Chapter 6

The last day of the pre-games came around and I was not feeling good. I seemed to have wormed my way into the career pack without any of them actually knowing that I would be useless in the arena, but tonight would be one of my most important nights; my interview. It was now that I had to get sponsors.

Anthousa got Jasper and me ready and, of course, she had worked her usual magic to make me look like someone who might actually win a Games. She had done something funny to the make up on my face so that my cheekbones looked higher, everything looked more angular and my eyes seemed to blaze with a competitive fire that I knew did not exist in them whatsoever.

I waited backstage with all of the other tributes, trying not to fiddle nervously; this backstage part was as much of the show as on the stage. Jasper finished his interview with thunderous applause. Then it was my turn. I wondered briefly if Caesar would make some sort of pun out of my name – it wasn't exactly a difficult leap.

"And now, from District One, let's see if we find her…alluring…" there is was. "…say hello to ALLURE!"

The crowd cheered loudly and I walked out on stage, hoping against hope that I wouldn't trip over my long dress. Caesar greeted me with his usual wide, toothy grin and this year's bleached white eyebrows.

"Allure, Allure, Allure!" He said warmly, almost tutting out the syllables and held his arm out to embrace me in front of everyone. I smiled back warmly. He led me to the two chairs in the middle of the stage.

The interview itself was pretty easy. Caesar gave me many lead-in lines and I answered sweetly or coquettishly depending on what was required. By the end of it, I knew that I had done well and was able to breathe a very deep sigh of relief.

I walked down off the stage and rubbed absent-mindedly at the stitching on the side of my dress. It was exceptionally itchy and I cursed Anthousa with frustration as I walked past the other tributes and out into a room to get out of the stupid dress.

Anthousa met me and congratulated me as I watched the District Two boy flex his muscles and Caesar pretend to be overawed as he felt them. I rolled my eyes.

Anthousa helped me out of my costume and I was about to get into some more appropriate clothing when Cashmere and Erran barged into the room. They took one look at Anthousa and barked at her to leave. She did so with much grumbling as I tried desperately to cover as much of myself as I could from their eyes. It wasn't easy. Cashmere snorted.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before." She said and Erran went over to turn off the screening of the other interviews. I dragged my shirt over my head and felt a little better.

"Sit down." They told me and I sat nervously on a bench, still feeling vulnerable and exposed with my pants in my lap. Cashmere and Erran closed in on me.

"This Hunger Games," Cashmere began. "We will be focussing our attention on Jasper. He is going to win and you are going to lose."

I opened my mouth in protest but no words came out. What were they saying? They looked at me to see if I understood.

"Why?" I eventually choked out. Hadn't I done everything that they asked me? Hadn't I done everything right? Cashmere sighed.

"We have too many female victors from District One, it looks bad. Last year's victor…"

"Female District One." Erran said.

Cashmere continued. "Four years ago's victor…"

"Female District One." Erran piped in.

"Six years ago…"

"Cashmere, female District One."

"But," I spluttered desperately. "The year before that it was Gloss, your brother, he was a boy!"

"He has been the only boy since Erran won his games." Cahsmere said gravely. "Do you know how long that was?"

I gulped.

"Twenty four years ago." Cashmere answered for me. "In nearly forty years there have only been two male District One victors while there have been five female and all of them around 18. We are getting a reputation for winning for reasons other than our skill or strength. People are starting to say that we use our looks or our charms and that is a dangerous thing. The Capitol does not like to feel that their…baser…urges are being manipulated. We need a strong male victor from District One this year. " She concluded.

I sat speechless. What could they possibly be saying? Surely this was some sort of joke; everyone knew that the District One girls used their femininity and sexual appeal; it was how we won!

But they didn't want that.

"Now, when you get into the arena, you are to protect Jasper as much as possible and when the time comes, he will kill you. It's how it has to be." Erran said, leaning forward in what I supposed he must have assumed was a comforting way.

It wasn't comforting.

How could they do this to me?

I tried to breathe.

"And if he gets killed too early?" I asked, barely daring to know the answer.

"Then you can fight to the death to save yourself." Cashmere said. "But we wont be doing any favours to save you. We don't need another female District One victor."

With that they left.

I sat stunned as Anthousa came back in to remove my make up. She tutted and helped me put my pants on in what was the kindest way she could probably manage. I was grateful.

When I was cleaned up and composed I managed to make my way back to the suites with Anthousa's help. She bid me farewell and said that she would be cheering me on in the arena.

I walked back past Cashmere, Erran, and Beryl who were all talking in whispers to Jasper as he sat concentrating intently. They were probably prepping him for the next day, giving him advice, helping him to beat me. I shut the door on my bedroom and lay back, knowing that I would never sleep whilst this dark cloud of no hope hung on me.

I was alone!

I was alone.

I….was…alone…

So no one could possibly tell me what to do. What could they possibly do to me from outside the arena? I didn't have to follow their rules; I only had to make it look like I was. And the instructions had come from Cashmere and Erran, not from Beryl so this was clearly not a Capitol matter. The Capitol controlled the games, not District One. I might still be able to fight this without them!

A small thrill ran up my spine. Maybe I was going to be ok. I rolled over, holding my little light of hope close to my chest, and I feel into a deep, deep sleep.