A/N: I'm writing this for some friends of mine with their characters, so if you recognize any one, they asked me to write them in. Also, this is my first Hunger Games piece, so please don't be mad if I got something wrong. I apologize for a typing error I made saying that Jenny Smith was from District Two. Jenny Smith was actually from District Three. Sorry.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games in any way, shape, or form
CHAPTER TEN
The girl walked for hours and hours, a never ceasing rhythm forming inside of her head. She was lost, cold, and lonely, yet she did not yield. Upon reaching the edge of her world, she fought a smile and climbed up a large oak tree. Sleep claimed her, guiding her to a world inside of her head, yet she felt no comfort…
After Quip sat down, the people of the Capitol erupted into applause once more. I had no idea what he said or what he did, but I had thankfully ceased crying. Upon inspecting my wet hands, my makeup didn't even run too much, which led me to think that Sheehan had made it waterproof. Which, I thought to myself, was a very smart idea when being a stylist for someone who might be dead the next day.
Caesar Flickerman then called Amy up to the stage, her patterned dress making her look sweet and caring. It was a slightly odd angle for a Career, but it was no doubt designed to pull on the heart strings for sponsors. Everything she said was well thought out, and made everyone want to be her best friend. But when Caesar asked to talk Hunger Games, her face light up with a sadistic grin, gushing all about her favorite weapons and ways to murder someone. When the buzzer went off, she had the people of Panem eating out of her hands, her "sweet and sour" act doing exactly what it was designed for.
"And now, the moment we've all been waiting for….This year's favorite to win, Brine Loisdon from District Four!" Caesar announced, causing the entire audience to begin a thunderous applause before he could finish his sentence.
Brine smirked, walking up to Caesar like he owned the place. It would have been silly if he didn't tower above the rest of us, the very tallest tribute this year. Not even Poppy was able to match him in height; though, she might just be able to take him down. Thinking again of the twelve he had received in training, the likelihood of that happening lessened a bit.
Today, the leader of the Career Pack, my leader, I thought reluctantly, was wearing all black. His formal attire showed off his ripped body, emphasizing all of his muscles. No doubt, it was for him that caused all of the Capitol women to shriek in delight. They wanted a piece of this muscular tribute, and were going to sponsor him to ensure that they got it. Too bad, I'd be the one getting out of here, and not him.
"Hey, Caesar, my man," Brine greeted cockily, holding out his hand for a fist bump.
It might have just been the oddest thing I had ever seen. Yet still, Caesar obliged the young Career and turned his own hand into a fist, striking Brine's with his. Brine grinned widely, winking into the crowd at the now screaming Capitol ladies. No doubt that he was working with his good looks and not to natural talent to play their hearts. I've seen people do this strategy before, and somehow, only a couple of them actually win. Usually it's the either the cold hearted killers, or the sniveling cowards who no one bothered with until the final three.
"So, Brine, I want you to tell me your opinion of the Capitol," Caesar instructed friendlily, leaning back in his chair a bit.
"Oh, it's been a blast so far…," Brine answered, "Amazing food and people, especially the women," at that, one girl in the audience stood up and screeched joyfully, "Plus, I get to go into the arena the next day, so what's not to like?"
Caesar nodded approvingly, "I take it you're in it to win it. This is quite likely, since you earned a twelve in training. Any hints on to how you'll plan to win?"
Brine paused, his features hardening before loosening into a smirk, "By killing every last one of them," then he glanced at the tributes, looking at one of us, "Especially that one."
The cameras were zooming in on us, trying to figure out which one of us Brine was talking a bit. I schooled my features into a brave and determined look, as did the other Careers. I felt a quivering hand brush mine, yet I didn't quite pay attention, more focused on not looking like Brine's prey. Of course, it was a bit pointless, since we knew he wanted to kill each and every one of us. Jade and Ditie began to whisper, the former then leaning over to say something in my ear.
"He's dead at the Bloodbath. We're all going for him first," then smirking, "Pass it on. Don't tell Ivers."
Nodding a bit to my ally, I nudged Quip and shared him the information I was giving. Poor Amy, she just sat there and glared a bit at her District Partner, not getting to know his already sealed demise. I felt glad that they had felt to include me, probably because I had scored a rather high score in training. They considered me to truly be a Career, even though I knew I could be one, I didn't feel like one. I still felt like the geeky girl from District Three; the one who was still mourning the loss of her sister. Quip then turned to me, and nodded a bit with a smirk. Jade caught his eye, making it clear that she wanted to be the one to slit Brine's throat. I almost felt like asking him what color roses he'd like, yet I held my tongue.
The audience almost seemed to sigh a bit as Brine's buzzer went off, signaling the end of his interview. He walked down over and took his place beside Amy, the two of them exchanging compliments to each other. By tomorrow, at least one of them would be dead, yet a funny feeling told me that Amy wouldn't be around too long either.
Up next was a girl with ginger hair and blue eyes, her pale skin making me think she didn't go outside too often. Her dress was quite literally a rainbow, sparkling and glittering so much it was almost hard to look at. Her hair must have had at least 50 pins in it, elaborate braids tied together and stuck on top of her head. I'd pity her, if I hadn't learned from experience it wasn't all too hard to take the pins and such out later. Yet there was one thing that stuck out about the girl from District Five, Lily Gryffin, as I recalled.
"You came here with your brother, Lily," Caesar stated, more for the Capitol to understand, "What will you do?"
I found myself feeling sad for, listening to her explain how her brother was going to win the Hunger Games. My luck hadn't always been the best, even since my normal sized family shrank in numbers, yet Lily's was clearly worse. Not only had she been reaped for the Games, yet her younger brother had come as well. Emily, Calvin, and Thyme were who we called the pipsqueaks…Yet Lily was only thirteen years old, making Hugo twelve. The other ginger boy was certainly lucky; no one had called claims on his head yet.
By the time Lily reclaimed her seat, the entire Capitol must have been crying out for the Gryffins. Except for President Snow, I reminded myself, he'd more likely be grinning in anticipation for a showdown between brother and sister. When Hugo came up, Caesar tried to talk more about him and his sister, yet Hugo didn't do any of it. All of his replies were chipper and excited, as if he was just on vacation or having a slumber party. Eventually, Caesar stopped trying and just chatted with the hyperactive boy, making myself wonder if he did it for sponsors or not.
A blonde girl, wearing a bright pink dress, her hair an explosion of curls, went up to the stage next. Her name was Carla Brighten, and if you couldn't tell from her outfit, she was a very bubbly person. She and Caesar hit it off instantly, gossiping with each other, causing some of the Capitol girls to squeal, wanting to join in the conversation.
"So, Carla, got any boys back home?" Caesar asked, a bit jokingly.
"Oh yeah, I sure do!" Carla grinned, winking a bit at the audience.
"You must tell!" Caesar demanded, leaning forward in his seat, "You just must!"
Carla giggled, "Oh are you sure, Caesar-kins?"
The audience laughed lightly, including some of the tributes. No one had ever given Caesar a pet name before, so this would ensure that no one ever forgot her. Of course, the Capitol men seemed to be drooling a bit, staring at the curves that her pink dress clung tightly to. She and Brine must have gone for the same interview angle, with the exception that Carla didn't come off as a cold blooded killer to me, or certainly to anyone.
Caesar nodded, his hair bobbing comically. Part of me wondered if anyone would shout out to him about it, yet people were too entranced with Miss Carla Brighten. Leaning back in my seat, I continued to watch the seemingly harmless show that the Capitol had been providing for now seventy three years.
"Oh, well…," Carla replied, twirling her hair idly, "His name is Butch….He's my amazing little poochiekins!"
Caesar burst out laughing, realizing that she had been talking about her dog, "You are a card! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Carla Brighten!"
Carla curtsied to the crowd, struck a pose and blew a couple kisses before returning to her seat. There was no doubt in any of our minds about the number of sponsors she would win; she too had them eating out of her hand. Unfortunately, that gave her District partner a hard act to follow. Jespin tried his best, yet they didn't applaud nearly as much for him as they had for anyone else.
Aspen Frolls came up next, representing the females of District Seven. She was a quiet girl, though not actually too shy. From the smirks and knowing looks, I bet that she had a scheme cooking up in her little head. In fact, she looked quiet intelligent to me, almost as smart as I was, and she was only two years younger. It made me wonder what exactly she had been doing in District Seven, since they didn't typically have extreme geniuses like Districts Three and Five would. Even Aspen's dress seemed to follow her act, a subtle black number with slight silver detailing. Looking closer, one would see that they represented the pine trees that were so common in her District.
Once again, the ladies swooned as a good looking brown haired boy walked up to the stage. Unlike the other tributes, he was simply dressed in a plaid shirt, the top buttons undone. Yet as what seemed mandatory for the boys, he wore slacks instead of the jeans one would typically pair with this ensemble. He no doubt worked with his father, chopping down trees so that Panem could have a fresh supply of wood. His features were chiseled, his skin looking like it should from spending many days out in the sun. Yet the thing that I, no doubt the other Careers as well, was looking at was his muscles. He was fairly ripped, especially in the arms, probably skilled with an axe. Recalling his training score, I remembered that he had scored a seven, just like Quip had.
The boy's name was Jack, Jack Harkens, which he told with a grin. The entire interview he acted funny, a bit kind, sarcastic, and scarily ready to do whatever it took to survive. I admired him a bit, yet from a glance towards Brine and Amy, I could tell that they were shaking with fury. Whatever had brushed them the wrong way, I wouldn't know, and I doubted I would ever get a chance to ask.
Emily and Calvin were each sweet little things, talking respectively towards Caesar with big smiles on their faces. Tears were almost shed, knowing that they would most likely be dead by tomorrow night. I prayed that they would sleep peacefully.
"Oh, thanks y'all," Basil Kobayashi from District Nine said, jerking me from my mournful thoughts near the end of her interview.
Her hair was a brownish red color; her skin the color of Dad's tan coat, and her eyes a bright brown. She seemed so happy to be here, another thing I suspected was just an act. I honestly couldn't fathom how someone would enjoy the Hunger Games, yet when I looked at the tributes from One, Two, and Four, I found myself biting my tongue. It was all about how you viewed them; I viewed them as slaughter, while others thought they were glory filled.
"You know, I must say that I absolutely love your accent," Caesar praised, causing Basil's delicate features to turn a bit red.
"Thanks, sir. It's me a lot ta me," Basil replied.
The Capitol yelled for Basil to talk more and use more of the District Nine lingo. Instead, she shook her head, "Tex can show y'all something real good, sirs and ma'ams. Cross mah heart."
Tex fulfilled his promise, using almost all of his interview time to just talk and talk and talk. According to my dad, some of the people in District Nine had what they called a Southern Accent, which made sense to me. I once asked him what our accent was called, yet he wasn't all too sure. Around eighteen minutes later, they led all of the tributes back onto the stage for a final round of applause.
They clapped for the Career Tributes, knowing we'd win. They clapped for Lily and Hugo, feeling saddened by their story. They clapped for Brine, Carla, Jack, Adam, and Jay, loving the way that they looked. They clapped for Emily, Calvin, Hugo, and Thyme, wishing the twelve year olds best of luck. They clapped for Jespin, Aspen, Arissa, and Kitty, wondering if an underdog could win. They clapped for Basil and Tex, still enthralled by their accents. They clapped for Poppy, mystified by her silent power.
And they clapped for our deaths.