Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? Merry belated Christmas and holidays to those of you who don't celebrate Christmas. Many apologies that this chapter came out so late. I'm still going to try to keep my promise of getting to the Games before New Year's but it's starting to look less and less likely so I just wanted to apologize in advance. Also, part of my apology comes in the form of a half chapter where I decided to write Kai and Clove's individual evaluations in order to give y'all more insight into their character mindsets and motivations. Hope you guys will enjoy it as a sort of belated gift!
Like always, I enjoy comments, in fact I thrive off of positive comments and love constructive critique ones cause it shows an author that their readers are actually paying attention and enjoying their work.
Thanks for continuing to read this story! Virtual hugs and cuddles to y'all.
Disclaimer: I still do not own anything except any OC's that may come up, any world building that has not yet been officially stated by the books or the movies, and any plot points/structures that have not been used in the books or movies.
Warning: No beta, we die like Rue.
Chapter 14: Judgment Day
XXXXXX
Katniss and Val stare down apprehensively at their current foe.
Unfortunately for them, it's an unavoidable confrontation.
Like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
A unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
They both frown and glare at the obstacle that stands before them.
Their foe stands tall and strong.
Their foe has undeniable steel in their spine.
Their foe...
Is the shiny, silver handle of the front door of the penthouse.
"Do you wanna have the first go?" Katniss asks as she lightly nudges Val with her elbow.
Val nudges her back with his own elbow as he says, "No, no. Ladies first. I insist."
She nudges back harder. "Well I insist. Age before beauty after all."
He nudges back harder too. "You're the type to charge in head first, no thoughts necessary. Which is exactly what we need here."
She digs her elbow into his side, hard enough to bruise. "And you're the one who comes up with back up plans for his back up plans. Clearly, strategic thinking is what we need here."
He digs his elbow into her side and that immediately prompts the siblings into an elbow jab match that would've devolved into a full on fist fight if it weren't for the door being abruptly opened before them.
The two look to see an annoyed Haymitch holding the door open for them with his foot tapping impatiently at their childishness.
"Are you kids done now?" he asks, tone as dry as the coal in the mines of 12.
Val lowers his gaze, sufficiently chastised. Katniss crosses her arms with a huff, trying desperately to push down the blush of embarrassment that was slowly spreading across her face.
Haymitch points at the open door. "Good. Now get."
Val obediently follows his instruction though Katniss follows along with much grumbling and petulant stomping. The siblings start joking and ribbing at each other over their mutual reluctance to open a simple door as they make their way to the elevator. Unbeknownst to them, Haymitch watches them with an unreadable expression and the smallest traces of sadness. Just for a moment, a memory replaces the image of the siblings in Haymitch's eyes. The hazy picutre of a boy with wheat blonde hair and lazy posture laughing with a girl with dark brown hair and sparkling eyes nudging him playfully as the elevator doors close behind them.
XXXXXX
In the hallway leading to the doors of the training hall, an impromptu seating area consisting of various benches is set up. All the tributes sit in varying groups and distances across the benches. On the bench located the farthest away from the doors, Katniss and Val sit closely together. They lean on each other for support, hands held tightly for comfort. As Katniss' attention focuses inward on what she'll do for her evaluation, Val's attention turns outward toward the other tributes.
The Careers all gather together on one bench, Marvel and Noah horse around with Kai asserting his dominance over the two. The girls all sit in their own bubble - Clove looks like she'd rather be anywhere but here as Kai continues to flex his muscles at her, Glimmer gazes longingly at Kai and seems to be actually drooling at the sight of him, and Amber sits uncomfortably between the two.
The youngest tributes - Sebastian, Craigh, and Susan - huddle together in an open show of support for each other. Even though their tribute partners look at them in disapproval, it's only a shallow level that betrays how worried they actually are.
Azora and Dean sit uncomfortably next to each other though they try to put on a brave face. Same with Demetria and Timmer though their confident act is more convincing. Tamora sits still with poise and a neutral expression while Jason has his eyes shut like he's sleeping though his furrowed brow betrays his worry. Sienna and Wallace are more open with their fear, especially after the debacle with Kai the other day. Savannah and Lee sit close to each other, trying to continue their united act, but the tension in their bodies and the glares Lee sends Savannah quickly has the act falling apart. Finch somehow manages to get a whole bench to herself, continuing to feed into her lone wolf act. And Rue sits tucked next to Thresh who wraps an arm around her in comfort.
"The evaluations will now commence. Tributes, please enter through the doors when your name is called," a clear, crisp voice announces from the speakers.
"District 1, Glimmer Rambin."
Glimmer pouts at losing the opportunity to continue to ogle Kai. She flounces over to the doors and enters with all the energy and personality of a Capitol diva.
Val checks out after that. Only briefly focusing in again when Clove's name is called. He looks up to see her quickly glance back at him. He tries to give her a reassuring smile though it feels more like a grimace and she returns it with a hesitant smile of her own. Then she turns away and enters through the doors.
Not even ten minutes later, Kai's name is called. And given that he caught the glance Clove sent to Val before she left...If looks could kill, the glare Kai sent his way could've cut him in half.
After that, he checks out for good, his mind zoning out as names are called and tributes leave one by one until finally, it's just the Everdeen siblings left sitting in the empty hall.
"District 12, Katniss Everdeen."
Katniss jolts to attention, her hand slipping from his own as she stands. She tries to take a deep breath but it rattles her form and comes out shaky. Val grabs her hand. She looks back at him, the fear and uncertainty clear on her face. He responds with a reassuring smile that has her close her eyes and take in another deep breath, this time less shaky.
When she opens her eyes, the fear has faded away and been replaced with hard steel and anger that's been simmering below the surface ever since they first stepped foot into the Capitol. She gives him a hard nod and he lets go of her hand. She squares her shoulders as she walks to the door without hesitation and enters.
XXXXXX
Katniss strolls into the training hall with confidence that wavers as soon as she hears the door shut behind her. As she walks to the center of the hall, she glances around to take stock of her surroundings.
The training hall is completely empty of people besides her and the judges. There's a door on the other side, probably the one tributes used to exit the hall to help add to the anxiety factor. The sounds of her shoes echo around her while sounds from the viewing area echo from above.
She looks up to see that the glass panels acting as a transparent barrier between the viewing area and the training hall were removed. Laughter, clinking glasses, and drunken conversation all come from the Capitol judges having a good time up in the viewing area.
Katniss stands uncomfortably in the center of the hall looking up at the center of the viewing area where the Head Game Maker, Seneca Crane, sits leisurely on a single seat couch. Crane looks relaxed and comfortably in his white tailored pants and dark maroon jacket worn over a bright red button down shirt. A surprisingly simple outfit for a man of his position that reminds Katniss of Cinna and Portia where only the unique trim of his beard gives away his Capitol status.
Finally after what seems to be hours but was actually seconds, Crane glances down and starts slightly when he sees Katniss as if he wasn't expecting her despite the fact that the Evaluations weren't even over yet. She feels a twinge of annoyance when Crane merely nods and gives a dismissive wave to start her evaluation.
She clenches her hands as the annoyance grows into anger when Crane returns his attention to the judge sitting next to him as they both sip at glasses of dark red wine. But she takes a deep breath in. She had a promise she needed to keep after all. Then she lets the breath out and her hands unclench before her nails could draw blood.
Looking around at the various stations, Katniss sees the archery and knife stations. Figuring she might as well start off with her strongest skills, she walks off to the knife station first. She starts weighing the variety of knives in her hand and chances a quick glance at the viewing area. Some of the judges are now looking at her with interest, probably because they couldn't believe someone from 12 could actually throw a knife.
She finds three knives whose balance perfectly suits her hands and walks the short distance to the targets. Taking in another deep breath in and out, she swiftly tosses the knives with deadly efficiency. One knife embeds itself in the center of the head, another strikes the center of the chest, and a third lands where the crotch area would be. Katniss nods to herself, satisfied at the results, and turns to the viewing area. The few judges who were paying attention have gestured for a few others to watch, including Crane.
Katniss smiles as she walks more confidently to the archery station. Her confidence wavers again when she grabs a bow and realizes that the tension was different than what she was used to. The bow and string somehow felt both lighter and heavier, most likely due to the fact that it was of higher quality than she could ever hope to afford.
She decides to test the weight of the bow before grabbing an arrow. She pulls the string back and finds that while the draw is much smoother, there's a bit more tension than she's used to. She loosens the pull, making sure not to let the string go lest she cut or bruise her arm.
Katniss glances up at the viewing area again and sees the judges are quickly losing interest as they return their attention to each other and their drinks. She quickly grabs an arrow because it'd be a big no-no if she landed a perfect shot and no one was even watching.
She nocks the arrow and pulls the string back. She takes a moment to aim though her arm trembles slightly at the tension of the string. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she releases the arrow and watches it fly. It lands more on the arm then the chest, and she winces. She quickly nocks another arrow and draws back the string. Her posture is steadier this time as she adjusts her aim and strength before releasing the arrow.
Katniss silently cheers with pride when this arrow manages to land in the center this time and turns to the viewing area. The pride she feels immediately turns to anger when she realizes that all the judges were now paying full attention to a large roast pig that was just placed on the table by an avox. The anger grows as the judges, with Seneca Crane leading the charge, prepare for a feeding frenzy despite the fact that she's still in the middle of her evaluation where her score could either help or hinder her chances.
The anger bubbles over at the sight of another example of the blasé attitude Capitol citizens held towards the lives of children and teens who were only there for their own selfish entertainment. Katniss quickly snatches another arrow off the rack and nocks it. She pulls the string back and zeros in on the shiny, red apple placed rather callously in the pig's mouth. The red is all she can see as she lets the string go and the arrow zips through the air and straight through the apple.
All of the judges startle at the sudden action of the apple being pierced through and into the wall by an arrow. Those standing closest to the pig stumble back in fright and one judge lands on the punch bowl, causing it to flip and spill its contents all over him. Crane looks out at Katniss with wide eyes and indecipherable emotion.
Katniss is already well past the point of giving a shit as she tosses the bow down onto the floor with a clatter and gives her best mockery of a curtsey.
"Thank you for your undivided attention," she says, words drowning in sarcasm. "Enjoy your fucking pig."
She stomps across the hall to the door on the other side and exits with a harsh slam that echoes throughout the hall as the judges stand dumbfounded at what just occurred.
She turns her back on the closed door and pants harshly as she wills herself to calm down. Her anger slowly dissipates with each deep breath.
"Oh shit," she says as the weight of her actions finally lands on her. She leans against the door and drops down heavily. She places her face into her hands and groans heavily in despair at doing the one thing she promised she wouldn't do.
She pulled a Katniss.
XXXXXX
Val paces nervously as he anxiously waits for his name to be called. He's silently praying that Katniss wouldn't do anything that could negatively impact her and thus him which could possibly extend to consequences for their family. He's so caught up in his thoughts that he jumps a foot in the air when his name is finally called.
"District 12, Valerian Everdeen."
Val stops his pacing and quickly takes calming breaths before he squares his shoulders and walks into the training hall. Immediately, he's greeted with the sight of what can only be the aftermath of a patented Katniss Everdeen blow up.
A discarded bow on the floor and arrows and knives still stuck in dummies greet him as he looks around the training hall. He then looks up at the viewing area and sees a punch drenched judge, an apple through an arrow in a wall that must've come from the large roast pig displayed on the table, and the undivided attention of every judge in the viewing area. His brow twitches at the headache that was slowly but surely forming in his head.
'God dammit, Katniss. What the hell did you do?' he thinks irritably as he walks to the center of the hall and stands before the judges, his brow twitching slightly.
As he waits for permission to begin, Val notes that the Head Game Maker, Seneca Crane, seems to be eyeing him with interest. Probably looking for any sign of another blow up like the one Katniss displayed given the current disarray of just one section of the hall. It'll be the bare minimum excuse to give him a terrible score or even send Peacekeepers to harass their family. If the Capitol is known for one thing besides sadistic tyranny, it's the sheer pettiness they can display for even the most insignificant of transgressions.
Eventually, Crane gives the nod and wave to begin and Val marches off to the large monitor where that plant matching program he had seen Finch breeze through was prominently displayed. Before he begins the program, he glances over to the viewing area and sees all of the judges, minus Crane, visibly deflate with relief.
The headache grows as he grits his teeth and begins the program. His hands fly across the monitor as the images of plants and their corresponding names swiftly disappear when matched correctly. Within a minute, he's matched all fifty plants displayed without a single error. He turns to the judges who all nod approvingly at his knowledge.
He grins to himself and walks over to the knife throwing station, noting how the judges tensed when he arrived in front of the display rack of knives. He bites his lip in an attempt to hold back a snort as he grabs three random knives and makes his way to the target besides the one Katniss had used. As he tests the weight of the three knives, Val holds back a wince when he sees the location of one of the knives Katniss had thrown.
Once he's finished testing, he centers himself before swiftly throwing the knives. Each knife lands in the center of the target, forming a triangle pattern from how closely they landed together.
He nods in satisfaction at the result and walks off to the archery station. He decides to grab the bow Katniss had thrown onto the floor, giving it a once over to make sure it was still in working condition. He notes that it's still in perfect condition and even takes a moment to admire the sleek design and general sturdiness of the metal contraption.
He turns to grab an arrow off the rack and sees the judges tense up further until some have their shoulders up to their ears. Val frowns but shrugs it off since they probably believe he might take a shot at them given how Katniss obviously did out of some misguided effort to prove a point or something like that.
He nocks the arrow and pulls the string back, taking note of the tension, weight, and the amount of strength he needed to exert from his upper body. He takes in a deep breath and prepares to let the string go but the sound of a throat clearing stops him. Val loosens the tension of his hold as he looks up at the viewing area in confusion. One of the judges shuffled nervously up to the edge of the viewing area.
The judge tentatively clears his throat again before hesitantly asking, "This is rather unorthodox of me to ask...but will you also be shooting at us too?"
Val rolls his eyes at the question, making the judge flinch and hide away like a frightened mouse. He scowls at the reaction. "Look, I don't know what my sister did but I'm not going to shoot at you."
All of the judges, barring Crane again, visibly slump with relief. Until Val cheekily smiles and says, "Not unless you give me a reason to so maybe, don't."
The judges tense up again only to relax a few moments later when they realize he's joking. They wave for him to continue and Val returns his attention to the target. He draws the arrow back, taking a deep breath to steady himself before releasing. The arrow flies through the air and lands on the target in the ring just outside of the center.
Val frowns. He grabs another arrow off the rack and nocks it, making some minor adjustments and calculations in his head before he can even think of drawing it back. From the viewing area, he can hear the voices of the judges as they voice their appreciation for his skills and his charming demeanor.
"He's just as skilled as his sister is with the bow. That's a very rare weapon to be skilled in," a judge comments.
"Considering the many surprises this year's games hold, I'm excited to see where things will go," another giddily states, hands clapping together in delight.
Val rolls his eyes as he pulls the string back and steadies himself as he aims.
Another judge chuckles. "Well I'm more interested in seeing if another surprise will occur and the siblings of 12 will both win." The judge's voice takes on a perverted edge. "I'd pay anything to have their company, both at parties and in my bed. They have such spirit, especially the girl, and you know what they say about those who have fire within..."
Val freezes, his body stuck in the drawing position as his blood starts to boil at the words he overheard. He looks over at the viewing area where many judges have started laughing and making crude gestures.
"They're always the sweetest to break," another judge chimes in with the same perverted tone.
Now he sees red as all the judges start laughing again. He doesn't even realize Crane is watching him as if eagerly anticipating to see what he'll do next. And what he does next is turn so that he can aim his bow up at the viewing area. A large brim hat with a tacky feather sitting on top of the judge with the rowdiest laughter and crudest gestures catches Val's attention. He quickly draws his bow, aims, and fires.
The arrow soars through the air and knocks the hat right off the judge's head and straight into the wall just above the apple. The judge and his surrounding companions shriek in terror. They all turn to look at him with a mixture of horror, fear, and surprise in their expressions. Crane looks intrigued as he strokes his beard in thought.
Val places the bow back on the rack with care and turns to give the judges a sharp bow. When he straightens, he gives them all a glare that could cut diamonds.
"Thank you for your attention and have a good fucking day," he spits out as he storms out of the training hall and through the exit on the other side.
It's only when the door closes behind him with a loud click does the red fog clear from his eyes. Growing horror fills his expression as he plops down onto the ground unceremoniously.
"Oh shit. What the hell did I do?" he asks himself, horrified that he had done the one thing he had never done and vowed never to do.
He pulled a Katniss.
XXXXXX
Val and Katniss sit as far away from each other as they can on a two-seat couch. Katniss holds her head up with her hand as she looks off to the side. Val picks at a loose thread on the sleeve of his shirt with a highly unusual amount of focus. Both are clearly a bundle of nerves and anxiety desperately trying to appear calm and nonchalant.
Cinna and Portia sit off to the side, indulging in Effie's efforts to make small talk as they all wait for the score announcements. The stylists occasionally glance over at the siblings with worry clear in their eyes as they nurse drinks that haven't been sipped since Val and Katniss reluctantly came out of their rooms for the broadcast.
Haymitch watches the siblings with a neutral expression that makes the two squirm whenever they glance over at him. He casually sips his water before placing the glass on the sleek white coffee table before them.
"Alright. Spill. What's got you both all wound up tighter than Harry's corkscrews?"
Val and Katniss tense as they look at him like two deers caught in the crosshairs. They glance at each other, then at Haymitch, then back at each other, then away from the other. Haymitch raises an un-amused eyebrow and he grows irritated as the pieces start to click. A headache grows and so does his desire for alcohol, but not until he gets answers.
"What...the hell...did you do?" he grits out.
"Pull a Katniss," the siblings grumble out, still looking away from each other. Then they immediately turn to the other in surprise.
"You didn't?" Katniss asks in a surprised awe, now seeing her usually put together brother in a new light.
"You did?" Val asks in horror as the headache that had subsided earlier to be replaced for anxiety came back full force.
"You guys didn't," Haymitch groans as he drags a hand down his face. "The one thing I made you swear not to do and you go and do it."
Val has the decency to look ashamed while Katniss crosses her arms and huffs. Her entire demeanor is defensive and ready for a good fight if Haymitch dares to try to make it one. And dare he does not, he's too sober for this.
Haymitch sighs in resignation, kneading his forehead to try and subside the pounding headache. "At least tell me what you did. Just so I can see how much damage control I gotta do for the interviews."
"You're not even gonna ask us why we did whatever we did?" Katniss asks curiously.
"What's the point?" Haymitch responds as he leans back in his seat. "What's done is done and nothing you or I can do to change it. Now just tell me how bad it was."
Val and Katniss exchange looks again. She tilts her head for him to go ahead. He frowns because he's not the one who screwed up first. She scowls because even though she allowed her temper to get the better of her again, recklessness is expected of her not him. He rolls his eyes because fair, he's always been more level-headed than her. Then he gives her a pointed look because again, he's not the one who screwed up first. She throws her hands up in the air, an exasperated apology and a question asking what the hell, did he expect any differently from her? His pointed look becomes more pointed because while he didn't expect any differently, he did expect better. She pouts and relents.
Katniss turns to Haymitch who's been watching their silent conversation with as much interest as he can muster while sober. She then mumbles out an answer that's barely comprehensible.
"You wanna try that again? Louder this time?" Haymitch asks dryly.
Katniss blushes and says, louder this time but only just so. "I got mad at the judges for paying more attention to a dead pig than my evaluation so I shot an arrow at them."
Everyone stares at her in shock and surprise. Effie is outright gaping at her with wide eyes that greatly reminds the siblings of a dying fish desperately trying to breath on land and coming up short because it's land, not water.
"You what!" Effie screeches. "You shot an arrow at the judges!"
"It was more I shot an arrow at the apple that was in the pig's mouth than at the judges but yeah, I did shoot in their general direction," Katniss sheepishly explains.
Everyone continues to stare at her for so long that she starts to fidget uncomfortably. The staring is broken when Haymitch breaks down laughing. Then everyone's staring at him as he laughs and slaps at his leg like Katniss just told the greatest joke ever.
"That...is the best thing I've heard in my entire life," Haymitch snorts out between laughs. "Tell me...tell me how they reacted. I gotta know."
Katniss looks bewildered as she stutters out her answer, "U-uh, well...they were all surprised. Quite a few stumbled and tripped onto their asses and one judge even managed to land in the punch bowl."
Haymitch's laughter grows more uncontrollable. Cinna offers her a look of encouragement while Portia reaches out to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Effie's gotten up off the couch to pace back and forth.
"How could you do such a thing? The judges are prestigious members of the community chosen specifically by the council, which is of course made of the elite citizens who were handpicked by President Snow himself! You are lucky Crane showed you mercy by not enacting punishment upon you for such blatant disrespect!" Effie rants with wild, undignified hand movements as she paces back and forth.
Haymitch's laughter died down enough for him to turn to Val and ask, "And what about you, boy? What'd you do?"
Everyone's attention turns to Val and even Effie stops pacing to give him a look that warned him to word his answer very, very carefully.
"I...uh...I also shot an arrow at the judges," he starts to say, quickly continuing when Effie opens her mouth to interject, "But only because they made really crude comments about hoping Katniss and I could both win so they could get us into bed with them and..." here he shudders, "Break our spirits."
That has Effie shut her mouth with an audible click. Then she turns red with indignation. "Oh! I knew it was a terrible idea for that Seneca Crane to be made Head Game Maker. I had heard rumors that he asked for complete authority with no assistance from the President when choosing those he wanted to be judges and fellow Game Makers. No one and I mean, no one! Can decide those worthy enough for such honors other than the President."
Val and Katniss blink in surprise at Effie because it actually sounded like she was angry with her fellow citizens in the siblings' defense. Huh. Guess there was more to their pink cream puff escort than initially believed. Maybe she can become a decent person once they find a sharp enough knife to cut through all the Capitol propaganda.
She also looks ready to go off on another rant but a pointed look from Haymitch stops her. She sits back down with a huff.
"Alright I think we're getting off topic a little here so let me steer us all back," Haymitch says before directing his attention to the siblings. "Given what you two've told me, there's really nothing much we can do about it now. The evaluations are over and given Crane's reputation, your scores can go either way."
Val slumps as if a great weight had slipped off his shoulders and another placed on. Katniss rolls her eyes. "Even I could've told you that," she huffs. The two straighten up real fast when Haymitch's expression turns serious.
"But don't be too surprised if the Games end up rigged against ya or that your family might end up facing retaliation for your actions," he warns and suddenly, it's like Val's receiving confirmation that his worst fears are coming true.
His mind starts to spiral as a panic attack slowly overtakes him. Katniss grabs at him quickly, using her hands to force his face to look at her directly. She starts taking slow, deep breaths, in and out, until Val manages to pull himself together enough to follow her silent directions. When he's managed to calm down enough and isn't in danger of spiraling, she lets go.
The siblings realize that everyone else has been watching them with varying expressions and reactions. Cinna and Portia look worried but unsure on whether they should voice it or not. Effie is confused like she can't quite understand what just almost happened. Haymitch is clearly suspicious and looks as if he wants to ask what that was all about but the sound of the Capitol anthem playing has everyone turning their attention to the television screen.
The broadcast is starting.
Val and Katniss settle into the couch. They're no longer as far away as can be but now sit as closely as possible and lean onto each other, grabbing hands tightly for support.
Their combined anxiety and fear muddles all the words coming out of Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith's mouths as they begin listing off names and scores. The only glimpses of information they can comprehend are District numbers, tribute faces and the scores that are displayed.
District 1, Glimmer - 8. Marvel - 9.
District 2, Clove - 10. Kai - 10.
Val squeezes Katniss' hand tightly and she squeezes back.
District 3, Amber - 6. Noah - 6.
District 4, Azora - 4. Sebastian - 8.
Val feels a brief flicker of surprise that the small, red haired boy could score so high. Then a flicker of hope that maybe the kids had a better chance of surviving than he originally thought.
District 5, Finch - 5. Dean - 7.
A scowl crosses Katniss' face. Of course Fox Face would get such a score, one that wasn't too high or too low but neutral. She was much craftier than originally believed.
District 6, Tamora - 6. Jason - 7.
District 7, Sienna - 4. Wallace - 3.
They both wince at the low scores for District 7.
District 8, Savannah - 8, Lee - 7.
District 9, Demetria - 7, Craigh - 6.
District 10, Susan - 6, Timmer - 8.
Katniss' hand tightens around Val's when Rue's face appears on the screen.
District 11, Rue - 7. Thresh - 9.
Her hand relaxes. It's not a bad score. Not as high as Sebastian's but definitely high enough that she managed to get the judges' attention long enough for her to show off and increase her chances of survival. Even Thresh did well though that's probably to be expected given that his muscles intimidated the judges' enough to pay attention lest he throw some heavy weight at them or something.
Then their hands tighten around each other when Katniss' face appears on screen. They both brace themselves for a devastatingly low score cause there's not a snowball's chance in hell that they'll be able to get even a neutral score like Finch did.
District 12, Katniss - 11. Valerian - 11.
Val and Katniss stare wide eyed in shock as Effie shrieks in excitement and Cinna and Portia offer congratulations at their scores which were the highest scores District 12 has ever gotten in the history of the Games.
Haymitch snorts in amusement as he takes a sip of water. "Guess they liked your spunk after all."
"Fire is all the rage nowadays. Reignites passion long thought lost," Cinna chimes in with a devious smirk as Portia nods along like he had just spoken words of great wisdom.
Haymitch shakes his head with a smirk. Then he turns to the siblings who are both still trying to comprehend everything, like it's all just a surreal moment that will immediately be rectified by either of the two Capitol announcers declaring that a mistake had been made and their real scores were actually 1 or something like that.
He clears his throat, making them jump as they turn their attention to him, expressions still somewhat dazed and confused.
"Got a hand it to you both, you're performing leagues beyond even my limited expectations," he says which prompts Katniss to open her mouth for a smart-ass remark. Haymitch holds his hand up to stop her as his expression becomes serious again and the two tense in preparation for whatever warning was going to come out of his mouth next.
"It's great and all that you've got such high scores, the highest 12 has ever seen and the highest for these Games. But you've just got an even larger target painted on the both of you," Haymitch warns, "The Careers will most definitely be advised to consider the two of you legitimate threats that must be handled with caution or as swiftly as possible. Your interviews tomorrow will be key in keeping the odds in your favor or swaying them away. So you two better go rest now cause tomorrow's gonna be a long day."
With that, Haymitch gets up off his seat and leaves the room with an unflattering yawn. Cinna and Portia offer their congratulations again before leaving to retire for the night.
"We've got some surprises for the both of you so you better look forward to them," Portia cheekily says with a wink as she and her brother walk out of the Penthouse with a wave good night.
Effie also offers her congratulations again, giving the both of them polite hugs and cheek kisses.
"Oh! I'm so honored to be your escort! You'll surely make this year's games the one to remember for the rest of Panem's history," she says before making her way to her room.
And then the two are alone on the couch, still holding each other's hands as the Capitol anthem continues to play in the background like an omen for their uncertain future.
And scene! Evaluations are over, then we got the half chapter with Kai and Clove's individual evaluations as my apology for getting this out so late, then we got the interviews which will also include various character's though more in a jump cut montage kind of way. And then we'll finally get to the Games, hopefully before New Year's but that's not looking likely. Hope you guys are still enjoying the story though. Until next time!