Final 8 Interviews
Television screens across the nation lit up punctually as families waited anxiously for the required viewing to be over so that they could get back to their daily lives: work, school, play, away from the looming threat that was constantly held over their heads…
But in eight households across the country, families waited with trepidation. Clinging onto each other in fear: holding onto a hope that shone like a lighthouse illuminating their hearts.
The cheerful smile of Caesar Flickerman soon appeared, his shrill yet calming voice speaking out through thousands of speakers as those who were listening held their breath. He talked like it was a joyful day, a day of celebration: but they weren't fooled.
The interviews began in District Two. The man looked like he was from another planet against the backdrop of the drab, dim living room and the plain clothes and faces of Nebuchadnezzar Spiros's family.
His mother was lovely lady: her mature beauty shone despite her plain clothing. His father, fresh out of the shower after a morning working at the forge, radiated a tense, nervous energy. They had nothing but good words to say about their son and his time in the Games, which was greatly adored by the Capitol.
His siblings were dressed equally as plain, but had more life in their eyes. Charis, his sister, spoke lovingly but quite diplomatically about her older brother. Valerian spoke enthusiastically about how Nez always let him win their spars, and how nobody could defeat him even when he handicapped himself. Valerian insisted that Caesar meet Duchess, the family dog, who was quick to bestow upon him slobbery kisses. Though the crowds laughed, Caesar was obviously less than pleased at having his wig disheveled.
The final interview was with a young man that looked nothing like the family that had come before him. His skin was pale, his face dusted with faint freckles, and dirty blonde locks that fell into his eyes. And, unlike the relaxed if not worried demeanor of the family before him, he looked scared and uncomfortable.
"Panem, I'd like to introduce you to Nebuchadnezzar's best friend, Chrysanthus." Some of the Capitolites applauded as they watched the replay. "How nice it is to meet you!"
"Chrys," the boy said, seeming unable to get out any more than that.
"Chrys, of course. You're quite the craftsman, are you not? We all remember the headpiece that Nebuchadnezzar wore to volunteer."
He gave a weak nod. Duchess noticed his distress and padded over to comfort him. Caesar inched backwards, away from her.
"Nebuchadnezzar certainly gave us a spectacle in the Arena. It seems he's creative in a slightly different way than yourself."
Chrys rubbed his wrist. He knew how hot the fire of the forge could be. And to be forced into it like that… He only gave a weak nod.
"I'm sure you're ready to welcome him home."
Chrys thought about this statement. Should he respond honestly? He nodded his head. A lie.
Caesar, seeing that the interview wasn't going to go anywhere, asked the final question. "What would you say to Nebuchadnezzar right now if you could?"
Chrys looked away from the camera, down to the loyal dog that was sitting on his feet and panting contentedly. "This is not the Nez I know."
After a short montage of wilderness passing by train tracks, the camera landed on Caesar again. He again stuck out like a sore thumb as he feigned excitement (which gets to be so exhausting!) over meeting the friends of Job Markov. Caesar was told that her family was contacted by the government about an interview, and did not respond.
He stopped at the small orphanage where Job had spent the last few years. There was a small group that agreed to be interviewed. While the little children mostly had questions for the interviewer about why he chose those colors and what lipstick tastes like (and some less tactful ones such as, why does your face look so swollen), the older ones did most of the talking during the interview.
Denali was often the biggest support of the orphanage, and many of the kids depended on her to be strong. She continued the façade, desperately trying to put in a good word for Job and convince people to bet on him. Ether, a quieter and shier personality, broke out of his shell for the interview out of pure loyalty to Job, explaining how she changed his life and how lost he would be without her. The interview itself was enough to bring tears to the viewers' eyes, and a few laughs from the innocent exclamations of the children.
He sat by Job's piano when he interviewed Abram Hauser. The older man was usually quite lively, but he was so worried he practically looked sickly.
"Now, here's Job's boss, Abram Hauser. Nice to meet you sir!"
The man gave him a firm handshake, his face riddled with worry. "You as well," he said.
"How did you come to hire Job?" Caesar asked curiously.
"That's… quite a long story. Job's family often came by my antiques store. I practically watched the child grow up. And, oh, she had so many questions for me, which I was always happy to answer. Well, after being rejected by his family, Job wandered here. He practically begged me for a job, the poor kid. I couldn't say no of course, so I put her to work. But interestingly, she never asked for pay. Only wanted to play that piano over there."
"It is quite a… Beauty," Caesar said, feeling like his lungs were filling up with dust just by looking at it. "I'm sure its value will skyrocket if Job wins the Games."
"This is not for sale," Abram said, shaking his head. "I never intend to get rid of it."
"Oh…" Caesar let out a little sigh, annoyed at being made to look silly or conceited. "Well, it seems that making music was quite valuable to Job."
"More valuable than anything in the world." He smiled a little at the thought of listening to her play. "Of course, I'd give him a couple coins for his work when I could as well."
"You seem to be a very accommodating boss," Caesar commented. "Job was lucky to have someone like you."
"I don't know if I would go that far," the man said quietly.
"We are just about out of time now, so tell me. What would you say to Job right now if you could?"
Abram took a deep breath. "You're so close to getting home, child. I wanted to for a while, I wish I had sooner, but… I want you to come home so that I can adopt you, and call you my child."
Caesar wiped a fake tear from his eye. "Well, I certainly do hope that can happen," he said quietly. After a moment of pause, another train window montage brought Caesar to his favorite District to visit, District Four.
He first visited the family of Ott Travers, the younger of District Four's contenders and the one that didn't volunteer.
The first to be interviewed were the boy's parents. His mother Caitlyn was definitely wearing too much make-up, but worrying about the lights and cameras allowed her to stop worrying about her son, if only for a little while. His father, who looked just like Ott, was put-together: he was used to pulling long nights as his position at the CEO of a shipbuilding company: but he had barely slept. He had put aside his duties to be there for his wife, who obviously needed the extra support. Caesar gave a polite smile, not wanting to mention how much of a train wreck she looked, but his make-up team gave a little snicker when she wasn't looking.
They couldn't talk highly enough of their son, highlighting his strengths. They were diplomats, businesspeople, and it showed through their interview.
The second interview was the exact opposite. Ott's four best friends were high-energy, practically bursting with nerves for their friend's safety.
"So, tell me your names, each of you."
The girl that was confident enough to sit right next to Caesar spoke first. "I'm Nixi, but I'm more commonly known as Jellyfish."
"Jellyfish!?"
"Yes, it's because I sting." The others gave a laugh.
"I'm Riley, or Lobster. Because of one time I forgot sunscreen!" his friends laughed and gave him firm claps on the shoulder. "This is my little sister Ada, we call her guppy because she's the youngest."
"I can introduce myself!" the thirteen-year-old said, but the others paid her no mind: she was usually only there to entertain until Riley's parents got home.
"I'm Vireo, but I'm also called Squid," the last one said.
"Squid?! Why Squid?"
"Oh, I don't have a reason. I just needed a nickname."
"I chose it!" Nixi said quickly, giving him a wide, doe-eyed smile.
"Does Ott also have a nickname like that?"
"Bottlenose!" all of them said at such different speeds that they were all talking over each other.
"What was that?"
"Bottlenose," Riley reaffirmed. "Because he swims really well, and it has Ott in it."
"So does Otter," Caesar mused, and the kids looked at him with dropped jaws as they hadn't stopped to consider that possibility.
"Ott's not cute enough to be an otter," Nixi teased, and the others laughed (except for Ada, who wasn't really sure what they were talking about).
"Well, tell me a fond memory of Ott, each of you."
They shared a number of stories: Nixi about how they'd been friends since they could walk practically, Riley about how they double dog dare each other all the time, Ada about how nice and sweet Ott is (her voice sounding particularly sappy), and Vireo about how he was often lonely at school until Ott dared him to swim out deeper into the ocean with the rest of the team. Nixi made sure to comment about how glad she was that Vireo was part of the group.
"What did you call yourselves?"
"Team Starfish!" they all said in unison.
"We call it that because there's five of us mostly," Riley commented. "And we're resilient, like a starfish."
"That's a great thought," Caesar said with a small smile. Each of them was allowed to say one thing to Ott, most of them telling him to keep fighting and get home as they were so close.
Nixi summed it up. "Starfish grow back limbs when they get cut off. But if we lose you, that limb will never grow up. Come home."
The montage this time was of Caesar on a boat (which had been filmed years before and edited to update his hair and lip color). Then, he was with Garrett's family.
The first interview was with his parents. Garrett obviously got most of his genetics from his father, while his mother had fairer skin and truly blonde hair. They spoke positively about their son, but didn't seem to have a particularly close relationship. They talked a little bit about his diagnosis of ADHD and how they have been managing and coping with it, but it was obvious that the topic was still a little sore as it caused a divide between Garrett and his parents. Ultimately, they parted with words that were positive and loving, but distant.
The next interview was with Caspian Santiago, Garrett's trainer from home. He talked about good memories with Garrett, the fun that they had together and how Garrett had such a great sense of humor and was always keeping Caspian on his feet. He mentioned how they met: Caspian's sister also had ADHD, so he knew exactly how to keep Garrett focused and improving. He expressed the utmost confidence that Garrett was going to win the Games. When asked about his relationship with Nebuchadnezzar, Caspian stopped to think: Garrett wasn't the type to get sappy and close with others, but perhaps they were kindred spirits. Caspian knew that Garret didn't trust his ally, though, he could see it in his face every time Nebuchadnezzar talked to him. He knew that Nez was lying, but was too smart to pick a fight with him at this point in the Games. Perhaps later on, but Caspian just hoped he wasn't going to do anything too impulsive. He parted with some confident words in Garrett's strength and drive.
The last interview was one that was hotly anticipated: Garrett's girlfriend Marisol. She was quite a pretty young lady, and extremely courteous and polite. She was dressed her very best, her hair up in a nice ponytail and make-up light and very flattering. Her face shone as she talked about Garrett, how they met through salsa dancing classes.
"Salsa dancing?! Is he any good?"
"Oh yes, he is," Marisol said with a grin. "He likes it, so he works really hard at it."
"Well, I think he already has his Victor's talent figured out then, don't you?"
Marisol grinned at that thought. "Oh, yes, definitely. Although, he has many talents, I think. He just doesn't know it. He's amazing, though, and he's going to win. I have no doubt in my mind."
"So you think his alliance with Nebuchadnezzar will be advantageous?"
Marisol frowned slightly. She could see the eyes he was making at her boyfriend, and if she were there, she would step on his feet and give him a good slapping: and then another for how he was lying to Garrett. He would eventually meet his fate, though. Garrett didn't trust the guy at all, which was smart of him. She knew he could win.
"Yes. He wouldn't be in it if it wouldn't be," she said. "I trust his judgement."
"Well, I hope that works out for you both. What would you say to him if you could?"
"That I love him so much, of course. And not to get down on himself, because I know he can do it and he needs to have confidence in himself. I'll see you soon baby."
Caesar gave her a smile and shook her hand. "We hope you will. Thanks everyone, and stay tuned! After the break, we'll be in District Eight with the friends and family of Serena Merlo!"
The next District was quite a jump, all the way to District Eight, which was quite unusual for the Games as usually there were only a few left from the bottom most Districts.
There was some cheerful music and more scenery whizzing by before the screen faded into commercials. After many ads full of uplifting pop beats and smiling people with white teeth taking medications that relieve mild back pain, the broadcast turned back on with the flare of a Capitol seal.
Caesar looked like he belonged in the nice, colorful, and well-furnished house of Serena Merlo. The interview with her parents was not very long. They were wearing their finest: Brian in a suit, his hair waxed and combed perfectly. Carol was wearing an elegant dress, high heels, and pearls. Her hair was done by a stylist in the District, and looked perfect. She looked young and beautiful, but the way she was frowning revealed her age. Caesar talked to them very politely, and they responded in turn. By their body language, it was easy to discern that Brian was afraid of his wife, and always wanted to make her happy. Every time Caesar would ask them a question about Serena, they would dodge it and make it about something else.
Afterwards, Caesar interviewed her younger brother, Walker. He too was dressed perfectly, in a tuxedo and a nice dress shirt. During the interview, though, he pulled the bowtie untied and unbuttoned the top few buttons. A look from his mother in the back stopped him from taking off the suit jacket. He had a low lull to his voice when he spoke, sounding just as exhausted as he looked, all hope taken away from his voice when he talked about his sister. As badly as Caesar wanted him to talk about his thoughts on his sister's actions towards Walden, he too dodged the question. As Caesar left the house, he could hear Carol yelling at her son for his behavior.
Oddly, by the way that Carol and Walker spoke, it seemed as if that interview would be the last for Serena, but that wasn't what Caesar's clipboard said. He knew better than to mention anything and start a fight: while he was there to take the flack.
He walked to the address, and when he knocked on the door, an androgynous-looking person answered, dressed in a hoody, jeans, and converse. No wonder they didn't know about this person, Caesar thought, stepping into the tiny house.
"Well Panem, I have the honor being here with Serena's best friend, Vance." This certainly wasn't what Caesar was expecting the boy to look like. "It's nice to meet you."
"Thanks," he said, slightly awkwardly, his hands in his pockets. "And you too."
"So, what is your relationship like with Serena?"
Vance immediately became uncomfortable and Caesar was glad he asked. "Well, we've been best friends for a bit. And, well… Yeah, I mean, that's it." He stopped before he could mention that day at all. The day he told her that he had feelings for her, he wanted to take her to the dance… She wasn't interested, of course, but Vance just couldn't get over her. Sometimes, it seemed like just maybe… Maybe someday they could be… No, if she wasn't interested, that was that. She told him how she felt. He was just trying to accept it.
"I see…" Caesar said slowly, hoping that he would burst out with his true feelings, but he kept it in. So much for good television.
Caesar asked Vance a few more light-hearted questions, but then it was time to get to the nitty gritty of it.
"So, Serena had quite a reaction to her ex-ally, Walden. As a man in her life, how does that make you feel?"
Vance's face was even more conflicted as he thought about that. "With the way he was treating her… I'm glad she finally stood up for herself."
"So you don't mind the whole… torture thing?"
Vance shifted uncomfortably, giving the Capitolite a glare. "I didn't say that," he said, his voice taking on a bit of an edge.
"Will your relationship be impacted by this?" Caesar asked.
"I don't have a penis, so no." He was half serious, half joking, but many of the people in the crowd laughed. Serena's parents were not laughing.
"Well Vance, if you could say anything to Serena, what would it be?"
"Anything… Well, if it was anything then… I still love you Serena. I'm sorry. I'm trying to let go of this feeling, and I can't. I'm so sorry. But if you come home, I want to continue being your friend… I can forgive you for whatever you have to do. I will forgive you." Very controversial.
Caesar concluded the interview, and then was sent on another montage of train riding until he was in District Ten. The overcast sky had given way to sunshine as he arrived, and he was greeted with the smell of fresh manure. Lovely.
The little townhouse in which Inari's family stayed was not big, but comfy. Unlike many of the other places Caesar had been to interview, the parlor they set up in was well-lit and clean, with just a touch of color in the decorations.
Inari's mother Fumiko was incredibly calm when Caesar approached. The woman looked as if she was no stranger to death, trying to hide her worry at her daughter being gone. She gave a good interview, though rather typical: missing her daughter, wanting her to come home soon. She did talk about what they did at their stable, and clarified that Inari's father died when Inari was just a little girl after falling off of a horse. She briefly touched on the deaths of both of her brothers leading to the presence of family friends helping her keep up the business. She was more concerned about Inari than lingering on her past, but Caesar managed to get that much out of her.
The next interview was with the joint family that lived with Inari. Finley Beacon was a good family friend of Fumiko's, and moved into the house with her in exchange for his family's labor in the barn. It was a very odd interview because as highly as they talked about Inari, there was a degree of separation in their answers, no warmness in their voices. Finley spoke highly of her, but attributed her goodness to her mother. Brandon made a couple of uncomfortable jokes about her and Kaiser when the cameras weren't on. Destiny, the second oldest, talked about Inari's dreaming nature getting her into trouble, while the youngest Sera talked happily about her responsibilities on the farm and spending time with Fumiko while Inari was gone. The only one that had anything relevant to say was Gerry, the third youngest at 12, who was impressed by her creative talents, but still had nothing particularly insightful to say about her.
The final interview was by far the most interesting. The young person that was sitting across from Caesar was obviously very passionate about his friend coming home. Morgan was excited to greet Caesar and talk about his relationship with Inari, coming out to her as genderfluid, studying with her, and growing closer with her each time they got to hang out. More interestingly, though, was the bionic skeleton he was sporting, which was able to move in eight basic directions and awkwardly curled its fingers. Impressively, he talked about how Inari made it for him, which caused people to look up and notice.
"Inari seems to have made a close friend in Kaiser, her District partner, who remember now, is a convicted criminal. What do you think about this pair?"
Morgan frowned at that question. He didn't want to warm up to the criminal that was trying to make a move on his friend, but she obviously saw something in him, and Morgan trusted her vision. After all, as far as he knew, he was her only close friend, as she hadn't actually gone off of the farm very much except to see him. It was good that she was making another friend… But now? Really? And him?
"I just hope that he is who he says he is," he said finally. "And that he doesn't keep her from coming back home and chasing her dreams."
"Hm… Well, what would you say to Inari if you could now, Morgan?" Caesar asked.
Morgan took a moment to think about it. "I would tell her… Don't let yourself be fooled. And I miss you."
"Well, hopefully she'll be back soon. Thanks for sitting with me!"
The next montage had to be filmed at Inari's ranch: they provided him their best-trained mare to ride. Caesar wasn't thrilled by this, but he did what he had to in order to get the shot. At least he would never have to do that again. Then, he was off on his way to the tiny house Kaiser grew up in to talk to his mother.
There were a few prisoners that were considered to be interviewed, but the warden refused to let them speak on Kaiser's behalf. Partly to punish them, perhaps, but possibly to save Kaiser's reputation from memories of his past.
This was by far the most abysmal space Caesar had to stay in yet. At least the orphanage in District Three had chairs to sit on. Caesar had to conduct this interview sitting on the bottom of a flipped over tub, while Camry Picasso was sitting on her bed (if you would even call it a bed. More like glorified bag of straw with a woven blanket). Sometimes he wasn't sure if this job was worth all of the money in the world.
For being so poor, the woman herself was pretty. She had darker skin, her light hair in a neat bun. She even wore a daisy behind her ear. Her face looked young despite being pale and tired, and her smile was sweet.
"I'm here now with Kaiser's mother, Camry. Pleasure."
Kaiser's mom stared him down with suspicious eyes as she shook his hand. "The pleasure is mine," she said, but her tone conveyed a much different message. Don't go after my son.
"So Camry, tell me about how your relationship with Kaiser could change if he came home a Victor."
The young woman, not even forty, gave this a moment of thought. "I don't think it will change the way you think it will," she said. "The only thing that will be different is that I will get to see my baby whenever he'll have me, without a third party involved. Which would of course be such a tremendous thing, not having to wait each month to see my boy… But despite his being in prison, we have remained close, and after he gets out of here, we will continue to be close."
"You sound quite confident in his ability to win," Caesar said, raising an eyebrow at her.
"If I'm not, who will be? I'm his mother."
Caesar wasn't totally sure how to respond to that, so he changed the topic. "Plenty are betting on him back home. How has being in prison changed Kaiser?"
Camry took her dandy old time to think about that question, much to Caesar's annoyance. "Prison ultimately shaped him into a better person," she said. Not that she really believed that to be true… Camry grew up doing sex work, she knew how to charm: and how to say exactly what her clients wanted to hear. This was no different than that. "I watched him grow out of his defiant ways. He learned about citizenship, maturity, cooperation. He is leaving prison a person that I am proud of." Of course, he entered prison a person that she could be proud of. He saved her life. But that wasn't what the government wanted to hear. She could be the government's whore if it meant her son coming home.
"So, Kaiser seems to have developed quite a relationship with his District partner, Inari Fujioka. What do you think about Inari and this development?"
Camry knew exactly what she thought of Inari. She was going to be the death of him, because he liked her. No, he didn't like her. He liiiiked her. And as his mother, that scared Camry.
"Inari is a very nice girl, and a capable ally for Kaiser," she said finally. "They balance each other out quite nicely. I think that they could even be the final two." That was her biggest fear. But she maintained her cool persona. "God forbid, if Kaiser falls, I would want Inari to win for our District." The truth.
"Well, I certainly hope that Kaiser is able to come back to you. If you could say one thing to him, what would you say?"
"I don't need to say anything," Camry said. "What I would say, he already knows."
Caesar gave a sage nod, and could not get on the train quicker after that. The scene was showing the train speeding past wide open fields of green, and Caesar was shown in a small yet homely place (with chairs, thank God) with the family and friends of Anders Bonila Cruz.
The faces of his family were familiar to Caesar despite never having met them: his bloodline had been through the Games numerous times in different years in a string of cursed fate. His mentor, Donovan Osten, was the Victor of 39th Games, and his kids were like cousins to ABC and his siblings. It was a close-knit family despite losing multiple members to the Games.
The first interview was conducted with ABC's parents. His father, John, was related to the brother-in-law of Krissa Osten, who died in the 36th Games. They were very mild-mannered and polite, trying to make a good impression and have their home feel welcoming for the Capitolite, who surely traveled a long way to be there. They even offered him a spot of tea, which he denied after learning how raw and earthy District tea tasted.
Caesar interviewed ABC's sisters separately. The older of them, Foo, took the lead on answering the questions. She was trying her best to be strong now that she was (temporarily) the oldest child in her house. Shaney, the younger one at thirteen, was afraid that something would happen to her brother if she said something wrong, so to counter the risk, she didn't talk at all. She stayed close to her sister, holding her hand for support as she refused to look at the scary interviewer that was invading her house, filling it with lights and people that were watching her with huge, glinting cameras.
The final interview was with ABC's close friends, Dickey, Sutton, and Mo. They were quite lively and had plenty to say about their time with ABC.
"What did you all like to do together?" Caesar asked.
"Mostly school and work," Dickey said. "We didn't really get into a lot of trouble or anything. We often study together though."
"ABC helps me out with my work," Mo said, blushing slightly with a small smile at the memories that quickly became sad.
"He'll be home soon," Sutton said, smiling and trying to be optimistic.
Caesar asked them a few more questions about happy memories they had with ABC, particularly digging into Mo, who blushed and smiled like a schoolgirl, shying away every time Caesar even said ABC's name. There were plenty of laughs thinking about the friends browsing the stores in the square, making T-shirt dresses to wear to work on a dare… Innocent stuff that made Caesar "aww" and smile.
"So, what would you all say to ABC if you could?"
"Just to keep fighting and come home," Sutton said.
"Yeah," Mo said, "We miss him too."
Dickey took a deep breath. "I would tell him… Well, it's time to get moving. There are only eight left man, you're so close. Now is time to seal the deal…" his face became sad as he wasn't sure that ABC would be able to do that. He could only hope… But every time he saw his friend on the screen, his hope waned a little bit more.
"Well, that's the last one of the day folks. Make sure to continue to tune in to see the exciting conclusion to this, the 61st annual Hunger Games!"
~.~.
A/N: Horray! These were fun to write, but also I'm glad they're over lol. Hope you enjoyed this little check-in with the remaining tributes' friends and families! If you haven't yet voted on the Victor poll on my profile, I'd appreciate your input! I have it planned out a few days ahead, so expect shorter, action-packed updates coming at you eventually. Won't promise soon, lol. It's a race to the finish now!
CQ: Which interview stood out to you the most and why?
See you all soon for the next update!
