Plumeria Snow
Plum kept her arms solemnly ahead of her, moving slowly to stand near Sorrel. There was some comfort in his proximity. She couldnât say where it came from. Perhaps it was their shared misery in being cooped up as they had been, out of the hearts and minds of a population that knew them by name. They had gone from celebrity status to that of an outsider. There simply was no place for them when their families had done such crimes. Worse yet, there was no option of simply âleavingâ Panem. They knew nothing else. Was there even anything else?
Plum licked her lips and kept her head down, the confidence her mentor and stylist seemed to disappear as others came into the room, made over. Some of the others had been radically changed within the few hours they had been down at the base of the training center. One of the boys had a pale blue hue to his skin and his hair had been bleached blonde. She reached her hand to weave her fingers through her long straight blond hair, offset by the oddity of the boyâs features. His blue eyes were darker than his skin and popped, staring at her often. Heâd been the twelve year old called, she remembered. But his name was beyond her. Maybe it was better that way. Theyâd all be at each otherâs throats in a matter of days.
As soon as all 24 of them had assembled they were instructed to sit. Men and women in white suits attended to them silently. Sheâd remembered hearing about the Avox population that had serviced the capital. Her family had personally never made use of them but the prospect of it scared her. Her grandfather had said little about his decision to remove the tongues of dissenters. He simply told her that heâd done all that he thought was necessary for the stability of their state, for the continued existence of the human race.
Sorrel seemed as discontent with the situation as she was. As they were seated, Plum continued to look at the tall dark haired boy next to her out of the corner of her eye. Most often she noticed that he too was looking at her. But she noticed more so that Sorrel was paying a fair amount of attention to their competitors. Once they were all seated their stylists and mentors joined them. Plum found herself face to face with Stark who sat across from her. A stylist woman sat across from Sorrel, trying to get him to participate in idle chat. The buzz of conversation seemed to fill the air amongst the elders. Plum remained silent and when a large dinner platter was set in front of her she didnât touch the rich food. She recognized the presence of tomatoes and rich vegetables, things sheâd been denied in captivity. She kept her hands in her lap, finding her reflection in a bowl of soup.
She was snapped from her reverie when Stark reached over and placed his hand over her wrist. Immediately Plum twisted her hand out of his grasp, grabbing his wrist instead and pressing her thumb violently into his palm. The older man hissed and slammed her hand down into the edge of the table. It hit the edge at the right angle that one of her nerves seemed to pinch. Her arm was suddenly jolted with pain and she released him, grunting. Sorrel had stopped eating, dropping his fork and knife to his plate. Modena smiled, âFighting over the last potato I see?â she chuckled. Her joke broke the tension and the rest of the room returned to livelihood.
âSorry,â Plum swallowed, her voice cracking. She reached for a glass of water beside her plate and sipped from it, licking her drip lips and massaging her elbow with her better hand.
âAre you bi-polar?â Stark shot, drawing a steak knife across his tongue. Plum watched as the blood from his meat gathered on his tongue and teeth, pooling in the middle before he swallowed. It was crude of him but Plum merely narrowed her eyes.
âWhat is with you? Bouncing between this fiery girl who can win and this,â he paused to gesture at her current state before concluding, âsorry excuse for a human being.â
âWhen Iâm threatened I fight back,â she snarled in response, sitting taller in her chair and glaring at him.
âThis entire country is threatening you as we speak,â Stark responded. âYou no longer have the luxury of hiding behind guards and drowning in your sorrows.â
It was funny, she thought, to think of privacy in such a way, as a luxury. Starkâs words were sharp and pointed, enough to make her inhale and seemingly hold her breath.
âThe parade will start in half an hour, the people are gathering. For the first time the Capitol has visitors from all 12 districts. These are people who will relay back to their friends and family who they support. If you can prove to them as you have to me that you are far from your grandfather, you may have a group of people behind you. Do not let them try you for your fatherâs crimes. You are your own person. Youâve shown me as much. You have a heart and soul. Tap into it,â he told her, bumping a fist over the left side of his chest. âShow that you have fight in you, like the rest of them did. Donât let them deny you your existence.â
Plum sighed and closed her eyes, shifting her chair back as if to get up. Sorrel put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. âYou canât leave, Plumeria.â
She shook her head, watching as the Avoxes moved in to clear their plates. They took away her untouched food. Guards lined up by the doors and tapped on the frame. Stark looked over his shoulder before shaking his head. âThat is our instruction to have you downstairs by the carriages. Modena,â he called out to his fellow stylist, âLetâs give the world a show.â
Plum found herself ushered out of her seat. Sorrel was right behind her, kept in line between two grey-suited military personnel who spoke to Stark as if they were old friends. Sheâd never thought that he was potentially from outside the Capitol. Sheâd have to ask him later. Before she knew it they had taken the lift down to the base of the Capitol tower and organized into their pairings. Sorrel stayed close to her, locking arms with her at one point when a crowd of make-up and hair personnel drifted through to find their respective teams. They were escorted into the carriages and Stark began to fluff her dress. He personally re-applied her makeup, thickening her eye liner before sitting in front of her with a large plate of white powder in hand.
âClose your eyes, both of you,â Stark instructed both Sorrel and Plumeria. Plum did as she was told and felt Stark suddenly blow the dust into her face. The idea disgusted her and she bunched up her nose. Sorrel sneezed when it was his turn. Stark dismounted from the carriage, handing the plate over to one of his team members. âShow them that you are a brave one, Plumeria. I have faith in you.â
And with that the carriage pulled out, the last in a line of twelve. The moment they emerged from the building they were swathed in colorful lights. The screams of the crowds caught her off guard. Without thinking she grabbed Sorrelâs hand. He held it tightly on his knee, using his left hand to immediately wave. The crowd roared. Plum smiled weakly before she looked up to see their faces on a monstrous screen above the crowd. They were dazzling and glittering in the midst of the light, almost as if they were diamonds. Starkâs powder caught their cheekbones and features, brightening their faces so that the both of them looked beautiful. But it was not something that made their skin appear fake or altered. It highlighted the natural curves of their cheekbones, their eyes and their smile lines. She looked prettier than she ever had. She looked human again.
Plum smiled, sitting high and tall in her seat. She knew not to wave at the crowds. That would make it seem as if she was proud to be there. But she did smile, her eyes focused, looking occasionally at Sorrel who waved and made connections with many faces in the crowds. The carriage ride felt so quick. Before she knew it they had circled the whole city, brought back into the training tower, and were dismounting from their carriages. Sorrel squeezed her hand, reassuring her, before he was whisked away by Modena. Plum found herself ushered away and to her private quarters by Starkâs crew, her stylist himself nowhere to be found.