Sorry for the long update! You see, I don't really have much time in the school year because of karate (and teaching), academics, hunting, target shooting, driving, the list goes on and on. I've also gotten a lot of writer's block over how to make this story and keep it original, but thank you for all those who've reviewed or read this story. I will try to update at least once a week this summer!
Between Effie's torture and Haymitch's attempted pep talk, I was ready to quit right then and there. People like me just weren't cut out for the capitol. I wanted to, but I wouldn't. I wouldn't leave Willie without a sister or Ash without his best friend. Forcing myself to think about them, I continued my way to Katniss. She was going to be the one to give me final tips before the interview. Well, that was mainly my excuse. I really just needed to sign to her and wanted someone to talk to, without forcing me into high heels (Effie) or complaining about my silence (Haymitch).
I'd never really depended one someone so much since Rosa died. Well, other than Ash, but this was different. My mentor was always explaining my signs, helping me and telling me every strategy she possessed to win the Games. I knew Katniss couldn't compare to my sister, nor could my sister to Katniss. And yet, I missed this. Having another girl to talk to, someone who understood you, who could give you good advice and was just there.
Still, she was just doing her job. I had to remind myself that. Katniss didn't think of me like a younger sibling, nor did she have any thought similar to that. She was just trying to get through a horrible year of watching her tributes die. I was no more than that to anyone I'd met here. A simple tribute that would die in the Games.
I opened the door and found her sitting on the couch, lost in thought. Suprisingly, she didn't notice me as I walked up to her, something I'd already learned was very unlike Katniss. When I moved to face her, she finally snapped out of her trance and looked at me. I tilted my head to the side, questioningly.
"It's nothing. Just thinking of old times, I guess." Even then, her gray eyes revealed her mourning for them. Whatever had happened before Katniss's Games, she'd never wanted it to end. She was like her mockingjay pendant. Mockingjays never interfered with anyone else's lives. They simply carried about their jobs, singing and copying other musical tunes in the woods. Never bothering a soul. Then, the Capitol took that from her. Just as they had with countless others.
As I thought more about it, weren't we all mockingjays? The tributes, the mentors and the citizens of the districts. Weren't we all just harmless birds that the Capitol toyed around with by clipping our wings and stealing away our freedom? I frowned at my realization and made a quick promise to myself. My wings were clipped as far as they could go, permanently damaged, but I would not give the Capitol the satisfaction of watching my life end in their games. I would not die as their entertainment.
Katniss patted the seat next to her and I sat down.
"We have half an hour before you need to go see Sol and get ready for the Interviews." I grimaced at her words. That soon? Then again, everything seemed to speed up when the Hunger Games was involved. "Did you figure out your strategy with Haymitch?"
I nodded, but she caught my hesitation. I guess years of hunting and being in the Hunger Games improves your senses. I could only wonder what it would do to me.
"What is it?" she asked, her gray eyes bearing into my grayish-green ones. My left hand pointed towards myself. Katniss showed a flicker of confusion and I signed the word interview and strategy, before pointed to myself once again. That time, there was silence and it wasn't just me.
"You're going as yourself?" her eyes narrowed. "Lyn, what are you thinking?"
'Haymitch doesn't think I can pull off any other strategies, so it's the only thing I have left.' My fingers moved quickly and drastically, quite different than my usual fluid movements.
"The Capitol isn't entertained by normal people, Lyn. They're looking for the ones who stand out. The ten may give you an upper hand, but you tied with two others. If you don't make a good impression, you'll be buried among them."
'Then, I'll exagerate.' I paused for a moment, thinking it over. What would I do? I wasn't a comedian or bodybuilder. I definitely wasn't sexy, though I wasn't too upset on that part. I took a deep breath.
"What will you exagerate on then?" she replied, practically reading my thoughts. "Tell me exactly what you plan to tell them." It dawned me that my life was divided into three categories. Hunting. Taking care of my brother. Ash. Hunting was illegal, so I couldn't mention anything slightly remote to it. Willie, my brother, as amazing as he was, was a little kid. I didn't really want to bring him into all of this. And Ash. There was so much about him, but I was just so confused about us right now. I wished things were simple like they used to be, just us hunting in the woods forever.
I gave a mute sigh and lowered my head, admitting defeat. I had absolutely no idea for what I was in for. Katniss stared at me for a moment or two. I could tell by her eyes that she was thinking.
"We need to find something to interest the audience. As bad as it sounds, that's the way to win them over." she decided, looking me over for a moment. "I talked to the staff and they're willing to put a screen in the back and put up subtitles for your signs. That will get them curious, but you really need to wow them with something."
'Like?' I signed back, interested now. How Katniss had developed such good strategies I'll never know. She practically pulled them out of her head. But hey, I wasn't complaining.
"First of all, you need to get something straight. If you're going to be yourself, you can't get nervous in front of the camera. There are no do overs. It's live." she explained thoroughly. Typical Katniss. Still, I listened in as she gave me my last few tips and instructions. Times wasn't on my side today. Then again, when had it ever been? Before I knew it, I was on the elevator, soon to be 'prepared' for the interview by Sol. If I wasn't going to die in the Games in a day or two, I'd be worried that they were trying to kill me to death with all these events.
"Lyn sweetheart!" Celestia greeted me at the door, wearing a pale purple dress that greatly contrasted with her starry night skin. "We've been waiting for you. We only have three hours until the Interviews begin!"
If I thought they were over washing me on the first day, they weren't holding anything back now. I must have been shampooed, conditioned and scrubbed at least five times. After that, my hair went through a hair dryer that was powerful enough to make a hurricane. Though I didn't my the body lotion, the process of straightening my already semi straight hair was a long and tedious process.
Desperate to communicate, I took a piece of paper and scribbled down a note. Quickly, I handed it to Iris.
"Sol is doing final adjustments to you dress." she explained, answering my question. Her rainbow contacts swerved over to the door as she went in to see him. It dawned me that Iris might have a liking for the stylist. Still, Sparkle didn't let me think about it for more than a second or two before she began doing my makeup. Dazzle, who was doing my hair, was going on about Sol's ingenious creation and how you could easily slip into it. This allowed them to take care of makeup and hair before hand. Yaddah, Yaddah, Yaddah.
About two, maybe two and a half hours later, Sol and Iris arrived with the , Sol grinned and told me to close my eyes. Deciding to trust him, I did as told. Without warning, Sparkle and Dazzle removed my t-shirt and jeans, much to my displeasure. Still, they guided me into the dress, which actually felt quite smooth and comfortable. Once my stylist allowed me to open my eyes once more, I gasped, probably the most noise I'd made in a long time.
I wore dark silver heels, though nothing half as ridiculous as the ones Effie had made me wear. In fact, these didn't hurt at all. The dress was absolutely amazing. It was spaghetti strap with a dark silver ribbon, just above my middle section and matching the heels. The dress itself was silver, but what amazed me were the sparkles. They were ordinary sequins. It actually looked like the dress dazzled, like a million microscopic crystals all shimmering around. It end just just short of my knees, not too long, not too short.
Sparkle had even given me lip gloss that made my lips resemble a frosty pink and added a shimmery grayish-purple eyeshadow. Dazzle of course, straightened my hair, making it look shiny and healthy. As I stared into the mirror, I found a word in my mind that had never occurred to me before. I felt...pretty. Beautiful even. The best I had ever felt before. The new feeling gave me a surge of energy as I smiled at myself in the mirror, turned around and gave Sol a hug. I felt so happy, so carefree.
Both my prep team and my stylist led me onto the stage of the Interviews. Twenty four chairs sat in the back of the stage while two largest, comfy leather chairs stood out in the front. The crowd was huge, ending my newfound energy with a mere glance. I sat in my chair, turning to see the other tributes. Heather was already here, dressed in a flowy lavender dress with her hair down in loose curls. She smiled nervously as I looked at her.
And so, the Interviews began.
A man came up on stage, his hair a light purple, matching the suit that he was dressed in. Katniss had told me about him. Caesar Flickerman, the host of the Hunger Games Interviews. He greeted the audience, welcoming them to the event, giving thanks to many of the staff and so on. Despite being from the Capitol and celebrating my future death, this guy wasn't too bad. At least, he seemed quite nice.
"Let us begin the Interviews with our first tribute." Caesar spoke to the crowd and turned to the tributes. "Jett Garnet from Dictrict One!" There was a roar of cheers spread throughout the audience as Jett plopped into the chair beside Caesar like it was made for him.
"Well Jett, how does it feel to be a Hunger Game Tribute?" the host asked.
"What can I say Caesar? I was born to be on TV." He boasted, tossing a smirk around as his royal blue eyes scanned the crowd. He went on and on about himself, so much that I had already had enough after two minutes. Jett was clearly focused on one thing and one thing only. Too bad it was himself. I could tell that Rayna was quite happy for him to leave the stage as well. Careers were quickly established. Jett had an ego bigger than all of Panem. The next girl, Dia, was obviously going for sexy, though she wasn't exactly the smartest one in the bunch.
District Two was much more intimidating. The male tribute, Thor, was fairly talled and it became quite clear that he had been training for a while. He'd gotten a nine for a training score and it showed. Still, what terrified me the most was the girl. Jada Emeralds. She was sixteen, making her two years older than me. She was fit, but thin with narrow ice blue eyes and jet black hair. Her training score was also a ten. I'd seen her in training. Her knife skills made my bow look like a tooth pick.
"So Jada, we know you're allied with the Careers. Is there anyone you would consider a direct enemy or threat?" the host asked.
"Well Caesar, I truly doubt the amount of threats these tributes pose, but everyone in the Games who is not with the Careers is clearly an enemy. Although, that redhead from 7 is pretty damn annoying." Rayna glares daggers at Jada, her blood boiling at the insult. It was clear as day that these two wouldn't hesitate to slit the other's throat.
District Three had the twelve year old I'd seen earlier. Apparently, her name was Holly Gadget, a typical District Three name. I watched as she nervously walked up to Caesar and sat in the chair beside him. One thing I quickly learned about the host was that he knew how to make tributes shine. With the careers, he'd gone on about their tactics and weapons. With little Holly, he helped he look even more innocent and adorable.
"So tell us Holly, do you have any family back home?" Caesar asked, keeping his tone soft and gentle. The girl nodded her head, making her shiny little earings jingle.
"I have my parents, my aunt and uncle and my cousin, Flint." she answered, her voice a little skittish. Still, she was doing ok, especially for a twelve year old. I prayed she would make it past the blood bath, despite the knowledge than 23 of us right on this stage would be dead in days. Several gasps were heard from the crowd as realization flooded through their minds.
"You and Flint are cousins?" she nodded again, her eyes drifting to the fourteen year old in the District Three seat. They continued for a little bit, before the buzzer signified for the next tribute to go. Four had typical careers, though the girl was a little ditzy and also going for the sexy appeal. I noticed Dia glare as the Four girl did her interview. I could already tell that she wouldn't mind slaughtering her just for getting the spotlight back on herself. I zoned out through the next few districts, my worries beginning to eat away at my mind. Though, I was pulled out of my concerns when they called out District Seven.
"And now, from the thick wilderness of District Seven, your female tribute, Rayna Woods!" Caesar introduced, causing the crowd to cheer. I didn't mind Caesar. He really tried to give each tribute and exciting title and make them feel comfortable on stage. Then, my eyes went over to Rayna. She wore a strapless green dress, making her fiery red hair pop out even more so than usual. Not to mention, her prep team had woven a vine like necklace with a flower pendant in the center.
Rayna being Rayna, she wasn't afraid of the audience at all. In fact, she actually had a pretty good interview, using her sarcasm and tomboy nature as her angle.
"Caesar, let's be honest. I'm not taking crap from anyone in these games. You're either with me or against me." She spoke with a triumphant smirk as the buzzer signified the end of her interview. She went back to her original chair and stuck her tongue out at Jada, the girl from 2. Several more tributes were called, but none of them seemed like a direct threat to me, so I simply waited until Heather was up. Her hair had been put up in a wavy bun, with a few loose strands framing her face. Her dress resembled a sunset and her cheeks were coated in a matching orange.
Heather smiled kindly to Caesar and they quickly went through the interview. She was her typical sweetheart self, but also added that she too would not put up with anyone messing with her allies. I smiled. Maybe, just maybe we would be able to get enough sponsors to last us through the first few days. The next tributes who caught my attention were Steele and Ember.
Ember had a mysterious, yet aloof sense to her. I admired it and how it seemed to lure the audience in, whether she was aware of it or not. I'd seen her skills during practice sessions and she was not one to be messed with. While we were on ok terms for the moment, I knew she wouldn't hesitate to kill me in that arena.
Steele was, in every way possible, intimidating. He stood at 6'4", towering over Caesar, with biceps the size of my head and a gruff, unfriendly expression on his face. Katniss had mentioned that he reminded her of Thresh, a muscular district 11 tribute from her own Games. Nevertheless, Caesar smiled at him the same way he had with the others and continued with his questions.
"So Steele, what's your plan in the Games? A big, strong guy like you, with a ten for a training score no less, you pose a big threat to a lot of this year's competitors."
"Plan is to win Games. I kill anyone in my way." He spoke in a deep, penetrating voice that easily scared several of the younger tributes, despite his bad grammar. Still, I noticed that his eyes hadn't changed. He was simply stating the facts. Although, I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing at the moment. As they went on with the interview, not much was learned aside from the fact that Steele worked with his blacksmith father and would not let anyone stand in his way of getting home. No one. Despite his fearsome appearance, many members of the audience were smiling triumphantly, deciding to sponsor him.
"And now ladies and gentlemen, the final of our tributes with a score of ten, Lynnia Evers!" For a moment, I froze, my eyes surveying the thousands of capitol applauding at my name. It wasn't until Russell nudged me in the side that I stood up and walked to the center of the stage. Sitting down, I looked at Caesar, who was smiling at me. "For those of you that don't know, Lynnia is our first ever mute tribute. And since she is unable to speak with us vocally, we took the liberty of putting up a projection screen to translate for her." My eyes wavered over to the large wall screen behind us and gulped. I was never one for public speaking, though what mute wasn't?
"So Lynnia-" Someone yelled Lyn in the background, nearly making me jump until I recognized who it was. Then I just smiled.
"Thank you for that input, Rayna." Caesar told the redhead, who smirked. "So Lyn, I'm sure all of us are wondering. What's your strategy in the Games? Will being a mute hold you back?"
'I tend to make it up as I go along. And as for being a mute, I don't think it will hold me back. Words aren't exactly needed in the Games.' I signed, watching as they appeared in words on the screen. It even sparked the curiosity of some audience members.
"Right you are, my dear. Although, it's got to be difficult communicating with your friends and your family." An aww was heard from the crowd and I bit my lip before replying.
'It can be a little frustrating, but I've learned to deal with it. Most of my family and friends back home have learned sign language already.' I smiled, thinking of Willie who was probably leaning into the tiny, fuzzy television in our house.
"Ah, and is there a special someone waiting back home as well? hmm?" he pressed on. I must have blushed because he grinned and cheered the crowd on.
'I don't know about that. Maybe sometime in the future, if I make it out of the Games to see him.'
"Well, you sure stand a fighting chance, especially with that ten for a training score! Care to tell us about that?"
'I have my mentor Katniss Everdeen to thank for that.' I smiled. 'She brings out a lot of my strengths.' That earned a small smile on said mentor's face.
"Yes, the Girl on Fire herself! As you know, Lyn is the first tribute ever to be mentor by Katniss." the host explained to the crowd. Then, he turned back to me and continued with his questions. "And one last question. I'm sure we all remember your older sister Rosalyn several years ago. A lovely lady I might add. I know it must have been devastating when she didn't return home. If you could see her again, what would you say?" My eyes widened. Rosa. I found myself lost for words. Still, I managed to move my hands once more.
'I'd say I'm going to win for her.'