Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games no matter how much I would like to. So now we're getting into the interesting stuff, the interviews and the start of the actual games.

We sat around the television waiting as they announced our scores. I was worried, scores meant potential sponsors and if you scored low they were less likely to pick you. Finnick had reminded me earlier that scores didn't matter, people could be faking in order to come across as less of a threat and the ones with higher scores are usually always targeted first.

They called the boy's score first, the careers had gotten in the 8-10 range and those from 3 got 6s and 7s. I could tell he was nervous the careers wouldn't want him on their side if he didn't score at least a 7 any lower than that and he would be dead weight.
'... 5' His whole face just dropped, the careers would kill him on sight if he tried to follow them and continue to be a part of their alliance.
'It's okay, a 5s okay.' Me and Finnick look at each other knowing that no matter what his mentor says that this kid has lost his chance, careers don't play weak. They play to win.
'Juniper Odair, District 4...' We all go silent as my name is announced, I broke their machine they could be pretty pissed and score me low or they could be impressed and score me high, either way I'm a target.
'11' The number flashes repeatedly on the screen. Shit now I'm definitely a target hardly anyone ever scores higher than a 10. Shit.

Finnick runs to me and pulls me into a hug, spinning me around in his arms. Everyone is clapping and cheering except the boy who sits quiet in the corner scowling, wishing he could be me.
'Finnick, did I do good?' I look into his sea-green eyes longing for my brother's approval.
'No you didn't...' No it was my turn for my face to drop in disappointment, 'because you did great.' He picked me up laughing and spun me around again.

It was interview time and my stylists spent forever getting me ready, they had picked my theme and I was so hoping for shy and hidden but no they picked sexy and mysterious. They thought that everyone in the Capitol knew me as that shy, little girl but if she disappeared it would leave them wondering and begging to know more about me and where that little girl went.

I was dressed in tight, low-cut, black jeans with a woven brown belt lying on my hips. A see-though, netted black singlet clung to my chest and plain, black, 6-inch heels decked out my feet. My jewellery was simple and my hair hung loose around my shoulders still streaked with the blue and pink. My make-up was fierce with black, smokey eyes and shiny, red lips. I looked cool yet scary, the person you saw and were always afraid to talk to because they looked like they could cut you to pieces.

We walk single file across the stage as the crowd cheers and are seated in an arc to the left of the main stage in order of districts. One by one they start to step onto the stage each with a different gimmick in order to make themselves noticed. My turn comes quickly each interview lasts only three minutes and seeing as I'm 7th I really don't get that much time to prepare. Be confident, answer all the questions but not fully, leave them wanting more, be mysterious.
'Juniper Odair, District 4.' Caesar Flickerman screams my name and gestures for me to join him on the stage. I rise making sure to smile and wave at the crowd as I make my way up the steps to centre stage.

I reach Caesar and shake his outstretched hand; he takes mine in his and plants a kiss on the tips of my knuckles. I sit down next to him as the crowd roars and stamps their feet.
'It's good to see you again my dear, the last time I saw you you were this tiny, shy, little thing. What happened, you're stunning. Isn't she stunning?' The crowd cheers as a picture from my last interview with Caesar from when Finnick was in the Hunger Games flashes across the screen behind us.
'Thank you Caesar, I was just so sick of Finnick being the beautiful one so I decided to show him up.' The crowd laughs along with Caesar who is shaking his head.
'Well your brother is rather beautiful, but nothing when he is compared to you right now. Speaking of your brother, that was quite a scene he made at your reaping, hey?'
'Finnick loves me more than anything, he was just concerned.' Finnick was looking at me begging me to say it he was nodding but I couldn't it wasn't right, the words tasted like vomit as they fell out of my mouth. 'He just didn't want me to steal his glory, he's a hero and nobody likes to be outshone by their little sister.'
The crowd was nodding in agreement as if the understood what I was going through, living my whole life in my brother's shadow but none of it was true. He loved me to much to watch me die I hated having people think of him that way.
'Yes, yes I know how it feels, I was so nervous when I first took up this job. I didn't think I'd measure up to the previous interviewer but there's always room in this world for more than one celebrity. Now I've been hearing rumours my dear that you have a little problem, medically. Care to comment?'

Shit, that's all that was going through my mind, shit, shit, shit, shitty shit. how the hell does someone find out something like that. I saw my face on the screen, it had gone pale white and the audience had gone quiet. No one wants to back a dying girl. I had to do something and fast.
'Oh Caesar nothing to serious. I just have a little problem with sugar you see. And it's making it really hard to sit next to you right now. Because... because... because you're just so darn sweet.' I winked at him and blew a kiss causing him to blush and the crowd to roar.
'Well, my my my. I'm not sure your boyfriend would enjoy that would he?'
'Boyfriend? No offence to the boys in 4 but none of them compare to these Capitol boys so I'm holding out for one of them.' I looked over Caesar's shoulder and saw Thresh laughing and shaking his head, it totally ruined his badboy demeanour but thankfully for him I was the only one looking.
'Did you hear that boys she's single and looking for love, maybe if she wins you'll get lucky.' Every guy in the audience was on their feet screaming and the peacekeepers were having to hold them back as they tried to rush the stage. I blew them a few kisses and they started to scream even harder and peacekeepers were pouring in from every door.
'Well I can see that everyone wants you to stay longer,' he was having to scream above the noise, 'but sadly your time is up. Good luck my dear.' He kissed me on the cheek before I went to sit back down. I felt sorry for the boy no one was paying him any attention and it was only half way through his interview before they eventually quietened down and started to pay attention to something other than me.

I thought I had this interview thing in the bag until 12 comes out and reveals his secret love affair with the other tribute from 12. Unrequited love like that blows sex out of the water, he took over everyone's interest and when we stood for the anthem all the cameras were focused on them.

As we are hearded back stage and to the cars, thresh grabs my arm and pulls me into his closing the door before anyone else can enter. He takes off the hat he was probably forced to wear and holds it out to me.
'You hate crowds I can tell, and by the colour of your face you could use this.'
He pushes it into my hands and I grab it and vomit up everything I had to eat that day. The whole time he holds back my hair and rubs my back whilst I ruin his hat, his stylist's going to kill him.
'I thought you were amazing' he says when I finish defiling his head wear. '12s got nothing on you'

I smile but have no time to answer as the car stops and we are lead into the building by peacekeepers. Thresh's stylists catches up to us in the elevator and Thresh shoves the vomit filled hat into his hands and shrugs.
'Accident.' he grumbles and the guys face is priceless which causes to laugh so hard tears begin to stream down my face. The elevator stops at my floor first and Finnick raises an eyebrow when he sees us. Me clutched over gasping for breath, the stylist stuttering and motioning at the hat and Thresh holding me up grinning like an idiot, we must have looked like we were crazy.
'Ahem, well um... bye 11 this is umm... my floor. I'll catch you tommorrow.' I blush and stumble out of the elevator as Finnick stares at me.
'Umm, yeah bye. Try not to die. I'll be seeing you' the doors shut on his face which has gone as red as a beetroot.

'Making friends I see. Alliance?' I punch him in the arm and nod. He gives me a look of approval.
'Just be careful though, you can't always trust people. And by the way you were absolutely perfect tonight.' He pulls me in for a one armed hug and shoves me towards the living room.

We re-watch our performances whilst the stylists, Connie and Finnick and the other mentor make comments on what we did well and what could have been better as we ate our dinner. I watch Finnick the entire time knowing that if I die in the games this will be the last time that I will ever see him. I could tell he was fighting back tears, he was worried about me. He'd have to watch everything that I'll go through and he won't be able to stop it.

When it's over Finnick pulls me into the dining room away from everyone else. He holds me as we both cry for hours.
'I'll be there every step of the way. Get to the Cornucopia, get your medicine, then run like hell. Get away from there, I'd want you to stay away initially but you need that medicine okay?' I nod and he pulls me in for one last hug before we both return to our bedrooms.

Tatiana wakes me up before dawn, she hands me some simple underclothes to wear. I won't get the proper outfit until we arrive at the actual arena. She chatters away as we head to the roof where a hovercraft is circling. I grab a hold of the ladder that descends and my whole body freezes, I'm left like that until a tracker is injected into my arm. It takes a little less than 2 hours to get to the arena; we descend into a small launch room.

I shower, brush my teeth and take my meds remembering what Finnick told me about getting to them no matter what, without it I'm dead. It's what's most likely going to kill me. When I'm done Tatiana puts my hair in a simple ponytail, the coloured streaks running down either side of my face and she gives me the clothes that I have to wear. Simple tawny pants, light green blouse, sturdy brown belt, and thin, hooded black jacket that falls to my thighs.
'Finnick gave me this, it's your token.' She pulls out the bandanna Annie made me, I haven't had a chance to wear it yet and Finnick must have found it in my stuff, she ties it in my hair and it begins to remind me of home.
'Please don't let them see me die.' I whisper to myself.

A voice announces that it's time to prepare for the launch. I walk to the glass cylinder and stand on the metal plate. Tatiana is overcome with joy, it's the moment she's been waiting for since the day she met me.
'Finally it's your turn. No more living on your brother's shadow.' I turn away from her and nod as I wipe the tears off my cheeks. I will not let them see me cry. The metal plate rises and the cool air floods my lungs as I rise into the arena. I hear Claudius Templesmith's voice echo around the arena.
'Ladies and Gentlemen, let the 74th Hunger Games begin.'

As I stand waiting on my plate I observe my surroundings, they're beautiful unlike some years with deserts or freezing mountains. We are so lucky. We're on a flat, open stretch of ground. A plain of hard-packed dirt. Behind the tributes across from me, I can see nothing, indicating either a steep downward slope or even cliff. To my right lies a lake. To my left and back, spars piney woods. I glance at the Cornucopia trying to find my medicine but there are so many containers I can't tell which is mine until I spot it a medium-sized, white briefcase with the letters XG printed in large, red letters. That's mine.
The gong sounds and I run, I don't even bother to look around I just sprint for that case I see the girl from 6 running alongside me. We reach the Cornucopia at the same time and I grab the weapon closest to me a giant axe and swing as hard as I can in her direction, I didn't aim high enough and catch her in the legs slicing them clean off. I have no time to be horrified I grab the case, a black backpack and I shove the axe in my belt.
'BLONDIE' I hear the scream over the racket and spin just in time to see Thresh running into the nothingness I noticed before. I smile and run out of the chaos following. No one bothers to attack me they're all preoccupied in getting their own stuff so I'm safe. For now.

The slope leads into a field with grass that stretches up over my head, I can't see much. It's dangerous but it's also a great place to hide. I walk slowly aware of my surroundings; Thresh may not be the only one in here. There's only a small chance of the cameras watching me, they'll be focused on the bloodbath, I'll only be featured if I'm in immediate danger. Out of nowhere a knife slashes in front of me, I jump back just in time as the blade stops inches from my throat. Thresh's eyes are wide and crazy, his breath heavy.
Tsk tsk 11, you know you could kill someone doing that.' I pushed the blade out of my face as Thresh rolled his eyes at me.
'Oh. It's just you I thought it was someone remotely dangerous.'
'Ha ha very funny, be careful next time, I could've died.'
'Yeah because that never happens in places like this.'
A large crash off in the distance made us realise we were still very much in danger. Thresh grabbed my hand and started pulling me through the long grass.
'Hurry up blondie it isn't safe here.'
'Calm down Thresh, do you really think anyone is going to follow a mountain into a place height is an advantage. I don't think so.'
'Still we can't camp here, let's keep going find some where good.'