Hi, everyone, Miss Mockingjay here! For those of you who don't know, I'm Krigoo's little helper who adds a few things to her writing. I'm also the one who came up with the twist.

But I'll be writing these interviews on my own, owww scary :S. I'm not as good as her, but I've done the very best I can and I hope I do your wonderful tributes justice. I'm going on vacation in a couple of days and with all the packing to do tomorrow I wasn't able to get them all done by the time I went and I'm sorry you have to wait for more than a week for the next chapter.

I've developed on previous sub-plots I think I've seen, but all plot developments in this chapter and the next are my own.

Anyways, that's enough babbling. Here is part 1 of the interviews, enjoy :D!


Patrick MacDougal's POV (D1)

The cheers and applause echo across the square as Caesar Flickerman bounces onto the stage, dressed in a lime green suit with matching lips and eyes. It's been ten years since he took over from Angelica Sliverim, who (I've heard Sevelina say) was fired for having a massive morphling addiction. The Capitol loved Caesar instantly and right now he has the crowd eating out of his hand, cupping a hand over his ear, shouting that he can't hear them. They blast him with an uproar of cheers and he stumbles back as if he's being buffeted by its sheer power.

"Whoa! Calm down, everyone! Our first tribute hasn't even come out yet! Let's meet her now, shall we? Representing District One, here's Giselle Eve!" Caesar introduces. Giselle struts out wearing a tight, golden gown with an open back, and a neckline so low you can see her belly button! There are several wolf whistles as she takes her seat.

She's flirty and makes a few funny comments about the other tributes, but she mostly boasts about being the daughter of a victor and her high score.

"And tell me, how did you get that score?" Caesar asks.

"Well, Caesar, being the daughter of a victor sure has its perks," Giselle purrs.

"How so?" he asks.

"Oh, you'll all have to wait and see," she giggles, flipping her long blonde hair back and winking at the audience as the buzzer goes off. They go crazy for her as she leaves the stage.

"And now it's time to meet her district partner! Please welcome, Patrick MacDougal!" The applause hits me like a brick wall as I walk onto the stage.

"Hello, Patrick! How prepared are you for the Games?"

"I'm very prepared! I'm gonna go out there and destroy the competition!" I yell arrogantly, just as I practiced in the mirror in this morning. It feels like someone else said that because it's a complete lie, but my mentor told me that the sponsors want an egotistic, ruthless District One Career and I have to fit into this role to win them over. Plus the other tributes will think I'm all brawn and no brains, which might come in handy in the arena.

"Wow! That's what I love to hear, a tribute brimming with confidence. What do your parents make of you volunteering?"

My Career mask instantly falls away. My parents? The memories I have of them are very few. I haven't even thought about them for years, mostly because I deeply resent them for abandoning me, leaving me in a life of poor orphanages and uncaring foster homes.

"Umm…" I swallow. "I…I have no parents. They abandoned me when I was very small." There's a gasp from the crowd. I quickly pull my mask back on. "But after I win, they'll be sorry they ever left me!" I shout, and there's an eruption of applause that follows.

"Ooh, so life hasn't been easy, has it? There are rumors going around that you resorted to crime to get by." There's shocked murmuring in the stands. I was warned this would come up and I've rehearsed an answer.

"I did what I had to do to survive. Whatever it takes to stay alive, I'll do it." I say, trying to sound mysterious. According to my mentor, an intriguing past gets you lots of coverage.

"And what did you do?" Caesar prompts.

"That's for me to know and all of you to find out," I answer as the buzzer sounds. The cheers vibrate in my ears. I have a huge grin on my face, but deep inside I know they're not cheering for me. They're cheering for the mask I've had on this entire time.

Lynx Swanson's POV (D2)

We watch as Patrick walks backstage, a relieved smile on his face.

"Well done, Pat," I congratulate him, slapping him on the back.

"Thanks," he laughs.

"Yeah, that's some of the best acting I've ever seen. They really believe you're a proper Career!" Giselle sneers.

"Nah, those morons would believe anything. If I went out there acting all cute, they'd be awing the whole way through my interview. Not that there's a chance in hell of me doing that!" Howl chuckles darkly as her name is called.

Her pale green gown with emeralds and diamonds cascading down the side of glimmers under the lights. She's the same as she always is: vicious and cunning. She makes nasty jokes about almost all the tributes, cackling as does.

"So, what do you make of the twist this year, Helena?" Caesar asks. She looks like she's about to bite his head off.

"It's Howl," she snarls. "Don't you dare call me Helena."

"Oh, I'm sorry." He quickly apologizes, looking slightly scared. "So…what do you make of the twist this year?" he asks, sounding a bit uncomfortable .

"I love it! It'll be like killing two people at the same time," she bares her teeth in a wolfish smile.

Despite their host acting a bit freaked out for the rest of the interview, the crowd seems to love her and gives her a big round of applause as her interviews ends. As Caesar waves her off, I look at all the other tributes milling about backstage, everyone looks nervous. I stop as I spot Thread talking to Airley in the corner. I cannot help but feel the pang of jealousy as they laugh together. Thread looks so handsome in his navy blue suit with his dark brown hair slightly ruffled. His lips are curled into a smile; I remember the way I kissed them not so long ago…

"What are you looking at?" Howl snaps beside be, nearly making me jump.

"Nothing," I lie. She glances at Thread.

"Huh, I might have guessed. What is it with you and him? You're always staring at him like some awe-struck moron." She frowns at me.

"I don't!" I gaze down at the floor, averting my eyes from her searing stare.

"You do! What is it with you and him?" she repeats the question slowly, a razor sharp edge to her voice, demanding an answer.

"Hey, Lynx. You're on," Evadne taps me on the back and points to the big screen backstage, which shows Caesar waiting for me to come out. I nearly run to the stage, grateful to escape Howl's interrogation.

My interview is nearly done. I've poured on the charm, finding this a lot easier than the usual ruthless Career angle because that's not who I am at all. Occasionally I glance at the crowd and see some of the girls squeal as they realize I'm looking their way. Good, their screaming would be a nice cover up for any gay rumors that might escape in the next few weeks.

"Now, there's one question I'm sure many ladies out there are dying to know: is there a special girl back home?" It's the question I've been dreading all day. I've never told anyone I'm gay; my father would disown me and the other boys at the Academy wouldn't touch me with a ten foot pole in hand to hand combat, and I'm most certainly not going to tell the entire nation now. But I hate lying, which I guess is why I'm so bad at it. I tug at my gold bow tie nervously before answering.

"Well you can tell them all that I'm totally free. In fact, I can see a few very pretty girls in the audience tonight. Who knows, if I win, one them could become my special someone." The thrilled shrieks nearly burst my eardrums. It takes Caesar a couple of minutes to calm them down. As he does, the buzzer rings. Walking off the stage, I hear cries of "I love you!" But I could never love any of them, no matter how hard I tried. As I think this I release something: if I win, I'll have to pretend to be a womanizing charmer for the rest of my life.

Selena Haven's POV (D3)

I've been trying all day to act like I have a fighting chance, but no one can fool me, not even myself. All I can think about is who's going to kill me. Right now, my money's on Howl; she's by far the most blood-thirsty person here despite being the youngest. I just hope it's over quickly so my poor family doesn't have to watch the life drain out of me and my "pain partner" doesn't have to go through too much agony, whoever they may be.

As I'm about to walk out my stylist quickly wipes away a smudge of grey eye shadow.

"Smile!" she practically orders me as she lets me go.

I manage to look vaguely happy as I sit in the chair next to Caesar.

"Hello, Selena! I must say I love your dress!" The audience claps in agreement. It's a little pale pink dress with a tutu skirt.

"Thank you. I like it, too; it's not very often I get to wear such nice things." I give a fake giggle. I let the conversation revolve around clothes for a couple of minutes before he changes the subject.

"So, how do you like the Capitol?"

"Well it's very different from home. There's so much wonderful food I just want to eat all day," I answer truthfully with the first thing that comes into my head. I'm surprised when the audience laughs.

"Do you think your family would like it here?"

"Yes, definitely. My twin sister, Tamara, loves fashion so she'd fit right in." I say, the laughter of the crowd beginning to thaw the numbness I've felt since the training scores were announced.

"Your twin? Isn't that the girl who fainted when you got reaped?" Caesar asks, as mutters travel around the audience.

"Yeah, that's her. I was more concerned about her than me when she collapsed." I answer sadly, reliving the horrible moment she hit the ground.

"Aww. Have you got any other siblings?"

"There are five us including Tamara and me. But the two of us are the only ones who are old enough for Games. The others are so small they have no idea why I've gone." A spark of anger flares within me, anger as I fully realize that the Capitol will never let me see any of them ever again.

"Then this is what you have to do: you have to go out there and win, come back and tell them all about it when they're older!"

"I will!" The spark has turned into fiery determination to beat the Capitol, to go against the odds that have made me believe I won't win. A determination I thought had died yesterday. "I'll win for every last one of them, whether the odds are in my favor or not."

Proudlock Kasabian's POV (D4)

Evadne is chatting away in her lacey royal blue dress about her tattoos on the big screen. I'm learning more about her in this interview than in the last few days I've shared the District 4 apartment with her. We've barely spoken, only acknowledging each other's existence when we sit down to dinner. She didn't even try to get me into the Career pack, not that I would have ever said yes, anyway. They're just a bunch of show-offs. Evadne proves this by talking about her high score for a good minute.

"What's your family like?" Caesar asks.

"My Dad is great. He's always supported me and he's so proud that I'm here," she smiles.

"And what about your mother?"

Her face darkens at this question. "To be honest I never really got along with her. She's always telling me what to do. Maybe if I win she'll stop criticizing me and actually be proud of me. "

"I'm sure she will!" Caesar says as the interview draws to a close.

I gulp as I realize that it's my turn. Blythe smiles at me reassuringly. "Don't worry, you're gonna be great," she says enthusiastically. "Break a leg!" she calls after me as I step onto the stage. It's easy for her say, she's funny and outspoken while I'm shy and awkward around people I don't know (except cute girls). In fact, Caesar has to tell me to speak up when I just mumble the answer to my first question.

But as the interview goes on, I get more and more confident and I'm soon working the charming angle my mentor assigned to me.

"Rumor has it that you're not a part of the usual One, Two, and Four alliance. Is that true?" Caesar probes about three minutes in. Who starts these rumors?

"Umm, yeah that's right, I was left out of that one. Not that I care; I've got my own ally."

"Oh really? Who's that then?" he raises an eyebrow.

"You'll find out soon enough," I answer smoothly.

"Ah, very well." He looks like he wants to push me further for an answer, but he knows we're running out of time. "So, what's life like back home? Got anyone special waiting for you?"

"Yes. Cady, my girlfriend. Or at least she was. I broke up with her after the reaping," I admit miserably. There are a few gasps from the audience.

"Why would you do that?" he asks, looking a bit surprised too.

"Because…if I don't come back, I don't want my death to stop her from finding happiness with some other guy, someone she deserves. She's so beautiful, strong-minded, smart, and funny. She was too good for me anyway." I give a sad little smile as I think about her. The crowd goes "aww."

"Oh, don't say that! You'll be the best catch in the country after you win!" Caesar assures me, acting (as he does with everyone) that my victory is inevitable.

"Yeah. I guess I will be," I smile.

As I jump off the stage to the good level of applause, Blythe hugs me.

"See? I told you you'd be good." She's the exact same height as Cady, and if I close my eyes, I can imagine it's her. I find it hard to forget that Blythe has to die before I can ever see the girl I love again.

Mercury Gratian's POV (D5)

"What's your strategy, Mercury?" Caesar asks. I glance at the clock, two more minutes to go. The last three have gone by in a nervous blur. The crowd looks bored. I have to do at least one thing to make me memorable, but so far I've failed miserably, missing almost every opportunity Caesar throws at me to make a joke.

"Every time I'm not sure what to do I'll ask myself: What would my sister, Katrina do? She's so smart and brave, she'd win this easy. I've just got to adopt her mind-set," I say, sounding sure of myself for the first time.

"Hmm, very interesting. What about the pain partner twist? How's that going to affect any alliances you make?"

This is by far the hardest question. How can I answer that when the three of us haven't had time to discuss it?

"Well…I'll try to find out who mine is somehow. But I won't leave the alliance I've formed in training," I tell him, coming up with my answer right on the spot. The buzzer cuts off whatever Caesar is going say.

I get an average amount of cheers as I leave the stage and go looking for Reed and Amaris.

I find them at the buffet. Reed is stuffing his face and Amaris is pouring herself a glass of water.

"Oh hi, Mercury. Great interview," Amaris smiles. Reed nods as he devours a cupcake.

"Reed! Leave some for the rest of us!" I laugh.

"Hey, this could be one of the last times I get to eat good food! Besides I'm hungry," he protests between mouthfuls.

"Come on, let's head back to the screening room." Amaris rolls her eyes, looking over her shoulder at us as she walks out.

What happens next seems to happen in slow motion. As she opens the door, still looking at us, Howl steps into the room. Amaris bumps right into her, soaking Howl's dress with her drink!

We all gasp as Howl lives up to her name and shrieks angrily. Amaris struggles to hold back a smirk.

"Oh, you think that's funny, do you Five?" Howl yells, looking furious.

"No, no, not at all! I'm sorry Howl I…" Amaris begins to apologize before she cuts her off.

"Liar. You were smiling. You know, I could kill you tomorrow if I wanted to," she growls, her voice low and full of venom. Amaris backs into the wall as she gets closer. She might be younger and smaller than her, but right now Howl's as terrifying as a muscled Career boy running at you with a sword.

Although she looks scared, Amaris frowns back at her and says, "I'd like to see you try, little girl." At this, Howl's eyes glaze over as she grabs Amaris' shoulder and slams her head into the wall!

"Don't you…" she begins before she's silenced by a kick to her shin by Amaris. She's seeing red now too as Howl screams and tackles her to floor. Now they're full-on fighting, rolling around punching and wrestling each other.

"Stop it!" I yell running up to them and pulling Howl off her. Reed pulls Amaris to her feet as Howl struggles in my arms.

"Let me go, weakling!" she yells.

"No way!" I shout. I yelp in pain as she sinks her teeth into my hand, drawing blood. She only lets go when Peacekeepers swam the room, everyone else filling the corridor behind them, curious to see what all the fuss is about.

"What the hell is going on here?" The girl from One demands to know as I let Howl go.

"She attacked to me!" Amaris points at her.

"No I didn't, she attacked me!" Howl lies.

"Actually Howl attacked Amaris and…" Reed injects.

"Has anyone got any serious injuries?" one of the Peacekeepers asks. The girls and Reed shake their heads.

"My hand's bleeding." I say, holding it up.

"Get him to a doctor; he can't go into the Games like that," he orders two of his colleagues before turning to the girls. "You stay out of each other's way."

As I go I can hear Howl say to Amaris very viciously, "You're so going to pay of this, you bitch! I know you're afraid of fire and I'm going to burn you to ashes! You and your little friends."

I shudder. I've just become the enemy of the most evil tribute in the Games.

Freja Porger's POV (D6)

As Mercury is led away and the crowd disperses, my mentor grabs me by the hand and nearly pulls me along behind her.

"Come on Freja , you're three minutes late! If Caesar asks why, don't mention the fight," she quickly tells me as we reach the stage.

"Ah, there she is! You've left us all hanging, Freja!" Caesar laughs as I join him on stage.

"Sorry everyone. I…I just got really nervous." I say sweetly.

"Aww, you don't need to be nervous, I don't bite. Well, I don't bite sweet little girls like you." The crowd laughs at Caesar's joke, but I remain silent. "So tell me, how does life here compare to life back home?"

"Well, everyone is really nice here, and everything is so...colorful," I say thoughtfully.

"Well that's certainly one way of putting it. What is your family like?" he smiles at me with his shiny, sharp white teeth.

Thousands of images of my parents flash before my eyes. My father swinging a furious punch towards me; my mother in bed, her eyes glassy, stinking of whiskey; and the both of them hugging me before they became the evil shadows of themselves. I can't speak of any of them, it's too painful. So I settle for a beautiful lie.

"I live with my parents who are the most wonderful parents you could ever ask for. They make me laugh when I'm sad, give me beautiful presents on my birthdays, and takes me everywhere in the District. They wouldn't ever want to see me cry, not ever." My voice becomes sadder and sadder as I talk about the parents I've wished every single day I have; the parents I had all those years ago.

I look down at arms. Through the sheer emerald green sleeves, it's almost impossible to see my bruises. My prep team has spent hours covering my yellow-tinged skin with foundation. There are no signs on my body that it's not true; the audience has no reason not to believe me.

"How did they react to you getting reaped?" he asks, looking touched.

"They cried. But I told them I'd try my very best to win." I can hear sympathetic noises coming from the front rows.

"And how do you plan to win?"

I'm relieved the subject has changed so I no longer have to lie.

"My plan is to stay alive," I answer, quoting the joke my mentor told me to say.

I continue the interview, working my sweet and innocent angle as best as I can. At the end of the interview the crowd surprises me by giving me a standing ovation. Some of them have tears in their eyes.

"Wow! You're gonna be a hard act to follow," Fidget chuckles nervously as I pass him backstage. "I think you've just become Panem's new sweetheart!"


A/N (from krigoo): A humongous thanks to Miss Mockingjay for writing this chapter! I personally think it was very well-done. She'll be continuing the interviews when she gets back from her vacation, but I'll be here in the meantime writing Day One of the Games. :)

As she said in her author's note, it was her idea to have the "pain partner" twist, and I'd like to thank her tremendously. I think it's a great twist that will keep you all on the edge of your seats.

I'm posting a poll on my profile for you all to vote in to see what the readers' favorite alliance is so far. It won't affect who dies in the bloodbath; I'm just curious.

Remember to review and vote!