Hiiiii, sorry for not posting for a while. I've been busy with school stuff (blech). But finally, here is chapter 10.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.

Violet's POV

The tribute interviews are tomorrow. I try to eat as much as I can during breakfast but my stomach is churning. I have four hours with Theo and four with Lucy.

The four with Theo are absolute torture.

He goes over how to sit, how to walk, how to smile. He even gives me a long practice gown and heels that I swear must be six inches tall.

"Really?" I ask when he holds them out.

"Yes. Every girl and woman must learn to wear heels. It's common knowledge."

"No, it's really not."

"Just put them on. They'll make you much less...tiny."

"I'm not that short!" I yell at him. "I'm five-feet and three inches! I come from a starving district and I'm only fourteen years old!"

"Aidan's taller than you," Theo points out.

"Yeah because he's rich and well-fed and he's a boy. Boys are supposed to be taller than girls. That's just how humans work."

Theo looks like he's never heard of that before. He shakes hi head and thrusts the dress and heels at me. "Just put them on, smile, and try not to trip."

"You're so encouraging," I tell him. The dress is ridiculously long, even with the heels and apparently I'm not allowed to lift it higher than my ankle. Right. Because showing your ankles is so scandalous.

When lunch comes, I throw off the dress in a very unladylike manner and kick off the shoes. Then I run out of the room before Theo can yell at me.

"Good luck with Theo," I mutter to Aidan as I sit down.

"What'd he make you do?"

"Wear six-inch heels and a thousand-inch dress." Aidan laughs. I glare at him. "It's not funny. Just wait until your session with him."

That shuts him up.

Lucy's training is much more bearable. She's coaching me on what to say during the interview. "You've got a good training score for someone as young as you. Be modest about it during the interview. The audience loves it when a tribute does that. Any questions you don't like, turn them right around. Compliment the Capitol. They love that too."

I nod. "Got it. Anything else?"

She sighs. "Violet, I know you don't like this. I don't like it either. But the audience has already seen your eyes and they're going to want to talk about it. You have to use that to your advantage. It'll make you just that bit more interesting."

I purse my lips. "Do I have to? Shouldn't they be focusing on my skills and not my looks?"

"Yes, but we all know that's not going to happen. The Capitol cares about looks. Backstories. You can talk about your sister."

Rose. Hearing any mention of her sends an invisible knife through my heart. I swallow. "Yeah, okay." My voice is quiet. "I can talk about her."

For the rest of the time, Lucy goes through potential questions and I answer them the best I can.

She leans back and places her arms behind her head when we're done. "Okay, you've got this, Violet.

"Really?" I'm surprised.

"Yes. And I'm not just saying that. You remind me of me. If I could bet on these mass murders that we call games, I'd be betting on you."

Aidan's POV

Violet was right. Theo's session was torture. He tried to get me to walk "without a limp." As if that's actually possible with my leg. I see Violet again at dinner but we don't talk.

Theo does. Mainly to scold us on our interview etiquette. Violet calls him out for putting her in six-inch heels though. Lucy raises her eyebrows at Theo.

"Really? Six inches?"

"What's wrong with that?" he snaps, clearly on edge from the events of today.

"Oh, nothing," Lucy deadpans, "Nothing at all. Nothing wrong with wearing stilts for heels."

I force back a smile. I'm actually starting to like Lucy. Her session today was pretty supportive.

After dinner, though, she does talk to me. "I'm trying to figure out," she says, "why you worship Eddy so much? What do you see in him?"

My cheeks feel hot. "I don't worship him."

"You kind of do."

"No, just shut up. Don't talk about him."

This seems to surprise her. She raises her eyebrows. "Curiouser and curiouser, Aidan Chen."

Violet's POV

Today's the day. I can only hope whatever Maybelle gives me to wear is more comfortable than that awful dress and heels. And it is.

The dress is lavender covered with a lace overlay of the same color. The neckline is very modest, thank goodness, and the dress mercifully only comes to my knees. The heels are a good three or four inches shorter and made of soft silver velvet.

The prep team also curls my hair, does my makeup, and gives me long fake eyelashes and I spend a good amount of time staring at my reflection. I look so different.

Maybelle clears her throat behind me and I turn around. "Well?" she asks.

"It's perfect, really. Thanks, Maybelle."

She smiles. "Alright, Violet, let's get this show on the road."

Aidan's POV

My interview outfit is relatively simple. Just a sliver suit with a black tie. I think about whether or not I should listen to any of the tips Theo gave me.

Probably not.

When we line up for the interviews, I'm startled to find that Violet and I are the same height now. I glance down and realize she's wearing heels.

"Ouch," I whisper, "are those the thousand-inch heels?" I don't know why I'm talking to her. Maybe I just need to calm my nerves.

She looks startled for a moment, but then rolls her eyes. "Not even close. The other ones were much higher."

I just nod and turn away. I can't talk to her after what she said about Eddy. If she finds out the truth about how I feel about him…

"Places everyone." I jump slightly and then we all file out into the provided seats at the base of the stage.

Violet's POV

I'm sorry, but Caesar Flickerman is just ridiculous. They hired him as the interviewer last year during the Quarter Quell. He's relatively young, in his twenties I think, and wears makeup that matches his hair which is a sparkling golden yellow. It really doesn't go with his midnight-blue suit, complete with twinkling lights.

A voice from the speakers overhead announces him and he bounds out onstage with a microphone. The audience screams with delight. He may be a rookie but he's already a favorite. He tells a few jokes first, and talks about the games a little. Then, the interviews begin.

I'll be second-to-last in this case, since girls are interviewed before boys. This is my one chance to see what the tributes are like. The ones from the career districts are predictable. Most of the boys are loud, cocky, and vicious. The girls laugh far too high and far too much and like to flip their hair and flaunt their figures.

Phoebe is a real winner though. She definitely grabs the audience's attention with her striking character and wins them over with the story about her girlfriend.

Aza's interview is also good, and I'll know she'll get sponsors being both young and talented. When Caesar asks her what her advantage in the arena is, she just smiles sweetly and says, "I guess you'll have to find out yourself."

As the District 12 boy goes up for his interview, my heart starts pounding. Every word I say is crucial. I'm also particularly anxious because the gamemakers are screening our district tokens today. They don't want any tributes to have unfair advantages in the arena.

I can't help but think that as soon as I get up onstage, peacekeepers will burst through the doors and arrest me. Execute me or cut out my tongue like Elan.

"And next up, we have our female tribute from District Thirteen, Violet Tsu!"

Cheers rise up and my head snaps towards the stage where Caesar is beckoning me up. I stand up and mount the stairs, feeling as if I'm stepping onto the Reaping stage again. I have to stand the entire time and I'm to looking forward to it.

"Alright, Violet," Caesar begins, "Now, I think, speaking for everyone of course, that from the moment you stepped on that stage during the reaping you had potential."

He turns to the audience, grinning wildly. "Am I right, folks?" The responding cheer is enormous. "See! They love you!"

I muster a smile and say, "Thanks." This sends them cheering again.

"Now before we get into the deep stuff, I just have to ask this: Are...your...eyes real…" he drags out every word, "I mean, is that their real color?"

Of course, it's the first thing he asks. "Um, well, yes." I try to remember Lucy's advice. "It's a genetic mutation actually. Alexandra's Genesis?"

"Oh, they're so beautiful! Gorgeous, aren't they audience. Violet, my dear, how lucky you are."

Yes. Lucky. I nod and shrug. "I guess I am," I say with a small smile which drives the audience nuts.

"Isn't she just too cute? Now, Violet. Quite an impressive training score, hmm? And you're only fourteen, as I recall?" I nod. "Do you think you could tell us something about what happened in that training room."

He asked every tribute with a good score this question. You're not supposed to answer it, the information being confidential, but he always asks anyway. "Caesar, you know I can't tell you that. You'll have to see for yourself." I say this with a knowing smile.

"Quite correct, young lady. Ah, but I thought I'd get it out of one of you. We have just a little time left, but I want to talk about your sister. We all saw her try to stop you at the reaping. You two are close, no?"

I close my eyes and imagine I'm talking to Rose. "Yeah, really close. Her name's Rose. We're twins, well, except for the eyes." This gets a gentle laugh.

"Would you like to give a message to her right now?"

I take a deep breath. "Yeah, sure." I clear my throat. "Rose, I know you're watching this and I want to tell you to not worry. However impossible that may be, I want you to try. If anything happens...don't let the jerks at school get to you. Keep taking care of Mother and Father. Stay strong, because I know you are."

The buzzer goes off and the audience groans. "Best of luck, Violet." Caesar says.

Aidan's POV

I don't want to do this interview, I really don't. I can barely pay attention to Caesar's questions and usually answer with a yes, no, or just a nod. When we're reaching the end of the time limit, Caesar asks me if I want to say anything to someone at home.

I blink, barely hearing the question. "What?"

"Do you have a message for anyone at home? Friends, family?"

"Umm," my mind blanks and I close my eyes. Eddy. My eyes snap open. "Eddy, I know everyone thinks you're horrible and to be honest, you kind of are.

"You bully other kids, push them to the ground, yell at them, but nobody knows why. I won't say why, since I'm on television and all and it's private, but I know there's a reason. You won't admit it but I know there is.

"I want you to know that I know. And that I care Eddy." I swallow. "Because I'm your friend. No matter what."

The buzzer goes off. Caesar seems shocked for a moment, probably because this is the most I've talked the whole interview. My cheeks burn under the bright lights above the stage. "Thank you, Aidan. Good luck."

I practically run off the stage. When I meet up with the prep teams, Lucy, Theo, and Violet, I don't say anything.

Violet does, during the ride back to the hotel. "That was some speech."

I glare at her. "Shut up."

"Geez, I can't be nice? The audience loved it, okay? You're more interesting now. More worth their time."

"So, I wasn't before," I mutter.

"No, not really."

"Are you taking their side?"

She huffs out a breath. She seems stressed and I don't think it's just from the interview. "No. I'm seeing things from their twisted, sicko perspectives."

I can't sleep that night so I sit by one of the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooks the city. Bright colorful lights twinkle and flash everywhere, illuminating the streets in lightning-like flashes. It takes me a few minutes to realize someone is watching me.

I turn away from the window to see Violet. I sigh and turn back to the window. "What do you want?"

"I couldn't sleep so I got some food from the dispenser and came out here." She crosses over to the window and sits across from me, setting down the steaming plate she's carrying. "Figure I should eat while I can."

I glance at the food. "What's that?"

"Pork dumplings." She picks one up and bites into it. Pork juice dribbles onto her chin. "Want one?"

"No, not really."

We're silent for a while. I watch cars go by on the streets below. Violet leans against the glass. "Are you going to say anything?"

"About what?" Why is she talking to me? Can't she just go back to bed?

"Maybe...what you said today? What did you mean when you said there's a reason why Eddy is such an-"

"Asshole? Because that's all he is to you right?"

"He beat up my sister, Aidan. Because he knew it would get to me. What the hell did she ever do to him? Nothing. And now you're saying there's a reason?"

"Yes!" I almost shout, but then lower my voice. I don't want anyone to hear us. "His dad is an alcoholic and a shitbag. He hits him and yells at him so that's the only thing he knows. Eddy's mother can't even help because she's terrified of his father. SHe sits in her room every day, slowly going mad."

Violet's eyes widen. "I didn't know. Geez, that's all he knows isn't it? Hitting and yelling."

"He can be a good friend."

"If he deems you worthy of his attention."

I sigh. "True."

"And you were worthy of his attention." Violet tilts her head. "Why is that?"

My cheeks burn fiercely. "I don't know. Maybe it's just because I'm rich, like you said."

"I don't think that's it."

"Well, to hell with what you think!" I stand up abruptly, wincing at the pain in my leg.

"I'm going to bed." I mutter and limp away.