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The dress was heavy, weighing her down especially where it hugged her tightly around her waist. Calli didn't particularly like weighty dresses, always preferring those that allowed for a high degree of movement. She also tended to stay away from tails most days, because they made her look shorter than she was. Standing at 5'3", she really couldn't afford to look shorter than she was, could she?

It was a good thing all she needed to do was to stand still and upright on the chariot. Maybe the high slit helped lengthen her legs a little. The heels surely did. As long as she remembered to hold her chin up, she would look just fine.

Looking past those minuscule concerns, the parade was mesmerising from start to finish. Calli couldn't quite believe that she was a part of it this time, rather than watching it with her eyes glued to a TV screen like she usually did. Even so, she had to wonder; were the cheers and the flowers thrown her way worth all the tears she'd shed just in those couple of days away from home?

Was this what was keeping Cress here?

Did Cy like it here, too, now that she knew what it was like?

Standing next to Calli, Helios was also clad in gold, looking as comfortable as he always did. He would make a great victor, if he won. He already looked like one now.

Had he forgiven her or had it only been a momentary truce? She hadn't even properly apologised, had she?

The dress was heavy, but Calli smiled through the procession. If there was one thing she was good at, it was being sweet, wasn't it? Fortunately for her, the Capitol seemed to like sweet. They liked their tributes sweet here. Would that change soon, as they moved onto training and were then launched into the arena? Would she be able to adapt or would she be left feeling the odd one out again?