Chapter 12 Top Scores

It was late in the afternoon; Caitlin made a big sound from the front main room and made everyone leave what they were doing to show us something. "Oh goodie, everyone's here. Anyways," she started, walking in her red high heels that showed her feet and roses that covered up on one leg to her dress. "I came to see how my little sweethearts are doing, and how much they change." She walked up to Nathan and I; touching my hair and pulled it down to my elbows. "It's grown," she mumbles, moving on to Nathan and his boyish charms. "It odd how people change after a while." She moves up to the front of us then placed a finger on to her chin like she was thinking. "Anyways, have you both thought of what you're going to say to Caesar? Don't answer that; keep it a secret until you go on. I stopped by to tell you," she turns around to look at Amélie. "I have a few things I need to talk to you about." Caitlin walks up to Amélie, putting a hand over her shoulder and pulling her along to the kitchen room, leaving Nathan, Miss Xuan and I in the front room.

I just stared at where Caitlin walked to and disappeared, I moved my head over my shoulder, seeing Nathan rubbing his hair with both hands. "When do," he looks up at me when my voice came out. "We start?"

Nathan pulls his hands away from his hair than turned to Miss Xuan, who'd just started to fix her make-up with a small mirror. "When do we start Xuan?"

Miss Xuan looked up to us then put her make-up away, fixing up her dress like we were the people to impress. She smiled then opened her booklet, filled with everything. "Giving the fact that the interview is always on around 7, everyone should start around 5." She looks up at the clock on the wall then turns back to us. "You still have six hours tomorrow until the styles start to dress you up!" She sings walking away from us, than to the meeting, having a things following in with her. I just stared at her, giving the fact she still crazy in the head even if I try to see it in a different way.

"In six hours, we'll be cleaned, showered, washed, and shown to Panem. There, we'll be shown as people or pieces," I turned my shoulder around and looked at Nathan, he was looking at the ground then moved his eyes up to me; showing me his boyish, no - man charms. "Ava, who do you think will win?"

I opened my mouth, not sure what to say to Nathan about this. I didn't want to think about whom or what could win the game, then Caitlin walked out with Amélie behind her before I started to let my voice out. Than the doors to the elevator opened up, Montage walked out, smiling ever so happy to us.

"Come, come!" he said, this time, Montage was wearing a suit that was black but the tie was red, he moved his left hand up forward then pointed to the living room. "The scoring is about to begin! We couldn't miss the score of our two lovely children there!" Everyone walked inside the living room, turning the TV on, which covered up the whole wall. I take a sit next to Montage who smelled like wine.

"Welcome ladies and gentleman!" A man who looked well over his 50's turned to the screen, his skin looked ageless and it seemed like he was trying to stay 20 for the longest time. His hair was like everyone else; dyed in unusually way; red. "We're here to tell you how each District scored over the last few hours!" he looked back at us, I tilted my head slight.

Who was this? I was asking myself over the time, he started to explain why we kept scores and how it matters to everyone. Nathan put a hand to my shoulder and leans in, put his lip to my ear. I slightly turned to him. "That's Caesar Flickerman," His voice echoes in my ear. "The man who's known to interview everyone, even the girl on fire was one." I moved my head around, causing my hair to fall over my shoulders, than just stared at Nathan. He puts a finger up to his lip then walked over to where Caitlin was sitting at and sat down.

"From District 14," I looked away from the screen, seeing that what I did earlier today wasn't something I should be happy about, in fact, I know for sure they'll me give me a low scored between 5 or 4, just tell me now, don't keep me waiting. I looked down at my arms, seeing my dark brown hair covering up my fingers as I mess with them.

Montage, Caitlin, Miss Xuan and Amélie pulled in closer to us and to the screen as if they could hear it by moving in. "Ava Eberlee," Caesar looks up at us then smiles, "the young thirteen-year-old scored a perfect eight! Ladies and gentleman, this beautiful girl has a side in which surprised us when we saw the score! I mean when we all first saw her, she was just a girl who was scared, a girl who loves the people and a girl who get a perfect eight! Ava, keep up the good work, because you're a darling no one wants to forget!"

Caitlin shouts out at the screen as if he can hear us, about what I have scored in the private session, than Montage hugs me from the side as he left giggling by himself. As he pulls away; I moved my head up, seeing the eight still on the screen. Someone was missing with me, they had to be; I defend their rules, I didn't do what they wanted, to be a part of this system they had. Why give me a score that high?

I placed a hand to my cheek then moved my lips towards my hand. "To kill me faster," I whispered to myself, than looked back up. "That's why they give me such a high score; President Forrest wants me to die inside the arena by everyone else. The higher the score, the more I'll become a target. Their goal wasn't to let me have the lowest goal, no, that would be too easy. They want me to be a target inside the arena. They want me to die before I could get off the plate forum." I looked back at the screen, seeing his face.

"Nathan Gilbert. Ladies, I bet all of you out there is cheering for Nathan. I can hardly believe such a young handsome man would be here, I mean," Caesar turns around and looks at the man sitting next to him. "When we saw Nathan, he was the man that anyone girl, woman would die for! Now that's the handsome we want! Nathan, you have the woman fallen to their knees for you!" He turns back to the screen and as his pen moving up as he said that. "But for the scoring," he looks back down to the paper. "Ladies, I'm sorry to say this, but it's seems that Nathan don't live up to your expectations." I looked puzzled at the screen, seeing everyone else looking at Nathan as if they didn't hear Caesar right. "Your lovely handsome price scored eleven! He didn't score a seven or eight but eleven, ladies and gentleman! District 14 seems to have good fighters this time of year; I mean a girl who looks like- what was it? Oh yes! That lion-thing. Nathan looks just like Jumanji! Two lovely creatures, everyone in the city loved and truly cared about. "

"The Jagger?" the other man turned to Caesar.

"Yes, that! We have a girl,"

"Yes?"

"And a boy," Caesar looks to his side where the other guy was sitting, then put his hands over his head. "I have to say, District 14; you made a fine choose. A lovely girl and a handsome boy, what more can we ask for?"

A lot. By killing us, or our family, by letting us be a part of a system that only works in two ways; get tributes willing to die, or get tributes that are willing to live, but have to kill. The screen goes back and turns off, leaving all of us alone.

"Nathan! Ava!" Caitlin gets up than turns to us. "Nathan! Eleven! I'm shocked, at how good you are!" she throws her arms around him and hugs him deeply, then pulls him up to his feet. "Ava, if I had known your good at fighting, I would have given you the perrrrfect dress that shows you're fearless and how the crowd could love you!" she rolls the R's like a cat would do. Caitlin grabs my hand and pulls me up then hugs the both of us tight. After hugging the both of us, Caitlin tells everyone else – Adults- that they should have a party honored in our names, and how lucky they are to have us as their tribute.

The morning was a different, I wake up at 4:30 am, lying in my bed; wondering way I act the way I do. I turned myself to the left, seeing the street lights shining bright. How many times do I have to tell myself to stay in line? Follow the rules? They can't be that hard to follow; listen to no one, have fun killing people, and be the ones to get out than the others. It's as simple as that, but nothing ever simple. To me, I intrude a game which could change me, and the way I see people.

To me, it's like losing every human sense I have, I can't hurt anyone and I wouldn't try. It's against everything I hate being, but why? No one cares about how my family will be affected by the Hunger Games. If I don't get out, they'll be won't be worried about me, they worried about how famous they'll be, or worried about how they'll see their families when times came to. Nathan is right, its everyone against everyone, doesn't matter if the rule say to make sure that your partner is live the whole time; in the end, we all have to fight against each other, we all have to kill that person from our District, from our hometown.

I closed my eyes, hoping to leave such thoughts behind as I tried to fall back sleep. I waked up again, around 7 as I over looked at the clock. By this time, everyone should be awake, or at least starting to wake up. I walked out of my room, leaving on my purple shirt and black pants; my hair was loose and moves when I started to turn my head towards the dining room.

"Looking for someone?" I turned around to the living room, seeing Nathan lean against the wall with his hands to his side. "I'm guessing our mentor is out of the question huh?" he walks forward, stopping when he was close to me. I just stared at him then moved my eyes back to the elevators.

"She's not here?" I pushed him aside as I walked towards the kitchen, looking for something to eat but nothing really came up. I grabbed a cup and acted like I was doing something.

"Have you talked to her about the interview, or did you stop having that session it with her, Ava? It doesn't seem like she's worrying over you about anything."

I let a sigh out then turned to look at Nathan. "What do you want? Usually you don't care what I say or do. Did something snap in that head of yours? Better yet, don't tell me." I looked at the wall, remembering when President Forrest came, how he wanted me to stay in line or else she would be removed. I felt the cup broke in my hand, as I tighten the grip.

Nathan stopped talking, watching some of the glass fall from my hand to the ground; blood dripping to the ground. "How much longer do we have? Is there even a way to change anything now?" I put my hand away from my view, letting the glass fell to the ground and hiding away the cuts I get from the glass.

"Less than 48 hours by now, in six hours our styles will be coming to 'play-dress-up', than after the interview, our last day will be tomorrow," He stops then puts a hand to my shoulder. "Do what you can now. Keep your deal; you can't back down because of what you saw."

I moved my shoulder, pushing off his hand away. I let my hair move over my shoulders to my face as I looked down; all this time I've been telling myself that I just need to be alive, to just hide from everyone until I find Nathan. But now that the time is ticking away, I see just how impossible that will be as I stand with the Careers, as I try to kill them, as I try to leave them. All this time, I'll be putting myself in danger for everyone else, so that they can have a chance to leave.

Author's Note:

Ohgosh! (x,,w,,,x) its one chapter away before I put Ava inside the arena, I'm just happy if anyone reading this story, I just want to thank you TwT I have more plans for this story, and I'm really loving how it coming out.

I hope your enjoying this story, and again, thank you for reading the story TwT I didn't think anyone would like it or anything, but I wasn't going to give up on it. Please, tell me what you think so far of the story :0 I don't mind, and honestly, it would be good to hear what you think what will happen next in the up-coming chapters :3

I don't bite ~

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