A/N: Wow, this one is long! I kind of want to zip through the pre-games as fast as possible, because I have a lot planned for the actual games, and that's the juicy bit of this story anyway. The tributes here have three days of training, but I'm only writing about one of them because I feel things would get repetitive otherwise. Anyway, this chapter is a medley of training, private sessions, scores, and interviews. I think I've compacted it decently well here, and I hope you enjoy. The bloodbath is next!
Dawson Brisk, 16
District 5 8th Male
Our escort, Dahlis, is a mess as she tries to orchestrate breakfast. At first, she insists on doing it without the avoxes' help. There are 24 tributes, 24 stylists, a few other prep team members, and the poor lady herself. There's hardly enough food to feed us all, and when the avoxes finally start to help her, she doesn't complain.
I feel bad for laughing as her fiery orange wig begins to fall off of her head. She really is a nice lady. She just needs to stop stressing over little things.
Before we're allowed to get our food, we have to sit down at one of the long tables. Dahlis says it's just to make sure there's enough room for us, but I can tell she just wants a break before she has to set out all of the food.
I sit down next to Hector and Thred, who both have severe cases of bedhead from the long night. We talked on the train yesterday, along with Rollag, but he's on a different floor with the other District 8 tributes. We'll have to fill him in on our conversations later.
The careers, Cosima, Preston, Henna, and Electron, seat themselves together at the far table. From there, they have a good view of all of us. Moxie and Nimona sit together as well. I'm shocked by the number of loners there are: tributes like Vida, Wyatt, and Genera who just look sad as they sit alone, staring down at their drumming fingers. I've noticed tributes starting to talk to Ashleen and Nelson after the splash they made last night at the chariot parade. They're the lucky ones.
When we're finally allowed to get our food, we're called up in small groups to keep us from swarming the snack table. I find myself drooling when our turn is called. I'm aiming for flavor here, not nutritional value, just because I really need some cheering up. Hector suggests that the brighter colored food probably tastes better, so I take a big spoonful of the hot pink soup and all of the colorful berries that fill the circle of porcelain bowls around it.
Breakfast is a quick affair. The stronger tributes are eager to get down to training, and the weaker tributes are too nervous to eat. I'm pretty indifferent as I slurp down my soup. I'll admit the thought of training intimidates me a little. Once again, I'm so glad to be part of a group.
Cloth Topper, 18
District 8 6th Male
Dressal, Velvet, Marble, and Crochet are already striding over to the spear station when I get off of the elevator. I hurry to follow them, but slow down when I realize the careers are watching. I can run pretty much as fast as I want, but I can't jog without looking stupid.
The trainer at the spear station starts telling us what to do. I try to listen, but Dressal and Marble have already started throwing, and I'm itching to get started myself. Velvet and Crochet end up turning away eventually. It feels rude, but I don't want to stand out, so I head over to the row of targets and pick up a spear.
"Remember what he said?" I say quietly, watching Velvet throw the spear from a completely upright position.
"No," he admits, laughing a little. "I wasn't listening."
I roll my eyes. "You're supposed to be in a place where you can swing your arm farther. Lean down a little."
Crochet is the first tribute to hit the bull's-eye, and the trainer claps his hands, applauding him on his form. Dressal lands a little later. I manage to hit the target a few times, but always near the rim, while Crochet and Marble manage to consistently land their spears toward the center.
I figure I'm aiming too far to the left, so I throw a little bit to the right to counteract that. I don't have much luck with that. Before long, our session is over, and we're dismissed.
"That was relatively informative," I murmur, setting down my spear.
"Yeah," Marble agrees. "I've never actually used a spear before."
"That's not something you should admit twenty meters away from the careers," Dressal says.
Marble scoffs. "Those careers can suck a penis. There are so many untrained tributes here, it's hardly worth it worrying about the careers at this point."
The nearest career tribute, Patternia I think, starts to hiss Marble's name. If she does utter something else, we don't hear it, because we've already relocated to the sword station.
"That was a close one," I whisper.
They must have remodeled the sword station this year, because there are multiple separate groups of tributes training here at the same time. The nerdy girls, Moxie, Nimona, Silky, and Sasha, have their own little group going on. A few of the loners, Lilith, Nelson, Damon, Lycra, and Archie, are training alone with dummies. There's another duo here: Brigitta and Threada. I'm pretty sure they have three other allies, but they're at the other end of the training center doingssurvival stations. There are two boys and a girl. I recognize Felix and Boltson. I know the girl's name has a "y" in it. I try to think of her name, and it's bugging me, but I shove that to the edge of my mind as the trainer hands us swords and tells us to begin.
Organza Evernight, 18
District 8 1st Female
We've just finished the bow and arrow station when the lunch bell rings. A few of the terrified weaklings are hesitant to move at first. Preston starts running, shouting that we have to get the best seats before all of the tables fill. That seems pretty petty, but I don't want to lag behind, so I trail behind at full speed.
We manage to snatch the single elevated table. It has an unobstructed view of every other table. There are eight seats here and seven of us, but I don't think we have to worry about some random kid sitting down here with us.
Instead of calling us up in table groups like a sensible human, Dahlis insists on calling us up in alphabetical order by our first names. Preston groans to my right, and Dahlis shouts that we can all use a little cheering up. We all expect it to take forever, but we're all too hungry to complain. We just let her have her fun as she runs through her handwritten list.
"Angora Cards!" she calls out. The squat, pudgy little girl stands up from one of the far tables and zooms over to the food table. It takes at least three minutes to get through the first letter, because Archie cries and walks slowly all the way to the table, and Ashleen trips and lands flat on her face. I feel bad for laughing, but when in the Capitol…
Boltson, Brigitta, and Burnie make up the next letter. The letter "L" takes the longest, with Lilith, Lily, Linen, Looper, Lou, and Lycra standing up in awkward sequence and shuffling to get their food.
By the time my name is called, I'm ready to practically explode with boredom. I leap out of my seat the instant she says the name Organza. I'm too exhausted to be picky, so I fill my bowl with an assortment of weird colorful creams. Then I snatch up a plate of some exotic meat and head back to the table.
I start to eat the food, but Dahlis insists that it's rude to eat until everyone has their food. Patternia is called next, then Preston, Rollag, Sasha, Silky, Sybil, Tasha, Threada… kill me now.
The room lets out a collective sigh of relief when Wyatt finishes filling his plate. Dahlis waves at us to begin eating, and at least half of the food in the room is gone within the first fifteen seconds.
"This tastes like shit," Madras mutters. Electron nods in agreement. I do too, but I'm too busy eating the shit to form a verbal response. We were never exactly starved at the academy, but we were never really able to eat as much as we liked.
"Organza, slow down!" Dahlis says, walking over to our table. "You'll get stomach cramps."
She takes the eighth seat at our table, squeezing in between Cosima and Henna. It's a disappointment, because we can't talk about anything heinous now that she's here. Patternia politely asks her to leave, which is such a weird change from her usual fiery attitude I have to blink hard and make sure it's her.
"I've never seen you so polite before, Patternia," I whisper after Dahlis steps away.
"Ah, fuck off," she mutters. "You know how hell will break loose when we enter the arena. Manners are only for these stupid pre-games things."
I roll my eyes and dive my spoon back into my food, eager to finish everything before we're called back to training.
Neptune Amaryllis, 56
Head Gamemaker
I hold up my glass of expensive scotch, watching the small chunks of ice glitter and shrink in the heat of the bright overhead lights. My study is cold today—I work better in the cold—but the lights alone are enough to melt the ice and water down the drink. An avox should arrive any minute now.
I take a big sip, savoring the fiery flavor. My favorite.
A knock comes on the door, and an avox slowly enters, wordlessly handing me a yellow envelope bearing the Capitol seal. The avox leaves the room slowly, silently shutting the door behind him. I break open the envelope's wax seal and pull out the confidential papers inside.
PRIVATE SESSIONS REPORT
Below is a list of the tributes and the skills which they showcased in their individual private sessions. You are to use this list as a point of reference when determining the tributes' training scores. Destroy this document after use. Thank you.
DISTRICT 5
Cosima Shaffer: Showcased bow skills (10/12) and spear skills (9/12)
Preston Richards: Showcased spear skills (9/12) and hand-to-hand combat skills (7/12)
Lilith Mercier: Showcased fire-starting skills (4/12) and agility skills (4/12)
Hector Starling: Showcased sword skills (6/12) and dagger skills (5/12)
Henna Norcross: Showcased sword skills (10/12)
Edison Rye: Showcased knife skills (6/12), fire-starting skills (5/12), and water purification skills (4/12)
Vida Aslin: Showcased knot tying skills (4/12) and camouflage skills (5/12)
Felix Landers: Showcased sword skills (7/12) and gauntlet skills (8/12)
Genera Coover: Showcased edible plants skills (5/12) and shelter-building skills (3/12)
Wyatt Kluss: Showcased knot-tying skills (6/12) and mace skills (1/12)
Tasha Spark: Showcased throwing knife skills (4/12)
Burnie Spark: Showcased throwing knife skills (4/12) and bow skills (5/12)
Ashleen Verbeck: Showcased crossbow skills (2/12) and fire-starting skills (2/12)
Nelson Griffiths: Showcased rope-climbing skills (3/12)
Francina Damige: Showcased edible plants skills (4/12), hammock-making skills (4/12), and camouflage skills (3/12)
Dawson Brisk: Showcased knife skills (7/12) and sword skills (5/12)
Moxie Cratchit: Showcased rope-climbing skills (4/12) and agility skills (5/12)
Thred Curtis: Showcased spear skills (6/12), knife skills (4/12), and camouflage skills (2/12)
Sybil Occing: Showcased bow skills (7/12) and bow skills (6/12)
Looper Wattson: Showcased knife skills (3/12)
Everly Fless: Showcased knot-tying skills (4/12) and rope-climbing skills (4/12)
Electron Davies: Showcased weight-lifting skills (11/12), hand-to-hand combat skills (10/12), sword skills (10/12), and mace skills (9/12)
Nimona Marks: Showcased knife skills (7/12), gauntlet skills (6/12), and throwing knife skills (5/12)
Boltson Howcroft: Showcased spear skills (8/12) and throwing knife skills (8/12)
DISTRICT 8
Organza Evernight: Showcased sword skills (10/12) and mace skills (9/12)
Madras Kestler: Showcased spear skills (11/12)
Patternia Veil: Showcased dagger skills (11/12), agility skills (10/12), and gauntlet skills (10/12)
Needle Rhys: Showcased fire-starting skills (2/12)
Lily Cardigan: Showcased shelter-buildings kills (3/12) and throwing knife skills (1/12)
Damon Malone: Showcased wresting skills (3/12) and Showcased dagger skills (5/12)
Flossie Peller: Showcased throwing knife skills (2/12) and water purification skills (1/12)
Linen Topher: Showcased hatchet skills (7/12) and throwing knife skills (4/12)
Lycra Torren: Showcased gauntlet skills (9/12) and axe skills (8/12)
Lou Singh: Showcased dagger skills (3/12) and edible plants skills (2/12)
Silky Ianis: Showcased sword skills (7/12) and trap-making skills (7/12)
Cloth Topper: Showcased spear skills (5/12)
Dressal Maddox: Showcased knife skills (6/12), spear skills (6/12), and dagger skills (2/12)
Velvet Reigns: Showcased spear skills (5/12) and gauntlet skills (5/12)
Angora Cards: Showcased throwing knife skills (4/12)
Rollag Hermes: Showcased knife skills (6/12) and agility skills (5/12)
Brigitta Channel: Showcased wrestling skills (9/12), sword skills (9/12), medical skills (9/12), and gauntlet skills (8/12)
Archie Walker: Showcased edible plants skills (4/12) and hatchet skills (1/12)
Sasha Grotrekk: Showcased slingshot skills (6/12) and spear skills (4/12)
Marble Congrutts: Showcased spear skills (7/12) and wrestling skills (3/12)
Threada Collins: Showcased bow skills (7/12), sword skills (6/12), and edible insects skills (3/12)
Crochet Undersee: Showcased sword skills (7/12) and spear skills (5/12)
Violet Savageau: Showcased dagger skills (2/12)
Indigo Savageau: Showcased dagger skills (3/12) and spear skills (1/12)
Dahlis Wheatford, 34
Escort for District 8
The room is dead silent as the tributes pile onto the long purple couches. There are three couches, placed behind one another and elevated slightly like rows of seats in a movie theater. The careers are silent in anticipation and uncertainty, and the untrained tributes are silent in what must be fear.
"Are you guys and girls ready to find out your training scores?" I ask in a cheerful tone.
A few of the tributes let out low murmurs of confirmation. I'm disappointed at the response, but I don't want to run into the announcement by trying to engage them, so I let it drop. One of the tributes, Wyatt, told me that I need to drop things more often. He was probably just being cheeky, but I'm still under the impression that each tribute has my best interests at heart.
The holographic screen shimmers into existence, and the tributes seize up in anticipation. I lean back in my seat, taking the first deep drink of my furious cocktail.
"Hello guys and gals of Panem! It's me, your master of ceremonies: your Phoenix Withers! As you all know, the 48 tributes of Districts 5 and 8 have been ranked from one to twelve based on their aptitude in training. Without any further ado, let's get to the scores!"
Cosima Shaffer, District 5 1st Female – 10
Cosima nods and hums slightly, satisfied.
Preston Richards, District 5 1st Male – 8
Preston wrinkles his mouth, evidently disappointed by the score.
Lilith Mercier, District 5 2nd Female – 4
The girl buries her face in her hands. Another girl, Vida, tries to console her.
Hector Starling, District 5 2nd Male – 7
Dawson and Thred, both of Hector's allies, pat him hard on the back.
Henna Norcross, District 5 3rd Female – 9
Henna, the last career until Electron, raises her arms into the air in celebration.
Edison Rye, District 5 3rd Male – 6
Edison's eyes open wide in surprise.
Vida Aslin, District 5 4th Female – 4
Vida warbles slightly as tears begin to pour from her eyes.
Felix Landers, District 5 4th Male – 8
The room breaks into noise, with the other tributes clapping and the careers staring daggers at him; a great score for the strong 18 year old.
Genera Coover, District 5 5th Female – 3
Genera stares down at her injured arm, her mind in a very different place.
Wyatt Kluss, District 5 5th Male – 4
Wyatt nods, unsure of how to react to a 4.
Tasha Spark, District 5 6th Female – 3
Tasha begins shaking hard. Her brother Burnie places a hand on her knee, trying to steady her shakes.
Burnie Spark, District 5 6th Male – 4
Tasha envelopes Burnie in a big hug.
Ashleen Verbeck, District 5 7th Female – 2
That's definitely a surprise, as Ashleen had one of the best costumes at the tribute parade.
Nelson Griffiths, District 5 7th Male – 3
Nelson buries his head in his hands and shakes is slowly back and forth.
Francina Damige, District 5 8th Female – 4
Francina twirls a blue streak of hair around her finger, evidently let down.
Dawson Brisk, District 5 8th Male – 6
Dawson smiles, satisfied with a 6.
Moxie Cratchit, District 5 9th Female – 5
Considering Moxie is only thirteen, that's a decent score.
Thred Curtis, District 5 9th Male – 7
Thred's ally Hector claps, and Thred smiles, satisfied.
Sybil Occing, District 5 10th Female – 7
Sybil, similarly impressed by her own score, sucks in a quick breath.
Looper Wattson, District 5 10th Male – 3
Looper rubs the back of his neck, anguished.
Everly Fless, District 5 11th Female – 4
Looper smiles at her, and Everly starts sweating and tugging her hair.
Electron Davies, District 5 11th Male – 11
The room falls silent, with everyone staring at the muscled academy student. The careers are staring with envy and the weaker tributes are staring with terror. I doubt any other tribute will be able to match his score.
Nimona Tissel, District 5 12th Female – 7
Nimona receives a few compliments, but goes pretty much unnoticed in the aftermath of Electron's impressive score.
Boltson Howcroft, District 5 12th Male – 8
That gets a bigger response, with Felix and Sybil patting him on the back.
"And now onto District 8!" Phoenix Withers exclaims, briefly smiling at the screen.
Miranda Coakum, 28
Escort for District 8
An anticipation-filled silence envelops the room as Boltson's score is read off. The spinning District 5 seal behind Phoenix morphs into the needle and thread representing District 8.
Organza Evernight, District 8 1st Female – 10
The career girl grins, proud.
Madras Kestler, District 8 1st Male – 10
The tall boy shares a contented look with Organza. Organza looks more than a little peeved that her set partner managed to match her score.
Patternia Veil, District 8 2nd Female – 11
The room falls quiet, and we can hear Electron stamp his foot from the floor below. Patternia just smiles and crosses her arms in a secretive sort of way, looking smug.
Needle Rhys, District 8 2nd Male – 2
Needle just stares at the screen with wide, tired eyes.
Lily Cardigan, District 8 3rd Female – 3
The 12 year old girl thumps her foot on the ground, squeezing her eyes shut.
Damon Malone, District 8 3rd Male – 5
Damon looks pretty indifferent, and a few of the other tributes nod: an average score for District 8.
Flossie Peller, District 8 4th Female – 1
Flossie nods slowly from her wheelchair. She looks so exhausted.
Linen Topher, District 8 4th Male – 3
Linen looks down to his lap, let down by his score.
Lycra Torren, District 8 5th Female – 8
The room bursts into applause, and the careers stare daggers at the unassuming 17 year old girl. That certainly came out of nowhere.
Lou Singh, District 8 5th Male – 2
Lou's lip quivers as his eyes begin to turn red.
Silky Ianis, District 8 6th Female – 7
Silky's ally, Sasha, smiles and hugs her. Silky just grins, pleased.
Cloth Topper, District 8 6th Male – 5
Cloth nods at Damon, the only other tribute with a score of 5. Cloth is already in an alliance, but he definitely has a sort of camaraderie established with Damon.
Dressal Madox, District 8 7th Female – 5
Dressal bites her lip, unsure of how to respond to a 5.
Velvet Reigns, District 8 7th Male – 5
Velvet high-fives each of his allies (Cloth, Dressal, Marble, and Crochet). I only realize afterward that the high-five is a reference to his score of 5.
Angora Cards, District 8 8th Female – 4
That's more standard fare for an inexperienced tribute.
Rollag Hermes, District 8 8th Male – 6
All of Rollag's allies, Hector, Dawson, and Thred, are from District 5. We hear them cheering and stomping from the upper floor.
Brigitta Channel, District 8 9th Female – 9
Everybody stares at the attractive, muscled peacekeeper's daughter. Brigitta herself looks pretty stoic, accepting her score with satisfaction.
Archie Walker, District 8 9th Male – 4
Archie smiles, but whimpers slightly at the same time.
Sasha Grotrekk, District 8 10th Female – 3
Sasha shrugs, and then adjusts one of her colorful bobby pins.
Marble Congrutts, District 8 10th Male – 6
Cloth and Velvet cheer, slapping Marble on the back. Dressal and Crochet compliment him verbally.
Threada Collins, District 8 11th Female – 7
The first 7 since Silky, everyone claps for the wiry factory worker.
Crochet Undersee, District 8 11th Male – 6
More applause. A smile seats itself deep on Crochet's face as his allies congratulate him.
Violet Savageau, District 8 12th Female – 2
Violet buries her face into a pillow. Even in comparison to Ashleen, Needle, and Lou, she's definitely the weakest tribute other than wheelchair-bound Flossie.
Indigo Savageau, District 8 12th Male – 3
Everyone watches awkwardly as Indigo starts crying too, wiping away his tears with the backs of his hands.
"Congratulations to the tributes for earning these stellar scores!" Phoenix announces. The program cuts to black, and every tribute is in a different mood as they retreat to bed.
0:
1: Flossie
2: Ashleen, Needle, Lou, Violet
3: Genera, Tasha, Nelson, Looper, Lily, Linen, Sasha, Indigo
4: Lilith, Vida, Wyatt, Burnie, Francina, Everly, Angora, Archie
5: Moxie, Damon, Cloth, Dressal, Velvet
6: Edison, Dawson, Rollag, Marble, Crochet
7: Hector, Thred, Sybil, Nimona, Silky, Threada
8: Preston, Felix, Boltson, Lycra
9: Henna, Brigitta
10: Cosima, Organza, Madras
11: Electron, Patternia
12:
Titus Andronicus Bacchus Hazel, 45
President of Panem
Phoenix Withers bends forward in a deep bow. The audience explodes with applause, and Phoenix stands back up, his blue hair swiveling around his heart-shaped face.
"Welcome one and welcome all, whether you have joined us in person or using the magic of television. Tonight, we will get to know each and every tribute a little better, as a three-minute interview is provided for each of them. First, we have the pleasure of hearing from Cosima Shaffer!"
Cosima waltzes onto stage, wearing a skimpy ruby-red skirt that flies up an extremely revealing amount when she twirls. Her interview is dripping with seductively, filled with flirty winks and butt shakes. The cheers of the audience are surprisingly low-pitched as she spins off of stage with a big smile.
Preston comes on next, wearing a meshed short-sleeve shirt that displays his sculpted upper form. The more perverted women in the audience cheer as he sits down and starts smiling. Preston is another seductive tribute, and he makes enough of the audience laugh to overshadow his low training score.
Lilith follows up two stellar tributes with an average interview. She shuffles onto stage in a lacy pink gown, barely able to keep balance in her heels. Her interview is heartwarming, but she's likely to be forgotten quickly in a swath of so many flashier tributes.
Hector is next, dressed smartly in a slate gray suit and tie. He easily enchants the audience, every bit as funny and endearing as his nemesis, Preston. Preston's only advantage is his more revealing outfit, while Hector has to rely on his face to keep everyone engaged.
Henna dashes onto stage garbled in a midnight-blue dress. She puts on a pretty average career showing. Henna is charming enough, but just doesn't live up to Cosima and Preston, her flashier friends. She makes a few jokes that make a good portion of het audience laugh, however. She'll definitely be a wild card in the games.
Edison follows Henna, dressed in a black tux. His interview turns out to be rather drab and uneventful. Phoenix questions him about his score, and Edison confesses it came from a mixture of tactical and survival skills. Most tribute go for the mysterious route when questioned about their score, so the boy isn't completely forgettable.
Vida shuffles onto stage wearing a navy blue suit that clings to her body. She starts crying as soon as she enters the stage, and she freezes halfway to the seat when the first spotlight shines on her. She stammers out only a few vague answers and looks enormously relieved when her three minutes is over.
Felix is Vida's polar opposite: tall and muscled rather than small and scrawny. Being equally memorable in appearance and demeanor, his interview is definitely one the audience will remember. His answers are somewhat short and concise, but the interview is still strictly satisfying somehow.
Genera walks onto stage wearing a white dressed with little polka dots. Her injured arm is her main point of conversation with Phoenix. The girl has a gift for public speaking, but the audience quickly dismisses her as a possible victor because of her injury. It doesn't help that everyone is still whispering about Felix either.
Wyatt makes a decent first impression, smiling confidently when he enters the stage in an all-white suit. He quickly loses his cool when he sits down in the seat, and all he can do is sweat and stammer furiously when it's his turn to answer Phoenix's questions. Such a disastrous interview is a disappointment for a tribute with such an impressive appearance, but so be it.
Tasha's interview is one of the most uneventful yet. The girl, who wears a sunshine yellow dress, isn't particularly nervous; she actually manages to talk to Phoenix in an extremely coherent way. However, her tone of voice is so drab and monotone that the audience quickly loses interest. It's a shame, because Tasha could have put on a memorable showing if only she'd been more impressive.
Burnie wears a sunshine yellow suit and black tie, and he is every bit as uneventful as his sister Tasha. His eyes bug out slightly as he steps onto stage, and he continues to cry throughout the interview, whimpering out only a few faint words in response to Phoenix's questions.
Ashleen has everyone talking when she shuffles onto stage in a baby blue gown. She and Nelson had the most popular outfits at the chariot rides, and everyone is intrigued by Ashleen's meager score of only two. Ashleen seems pretty confident and fixated throughout the interview. My guess is that she wasn't showing off her full potential in her private session.
Nelson is much less impressive, shuffling nervously onto the stage in a crimson blazer. He manages to build up some confidence, taking on a mysterious persona when Phoenix asks him about his score. He has his mind set on survival, which is smart.
Francina dances into the spotlight, wearing a light blue skirt that seemingly floats around her tiny frame. Francina has the audience enchanted the moment she opens her mouth, laughing and displaying her charisma for the entire audience. There's no doubt some eager sponsors are already on her side.
The audience's applause only begins to die down as Dawson enters, wearing a green dress shirt. He spends most of the time talking about how he met Hector, Thred, and Rollag, his allies. While he isn't particularly nervous, Dawson starts to ramble, and I only realize his interview is over when he stands up and leaves the stage.
Moxie follows Dawson, wearing a white silk dress that covers her legs completely. She quickly answers all of Phoenix's questions, and Moxie seems to have an overall enjoyable time onstage. It's no surprise she allied with Silky and Sasha. They're like three copies of the same girl.
Thred has a sob story written up by default. He instantly captures the audience's hearts by talking about his brother, who he volunteered for. Phoenix sits back and lets Thred talk for the entire three minutes, and the audience bursts into applause as Thred's interview reaches its teary conclusion. He'll definitely be a contender.
Sybil, the first anti-career since Felix, floats onto stage wearing a dark blue cocktail dress. For such an impressive tribute, Sybil's interview is surprisingly bland. She makes an effort to capture the audience's attention, but ultimately fails in the aftermath of two memorable interviews. She starts to get frustrated toward the end and raises her voice a little, which puts off most of the audience members.
Looper stumbles out of the wings dressed in an aquamarine suit and black tie. The youngest tribute so far, his feet barely touch the floor when he sits on the edge of the chair. The little boy manages to keep from crying in the interview, but his voice starts to warble when Phoenix asks him about his family. His interview is ultimately a success for a tribute so young.
Everly glides into Looper's place, wearing a white sundress and black heels. She has less success with keeping cheerful, and she starts crying around the second minute of the interview. Phoenix tries his best to cheer her up, but there's no consoling her, and she runs off of stage into Looper's arms.
Electron is a shoe-in for a memorable interview, and he does not let down at all. From the moment he enters the stage in Preston's meshed short-sleeve shirt, he has the audience enraptured by his charisma and his deep voice. The shirt shows off his bulging chest and arm muscles, and his dazzling white smile is enough to make most of the younger girls start screaming. He will be extremely dangerous, especially with so many sponsors on his side.
Nimona saunters out in a shimmering, holographic dress whose flashes look beautiful against her dark skin. She's the odd one out of the four-way girl alliance, so different in every way from Moxie, Silky, and Sasha. Her interview is relatively forgettable, though she does manage to impress with her spunk.
Boltson ends the District 5 interviews with a bang, wearing a black dress jacket with a tie tucked underneath. While he doesn't live up to Preston or Electron, he easily impresses with his charm and his charisma. His interview definitely earns a point for the anti-careers after Sybil's epic fail.
Organza opens District 8 with a satisfying, if not groundbreaking, interview. She flirts with the audience for a mildly comedic two minutes, though Phoenix steers the conversation toward her family when Organza starts to ramble. Given her appearance and her persona, Organza is a tribute I would place in District 1, though she isn't nearly as airheaded as some of the girls the luxury district provides.
Madras strides confidently onto stage dressed in a black tuxedo, beaming at the audience. He and Phoenix have a great dynamic, and they talk back and forth for most of the interview, pulling lots of laughs out of the audience. The entire audience cheers as the handsome ladies' man makes an exit.
Patternia sashays into the spotlight wearing a fiery orange dress and heels. She has the audience's attention captured by default, having scored an eleven despite her age of only sixteen. Patternia follows up Madras with an equally impressive interview, showing off her witty and fast sense of humor. She's at least one and a half feet shorter than the other eleven-scorer, Electron, but she's sure to pack an equal punch in the arena.
Needle follows two memorable interviews with a disastrous fail. From the moment the boy is shoved onto stage wearing a light grey suit, he shakes and cries loudly for his mother. The only words he can form are that he wants to go home so badly. The audience stares awkwardly as he cries into the backs of his fingers and then runs out of the spotlight.
Lily, who wears a spring-green skirt with sunglasses, manages to keep from crying or stammering for the entire interview. At one point, Phoenix feeds her a joke that makes at least a third of the audience laugh. Her interview isn't terrible, but is likely to be forgotten quickly.
Damon walks out next, dressed in a sunshine yellow suit and black tie. The look is okay, though the brightness of the suit is definitely off-putting. He puts on an average showing, forming coherent responses but using a boring, monotone voice. With only a 5, Damon is definitely forgettable, and he's only doomed himself further with such a drab interview.
The audience falls silent as Flossie rolls out of the wings in her wheelchair, wearing a lacy white skirt with a pink bow. Phoenix drops out and lets Flossie begin her long speech about blessings and not taking the simple things in life for granted. Her interview is heartwarming, but with a lower score than all 47 other competitors, there's no way she's surviving the bloodbath.
Linen is dressed in a navy blue blazer. His interview is another drab one, with lots of concise responses. His answers aren't even simple in an intriguing or mysterious way, just a boring way. With Flossie's soliloquy still on everyone's minds, Linen is virtually ignored by the audience. I find myself unable to remember a single memorable quote as he slowly leaves the stage.
Lycra shakes the audience awake after Linen's failed interview. Unlike the other high-scoring tributes like Felix and Brigitta, Lycra's impressive 8 came out of the blue. She takes on the classic mysterious route, telling the audience they'll just have to wait and see what she has going for her. Lycra isn't particularly charming, but she is certainly intriguing, and that's enough to make her interview memorable.
Lou comes out wearing a crimson red blazer that might be meant to represent blood. It would probably look great on a ruthless career, but it just looks out of place on the tiny 12 year old boy. Another nervous little kid, he gives short and shaky answers. He quickly dashes off stage to clear a spot for the next tribute.
Silky waltzes onto stage wearing a chartreuse dress, both impressively flashy and intriguing. Her voice is extremely clear as she gives long, detailed answers to each question. She isn't the strongest tribute in the history of the games, but with a decent 7, some smarts on her head, and some good looks, she might seriously have a chance.
Cloth runs onto stage and waves at the audience, wearing a red button-up shirt and khaki pants. He tries his best to come off as a charming comedian, but ultimately comes off as awkward and desperate as he makes random jokes about unrelated things. There are a number of awkward silences, which Phoenix manages to expertly fill. Cloth exits the stage blushing with embarrassment.
Dressal wears a thick dress with checkered squares of red and green, definitely the most unique outfit so far. Dressal manages to stay grounded throughout her interview, and her dialogue with Phoenix is more of a casual conversation than anything else. The casual, down-to-earth girl keeps the audience focused at the very least, which is more than many of the other tributes can say.
Velvet strides onto stage wearing a thick velvet jacket and leather shoes. He is the centerpiece of the Cloth-Dressal-Velvet-Marble-Crochet alliance, but fills his interview with uninteresting answers and a bit of bland humor. With everybody still thinking about Dressal, Velvet never gets much of a reaction at all.
Chubby Angora shuffles onto stage wearing a pea-green dress and hair piece. The moment she steps in front of the audience, she grabs her stomach suspiciously; the next moment, chunky brown bile spurts out of her mouth. The audience cringes, and Phoenix keeps the show going with a bit of light humor as two avoxes rush in to clean up the mess. A peacekeeper rushes the retching girl off of the stage, holding a bowl underneath her mouth.
The program resumes to feature Rollag, who wears a pristine white roman toga. Rollag spends most of the interview talking about the Roman gods, even though his last name, Hermes, is a Greek god. His ramblings are too nerdy for the audience's taste, and the boy comes off as more of a geek than a strong contender.
The audience sighs in anticipation as Brigitta strides confidently onto stage, dressed head-to-toe in a full peacekeeper uniform. She and Phoenix have a lot to talk about, from Brigitta's life with a peacekeeper father to what the uniform feels like. Brigitta ends her interview by shouting out a few of the head peacekeepers in District 8, thanking them for their service. She's a real patriot. We'll have to keep her around for a while.
Archie follows Brigitta, dressed in a plain navy suit with an aquamarine bow tie. Again, his interview isn't particularly disastrous, just bland and forgettable in a number of different ways. He manages to save the interview toward the end with a few memorable lines, but I still doubt he'll survive long.
Sasha makes an entrance, wearing a magenta wrap dress with a faint flower print. Sasha knows how to please a crowd, and she drops enough one-liners to keep the audience relatively amused. Other than her jokes, her interview is pretty thin. Not forgettable, just not a major standout.
Marble's interview is similarly average. He manages to make the audience laugh a couple of times, but ultimately sits there in his black suit answering questions without much variation. He looks supremely relieved when his interview is over, and so does most of the crowd.
Threada follows Marble, with much more success. Dressed in a bubblegum pink dress, she seems to be half daydreaming as she answers Phoenix's questions. She says she's good at hiding, good at hunting, good at healing. She can't be that good, because she only has a 7, but whatever she has going for her, she has a memorable interview.
Crochet wears a crochet-knit sweater and matching dress pants, as well as a hat made of yarn. It's definitely a unique costume that catches the audience's attention right off the bat. His interview isn't the best, with short and concise answers, but I can tell he'll be remembered because of his unique outward appearance.
Violet follows Crochet, wearing a light purple dress that covers her torso. Because she's only 12 and only has a 2, I immediately expect her to start crying, but she actually leads one of the better interviews for a young tribute. Violet is polite enough, and she manages to keep her cool while talking about the Capitol with Phoenix. Even when her voice starts warbling, it's barely noticeable.
The same cannot be said about Indigo, who ends the interviews with a lackluster finish. Indigo enters wearing a suit made of several different shades of blue, an interesting enough costume. He never exactly starts crying. In fact, he seems so focused on not crying that his responses are vague and distant. All of the comedy is forced, and everyone is relieved when the final buzzer sounds.
The audience roars as Phoenix stretches to full height. "That's all for tonight, folks. I hope you enjoyed all of these memorable moments with Cosima, Preston, Lilith, Hector, Henna, Edison, Vida, Felix, Genera, Wyatt, Tasha, Burnie, Ashleen, Nelson, Francina, Dawson, Moxie, Thred, Sybil, Looper, Everly, Electron, Nimona, Boltson, Organza, Madras, Patternia, Needle, Lily, Damon, Flossie, Linen, Lycra, Lou, Silky, Cloth, Dressal, Velvet, Angora, Rollag, Brigitta, Archie, Sasha, Marble, Threada, Crochet, Violet, and Indigo! Please tune in tomorrow morning at 6 o'clock, first for unabridged footage of the bloodbath, and then for my commentary over every single frame. Have a great night!"
