A/N: Just one word: Enjoy!
The next tribute, Brenda McArthy, was called onto stage. Terkast took a quick glance at her, and fell back into his planning stage. The arena would be arranged with One and Twelve next to each other. Then, from Twelve, it would descend by four. It would be Twelve, Eight, Four, Ten, Six, and Two. After Two it would be Eleven, then Seven, Three, Nine, Five and back to One. It was perfect, and wasn't a cliché circular District arena.
Brenda began talking of her family, because Thorfinn asked. "Well, I do have a twin," she said, batting her eyes at the crowd. Thorfinn raised his eyebrows, intrigued by this outburst.
A few of Welch's lieutenants leaned in, intent on what she was saying. If Brenda won, then both she and her twin could be sold to the Capitol people for very good money. They couldn't tell the difference, and they would make twice the money.
"Yeah, his name's Seamus, and he's my rock," she finished. Terkast could hear audible sighs from the lieutenants above. Sadly, the Capitol people could tell the difference between a male and a female. "He's been there for me when my mom gave up on us, and my dad was working. District Nine treats us well, but we still need to work – it's not like we're rich."
Thorfinn nodded, and carefully scratched the top of his head. "That's quite interesting. Not many twins go into the Games. If he was a girl, or you a boy, do you think he would volunteer for you?"
Brenda opened her mouth, but quickly shut it again. For a second, her sexy persona dropped, and her eyes became glassy. "I'm not sure," she said slowly, emphasizing each word. "I would love to think he would. I'm sure he would. But then, he knows that I can handle myself well, and that I would murder him if he ever tried. So it all depends on how he would like to get killed," Brenda laughed, prompting a laugh from the crowd.
"Do you have a token? Can I see it?" Thorfinn asked, noticing a red cardinal feather stuck in Brenda's hair that didn't match her light brown dress.
She carefully took it out, and showed it to him. "It's a special feather for me. It means a lot. Plus, the red signifies blood."
"Yes, could you explain why?" Thorfinn asked, trying to draw the last few seconds out of her time.
Brenda smiled a secret smile, and tucked her caramel colored hair behind her ear and fingered the feather delicately. "I can't do that." Thorfinn was about to object, but Brenda plowed through his objections. "It gives away something of my talent, and we don't want them," she jabbed a finger behind her, "to find out, now do we?"
The buzzer rang, and Brenda stepped daintily off. She was definitely a spitfire, but her intelligence was low. Terkast could tell easily that it was the feather oft tied to arrows to aid in their flight. Any other tribute could do that too. Brenda, like all the females, would be lifted up into the District opposite the circle of theirs. The males would be lifted into the District to the left. Therefore, there would be enough variation without it being cliché and putting District Partners and possible allies together.
Thorfinn's question about family once again drew him out of his thoughts. Tristan was plain as usual, and dressed in a darker brown suit-like material that blended well with his tan skin and brown features.
"My family was strict, but I think I'm better because of that. We didn't have a lot of food, but we learned to get more. I mean, it got harder when my sister was reaped."
A gasp went up through the crowd. Another family member of a previous tribute? This was just getting way to good! "She died though." A groan replaced the gasp. Anyone in the crowd would be hard-pressed to remember her name. "She was a bloodbath. My only goal is to get past where she died. Get past where she died, make it home and make her proud."
He didn't cry like the rest of the tributes did when talking about dead family. He had a harsh gleam in his eyes, as if he intended to kill every man, woman, and child in this room if he had to.
"Uh, very nice. Very nice, Tristan. How do you think you'll do in your goal?" Thorfinn said, trying to make the tribute seem less hostile in front of the crowd.
"Good. I can use a weapon – one I think you haven't seen used before," he remarked, waggling his eyebrows in a suggestive way. "And it'll take all of my opponents by surprise, too. I'll surely get past where Alba died, and I will avenge her death."
His voice was a little less hostile, but everyone could still plainly see how he intended to go about things. Still, some Capitolites were intrigued by his blood-filled act, and were intending to buy into him.
"Thank you, Tristan. Please welcome, from District Ten, Kacey Fickus." Kacey came up, and was dressed in a light blue dress with frills along the edges. The contrast between Tristan and her was great, since Kacey looked much more like a child.
She gave a nervous smile as she settled into the seat, and looked at Thorfinn expectantly. "So, Kacey. You're one of the youngest tributes in the arena. How does this make you feel?"
The question threw Kacey off, and she floundered for a second. She glanced fearfully into the crowd, and Terkast could tell that she already guessed that she wouldn't get any sponsors. "I think I'll do fine," she said, a smile plastered on her face. But her voice wavered, and it easily betrayed her fear.
"I think I'll do fine," she repeated. "I lived in District Ten. We are a strong people; we have to be with living with all those strong animals. They're a lot bigger and stronger than us, so even the smallest person needs to be able to deal with them."
"Well spoken," Thorfinn observed, and dipped his head towards her. This gave Kacey some confidence, although the thought of being one of the youngest still shook her. "Now, your family, if you will?"
This was what Kacey had been preparing for. She opened her mouth, and the words that flowed from it sounded clearly practiced. "I had a good life in District Ten. I lived on a nice farm with my mom, dad and two siblings. My older sister, Phika, is a bit pushy and she always hogs the bathroom, but she's ok. I just love my little brother Nico though. He's sweet and kind, but so innocent!"
She took a deep breath, intent on spending most of her time describing her family. "Like a few other tributes, I also lost a sister to the Hunger Games, but it was before I really knew her. My parents and Phika are still sad – especially with me going in – but I wasn't really affected."
This year's tributes were wonderful. The amount of those affected by the Games was great, and it was sure to give them a good reason to fight. "My parents run the farm, and I like helping. I have a horse. His name's Windswept. He races me, and watches me a lot. I think I'll do well." The last part was said as a confirmation, and as the buzzer rang she was ushered off the stage.
"Arrett Hayes of District Ten, everyone!" There was a small smattering of applause, but nothing compared to say, Floyd's. It was because Arrett was one of the two 12-year-olds, and they doubted he had much of a chance.
He wore a darker blue outfit to compliment Kacey's dress, and as he sat down in the chair he fidgeted. "Hello, Arrett," Thorfinn started, "how are you?"
"Fine," Arrett responded, his voice clipped. Thorfinn raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. He would have to need a newer strategy to work in bringing this tribute into the light.
"Could you tell us about your family?" the Interviewer asked, staying strictly away from mentioning that Arrett was one of the youngest.
Arrett's face deepened into a scowl. "You really want to know about them? Fine. My father's a drunk, my mother doesn't have time for me, and Rose is the only good one that pays attention to me. I don't even really have any friends. Cloy, yes Cloy, is an acquaintanceship, and he acts way too snobbish most of the time because his family can afford to live in town."
He was very feisty for a 12-year-old, Terkast decided. That must be his angle. He had to show the crowd that he was worth sponsoring, otherwise he would die off very quickly. The Capitolites had taken a liking to this fiery boy.
However, Arrett wasn't fully done with his explanation of family. "We could've gone to live in town, but that was a few years ago. We lost everything. My brothers Niart and Kello were killed… in a stampede. We lost them, and everything else followed. Father liked them best, so he started drinking to ease the pain. And mother, why, with father and the boys gone, she needed to make sure we didn't lose the only thing left. Aren't I lucky?" He nearly snarled the last few words.
The buzzer sounded a few seconds later, when Arrett went to open his mouth. Terkast frowned. It seemed earlier than the other tributes, and he realized that the words were getting dangerously close to rebellion. It was a very different personality than the one he had seen in the Training Center.
"Thank you, Arrett," Thorfinn said, trying to add some cheeriness to the ending. He welcomed up Livianna Chayro and asked how she was, along with asking her about her family.
She smiled wide, and Terkast knew that she was one of the only tributes who were sincere. "Please, call me Life. Everyone else does. To start, I'm happy to be here. I was getting bored at home, and it's such a nice change from District Eleven!"
The crowd cheered loudly at her statement, and Livianna basked in it. "My family is like a lot of others. I like my mom and dad, and my three brothers are ok. They're all very different. Damascus, he's my baby brother, is always playing jokes. Michel is never really around, 'cause he hangs out with his friends. And Cavana… is Cavana… he doesn't like talking much. He's a real loner."
Thorfinn smiled, completely at ease after Arrett's hostility. "Nice family. You need to go home to see them again, right?"
Seeing Thorfinn's smile, Livianna gave another one of her big ones. "Of course! I can't wait to see Damascus again. He'll be so glad to see me home! And hopefully Cavana'll talk to me. Sometimes he does, but usually when he isn't working he's outside drawing."
"That means you're going to do well. Right, Life?" Livianna seemed overjoyed that he used her nickname, and nodded a few times in rapid succession. The nickname did really suit her. She seemed so full of life, and extremely content with it. It would be horrible to see her blood spattered in the arena, Terkast thought.
"Yup! I'm going to do well, the only way I know how, and go home. And then, we'll get some more food!" The buzzer rang again, and Terkast had the faintest recognition that they purposely did it again. After the almost-rebellion in the 75th Games, the President had ordered that nothing even mildly offensive be shown on television. Of course, it was near common knowledge to all those working on the Games that the Districts starved on a daily basis.
She bounced happily off, and Indas took her place. "How's your life going Indas?" Thorfinn asked to the large District Eleven boy.
He smiled haughtily, and launched into a long tirade. "I'm doing fine. I like the food, 'cause I can't find anything really like your stews in District Eleven. We don't get much meat there, but I love the extra food during the harvest." He aimed a spiked smile at the camera. Indas was rebelling without really tripping any lines. He would be dangerous, but it made Terkast smile.
With a small prompt from Thorfinn, Indas started on his family. "My mother and father and I, we work to take care of my little siblings. Marybelle is so sweet, and the twins are very helpful at times. I wasn't kidding about before, the extra rations really help our family. I wouldn't be here without them."
"Interesting. Now, your District is Agriculture, right?" Indas nodded, unsure of where this question was going. "What was your job?"
A proud smile graced Indas' lips, giving him a wild look. "I plow the fields with the rest of the men of my District. I'm just that good."
Thorfinn thanked Indas, and sent him off stage when the buzzer rang. Terkast sighed. Two more tributes. Just two.
"Virgo Irving from District Twelve!" Thorfinn announced as Virgo got herself situated. When she stopped patting herself down, Thorfinn turned to her. "So Virgo, do you like your stay at the Capitol?"
Virgo nodded quickly, and steeled herself to speak. "It was great so far. I especially liked the Chariot Rides. I doubted Lampey a bit at first, but I love what he did with our eyes. I think it made a good impression," she said, smiling sheepishly at the crowd.
A swell of noise came, and it answered her question of how well they performed. "How's your life at home?"
Her faint confident attitude faded, as if she wasn't sure if she should disclose this information. "I have a brother, Taurus, and sister, Gemini, who are kinda dependant on me. My father was whipped when I was younger, for…" she paused, and then continued. Tears welled in her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. "Consorting with another woman." She nearly whispered the last part, and everyone leaned in to hear her.
"I'm sorry, dear," Thorfinn said sympathetically. "Do you like your siblings?"
Virgo sniffed and gave a watery smile. "My sister is good. She doesn't like the whole 'naming off of the horoscope' thing, and since I was the first she kinda blames me. She's good enough, and loves dresses. Although," Virgo laughed, "she does like to skive off of her homework. Taurus is very bubbly and talkative. I really wish District Twelve was a better place, because right now his personality is a bit quelled."
The buzzer rang, and Terkast knew this time it was early. Thorfinn looked at it in confusion, but Virgo was already off. She was just grateful that her time explaining herself to all of Panem was up.
Sheave came up, and sat quietly in the chair. "I have a big family," he rumbled in response to Thorfinn's question. "Like pretty much everyone else, I have a mom and dad. I have three brothers and a sister."
"Who would be your favorite?" the Interviewer asked, trying to draw out an answer that would get a response from the audience.
"My least favorite would definitely be Cherry. She's my sister, and she's living with her husband. She disses my family all the time. Yes, I said my. I don't consider her a Trackman anymore. She doesn't deserve it. My, uh, favorite would be Digger."
Sheave laughed a little. "Don't get mad at me, guys! I kinda shunned Digger because, well, he's blind in one eye. He wants to be a teacher. But I swear, Dug, I'll be so much better when I come home. You're my favorite, and every time I beat up one of those guys, I did it for you. They shouldn't make fun of you. I promise I'll help you study."
Some women were crying in the audience, and Sheave had the harsh gleam in his eyes that Tristan was seen with.
"The only reason I'm not letting myself killed is because of them. I'm doing this for my family, so that we can leave that old house in the Seam, and finally live where we deserve!" He timed it well, because the buzzer rang a second before the conclusion of his sentence.
Thorfinn stood up and addressed the crowd as Sheave went back to his seat. The tributes were told to stand up, and each bowed or curtsied. "Thank you to our wonderful tributes! Hopefully, you'll know enough about each of them to make a good sponsorship! Have a good night, and enjoy your 725th Games!"
The tributes filed out, and there was a bunch of scraping as the audience left, too. Terkast and the rest of the Gamemakers waited until it was mostly clear to leave, so they could leave without being bombarded by the commoners.
Terkast smiled to himself. This torture was finally over. For the last time, he had survived Interviews and the Games were tomorrow. The Games were tomorrow. As he thought of this, Terkast gasped. Maylin shifted in response behind him, but he waved his hands. He had already called the mutt designer to let the mutts out.
The Games were so close! His last Game! He had to make sure that it was perfect, and he wanted them to come faster! With a groan, Terkast lifted himself to his feet. He felt as if he was going to be sick. He had to make the Games perfect, and they were less than 24 hours away. What an idiot he was for wishing the Interviews would be over this quickly!
A/N: There, finally finished! Thank you for sticking with me through the pre-Games stuff! I promise the next chapter shall be the full excitement of the first day of the Games. Better hope that I don't kill off your favorite character just yet! *evil grin*