Chapter 7

Alice's hand vigorously banging against the door is the sound I hear when I first come back to consciousness. "Wake up already! It is almost 11!" She screams with irritation. I mumble with disapproval as I roll over to see a clock that does indeed state 10:56 AM.
"Alright already, I'm up!" I rudely respond. Getting up, I dress into my some of the never ending supply of clothing the capitol offers its guests, shower, and brush my teeth. I walk out of my bedroom and am once again aware of the wondrous smells that linger in the kitchen. The breakfast would've been more enjoyable if Alice would not of been ranting about the stupid interviews we have to do tonight. They will be broadcasted across Panem, this will the first time that my district will be able to physically see me since the reaping. I am suddenly interested. How should I approach this interview? My thoughts have never wandered to that question. What should my attitude be? What should I say? All of these random questions start popping in my mind. Frustrated, I clear them from my mind. I don't care, preparation is pointless, I could care less how I sound or appear.

For the next couple of hours Alice and Bryan try to tell Victoria and I how to act on stage, but I am not paying any attention. I think they know it too, but they are just doing their job. The time comes to get dressed, I am dressed in a nice tuxedo and some shiny shoes that tap wherever I walk. Victoria is dressed in a very theatrical, ocean blue dress. She, I have to admit, looks very gorgeous. He hair is curled into many designs, and her makeup is very exaggerated.

I pop a couple of breath mints in my mouth as we walk into the backstage area of the stage. You can hear the murmurs of the thousands of people waiting outside to hear our interviews, it adds a little spark to the whole thing. They call us into a very large and slightly dim hallway, several flat screens are bolted into the wall so we can see the action on stage. All the lights on the stage point to a dazzling Caesar Flickerman, as he dramatically emerges on the platform.

"Welcome, welcome!" He shouts as he tries to retain his giggles. Warming up the audience, he starts by saying some really lame jokes. But the audience laughs. They don't care. They will not be dying tomorrow.

"Well, anyway lets get on with the interviews!" He bellows happily. I turn away from the television to see a couple peacekeepers ushering Rozebella up the stairs at the end of the hallway. She is in a very tight hot pink dress with a white rose on her right blonde hair is straightened and resting on her shoulder, overlapping on the flower. "Rozebella, darling, come join me on the stage." Rozebella is confident, but not arrogant. Relaxed and at ease, but not cocky. Quite honestly, I would consider sponsoring her. The buzzer goes off and she is sent to a couch on the other side of the stage and the next tribute comes on stage. Blaise. Chantel. Austin. All with very similar attitudes. Katrina is called up on the stage. She is very quiet, and she seems pretty smart, I will have to watch out for her.. Next is Victoria's turn. I am now alone in the hallway, well me and the peacekeepers that is. Victoria, appeared very nice and humble as Caesar called her to the stage, she smiled and sat down. He asked her if she was nervous for tomorrow. What a stupid question. She answered as if that was a difficult question. Yes was her answer. Later in the interview, Caesar asked her about her family, and how happy they would be if she won.

"They would be thrilled, I hope I see them again." She said with a sad smile, tears in her eyes. The buzzer goes off and Flickerman gives a hug and very loud "Good Luck!" I smile, she has grown up a lot in this last week. Of course by this time I had been already ushered upstairs and practically onstage. The curtain is overlapping on the stage covering me, but just barely.

"A wonderful interview, just wonderful." Caesar comments. He turns ever so slightly to make sure that I was there, then returns his attention back to the audience.

"We have some more interviews for you tonight!" The audience cheers with approval, then quickly hushes.

"Well, lets meet him! He yells. "Christopher, come join me on the stage!"

As I walk out to meet Caesar, while noticing that the stage vibrates from all the noises from the crowd, I look at Victoria. She waves and gives me an encouraging smile.

"You will do fine." She mouths.

I shake Caesar's hand and we sit down. He comments on how exciting our opening ceremonies were, and says he very much enjoyed it.

"Now Chris, I couldn't help in noticing that you are by far the youngest in these games, are you a concerned?

I gulp, my brain quickly pulls the best answer out of my head.

"Not really, I mean sure it is a slight disadvantage, but there are other ways to win the Hunger Games."

"Very true, now do you have a strategic plan for these games?"

"Uh, not really. I will just try not to get killed.

The audience laughs. I really had not tried to make it funny.

Glancing up at the time clock I notice there is only about 30 seconds left till the buzzer. Good, only one more question.

"If you won the Hunger Games, what would be the first thing you do?"

I had a very smart answer.

"Go to sleep."

The audience laughs much more louder this time. They are now on their feet and applauding. Caesar laughs the loudest, making it much more funny than it actually was.

"Me too, well who knows? Caesar says. "No 12 years old has ever won, maybe you will be the first." He winks at me, and with that I was sent away to sit with my other fellow tributes.

Tasha and Josh do their interviews. Tasha is very polite and admits she is very scared to be in the Hunger Games. Josh states that the Careers only act tough and that they are not as good as they seem. I don't think Josh will be living long in the arena.

Caesar Flickerman says his goodbyes to the crowd and does a very dramatic bow as the audience rants in unison "Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!" He thanks them and wishes us the best of luck tomorrow morning. The cameras turn off as Caesar says goodnight.

Peacekeepers come onstage and escort us away, taking us to the hallway where we first began. I walk next Victoria, not saying much. Only focused on finding Alice, so she can take us back to our room. I didn't have to look hard.

"You guys were just scrumptious up there!" The voice of Alice squeals. I look around trying to find her through the mob of people waiting in the hallway for their tribute. I spot her pushing her way through the crowd of stylists and mentors, practically throwing them on the floor to get to us. "Very good job to both of you." She says, all of a sudden calm. "Now, come along. We must get away in bed for a good night's sleep."

As we are following her I almost burst out laughing as Alice vigorously and rudely shoved people aside saying "Move!" "Pardon you!" "Excuse you!"

We finally reach the elevator and she turns around abruptly, with tears in her eyes.

"When you wake up tomorrow I will not be there, Chaff, Seeder, and I will already be at the Hunger Games HQ. I just wanted to say a proper goodbye."

Victoria hugs her immediately. "Thank you so much Alice."

"I did do a good job." Alice says.

Victoria lets go and I hug and thank Alice.
We step in the elevator and wave goodbye to Alice for probably the last time. When we arrive on the 11th floor, Seeder and Chaff are there to give us some last minute advice. Find water, find food, make shelter, etc. Instead of the dramatic hugs, we shake their hands and thanks them for their help in preparing for these games. I ask where Ariel and Bryan are and they said we will be able to see them tomorrow. Stylists aren't allowed in the Hunger Games HQ.

Walking into my bedroom, I just plop in bed. Not bothering to change, brush my teeth, or even to take out my contacts. I lay my head on the pillow and start thinking about tomorrow. Most likely I will die tomorrow, but likely does not always happen. Forcing all these thoughts out of my head, I go to sleep praying that tomorrow morning the sun will not rise.

When I woke up the next day it was just hitting dawn. I lay in bed, wondering if they will forget to come get me. But sure enough, Bryan walked in and made me change into a little nicer clothes. I will eventually change into a suit, but that will be in the underground area of the arena. He escorts me out into the balcony of my room, I am astonished to a hovercraft appear out of nowhere. A crosswalk is lowered down and I cross on the ship. A capitol attendant asks me if I would like anything to eat, I order some cinnamon toast and sit down by a window seat. Bryan sits in a seat near me, but we don't talk. I eat my toast looking out the window, until a cover on the outside blocks my view, informing me we must be close to the arena. The hovercraft starts to descend, I look at the cover of the window. Slowly, but surely, it darkens. As we get farther underground.

When we come to a halt, I look at the Bryan and he tells me to wait for them to come get me. A capitol nurse appears with a needle and explains to me that this will be how the gamemakers will track me in the arena. I nod, and she injects the tracker into me. She scurries off. Several peacekeepers arrive and escort Bryan and I to a room that is completely painted in white, that has a couch, a table with bread and water on it, and a long transparent tube with a circular raiser at the bottom that will transport me up into the arena. There is also a large digital clock on the walk that says COUNTDOWN: 14:08...14:07...14:06...
Over the next 10 minutes I eat the bread and sip the water, and change into my tribute suit. Bryan sits next me in complete silence. When the clock hits 3 minutes. A robotic voice sounds.

"Tributes, please enter your glass cylinder."

I walk into the tube and a green light appears and the robotic voice returns in a speaker above me.

"District 11, Tribute B, ready for launch."

"Good luck Chris, be smart." Bryan says. He smiles confidently and leaves the room.

The glass is now lowered so I am fully enclosed in the tube. A holographic image appears on the glass, matching the clock in the room. COUNTDOWN: 1:02... 1:01... 1:00...
My eyes never left the image. When it hit 0:00, the platform started to rise. It took about 10 seconds to fully rise to the surface, when I was fully above ground, immediately the famous announcer Claudius Templesmith rang in my ears.

"Let the 72nd Hunger Games begin!"