"Ouch! OW!" 

"Stop making a fuss, child. Arrian, help hold her still!" 

In all the years I'd been mentor, I had never once been asked to hold a tribute down during the makeovers. I guess there is a first time for everything. Riley kicked and squirmed as the Capitol women stripped her of hair and tried to tame her head of curls. My arms hurt from restraining her, and I found my mood worsening as the morning dragged on. 

"This had better be worth it, Riley," I muttered. She scowled as another strip was ripped from her leg. 

"It will be," one of the stylists insisted, standing back to get a better look at Riley. "A bit of makeup and she'll be perfect. If only we could do something about those teeth...they're so big..." 

"All the better to bite you with," Riley quipped, gnashing her teeth unattractively, spraying spittle on my arm. Despite my disgust, I was holding back laughter. Riley lay back in her chair and smiled at me, and I felt a rush of affection for the crooked tooth girl before me. The stylist was not impressed, and ordered Riley sharply to hold still while they did her nails. She said that I could go when they realised that painting her nails wouldn't be as much of a hassle as waxing her legs. 

"Go and find Roberta. She'll show you Riley's costume for the Opening Ceremonies," a stylist told me. I waved to an unimpressed Riley and set off to find Roberta. I'd met her several times before, and she seemed like a nice woman, though a little intimidating. She didn't often smile, her face set in a permanent scowl. Perhaps it was partly because of her eyebrows that she seemed so sinister, with dark shaped eyebrows curving from her temples to the top of her nose. When I found her that day, she was styling her short black hair with heated tongs. She stood to kiss both my cheeks, the studs on her white shirt digging into me as we embraced. 

"Hello, Arrian." 

"It's good to see you again, Roberta. May I see the costumes for tonight?" 

"Of course. Right this way." 

I followed her through a maze of sterile white corridors, catching glimpses through doors of the other tributes. We hadn't watched the replay of the reapings, so all the faces were unfamiliar, but it was evident where the tributes originated from. I saw a girl of similar stature to Riley from District One, with the District's signature blonde hair and incredible beauty. She was talking to her stylist whilst having her hair done, smiling with sugar sweet sickness. But she caught my eye as I passed and scowled, making me reconsider what was really underneath her skin. Shuddering, I glimpsed the male tribute from District 5, with red hair like Riley's and broad shoulders like Otto. He looked like he could be competition, but the biggest shock came when I passed the girl from District 4. 

She was tall and slim, with toned arms that were clearly strong. She had chocolate coloured hair to her knees. It fell in waves of silk, and she tossed it slightly as she paced around her room, trying on her dress and shoes. Though I never took an interest in fashion, the dress she wore was beautiful, with hues of blue highlighted as her dress swayed. When it rippled in the light, I realised what she was meant to represent. 

"Water," I whispered. I only realised I'd stopped when Roberta took my arm. 

"I promise you. Riley will look just as good when I'm done with her. Her dress is fantastic, I swear to you." 

"I don't doubt it," I replied, but thoughts were still on the girl. She was certainly sponsor material. Riley, on the other hand, had nothing going for her. I prayed that Roberta would make her memorable. 

We entered a room full of mirrors and shiny wooden flooring. Roberta breezed straight over to the wardrobe and removed a dress. I examined it carefully, Roberta allowing me to feel the fabric. It would be floor length on Riley, and was made of green lace material, the pattern forming leaves, and reflecting the lumber District from which Riley and I originated. The sleeves were long and wide, and soft to the touch. It was a lovely dress, but imagining Riley in it was hard. 

"Don't worry," Roberta said, reading my mind "She'll look fine. Better than fine." 

It was a fact I was about to discover when Riley was escorted from the waxing session. She seemed much cleaner and fresh, her skin scrubbed and waxed until she looked like an almost different person. But when she smiled, her crooked teeth reassured me that it was the same Riley from before. 

"Where's my dress then?" she asked, almost tiredly. For someone who wore rags most of the time, she was surprisingly nonchalant about seeing her outfit. Roberta ignored her rude greeting and presented the dress to her. Riley scowled. 

"It's too beautiful!" she cried. I was confused for a moment. 

"What?" Roberta snapped. 

"I said it's too beautiful. I need to look weak! I can't wear this!" she said despairingly.  

"It's part of her tactics. She doesn't want to have any attention. She wants to save it for the Games," I explained to an offended Roberta. Her face softened slightly in understanding. 

"Leave that to me. We'll talk about it later, Riley. Let's get you ready first." 

I left the room for a moment to allow Riley to change in privacy, Roberta helping her into her dress. When I returned, I couldn't believe the transformation. Riley sat primly on a chair while Roberta combed her hair. Her little white hands rested on her knees, her nails painted with green varnish and a ring with an emerald gemstone sitting on her middle finger. The sleeves of the dress drooped from her wrists and trailed on the floor, but when she later stood up, they only reached her knees. Riley grinned at me and hitched her skirts, waggling her legs to show of her high heeled shoes. 

"Fancy, eh? I'm not used to this," she said, contrasting with her negative view of the dress only minutes earlier. But she seemed happy enough, so I just smiled. Roberta made certain that Riley's hair lay neatly before placing a crown of lavender on her head. Then it was just makeup to go. Roberta put a layer of foundation on Riley, eradicating the freckles from her face. 

"Did you have to wear makeup for your Games, Arrian?" Riley said, a smug smile emerging when she realised I probably did. 

"Yes," I said through gritted teeth, grimacing at the memory. 

"Lipstick?" she asked. 

"Lipstick," I confirmed reluctantly. Riley laughed, snorting slightly. Roberta firmly told her to sit still. 

"I'm doing your eyelashes now. If you don't sit still, I'll have your eye out," Roberta warned. Riley froze and allowed Roberta to attach tiny blue feathers to each corner of her eyes.  

"Done," Roberta said, standing back to look at Riley. Riley bounded to her feet clumsily to take a look at herself in the mirror. She admired the outfit, her face filled with pride as she faced her reflection. Then suddenly she hunched over, pulling a strange face. 

"How's this for bad posture? Should I stand like that on the chariot?" she asked, straightening up and grinning. I laughed at her, and Roberta rolled her eyes affectionately.  

"Speaking of the chariot it's almost time, Riley," I told her. "Are you ready?" 

She looked at Roberta with a secretive smile, and Roberta returned it with a waggle of her eyebrows. It seemed she had taken to Riley's outgoing personality "I think so. Shall we go?" 

"Sure," I replied, surprised at her eagerness. She hooked her arm through mine and I escorted her to the lower floor of the Remake centre. It was there that we found Antonia wearily attempting to make conversation with an unyielding Otto. He was dressed in a suit made of real leaves, and didn't appear to be very happy. Riley raised a hand to her mouth and pretended to cough to conceal her sniggers. 

"You look so very handsome, Otto," she exclaimed, her mouth twitching into a smile. Otto snarled at her, and Riley edged her way behind me, keeping up her act. 

"That's enough, Otto," Antonia scolded "Come on. Let's get you on the chariots." 

Riley linked my arm again and I lead her to the carriage. Her red hair stood out against her green dress, and I noticed some tributes staring at her. As we walked, we looked at the potential competition. Riley seemed to have similar thoughts to me. The girl from 1. The boy from 5. And the girl from 4. They were all dressed well, the girl from one garmented in rubies and sparkling red shoes, the boy from 5 in a silvery metallic suit, and the girl from 4 trumping them all in her blue water dress. 

"She may be pretty, but I could take her in a fight," Riley muttered, as she stared at District 4's dress in awe. I smiled as Riley leapt ungracefully into the carriage, thankfully not ripping her dress as she did. Otto climbed on too, and I gave them both a thumbs up. 

"Good luck," I said, as everyone else got into their carriages. The District 7 one was pulled by four chestnut horses, and I patted them before the carriage left. Antonia and Roberta stood beside me and we waved the pair of them off as the parade began. Roberta smiled as she watched Riley leave the Remake centre. 

"This should be interesting," she said, smirking. Riley and the other tributes with outstanding outfits were already being praised by the crowd.  

"Why? What is she going to do?" I asked. 

"You'll see. No one will believe in her after this stunt. She'll be the weakest tribute of them all!" she said, amused. I squinted ahead to Riley's cart, just in time to see her throw herself off the carriage.