“Okay, Blaine I need you to turn for me...slowly.” Taylina instructed, her finger pointed out, gently touching his chest as she wrapped another layer of his outfit around him. Once it was secured tight and comfortably, she stepped back towards the rest of the prep team.

“I think this is your best one yet.” Betty praised.

“It will be if it works.” Taylina said sternly. “Blaine, do you know what you need to do?”

“Don’t move at all.” Blaine repeated the orders he had been given over and over again.

“If they don’t recoil by themselves, you need to push out with your right arm, remember that.” Taylina brushed down his outfit again.

It was one of the most extravagant outfits Blaine had ever seen, by far the best developed for District 12 by any stylist.

In the mines, a canary is the signal for the end. When a canary in the mines dies, time or air is running out. It’s the warning cry, it’s the first signal for the miners to try and get out. Jumpsuits and miners outfits are completely overdone and so Taylina wanted to create a new image, something more symbolic.

Blaine stood silently without objections as his prep team dressed him, Taylina watching carefully and vigilantly as they zipped him into a skin tight black leather suit with covered him from neck to ankle. The glossy coating shimmered in the light as he moved stiffly, but one raise of his arm had Previus and Betty both clawing their long manicured fingers at him to lower it and remain still. After that moment, Blaine hadn’t dared move a muscle without instructions. Taylina had helped Welton to lower the next layer onto Blaine’s back and then around his body. It was a pair of thick, black feathered wings which coiled around him, covering his entire body. They were long enough to brush against the bottom of his calves, and wide enough to overlap completely and cover him entirely. His face was dusted with a light white powder, Welton mumbled about a clear palate for them to be able to work on, before all 3 members of Blaine’s prep team worked on his face, applying so much make up he didn’t think he’d be able to even lift his eyes.

After about an hour, they stepped away from him at the same time, all with menacing grins on their faces.

“I think you’re going to like this, Taylina” Previus announced.

Taylina walked back across the room from where she’d let them do their work, and took one look at Blaine before breaking into a face tearing smile.

“Perfect.” She breathed, her hand ghosting against his face but never quite touching it. “Absolutely perfect”

Blaine stood up, his feet clad in black leather boots which blended in perfectly with the rest of his outfit. His prep team helped to manoeuvre him in front of a mirror, his arms wrapped below his wings around his torso. He felt like he was holding himself together.

“Okay, 3, 2, 1,” Taylina counted down, as she reached 1 Betty span the mirror around, showing Blaine himself in the reflection, Blaine didn’t recognise himself.

His eyes were lined with a thick black outline, spreading at least half an inch either side of his eyes and up along his temples in swirled patterns. His lips were painted black too, even as he licked them, they remained as dark as before.

“One last thing...” Welton said calmly, tilting Blaine’s head back by placing two fingers on the bottom of his chin and pushing upwards until Blaine was staring at the glass ceiling instead of his unrecognisable reflection. “Keep your eyes open and still” Welton instructed slowly as he placed a dark tinted yet clear lens over Blaine’s eyes, the left first and then the right. “Blink three times, careful now.” Welton continued, slowly withdrawing his hands from Blaine’s face as he blinked over the lenses.

“Okay, tilt your head forward again” Betty said, her voice anxious with excitement.

Blaine did as was instructed and continued blinking, way past the three he was told to do. No one complained, so he continued until his vision cleared and he could see himself in the mirror again, but instead of his hazel eyes all he could see staring back at him were two black smoked over glassy ovals.

“The image of mystery” Previus whispered, as if it was a secret. “Perfect”

“Perfect, if it works.” Taylina didn’t seem as convinced as Previus was; she walked around Blaine slowly until she was satisfied. “Okay, let’s get you out onto the platform.”

*

Blaine joined Quinn on the platform; she stood perfectly still and barely turned her head to acknowledge him. Her outfit matched his identically, her makeup slightly different with her contact lenses creating the imagery of black spikes shooting from her pupils and fading into black smoke, rather than the completely smoked over look of Blaine’s. They were both chilling in their own way, creating an unsettling feeling as they looked into each other’s eyes for a moment before turning away.

“Neither of you are to look at anything except for what is directly in front of you. We’ve created the image, you need to uphold it.” Taylina explained, brushing down Blaine’s feathers as Quinn’s stylist did the same to hers, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “Do not smile, do not talk and do not make eye contact with anyone.” She continued. “Understand?”

Blaine and Quinn both nodded shakily but careful to not move too fast or too sudden.

“Good luck” Taylina and Quinn’s stylist both said at the same time, exchanging a sly grin and then they were gone, hopping off of the platform and into the darkness.

*

“The thing with your district is that less is definitely more...” Mila spoke slowly, threading glitter through Kurt’s hair, working around the blue and silver highlights she had already weaved into them. “You’ll get sponsors for being trained; you won’t need us to make you look as over the top as the other districts.”

Kurt nodded a little bit, as much as he could with her fingers clawing onto his face to hold him still. His body was coated in silver and blue glitter, random dots of diamonds and sapphires mixed into them. His outfit was simple, a discrete light blue shirt matched with a sapphire encrusted tie, it weighed his neck down but it made him look a million dollars, something which would bode well with the Capitol citizens. On top of his shirt he was wearing a matching sapphire coated suit jacket, with a diamond covered lapel. The matching of the jewels looked like his whole body flickered under the illuminating lights, every time he moved they shimmered and sparkled, giving the impression that he belonged in the Capitol. He didn’t look like someone taken out of a district; he looked radiant, like a Capitol citizen, someone who would never have to participate in the games. He was glittering, sparkling, breathtaking.

His pants were not as extravagant, they were plain blue and had a slim line of sapphires down each hem, and they were tucked neatly into a pair of diamond layered boots which tied up a few inches above his ankles.

He span around, looking in the mirror when instructed and Mila smiled, her hands clasping together happily before Santana and her stylist entered the room. Santana moved to stand next to Kurt opposite the mirror, her dress matching his suit beautifully, but still giving some distinction between them. Her dress was a deep blue, covered evenly with sapphires exactly the same as Kurt’s, but her dress dipped down between her breasts, clearly giving her approach to the games as selling herself as sexy and available. Her dress stopped about 6 inches above her knees, continuing just below her knees from the back, the tail enunciating her incredible figure, but her legs weren’t bare. Transparent tights were covering her legs but there were small diamonds embedded into the silky fabric, showering her legs in speckles of light which reflected in all directions from her tanned skin. Her stilettos were simple black leather shoes, covered completely with individual diamonds, completing her outfit perfectly. Her hair hung beautifully over her right shoulder and she looked the absolute image of a District 1 tribute, sexy, stylish but fierce and somehow stunningly chilling.

“Right, let’s get you two onto the platform, you’re up first.” Santana’s stylist said, her hand nudging Santana’s shoulder back towards the door.

Mila and Santana’s stylist exchanged a knowing nod and followed them out of the room.

*

The Capitol anthem blared through the speakers, spotlights shining down along the isle which the District carriages would travel as the District 1 carriage emerged from the darkness, Kurt and Santana stood back of back with about a foot between them, staring at the crowd and smiling as if they were celebrities seeing their fans for the first time. Santana waved at a few Capitol citizens, catching a flower gracefully as a few were tossed in her direction. People were yelling and screaming their names, chanting them in tunes which could only show Kurt and Santana further that they were guaranteed sponsors, guaranteed people to be there and support them when the games started. They drew into the circle and turned to face the front of the carriage, exchanging a small smug smile as they continued to skim their eyes over the crowds of citizens still screaming at them, but their attention drawn also to the District 2 tributes whose carriage was pulling closer behind them.

*

Blaine and Quinn stood nervously as their carriage began moving. Theirs was right at the back, the last for the crowds to see and by this time usually the audience has lost interest. Blaine wrapped his arms just an inch tighter around himself, his right fist braced for when he needs to move it when they get to the circle. As the carriage began moving into the spotlights, Blaine’s mind echoed what Taylina told him just before they left him alone with Quinn on the platform; “Don’t look at the audience, stare straight ahead and don’t smile.” He found a spot in the sky straight ahead of him, between the rows of spotlights gleaming down at him, and he just stared, blinking less than usual as people began paying an interest to the dark District 12 carriage, painted completely black with just two lights supplying a view to Quinn and Blaine, both the perfect image of mystery. Everyone seemed quite confused until they pulled into the circle, and Blaine heard a small pop, and his wings began to mechanically recoil from his body, his arms moved with them as instructed, and they spread out behind him, expanding beautifully alongside Quinn’s. He let out a deep sigh, but didn’t let himself glance down, instead, he found himself on one of the large screens now focused on the District 12 carriage.

The inside of the wings were littered with feathers, exactly the same as the exterior, but instead of being jet black, they were white. The purist white Blaine thought he had ever seen and they looked absolutely breathtaking. The contrast between the two colours gave them so much mystery; it showed the Capitol that they couldn’t just expect one thing from them, that they were going to be surprised.

It was the perfect opening ceremony.

*

Taylina helped Blaine down from the platform, a huge grin on her face as she inspected the inside feathers of the wings.

“It worked” she breathed, trying to cover up the disbelief in her voice. She turned her direction to Blaine. “You were perfect, absolutely perfect. Everyone’s talking about you.”

Blaine smiled in response, it felt oddly satisfying, but then it sank in that the people who were betting how long he’d live for were talking about him and he suddenly felt very unsettled. Taylina began to reposition his wings, coiling them around his body again to make it easier for him to walk without hitting people with them. He felt safer with them, as if they were shielding him from the rest of the world, mainly from the Capitol and the other tributes.

“Get upstairs and we’ll sort out your outfit, go with Quinn” Taylina instructed, nudging him towards Quinn gently, who shot Blaine a confused gaze before walking over to the elevator.

The elevator dinged and opened slowly. Quinn and Blaine walked in silently, turning to face the entrance as the doors were closing, just before they did, a hand caught in between them, forcing them to open up again. Blaine blinked and looked into the eyes of the male tribute from District 1.

Blaine shuffled closer to Quinn to allow room for the District 1 tributes to slide into the elevator along with them. He tightened his arms around himself even more, trying to avoid looking back at the other boy, but he couldn’t miss the way that his whole outfit shimmered out of the corner of his eyes. The elevator stopped at the first floor, and both of the tributes stepped out, letting the door close behind them before it shot up again, heading straight for the 12th floor where Quinn and Blaine were staying.

As soon as the elevator was back on its way, Blaine let out a heavy breath.

“They looked amazing” Quinn said quietly, unsure of how Blaine would react after the last time she tried to talk to him about the other tributes.

“They always do” Blaine replied bluntly.

*

Kurt headed straight for the elevator, Santana following him silently with only the click of her heels on each step keeping him aware that she was directly behind him. The elevator was closing, and he really didn’t want to be stuck in the next one with the District 2 tributes who were always trying to start some kind of friendship with them, but Kurt wasn’t particularly interested in that tonight. He reached out and grabbed the door, loosening the grip once it started opening again and he looked up to meet the eyes of the District 12 male tribute. Or, at least, who would be the District 12 male tribute if his eyes were filled with blackened smoke contact lenses. Kurt stared at him for a moment, trying to see past them, but then he realised his place and he realised Santana’s impatient click of her heel on the cold, hard floor and walked into the elevator, watching as the doors closed in on them and he held his breath until the short ride ended and the doors opened on their floor. He waited for Santana to leave and then reluctantly followed her out, not bothering to turn around and risk another glance at the boy with the smoked eyes. The doors slammed shut and Santana strode away, her hips swinging seductively as she turned to walk through her doorway. She looked at him once and then shut the door. Kurt sighed and walked down the same hallway, turning into his doorway and closing the door quietly behind him before ripping his tie off, watching as the sapphires littered his floor.