Here's the second part of the interviews.

Iris Lasumi, Age 22

"Next up, we have with us Carlina Trask!"

I watch as Carlina bounces in, giving the Capitol a wide smile.

"You seem happy," Caesar notes with a chuckle as she takes a seat beside him.

"I am," She responds. "The Capitol is so lovely!"

"I'm glad you like it!" Caesar says. "Please, tell us a little bit about yourself."

"Well, I have a twin sister," Carlina begins. "And…" Her voice trails off for a moment before she continues, and it's clear that she can barely get the words out. "And my mom is, um… dead."

A murmur of sympathy ripples through the crowd, and she gives a grateful smile.

"That's awful," Caesar coos, "I hope you can win."

Carlina laughs. "I do too."

Verin is the next person to enter, wearing a guarded expression on his face. He gives Caesar a curt nod before sitting down.

"Are you feeling good tonight, Verin?"

"Yeah," He responds, his tone laced injected with sarcasm, "I'm feeling wonderful."

Caesar pretends as though he didn't' hear the sarcasm. "Wonderful! Alright, let's dive right in: why did you volunteer at the Reaping? We're all dying to know, as it seems as though you had no relation to the tribute.

"The Capitol made me," Verin retorts, his voice clipped. "My dad was killed when I was three because he was thought to be leading a rebellion. Instead of killing the rest of my family, it was decided that I would go into the Hunger Games once I turned 18."

"Oh," Is Caesar's only reply for a while. "Well, that seems like a reasonable punishment. After all, you could always win!"

Verin opens his mouth, then shakes his head and closes it again, giving short responses for the rest of the interview.

"Let's give a big, warm welcome to Alyxandra Lernan!"

Alyxandra gives an attempt at a smile as she walks onto the stage, but it's clear she's nervous. A dark blue gown adorns her, and she wears tall blue heels.

"So Alyxandra, what's your life like back home?"

"I have two siblings, a younger brother and a younger sister. We're very close to each other. My mom's really sick right now. My goal is to win so that I can get enough money for her to recover."

The crowd lets out a collective sigh of empathy, and there are a few cheers at Alyxandra's last words.

"That's so sweet! I think many of us will be rooting for you in the arena," Caesar says. Alyxandra smiles.

"Thank you," She murmurs. "I'll try my best to win."

When Marco Shavel enters the stage, he's flanked by two peacekeepers, and his eyes are red, probably from crying.

"So, um… Marco," Caesar says, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, "How are you doing?"

There's no answer from the man beside him.

"Are you scared about the games?" Still no answer. After asking a few more questions to no avail, Caesar goes quiet, and the rest of the interview passes in an awkward silence. There's an obvious breath of relief when his buzzer finally rings.

"We now invite Rois McCormack to the stage!" Caesar begins questioning her as soon as she sits down. "So, Rois, got any allies?"
"I do, actually," She says, "The girl from District 12. I think we'll make a pretty good team. We're going to be a force to be reckoned with in the arena."

"I'm sure you will be. What's your strategy for the bloodbath?"
Rois shrugs and gives a short, humorless laugh. "I'm just going to rush into the fray and try not to die." There's a chuckle from the crowd. "I suppose I'll try to get my hands on a weapon. After all, it's hard to win without one."

It's hard not to notice the girly shape that Albin has when he enters the stage. He waves at the crowd and shows off a warm smile, a shimmering crowd resting atop his dark curls.

"So, Albin, do you have anything interesting about yourself?"

"Well, I'm, uh…" He pauses awkwardly, "A transgender."

Oh. That explains it.

There's a mixed reaction from the crowd, some cheering estatically while others give large boos of anger. Most just stay silent, surprised by the revelation.

"Wow," Caesar says. "When did you… you know… become a boy?"

Albin shrugs. "It was a while back," he says, waving his hand nonchalantly. "I've been happier ever since I made the choice, though."

"Have your friends given you a hard time about it?" Caesar questions.

"Some of the kids at school tease me about it, but the majority of people are pretty cool with it. My family was really supportive of the decision. They always support me with everything I do. I hope I can make it home to them."

Maylee comes onto the stage looking angry in her violet dress. She glares at the crowd as she lowers herself into the plush armchair next to Caesar. He smiles at her, but she doesn't return it.

"So, has the Capitol been good to you so far?"

"Yeah, they've been so kind to me," She says sarcastically. "I'm so thankful to be heading to my inevitable death in order to entertain them." Caesar gulps and gives a quick shrug.

"So… how's your family life back home? Any love interests?" He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, earning a laugh from the audience.

"Yes, I do." Maylee suddenly stands. "I love Jon Winsi."

The entire crowd goes so silent that I swear you could hear a pin drop. After a moment of complete and utter quiet, Caesar whispers, "You mean… the other District 10 tribute?"

"Yes!" Maylee exclaims. "We have been best friends since we were little. Someday, we could've gotten married, but thanks to you, we'll never get that chance! We'll never get to have a happy ending because of you sick Capitolites!" She continues to rant even after the buzzer for her interview rings, and she's forced to be dragged off by Peacekeepers.

Jon looks shocked and scared as he enters the light. "Are you alright? You look pale," Caesar notes as he sits.

"I'm fine," He murmurs, "I just… didn't expect Maylee to act like that."

"Neither did the rest of the Capitol," Caesar says, gaining a chuckle. "Is it true that you and Maylee are best friends?"

"Yeah," Jon replies, "We're really close. I… sort of have a crush on her." His eyes flit up to the crowd then back down to his hands, which seem to be shaking.

"Well, maybe we could make a alteration to make it possible to have both of you win," Caesar suggests. Jon laughs but shakes his head.

"I wish that could happen," He says, "But I'm not going to get my hopes up."

"Put your hands together for Angelica Broome," Caesar crys, clapping as Angelica enters and gives the crowd a sweet smile.

"Do you have any siblings, Angelica?"

"Yeah. I have a little brother named Jaime. He's everything to me. If I don't come home, he'll be devastated."
"I hope you can win, then," Caesar sympathizes, "Though your odds can't be good, being so young."

"I might be young, but I'm tough," Angelica promises. "Trust me when I say I shouldn't be counted out of these games."

"I'm sure you'll do well," Caesar promises. "Next up, we have Angelica's district partner, Cole!"

"Now, Cole, do you have a strategy for the games?"

"Not really," He replies honestly, "I'm just going to try and stay alive for as long as possible and hope for a miracle."

"It must be pretty great to have a parent as a victor," Caesar notes. Cole shrugs.

"I guess so," He responds. "My mom has some pretty good advice."

"Do you have any allies?" Caesar asks.

"I do! I'm allied with Angelica and Beckett," Cole explains, "I think we're going to be a pretty powerful force."

Caesar nods, then says, "Any last words for our audience?"

Cole turns to face the camera. "Mom, dad… wherever you might be right now, I want you to know that I love you. Don't worry about me in the arena. I'll come back to you, I promise."

Erin comes on with a scowl on her face, her curly black hair ridden with tiny pink bows.

"Erin, please tell us all about your life back home."

"It's terrible," Erin responds with a snort, "The kids there are all jerks and my family struggles to eat every day. Not that any of you care." There's a pause as Caesar chews his lip awkwardly.

"What do you think is your biggest strength?" He finally asks. Erin shrugs.

"Probably my resourcefulness," She decides after a moment of thought. "I may not be the strongest tribute of the bunch, but I'm clever. I think I can win these games as long as I don't lose my head."

Beckett Roy gets a huge cheer, as him volunteering for his brother has made him one of the most popular tributes in the games. I make sure to give a loud holler for him. He doesn't seem to thrilled by the extra attention, though.

"Beckett, it's so lovely to meet you at last," Caesar shouts enthusiastically. "We're all very excited to finally get to know you. Now, let's get right down to business: would you say you have a good relationship with your brother? After all, it takes a lot of gut to volunteer."

Beckett just shrugs. "I guess so, yeah. I don't think I'm that special, though. Volunteering is what every good sibling would have done."
"It's still very noble to have done a thing like that, though," Caesar tells him. "I heard your in an alliance with the pair from District 11. Is this true?"

Beckett nods. "They seem pretty trustworthy. It sucks that only one of us will be able to win the Hunger Games." His voice lowers a little. "I only hope that I can make it home alive."

His buzzer rings, marking the end of the interviews. It suddenly hits me that the games are tomorrow.

I can't wait.

Two more chapters until the bloodbath!