Effie Trinket and The Star Crossed Lovers

 Effie Trinket     

She is an escort for the district 12 tributes and possible victors. She spends most of her time in the Capitol except for the times she goes to another district for the Reaping or the Victory Tour. Effie gets along well with Peeta and soon Katniss once a bit more trust has been gained. 

"And may the odds be ever in your favor." -Effie Trinket

The mayor of district 12 looked at the drunken Haymitch in utter disbelief that the lone victor had come to such  special occasion so drunk. In an attempt to bring people back to the important task at hand, he introduced me with a smile, but a nervous voice. Realizing that now since I had been introduced, I would have to give a speech about how “grateful” I was to be an escort for this district, I quickly stepped up to the podium and smiled the perfect Effie smile. I could barely stand the thought of district 12, so there was no way I could express my “honor in this district” without a grimace on my face. So, I focused on just how much I liked my outfit today. The bright green with the pink...I adored it. So it was just my luck that my absolutely ravishing sense of fashion could plaster the biggest smile on my face! Once I had finished my speech, it was time to officially begin the Reaping. I walked over to the bowl containing the names of the ladies of the district, as it was always ladies first. I gave one more cheeky smile to the audience that was making me increasingly nervous. No matter what I did or how much I smiled, these people always had a depressing look on their face during the Reaping. Much different from the smiles people gave in other districts or the cheering that occurred. This was so much different.  I felt my smile bend a bit at the end, so I quickly looked down into the bowl with my hand stuck in it. The square was ever so silent as my hand exited out of the bowl with one slip of paper in hand. I slowly unfolded it and then looked to the audience with a smile. As soon as I announced her name the crowd went silent for a minute but soon a wave of grumbling swept over the crowd as Primrose Everdeen, the female tribute, walked forward with dead and empty steps and with a face full of silent fear. The girl looked like she was only 12, maybe 13. She had barely taken a foot to the first step of the stage when her name was called out from within the crowd. Another girl ran up to the stage and pushed the younger girl behind her defensively. The next words the girl said shocked me and probably everyone else there. The little girl screamed and wrapped her arms around the older girl who yelled at her to let go. Yet another citizen had come up to the stage! This time, an older boy, more around the older girl’s age had come up to the pair. He picked up the little girl and urged his friend to go up and stand my me. Even the boy seemed like he was going to cry, which was made a bit obvious by his shaky voice and sad eyes that questioned her and her decision, but also respected her for it. Even I had to give the brave girl respect. The words she had just yelled were only ever said in districts that took pride in sending a child off to the Games, and this was most definitely not one of those districts. When the girl made it up to the stage and took her spot next to me, I smile an Effie smile, but this time, it’s a real smile. The action this girl took to save another’s life was respectable and heartwarming. Unlike the people in other districts, she did not do it for pride or honor, she did it because she cared. She volunteered as tribute because she loved her. 

Katniss walks out of the dressing room with the most beautiful dress I think my eyes have ever laid sights on. Of course I had taken advantage of the special occasion to have my stylists go to work hard on my makeup and clothes, but it seemed like nothing compared to the work Cinna and his crew had done. Her red dress decorated with jewels appeared to light on fire with every step she took, making its impact even greater. I gasp and praise Katniss on her new look while she just gives a small smile and some thanks as we walk towards the back of the stage. There, the other tributes sit in an arc going in the order of first to last. Haymitch and I wish the two the best of luck and head to our spots in the audience just in time for Caesar Flickerman, the host, trots onto the stage and cracks a few jokes to get us into the mood for the interviews. In no time at all, I'm excited and can't wait for each tribute to tell us their story! I genuinely enjoy each interview, as all the tributes have different personalities, which gives Caesar more to joke with. Before I know it, Katniss is on stage and looking magnificent in her dress and outfit in general. I clap my hands very quietly with joy at her posture-- my work paid off and I was proud. As fast as it started, it's over just as quickly and Peeta is up. Not only was he handsome in his black suit, but he was funny and cheerful with Caesar. Giving the fans what they wanted, Caesar pushed for a little more info on Peeta's life back in his district. With a slight raise of his eyebrow, Caesar asked a question that was very important to the ladies of the Capitol. "Is there a girlfriend waiting for you back home?" Even I can't help but to "Ooh" a little along with the rest of the audience. I notice that Haymitch smirks a little as though he knows something the rest of us don't but will soon enough. When I bring my attention back to the stage, Peeta is as red as Katniss' dress and looking down. "Because...because...she came here with me." At the sound of his words my jaw drops and I think, "Oh no..."

The camera then focuses on Katniss’ little companion. I believe her name was Rue. She’s walking under a few trees, looking around cautiously when I net suddenly falls on her from above. She lets out a high-pitched and childlike scream, making me sit on the edge of my seat with my hands over my mouth. Unexpectedly, I had become rather fond of the young girl because she had gained the trust of Katniss. That by itself made her likeable. Scared of what may happen next, I turn the volume of the live show lower. Rue looks so terribly frightened as another tribute rushes out of the nearby bushes holding a spear. She gasps and screams out Katniss’ name as she tries to untangle herself in the net. The boy aims his spear at the body of beloved Rue. The camera turns toward the right of the net into the trees. Katniss comes bursting through the trees calling out to Rue, who sticks her hand out the net when she sees Katniss and yells out her name with hope. But that same second, the boy wastes no more time and throws the spear right at Rue. Katniss quickly shoots the spear thrower in the throat and hastily questions the dying girl if there are anymore people around. With pain in her voice, she has to say ‘no’ multiple times before Katniss calms and rushes to her side. She takes out her knife and cuts through the net to free Rue from her death trap. From that, the cameras show all the people of Panem the wound of the little girl. The spear was buried deep into her stomach, making it obvious to anyone that there was no possibility of her living through it. The two girls whisper to each other, leaving us out on their conversation because the cameras can’t pick up the sound since it’s so quiet. Part of me thought that maybe that was for the best, that we couldn’t hear. If this was their last moment together, they should have their last words be private. Katniss moves Rue’s head onto her lap and moves some hair behind Rue’s ear to provide some last comfort. Rue smiles slightly and whispers again. Loud enough for the camera to pick up, Katniss replies with “Sing?”  and looks at the sky for a moment. When she looks back at Rue’s last moments on her lap, she clears her throat and shows the people watching her set of singing skills. It was so beautiful. Rue’s eyes soon begin to close and her breathing becomes barely noticeable as Katniss begins to cry. She soldiers on and finishes the song, although the last lines are barely picked up by the camera as her tears take over. My heart just stops when Rue’s cannon goes off. In that moment I realize how much I’m crying. My makeup is running down my face so I quickly get up and run to the bathroom, crying even more over the death of Rue.

The hovercraft flies into the arena and hovers over Peeta and Katniss. Oh, how much I’ve missed them! The doctors quickly advise Haymitch and I to stay out of sight until the pair is cleaned up and they can make sure they’re not a danger to anyone. Haymitch heads out and away right away without a second thought, while I slowly begin to walk towards an exit but look back hesitantly until a nurse or a doctor, whatever he was, pushes me a bit. I let out a hmph! And walk out with my head held high. With no place in the hovercraft I’d really like to be, I just make my way to the cockpit. From there, I’d still be able to see Katniss and Peeta, but they wouldn’t see me. A one way glass wall separated the cockpit from the medical room the two were going to be kept in for a while so they could be fixed up. Soon enough, the ladder pulls up Katniss and Peeta, but Peeta passes out as soon as he enters the hovercraft. I gasp and I have to resist the great urge to go in there and comfort Katniss as Peeta is pulled to the operating table and she is thrown into a separate room. I get an idea and exit back into the hallway that leads to the room Katniss is being held in. In the hallway, I run into yet another doctor, but thankfully I had been wanting to find one. I tell him my request and he grants it without much hesitation. He hands me a syringe filled with a light liquid and I take it to the door of Katniss’ room. I stand outside for a minute and take a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Katniss,” I quietly say when I enter the room. I make my way over her as fast as my heels will let me and stick the inch long needle into her neck and let the sedative take effect. A few nurses enter and thank me while picking up Katniss. They carry her out of the room and into yet another place to hold her prisoner. I want to follow and make sure the nurses have no ill intentions, as they work for the Capitol. Surely the Capitol’s leaders aren’t happy with the berry incident. At any time, someone might decide to make Katniss or Peeta—or both mysteriously die. I can’t let that happen. 

Websites that I found very appealing!:        Video
Shoes!
Dresses, of course!
Who could forget makeup?