AN- Yeah, yeah. I know I haven't updated in months. I meant to do it, honest! Anyway, please enjoy this chapter. Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.

Chapter 10:

The next morning, someone appears at my door. Yup, you guessed it! It's Marlene. "Yeah, yeah, I'm up," I mumble, stumbling out of bed. Once I get ready, I head to the dining room and spot Lachlan in deep conversation with Finnick.

"Hey guys, so what's the plan today?" I ask. They smile at me while I sit down.

"First," Marlene says. "Is to find your interview angle."

I think about it for a moment.

Typical female Careers go for the sexy angle, but I know I can never pull that off without every citizen in Panem laughing their butts off. There's also the "I-will-kill-anyone-in-my-way" angle. But let's be realistic. A thin 16 year old girl with only a few muscles here and there wouldn't be taken too seriously. Then there's the scared/fragile/crybaby angle, which Careers NEVER do.

I've seen the angle which plays off the Capitol citizens' sympathy, but it's one of the hardest to pull off. It ends up looking fake and only a few sponsors would actually sponsor those Tributes. Plus, it makes you look downright weak.

There's the "confident" angle too. Most tributes go for it but sponsors get tired of it fast.

Then there's the blunt angle, where a Tribute only answers in one syllable sounds. This makes you look as exciting as a piece of plain paper. In fact, I've seen Tributes who could probably be beaten by the same sheet of paper.

It never draws any sponsors. EVER.

There's the "I'm just trying to hang in there" angle as well. Only a few tributes have done it and it's REALLY convincing. Most of the time you don't have to act. It comes from your heart.

There's the sappy love angle, which looks like I'm going to have to play with Lachlan. It just makes me want to barf. It may draw a lot of sponsors, but acting it out sounds horrible. "Oh, I will protect Lachlan with my life, even if it means not going home to my loving family!" Belch.

How fake and stupid.

But do I really have any other choice?

"The sappy love angle..." I say with complete boredom in my voice.

Marlene senses my disappointment. "You don't HAVE to do it that way," she says sympathetically. "If we do it right, it will sound realistic and not as fake and dramatic as you think."

"But how? That's what it looks like when anyone does that angle."

"Trust me; with practice it'll be realistic. Learn from other's mistakes. I sure have. During my games, there was a couple from 9 who were completely in love, but it just looked so mushy. They wouldn't stop kissing in the arena, so I just killed them and got it over with."

I shiver. If I played it wrong, one of the Careers in our pack would kill me and Lachlan off out of annoyance.

This is going to be difficult.

Of course, I wouldn't be smooching with Lachlan 24/7 when we have to fight for our lives in the arena.

"Maybe mention Lachlan twice at most," Marlene says, knocking me out of my thoughts.

"Which one of you would like to work with me first, for practice on your angle, or Marlene for etiquette?" Finnick asks.

"I'll go with Marlene," Lachlan announces. "I don't really have the best manners in Panem at the moment."

Which leaves me with Finnick.

"This'll be fun," I remark, knowing this could be a long and painful process.

Finnick leads me to the viewing room, leaving Marlene and Lachlan behind.

Once we sit down, he rubs his hands together. "Let's watch these horrible moments in the history of interview angles, shall we?

"Pay attention to these. Especially the ones with romance." Finnick plops down on a recliner and snacks on some sugar cubes which I saw him stole during the Chariot rides.

I shake my head. As handsome and charming as he may be, Finnick has his weird moments

He flips on a TV and relaxes, as if the clips were a movie, not something I'm supposed to be learning from.

The screen flickers on and Finnick tells me that this is the 64th Games, the beginning of the romance, sexy, citizen sympathy, and blunt angles.

Half of the female Tributes try the sexy angle, but only two pull it off. The rest try and flaunt around, making their efforts that much more pathetic. Some of the weaker looking Tributes attempt at the citizen sympathy card but it doesn't work for any of them. The males try the blunt angle answering in a yes or no fashion. It gets boring quickly. The romance angle works nicely for one couple. They talk about one another sweetly and well. To a viewer it seems sad that their in the ring together. I turn to Finnick after it's over. "Please tell me that's it," I plead. "Sorry, sweetheart," he says sympatically.

Finnick flips through what seems like millions of videos. Once he finds the right one, he plays it. It's the Interviews from the 38th Hunger Games, which someone from District 6 won. I thought Finnick's year was pretty bad, but this one was atrocious. I counted 5, yes 5, couples trying the romantic angle. Each one was a complete disaster, the girls blowing kisses almost ever single second, and the guys doing the same except with winking. As I put my head in my hands, Finnick tells me all 5 couples died gruesome deaths in the hands of other Tributes, not by Gamemakers' traps.

He then flips to Interviews from the 72nd Hunger Games, one year ago. I remember one's distinctly. A female Tribute from District 10 tried to play the sexy angle. It did not work for her. She kept flaunting what she didn't have. I betted with Lark that she'd be one of the first to die in the Bloodbath and I was right. I know, seems cruel, but that was until I got reaped. But hey, you can't blame me or Lark. A girl who comes from the cattle district trying to be sexy? That's a very big no- no.

"Okay, okay, I understand what NOT to do! Please, don't make me watch another one!" I plead.

Yes, they were that horrible. Finnick's too busy laughing his heart out to even hear what I have to say. I sigh and give him some water. "Sorry," he says. "But these are so funny!" They actually would if they weren't so horrid at acting.

"Alright, alright, I won't make you watch another one," he says, controlling his laughter. "But you have to make sure you don't make a mistake," he warns.

"Yes!" I yell. "Yes! I promise I won't look like a fool on national television! Now please teach me how not to be so frickin' oblivious to my own mistakes!"

"Okay, okay. Now before we begin, sugar cube?" he asks, smiling. There's Finnick and his crazy ways.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Sure, why not?" I take one from the bowl and pop it in my mouth.

After 30 minutes of Finnick teaching me the rights from wrongs, I'm able to have my session with Marlene. Lachlan walks out of the room with his back stiff. "Apparently my posture wasn't good enough for the Capitol," he groans. Oh, joy.

I walk into the room, standing before Marlene, who's holding a pair of high heeled shoes.

Marlene hands me the shoes and makes me change into them. Once I've changed, Marlene tells me to stand straight as she picks up what looks like 6 books stacked on top of each other. "Stand up as straight as you can," she commands, so I do. She plops the books on my head, which miraculously stand straight. "Walk," she says pointing. "And don't let the books fall."

What is this, princess training? I think as I walk straight in a line.

The books begin to curve off and I have to put my hands up to them so they don't fall.

Marlene slaps my hand.

"Don't touch the books!" Marlene hisses.

Wow. I've never seen her like this before.

She's usually the polite and silent one, but today she's pretty harsh. Hmm, maybe it's a mistake she made in her Interview. After 10 minutes of slowly moving with books atop my head, we move on to sitting posture.

Marlene has me sit on a chair. "Sit as straight as you can," she instructs.

I arch my back and she lashes at me. "Wrong, wrong, wrong!" Marlene says, straightening my back to an uncomfortable position.

"Grr! Why do we even need to do this?" I growl.

Now I set her off. "So you'll get sponsors unlike me!" she screams. I flinch. Whoa, okay. Calm down, Marlene.

"You lived, didn't you?"

"Yes," she glowers.

She continues. "I was told my District partner had perfect posture and got the most sponsor presents because of it. Me? I slouched the entire Interview. I only got one!"

Wow. That seems stupid but totally important. I just nod and we continue the posture exercises she tells me.

Its 2 hours before Marlene deems me good enough to leave for a late lunch. By the time I plop down into a dining room chair, my back is completely sore. Lachlan comes in rubbing his eyes, muttering something about how Finnick wouldn't let him leave.

"I will never watch television ever again!" he exclaims, pulling up a chair besides me.

"You're telling me! I don't think I'll ever be able to slouch again!" I tell him.

He laughs and says, "We have one more thing they have to teach us; what to say."

"Oh joy," I express. "Hope we get a break."

There's an awkward silence between us for a moment until somehow we end up laughing. "H-hey, what…what a-are we laughing a-about?" I ask in-between fits of giggling.

"I don't…r-really know!" Lachlan exclaims and our laughing dies down.

"So, you two ready for your next lesson?" a voice calls out. We turn around. Finnick and Marlene stand there in the doorway.

"Do we have to?" I groan.

"Finn, do you think a break is in order?" Marlene asks him, sweetly.

"Hmm, well they did tolerate the videos…and I bet posture lessons weren't that much fun either."

Marlene half smirks half frowns at him and says, "Okay, a break."

Lachlan and I both groan our thank you's and stand up stretching.

"Fifteen minutes only. Then meet us downstairs," Marlene instructs.

We agree and they head down to the elevator. "Well, I wonder what they have in store for us this time," I comment.

"Who knows?"

We end up eating snacks for the next ten minutes and then walk down to the elevator, pressing the floor level button. We take the thirty second plunge down the elevator, wondering what they could have in store for us. As soon as the elevator comes to a halt and the doors open, two men greet us.

"This way please," one of them says.

"Uh, what's going on?" Lachlan asks.

"You'll see…"

AN-More suspense! Yay! Okay, I'll update soon! Review!