"The name means 'Pure Beautiful Suffering'. So don't underestimate me!"
She had known it from the instant she had stepped foot outside her house on Reaping Day, dressed in her crazy, runaway mother’s dress, that something terrible was going to happen, and she was right. Her name rang out and no one bothered calling volunteer, most were afraid, and others too shocked to do anything, so she had taken her place on the stage, scowl placed firmly on her face, ready to accept her fate. The train ride had been a mess of yelling and screaming, mostly about how Catrina would never make it in the arena. However, what most did not know was that Catrina knew how to survive without food, she knew how to build things, and most of all, she, knew how to use a weapon in more ways than originally intended.
It was when she met her prep team that she became worried about her survival, if only because she never smiled, no matter how hard she tried, it always seemed fake, always seemed wrong on her features. The prep team dressed her in a long silver, bronze, and black dress that fit in all the right places, before placing a strange headdress, made out of silver and bronze cogs, on her head. It reminded her of the technology she had helped her father build, and this thought brought a single tear to her eye, which she quickly blinked away. They had pulled her short, brunette hair back into a low ponytail, into which they placed more cogs, leaving only her bangs to accentuate her face. As she looked in the mirror, she found herself looking at someone she could not recognize, someone she did not know, yet she knew, once the games were over, she either would have come out on top, or have died trying.
She walked out towards the chariot, feeling more alone than ever, trying her best to give the most natural smile she could, but she was failing miserably. Her prep team leader fell in step beside her and whispered in her ear to relax and just be herself, and while the advice was simple, it made her feel better, because her father had given her the same advice. A small, meaningful smile fell to her face, and she walked with her head held high, approaching the chariot with ease, despite walking in shoes that were uncomfortable and rather annoying.
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