Author's Note
I do not own the Hunger Games.
Seven was next, and the girl was wearing a floor length green dress, with green ribbons threaded through her hair. She was nervous on stage, Luciente thought, fidgeting and unable to make eye contact.
Her District partner wore a blue suit and fake, nervous confidence.
District Eight was much a repeat of District Three. The girl was dressed in a pale pink frock and painfully shy, two years older than Nathaniel in age but years younger in confidence. Her District partner, although older, was quiet and sat stiffly.
Azrayk's District partner was next, dressed as though she was trying to blind people in a golden brown suit with flashy gold mirrored shoulders. She was anything but flashy though, quiet, and speaking with a steady kind of determined confidence.
"Now Abundance- can I call you Abundance?"
"Most people call me Bunny."
"Bunny then. Tell us Bunny, who do you have cheering for you back home?"
"My mother," she replied. "I know she's waiting for me. And my older brother Storm. I'm not going to let them down."
"We sure hope not, don't we ladies and gentlemen?"
A few shouts and calls came from the audience, though it was nothing like the support of earlier interviews.
"I have heard that you're rather handy with a scythe."
"I've been working with one since I was thirteen, so I'm pretty at ease with them."
"That is impressive, isn't it folks?"
Bunny managed a smile as the audience cheered.
"And of course, we heard from Bethany earlier that you're allying with her and Heaven from Eleven this year. Would you like to tell us anything about that?"
"Well, Heaven's also pretty good with a scythe, so we bonded over that. And Bethany's better with technology and information. So we all balance each other out pretty well. We might not stand out, but it's always the quiet ones you have to watch."
Her buzzer rang.
"We'll have to keep that in mind, won't we folks? Abundance Harper everyone!"
The audience cheered her off the stage and Azrayk on. He had clearly been dressed to match Bunny, in a bright gold suit that seemed to glow under the stage lights.
"Azrayk, it's good to see you!"
"It's good to be here Shearra!"
"Now Azrayk, you were a volunteer! Would you like to tell us why you did that?"
"Well, it was my brother Ezekiel that was reaped. I've always tried to make myself tougher and stronger, but he isn't very well prepared, so, well, I volunteered for him."
There were 'aw's and smiles from the audience.
"Oh, how sweet! It takes a special kind of person to do that, doesn't it folks?"
"I'd like to think that anyone would do the same honestly."
That was true. There had been a volunteer from Ten the year before last who took her sister's place, and two from Five the year before that.
"Tell me, because I'm curious, why is it that you want to make yourself stronger?"
Azrayk gave a smile. "Well, when I was young, I got into this stupid fight with one of my friends over a blanket."
There were a few laughs from the audience.
"Hey, don't be mean! You never know, that blanket might've just saved my ass out in the arena. See, I lost the fight, but I knew then I had to keep getting stronger so I wouldn't lose again."
"And how strong are you now?"
Azrayk held his arms up and flexed his muscles. "See for yourself."
Behind them, the little girl from Twelve spewed several curses. The audience screamed and whooped. His buzzer sounded.
"My word, what a show! Azrayk Blaze everybody!"
And then it was her turn.
She stepped out onto the stage, careful not to step on her skirt. Her dress was beaded white and silver at the top, slowly fading into grey for the bodice and darkening to midnight black for the skirt. It was also incredibly inconvenient, but that was neither here not there. The audience screamed and bayed and cheered for her, animals, but not wild ones.
And then for a moment everything was quiet.
The hall was half empty, the lights were dim.
Then it was bright again and Shearra was standing to greet her, holding a hand out.
Luciente looked at her, looked at her hand, and the screaming, the cheering, howling, baying, and slowly, deliberately, took her hand and bit it.
Hard.
Shearra screamed, yanking back away from her. Luciente smiled, licking the blood from her teeth. A pair of Peacekeepers sprinted onto stage to grab her arms and manhandle her into the interviewee chair, while a third rushed to Shearra. She was clutching her bloody hand to her chest, white faced.
Pussy.
"I'm fine. I can finish."
"You sure ma'am?"
"I'm sure!" She sunk into her chair, rubbing at her hand. A young woman with pale blue hair scurried out to duck down behind her chair and tapped her on the arm. Shearra thrust her hand out to the woman, who began to check the damage.
Luciente dragged a hand across her cheeks and lips. It came away red with blood and glittering with makeup. Shearra attempted to smile, hissing as what was evidently the medic sprayed something on her hand. "Well Luciente, you and your brother were certainly quite the surprise at your reaping! Everyone has been eager to meet you, although I would say rather them than me!"
Luciente smiled.
"The last time we had siblings in the Games was during the Seventy Second! How does it feel, being reaped with your brother?"
Luciente showed her her teeth, watching her flinch.
Pathetic fucking woman.
When the coyotes come, they'd all know what true fear is.
"Are you close?"
She growled softly, shifting on the chair. One of the Peacekeepers nudged her with the butt of his gun.
"You certainly looked that way at the reaping, didn't they ladies and gentlemen?"
A new round of cheering came. Luciente growled again, the sound rumbling in her throat. Let them think she was an animal, see what they thought of it.
"What was it like then, when you two were growing up?"
Wild, violent, free.
"He can't have always been in prison."
She growled louder, half for the show, half for the memories of him being taken away from her.
Pain.
Loneliness.
Anger.
Why could they not just be left free?
"How was your childhood?"
Childhood?
There was no childhood.
There was no real freedom.
She snarled, the sound tearing out between her teeth.
"I see. Well, if anyone has a translation for that, please do let me know. You certainly seem close, and we've heard from the tributes of Districts Five and Azrayk that you guys are all allying together."
No.
They were allying with Nathaniel.
The others were tagging along, skulking at the edges of the pack.
"How do you feel about that?"
Luciente looked up to Nathaniel on the balcony. Shelley next to him looked white and disturbed, and in the second row behind them Azrayk looked disgusted. She smiled. Only Nathaniel smiled back.
"That's good to know! Hopefully they know how to avoid getting bitten!"
The buzzer went off and Shearra nearly jumped out of her seat.
"Luciente Ripley everyone!"
The Peacekeepers seized an arm each and yanked her to her feet, frog marching her from the stage and up the steps to the balcony. The seat next to Azrayk was labelled 'Luciente Ripley.' She dropped into it. He shuffled towards his District partner slightly. Nathaniel leant back to peer at her. He tapped his cheek and mouthed 'you still have…'
Luciente smiled and dragged her fingers down her cheek and licked them clean of the blood. Azrayk shuddered and drew further away.
"Next up we have Luciente's brother, Hyperion Ripley everyone!"
Hyperion had been dressed in a matching colour scheme to hers, trousers that were black at the bottom, slowly fading to grey, and a shirt that faded from grey to white at the top.
Two Peacekeepers remained in position at either side of the interviewee sofa. Shearra didn't stand to meet him, nor did she hold her her hand out. Luciente smiled.
"Hyperion, it's good to meet you!"
He smiled and sat down without replying.
"As I said to your sister, you two have started quite the stir! Tell me, what does it feel like being reaped into the Games with your sister?"
"Reassuring."
"Reassuring? Oh, well, at least this one can talk ladies and gentlemen!"
There were a few laughs. Luciente growled, deep in her throat. The Peacekeeper behind her gave her a nudge and Azrayk edged even further away, now sat half on his District partner's chair. She frowned and gave him a shove.
"Has your sister always been so… feral?"
Hyperion flashed her his teeth.
"I'm going to take that as a yes folks!"
More laughter.
"At least you don't seem to bite as much as your sister. Now, of course we all saw your prison uniform when you were reaped. I've been informed that the reason you were imprisoned was because you were charged with the murder of your own father!"
A soft ripple ran around the audience. Hyperion said nothing.
"Could you tell us what circumstances could possibly bring that around?"
Hyperion leant forwards in his chair, towering over the tiny interviewer.
"He deserved it," Luciente murmured.
"He deserved it," Hyperion rumbled.
She was pretty sure Azrayk couldn't get any further away from her, despite all his trying.
"Would you care to say anything more about that?"
Hyperion bared his teeth in a rough sneer.
"That's a no ladies and gentlemen! I guess we'll just have to forever wonder!"
The buzzer rang out. The Peacekeepers hauled Hyperion to his feet and marched him to the balcony, shoving him up the stairs. He growled through his teeth and made his way up them to join her. The Peacekeeper took up a position behind him.
