"Evelyn Brinley, better known as Lady Red, victor of the 72nd Hunger Games. Won her games at 15."
"Why Lady Red?"
"Because she always wears red. Oh, and she won her games by burning the remaining tributes alive."
✮
"𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆? 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒄...
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EVELYN WAS BACK IN THE COLD DRESSING ROOM THAT THEY THREW THE TRIBUTES IN BEFORE THE PARADE. Her skin was plucked clean and scrubbed raw again, but she was used to it after being a Capitol doll for years. Every time she went to the Capitol she went through the same process, since, as her prep team likes to say, "The men don't want a gremlin," or something else along those lines.
She had nothing on, which was why her heart nearly stopped when she saw a young man sitting in the corner of the room. He didn't seem to be paying attention to her anyway. He seemed to be around her age, and he was tinkering with some sort of gadget in his hands and he looked bored.
"Um, hello?" Evelyn said, snapping the boy out of his little bubble.
He looked up at her. "Hi, I'm Apollo, Xanther's son. I was forced here against my will."
She pursed her lips as she continued to stare at Apollo. The boy was complaining about being forced here against his will, which was funny to her. How privileged and unaware did he have to be to complain about being forced there against his will?
"Oh, that's nice," The tribute's frown turned into a bitter smile that matched her tone, "I was also forced here against my will."
Apollo stared at her for a moment before turning back to his gadget. It looked like he didn't understand what she meant by that until a few seconds later when his face went red and his head immediately shot back up. "Oh, oh. I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me. I thought you were someone else my dad knew, I didn't know that you were um-"
"What? From the districts? You didn't know that I was a tribute, even though I'm standing here naked and waiting for my stylist?"
"I really didn't mean anything by that. And for the record, I don't go around staring at women's bodies to see if they're naked or not."
"How kind of you."
Before either of them could make another remark her stylist walked in. He looked the same as he did every year, but he had a few more gray hairs than he did the last time Evelyn saw him. He had a warm smile on his face and his eyes were crinkled.
"How are you doing, Ms. Brinley?" Xanther asked.
Evelyn had the same bitter smile on her face as she answered, "Great. Going back to the arena was my birthday wish."
The stylist nodded. "Point taken."
Xanther began to examine her body again and do her hair, and her eyes were stuck on Apollo. He was just sitting there, messing with the stupid, tiny gadget in his hand. He didn't have a care in the world. This was how kids in the Capitol lived, and Evelyn couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
"Sorry about him," Xanther said when he saw her eyes lingering on the boy, "He's not supposed to be here, but his mom didn't want him in the house."
"I didn't even do anything that bad," Apollo snapped.
