Zetta Diamons Pov-
"Please put your hands together for Adelaide Hampton from District 5!"
Adelaide struts onto center stage. She wears a spring green suit and blue heels, and her raven-black hair cascades down her back.
"You look great today, Caesar," she compliments.
"Hey! I'm supposed to say that to you! Are you stealing my lines?" Caesar jokes.
They share a laugh.
"I'm sure we'd like to get to know more about you, Adelaide. What's home like?"
The girl flinches as if a thought has popped into her mind she's trying to repress. She suddenly seems occupied making sure her sleeve covers her entire arm.
Caesar coughs.
"Oh," the girl jumps. "Home's great. Lots of, well, energy all around, you might say. And the bread is delicious. Certainly different than the kind you have here."
"And what's the bread like?"
Adelaide sounds like she's swallowed a cookbook. "It's kind of dark, almost red. Burnt a bit at the edges."
Her buzzer sounds, and Adelaide walks off of the stage.
"Please give a warm welcome to Arthur Wattson, also of District 5!" Caesar shouts.
The lanky Arthur strolls onto stage, wearing a dark blue suit. As he sits down across from Caesar, I get the distinct impression that he looks like a scarecrow.
"How was training?" Caesar asks.
Arthur answers quickly. "Nothing much."
"Come on, three whole days, there has to be something to talk about!"
"Oh, alright," the boy admits, his tone uncannily like a growl. "I mostly stayed to myself. The survival stations and such."
The way his face works afterward tells me that he's silently adding something that he wishes he could say out loud.
"And the other tributes?" Caesar continues.
"They're… great."
Arthur just seems to be getting madder and madder with each answered question. His face is as red as a beet by the time his buzzer sounds.
"Next up is Lexus Beltran from District 6!"
The girl walks onto the stage wearing a silver skirt and heels. A large hairpiece made up of a crooked wagon wheel is affixed to the back of her head, and by the looks of things it's extremely heavy and cumbersome. Caesar offers Lexus his help to sit down in the chair without the hairpiece falling off.
"I love your outfit. It's very… original," Caesar says.
"Thanks. My stylist is responsible and I can't thank her enough," she says, but something about her voice tells me she'd give all the money in Panem to take the thing off.
That's when I notice small words etched into the wagon wheel.
"What are those words?" Caeser asks.
"The names of the Hunger Games victors."
"How many are there?"
"All of them."
Caesar points out the names of a few memorable victors before asking another question. "So, Lexus…"
"Lexie," she corrects. "Call me Lexie."
"So, Lexie, do you have anyone special back home?"
"Yep. Her name's Cara and she's perfect."
A giggle rolls over the audience before her buzzer sounds, and it takes Caesar's help to get her out of the chair and off the stage.
"Also from District 6, we now have the pleasure of hearing from Lincoln Blitz!"
Lincoln comes into the spotlight. His warped green suit reminds me of camouflage, and he blends almost perfectly into the chair once he sits down.
Caesar leans back, as if shocked. "I see a floating head," he says. A chorus of laughter rises from the audience.
"How are you today, Lincoln?" he asks.
"Great. How are you today, Caesar?"
He answers, "I'm doing very well. The interviews are my favorite part of the pre-games activities."
"Why? Because you're on television?" Lincoln questions.
"Something like that," Caesar says with a laugh. "Now, I'm going to ask this for the sake of all the girls in the audience: is there anyone special back in 6?"
"Nope, there's nobody," he answers, blushing slightly.
"Really? Well, I know some people who that will make very happy."
There are a lot of giggles from the audience.
The buzzer rings before Caesar can ask Lincoln any more questions. He calls the name of the next tribute as soon as Lincoln leaves the stage.
"Next up is Cerise Yew from District 7!" Caesar screams.
Cerise struts onto the stage. A green pencil skirt embraces her legs, and she wears a light-blue blouse that twinkles as she sits down across from Caesar.
"So, Cerise, what do you think of the Capitol?" Caesar asks.
"I love it. The food's great. The beds are great. I'm just looking forward to making my family proud." The girl is putting on a very cute and sweet persona, but something about her tells me that she's faking it.
"Oh, so you've got family?"
Cerise nods. "My Aunt Wren and Uncle Jon. And my cousins Landon, Dorian, and Juniper." She counts the names of her family members off on her fingers.
"And what about your mother?"
The girl turns rock solid. "Dead."
Caesar frowns. "Father?"
"Dead."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Caesar says, his voice dripping with sympathy.
"Don't be. Being sad can't change the past. I'm just glad for the life I have," the girl says.
Caesar hums. "You certainly have a clear set of morals, Cerise."
Her buzzer booms. The audience claps her off of the stage, awaiting the next tribute's entrance.
"And now we have the privilege of hearing from District 7's Erik Nordskov!"
Erik sits across from Caesar. His handsome reddish-brown hair is flat down his forehead, and he wears a black tuxedo with khaki pants.
"What's up, Panem?" Erik shouts, staring at the nearest camera. The audience cheers as he sits down in the comfortable-looking chair.
Caesar doesn't waste time before asking his first question. "How did you feel when you were reaped?"
"Honestly?"
"Yes, please." Caesar leans forward as if to ensure he doesn't miss the boy's response.
"To tell you the truth, I was just glad to get out of that group project we have on Monday," Erik whispers.
The audience bursts into applause and laughter.
"Now, Erik, I think there's a certain someone we're all curious about," Caesar says. Once again, I'm surprised by how quickly the mood changes from cheerful to still. "That girl across from you… she looked more than a little distraught when your name was reaped."
"Oh, Rhiannon…" Erik purses his lips. "Well, I proposed to her earlier that day."
"And what did she say?"
"She said yes."
The audience hums with sympathy. Erik's buzzer sounds before he can elaborate further, and he quickly leaves the spotlight.
"Next up is Twilla Weaver from District 8!"
Twilla glides onto stage. Her outfit reminds me of that of a ballet dancer. Strips of lace wrap around her white gown, and her hair is sculpted into a bow.
"My…" Caesar says, humming with veneration. "Don't you look special."
Twilla sits down, and it hits me that this girl isn't a big strong tribute. She's just a little girl. She swings her feet which barely touch the ground, and her grin just grows as the interview wears on.
"Thank you," her eyes begin to sparkle.
"Now," Caesar says, "I've talked to your prep team and they tell me you have a certain something to show us all before your three minutes is up. Is this correct?"
The girl nods.
"Please," Caeser says.
Twilla climbs out of her chair and onto the floor. Suddenly, with surprising grace, she begins to dance. Even without music, there's something so beautiful about her movements. The audience sighs with each twirl and leap she makes, and she dances off of the stage when her buzzer rings, looking like she's just experienced the best night of her life.
"Also from District 8, please put your hands together for Caden Yarnn!"
Caden comes into view. His dark blue suit acts as a vibrant contrast to his golden bow tie.
"Caden! Please take a seat!" Caesar welcomes.
The boy sits.
"It's a pleasure to see you," Caesar says.
"It's a pleasure to see you too," Caden responds. "I've been enjoying the Capitol. It's very exciting."
"Glad to hear that," Caesar adds. "Do you miss your family?"
For the first time in the interview, the boy looks sad. "Yep. My Mom and Dad and Lacey."
"Who's Lacey?"
"Oh," the boy says. "I didn't clarify that. She's my sister. Her real name is Annalace, but that's a bit of a mouthful."
Caesar asks another question. "Do you have any talents the other tributes should look out for?"
Caden responds quickly. "I have sticky fingers."
"Sticky fingers?" Caesar says, feigning a look of revulsion.
The audience laughs.
"I mean I'm stealthy," the boy explains. "Very good at remaining unnoticed."
The boy's buzzer is his signal to leave center stage.
Here are the next 8! After the interviews are over I'll post the sponsor system on my profile. So you can have a look at what items you can buy before the games actually begin. Please review if you can :D
Question 1: Do you think the Mockingjay film would have been better as only one movie instead of being split into 2 parts?
Question 2: If you were a strong tribute and were offered a spot in the career alliance, would you accept or deny?