Preparation- Part 5
Lexi, Ren and Nathan were interrupted by their prep teams.
"Sorry to barge in like this," KT said to Nathan. "We have to get them ready for the interview!"
Nathan shrugged. "Not a problem. I'll meet you two backstage."
Without further delays, Lexi and Ren were put through the same process as the day before: Hours and hours of tedious primping. Even though she still hated getting prepped, Lexi had to admit that she liked her interview dress. The knee-length skirt consisted of ruffles. Each layer was a different shade of the ocean, going back to their parade theme. The top half of the dress was teal with spaghetti straps. Jamie gave Lexi genuine pearls to wear for jewelry, and KT put her hair halfway up, letting some strands fall into her face. When she greeted Ren backstage, who was wearing a teal button-up shirt and matching blazer, all he could say was, "Wow. Hi, Lexi."
Lexi couldn't help but smirk at him. "Hey." The interview broadcast had already started, so they had to speak as softly as possible. Nathan came by momentarily and pointed to the interviewer, a man with jet black hair and stylish glasses. He seemed way too eager to be speaking with people who were putting their lives on the line.
"That's Jeff Larson," Nathan explained. "Whatever you do, don't give him any reason to believe that you're against the Games. You're up first, Ren."
He patted Ren on the shoulder, and Ren strolled onstage when the previous tribute was done. He did as he was told in front of Jeff Larson, talking about how beautiful the Capitol was, always smiling.
"I can't wait to see how my skills measure up with the other tributes," Ren added at the end.
"Well, may the odds be ever in your favor," Jeff told him cheerfully.
The studio applauded, and Lexi took her cue. Ren gave her a high-five as he walked by, and she stepped into the spotlight.
Jeff Larson announced, "From District Twelve, this is Lexi Everdeen!" More applause. He handed Lexi a microphone and went straight to the interview.
"How do you feel about being in the Capitol, Lexi?"
This was the part where she wanted to scream: How do I feel? I shouldn't be here! The Hunger Games shouldn't even exist, and you know it. Ever thought about how ironic it is? We're trying to teach people not to be destructive, yet this is going to end twenty-five lives. And the winner won't be the same afterwards.
Through gritted teeth, Lexi forced a smile. "It's an honor to be here." The rest of her interview went smoothly, painting her as a girl who would use every ounce of talent she had to survive. Just the tribute that citizens of Panem would want to root for.
That night, she knew that her last hours of peace were coming to an end. The Games would begin tomorrow. Lexi decided it would be best if she went to bed right away, having no idea when she'd get any sleep in the arena. Before she did, though, someone knocked on her door. It was Ren.
"Hi. I just thought you could use a little company."
This brought a rare grin to Lexi's lips. "Ok." She opened the door all the way to let him in. His face was pinched with nerves, clearly thinking about what lay ahead, but he seemed very relieved to see her.
"I'll make this quick," he said. "I just wanted to say thanks. This whole process would've been so much more nerve-wracking without you here." There was a pause; then he spoke quickly. "Not that I'm happy to know you're being pushed into this-"
"Of course," Lexi assured him. "I never assumed you were happy about it. And I hadn't expected them to call your name, either. But I owe you thanks, too."
"You're the one who's got the better chance of surviving, though," Ren admitted.
"Says who?" She didn't want Ren to count himself out of the Games before it even started, or else he'd die on the first day. He really didn't know how much he meant to her. "I say you can make it through anything."
Her heart started beating a mile a minute when Ren suddenly grabbed her hand. It felt a little sweaty from nerves, but his touch was so welcoming.
"Good luck, Lexi. I hope the odds are in your favor." In another surprise move, he kissed Lexi's hand. She was probably as red as his hair by now, but she knew he didn't mind.
"You too, Ren."
The morning arrived too soon. Lexi was immediately thrown into the hands of her prep team for final primping. Cause, you know, I need to look good when I die, she thought.
After she was painfully injected with a tracking chip, Lexi made a request to Vanessa: "Can you braid my hair in a ponytail like you did it for the parade?"
"Sure thing, sweetheart." She went to work on Lexi's hair and braided it faster than Lexi had ever seen someone braid before.
"One last thing," Vanessa said when she was done, lowering her voice to a whisper. "That scar under my bangs? I lied to you about it earlier. When I was approached by the Hunger Games committee to be on the prep team, I refused. Nothing makes me sicker than knowing so many people are going to be killed needlessly. But they came up with a very… persuasive way to make me say yes."
Lexi silently filled in the blanks for herself. It only made her disgust of the Capitol rise. I have to win. For my family. For Ace.
Vanessa started crying. "You're just kids." She couldn't restrain herself from hugging Lexi, who freely accepted the comfort of one last embrace. Jamie and KT overheard everything; they also hugged Lexi and said their goodbyes. Lexi realized they'd become sisters to her in the past few weeks. At least some people in the Capitol care that my life is at stake.
Soon, Penny Trinket came into the room, wearing her plastered smile, as always. Ren and Nathan stood next to her. She'd been in charge of escorting Lexi and Ren to nearly every event, but Lexi never saw her as very important, compared to her prep team or Nathan. Now was a very different situation, as Penny said the words Lexi dreaded most: "Time to head to the arena."
Every step Lexi took was with legs of lead. She kept her eyes focused ahead of her, in a dreamlike state.
"Remember what I've told you," Nathan was saying. "Play to your strengths."
This isn't really going to happen. It's all a dream. I'll wake up any minute now…
The sight of Panem officials pulled her back to reality. They had entered an unfamiliar building, but Lexi knew what it was without needing to ask.
Wordlessly, they gestured to a couple of marked squares, indicating where Ren and Lexi should stand.
Nathan stared at each of them and offered his last piece of advice: "May the odds be ever in your favor."
Ren seemed confident enough as he stepped onto his square. Lexi attempted not to tremble, but she felt as though her feet would give out any second. She managed to settle on her marked place. Both of them were surprised when they were instantly encased in glass tubes and the floor rose from underneath them.
Lexi found herself gazing into darkness. If this was another trick of the Hunger Games, to create fear in their tributes, it definitely worked. All she could do was wait. Out of nowhere, a robotic voice began a countdown. Slowly, the black barrier was brought up and she could see light. Her glass tube also started to rise. The arena was closer than ever now. Lexi had to inhale and exhale deeply.
"Five…four…three…two…one…"
