I do not recognize the girl staring back at me.
Her hair is long and white, waved softly. She wears a silver circlet atop her flowing locks. Her skin is smooth and white, not waxy and pale like Coyra's, but the unbroken sheen of marble. The only spot of color on her face is her bright blue eyes, accented with silver. Her hand reaches up to brush the hair out of her eyes, and a wondering expression flickers in their blue depths.
I turn my eyes to the full length mirror standing beside me. The eager faces of my prep team gather round, but all I can see is the vision before me. Her dress is ribbed and loose, and it hangs just below her knees. One sleeve falls over her shoulder, like a sash, while the other one drops away. The dress is belted right above her rib cage with a silver rope. She is wearing soft, white slippers.
This is not me. This is someone else, someone beautiful and mysterious and innocent and powerful, someone whose glance can kill and whose touch can heal. Someone who is too dark to be allowed, and too bright to be sacrificed.
A goddess. Not me.
But it is me.
"Oh, you look absolutely gorgeous!" Aylice's squeal brings me out of my stupor. Ican and Quuia nod their heads enthusiastically, like a pair of bobble-headed dolls. Coyra nods slowly, taking in my appearence. She claps her hands together, and all of us jump a little. "We have to get you to your ride, my dear," she says to me.
♧♧♧
Ebb is waiting for me next to the carriage. Even after my shocking transformation and all that has happened to me, I can't help but crack a smile. Where I have been transformed into a beautiful and powerful creature, he is the one who looks like a freak. His skin is painted white, like mine, but he looks washed out, like all the color has been drained out of him. I smile at him, and he glowers.
Coyra ushers us up onto our carriage. It's made of some sort of stone material. We stand awkwardly next to each other, waiting. I can hear the anthem playing, and I turn around to see the other tributes assembling. We'll be second to go, after District 1.
Ebb is gripping the front of the carriage very tightly. I look at him. He glares at me again, and I feel the heat rise up in my chest. "Hey," I say sharply. He looks at me. "Are we going to be allies or not?"
"It's up to you," he mutters. I really start to get mad. "You and Enobaria and Brutus have all been avoiding me. And I don't like being avoided." He says nothing, and I continue. "So either talk to me, or get out of my sight," I spit.
He doesn't reply. I fume in silence and watch the District 1 tributes ride out in their sparkling contraption. It's only as we are getting ready to go that he finally speaks. "We're allies. Unless you're not going to be a Career."
"Glad that's settled," I scoff, as we roll out into the bright light of the stadium.
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