Henry Prior
18 years old
District 11 Male
Henry hadn't planned to join an alliance. He told himself and his wife that he wouldn't but he had found himself saying yes when Verity approached him. He had said yes because he could see how genuine Verity and Orion were. When they voted on whether they should ask Spark to join the alliance he also found himself saying yes.
His three allies had become some of his closest friends. Henry knew they would do whatever it took to help him survive but he also found himself willing to do whatever he could to ensure they survived.
Henry's heart was telling him two different things. One part was telling him to help his allies survive, even if that meant sacrificing himself. But the larger part of his heart was telling him to do whatever it took to get home to his wife who was his family. And he would do anything for family.
However, Henry was starting to consider his allies as family. He decided that he was going to make sure that if he didn't get out of the arena alive, then one of his allies would.
For one of them to make it out of the arena alive, Henry knew that they would need the support of the sponsors. Verity seemed the most likely to get them all some sponsors due to her unique interests and the hats and clothes she wore which Henry had never seen before.
To help them get more sponsors, Henry was going to tell the Capitol his biggest secret. Only Emilie, his wife, knew. He felt bad not telling his allies; Henry trusted them but he wasn't sure he had been ready to tell them but now he was ready to tell everyone.
Tell everyone the thing that was his sole motivation for getting home, the thing that would destroy him if he took his last breaths in the arena.
Being the male tribute from District 11 was both a blessing and a curse in the interviews. It meant that he had more time to think about how he wanted his interview to go and he got to see how well his competitors did in their interviews. However, it seemed like the interviews weren't going to end and Henry was getting more nervous with every minute that went by.
Spark had done a decent job in their interview but Henry couldn't help but think that they had something else they wanted to say. Not just in their interview but when the alliance were alone too. Henry hoped that whatever it was, Spark would eventually feel like they could trust someone with whatever thoughts or problems that were making them seem so worried and nervous.
The small boy from Seven was called onto the stage and he kind of trudged across the stage, despite being greeted with enormous cheers from the crowd. Henry guessed the cheers were because of the amazing content the pair from Seven and the pair from Ten provided the Capitol.
Henry didn't think their shenanigans and interactions were fake at all. He thought they were probably just fun, kind children who didn't have a care in the world. That's the way it should be, they shouldn't have to worry about dying in an arena in a few days time.
Throughout his interview Hector kept trying to get Sappho and Phaon to compete against him in a rap battle but to the young boy's dismay, they said there wasn't enough time. Hector seemed really confident and liked to speak highly of his district partner. However, he didn't seem to trust the interviewers too well as he would dodge their questions on the games or change the topic.
Nicole was the next tribute to be interviewed and she hesitantly walked out in a light blue, sparkly dress that reached her knees. The look was finished off with a blue bow to match the dress. She looked really cute and the audience thought so too as a chorus of 'aww's erupted when she went out.
Henry noticed that she was quite fidgety and couldn't seem to stay still. But he found himself wearing a sad smile as she talked about her love for origami and the love she has for her strawberry plantation. If Henry was to go home, Nicole couldn't. She wouldn't be about to do origami anymore and she wouldn't be able to help on the strawberry plantation. He hated how unfair this whole situation was – she was too young.
Orion was up next and Henry made sure his cheers were loud enough for his ally to hear them from on the stage. His ally looked determined and his face was expressionless as he sat down. As Sappho and Phaon started to ask him questions, Orion started to relax and a kind smile appeared on his face.
Henry thought his ally was doing pretty well. Orion was calm and cheerful. It also relieved Henry to notice that the boy wasn't digging his nails into himself and hurting himself like Henry had seen him do in training.
However, Orion suddenly interrupted the interviewers, asking if he could say something.
"Yesterday I saw a doctor in the Capitol. For a few years I haven't completely felt myself. One minute I'm happy and sympathetic and the next I'm angry and cold. Sometimes this feeling can last for weeks at a time. The doctor diagnosed me with bipolar disorder. I had a feeling that it was bipolar because my father also had it but I didn't want to acknowledge it."
Henry hadn't a clue about this but it explained a lot about his ally's sudden mood swings. He definitely didn't expect it to be bipolar disorder and the Capitol evidently didn't either but they gave him loud, supportive cheers. In that moment, Henry realised that he wasn't the only tribute with a secret.
"Are the Capitol doing anything as a treatment?"
"Yes! They've been very helpful and given me some tablets but unfortunately I'm not allowed to take any into the games. But they said that if I win I can come to the Capitol for monthly appointments."
Orion's interview didn't last much longer and soon his district partner, Evanna was walking across the stage with a smirk.
Evanna mostly talked about her family and how much she loved them. However, Henry noticed that she didn't mention her father very often and swerved the questions about him. She also claimed that she would do anything for her family and had emphasised the word 'anything', making Henry a little wary.
When asked about her allies, Evanna claimed they would shield her from any approaching attacks. Henry found her phrasing weird and quite concerning. Perhaps she just wasn't good with words but it didn't seem like she cared much for her allies.
The boy from 9, Bran was next on stage and his build alone was enough to intimidate Henry. The boy was easily 6"5 and had an extremely muscly torso and arms. Verity, being the boy's district partner had asked if he wanted to join their alliance but he politely declined saying how his priority needed to be on getting back to his parents. Henry totally understood and wished the boy all the best.
The interviewers got in a few jokes about the Bran's name which the audience found hilarious and Bran faked a laugh to each joke.
Bran predominantly talked about his life on a farm with his parents and stated how determined he was to get back to them because they were getting old and soon wouldn't be able to do much of the intense labour.
It was Verity's interview next and again Henry cheered at the top of his lungs for another one of his allies.
Verity had a skip in her step as she went across the stage and even waved towards the crowd and then the cameras. She also wore her cute hat that she called a beret.
Henry noticed that the interviewers steered clear of asking Verity about the beret which he thought was weird. The girl's unique dress sense made her Verity so he was surprised they didn't ask her anything about it.
Verity also hyped up the alliance and spoke about each of their strengths. When asked about the alliance's weaknesses, Verity only offered a shake of the head. Did they really think she was going to be stupid enough to tell the Capitol and tell the other tributes their weaknesses?
The remaining few minutes were spent talking about her hopes to be a musician and show the world her song writing. The klaxon signalling the end of the interview sounded and Verity began to walk off stage but not before saying,
"Au revoir!"
Henry hadn't heard that phrase before and judging by the crowd's reaction, they hadn't either. It sounded like a different language but that couldn't be the case as all other languages had been wiped out in the ancient world wars. Perhaps it was just a code word to let her family know she was alright.
As he realised whose interview was next, Henry found himself trying to hold back a smile. He knew Davis was going to make the interviews entertaining and that Henry would most likely find himself laughing hysterically. That had been the case in training whenever Davis was around.
The boy from Ten stumbled onto the stage and could barely walk straight. He flashed a toothy grin to the audience and gave them a thumbs up which they all seemed to replicate.
As Davis began speaking to Sappho and Phaon, his words were slurred. Henry realised the boy was drunk and this time couldn't hold back his smile as he knew the night was about to get a lot more entertaining.
Henry was right. The night had become much more entertaining and his throat and stomach hurt from laughing so much. Every person in the theatre was laughing at Davis jokes and just the way he presented him. Even the careers had doubled over laughing.
"Davis, is there anything you'd like to say to anyone back at home?" Phaon asked the boy.
"Yeah! I'd like to say something to my best friend. Harriet, I'm sorry for eating your friend in front of you." Davis slurred.
The place went silent as everyone was confused and slightly scared. Was Davis confessing to being a cannibal?
"Oh. Harriet's a pig by the way."
Henry couldn't help but laugh again. He could tell Davis didn't even need to try to be funny because he was so outright crazy. Only he would have a pig for a best friend.
Lorraine's interview was next and Henry noticed that she seemed a little tipsy but definitely not as drunk as Davis was.
The girl from Ten talked about how she was fuelled by the fact that she needed to get back home to her cats. And her boyfriend. Lorraine seemed a little shy but the alcohol evidently helped with that as occasionally she would crack a joke that made the audience laugh.
She also talked about how she wanted to get home so she would get to make a decision about which university she was to attend.
Henry hadn't realised how fast Lorraine's interview went by. He felt there should have been another two minutes left but before he knew it he was getting called onto the stage.
As he walked onto the stage, Henry heard all three of his allies cheering loudly for him which brought a smile to his face.
He greeted Sappho and Phaon with a smile and a handshake which they both returned. Henry made himself comfortable in the chair and gave a nod to the cameras. He hoped Emilie would understand the message behind it.
"So Henry, what do you think about your alliance?" Sappho asked.
"They're amazing. I wouldn't have wished to have anyone else to be going into the games with. They've become really great friends."
The audience let out a collective 'aww' sound which Henry took as a sign that he was doing an alright job so far.
The interviewers tried to ask him about the alliance's weaknesses too but he wouldn't budge either. Instead he just said that everyone's weaknesses were balanced out by someone else's strengths.
"What about your family? Are they proud of you?"
"My wife, Emilie is so proud of me and she'll always be the love of my life. My parents, not so much."
Henry briefly explained his situation; how his parents disowned him for marrying someone they considered below them and too poor for Henry to marry. He also said how marrying Emilie was the best day of his life.
"So, Emilie's your family now?" Sappho asked.
"Well. Emilie and my future child."
The audience went completely silent for only the second time that night. Some of his fellow tributes had a face full of pity, others looked shocked and his allies just looked heartbroken for him.
Sappho and Phaon congratulated him and the audience gave him cheers of encouragement and as a congratulations.
"You must have been ecstatic when you found out!" Phaon exclaimed.
"Well it was bittersweet. You see Emilie told me after I was reaped."
The two interviewers didn't seem to know how to reply so took the conversation in a different direction.
"I bet your parents will be happy to hear that they'll be grandparents – even after everything that's happened between you."
Henry actually laughed out loud. They definitely would not be happy, quite the opposite. They were probably screaming at the TV screen. The thought brought a smile to Henry's face. He just hoped they wouldn't give Emilie any grief if he didn't return.
"Henry, is there anything you'd like to say to anyone back home?"
"Emilie. I love you so much, no matter what happens. You and our unborn child are my two sole reasons for getting back home and I will do whatever it takes."
He found himself tearing up at the thought of potentially never seeing his child. Not getting to watch them grow up and have his own family.
Luckily the klaxon sounded and Henry made himself walk off of the stage with a kind smile in the audiences directed.
As he took his seat he noticed his friends smiling at him and Verity even got up to give him a hug.
His district partner was next and she had a huge smile etched onto her face and waved enthusiastically to the audience.
Lacey was another person he couldn't stand to see die. She was such an optimistic, kind, warm person and there was no way she deserved to die. However, Henry didn't have high hopes for Lacey's survival and hoped that when she did go, it was painless and quick.
The young girl talked about her aunt a lot and how much she admired her for becoming a mother figure to both Lacey and her sister at age of 17. To be honest, Henry admired the girl too and was glad Lacey didn't have to grow up in an orphanage like Orion had. Apparently conditions in the orphanages had only just started to improve.
Lacey also talked of her alliance and how her two allies had become two of the people she trusted the most. Lacey also mentioned how she would love for Duplo to join their alliance because she didn't think he was an ass like everyone else did. She said he just needed to open up and let people see his true self.
Henry noticed Duplo scowling at Lacey and had no clue how she didn't think he was an ass. He seemed like the biggest one in the whole of Panem.
Crane Marcus-Hall strode onto the stage next, looking confident in himself and the score he had obtained.
The boy from Twelve also made some rude remarks about Tangent, the career girl who had insulted Crane and his ally, Jester.
Henry thought the career girl would be pissed but instead she sat there with a smug grin on her face. Careers in general confused Henry but Tangent confused him the most. And he was sure she was up to something.
Crane finished his interview by talking about his allies. He said that at home he and Jester would have been best friends and that Perona was like a sister to him.
The final tribute was Pana. It felt like the longest interview out of them all as she just sat there scowling and growling. Throughout the interview she changed who she was growling at. She started with the interviewers, then the tributes, the cameras and finally the audience.
The only way that girl was going to survive the bloodbath was if the arena was some sort of underground arena. Henry really didn't think the girl would make it past the bloodbath as she had barely adjusted to the light and normal society apparently.
Surprisingly, before the klaxon sounded, Pana actually spoke.
"I really like my outfit. And I loved my chariot outfit. Thank you, Bruno."
The audience clapped her off and didn't seem as scared or hesitant of her scowling. Henry had to admit, it was nice that the girl's stylist had managed to bring out a more humane side of her.
Henry felt relieved when it was announced that the interviews were over and the tributes were free to do what they liked for the remainder of the night.
Alliances clustered together, talking whilst those without allies went straight to the elevators.
Henry's allies greeted him with a hug and a congratulations. They also all let Orion know that they were all there for him in the arena and would do anything to help him with his condition.
Other groups started to leave, having decided what they were going to do with their free time. As the careers walked past them, Tarquin patted him on the shoulder and congratulated him on the baby and the other careers followed suit.
Henry thanked them and gave them a smile. He appreciated it. Maybe the careers weren't as bad as he thought.
Henry turned to his allies with a huge grin,
"How about we all go to my floor and order pizza?"
A.N: So we finally got through the interviews! Sorry this chapter was a little delayed, I go back to school tomorrow so had to catch up on the work I was supposed to do during this lockdown. However, school days are only a few hours and only a few times a week so updates should still be frequent!
But I'm very excited for the next few chapters and there's only 4 more chapters left until the bloodbath which is crazy. And those chapters should come out quick!
So what did you think of the chapter? Which interview did you like the most? And what do you think about Henry's revelation? Will it be enough fuel to drive him in the games?
QOTC: How many days in a leap year?
See you soon