Chapter Six
The further down the corridor the line moved, the higher the nervousness crawled up Thomas's spine. When finally the Caesar on the TV monitor applauded the boy they had labelled Satan off of his stage and called out for their next guest, Thomas was shaking. Newt shot him a reassuring look, squeezing his hand harder than ever. When the assistant motioned for her Brenda took a deep breath, glancing back at the other Gladers. Thomas smiled encouragingly.
"Knock 'em dead, Brenda." Newt whispered, Thomas and Teresa quick to agree.
She smiled at them all and twirled back towards the staircase, quickly disappearing up the staircase. Thomas watched her appear as a warm blaze of colour on the monitor as Caesar welcomed her with a hug and a kiss on her hand. Brenda giggled, playing the sunny and shallow persona that Janson had encouraged. Thomas hoped it worked for her, here and in the Arena. If the others underestimated her then she'd have a much better fighting chance. His stomach roiled and he fought the urge to be sick.
"Well hello there! Don't you look stunning! Brenda Jorge, everyone! The first of our young ladies from the Glade district!"
Thomas watched Brenda's interview in an almost trance-like state of anxiety as she smiled and charmed the audience with her laughter and her petite beauty. Thomas remembered the things Janson had told them all as he tried to keep his breathing even. They had gathered to go over ways to charm the people he would be approaching for sponsors to provide them with things in the Arena.
Brenda would play giggly and shallow and likeable, pretend she was eager and excited to be there. Brenda was a bubbly person by nature and as Thomas watched he would have fallen for it himself. Teresa wasn't good like that at all and so they'd taken another direction with her. She'd be playing mysterious and collected, promoting her sharp wit, which suited the blue-eyed girl to a Tee. If she managed to pull it off people would root for her because they were curious about her and wanted to see more.
Newt would be his usual quiet, polite self. It wasn't hard for Newt to smile just the right way, and he could charm anybody if he tried. Plus he had a baby face that would easily earn him the support of mothers and old ladies. And Thomas? Well, Thomas was the least predictable of them all. He'd be smiling and pretending to like everyone, but Janson had very quickly sussed that Thomas wasn't a good enough actor to pull off the persona Brenda could. He wished Teresa's interview was before his own so that he could mirror her.
Before long Flickerman was wrapping up and Brenda rose, giving the audience an applause-worthy twirl as she said goodbye to the host like a little fairy queen. Thomas had the oddest thought that he had been absolutely right about her dress dancing like fire under the stage lights. The assistant waved him forward and Newt squeezed his hand one last time before nudging him forwards with a nervous smile.
"You'll be brilliant, Tommy. I know ya will."
He forced a smile as he met Newt's brown eyes and gasped a shaky laugh.
"Good Luck for yours Newt, you'll charm them all easy peasy."
His friend's gentle chuckle followed him up the stairs as he tried to settle the rising urge to retch. He was at the top of the staircase before he was ready, stepping onto the stage as his feet carried him over to the Capitol show host with red all over him. His heart was beating a hundred miles an hour and he was in serious danger of bringing up his lunch. Caesar stood to shake his hand, encouraging him to wave at the audience. He seated Thomas before perching in his own chair, crossing his legs and picking invisible lint from his trouser leg as the audience went nuts.
"And we're joined now by our first young man from the Glade! We've been looking forward to meeting you, Thomas. Your district had me on the edge of my seat today!"
He sat back as the audience cheered in agreement. Thomas forced himself not to fidget, instead folding his hands in a mimicry of what Caesar himself was doing. Caesar smiled widely at him, the disarming smile at play. Thomas found it a tiny bit easier to breathe. The audience calmed down as Caesar waited politely.
"Okay. So we all saw it, i mean woah, Thomas. You jumped right up there and volunteered for Newton. What was going through your mind in that moment?"
The audience fell quiet as Thomas looked out across them all, the sheer number dizzying. He swallowed nervously.
"Well, i uhm." he broke off in a nervous breathy laugh and Caesar chuckled pleasantly.
"Just take a sec, there. Quite a sight, eh? All those curious faces staring at you. Quite intimidating the first time."
Thomas let his breath out in a rush, nodding. Caesar was an expert at what he did, making his guest seem interesting and likeable even if they weren't necessarily so. He got himself under control and sent Caesar a grateful smile. The host simply continued to smile back, and Thomas took his cue.
"Well, ah, Caesar, i'm not sure. I wasn't really thinking at all."
Caesar looked out over the audience with raised eyebrows.
"You mean you volunteered without thought? We heard that the boy you volunteered in place of is your friend, correct?"
Thomas nodded when the host looked back at him.
"Yeah. My best friend. We've been friends since i was six, when my baby sister died."
The audience aww'ed, and Thomas was as surprised by that as by his own confession. He looked nervously at Caesar but the man was simply smiling sympathetically, nodding.
"That must have been awful for you, so young."
"Yeah. She died, and then my dad died and my mum got sick, and Chuck was… Well. Chuck was one of our tributes last year."
Thomas could hear the tremor in his own voice and he chuckled nervously. Caesar whistled, looking at the audience.
"What an awful tale, folks. We have a fighter here! He's been through so much and yet look at him now! He's not only still cheerful but he volunteered in place of his friend. A round of applause for this young man!"
Caesar took a sip from a water glass on his table as the audience complied, sending Thomas a wink over the rim. Thomas smiled back, finally feeling almost comfortable in his chair. He ducked his head as the audience settled down.
"Wow. So we all saw you volunteer for your best friend in the world. And then that second slip turned out to have your name on it anyway, and then Newton volunteered. Well." Caesar blew his cheeks out as though he couldn't believe it. "We haven't had this much drama from the Glade in a long time, at least not that i can remember!"
The audience called out the affirmative.
"We'll be interviewing Newton next, of course, but tell me Thomas," He leaned forward in his chair conspiratorially, and Thomas mirrored him. "Why do you think he did it?"
Thomas was surprised by the question and he fumbled for a second.
"Well, ah, Caesar. Newt's the kind of person who would feel guilty about sending someone into the danger of the Arena in his place. He, well. Knowing him he probably felt it was his duty to volunteer."
He shrugged, at a loss of how to continue.
"And how did you feel about that?"
Thomas found himself grinning before he caught it, and he looked over at Caesar sheepishly.
"Well to be honest i was a little angry to start off. It was his last Reaping and i was hoping he'd never have to- uhm, well, get into any danger. But honestly i'm really glad he's here with me."
There was something about the heat of the lights on his skin that made his brain switch off, and thoughts moved right to his mouth before he could check them over. He shrugged. Caesar chuckled, and sat back in his seat.
"Now, tell me Thomas. Are there any girls you're leaving back home? Any secret loves to come back to that we don't know about?"
Thomas choked. He could feel his face burning as suddenly as his intake of breath. The show host had caught him completely off guard and he felt wrong footed as he stared at him. Caesar and the audience chuckled at his reaction, and Thomas ducked his head uncertainly.
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, we'll take that as a yes! Care to share the name of your love, Tom? There are few things more romantic than a broadcast declaration of love."
Thomas shook his head, but Caesar didn't seem satisfied. Thomas could feel the eyes of everyone on him as he stuttered out a reply.
"Uhm, no girls, Caesar. Not leaving anyone back home."
Caesar was giving him an odd, curious look, and Thomas smiled sheepishly back before the horror set in. Oh dear god. He barely had time to realise what he'd said before the host did a truly wonderful thing. He covered for him. As smoothly as anyone Thomas had ever seen. He shook his head at the audience with a rueful smile.
"Oh dear, Panem. This boy can't catch a break! Well Thomas, let me tell you this. You come back home a Victor and they'll be falling all over you, okay?"
Thomas met his gaze and shrugged nervously, relief making him feel wobbly. Caesar wrapped the interview up pretty quickly after that and before he knew it Thomas was seated by a delicate side table in a hallway at the bottom of the exit stairs, staring up at the TV as he saw Newt being seated in the chair he had vacated. The green of the boy's outfit made him look young and sweet as he folded himself into the chair.
Thomas couldn't pay attention as much as he would have liked to because he was almost certain he was going to be sick. He leaned forward in his seat as he breathed in slow and steady breaths, willing the feeling to go away. Janson and the Crawford woman were further down the hallway, engrossed in a conversation with Brenda. Thomas could only hope they hadn't caught his train-wreck of an interview.
Had Caesar seen it? Had it been written on his face as clearly as he thought it had? Or had they simply assumed he had meant there wasn't anybody? He wasn't sure how a gay tribute would come off and he didn't dare to think about how upset Janson would be if it turned out to lose them sponsors. He groaned, forcing himself to open his eyes and look at his best friend on the screen.
Caesar was talking, and Newt was sitting in the chair with one leg folded over the other, one hand in his lap and the other tracing minute circles at one edge of his bottom lip. Thomas watched the action, feeling the familiar want and affection rising in his gut. The older boy's hair was an enthralling concoction of honey and gold, wheat and cream, the tousled and textured work of his stylists eye-catching and alluring. The green made his hair brighter, made his dark eyes velvety on his face. Thomas had never wanted to kiss him more.
"… very brave, do you think it'll earn you the favour of any particular young lady in your district if you make it back victorious?"
Newt smiled almost shyly at the question, the stage lights picking out little notes of amber in his brown eyes. He tipped his head a little towards the audience as he spoke to Caesar, his eyes downcast and his cheeks pink. Thomas's heart bumped painfully in his ribcage at how beautiful Newt was when he was bashful.
"Well Caesar, i'm afraid i have to disappoint ya there."
The audience made intrigued noises and Caesar shushed them playfully, leaning in towards Newt the way he had Thomas. Thomas had to admit that the man was compelling, making each tribute as interesting and attractive as the next. It was almost inspiring.
"Oh? How so? Not a fan of the young ladies? Or just not interested in settling down to love just yet, eh folks?"
Caesar winked, and Thomas found he was smiling a little despite himself.
"Well… It's almost a combination of sorts, really. Rather unlucky."
Newt's self-deprecating little chuckle tugged at Thomas, giving him the overwhelming urge to wrap the blonde in a hug. Caesar and the audience were hanging on the boy's every word just as Thomas was. Newt fiddled with the knee of one trouser leg before looking up shyly. One of the cameras was centred on him, the biggest part of the screen just him from his chest up, capturing the play of light that danced on the angle of his jaw as he turned his head.
"Oh?"
Caesar's prompt was quiet, and Thomas could feel the anticipation the red-tinged man was instilling as surely as if he were sitting in the audience.
"Well, he's not a she, per say." he flicked an uncertain look at Caesar before lowering his gaze again and Thomas was so caught up with the ache in his chest at the vulnerable look in his friend's eyes that he missed the implications the audience were whispering about until Newt spoke again.
"And he won't be waitin' back home for me to come back a Victor."
The audience was silent, everyone holding their breath. Thomas held his breath along with them as Newt finally lifted his gaze, looking right out at the camera as though he knew it was right there.
"He's headin' into the Arena with me."
