Interviews Part II: Cool Kids
Cool Kids by Echosmith
He sees them talking with a big smile, but they haven't got a clue
Yeah, they're living the good life, can't see what he is going through
In the fast lane, living life without knowing…
Participant of the 52nd Games- Macintosh "Mac" Wattson (District 3 Male)
"Macintosh-"
"Call me Mac," he growls as he slumps in his chair. His auburn hair is messy and appears to look as if he woke up right before arriving at the Stadium. "Only my parents can call me that." He plants a toothpick in his mouth, a smirk forming.
I hold my tongue back, wanting to state the white elephant in the room.
Your parents are dead.
I keep the comment to myself and continue the interview, getting one worded responses or rude gestures. Mac always keep himself distant, unapproachable. You never know if he's giving genuine responses or bullshit ones. I want to help, lots of us do. From his mentor to those few at home that were around for his first Games.
Just let us help, Mac.
Stop pushing us away…
Participant of the 55th Games- Trolley Deckman (District 6 Female)
"If I win, no, when I win the 4th Quarter Quell I'm going to use some of my wealth to improve the group homes in Six." Trolley stands next to me, towering over me as I ask her questions about her previous life and current thoughts. Her dress is a midnight blue, dark and matches her smoky eye makeup. The whole getup seems odd, considering all I've seen her in is jeans and t-shirts.
"There are no orphanages in Six?"
She scoffs. "That's the one thing Six has done right in the past century. Group homes are way better than those sorry excuse child care systems." She crosses her arms, a snarl present across her tomboyish features.
"Will you bring back a parent? Mom? Dad, maybe?"
Her eyes widen and she makes a disgusted face. She snorts, "Yeah, right. Those fuckin' druggies can go to hell if I care." Trolley exhales sharply and turns her head away from me.
The buzzer sounds and she stomps off stage, her face a bright red.
Participant of the 59th Games- Ashton Finnow (District 4 Male)
"Are there any girls you're interested in, Ashton?"
He chuckles, pulling at the sides of his blue jacket. "I wish, Izzy. There are a lot more fine looking ladies now then there were forty years ago, I'll give you that."
The crowd roars in laughter and Ashton soaks in the audience's response, leaning back in the loveseat. "I'm just honored to participate in the Games again. I hope I can make my District proud."
"Why do you want to win?"
He snorts. "For the bragging rights of course. I will be the first tribute to be victorious from a second Games and be the longest living person!" Ashton pumps his fist in the air. "Who wouldn't want that!?"
A lot of people.
"Well thank you so much for being here tonight, Ashton."
"The pleasures all mine, Izzy." He kisses the back of my hand and casts suggestive eyes towards me. I can feel him smile as he descends the steps, the buzzer sounding when he reaches the bottom.
Smooth, Ashton… too smooth…
Participant of the 60th Games- Hero De'Rogue (District 2 Male)
"What do you get when you get the one and only Hero De'Rogue and the other thirty-five other tributes?"
The audience screams for an answer, Hero's ego getting bigger and bigger by the moment. I giggle and try to act amused by the boy's string of jokes and puns. At this point I'm about ready to sound the buzzer for him.
"You get the 4th Quarter Quell Victor… me!"
He laughs loudly at his own joke and the crowds follow suit. Never have I seen a tribute make his interview a series of bad jokes and puns, at least not the entirety of their session.
"What do you get when you mix a Career and a-"
BUZZ
"Oh gosh, looks like the buzzer sounded." I stand from my chair and lightly push Hero down the stairs, his suit is made of metal and chills me to the bone. Some blood is splattered on it and is discolored a displeasing brown.
"I was just warming up the crowd!"
"Well, Mr. De'Rogue. You should have thought of that before you used up your five minutes…"
I shove him forward and he walks off down the red carpet, waving at the Capitolites with the ease of a well-known celebrity.
Participant of the 63rd Games- Valiant Yates (District 11 Male)
"I wish I would've gotten to know my nephew. I believe my sister would have been a great mother." Valiant closes his eyes, a deep sigh bellowing from his large build. Somewhere deep inside him, I see a strong man, a man-boy if you will.
Forever stuck in this state between boy and man. Something the Capitol took away with their stupid Games.
Something I feared long ago, begging my sister to take my place.
The trainers hadn't wanted her. She was the worst runner. The worst with weapons. The worst fighter.
But to me, she was the bestest friend anyone could ask for.
"What do you wish to achieve through your second run? Fame? Glory?" I feel my eyes droop, yawning as I wait for him to answer.
"I… I want to see a change."
He catches my attention and I lean forward, locking eyes with him. "What do you mean by that?"
I know it's something dangerous, something that will get him in trouble with Seraphina and I start to panic. Crap, what if it gets me in trouble?!
"It won't come true if I tell everyone." He holds a finger to his lips and the Capitolites roar in laughter.
Thank goodness.
Participant of the 70th Games- Joules Valence (District 5 Male)
"Your case is quite interesting, Joules. According to reports, you're the first person to report amnesia from all prior testing of the serum."
He casts his eyes to the ground. "Well, I'm not sure exactly why myself…" His voice wavers as the interview continues, several awkward moments with the twig-thin youth.
"Who will you bringing back?"
His head cocks to the side, eyebrows raised. "Back?"
"Yeah, like family member."
His face relaxes, laughing. "Oh, okay. Ummm…" He plays with the buttons on his white dress shirt, three sizes too big. "My sister…"
"Why?"
His lips turn downward, a deep dread spreads throughout him. Sensing the tragedy of the lost boy in time, I change the subject. The rest of his interview seems to go well and his time expires.
I don't realize until after he exits the stage that he remembered his sister…
Participant of the 71st Games- Barkley Brimming (District 7 Female)
A bright yellow that wraps around a girl with no curves or breasts sends a pitiful pang deep in my stomach. Despite this, Barkley smiles. She continues to smile even after what had happened to her those thirty some years ago, even as the scars that mark her entire body are exposed in the knee length, strapless dress.
"Hi, Barkley."
"Hi," she chirps as she takes a seat. Her fingers clasp in a ball in her lap, her brown eyes dazzling with the minimum eye makeup.
As the interview continues, I can sense her apprehension, her anxiety as I ask her questions about her past life and what she plans for this time around. From the nervous laughing to the lip biting, Barkley manages to capture the audience with her cute and sudden responses. Her embarrassed moments have the audience cooing her, like a dog right before it's put into a fighting ring.
"It was a pleasure having you hear tonight."
"No, I, ummm, I…"
The buzzer sounds and she darts off the stage, excusing herself from any further comments. She keeps her head down, her lips tight. Her eyes dart side to side as she makes her way to the exit.
Never looking back.
Participant of the 76th Games- Keither Masonfeld (District 2 Male)
Keither wasn't wearing your conventional black suit. No, not even close. In fact, it was the opposite of ordinary.
It was extraordinary.
As Keither walks across the field, I watch as the blend of different vibrant colors catch my eyes. A breath of fresh air. I can't help but stare in awe at Keither's art, a beautiful blend of sunset colors. His suit matches that of the sky and a rush of excitement sweeps over the Capitolites.
I shake his hand and catch the scent of fresh paint, a sharp smell fills my nose and he stands next to me. He avoids the loveseat at all costs, the paint on his suit still a bit wet.
"Keither, what an amazing outfit! The best suit tonight!" The crowd cheers in agreement, several photographers at the bottom of the stage take some shots of the two of us. I giggle as I pose with Keither, feeling invigorated and colorful just by standing near the art prodigy.
"It's an honor to meet you, Isadora." Keither says softly and politely. His powder blue eyes pierce my own and I feel a warm feeling rush to my cheeks.
"Call me, Izzy. Isadora is too formal!"
The rest of his interview goes well, he doesn't give long or in depth responses. He keeps it simple and distant, giving me small pieces of his life and thoughts.
Best of luck, Keither.
Participant of the 80th Games- Charlotte "Chord" Whitestone (District 9 Female)
Chord walks toward the stage, a nervous smile stretched across her petite features. Her balance seems shaky, three inch baby pink stilettos being the root cause of it. Unlike the other tributes who arrived pretty quickly, she takes her time. Each step is careful, her ankles shaking slightly with every stride.
All seems promising as she descends the steps, until she misses the last step and she falls forward. Her dress rides up her mid back, exposing a neon pink thong. The crowd goes wild and photographers from all directions swarm the fourteen year old. She jumps up and pulls her dress down with hot cheeks. She unsnaps the buckles to her heels and carries them with her left hand, shaking my hand with her right. She tries to laugh off the embarrassment, but I can tell that it will have a damaging factor in her session.
As expected, she stumbles and trips over her words. The audience pokes fun at her and I can't help and feel bad for her. Whoever dressed her up in such an outfit needs to be fired.
Like now.
The one question that saves Chord is when I ask her the very last question.
"And what do you think you'll do differently this year now that you have a second chance at the Games?"
"How about… don't die again."
Participant of the 81st Games- Fenella Wren (District 9 Female)
Like the blood that shed as she perished, Fenella saunters on stage with a bright crimson ball gown with matching lipstick and heels. Her long blonde hair is curled at the ends and flatters her thin build. Her naturally round face is accented by some light blush and eye makeup, absolutely stunning.
"Fenella, love the ballgown!" She grabs ahold of my hand and curtsies, a slight flush to her pale skin. She adjusts her dress before she sits, her hands folded in her lap. "You look absolutely stunning!"
"Th-thank you." Her cheeks flush a bright red and she ducks her head, a nervous smile tugging at her lips.
"I heard you're a nurse-in-training, well, before your first Games?"
"My mother was a nurse and a midwife, I was her assistant." Fenella's voice is soft, soothing like hushing a young newborn to sleep. She would have been an excellent nurse.
"Do you have a plan for the Games this time around?"
She ponders my question for several moments before answering. "Well, I hope to do my best this time. I sorta know what to expect and I know what I need to plan."
No you don't.
This time is different. Nothing could have prepared you for this…
I wish you the best of luck, Fenella.
You're going to need it…
Participant of the 85th Games- Mitzi Allardyce (District 5 Female)
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
The young girl tries to stifle her loud, and high-pitched laughter from my comment about her blue dress, but she fails. Her loud shrill rings in my ears and I have to stop myself from covering them. I don't want to appear rude to her and the audience.
I clear my throat. "Yes… ummm, Mitzi?"
She giggles softly. "Yes?"
"Do you honestly believe you can do this? Do you believe with every fiber in your being that you can overcome this last obstacle?" I tried. I hope that this time she'll give me a normal response without the over-the-top reactions.
Please, Mitzi.
Something in her sparks. Like a blossom she flowers beautifully in her posture, in her facial expression, in her warm smile. As if I had awoken her past self, quiet, humble, scared…
"Yes. I've been given a second chance by you guys, and I sure as hell won't be blowing it."
Participant of the 86th Games- Track Williams (District 6 Male)
By far the craziest outfit of the night.
Neon yellow and jet black squares make up a checkered suit that Track wears. The colors seem to swirl and mesh together that staring at the outfit for more than a minute makes my eyes cross. I turn my head slightly to look at the audience, expressions of confusion or humorous mark the crowd.
"Heya, Izzy." Track gets on one knee and kisses the back of my hand. I can see that his hair curls at the ends at his earlobes and is slick with grease. His bright eyes bring to mind a cheerful boy, despite the Games being so near.
"Track." He takes his seat at the loveseat and we begin the interview. He gives humorous answers, keeping the audience entertained with his cheeky behavior. He keeps the session light and funny, never really taking my questions with sorrow or seriously.
Thank you, Track.
A/N: Here's the second part, the final twelve tributes will be posted soon. After that is the Launch and then the Games! New poll: Final three prediction in Arena 1? Blog is up to date, Arena 1 participant's rose colors will be announced on Day 2 of the Games.
1. Favorite POV(s)?
2. What do you look forward to with tributes from the 87th-99th?
Love Always,
Domi