Chapter 21:

Courtney Cassini, 16, District Six

Courtney is ready for the interviews. But then again, she's been ready for everything so far in the Capitol. She knows there should be some worry about the Games – and there is – but she can't focus on it. She knows her odds, having done a calculation of them, and there is a chance that these could be her last few days left alive. She wants to take full advantage of them and enjoy every moment. And she would say tonight is a fun way to spend what could be her final days. Getting all dressed up – although she's so glad that she convinced her stylist the other day during the chariots that she should have pants – and showing the Capitol what she can do. She's excited to be out in front of the crowd and tell them about the things she loves.

A few other people have arrived before Courtney, including one of her allies. Courtney heads over to Amelia, grinning at her ally before doing a double take at the District Two tributes and how there are two people wearing dresses there.

"Miss Venus Nahara," the girl standing with Bellona says at Courtney's stares. "And you'll understand soon why I am here instead of my boy Odyssey Gunderson."

Bellona rolls her eyes at her, but she still grins at her District partner as she looks at Anastacia and Major. "See what I mean about the actual queen?"

Courtney shrugs and turns back to Amelia, finding her ally not sure how to respond to Venus either. "Odyssey is a drag queen, who would have known?" Amelia shrugs at her before fidgeting with part of her jumpsuit.

Courtney smiles at her and points between them. "Hey look, unintentional matching!"

"Yeah," Amelia says, smiling a bit before sighing nervously as she looks over at the door that will lead them out onto the stage. "I'm…nervous about what she might ask me."

"Kora?" Courtney asks and Amelia turns back to her, nodding her head and biting her lip anxiously.

Amelia sighs as she looks over at some of the other tributes arriving. "I hate talking about my feelings."

"It will be fine!" Courtney tells her, but from the look she gives her, she can tell Amelia doesn't believe that. "Seriously! You just have to stay focused on the positives. Carpe diem! So just go out there and be honest about things!"

Amelia starts to scowl a little bit about this, but before Courtney can try to say something optimistic or Amelia can counter this, an announcement is made to the tributes. "Attention tributes. Please get in line in your designated spots. The interviews will be starting in five minutes."

"Good luck," Courtney tells Amelia, smiling at her ally.

"You too," Amelia says quietly before looking at the careers around her nervously.

Courtney starts walking back to the spot nearly the wall with District Six labeled on it. She passes Eva on her way over, stopping to wave at her and say hi. "Hi Eva! Good luck!"

"I don't need luck" Eva says with a huff, her attitude something that Courtney has just come to know is her typical self. "I need coffee."

"Well maybe you can ask for some while we wait," Courtney suggests, just getting a shrug from Eva as she turns back to facing Demarcus' back, telling her she's done talking. Courtney shrugs at her before taking a few steps to stand between Davy and Elias. She doesn't let herself get bothered by Eva, knowing Eva doesn't want to get close to her or Amelia. After all, what's the point in letting that bother her? She can't change Eva.

The tributes all slowly start to quiet as the crowds muffled cheers become louder, and the screens positioned backstage for them to watch show Kora walking out onto the stage, grinning and waving at the crowd. "Hello everybody! It is time for us to hear from our twenty-two tributes for the Sixth Quarter Quell!" She pauses to let the crowd cheer in excitement, and Courtney finds herself also excited. She rubs her hands together, fidgeting a little from having to stand still and wait. "Each tribute will get their time to shine, so let's get started! Up first is District One's Anastacia Astoria!"

Anastacia walks out onto the stage, cool and collected as she pushes her long black hair, curled and interwoven with stars that light up, over her shoulders and out of her way. She has her shoulders back, looking elegant in the silver dress she wears. The higher neckline on it gives her a reserved and elegant appearance. It loosely cinches at her waist, giving her a defined figure. An asymmetric slit in the front of the dress that goes up to her mid thigh lets her show off her toned legs and a small splash of color in the form of her pink heels. The only jewelry she wears is a pair of earrings that match her ring with a goshenite gem and two padparadscha sapphires tucked on either side. She looks absolutely stunning as she gives an aloof smile at the crowd, hiding the nerves that had been showing moments before.

"Welcome, Anastacia!" Kora says, getting loud cheers from the crowd in their excitement over the interviews starting. Anastacia tries to keep smiling pleasantly at the host, but still comes off a little cool. "Let's kick these things off with hearing about what inspired you to volunteer!"

The smile fades as she faces Kora. "There's too many people out there suffering without anyone reaching out to them. People coming from abusive households that have nowhere to go. Children sick in a District with so many victors, yet no one steps in to help. Hundreds of people just need someone to offer them a hand and help. And I…" She pauses to take a deep breath, "I am going to be that person."

"Wow…" Kora says, stunned into silence. "Was there something that inspired you to have this mission?"

"Yes," Anastacia says quietly as she looks down at the ring on her hand. She takes a deep breath before looking back up at Kora, "My best friend Pad was pushed to suicide by abuse in their home and the other trainees. We were only thirteen and I couldn't do much to help them…but I could now. And I will as victor."

"It certainly won't be an easy task becoming victor, especially with the Quell twist," Kora tells her and Anastacia gives her a cool look. "And not to bring up the elephant in the room, but you did get the lowest score out of the careers-"

"A 9 can still punch any of them into next week," Anastacia cuts Kora off, getting cheers from the crowd at her sass.

"Indeed," Kora says before the buzzer goes off. "Well we're looking forward to you punching everyone into next week. Anastacia Astoria, everyone!"

The crowd applauds loudly for her until Kora quiets them down to bring out the next tribute. "Now let's hear from Anastacia's District partner, Major Emerson-Ness!"

Major struts out onto the stage, waving cheerfully at the crowd and grinning at them. He does not look like he earned one of the highest training scores, looking too cutesy to be a lethal killing machine, but his score says otherwise. His pale blond hair has been perfectly styled to the side and two light pink bows have been placed in it. He wears a suit, but quite a different one from the rest of the boys. He wears a pastel blue suit with a white frilly blouse under a cropped jacket, lined with white accents on the pockets, and a matching a-line skirt with a ruffled edge. Courtney even thinks he might have some makeup on. He stops to blow the crowd a few over the top kisses before turning to take his seat with Kora, making sure to swing his hips as he walks over to his seat. He turns around and winks at the crowd over his shoulder, making them all go nuts.

"Okay Major," Kora starts out the interview, but Major responds before she can ask anything.

"Okay Kora," Major says, still doing his best to look cute for the crowd.

Kora grins at him before turning so her attention is fully on him and she props her chin on her hand. "We've all been curious since we have seen your appearance during the reapings, chariots, and now, yet you earned an impressive eleven. How exactly did you get that score?"

Major laughs loudly at this and wink at the crowd. "You'll just have to wait and see!"

"Oh that's not fair!" Kora teases him, only make Major laugh even more at her reaction. "You're lucky we don't have to wait much longer to see, but just know we're all very impatiently waiting."

"So am I!" Major answers, getting the crowd to laugh with him. "I can't wait to get to the Games and show you what I can do!"

"Now I've heard that there's a bit of a history in your family with the Games," Kora starts, and Major slowly nods his head at this. "One that is connected with your very own mentor, Emilio Signe! Care to tell us about that?"

Major grows serious as he talks about his family. "My parents were two of many that tried to volunteer for the 121st Hunger Games. They both came in second to volunteering and through that, they met, decided to have me, and now well, here I am and ready to carry on their legacy."

The crowd cheers at this and Kora says, "We love a family legacy!"

"I won't let them down, I assure you," Major says coolly, finally showing a hint of the person that could have earned one of the highest scores. "Everything they have done has prepared me to win these Games. That's how I earned an eleven."

"And we love that!" Kora says at the buzzer before pretending to be upset at it. "Well damn, we must end here. Major Emerson-Ness!"

Major is immediately back to the cute and cheerful behavior as he jumps up from his seat and waves at the cheering crowd as he moves to take his spot next to Anastacia, who rolls her eyes at his behavior.

"We're heading to District Two next with Bellona Silvanus!"

Bellona walks out onto the stage with the confidence one would expect from the careers. Her dark brown hair has been braided into a crown, interwoven with golden feathers that match the pattern on her dress. She shines in the lights, the golden feathers spread strategically throughout the shear black mesh appearing to be made out of real gold – which, it might be, considering it's the Capitol – and a black velvet belt cinches her waist. Her look is completed with small accents of burgundy in her lipstick and heels. Bellona waves at the crowd, looking absolutely relaxed in front of them.

"Welcome, Bellona!" Kora says as Bellona greets her with a friendly smile. "Now in the past, we have seen some big rivalries between the pair from your District."

"Like Decima and Coeus?" Bellona asks and Kora nods her head in agreement. "Well just look at those two. They were ticking time bombs of anger!"

The crowd laughs at this and Kora nods, "True, we did see that happen. But based on the reaping, it doesn't seem like that will be the case, but tell us, Bellona, will we see a united District Two this year?"

"Absolutely," Bellona answers immediately with as much confidence as she can muster. "Unlike in the past, we've been working together for months to ensure that District Two will have another Quell victor."

"Aiming to be just like your mentor, huh?" Kora asks and Bellona nods her head. "But this Quell twist is a bit more challenging than Glacia's was, wouldn't you agree? How do you think that will affect your odds?"

"Kat has made sure we're as prepared as possible," Bellona tells Kora and gets a few cheers from the crowd at the mention of the victor. "And based on certain things that I don't think we're allowed to talk about because of Head Gamemaker Seraphim, I think my chances of winning are very high."

"Now if you do win, what do you have waiting for you back home?" Kora asks the girl. "Family? Friends? Any romantic interest?"

"Just family and friends," Bellona shakes her head, but her cheeks get the faintest hint of a blush. "No romantic interest to return to. There's no time for that when you're working on becoming the Quell victor!"

Bellona looks relieved when the buzzer goes off and Kora can't keep asking her about people back home. The crowd cheers loudly for her as Kora sends her off, "Bellona Silvanus!"

"For our next interview, we have a special guest," Kora tells the crowd, getting looks of confusion. "We have known him as Odyssey Gunderson, but tonight she is Venus Nahara!"

The next person to walk out on the stage completely outshines Major's charisma and dramatic act. Venus Nahara looks more stunning than Courtney does. Her blonde hair is curled and pinned into an elegant updo, keeping her face open to show off the delicate makeup that has been applied. She wears a stunning velvet blue gown, with her left shoulder having a giant diamond and sapphire covered design on it – matching the piece on her right hip – and her right shoulder having a long draping cape. A long slit goes up the right side of the floor length gown, a risky design choice that Venus has no problem with. She walks out in silver heels at a slow, confident pace, waving at the crowd and stopping at the front of the stage to strike a pose, hands on her hips as she faces them. When they all cheer for her, she laughs loudly and waves at them to quiet down. "Stop, stop, you're all too kind!"

"Welcome, welcome," Kora tells Venus as she sits down, taking Kora's hand and kissing the back of it, making the host laugh.

"Yes, queen, you look stunning tonight," Venus tells her right away.

"Well I could say the same thing to you!" Kora answers and Venus laughs pleasantly. "Now how about you introduce yourself to the crowd and tell us a little bit about how you got started?"

"Well I am Miss Venus Nahara," Venus starts to tell Kora. "And if you couldn't tell, I am a drag queen! I've been doing this for a few years now, with the help of Misha back home, but it's my dream to be here in the Capitol doing this for a living!"

"Misha?" Kora asks curiously and Venus nods her head as she flushes a little. "Like the victor Misha Harington? How did that happen?"

"Well you know how active Mr. Harington has been in the pride community in Two," Venus tells her and the crowd cheers at this statement. "He has been so gracious to host drag nights and that's how I've been able to perform in Two! But it is absolutely nothing compared to being up on the stage for all you lovely queens here in the Capitol!"

"Well we sure hope to see you performing here again!" Kora tells Venus and she puts a hand over her chest as she smiles gratefully at the host. "But first you must win the Games – well, Odyssey must."

Venus laughs pleasantly at this. "You won't catch this queen fighting but don't worry, my boy Odyssey is going to win. We both came here to slay!"

"We're looking forward to it!" Kora says, just before the buzzer. "Miss Venus Nahara, everyone!" Venus blows kisses at the crowd as she heads off to her seat, giving dramatic air kisses on the cheeks to her allies. Anastacia looks a little amused by it, while Major gives a forced smile. Bellona laughs loudly at Venus kissing her on the cheek, shaking her head in amusement as Venus sits next to her.

"Alright everyone," Kora says to the crowd, her tone growing more somber as the crowd gets restless. "We are moving to District Three. First up is Amelia Fensa!"

"Go Amelia!" Courtney cheers on her ally as she starts to walk out on the stage and Courtney can see her smile growing a little more confident as she walks out in front of the crowd. Her brown hair has been kept down, curled and flowing down across her shoulders. Makeup has been applied to cover the bags under her eyes, as well as give her a dramatic smoky eye. She wears a strapless black jumpsuit, the bodice lined with lace that drapes down from her hips, forming a mini cape behind her. A silver metal belt is tight around her waist and Amelia adjusts it as she sits down before slowly giving the crowd nervous smile, making them even more receptive to her and her confidence starts to grow even more.

"Hello, Amelia," Kora says to her gently. Amelia does her best to smile back at the host. "How have you been doing in the past year?"

Amelia opens her mouth to speak before letting out a sigh. "Do you want the fake answer or the honest one?"

"Honest answer," Kora says and reaches out, putting her hand on top of Amelia's hand.

Amelia takes a second to respond, "I've been better…there are days when the pain is so fresh and it's hard to even get out of bed and other days when it's numb, but tolerable. Things have gotten better since getting to Three."

"And how has the university program been? And what inspired you to apply?" Kora asks, still being gentle with Amelia, making her slowly become more relaxed.

"Well it's not a walk in the park," Amelia scoffs, turning surprised when the crowd laughs at her joke. She slowly starts smiling as she continues, "As for why I applied…I made a promise to Clark that I would apply at his victor tour. It's all thanks to him that I got myself back on track so…" Amelia looks out at the crowd, finding the mentors and searching until she finds the youngest one there. "Thank you, Clark."

The cameras find the victor in the crowd and he forces himself to smile at Amelia, but his face is full of pain as he stares up at her on the stage. Astrid puts a comforting arm around him and he toughens his face as he gently brushes her away, only making her laugh.

The attention quickly returns back to Amelia and Kora. "Well we are glad that you have picked yourself back up after what happened last year."

Amelia's face hardens at the reference to the previous year and she clenches her fists and blinks her eyes a few times, holding in tears. "I'm going to win for him."

The buzzer sounds and Amelia is met with loud applause – applause matching that given to the careers – and surprise is on her face as she stands up. "Amelia Fensa!"

She keeps her head held high as she walks to her seat, doing her best not to be intimidated by the careers she passes. Meanwhile, Kora gets ready to bring out the next guest. "It's time for Amelia's District partner, Calvin Tailor!"

Calvin walks out onto the stage, keeping his emotions locked down as he faces the crowd. He walks with his shoulders back as he keeps a brave look on his face. His stylist has put him in a relatively tame outfit by Capitol standards, just a classic black tuxedo, complete with a bowtie, but it makes him look sharp. He takes his seat next to Kora, giving her a greeting in the form of a head nod. He unbuttons his suit jacket to make himself more comfortable before shaking the hosts hand.

"Now Calvin, this isn't the first time you've been interviewed by the Capitol, just by my mother instead of me," Kora says to him. Calvin's jaw tightens at this, but he nods his head. "How have things changed in those six years?"

"Everything has changed since we lost Bishop," Calvin tells her, doing his best to keep his face clear of emotions. "My parents couldn't handle it, claiming they weren't 'strong enough' to keep raising their two remaining sons. They left us, their sons." Calvin shakes his head at the thought of his parents, clenching his fists on his lap. "After that, I swore I was always going to do my best to be strong enough for Indy. He lost his parents, but he wasn't going to lose his older brother. And he still isn't going to lose his brother, you hear that Indy?"

"Yes, it can be tough losing a brother, as we have just seen," Kora tells him. "Do you feel prepared for these Games?"

"As prepared as I can possibly be," Calvin responds to her. "I know I have the brain to outsmart others and physical strength. Only thing I don't have is survival skills, but my ally makes up for that."

"And who is your ally?" Kora asks him, sounding curious even though she must know the answer.

"Arthur, from Eleven," Calvin answers. "No need to hide that information. He has skills that just simply aren't available to me coming from two industrial Districts. It's a good balance in the alliance."

"Well I'm looking forward to seeing how you two do together!" Kora says at the buzzer. "Thank you, Calvin Tailor!"

Calvin takes his spot next to Amelia, not giving much acknowledgement to her. "Now let's get ready for some fire as we head to District Four. First up is the other career that earned an eleven, Delta Zale!"

Delta storms out onto the stage, the red cape of her dress billowing behind her as the loud sound of her strappy silver heels slamming onto the floor are drowned out by the sound of the crowd. Her red dress is a statement piece, from its shorter asymmetric hemline across her thighs, to the deep v-neckline. But the most dramatic part is definitely the giant fluff on each shoulder attached the long, sheer red cape. Her red hair is straightened and slicked back, showing off the silver eyeshadow and simple nude lip she wears. Unlike Major, she has the attitude of one of the highest score earning tributes. The crowd doesn't even seem to mind that she doesn't smile or wave at them, just taking her seat next to Kora and contemplating for a few seconds how to cross her legs to not flash everyone with her short skirt.

"Alright, Delta," Kora starts, only looking slightly bothered by how fiery Delta is. "You're the youngest in the career alliance this year. Would you say your age puts you at a disadvantage?"

"I don't know, Kora, what does my score say?" Delta asks her and the crowd laughs, but she clearly wasn't joking. "I had the fastest increase in placement at the training center in Four. So I really don't think my age is going to matter. It won't stop me from winning."

"I think it would be hard to stop you, once you get your mind set on something," Kora tells her and Delta nods her head. "So what is your motivation for winning?"

"I'm winning for the Capitol," Delta answers, getting loud cheers of excitement from the crowd at this.

"An excellent reason to win," Kora agrees. "But what about family back home?"

"My father died over a year ago," Delta tells her, a scowl forming on her face. "And I don't care about my mother."

"Why not?" Kora asks curiously, getting a glare from Delta in return that she simply ignores.

"I have my reasons," Delta angrily answers. "She means nothing to me and I don't care about ever seeing her again when I win. She deserves it for what she did to my father when-"

The buzzer cuts Delta off and she scowls at this, but the crowd still cheers for her. "Delta Zale!" She storms off to her seat, and Kora keeps a pleasant smile on her face as she keeps moving on. "And the last of the careers, Demarcus Pollock!"

Demarcus is visibly nervous as he walks out onto the stage, met with cheers from the crowd. He pulls on his vibrant yellow suit and glances down at it as he walks out, clearly not looking too thrilled about it. But Courtney doesn't see why as the color looks nice against his darker skin. He does his best to smile out at the crowd and wave at them, and they respond well to him since he is one of their precious careers, but it's clear he's uncomfortable with all of their attention trained solely on him. He takes a deep breath as he approaches Kora, subtly wiping his hands on his pants before shaking the host's hand and taking his seat.

"Hello, Demarcus, how are you doing?" Kora asks him gently, easing him into the interview.

"A little nervous," Demarcus answers honestly as he glances between the crowd and Kora, again wiping his hands on his pants. "I-I don't do to well with big crowds."

"It's okay to be nervous," Kora tells him, putting a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "I'll let you in on a secret. Even I still get nervous before going out on stage."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Kora nods her head and smiles at him. "So that's okay if you're nervous. We'll start easy. How about you tell us three qualities of yours that you like the best?"

This question just seems to make Demarcus grow even more nervous and he looks down as he starts fidgeting with his hands. "I don't-" Demarcus starts shaking his head as he looks up at Kora, "I don't know – I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Kora says, patting his shoulder as he takes deep breaths to try and calm himself. "How about we talk about District Four? If you could bring one change to District Four, what would it be?"

Demarcus nods his head and picks up his head to look at Kora, clearly more comfortable with this question. "Four is great…but I would want to make mental health care more accessible to everyone… There are a lot of people that can't afford it when they need it so they can help their families." Demarcus nods his head a few times, finally starting to look more comfortable sitting on the stage with Kora. "That's what I would change."

"A noble thing to want to change, and I believe you can do it," Kora tells him, getting a small smile from him. "Would that be what you do as a victor?"

"Yes, for sure," Demarcus answers just before the buzzer. He lets out a sigh of relief as the crowd applauds him, but winces a little as he stands up.

"Let's give a big round of applause to Demarcus Pollock!" Kora says and the cheers grow for Demarcus as he heads to his seat, keeping his head down to avoid looking at his allies. "Next up is District Five, starting with Eva Orville Wright!"

Courtney also cheers on Eva has her other ally walks out for her interview, looking bored at this whole ordeal. But Courtney thinks she looks great, wearing a dress that Courtney wouldn't have felt comfortable in. The majority of the dress is white lace she can see through, from the high neckline, long sleeves, down to the floor. The bodice is covered with some white frills and a few silver and diamond broaches. If it wasn't for the skin tone bodysuit Eva wears underneath, she would be completely exposed. Topping off the look, her curly hair has been kept natural, the left side of it pulled back with a few small braids to show off more of her face. She has been given a simple makeup look, her stylist clearly choosing to let the dress be the statement piece in this look.

"Hello, Eva," Kora says as Eva tries to smile, but looks more like she wants to go to sleep than sit on this stage. "So, you didn't do too bad in training, earning a five. What do you think about your odds?"

"Not the best, but certainly not the worst," Eva gives a shrug at Kora as she leans back in her chair. "I'm not going to win any fights against careers, but I certainly have higher odds than some of the tributes here."

"But you're not working alone, are you?" Kora asks and Eva nods her head. "How did that alliance form?"

"Well I formed it," Eva answers. "I knew I wanted Amelia because she is smart and will get sponsors right away, something I probably won't get on my own."

"You don't know that for sure!"

Eva gives Kora a look that says she knows it's not true, before continuing, "And Courtney kind of just joined too. She's smart, so I suppose there's worst allies to have.

"Now there's something else tying the three of you together," Kora mentions and Eva lazily raises an eyebrow at her. "All three of you have interests in engineering – and you are a recent university scholarship recipient! Why did you choose to study mechanical and aerospace engineering?"

"Well why did you want to be a host?" Eva asks in return, but continues before Kora can answer. "I think planes are fascinating to study and I love tinkering. Simple as that. But I can assure you that I can do great things in my future, so you should consider sponsoring me."

The buzzer goes off before Kora can ask another question, and Eva gets mild applause from the crowd. "Eva Orville-Wright!" Kora says as the girl heads to her seat before announcing the last tribute up before it's Courtney's turn. "Now it is time for Eva's District partner, Davy Emmerich!"

While Demarcus had appeared nervous, Davy is a whole other level of nervous as he steps out onto the stage. He fidgets with the sleeves of his blue suit coupled with brown dress shoes, trying his best to smile out at the crowd, but it's a little closer to a grimace. His already curly blond hair has been curled even more, styled out of his face. Davy looks out at the crowd, seemingly searching for someone, and once he finds them, his smile grows a little more natural. He's still very nervous, but a little less so as he takes his seat with Kora, making sure to give her a handshake.

"Hello Davy," Kora says gently to the boy.

"Hello Miss Flickerman," Davy answers politely, only making Kora's smile grow.

"Just Kora, please," Kora tells him, chuckling a little. "Miss Flickerman makes me feel old! But how are you doing tonight?"

"Nervous," Davy tells her before looking out at the crowd and growing more petrified. "But I-I don't think I'm going to pass out."

"Well if you do, at least you're already sitting!" Kora tries to joke to get him to relax and he does turn his attention back to her, but his nerves are still clearly all over his face. "No need for Letha to jump in this time. What do you think about your mentor?"

"Mrs. Calder is wonderful," Davy answers, smiling a little bit as he thinks about her, and making the crowd 'aww' at him calling her that. "She…I always knew how kind she was and I'm really lucky she's my mentor."

"I think many of us would choose Letha as our mentor if we had to choose any victor!" Kora says, making Davy's smile grow just the tiniest bit. "So what do you like to do for fun in District Five?"

"I…" Davy nervously looks at the cameras before out at the crowd, looking out at the mentors. He stares over at Letha for a few seconds before turning back to Kora, seemingly debating how he wants to answer. "I…recently started a club at my school. With…with Letha's son, actually."

"Really?" Kora asks and Davy nervously nods his head. "What's it about?"

"Green energy in Five," Davy says softly, avoiding looking at the cameras.

"That's a good thing to support," Kora tells him and he picks up his head to look at her, finding her giving him a reassuring smile. "Very noble cause. How did you get involved in that?"

"Because…" Davy takes a deep breath and nervously looks out at his mentor once more. "Because of my parents," Davy says in a rush, his face turning bright red in nervousness at saying that out loud.

But before Kora can ask what specifically about his parents, the buzzer goes off, leaving the crowd hanging. "Well you have to win now so we can hear more about this!" Kora tells him, but Davy just looks relieved that his interview is done. "Davy Emmerich!" The crowd applauds him as he heads to his seat and Courtney starts bouncing on her feet, knowing what this means. "And we are reaching the halfway point with District Six! First up is…Courtney Cassini!"

Finally, it's Courtney's turn to head out on the stage, and she is ready for this. Why would she let herself be nervous about it? This could very well be one of her last nights alive, and she is going to live the most out of it. And being a nervous wreck certainly isn't how she wants to spend her life. She's glad that she has been placed in a jumpsuit, one that reminds her a little of her ally. But hers has long sleeves, capped with big poofs at her shoulders, attached to a sequined bodice with a very high neckline. At her waist, a chunky black belt with a gold buckle separates the sequins of the top and the plain black fabric of her pants. She does her best in the gold heels, but she's glad her stylist at least gave her a pair with very small heels. Her hair has been slicked back to stay tucked behind her ears, allowing the crowd to fully see her smile as she walks out onto the stage. For a moment, the sound of the crowd surprises her, but soon it only makes her grow more ready for her interview. These people here are living their best life, so she will too! She waves a little at the crowd as she makes her way over to Kora, before turning her smile towards the host.

"Hi Kora!" Courtney says cheerfully, feeling a bit exhilarated by the noise of the crowd and the knowledge that right now, everyone in Panem is watching her.

"Welcome, Courtney," Kora says in return, smiling pleasantly as she jumps into the questions. "So Courtney, can you tell us about some of your interests?"

"Absolutely!" Courtney answers, grinning at the host as she thinks about the things she loves. "I really love astronomy and that's why I plan to study aerospace engineering!"

Courtney pauses to catch her thoughts, and Kora takes the opportunity to ask her another question. "Would that be what you want to do if you win?"

Courtney nods her head at the host. "Definitely. I was already planning on applying to the District Three summer program next year and eventually university! I was so excited when the news was announced about the universities. Of course, I have to win first for that but I am hopeful about it! Carpe diem, you know? Can't have a pessimistic view about this or I really won't win. And I'm viewing this as a positive opportunity. If I win, well, now I know for sure that I can afford to attend university."

"It's good to have a positive outlook on life!" Kora agrees and Courtney nods her head, smiling at the host understanding her. "Now would you say you're looking forward to the party?"

"Yeah! It should be a fun time," Courtney responds.

"Well, I have heard a little rumor about the party," Kora says and Courtney looks at her curiously. "And that you will enjoy this rumor."

"Now I'm very curious," Courtney answers, laughing a little. "I'm guessing you're going to tell me?"

It's Kora's turn to laugh now. "You guessed correctly. At the party there is going to be a special guest performance by…Beyond The Realm!"

Courtney gasps loudly and grips the arms of her chair tightly. "No way!" She says, mouth hanging open in surprise. Her heart starts racing in excitement as Kora nods her head, confirming this is indeed happening. "Oh my God I get to see my favorite band!" Courtney says in a rush before squealing a little. She takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself back down since she knows she's still supposed to be doing an interview, but she can't help but grin at Kora. "That just made my entire night! Wow, okay, I can't wait for this party! I know I'm supposed to live each day like it could be my last, but right now I just want it to be tomorrow already!"

"Soon!" Kora says, laughing at how excited Courtney is as she starts bouncing in her seat, really unable to focus on anything other than knowing she will see BTR perform tomorrow. "What's your favorite thing about them?"

"Oh everything!" Courtney says, unable in that moment to think of a single specific thing. She's going to see them perform. She might get to meet them! "I hope I can hug them! I think I could die peacefully if I did!"

The buzzer sounds and Courtney blinks at it, surprised already that her time is up. It feels like she just started. But sure enough, Kora is motioning for her to stand up and announcing her, "Courtney Cassini!" The crowd applauds her and Courtney smiles out at them – part of it still her excitement about BTR – and waves at them as she heads towards her seat, happy with how the interview went. She had fun answering the questions and wasn't really nervous, so she would say that was a success. Even if it wasn't, she won't stress about it. After all, why stress about something she can't change?

"We are now officially at the halfway point!" Kora tells the crowd, getting some cheers from them. "At this time, we're going to take a short break and then we will be back with Elias Pilkvist!"

Ayy guess who's back! And now we only have five chapters left before the Games officially start :0 So here's the first part of the interviews with a conveniently timed audience break to separate it into two chapters lol XD Any surprises with these interviews? Hopefully I'll have part 2 done soon, but it probably won't be for another week or so because I'm gonna be out of town for a few days for comic con, which I'm super hyped about! I'm also hyped about this story lol, but obviously I'm not gonna have time to write those days XD

By time you've reached this point, I should have the interview outfits up on my random story blog for this half! If I'm not done with it yet, it will be up some time today.

Anyways, in other hype related things, I've officially opened up subs for my next partial, Legacy: The 137th Hunger Games! It will work in a similar structure to Wayward. All the info is up on my profile and I'm going to upload that story before we get to the party with this story! Just gotta have a few Wayward updates first. But I hope you'll all consider submitting!

Alrighty, see you all soon after the next Wayward!