A LOUD KNOCK ON HER DOOR the next morning awakened Haven from her slumber. "Up, up, up! We're arriving in the Capitol in 45 minutes. You have to look your best for the cameras!" Pandora chirped.

The girl groaned, burying her face into her pillow before reluctantly dragging herself out of bed. She went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face in an attempt to look somewhat alive. Haven walked into the expansive closet that was practically the size of her room at home. She dressed in a flowy short white skirt and a blouse in her favorite hue of blue. A faint smile appeared on the girls lips, as the color of the shirt reminded her of the ocean in District 4. She slipped on a pair of tan sandals and combed through her thin blonde hair with her fingers. Haven glanced at herself in the floor length mirror, approving of her average appearance, before exiting her room.

She entered the main car to find Spencer, Pandora and the mentors sitting at the dining table, already eating. Haven sat down in the empty seat between Collin and Sebastian. Her stomach was knawing, so the girl started piling her plate with steaming eggs, crispy bacon and fluffy pancakes. "Damn princess, you're eating for a whole army." Collin joked. "Hey, I think it's good. Wouldn't hurt to bulk up before you go into the arena." Chlöe remarked from across the table. Haven gave an approving nod as she shoveled more food into her mouth, noticing that Spencer was doing the same. The Capitol food was extremely rich and exquisite, the girl had never felt that satisfied by a meal before.

A few minutes later, the plates were cleared by Avoxes, and Haven got up and sat near the window. The girl's jaw dropped in awe at the sight of the Capitol appearing in the distance. She was stunned at the sight of the tall glimmering buildings that constituted the magnificent skyline. The train soon entered a tunnel, making everything go black. The train entered the light again, and Haven gasped when she saw Finnick sitting next to her, not realizing that he had been there. He started laughing, which prompted Haven to smack him on the arm. "Hey! What was that for.", he remarked. "I'm just practicing my self defense." Haven smirked, "Not to mention you scared the living shit out of me." she continued. "Hm. Your combat skills could use some improvement." he said sarcastically.

Before Haven could shoot back a snarky response, she was caught off guard by the masses of Capitol citizens she saw outside the window. She stared out at them, unsure of what to do she looked over at Finnick. He mouthed, "wave and smile". The blonde girl did just that, catalyzing an eruption of applause and cheers from the audience. "Great job princess, they already love you!" Collin shouted from across the room. "Oh! Please please sign my autograph. I'm your number one fan." Sebastian cried in a high pitched voice, clearly poking fun at the Capitol citizens. Everyone found this quite entertaining, apart from Pandora who snapped, "Enough. Everyone in place to get off now."

Haven and Spencer were the first to step on the platform, with Pandora and their mentors behind them. The two tributes were instantly consumed by the sound of people shouting their names. As they walked, Spencer held his head high, waving to the adoring citizens. Haven made sure to wave as well. Much to Pandora's dismay, the blonde kept slowing down the group to shake the hands of the excited small children who had inched their way to the front. Haven greeted everyone with a kind smile, which only made the audience cheer for her more.

The group from District 4 approached the towering building, and two Peacekeepers opened the doors for them to enter. Once inside, two more Peacekeepers whisked Spencer and Haven to opposite ends of the expansive room.

➸

Haven sat on the bizarre looking bed contraption for a couple minutes before three very odd looking people swiped back the curtain and entered the makeshift room. Haven stared wide eyed at the three figures; a dark skinned woman who was dressed in all yellow, even her lipstick, another female with a short pink bob and a rhinestone covered dress, and lastly a male with curly brown hair wearing a purple suit and eyeliner to match.

"Oh hello darling!" the dark skinned female cooed. "Where exactly am I? And who are all of you?" Haven questioned, clearly confused about the situation. They all chuckled before the same yellow-clad female spoke up again. "Well this is the Remake Center of course, and we're your prep team! I'm Waverly, and this is Luciana and Vincent." her tone making it seem like everything she said was simply common knowledge. "Yes. It's our duty to turn you from blegh to fabulous. Goodness, and we better get started because we have a lot to do!" Vincent remarked. Haven had always seen herself as average looking, but it still stung to hear someone else say that about her.

Waverly handed her a thin paper gown, which the blonde put on, and the three instantly got to work, doing things Haven had no idea even existed. She winced in pain each time they pulled hot strips of wax from her legs and tweezed small hairs from her face. The prep team scrubbed her skin until it was practically raw, then rubbed lotion that smelled of vanilla all over her arms and legs. Next, they turned to her hair, washing and blow drying it until it was smooth and silky. Finally, the trio focused on her makeup, applying a plethora of powders and creams to her face, glitter on her eyes, and lastly a coat of lipstick. "Much better, you look presentable now! It's time to take you to see your stylist, Theta."

The prep team escorted Haven down a winding hallway into a room with a few chairs, couches, a wardrobe and a table, complete with gigantic windows offering a view of the whole city. The blonde sat on one of the white leather couches, but only a moment later a slender blonde woman entered the room, who Haven assumed to be Theta. She certainly looked much less ridiculous than her prep team, sporting a simple blonde bob, a sleek black jumpsuit, and bold red lipstick. "Well. If I had to take a guess, I'd say you must be Haven Cleary." Theta remarked. "In the flesh." Haven giggled. "Glad to see I get to dress a tribute with a personality this year." Theta said with a wink. Haven's lips curled up in a soft smile, maybe there were actually nice people here.

Theta sat down across from Haven. "Now, it's customary to dress the tributes to represent their district. In the past, stylists usually dressed the tributes from Four as fishermen, or even the fish themselves." she said, a look of disapproval on her face. "I didn't want to do that. The ocean itself was my muse, I wanted to make you stand out." Theta continued before standing up and walking over to the wardrobe. She took out an opaque bag, walking back over to Haven. "Close your eyes." Theta said. Haven obliged, and the stylist helped her step into the gown and zipped it up. The stylist then braided her hair into an intricate crown on top of her head. Theta guided her in front of the mirror before speaking, "Open."

Haven was in awe of the sight in front of her. The dress was absolutely stunning. The top was practically a blue bra, with a layer of sheer blue lace over it. The silk skirt was covered in multi chrome scales that shifted from purple, to pink, to blue in the light. The skirt loosely hugged her body before fanning out near the floor. The sandals were a shiny silver, and the straps wrapped up around her slender calves. "It's stunning." Haven whispered. "I look like, like a-" "A mermaid." Theta interrupted. "Exactly what I was going for. The mysterious, effervescent, myth of District 4." "I love it." Haven said, twirling and looking at herself in the mirror. "One final touch." Theta said, placing a crown made of thin silver wire and small sea shells on the blonde's head. "Now you're perfect." she said with a smile. Haven looked at herself in the mirror one last time before Theta led her out of the room.

// author's note
this chapter was so fun to write, i love theta aka our stylist icon. also hope y'all enjoyed the little moment between haven & fin, many more to come :)
also, collin is such an icon. i love him & sebastian so much their characters are already so fun and hilarious to write.
please leave a comment or something & let me know if you're reading! i would appreciate it sm <3
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