Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago, the characters of Ninjago, nor do I own Catching Fire.
Chapter 25: Interviews
Acciala's POV
I really didn't want to get up. Nor did I want to spend an entire day being prepped just for a three or five minute interview. It just seemed like such a waste of time to me. Reluctantly, I rose out of my bed, got into my bathrobe, and walked to the dinning room. Jewel, Lloyd, Paula, and Hannah were present, but Cole was no where in sight. As if he could read my thoughts, Lloyd piped up to break the eerie silence.
"Cole's already is being prepped. I'm hungry!" Lloyd's attention was quickly refocused onto his food. "When are we going to be prepped, Hannah?" He asked, before promptly shoving food in his mouth.
"Soon, soon. In about five minutes." She responded. About three minutes later, as I was about to bit into a piece of toast, the teams came in.
"Up, up, up! Busssy day today! Mustn't be late!" Teresa chanted merrily as Paul and Victoria nodded their heads eagerly. After being hurriedly shoved into the elevator, my prep team seemed quiet, so quiet that the situation was almost creepy. But their enthusiastic smiles never left their faces.
What are they up to? I wondered, becoming more and more suspicious with each passing minute. I lightly shook my head to clear my thoughts. Great Lupus, I'm becoming a MacDuff! The MacDuffs were by far the most superstitious and jump-to-conclusions clan of wolves, as far as Faolan is concerned. But, then again, all the wolves were superstitious. Not that I don't like them, they were just so wary of everything and everyone around them. Not very practical sometimes, too practical other times, and most of the time just doing their own thing. I always respected them for that, and mostly the she-wolves for their bravery, perseverance, and courage. Faolan would always tell me stories about the wolves and their long and complex list of ranks. I was yet again jerked out of my thoughts, this time at the hands of Donald.
"Ah, there she isss! Quickly now, my dear, we mustn't waste time!" He grabbed my hand and led me through the Renewal Center to my area enclosed by tall white sheets.
After a few hours of complete boredom, my prep team joined Donald and I in the area. Donald then left me at the hands of my prep team. Joy, just complete joy. I thought sarcastically. Most of the time my team was supposed to prep me, they were silently crying, so we often had to stop so I could comfort them. It was quickly becoming increasingly annoying, they weren't the ones risking their lives, and I was! Thankfully, Donald came back and shooed them away.
"By the ordersss of Pythor, you'll be wearing your wedding dresssss." Donald announced. He sighed, yet I silently groaned in annoyance.
"Does everything need to be done according to his little wants and fancies? What happens if I refuse?" I asked stubbornly.
"Well, not only will they make your life a nightmare in the Gamesss, but they may also come after me." Donald explained calmly.
"Do you ever get mad?" I asked, surprised at his cool demeanor.
"Yesss, who doesn't? But I focussss my anger into my work, ssso I don't hurt anybody." Donald explained to me, still maintaining his patient attitude.
After being dressed in what was going to be my wedding dress, had none of the situation with the Games interfered, I was led by Donald to the area backstage where fighters gathered before being interviewed. I looked at my competition. Most of the new Fears were looking at me, glaring and shooting daggers, as if they were in pain because they couldn't kill me then.
After the first few interviews, started by the Fears, of course, I was soon left with Nya, Jay, his partner, Angie, and Lloyd backstage. Nya soon left us to go to her interview. Soon, Angie was called, and, upon standing from her seat backstage, straightened her dress out so that not a wrinkle was on it and walked smugly out onto stage. I didn't pay any attention to her non stop bantering on all her little 'life achievements', and I was relieved when her interview was finally done. Jay was next, and I paid a slight bit of attention to his interview.
"Sssso, Jay, how isss it to be back in the Gamesss?" Lasha asked.
"Honestly, I'm scared to death. I mean, it's hard enough fighting your friends, but fighting your wife is really got to be the most difficult thing anyone has ever done. And I mean fight to the death, not just bickering." Jay threw in a little joke to ease some of the tension filled air invading the room.
"Anyway, I've heard some rumorsss going around." Lasha began.
"You heard a what now?" Jay asked, jokingly as everyone, even Lasha, laughed. It became clear to me that he was dodging the questions.
"I see what you did there. Very clever, I will sssay, very clever." Lasha responded. I looked at a clock hanging on a wall to my far right. Jay only had about a minute and a half and counting. So far, he was succeeding in dodging questions he really didn't want to answer.
"Anyway, back to whatever you said you heard." Jay threw in another joke, causing the audience to laugh again and decrease his time onstage.
"I've heard rumorsss that your wife isss, how shall I sssay, with child. Isss that correct?" Lasha asked. The smile on Jay's face vanished so quickly it looked like he had never smiled before. Finally, knowing he couldn't dodge this one, he answered.
"Yeah, and, again, it's hard enough fighting her. Let alone her and a child." With that, his buzzer went off and relief flooded his face.
"Well, that'sss a lot to take in. Anyway, that'sss all for thisss Lightning fighter. Good luck and Spectacular Snake Gamesss." Lasha dismissed Jay, who practically ran backstage, then talked to the audience to quiet them down. "And next up, we have little Lloyd for the All-Elements."
Lloyd walked on stage and sat down on the couch in his green suit. He stubbornly looked at the ground and kept an emotionless face.
"Sssso, Lloyd. How do you feel to be back in the Gamesss?"
"Horrible, awful, dreadful." Lloyd responded, clearly having picked up on Creakle's massive vocabulary. Lloyd shrugged, "I don't want to go back in."
Lasha nodded his head awkwardly once Lloyd finished his childish statement.
"Now then, who are your alliessss?"
"Acciala, Cole, Jay, Nya, Zane, Kai, Ian, Allia, Jewel, Creakle, and Teresa." Lloyd counted his allies on his fingers as he recited all his current allies. I looked at the clock, Lloyd's time was almost up, and he only had a minute left.
"Before we run out of time, we want to know, Lloyd, how are your chancessss in the Gamessss asss far as you're concerned?"
"I have no idea. I feel pretty good right now. But I still don't want to go." Lloyd sat slightly straighter, yet before Lasha could ask anything else, the buzzer went off.
"Now, thank you Lloyd, a pleasure asss alwaysss to have you."
"Whatever." Lloyd mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Anyway, for the moment you've all been waiting for, the All-Element female fighter, Acciala!" Lasha greeted me on stage.
"An honor to be here Lasha." I said, trying my best to just look like I wanted to be there.
"Now, I'm wondering, what isss up with Lloyd? He seems so…angry and grumpy right now."
"He's most likely just tired and hungry. Or, as I would say, hangry, angry and hungry." We all laughed at my comment. Then Lasha changed the subject to my dress.
"Now, does thisss dressss do anything? We always see you're full of suprises! We all would like to know!" Lasha pressed along with the audience.
"I honestly don't know!" I admitted. I quickly stole a glance at Donald, who made a twirling motion with his hand. "But, I guess I'll see." I rose from the seat, and began to spin slightly. I heard gasps of admiration from the audience, so I continued until I felt like I was going to fall over if I kept spinning. When I stopped, loud gasps were emitted from the audience of Serpentine.
"Would you look at that! Fantastic! I'll sssay, nothing could prepare ussss for thisss!" Lasha exclaimed. I decided to look down at my dress. When I saw my dress, realized it was no longer a wedding dress. It was like a gold wolf's clothing. I stole a quick look behind me to see I even had a golden tail. Before I could be hassled for details, my buzzer went off.
Before I could sleep that night, I kept wondering what would happen to Donald.
"But I focussss my anger into my work, ssso I don't hurt anybody." But now, he's hurt himself! I thought. I couldn't sleep for hours, even though I knew the next day may be my last. Finally, I fell asleep, wondering what horrors the Snakers had for us.
A/N How was the chapter? I've also heard, thanks to a certain reviewer, that Ninjago will probably start airing again in early July. So anyway, please review!