Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen My Wedding Dress

The trick worked immediately, and it was satisfying.Several judges shouted softly, and the wine glasses in some hands fell to the ground, making a clear and clear sound like music, and the two of them seemed to be fainting.There was a shocked expression on everyone's face. At this point I finally caught the attention of Plutarch Havensby.He stared at me intently, the juice squeezed from the rotten peach in his hand, running down his fingers.At last he cleared his throat and said, "You can go, Miss Ifedidi." I nodded respectfully, turned and walked away.But at the last moment before leaving, I couldn't resist throwing the jar of berry juice behind me again.I heard the sound of juice being splashed on the dummy, mixed with the sound of several wine glasses falling to the ground.I didn't see anyone move until the elevator came.

It took them by surprise, I thought.I was reckless, I was risky, and no doubt I would pay ten times that.But at this moment, what I feel is excitement and happiness, so let me taste the taste of happiness first. I wanted to find Haymitch right away and tell him about it, but there was no one around.I thought they might be preparing a meal.So, okay, I'll go back and take a shower, I got juice all over my hands anyway.As I shower, I start to think about the wisdom of what I did today.The question I keep thinking is "does this help Peeta's chances of survival?" Indirectly, no.The training situation is highly confidential, so if no one knows what I have done, there is no need to take further action against me.In fact, last year I got paid for being reckless.Of course, the nature of the behavior was different this time.If the Xtreme organizers got mad at me and decided to punish me in the arena, Peeta would suffer the same.Maybe I was too impulsive today.But... I still don't regret it in my heart.

While eating, I noticed that Peeta had just showered and his hair was still wet, but his hands were still covered in dye.Well, he still used camouflage.Once the soup was served, Haymitch went straight to the point and said, "Okay, how was your personal test today?" Peeta and I exchanged glances.For some reason, today's matter, I don't want to say it right away.In Anning's restaurant, this sounds too radical. "Tell me first." I said to him, "It must be very special. I waited for more than forty minutes before going in." Peeta seemed to be as reluctant to talk as I was. "Well, I—I used camouflage, at your suggestion, Katniss," he stammered. "Strictly speaking, not camouflage. I mean, I used dye."

"What did you do?" Portia asked. I recalled how upset the judges were when I entered the scene.There was also the smell of cleaner, and mats being dragged to the center of the venue.Is it to cover the marks that cannot be washed off? "What did you draw, didn't you? A picture?" I said. "Did you see that?" Peeta asked. "No, they covered it up on purpose," I said. "Well, that's normal, they don't let one 'tribute' see what another 'tribute' does." Effie said casually, "Then what did you draw, Peeta?" Suddenly, her eyes got a little wet "Is that Katniss?"

"Why did he draw me, Effie?" I asked, a little annoyed. "It means that he will do everything to protect you. No matter what, everyone in the Capitol expects the same. Didn't he come to the arena voluntarily to protect you?" Effie said, as if it was The most obvious thing in the world. "Actually, I drew Lulu," Peeta said, "the way she looks when Katniss puts flowers on her." There was a long silence at the dinner table as everyone pondered the matter inwardly. "So, what effect do you want to achieve?" Haymitch said carefully. "I'm not sure, I just want to remind them that they are responsible for what they did, even for a moment," Peeta said. "Responsible for the little girl they killed."

"This is too bad." Effie said with tears in her voice. "This kind of thinking... is not allowed, Peeta, absolutely not. You will only cause more trouble for Katniss and yourself." "I have to agree with Effie on this one," Haymitch said.Portia and Cinna were silent, but their expressions were serious.Of course, they are right.As much as Peeta's actions worry me, I have to admit, it's surprising what he's doing. "It's not the right time to say this, but I have to say that I hung up a dummy and wrote Seneca Kling's name on him," I said.As soon as this remark came out, it immediately had the expected effect. At first, everyone didn't believe it, and then, voices of opposition rained down on me.

"You... ah... Seneca Kling?" Cinna said. "Well, I wanted to show off my knot-tying skills, but when I was about to tie it, that's what happened," I said. "Oh, Katniss," Effie whispered, "how did you know that?" "Is this a secret? It doesn't look like President Snow. In fact, he was eager to let me know." I said.Effie leaves her seat and covers her face with a napkin. "Look, I upset Effie, I should have lied and said I shot an arrow." "People must have thought we were planning to do this," Peeta said, with an imperceptible smile on his face.

"Isn't it?" asked Portia.She covered her eyes with her fingers, as if blocking the harsh light. "No," I said, looking at Peeta appreciatively, "we had no idea what each other was up to until we got in." "Oh, Haymitch?" Peeta said. "We've decided we don't want any allies in the arena." "Well, then I'm not responsible if you foolishly kill any of my friends," he said. "That's exactly what we think," I told him. We finished our meal quietly, but when we got up to go to the living room, Cinna got up and put his arms around me and said, "Come on, let's go see the grades."

We all sat around the TV and called Effie, who was red-eyed, over. The faces of the "tributes" appeared on the screen one by one, and the test scores were displayed at the bottom of the screen.From one to twelve.It is conceivable that Cashmere, Gruz, Bluto, Inobeli, and Finnick all get high scores, and the others score from medium to low. "Ever scored a zero before?" I asked. "No, but there's a first time for everything," Cinna replied. Turns out he was right.Peeta and I both scored twelve points, which is unprecedented in The Hunger Games.But none of us were in the mood to celebrate.

"Why did they do that?" I asked. "Then other people have no choice but to target you." Haymitch said flatly, "Go to sleep, I don't want to see either of you." Peeta walked me silently to the door of the room, and before he could say good night, I put my arms around him and put my head on his chest.He stroked my back with his hands, his cheek against my hair. "I'm so sorry if I messed things up," I said. "Not me. Why on earth would you do that?" he said. "I don't know, maybe I want them to know that I am not a pawn in the game." I said.

He chuckled, no doubt thinking back to last year's Eve of the Hunger Games.Neither of us could sleep, so we climbed upstairs.Peeta said something like that, but I couldn't understand him.Now, I understand. "Me too," he said to me, "I'm not saying I won't try, I'll try to get you back alive. But if the truth is..." "If it's true, you think President Snow has given them direct orders to kill us in the arena," I said. "That's what I thought," Peeta said. I thought about it too, and I thought about it over and over again, and I thought, if I can't leave the arena, then I want Peeta to be alive.Anyway, it wasn't him who pulled out those poisonous berries, it was me.No one ever doubted that Peeta's rebellious spirit was born of love for me.Therefore, President Snow may choose to let him live, bruised and heartbroken, as a warning to others. "But even if that were the case, then people would know we did fight them, right?" Peeta asked. "Yes, everyone will know," I replied.At this moment, for the first time since the announcement of the Century Xtreme, I am no longer concerned with my personal tragedy.I thought of the old people who were beaten to death in District 11, Bonnie, Turrell, and the legendary riots.Yes, everyone in every jurisdiction is watching what we do with this life and death sentence, with President Snow's mighty power.They are looking for some sign that their struggle is not in vain.If I openly defy the Capitol and hold out till the end, the Capitol may take my life...but not my spirit.What could give hope to the rebels more than this? This idea is too good. I sacrificed myself to save Peeta's life. This behavior itself is a contempt for the Capitol and a resistance to the rules of the game set by the Capitol.My personal plan coincides with the public schedule.If I can actually save Peeta, it's ideal for starting a revolution.Then my death would be of greater value, my face would be painted on a banner as a martyr to a noble cause, and it would gather more strength than my life.But Peeta's survival has greater value, and he will translate his personal grief into words to inspire more people. If Peeta knew any of my thoughts on this, he couldn't have done it in the end.So I just said, "What are we going to do in the last few days?" "I would like to spend the last days of my life with you, every minute and every second," Peeta replied. "Come here, then," I said, and pulled him into my room. What a luxury it is for me to sleep with Peeta.Only then did I realize how much I longed for intimacy, how much I longed to have Peeta by my side in the dark.I hope I don't waste the last few nights of my life shutting him out.I lay in his warm arms and gradually fell asleep.When I opened my eyes, the morning light had penetrated the glass windows. "You're not having nightmares," he said. "No." I said firmly, "What about you?" "No, I almost forgot what a good night's sleep is like," he said. We are in bed and in no rush to start the day.There's a TV interview tomorrow night, so Effie and Haymitch will be coaching us today.Still wearing high heels and listening to their taunts.I thought to myself.But then, red-haired Avax sent a note from Effie, saying that she and Haymitch had agreed that we'd be free to do public interviews since we'd recently done the Victory Tour.Training canceled. "Really?" Peeta said.He took the note from me and read it carefully. "You know what, that means we have a whole day to ourselves." "We're not going anywhere, and it's not very good," I said wistfully. "Who says you can't?" he asked. roof.We asked for some food, picked up some blankets, and went to the roof.We stayed in the flower-covered roof garden all day, having a picnic happily with the tinkling of wind chimes.We eat and bask in the sun.I pulled down the hanging vines and, using my newfound knowledge, weaved a web and tied knots.Peeta draws me.We also played a game using the electromagnetic storm walls around the roof—one person threw an apple and the other caught it. No one bothered us.In the evening, I put my head on Peeta's lap and weaved the wreath while Peeta twisted my hair with his fingers, saying it was a practice knot.After a while, his hand suddenly stopped moving. "What's the matter?" I asked. "I wish I could freeze this moment, this moment, this moment, forever," he said. In the past, whenever he said such things and expressed his eternal love to me, I felt guilty and uncomfortable.But this time, what I felt was bursts of warmth, and I no longer worried about a future that didn't exist.Thinking of this, I blurted out: "Okay." I heard him laughing, "So you agree?" "I agree." I said. His fingers were back in my hair, and I drifted off to sleep.But he shook me awake and told me to watch the sunset.The beautiful sunset dyed the Capitol sky red, "You must not miss this beautiful scenery." He said. "Thank you." I said.There are only a handful of sunsets I can see, and I don't want to miss any of them. We don't want to go to dinner, see other people, and have no one to call us. "I'm happy here. I'm tired of making everyone around me feel bad for me," Peeta said. "Everyone's crying. Oh, Haymitch…" He didn't need to say any more. We stayed on the roof until bedtime, after which we slipped quietly to my room without meeting anyone. The next morning, my makeup artists came to wake me up.As soon as Octavia saw me and Peeta sleeping together, she couldn't take it anymore and burst into tears. "You'll remember Cinna's words," Vinia snapped.Octavia nodded and ran out crying. Peeta went to her room to put on makeup, leaving me in the room with Vinia and Flavi.The chirping chit chat that usually occurs when they are together has died down.Apart from asking me to look up and talk about makeup techniques during makeup, they barely spoke.It was almost lunch time, and suddenly I felt something dripping on my shoulders, and I turned around to see Flavi weeping silently as he cut my hair.Vinia gave him a look, and then he put the scissors gently on the table and left the room. Vinia alone is doing my makeup now.Her skin was pale and the tattoos seemed to be falling off her skin.Her face was expressionless, determined to hold back the grief in her heart.She does my hair, manicure, and makeup.Her slender fingers kept flipping up and down to make up for the absence of her companion.She avoided my gaze throughout the whole makeup process.Finally Cinna showed up and gave her permission to leave before she looked up at me and said, "We all want you to know... what a privilege it is to have you dressed beautifully." Afterwards, she hurriedly left. My makeup artists, my silly, shallow, yet adorable pets, who were so obsessed with feathers and parties, ended up crushing my heart with their special farewells.Vinia's words showed that we all knew that I would never come back.Does the whole world know this?I wondered.I looked at Cinna and, needless to say, he knew it too.But as he said, he won't cry. "So, what am I wearing tonight?" I asked, eyeing the garment bag he was carrying. "President Snow personally appointed you to wear this dress," Sinner said.He unzipped it, revealing the wedding dress I was wearing for the wedding photo inside.White heavy silk with plunging neckline, fitted waist and long sleeves dropped to the floor.There are also many decorative pearls, on the clothes, on the long ribbons around the neck, and on the veils. "Even though the wedding photos were on TV the night they announced the Xmas Race, people still voted for their favorite wedding dress, the one that won first place. President Snow asked you to wear it tonight This one. It’s useless for us to object.” I picked up the hem of the clothes with my fingers and rubbed it in my hands, thinking about Snow's intentions in doing so.Because my actions offended the Capitol, my pain, my loss, and my humiliation would be what President Snow wanted most.And he thinks I can do that in a wedding dress.What a barbaric act the President has turned my wedding dress into my shroud, a blow that will scar my heart. "Oh, it's a pity to waste these clothes." I said lightly. Cinna carefully helped me get dressed.After I got dressed, I couldn't help complaining. "Is this dress always this heavy?" I asked.I remember a few dresses before that were really heavy, but this one felt like it weighed a ton. "I made a few more changes because of the light," Sinner said.I nodded, but I didn't think the light had anything to do with changing clothes.He helped me put on my shoes again, and the pearls and veil.I did my makeup again, and then we went out together. "You're so pretty," he said. "Here, Katniss, don't raise your arms above your head because the dress fits well. Well, when you're circling, raise them again." "Should I still be circling?" I asked, thinking back to circling in costume last year. "I'm sure Caesar still makes you spin. If he doesn't, bring it up yourself. Just don't spin right off the stage, save it for the biggest moments," Sienna told me. "You give me a signal so I know when it's right," I said. "Okay. Do you have any plans for your interview? I know Haymitch asked you to come up with your own topics," he said. "We didn't. Just watch it live this year. The funny thing is, I'm not nervous at all." Yeah, I'm not.No matter how much President Snow hates me, the audience is still my audience. We meet Effie, Haymitch, Portia, and Peeta at the elevator.Peeta wore an elegant tuxedo and white gloves, the usual look for a Capitol groom. In my hometown, weddings are much simpler.Brides often rent white wedding dresses that have been worn countless times.As long as the groom does not wear the clothes that go down the well, he will be clean.They fill out a form together at the courthouse, and they are assigned a house.Family, friends gather for a meal and, if you can afford it, a cake.A traditional song is sung when the couple enters the house.Simple ceremonies are also held: the first fire is lit by the newlyweds, a little bread is baked, and then shared.Maybe the wedding ceremony is too traditional, but in the 12th district, no one feels married without eating toast. The other "tributes" had already gathered in the audience, whispering about something.But when Peeta and I showed up, neither of them spoke.I could feel everyone staring blankly at my wedding dress.Is it jealousy?Afraid that I will attract the attention of the audience? Finally, Finnick spoke: "I can't believe Cinna asked you to wear this." "He didn't have a choice, President Snow made him do it," I said, as if defending him.I won't let anyone say anything wrong about Cinna. Cashmere threw back her blond curls and said suddenly, "Oh, you look ridiculous!" She grabbed her brother's hand and pulled him to the front of the line.Other "tributes" were also lined up.I was very puzzled. On the one hand, some people were very angry, while others patted me on the shoulder to express their sympathy.Johanna Mason even stopped and straightened the necklace for me. "Make him pay for it, okay?" she said. I nodded, but I didn't know what she meant, and I slowly understood it later.We're all on stage, and Caesar Flickman has lavender hair and face this year.He made an opening statement first, and then began to interview the "tributes".Only then did I realize for the first time how angry the "tributes" were, how betrayed they felt.But they were smart, and they expressed themselves in such a way that people pointed the finger at the government and President Snow, especially President Snow.Not everyone is like that either.Like Bruto and Inobeli, it is to return to the game and participate in the game.And there are those who are addicted, timid or lost, who are not involved.But there are many victors, who used their wisdom to participate in the special battle against the Capitol. Cashmere said she couldn't help crying when she thought of the Capitol's pain at losing her.In this way, she brings the conflicting focus to the Hunger Games.Gruz recalled the love the Capitol had shown him and his sister.In his nervous, shaky voice, Beetle asked if any experts had recently checked the rules of the century and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the race.Finnick recited a poem he wrote to his lovers in the Capitol, and a hundred people fainted because they thought the poem was read to themselves.Johanna Mason mentioned in the interview whether measures can be taken to deal with the current situation, because the designers of the Century Extreme game obviously did not expect such a deep relationship between the winner and the Capitol, no one can be so cruel , to sever this emotional bond.Sinder quietly recalled that in the eleventh district, everyone believed that President Snow had the supreme power, so why didn't he change the rules of the century extreme competition?Chaff, who was right behind her, also insisted that the president could change the rules of the contest if he wanted to, but he must not think that everyone cared about it. When it was my turn, the audience was emotional and chaotic.Some of them were crying, some were breaking down, and some were even yelling to change the rules.My appearance in a white wedding dress caused chaos.No more me, no more celebrity lovers living happily together, no more exciting weddings.Caesar Flickman kept saying to keep everyone quiet so I could talk, but even his voice was a little hoarse.My scheduled three minutes to speak were slipping away quickly. Finally, in a moment of calm, he said, "So, Katniss, tonight is obviously an exciting night for most people. Do you have anything to say?" I replied in a trembling voice, "Unfortunately, you can't come to my wedding... But at least you saw me in my wedding dress. Don't you think... This is the most beautiful wedding dress?" Looking at Cinna's instructions, I knew it was time.I began to circle slowly, lifting the long sleeves of the heavy wedding dress over my head. At this time, I heard the screams of the audience, and I thought it was because everyone thought I was beautiful.But then I noticed something rising beside me.It's smoke, smoke from a fire.This fire looks more like real fire than the bling artificial flames I burned on my float last year, and it's eating my wedding dress.The flames burned more and more violently, and my heart began to panic.Pieces of charred silk whirled in the air, and pearl jewelry fell to the ground.Somehow, I dare not stop, on the one hand my skin doesn't burn, and on the other hand I know that behind everything there is Xina.So I kept spinning and spinning.At one point I had trouble breathing as I was completely surrounded by strange flames.Suddenly, the flame disappeared.I stop slowly.Not sure if I was naked and why Cinna burned my wedding dress. However, I am not naked.I was wearing a dress that was the exact same design as my wedding dress, except it was charcoal black and made of tiny feathers.It was amazing, I raised my flowing long sleeves, and on the TV screen, I saw myself.I was wearing black clothes, only the sleeves—oh, it should be said that my wings were spotted with white spots. Cinna turned me into a mockingjay.