A/N: I am sososososososososo sorry this took so long. So many of you have asked me to please update soon and now that I'm finally doing it, I need to apologize to those of you who have followed/favorited/reviewed and have been waiting for me to deliver. So, SORRY! Now, here it is: the interviews. Apologies if it's a little rough editing-wise, as I was rushing to get this uploaded. I promise I won't wait months to update again. Thank you so much to everyone who has read this!
Peeta hasn't looked at her at all, but Katniss' eyes jumped to him immediately when they lined up to go on stage. It wasn't because his black suit was gleaming in the light or that his makeup made his eyes sparkle. She looked at him because he causes a feeling in her that's so warm that she has to consciously refrain from smiling. When he refused to look at her, the feeling started to sink. When he only nodded curtly at Haymitch when he reminded them that they're supposed to be in "young love," the feeling dropped into the pit of her stomach like she had dropped into the frozen lake all those years ago.
The feeling is still swirling, low and uncomfortable, as Katniss shifts in her seat on stage. Peeta keeps his head pointed towards Caesar Flickerman and the tribute being interviewed. The harsh lights, deafening speakers, and her trembling nerves are almost enough to distract her from his aloofness. She glances at him one last time before resolving to focus on the interviews. This is, after all, another chance to study her prey.
Everyone has been carefully coached. Most sound like they are reading from a script, but what they are saying has the audience so enraptured that she can almost see real expressions under the masks of makeup. As expected, the careers from 1 and 2 show themselves off as pretty, powerful capital pets. The tributes from 3 are wickedly smart, if a little skittish. When the girl from 4 crosses the stage, Katniss sits forward slightly.
Her name is Aerin. She is 17 years old and has blond hair and tan skin. She helps her parents fish after school and on weekends. She prefers nets and spears, similar to her mentor, heartthrob and notorious playboy, Finnick Odair. She has also been learning how to catch fish with her bare hands by using her own fingers as bait. Surely, the Capital has removed whatever scars she might have from this activity, just as they removed all of Katniss' hunting scars. She was proud of her scars. Each one had a memory or a milestone attached to it. They were like rites of passage. She had worked hard to take care of her family and people could tell just by looking at them. Then the Capital removed them because they do not find them aesthetically pleasing. Evidence of trouble and strife are not desirable, so they are erased.
Applause bursts from the cloud, causing Katniss to jump from her thoughts. She consciously keeps herself from slumping back down as Aerin walks back to her seat. She missed half of the interview. They must be showing recaps later, though. She'll just have to stay awake for them. Seeing as her whole body is pounding with nerves, she doubts that will be a problem.
The boy from 4 is small, especially compared to the other Careers. Younger, too. The Careers volunteer, though. There must have been someone better suited for the games. She doesn't remember him from the reapings, and perhaps that is because there is nothing particularly remarkable about him. Even the way he talks is forgettable, and his story. Just a boy from a fishing town, not much else.
The rest of the interviews go fairly quickly. The red-headed girl from 5 has a clever wit, but otherwise seems less than intimidating. The tributes from 7 are even less remarkable than the boy from 4. They both look strong enough, probably from the lumber and woodworking District 7 is known for, but the girl keeps shifting in her seat and the boy's voice is unsteady. As the boy walks back to his place on the stage, Katniss glances toward Haymitch in the crowd. Two seats down from him, she sees a woman with short brown hair fall forward and put her face in her hands. Katniss decides that she does not want these two for allies.
The tributes from 8, 9, and 10 go after them. The only thing that grabs Katniss' attention is when the boy from 10 talks about something called "roping." It seems like they use loops of rope to catch cattle when they've gone astray. Or, something like that. She immediately stops contemplating what that trap might look like when Rue is called. She looks like a songbird as she floats up to Caesar. The wings attached to the back of her dress are so intricate that they could have been taken from a real bird. Katniss swallows back the thought that, knowing the Capitol, they might be.
"A seven," Caesar says, drawing out the last syllable. "Very impressive for one so small."
"Thank you, Caesar," she replies with a shy smile.
The crowd coos and Katniss' heart cries out for Prim.
"Now, I mean no offense, but I think it's safe to say that your strength in the arena will not be, well, you're strength." The crowd laughs. "What will be keeping you safe in the arena, Ms. Rue?"
"I'm very hard to catch," she answers in a small voice, "and...if they can't catch me, then they can't kill me. So, don't count me out just because I'm small."
"I wouldn't in a million years," Caesar tells her as he clasps her small hand between hers. "And I wish you the very best of luck, Ms. Rue."
As delicately as Rue walked, the boy from District 11's strides are fierce as he approaches the center of the stage. Even Caesar's million-dollar smile falters as he sits down.
"Well now," Caesar starts, "I don't think we could have two more opposite tributes from a single District, could we folks?"
The crowd chuckles their agreement, but Katniss' eyes stay trained on the hulking boy. His skin is even darker than Rue's, and he must be at least three times her size. The fact that he doesn't smile once or give more than one or two word answers throughout his interview makes his scowl seem that much more intimidating. As valuable as he may be as an ally in the arena, it is impossible to tell whether he can be trusted. Then Katniss remembers how he refused the Careers' offer to join their group. He didn't join any group. Perhaps he would not even join hers and Peeta's if they asked.
"And now the female tribute from District 12, Katniss Everdeen!"
Caesar's voice booms in her ears and all sound is instantly muffled. Everything is moving at lightning speed as she pushes herself up from her chair. She consciously breathes in, and out, and in, and out, with each couple of steps. "Chin up, big smile, shoulders back, kick, step, kick, step." Effie's voice somehow makes it through the commotion going on in her head. It gets her to Caesar her without tripping. He takes her hand and seats her. She sees his lips moving as he does, but her brain does not process a single word.
"Ms. Everdeen?"
"What?" she blurts out.
The crowd laughs as Caesar smiles and repeats, "You have made quite an impression since arriving here in the Capitol. Now, we were just wondering what has impressed you since you arrived here."
"Think of something clever, think of something clever," she thinks as she looks out into the finds Haymitch. She sees Cinna a few rows behind him. He is looking at her kindly with his head cocked slightly to the side.
"Brown sugar," she says.
"Brown sugar?" Caesar says with a laugh that lights up his whole face. "Oh I can't get enough of it. I put it on just about everything. What's your favorite way to have it?"
The smile that creeps across Katniss' face is genuine as she tells him, "Pancakes."
Before she can help it, she glances over her shoulder at Peeta. He's smiling, but she can't tell if it's real before Caesar gives a knowing chuckle.
"Ah, this was not a discovery you made on your own, was it? How about that boy, Peeta? He's quite handsome, don't you think?"
This time, she hears Haymitch's voice telling her not to give anything away. She looks down at her hands.
"Oh-ho-ho! The lady is silent," Caesar says, practically bouncing in his seat. "Don't worry, we won't tell anyone, right?" The crowd shouts their approval before he turns back to her. "Now, before I ask you about one last thing, I have to say, your entrance during the parade was outstanding! I've never seen anything like it. The dress, the fire, oh it was wonderful!"
"Well, I..." Katniss starts as she makes eye contact with Cinna. He looks back intently, and she says, "I'm wearing the fire again today, if you'd like to see."
"You're not," Caesar replies in disbelief. "Oh please, can we see it? Come on, folks, don't you want to see it?"
The roar is deafening. Katniss takes a deep breath and stands. She pauses, and then, she starts to spin. Light dances around her feet and legs, but she keeps her eyes up to ensure she does not fall. Caesar is up on his feet and jumping in excitement.
"Oh, Katniss, can I call you Katniss? That was truly a pleasure," he says as he helps her to her seat again.
She is thankful for the help, as she is dizzy, despite Cinna's five minute twirling crash course. As she comes back to her own, she realizes that Caesar has scooted forward and has not let go of her hand. This is it.
"Now, Katniss, let's go back to the reaping. That morning, your little sister was called, and you volunteered. Can you tell us what happened that morning?"
What did happen that morning? She felt similarly to how she is feeling now-completely overwhelmed and hardly able to think. She just acted.
"She's my little sister, Prim, and it was her first time at the reaping. When...when her name was called, I knew I couldn't let her go. I love her more than anything."
She is sure she's imagining the silence, but when she looks at the crowd, no one is moving. She's afraid she's done something wrong until Caesar gives her hand a small tug.
"After the reaping, what did she say?"
"She told me that I had to win."
"And what did you tell her?"
It feels like the whole audience leans forward to hear her answer.
"I promised her. I promised her that I would."
"I bet you did." The buzzer goes off and Caesar helps her to her feet. "Good luck, Katniss Everdeen," he says, and then turns to the crowd as he shouts, "the Girl on Fire!"
The crowd is cheering and clapping as Katniss moves back to her seat. She looks for Haymitch and Cinna in the crowd and they both give her reassuring looks. Haymitch is even smiling. When Peeta is called, the crowd begins cheering again. Katniss watches him as he crosses the stage, smiling brightly and waving, completely at ease. She must have looked so awkward and clumsy compared to him. When he and Caesar start chatting, she realizes she must have sounded like an idiot, too. She starts to resent him, but then remembers that she's supposed to be enamored by him. Lifting her shoulders, she puts on a smile, and she listens to her "boyfriend" toss jokes back and forth with Caesar.
"Now Peeta," Caesar says seriously as the audience calms from Peeta's latest quip, "I think we all have one question on our minds that your District partner did not seem to want to answer."
Katniss takes in a deep breath. Peeta is still relaxed.
"What's that, Caesar?" Peeta asks all too innocently.
The audience laughs again, as does Caesar.
"Come now, my dear boy, you must tell us what is going on with you and the Girl on Fire. Has her flame caught you yet, like I know it has for so many people in the audience?"
"She's really something, isn't she?"
"That she is! Now what is it about her that's got you all in a tizzy?"
He pauses. Katniss' heart is drumming against her chest. Her stomach is swirling again and a bead of sweat runs down her neck. It's all she can do to keep herself composed. She hopes Gale isn't watching. Then, she hears her own words from the night before come out of Peeta's mouth.
"You know, I'm not exactly sure."
And then his own words.
"I wasn't really expecting it. We'd never spoken before all of this happened. We're in the same grade at school, but we weren't friends. And then, we got here, and it was like you said: the Girl on Fire. Something caught. Something in the way she smiles and laughs-when I can get her to laugh," he says, earning a laugh from the audience. "It just gets to me. That morning when we discovered the brown sugar and pancakes, I knew it. I was a goner. I only...I wish..."
He trails off and stares into space. There is a hush from the crown, only broken by quiet sniffs and sobs. Even Caesar seems to have to search for a moment to find his voice.
"You...wish you had talked to her before?" he provides carefully.
"No," Peeta says firmly. "I wish we had more time."
It is not until the buzzer goes off that Katniss realizes that he didn't kiss her. She realizes she was as caught up in Peeta's words as the crowd was, and she hates herself for it. How could she have let this boy get to her? One or both of them will be dead in a week. This brevity is why she swore to never get involved with anyone. It's too uncertain. It was all just supposed to be part of the plan to keep them alive, nothing more. The plan that Peeta decided today no longer applies to him.
They file off of the stage after the anthem. Katniss' blood is hot in her veins from Peeta's betrayal, so she makes sure she finds and elevator without him. She finds herself with the tributes from 4, 6, and 10. No one speaks. She makes eye contact with the girl from 4 as they stop on their floor. There's a small tug of a smile on one of her tan cheeks before she turns out sight.
The elevator stops twice more before it gets to their floor. Peeta is exiting his car at the same time as she is. She can't decide whether to hit him or ignore him. Her indecision gives him the chance to move in front of her and open his mouth. Before he can get two words out, she shoves him in the chest and he falls.
"Katniss! What the hell?"
She ignores him and steps by him. The elevator opens again when she's halfway to her room. There's hurried words and then Haymitch shouts after her.
"Get your ass back here right now. You both have some explaining to do."
She keeps walking.
"You walk away from me, you're walking away from your daddy."
Her whole body tenses as she wheels around and shouts back, "What the fuck do you know, old man?"
He hauls Peeta up and advances on her, saying, "A hell of a lot more than you think I do, sweetheart."
He grabs her wrist with a surprising amount of strength and drags them both over to the couches in front of the television. He practically throws them onto the cushions next to each other and bears down on them.
"Now I know I said you two didn't have to be friends in real life, but that does not mean you can go hurting each other. Apologize."
Katniss crosses her arms and looks away from them.
"Apologize!" he orders.
She cracks her neck and mutters, "Sorry."
"Now you," Haymitch says, pointing a finger at Peeta, "you were not the one I was expecting to do something stupid. You can't just say things like that. I'm not saying what you did wasn't effective, but we had a plan, and you are to follow the plan, just as you agreed to it. Any changes must be discussed and cleared through me so we are all on the same page. If we deviate, one of you might die."
They sit in a stunned silence. Their mentor takes a few heavy breaths, and then steps back.
"Okay," he says, "now can you two sit here nicely and watch the recap, or am I going to have to separate you?"
There is a long moment before Peeta says, "We can sit here."
His voice breaks on the last word and Katniss looks over at him. He glances at her, but quickly turns his eyes back to the screen.
It turns out that the only thing she missed from Aerin's interview was a story about the biggest fish she's ever caught. She said it was a "marlin" and it weighed 1,000 pounds and had a spear for a nose. The biggest thing Katniss has ever killed was a young white-tailed deer. When the girl from 7 starts speaking, Katniss thinks about telling Haymitch and Peeta that she doesn't want them as allies, but she can't bring herself to talk. They continue to watch in silence, including through their own interviews. When the screen goes black, Haymitch clears his throat.
"So, allies," he starts. "Just from the look on your face, sweetheart, I can tell you don't want to hang around with the tributes from 7, and I agree. I think your best bets are 11 and 3, assuming they get out of the bloodbath. I like the girl from 4, but I assume she's been drawn into the Career pack. She might break off, though, given the chance. From what I know, she's a good kid.
"More importantly: the bloodbath. There will be piles of supplies right in front of you in the arena, including all of your favorite sharp objects," he says pointedly to Katniss, "but don't go for it. Half the tributes will die in the first couple minutes, and you will not be among them. It's not that I doubt either of your abilities, but with desperate kids on all sides, anything can happen. You will run, and you will run until you can't hear anyone anymore."
"So just leave," Katniss says, "with no supplies. Leave it all for the Careers."
"Well it's that or it's a crapshoot for your life. If you run, you'll still be alive. If you're alive, you can still survive. Now, knowing the Gamemakers, they'll probably put you two as far away from each other as possible. It might be hard to find each other, but find a way. You're twice as dangerous together, and honestly, a little company might just help you keep your sanity in there. Do not underestimate the mental toll this will take on you. Yes, the physical danger is much easier to see, but you'll be tired and paranoid, and being alone in that...that's...it's not fun. And even though you two aren't very happily-ever-after right now, it will be easier together, trust me."
Haymitch falls silent. Katniss feels Peeta's hand nudge hers. He gives her a soft smile and turns his palm up. She wants to keep hating him. She wants to keep pushing him away. Between Haymitch's words and Peeta's smile, though, she can't. She places her hand on top of his and he curls his fingers around hers.
"Good," Haymitch says with a relieved smile. He stands, saying, "We won't get to see each other tomorrow, so this is goodbye for now."
They stand, too, and Peeta doesn't let go of her hand. "Any last words of advice?" he asks.
"Yeah," he says with a gruff laugh. "Stay alive."