Author's Note: Been having problems with another user, who probably won't be reviewing this story anymore. Oh well. I wonder why anybody didn't review last chapter? Did I update too quick? Just tell me if I am.
Prophet Thenidiel – Interviews
Those kittens just turned into panthers, great cats that make me want to throw up.
All of the tributes slowly walk into the area, waving and smiling at all of the bright, flashing cameras that will be taking our pictures and putting them up on websites and in magazines. We are the center of attention in the Capital.
Before I know it, I am sitting down in a chair, next to Bea and Penelope. They both glance at me, and I can see everyone is very nervous. If I was any more nervous, I'd go screaming down the hall, having been driven mad.
The interviews start very quickly. Flare Heartforth is the first to go up to Caesar Flickerman's spotlight. He greets us all with a toothy grin.
"Welcome, everyone, to the 99th Hunger Games interviews! Tonight we will learn more about our tributes than we ever knew before! Who knows, maybe some of you will be able to win extra sponsors!" He smiles, and I feel so sorry for him and his mustard-yellow hair that I smile.
Flare smiles and sits down on the loveseat, her outfit true to her name. It sparkles with many red crystals that spark up into the air, like a flare of fire. She has on this stunning red makeup and glitter that almost makes her seem like someone she's not.
Flare chats with Caesar, very sneaky and deceptive, avoiding many details about the Games. She admits that she likes Marcus a bit and the audience swoons.
"So, have any other plans?"
"Well, as you know, I am part of the Career group, and hopefully we can stay together to the end." The buzzer rings above her head.
"Well, thank you for your time, Flare. May the odds be ever in your favor!"
"The odds, be ever in MY favor? Ha! I'd say the other tributes need the odds in THEIR favor!" Flare laughs, and her lasting mystery causes the audience to forget about the next person up, Marcus.
Marcus manages to stumble through his interview.
"You're in love with Flare?" Marcus was silent for a bit.
"Ummm...yeah. What he said." Caesar breaks into a grin and claps Marcus on the back. His interview is quickly over and I notice Ruby, the girl I met on the roof, walk up to the stage. Her dress is a magnificent ruby color, but her interview is very forgettable. It can't compare to the interviews of the Careers that surround her.
Conan is threatening and so is Atlas, who literally yells at the audience as he laughs with Caesar. But then he says something that unsettles them.
"Yeah? Well, somebody will be dead before the Games even start." Caesar stares back blankly at him. "Just kidding, okay?" He is rushed off of the stage, which makes me wonder a bit.
Heron's shimmering blue dress stuns everyone. It would probably be better for a District like District 4, but no one cares. Her interview is absolutely exceptional.
"So, Heron. You have two strong guys by your side, and a large amount of training in your favorite subjects. What do you have to say?"
"Caesar, I'm ready for everything. Anything you guys throw at me, I will be ready. Traps, natural disasters, or mutts, I'll survive."
Ryder's interview goes awesome as well, and Swan is ushered on stage. She smiles, in a beautiful white dress that actually makes her look like her namesake.
"How are you, Swan? I hear you're excited about the games!" She laughs.
"Isn't everybody? I mean, this is our chance for our whole District to see us. To be on TV." I can tell she doesn't really mean it, but she seems to be enjoying herself.
"I mean, even though it shouldn't be, this is one of the best times of my life! Imagine, actual food, instead of starving!" Caesar looks a bit uneasy.
"Why would you starve in your District? You have PLENTY of food!" Caesar grins. Swan's mouth opens, but no sound comes up. Before I know it her interview is over and the audience holds their breath as another Career walks onstage.
"Safin! How are you doing?"
"I am great, Caesar. I'm doing fine."
"And what do you mean by that, I might add?"
"Well, I've had good training, I have a good amount of sponsors, and I'm not nervous at all. And there is one other thing..."
"Oh, really? Come on, audience, don't you want to hear what it is?" The audience cheers and whistles, and Safin begins to grin.
"There may be someone here that I like." More cheers break out, and Safin smiles wider. He doesn't even look embarrassed, but I bet he would if his girlfriend shouted out his name. The tributes around me smiled. I could see Anna hide her face. Well, at least they wouldn't humiliate themselves.
I almost yawn, sitting there in the bleak, metal chair. It must be extremely boring for Ryan, who will be the very last person to be interviewed, and by then, Caesar and the audience will barely care anymore. Everyone's excited to see us kill each other in the bloodbath.
Bea rubs her eyes and sits back in the chair, ignoring Rupert who is cracking his knuckles next to her. We're all tired, mostly because all of us were up pretty early. We would need a good night's sleep if we were to be ready for the Games, but the Capital didn't seem to care. All the better if we couldn't pay attention because we were too sleepy when the Games started.
I hear snoring and notice that Cain Ceders is fast asleep. Bea notices as well and almost bursts out laughing as the snoring distracts Caesar and Safin from their interview. I smile.
Soon, the buzzer rings for Safin, and Daniella Lamonde appears. Her interview actually goes fairly well, and I am surprised how funny and confident she can be.
"I see you didn't have an awesome score in training. Why could that be?"
"Well, you see, Caesar, I didn't feel like exerting myself. You know, be ready for the Games!" Caesar smiles.
"Well, are you ready?"
"Hmm. I don't want to kill anybody, but by the end of the Games, District 5 will have a winner." Caesar nods. The buzzer rings and Thor Vang is next. He mostly agrees with Daniella, but is mostly silent, like I probably will be when I get up there.
Scarlet Saracen is a bit nervous and shaky as she makes it to the stage. But once Caesar gets her talking she is bright and cheerful, probably just like her real personality. She mentions some tough times she'd had at home, and how much she admires the Capital. All probably things that her mentor made her say.
"You said early you had a bit of weaknesses. Any comment on that?"
"Well...you're only as strong as your weakness." The audience let that sink in. What, so if you have a HUGE fear of spiders, you also have great strength? Sure.
The audience swoons as Alexander Van Der Donck begins to talk to Caesar. His seems like the longest interview for some reason.
"You do have an important military record, Alexander. You've helped us win two wars!"
"It's nothing, really."
"But what if you weren't here."
"If I wasn't here...I would be there, or possibly over there." Alexander points and the audience laughs. Caesar points to the scar on his neck.
"Is that from your time in the military?"
"When asked how I obtained the scar on my neck I answer truthfully...I fell down and a stick attacked me. Well, I guess you could say he was a little larger than a stick." The audience laughs again. Caesar goes on about Alexander's career a bit more, and then the conversation turns to family.
"Comments on your family?"
"I do love my family, however, it can be very annoying when people are constantly talking about them, when I'm right next to them." Adrian Van Der Donck, Alexander's father, coughs as he watches the interview. The audience laughs yet again.
Next is one of the interviews I've been waiting for: Anna Garys. It seems to be the same with the audience as they stop talking and stare at the stage. Caesar and Anna talk about the Games, Training, and some events back in her District, but, eventually, the conversation turns to relationships.
"So, Anna...you have a boyfriend?" Anna blushes.
"Well, maybe I do, maybe I don't."
"That's not a definite answer, is it?" Caesar asks the crowd, and they yell back their answers. Mostly, they want to know who it is. I glance over at Safin and I can see he's muttering something under his breath...
"Is he in this very room?"
"Yes..." Sound explodes from the audience as they yell to know his name. Safin is sweating a bit now, but then Anna begins to describe her mystery boy's personality. Safin begins to sweat profusely, and then Anna smiles.
"S-"
"BUZZZ!" the buzzer goes off, and Safin lets out a huge sigh and Anna laughs as she is rushed off of the stage. The audience can guess, but this is forgotten as Rupert Stevens climbs up to the couch and sits down next to Caesar. The only memorable quote I can remember is when Caesar asks him about his strategy.
"Strategy? I don't need strategy! Who needs brains when I got BRAWN!" He pumps his fists and the audience cheers. Bea rolls her eyes, and soon enough, she is up on the stage herself.
"Bea A. Dechers. Your initials tell all, don't they. B-A-D. Do you mind if I ask your middle name?"
"It's...Alecea." Bea shudders for some reason, but the interview goes on. For some reason, Bea is unnerved the rest of her talk with Caesar.
Bea steps down, and it takes a bit for me to realize I have to go up to the stage. My feet thud on the floor, my shoes clanking against the steel beaten by feet for the last 99 years. I climb the stairs, glancing back for reassurance. I am given a thumbs up, so I take a deep gulp of air and sit down in front of Caesar.
"Prophet, my man! How are you doing?" I smile and begin to signal him, and he immediately translates so the audience understands. My mind loses track of all the translating and signaling we do, but I am back in focus when our conversation inexplicably turns to death.
"Are you afraid of death, Prophet?"
"Afraid? No. Scared of being picked up by a hovercraft and being turned into a meat or mutt or something like that after my death? Yes." Caesar smiles a bit, and actually translates. I wasn't sure if he would or not.
"And if you're being chased? Are you going to talk? Taunt them while you're fighting?"
"Hmm. I prefer sign language, but I doubt anyone will understand me anyway. I haven't used my voice in years." That's a lie, but I don't say anything.
"Well, I wish you good luck, because our interview is over!" The buzzer goes off and I feel like a great weight has been lifted off of my chest. I've never felt that nervous in my life.
I practically jump down the stairs to my seat, and I lean back and give out a huge sigh. Bea laughs, and my head tilts back. I realize how tired I am, and the rest of the night rushes by in a blur.
I remember Cain's interview, who is very tired and barely manages to say anything at all. There's also Swift, who acts pretty lovesick.
I remember her giggling on stage. Ugh. "I can't believe I'm here, in the Capital, the most romantic place in all of Panem with Cannan. Cannan's face turns redder than a cherry, but I can imagine a huge line for sponsors for both of them.
But the audience doesn't let themselves go until it's Ryan's turn up at bat. They've been waiting for the son of the star-crossed lovers for so long to appear in the games, and what do you know, here he was.
He takes on the mockingjay view of his mother's and father's outfits when they had been in the 74th Hunger Games. It's a jet black suit that glows like an ember, and it almost radiates power as he is interviewed by Caesar. I am too sleepy to pay attention and finally we are led back to the Training Center. It's my last night sleeping here, so I get the most I can out of it.
I drink two cups of hot chocolate and leave out an energy drink for tomorrow, because I can tell I will need it. I randomly press buttons in the shower and I am assaulted with all different types of foam and shampoo, which takes forever to get out of my hair. But afterward the room smells amazing.
It feels like sleeping on air as I drift into my bed. Unfortunately, I totally forget this is my last night sleeping on this majestic cloud. There was no thoughts about tomorrow, no joking with Death. I just flat out fell asleep.
Author's Note: Next chapter, I will be sending that message, because I'm kind of wondering where all of you went (excluding MJ and the JJ, zackt, and Fifi). Hope you liked and make sue to review for points! Also, if you don't see something you like in the sponsor prizes list, you can PM me and I'll decide how much points your item will be. See you guys at the Catacombs!
