Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters... blah blah blah. Enjoy.
"Do you have any smaller ones?" I say to Effie as I see the heels she's about to put me in. They must be at least eight inches.
"No! Now, come on, you just need practice" she says handing the shoes to me.
All morning long she's been instructing me on manners and other things. I thought it would be simple since dad had me taught how to be a lady, but Effie is being even stricter about this. She teaching me as if it's the first time I have to act politely. I tried telling her I didn't need much to work on, but she insisted. She taught me how to sit, talk politely, smile and now this; learning how to walk in eight inch heels. It's excruciating, but I'm determined that's for sure. I'll do anything to charm the audience tomorrow. Hopefully I won't embarrass myself or anything worse. I need to be as unforgettable as I was in the opening ceremonies.
I work with the heels until the last minute to perfect my walk and I'm finally relieved when we go to eat lunch. Haymitch had taken Gale to work on how to present ourselves personality wise. When we arrive they are already eating without us. I know Gale doesn't particularly like Haymitch but they seem at ease when we enter. I eat everything they serve me without worry. My nerves usually show up at the last moment but I don't want to be concerned about that right now.
When we are done Haymitch and I go into the sitting room. He sits down on an armchair and gestures for me to sit across from me. "Okay, sweetheart, I've been thinking that the best way to present you as this sweet, innocent girt from District 12. Do you think you're up for that?" he asks and I'm surprised how courteous he is being.
"I think so," I respond. Sweet and innocent is just what I am. I have to admit I had been a little worried about what Haymitch would say about my presentation but all I feel right now is relief and if this is what he thinks is best, who am I to disagree? He's the one with the experience.
"Okay, so let's practice. I'm going to be asking you a couple of sample question and you answer them as sweetly as possible. It shouldn't be much of a problem for you and gush if there's an opportunity," he says gentle again.
We practice this technique for the next hours and I seem to be doing a good job because not one insult has come from Haymitch. He asks me of home, my daily activities and other possible questions that may come up. I answer each one as honestly as I can and gush whenever I can.
"Good. Great job, girly. You'll have those Capitol idiots lined up to sponsor you as soon as those interviews end," he says and takes a small drink from a glass of wine.
"Haymitch, what if they ask about my dad? You know, since he's the mayor and all," I say. I hadn't thought about it much but it was in the back of my mind. There's also something else I want to ask but I'm afraid how Haymitch will react.
"Well, we can work with that to our advantage. If the question does come up, just say that it's your honor being here to represent the District and make your dad proud," he tells me after a moment of thought.
"Okay," I say. There's that other question that is bothering me so I decide to just go ahead and say it, "What if they ask about aunt Maysilee," I say cautious looking directly at him.
His face grimaced, his lips compressed and when I look into his eyes they seemed vacant. "That may be a problem," he says in a painful voice that instantly makes me feel guilty for asking.
"Never mind, I don't think it's possible they'll ask anything about her," I say looking away.
From the corner of my eye I see Haymitch watching me. "You remind me of her you know," he says taking another drink.
"I know… but I'm not her Haymitch," I say slowly looking back at him. I remind everyone of her; most of all to my mother. Sometimes I can't even see go into her room to see her because she's starts crying and calling me by my aunts name.
"You're right," he says taking a huge gulp out of the glass, "You're not her."
We stop discussing that subject right then and by the time we are done its dinner. I'm feeling a little down but confident about tomorrow. I've actually begun to believe I have a chance at winning, or at least making it far into the Games. Although I want to make it far, I know I don't have the wits to fight anyone. Cato promised he was going to come for Gale and that threat has me on edge. We'll have to ge4t away from him as soon as the gong sounds in the arena. Gale, Rue and I agreed to this when we were in training but how am I supposed to cooperate with Gale when he won't even talk to me. Instead of making progress, we've gone back to the way we were before at home. It's just that Gale puts up this wall that prevents others from getting close to him. What I have to do is get the right tool to break it down, but first I need to find out what the right tool is.
When I open my eyes I find myself face to face with my prep team. Great, I think. They work on me all day long until the afternoon. They bathe me first, wax some parts of me off and moisturize all my body. When that's all done my skin is rosy pink and smooth; it's almost glowing. Then they move to my hair, adding all these products that leave it shinny. They gather it all on the back of my head in a ponytail but they make ringlets of all the strands of hair. Then they add little clips of red flowers around it. My face is glowing too, by all the creams they put on me. They add pale makeup to my face and to bring out my blue eyes they give me big eyelashes and smoky eye shadow and the finishing touch, a glossy coral shade for my lips.
When they are all done, Cinna comes in with the dress in a big garment bag. He orders me to close my eyes as they put the dress over me and strap me into the heels, which I was relieved to find much smaller than the ones Effie taught me in. Cinna grabs my arm and directs me over to what I guess is I mirror and finally allows me to open my eyes. When I do, the first thing I do is gasp taking in my appearance. My dress made of red, orange, and yellow gems makes it appear as if I was on fire. Only Cinna could make something so spectacular like this.
"It's beautiful Cinna," I say hugging him.
"I'm glad you like it," he says returning the hug. "Are you ready?"
I wish I could reassure him and myself but I can't do it. I shake my head silently at him. He's one of the few I've learned to trust and confide in since we got here to the Capitol. I didn't think I could find someone like him in a place like this, full of selfishness and cruelness.
"It's okay," he says squeezing my hand, "No one ever is."
To keep my mind busy, Cinna has me walk around the dress to get the hang of it. It helps a bit but when they call us to go, the nerves come rushing back up. "What if they don't like me Cinna? What if I make a fool of myself? What if-"
"They are going to love you," he says stopping me, "Just breathe. All you need to do is be yourself and everything else will flow naturally. Okay?"
I nod, unable to speak now. I know I have to get a grip or I'm going to be a mess. I try breathing in slowly and deeply as Cinna and I make our way to the elevator where we meet with the rest of the team. The first thing I notice is how handsome Gale looks. His face is smooth and clear and his hair has been combed back with gel. He's wearing a black suit that has flame designs on the sleeves and the bottom of his pants. Effie and Haymitch are also dressed up and look sticking too. I bet Portia had to struggle with Haymitch to get him into the black suit he's wearing and he clearly looks uncomfortable but doesn't complain.
We go down towards the stage that was built in front of the Training Center. When we get there we are immediately taken to line up to take the stage behind the other tributes. Everyone looks really good, some even better now than in the opening ceremonies.
"You ready?" I ask Gale in a whisper. It's the first time I've talked to him since two days ago so I don't know if he will just ignore me, but he doesn't.
"No," he says quietly, "You?"
"Definitely not," I say my voice shaking a little.
He notices and reaches down to give my hand a squeeze of reassurance. I squeeze back gratefully and then release it. I'm kind of mad at him but I don't know for what yet, since there's a lot of reasons, but I'm happy we're talking again.
After what seems a much too short amount of time it's time to walk toward the stage to take our seats where we will be watching the interviews. By the time I step on the stage my heart is beating so fast I fear it might fall off my chest. I try to relax but as soon as I see the audience, my fright comes right back up. We all sit down in an arc and Ceasar Flickerman, the interviewer, walks on stage and tells some jokes. From the interviews I've seen Ceasar give I have come to like him but he looks a little intimidating right now in person.
After he's done warming up the audience, he begins with the girl from District one. It's always this way, first the girl and then the boy. This girl had already stood out in my mind and now that's she's all dressed up she's even prettier. There is no doubt guys are going to be drooling for her. As the interviews continue I pay less attention because I'm trying to calm myself down again. Sweet and innocent, I think. Hopefully something will help me stand out of everyone else.
I turn my attention back on the stage when it's Rue's turn. The dress she is wearing makes her looks so innocents and small and like a bird about to take flight. She is really confident and doesn't seem nervous at all. Ceasar is very sweet with her and as I noticed he helps her out playing the audience to his command. His final question to her is, "So, Rue. What advantage do you think you have over the others?"
"I don't know if it's really an advantage but I have speed. Sure, I may be small but I can run like the wind, so don't count me out just yet. I'm going to try my best to survive," she says in a small voice.
The buzzer goes off for her and Ceasar says, "We'll that's our time, we all wish you the best of luck Rue."
She flutter's her way back to her seat and next is Thresh. He is massive and indifferent when answering his questions with small, quick answers. I bet he's already got a good amount of sponsors lined up. Rue didn't talk about him in training but I have a feeling she's rooting for him too. Although he's huge, he doesn't seem hostile or a bad person.
Then, the dreading moment comes and they are calling my name. I stand up and force my feet to move towards the center of the stage. I shake Ceasar's hand gently with a smile. You can do this, I tell myself.
"So, Madge, I hear you're the Mayor's daughter! Wow, how do you feel about being here?" Ceasar asks politely.
Seriously, I think. Just the question I didn't want to hear. Instead I say, "Well, Ceasar, I think I had as much chance as anyone of coming here. I'll make my dad proud by being here to represent the district and hopefully win."
"Indeed," he says, "I bet you'll make him, proud, am I right?" he says directing his last words to the audience and they shout in agreement. "So, have you already come to the Capitol?"
"Oh, yes. Only two times but everything here is magnificent," I say gushing, "The food is so rich and delicious, the buildings so beautiful and the people very polite. I can't say there's anything here I don't like."
"That is very generous of you. Now, let's talk about your costume for the ceremonies. I was stunned when you came out, what did you think of it?" Ceasar asks.
"I thought it was the most amazing and breathtaking piece of clothing I've ever worn," I say and find Cinna in the audience. "And I thought that Cinna is very talented and I'm happy I got to meet him."
"I think we all agree that Cinna is a genius," Ceasar says and the audience applauds to him and he stands to give a vow. "Now, about training, how do you feel about your seven?"
"I feel pretty good about it," I say honestly, "I showed what I had to offer and it seems it was satisfiable. All I have to offer is my greatest effort and hope for the best."
That is by far the most honest thing I've said and the part about Cinna. I can't feel awful about lying, but if this is what I have to do to win people over, so be it. I just don't want to become this person who lies to get what she wants, which is what most people would misjudge or infer about the Mayor's daughter.
"Of course," he says and the buzzer goes off to my relief. "Well, I'm sure everyone here wishes you the best of luck, Madge Undersee, District 12."
"Thank you," I say as I rise and the crowd roars in applauds.
I get back to my seat and Gale goes up for his interview. I try and calm myself and pay attention. Haymitch didn't tell me what angle Gale was going for, not that I wanted to know, but as he answers his questions I can tell he's going for mysterious. He doesn't let on anything too personal but he's not rude either. Many of the women in the crowd are looking at him and giving deep sighs. At least his good looks are something that will help him get people in his favor, that's for sure. He's going to be the newest heartthrob.
I'm not at all surprised when Ceasar asks about girls in his life. "So, Gale, I bet everyone here would like to know if there's someone special out there that has captured your heart, or if they can still hope," he says with his blue eyebrows raised.
"No, but you know, life's full of surprises," he says easily. I have to say he has a good way to get around the questions without giving a direct answer.
"Come on, I bet someone's caught your eye," Ceasar says in a persuasive way.
"Well, yes… but the whole situation is too unfortunate," he say keeping the audience linked to his every word.
"And why is that?" Ceasar asks curiously leaning forward in his chair.
"Because, even though Madge is one of the most beautiful girls I've seen, there will never be a chance for that to happen," he says in a low nervous voice.
Oh God, was my first thought. He caught everyone off guard that it takes a few seconds for it to settle in and when it does everyone is murmuring with each other. Gale and Ceasar look at me to see my reaction but once I see the pained look on Gale's face I realize what this is. I put on a shocked face, and to fake embarrassment I look away.
"Well, I see what you mean. It's a very unfortunate situation," Ceasar says and he truly sounds genuine.
"Yeah, it is," Gale responds in a low voice.
I try to keep my face hidden so they don't see how I truly feel; angry and disgusted. Seriously, what is he thinking? Everyone else may buy it but I don't. Gale and I don't even know each other that well and when I've tried to get to know him, he pushes me away. So know I'm supposed to believe he likes me? I just refuse to believe it. Besides, I always thought there was something with him and Katniss. Not that she ever told me, I just assumed by all the time they spent together. It wouldn't be unusual if it did.
I snap back to reality as Gale's buzzer rings. Ceasar and he shake hands and Ceasar tells him, "I know everyone here wishes the best of luck to you and Ms. Undersee. Ladies and gentlemen, Gale Hawthorne, District 12!"
The crowd gets on their feet to applaud as Gale makes his way back to his seat next to me. I don't want to look at him or at the crowd so I look above at everything except them as the anthem plays. I'm pretty sure it's just a strategy of his or maybe something Haymitch came up with. Then, I remember his words from two days ago; I'll figure something out for the interviews to get you more sponsors. Yes, I'm pretty sure Haymitch had everything to do with this.
A/N: Ok, so who saw that coming? Lol. Here is a new chapter guys, as promised. Next one will be the start of the Games. I'm really excited about it. Thanks to the readers and for your comments, they are appreciated.
