand, allowing the younger boy to pull her up into the chariot, and instantly Hero and Tatiana were back in front of them, adjusting their clothes to lay just right and fixing any stray hairs that had begun to fall out of place, Aspen's normally wavy hair coiled up atop of her head.

As they waited for the Tribute Parade to begin, Aspen allowed her eyes to wander around the room once more, taking in the various other tributes and the Victors that accompanied them. The tributes from District Twelve stood at the very end of the line, dressed up in little more than coal dust for the mines that made up their home. A couple chariots behind Aspen and Alder housed two kids dressed like stalks of wheat, the symbol of District Nine emblazoned on the front of the vehicle. As she finally turned around to study the line in front of her, she caught sight of an iridescent pattern mimicking fish scales to adorn the tributes from District Four, a brunette in the chariot locking eyes with Aspen and sending a sneer in her direction before one of the mentors on the ground captured her attention, and she broke eye contact before responding to whatever it was he was saying.

"Careers," Blight said, following Aspen's line of sight and pulling her attention back to the ground in front of them, along with Alder's. "Those kids from Four, along with One and Two. Whatever you do, don't trust them."

Aspen nodded as the horns began to sound in front of them, signaling the beginning of the Tribute Parade, and Aspen hurriedly stood up straighter, looking back in the direction of the line in front of them, as well as the two horses pulling the chariot.

"Remember to smile," Johanna reminded them as the chariot began to move, and Aspen quickly grabbed the front of the chariot to brace herself, in her attempts not to go toppling off the edge before Panem had the chance to make a first impression of the girl who would be fighting for District Seven.

Aspen glanced back at Hero once, who gave her a reassuring smile in return, and she nodded back before looking up ahead, the chariot growing closer and closer to where the cheers had begun to erupt from the Capitol citizens in the stands. As the horses pulled the chariot out into the blinding lights of the Tribute Parade, Aspen soon felt all eyes on her, and she looked up at the thousands of people who had gathered to cheer on the tributes, their eyes moving back and forth between the different chariots as they continued to yell and scream. Aspen reached up a hand, waving at the Capitol citizens as she began to smile, even if everything in her body begged her to go, to jump off of the chariot and run far, far away from the city that was cheering on the promise of so much suffering to come, for all twenty-four of the children now being paraded for all of Panem to see.

Aspen dared a glance back over at Alder to see him doing the same, a big toothy smile she'd never seen before painted on the boy's face as he waved to his side of the crowd, his suit of matching fall colors glowing brightly against the setting sun. When she looked back up, she was surprised to see herself reflected on one of the banners, the heavy makeup, hair, and clothing portraying a girl she'd never met before hidden inside her own skin. She hardly recognized the girl on the banner, nor did she expect anyone back home to, either.

As the chariot reached the end of the path, past the sea of fans still cheering and throwing flowers down to the tributes, Aspen looked up to see a group of Capitol officials watching from above, behind where a podium sat at the front. Walking up to the podium now was a face she knew all too well, one that sent the color leaching from her face as her blood turned to ice in her veins at the sight of Panem's president, Coriolanus Snow. Despite the sinking feeling in Aspen as she watched the older man ascend towards the podium, the screams only intensified in her ears as the Capitol citizens cheered on their president, and as he came to a standstill, he raised an arm, silencing the crowd as he began to speak.

"Welcome!" President Snow greeted, his snakelike smile aimed down at the twenty-four tributes placed in their respective chariots before him. "Welcome! Tributes, we welcome you."

At his welcome, the Capitol citizens in the stands cheered even louder, and if Aspen had thought her eardrums had been about to burst before the speech began, it only intensified as the beginning of a migraine began to surface at her temples. She winced slightly, but forced herself to remain smiling for the cameras, for any potential sponsors that might be mingling in the crowd as well as her family watching from back in District 7. A smile to let her family know she'd made it to the Capitol alive and well, even if she wasn't overly optimistic about her odds of making it out the same way.

"And we salute your courage and your sacrifice," he continued. "And we wish you a happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor."

With a nod in their direction, Snow gestured forwards, and the doors opened below the balcony he stood on to reveal the entrance to the Tribute Center within. One by one, the chariots began to move, in order of their districts, and each group disappeared from the crowd into the space that waited beyond. Once Aspen and Alder were within the confines of the center and away from the prying eyes of the crowds, she let her smile drop, reaching up to massage her temples and attempt to get some relief from the pain.

As the chariot came to a stop, Aspen was the first one off, hopping back onto the ground as Alder followed suit. All around them, tributes were being greeted by their mentors and stylists, and as a flash of silver caught Aspen's eye from Tatiana's hair, she found that Hero, Johanna, Blight, and Sabrina weren't far behind.

"Nice job putting on a show." Blight greeted with a nod of approval.

"Absolutely lovely!" Sabrina exclaimed, reaching a hand out to place on Aspen and Alder's shoulders. "And the colors are gorgeous, well done, you two." she said with an encouraging smile back at Hero and Tatiana, and Aspen let her gaze wander from the group in front of her to the other tributes surrounding them.

Near them were the two from District 4, though to Aspen's relief, the brunette from before was no longer glancing her way, but instead at the boy from 12, who was speaking to his mentor, a girl Aspen recognized as Rosemary Clifford, last year's Victor. At the feeling of Johanna's hand on her shoulder, Aspen looked back over to see Hero and Tatiana bid the group goodbye, and Sabrina beginning to lead them in the direction of the elevators.

"So this is the Tribute Center," Sabrina began as the doors opened, and one by one the group piled into the elevator. "There's twelve floors, one for each of the districts." she explained, pressing the button for the seventh floor, and the elevator began to rise, showcasing the layout before them as Aspen turned around the watch through the glass.

The elevator rose higher and higher until it finally stopped about halfway up, and opened up into a grand foyer, with pathways leading off in every direction. Directly ahead was a giant living room area as big as Aspen's house back in 7, complete with a dining area. As Aspen wandered into the room behind the group, she couldn't help but notice how comfortable the couch looked, and how exhausted she felt from the lack of sleep she'd gotten on the train ride to the Capitol.

"Aspen, your room is to the left, Alder, the one on the right." Sabrina explained. "I'll leave you to get settled in, and will see you bright and early for breakfast before training." she clapped her hands together excitedly. "Welcome to the Capitol, my dears."

Aspen shot Sabrina a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, though the woman hardly seemed to notice as she left the room, walking as lightly as if she were floating on air. As soon as she was gone, Blight clapped his hands together once, nodding back in the direction of their rooms before looking back at the teenagers still dressed in their autumn leaves.

"Right, well we'll let you both get changed." Blight began. "Your rooms should already have everything you both will need. Once you're ready, we'll watch some highlights from years past, go over some strategies before you begin training tomorrow."

Aspen nodded, heading over towards her bedroom without another word. Once the door had closed behind her, she leaned against it for a moment, finally allowing herself a second to catch her breath. Sliding against it until she was sitting on the ground, she buried her face into her knees, letting loose a sob as it fought its way out of her throat.

She held onto her temples, her head still pounding as the events since the reaping continued to catch up to her. How naive she and her friends had been the morning before, so optimistic that they only had one final time before they were free. The last hug she'd given her dad, had given her sister, her nephew, wishing she'd only held onto them a little longer.

Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she wiped her eyes before pulling herself off the floor and back into a standing position, nearly tumbling back over from the stiff material of the dress still clinging to her body. She sighed, reaching back to undo the zipper and fidgeting with the metal until it finally slid down her back, releasing her from its hold, and she stepped out of the fabric, letting it pool at her feet.

Leaving the fabric on the floor, she wandered over to the king sized bed in the center of the room, where a set of silk pajamas sat neatly folded on the edge of the bed. Aspen pulled them on before beginning work on her hair, the endless amount of pins holding it in place forming a pile on the dresser as she pulled them out one by one. When the last pin came free, she pulled her hair into a loose ponytail, looking in the mirror as she once again began to recognize her reflection.

When the makeup was finally gone, the Aspen Darrow of District 7 was once again visible in the mirror, and the redness had faded from her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself before opening the door, and leaving the four-walled shield of the bedroom for the living room, where Alder and their two mentors waited.

"Sorry," Aspen muttered, taking a seat on the edge of the couch, nearest to Johanna, who waited with a remote control in hand, pressing play as the television screen came to life.

The arena in front of them was a deserted wasteland, with sand as far as the eye could see. On the bottom right corner of the screen sat the number 68, alerting the tributes that the events were from the games five years prior. The three tributes on screen were all sunburned from days out in the heat, their faces flushed red and blistered from the prolonged exposure to the elements.

"First thing to look for in the arena?" Johanna quizzed, looking over at the teenagers.

"Water," Aspen answered.

"And if you're in an arena such as this one where a water source might not be obvious?" she pressed.

Alder's eyes were still trained on the screen, to where a boy around the age of sixteen was climbing a tree. "The coconuts," Alder concluded, following the gaze of the boy on screen to where the fruit rested atop the tree.

"What else should you look for?" Blight continued.

"Shelter." Alder continued. "Anywhere shaded, if you're in a place like that."

"Correct." Johanna said. "We don't know what type of terrain you'll be up against, so it's important to be prepared for any situation. Once you're in there you need water, food, and shelter. If the other tributes won't get you, the elements will."

The screen switched then to a clip from the 58th Hunger Games. The arena before them was an arctic tundra, and a blizzard ran rampant, the visibility low even from their view from the camera. Aspen could almost feel the chill in the air as she watched a young girl, probably no more than fourteen, struggle to make a fire in the frigid air.

"The wood's wet from the snow," Alder pointed out, shaking his head. "No way she'll be able to light a fire."

"If she even wants to." Aspen added. "Tributes would see the smoke, even with the freezing air she'd be dead before she even warmed up."

"So what do you suggest she do?" Johanna asked.

"Try to find a shelter that's out of the storm." Aspen answered. "A cave, if there's one nearby. With that sort of terrain, it's possible, right? Get away from the cold winds, might be warmer. You'd freeze to death without anywhere to go."

"Might be a better option than the alternative," Alder muttered under his breath.

As their training went on, different clips from each year of the games showed a myriad of terrains, from the arctic and deserts to mountains full of creatures waiting to kill at every turn. After cementing the ground rules upon their entry into the arena, Blight and Johanna agreed to call it a night, the pounding in Aspen's temples still wreaking havoc as she finally retired to her room.

As she climbed into bed, Aspen nearly sighed in relief at the plush mattress, feeling as if she were laying on a cloud rather than her thin one back home. Although she was exhausted, and felt her body begging for the comfort of the bed underneath her, she didn't anticipate her night of sleep to be much better than the one on the train.

For her first day in the Capitol had come to a close, and she was one step closer to the arena.