I didn't leave my room until Katniss knocked on my door. She was probably going to ask me why there were peacekeepers ready to arrest me. Still, I let her in. It was better to have Katniss here than someone like Effie or Haymitch.
"What's going on?" she asked, her eyes full of confusion. "Why are you so upset?"
I stared back at her. If no one had told my mentor what had happened, then it was clear that nobody else knew either. As for what that meant, I had absolutely no idea.
I signed everything to her. How I tried to be daring and got an idea from her games. I explain how the weapons were flying everywhere and the synthetic fire. As I told her what happened, I began to realize that I might have copied a bit from Katniss. She realized it too.
"Don't worry about it. There's no way anyone can fully copy someone in these games. Besides, I bet Effie will warp it into something else anyway." she told me. I stared at her. So, what was the punishment? Nothing more escaped from her lips. And when I asked her, she shook her head. "They would've contacted me by now if they were that angry with it. You're fine." My eyes widened. I wasn't going to be arrested. Or killed. Or made an avox, though that wouldn't affect much.
Then I realized. I was a Hunger Games competitor. A tribute from district twelve. The reason they weren't going to punish me was because they knew I was already on death road.
"Hey Sweetheart, get your butt down here! They're about to announce the scores!" Haymitch yelled from downstairs. Katniss, clearly too interested with the scores to be annoyed with him, took me with her.
Despite my uneasiness with the whole situation, I was curious too. If I hadn't been killed or arrested, what in all of Panem was my training score? Russell and Haymitch were already on one couch, their eyes glued to the television screen. Katniss and I took the other couch and watched as the names were listed.
Jett Garnet 8 Dia Monds 8
Thor Tracker 9 Jada Emeralds 10
Typical career scores, though Jada's was rather high. She'd definitely be the one to watch out for. After all, I'd seen how vicious she could be. Give her a blade and she could slice you one hundred times while still keeping you alive. She and Rayna were rivals from day one, but I'm not going to repeat Rayna's colorful word choices.
Flint Wires 7 Holly Gadget 4
Jay Benders 7 Pearl Rivers 5
Haymitch snickered at Pearl's score, calling it pathetic and how district four had already lost. I suppose she was relying on her looks to help her in the interviews. Still, she'd be the first to survive in a tsunami. District four citizens learned to swim before they learned to walk. At least, those were the rumors about Four.
Nick Lane 3 Lindsi Wilson 6
Porter Wells 3 Nikki Herb 4
I remembered seeing Lindsi while we were training. She seemed really kind, always seen with a smile on her face. It was too bad that she hated fighting. Still, the careers hadn't really noticed her and that could be her salvation in the Games. I was hoping that I could do the same, but my score might change that. I sank a little lower into my seat, but not for long.
Daniel Anderson 6 Rayna Woods 8
Hunter Macneil 7 Mimzy Carter 3
Everyone seemed impressed with Rayna's eight. After seeing her score, I instantly knew she had done something with knives during her private session. It was amazing and scary at how alike that Rayna and Jada were, though both hated each other with a passion. Still, the two knife masters were clever and it was clear that Rayna had a chance at winning this thing.
Jason Oaks 5 Heather Stanton 8
Steel Tanner 10 Maple Summers 6
Steel's score was no surprise. He was 6' 4 and had biceps the size of my head or larger. He hadn't noticed me during training. That I was thankful for. I could shoot all the arrows I had at Steel and it would hardly make a dent. He, on the other hand, could crush me by the simple snap of his fingers. Moving away from those thoughts, I focused on Heather. She really was something with that spear she had. Another possible winner and I couldn't be happier for her.
Mario Davids 4 Ember Golden 8
I could picture Mario getting all upset over his score. He was just a little kid. Ember on the other hand. ANOTHER 8! How many 8s were the gamemakers giving out? Still, Ember wasn't a weakling. In fact, she was quite strategic and quick on her feet. District eleven had a strong change of making it to the finals.
Russell Irving 6
Nothing out of the ordinary. Russell looked at it, frowned and eyed me. I braced myself. My score was next. The score that would determine my fate in the 80th Hunger Games. My name appeared in the remaining empty slot with a bing, as all the others had.
Lynnia Evers 10
Haymitch spat his beer out, causing Russell to fall off of the couch in a desperate attempt avoid it. Effie gasped, dramtically. Katniss broke into a proud smile. As for me, I was still staring at the score. A ten. How was that possible?
"Lyn, that's amazing!" Katniss told me, her real smile finding its way to her lips.
"What do ya know? Tiny's got talent!" Haymitch bellowed, his hand ruffled the top of my head. I smiled back at him. Even Russell tossed me a lopsided grin. I was surprised by this. Out of all the years I had known him, he never smiled at me like that. It was usually either a mischeivious grin or teasing. This one almost looked glad.
Before I had any more time to think on it, Effie started babbling on about how I had a real chance of winning and all the sponsors that I'd get. I wondered what Ash was thinking right about now. Was he proud, or worried or a mix of everything like I was? I hoped for the hundedth time that Gale was keeping to the agreement we had. It was obvious that he'd never go back on a deal, but that didn't keep me from worrying about my baby brother.
Speaking of Willie, he was probably bouncing off the walls by now. I swear I could've gotten a one and he'd be just as excited. I stared back at the ten once more before it disappeared. Ten. The highest score in the Games this year. The tied top score between a clever, sneaky, district two girl, a strong, giant district ten boy and me, the district twelve girl with no voice. I was really making a name for myself.
"What did you do in there tiny?" Haymitch asked, though I don't remember if he was drunk, decent or somewhere in between. I simply shurgged my shoulders, turning to Katniss.
'I followed your idea, but then I found synthetic fire.' I signed to her. Her eyes widened, like I had expected them to when she came into my room.
"What?" Effie asked, looking from mentor to tribute and back again. Katniss came out of her trance and smiled.
"Oh nothing, just a couple details." she waved it off, searching for something to distract the woman with. "So, should we start on interview training?"
That did it. Effie started talking at fifty mile per hour, going from outfits to manner to interview questions and sponsors. Seeing her talk so fast made my head hurt. I'd completely forgotten about the Interviews. The idea of talking to all of Panem made my knees weak and my head spin. Still, all of Panem. All the districts and the Capitol.
Wait a minute, that meant District Twelve too. I thought about all of the familiar faces who'd be watching. My parents. Greasy Sae, the only woman in the Hob who didn't think of ways to take advantage of me the moment I came in alone. The sad looking man I traded a few squirrels for a loaf of bread with. Willie, of course, my rambuncious little brother. Ash, my number one hunting partner and maybe more than a friend. His little sister, Ally, who was the same age as Willie. His mother, who was also so kind when I stopped by. Then, there was Gale Hawthorne too.
There would be people I knew, rooting for me the whole time. I wasn't completely alone and I had to remember that. Sadly, I'd zoned out while Katniss and Effie were talking and well... That's not a really good thing to do right before you figure out you have to train for the Interviews.
Effie whisked me away, Katniss hesitantly following. She gave me a look of pity before saying she had to go with some other mentors to prepare my interpreter. I didn't even have time to ask what she meant. In fact, I barely managing to give her a 'why are you leaving me' look right before she forwned and left the room.
I was now in Effie's clutches. Doomed. She taught me everything she believed were expected manners for the Capitol. Chin up. Curtsy like this. Sign nice and clear for the interpreters. Smile. Act like you're proud to be in the Capitol, looking happily at everyone. Don't trip. I broke at least half of these rule in the first fifteen minutes. Effie frowned.
"Here, put these on." She placed a pair of her shiny, purple, six inch heels onto my feet. I nearly fell over. My feet ached as she placed a book on my head and made me was back and for, here and there, up and down stairs. It was crazy. Finally, after two hours of pain, I was relieved from training.
"You're not completely hopeless." Effie decided as she put away her torturous weapons. "But you're still pretty rough around the edges. Perhaps better than that last girl though. Whined and quit during the first half hour! At least you don't give up."
I was going to sign to her that I couldn't complain, but thought better of it and didn't. We were interrupted from our lessons by a knock on the door. I expected it to be Katniss, but it was actually Haymitch.
"I told Katniss I'd be teaching you next. She can have you after." he told me. I nodded and followed him to a different room. We sat on a couch and stared at each other. It dawned me that I'd never really been alone with him before. It was... interesting.
"Everyone in the interviews has a strategy, an idea on how to win the sponsors." He explained, "I've seen monstrous, intimidating, mysterious, funny, sexy, wise, you name it." His eyes narrowed as he focused on me, as if observing my every move. Haymitch was trying to decipher what strategy would best suit me. But from the looks of it, he wasn't having much luck. After a few minutes of this, he sighed, frustrating that.
We'd both silently agreed to something. This wasn't going to be easy.
"We may as well knock off intimidating because you're as scary as a dandelion." Haymitch broke the silence. "How about wise?" I shook my head.
"Are you secretly some comedian?" I laughed mutely at this one. Not going to happen.
"Sexy?" I scrunched my nose up. Though I may have blushed when Ash gave me compliments, I was not sexy. We went on like this for a while until Haymitch groaned, obviously irritated by my lack of strategy.
"What are you going to do? Just sit there?" He snapped, "You may have gotten the highest training score, but you'll lose everything if you mess this interview up! Can't you say anything?" My eyes widened at his word choice. Out of all the words he could have used, he was complaining about my lack of words? Tears hung at the edges of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I was not going to cry like some child.
Instead, I stood up, snatched a piece of paper and pen and scribbled down my reply. I firmly set it in front of him. He looked down at the let and I signed as he read it.
'I'll be me.'