CADENCE VONKOCHE – DISTRICT 6 POV
Sleepless nights and restless days has been the norm ever since the night before the reaping, and it saddens me to think that that's not going to get any better. Once we're in the arena, sleep is going to become a means of survival rather than a standard part of the day, or rather night.
Having not slept until it was becoming light last night, I'm very tired this morning and have to drag myself out of bed. I'm somewhat worried about today, because the interviews are happening later on tonight. It's not so much being televised in front of all of Panem that bothers me, it's the fact that my social ability doesn't quite meet my physical ability.
The other tributes are already picking up on the fact that I'm a bit of a pushover and a gullible person, so I'm going to have to try and change that tonight. Prove I'm not a weakling.
As I make my way to the breakfast table, Kevin, my district partner, storms past me and almost knocks me over. I'm glad he didn't, because as soon as I hit a flat surface I'm going to fall asleep. I don't bother calling him out on it, though, because every time I've done that so far he's replied with either a grunt or started a long discussion about how bumping into somebody isn't a crime. His attitude really stinks sometimes, but he's been supportive in a way, because knowing such an independent and strong person makes me feel a bit less alone in this whole thing.
"Fancy some orange juice, Kevin?" I ask him as we both sit down at the table.
"No," he simply replies. Well, a 'no thank you' would have been a little nicer, but I suppose it'll do. I pour some for myself and tuck into some pretty tasty toast and jam. The food has been truly amazing so far, so I'm making sure to eat as much of it as I can. With any luck, the Capitol might pick up on this and send me some tasty treats if I'm starving.
Our mentor comes in just as we're finishing and tells us that we're heading to the stylists in half an hour. I suppose that's something to look forward to, while I don't particularly like the things they dress me in, it's still nice to get so much attention from so many people. I feel like their special little Barbie doll they're playing dress up with. Why I think that's a good thing, I have no idea. As long as people like me I tend to be happy.
Twenty-five minutes later Kevin and I are pretty much ready to go. Despite the fact that they'll be completely changing our appearance soon, I've still decided to make an effort to look half-decent. Kevin hasn't bothered, however, and looks as much of a scruff as he always has. He only ever wears black clothes and has messy black hair that always falls over his face. Sometimes I want to force him into a hair salon, but I suppose they'll be doing that today anyway.
When we arrive at the stylists, I'm glad to see that they're not being quite as thorough as they were when we first arrived. I'm shown what I'll be wearing, and it's a lovely royal blue velvet dress. I've always loved wearing blue because it goes really well with my honey-brown hair.
I'm trying to keep my mind from thinking about the interviews, because I'm holding on to the blind hope that it'll all come naturally once I'm in there. I imagine that Kevin is probably going to be anti-social and attempt insulting the Capitol, which will be very risky but fun to watch nonetheless. I can't stop giving him second chances and I keep thinking he's going to turn over a new leaf and be kind for once. It's not going to happen, but hope has no cost.
Before the interviews actually start, after we're all dressed up and ready to go, we spend a while in some sort of waiting room with a ton of drinks, snacks and, of course, the other tributes. Apparently I must be a very easy person to style because I'm the first person in there.
Not for long, however, as the other tributes slowly start drifting in. Everybody seems dressed very elaborately, yet not to the ridiculous level they were in the chariots. A boy wearing glasses soon collapses onto the sofa right next to me, seemingly oblivious of my presence. He reaches to grab some snacks from the table and only then does he notice there's somebody sat next to him.
"Oh, hey there! Sorry, didn't see ya, bit too focused on the food right here, hah! The names Daniel MacLeod, but you can call me Dan," he says, speaking charismatically.
"Hey, uh, it's no problem. I'm Cadence," I reply softly.
"So, Cadence, what d'ya think? These stylists went so crazy with me that I thought they'd never leave me alone. I keep constantly reaching up to check my hair is still in shape! I think I look good but I keep wondering if there's something wrong, what with everybody staring at each other around here."
His overly-gelled hair spikes and big square glasses only contribute to the nerd look, but I'm sure it wasn't his choice how they styled him. "Oh yeah, you look fine, no need to worry. They make everyone look a bit ridiculous around here."
"Damn, you got that right! Everything they do, they go that little extra mile. I swear they even put extra effort into making sure these twiglets are all the same length," he says, examining the twiglets between his fingers. It's clear he prefers eating food to analyzing it.
"So… Dan, where are you from?" I ask, attempting to keep polite conversation.
"Huh, me? Oh, yeah, I'm from District 3. Land of technology and all that, the place where everyone thinks we live in hovercrafts and have robots do everything for us. Truth be told, that couldn't be much farther from the truth, but what can you do eh."
I laugh a little at his good-humoured attitude. It's a relief to talk to someone like him after being around Kevin for so long. Speaking of which, I haven't seen him since breakfast. "I'm from District 6. Have you seen a grumpy-looking guy with black hair anywhere? He's my district partner but I don't think he's here yet."
"What, that guy over there?" Dan responds, pointing to the far corner of the room. Sure enough, sat in the corner with the sulkiest face ever, is Kevin, attempting to hide his slicked-back hair and fancy bowtie. I can't help but burst out laughing, and all eyes are on me as I keel over attempting to stop myself from choking. Seeing such a social recluse forced into dressing like that is just far too amusing for me to contain myself.
Eventually I stop laughing to catch my breath, and Dan is looking at me with a very amused face. "Gee whiz, you sure can laugh. How about you save some of that laughter for boring times in the arena?" he says, grinning. I grin back and start giggling again. I must be trying to get it out of my system or something.
"Heh, you'll be in good luck if you find me anywhere in the arena. Don't tell Kevin but I'm getting as far away from him as possible, that is, providing I live past day one… he's such a downer that I'll probably end up committing suicide from depression if I hang around him," I explain to Dan.
"Nah, I wouldn't expect you to hang around with Mr. Emo over there. Everyone here is taking these Games so seriously, so it's refreshing to find someone like me who still manages to stay casual in these situations."
"Yup, they just don't know how to relax. The Games haven't even started yet, and there's food on the table, yet they're probably discussing their battle strategies or something," I say, reaching for a few pretzels. My hand meets with Rochelle Amphora's, District 4's female tribute. Her gazing brown eyes practically stare into my soul, sending shivers down my spine. You'd think I'd just murdered a baby by the way she looked at me. I take my handful of pretzels quickly so she'll stop staring at me like that.
"Looks like you've made an enemy," Dan jokes, nudging me slightly.
"I hope not. People like her just give me even more reason to run like hell from that bloodbath," I state, my eyes constantly darting around the room to make sure she's not still glaring at me.
"Do you have any alliances planned or anything? If you're not planning to stay with Kevin then I presume you're doing it all alone?" he asks. I can tell he's hinting, but I play along anyway.
"Yeah, unfortunately I think I'll be alone… unless I run into someone kind enough to not stab me the second they see me."
"Well, keep your eye out, then, because if we cross paths in the arena, I won't be brandishing my knife… providing I even get one! By the looks of it all the weapons are going to belong to the careers again." Dan quickly looks around to make sure no careers are nearby, and then turns back to me to let me speak.
"Well, I don't know, the careers look kinda split up this year. There's Chris and Suriel, who seem to get along… then there's Elspeth, probably the strongest girl… Roxanne and Rochelle are two strong girls too… but I'm fairly sure they don't get along."
"What about Elizabeth? I'm pretty sure she won't be staying with the careers, they've probably deemed her too weak by now. They seem to have replaced her spot with Hunter."
"Ugh, Hunter…" I groan, although I have to stop because he's walking in our direction. He's not going to talk to us, is he? Oh god, he's sitting right next to us. We may have to shuffle over. Dan is evidently thinking the same thing, as we're soon both shuffling away from Hunter, grabbing some food in the process to make it look ambiguous. Dan strikes up an ordinary conversation to cover up the act, and asks me how I'm feeling about the interviews.
"Meh, I don't know what I'm going to do yet. I'm just hoping it'll all come naturally," I answer him. The closer the interviews get, the more I realise that's not going to happen, but I'm saying it for the sake of sounding at least a little bit more confident.
"Oh, don't you worry, I've not got a clue either. It's gonna depend entirely on what I'm asked. I just hope they don't ask any questions about what our motivations are or anything," he replies.
"Ugh, I hate that question. Isn't it blindingly obvious that our motivation is to live?" I chuckle.
"A blind motivation indeed," an unfamiliar voice suddenly says directly into my ear. I almost fly out of my seat and crush Dan, but instead manage a huge gasp and a near heart-attack.
"Roxanne, can't you leave us alone?" Dan asks, exasperated.
"Absolutely not, my dear friend Daniel. I believe we have unfinished business to discuss, and it's not something your District 6 friend needs to hear," the girl responds, her pale blue eyes glaring right at him. I eventually manage to sit up again, having recovered from my mini heart-attack and am able to take a look at this mysterious girl. She has perfectly straight, chocolate brown hair and a square face. All her features seem pointed – her jaw, eyes, nose and ears all have pointed edges, which gives her a sinister, intimidating vibe.
"I-is this your partner, Dan?" I ask him, unable to look away from her for some reason.
"Yeah, and not the nicest of partners at that," he remarks.
"Daniel, the Hunger Games is not the place to insult your partner. After all, you're going to be stuck with me for the foreseeable future, I'm afraid," Roxanne says. Her tone of voice makes it sound like she's constantly hissing. I think I'm going to call her the snake girl from now on.
"I-I already told you that I don't want your help! I can do what I want in the arena!" Dan retorts, backing away slightly.
"Oh, but Daniel, you fail to realise the dire situation you'll be letting yourself into if you don't join us," she snarls. "We saw that training score. We're not letting this big fish get away."
"I'm staying with Cadence, if it's any of your business!" he snaps back.
"Yeah, we've made our minds up already!" I chirp up, even though I didn't know Dan thought we were an alliance already. Actually, he probably just made that up so he could get away from Roxanne, but I'm willing to work with it.
"How can you be humbled by someone of such limited significance?" Roxanne interrogates him, staring disgustedly at me. "Wouldn't you like to win?" she continues, slowly arching over me and leaning closer towards Dan. Her hair is dangling over my face, and I'm tempted to start chewing it if she keeps on talking to us. On second thoughts, it's probably covered in a ton of products, which I'd rather not put on my taste buds.
"I've made my decision and that's final!" Dan states, becoming unusually assertive.
Roxanne returns to her original position, and I'm able to sit up properly again, as I've been slowly slipping down in my seat to avoid her. "You've made your choice, Daniel, but don't think for one second that this won't come back to bite you." The snake girl finally leaves us alone again, and Dan slumps in his seat, sighing.
"I don't know why the careers can't just leave me alone. They've been attempting to 'recruit' me since training started."
"I guess that's how you know them so well, then?"
"Yeah, I've had the displeasure of speaking to each of them one-on-one. The only nice one of the lot is Elizabeth, and she's probably going to be dead meat thirty seconds into the bloodbath."
I shake the thought of the bloodbath from my head and look up to see that everyone is slowly making their way back out of the door again. I guess it's time for the interviews.
"Hey, Dan, come on, it's time to go!" I urge him, getting up and fixing my hair.
"Yeah, yeah, gotcha," he glumly replies, stuffing a handful of pretzels into his pocket before he leaves. It's a miracle he's skinny, what with the amount of food he eats.
We're all sorted into a waiting line and I'm stood in front of Kevin, and get to spend the entire waiting time knowing he's right behind me. I'm thrilled. Well, in actuality, everyone's going to be watching the TV screen to see everybody else's interviews. I feel sorry for the District 12 people at the back, having to stand in line for absolutely ages before it's their turn. Actually, I don't feel sorry for Hunter, I couldn't care much less about him.
District 1 is up first, and Elizabeth is on stage. She looks like a fairy out of a children's film, in a huge pale pink dress that flares out at the bottom. It's almost three times as wide as she is. Despite the fact she's obviously terrified, she still manages alright talking with Racus Flickerman, Caesar Flickerman's son and the new Hunger Games host. He's nowhere near as good as Caesar was; he completely lacks the empathetic nature and ability to make every tribute feel good about themselves. This is evident by the fact that he just openly called Elizabeth an 'unexpected pick', which isn't a direct insult but the intention is there. She gets a moderate amount of applause, and she comes back into the waiting corridor looking very drained. She completely avoids eye contact with any of us as she walks away.
Next up is Chris, who puts on a very good show for the Capitol. He's strong, he's a career tribute and he's actually not as arrogant as most District 1 male tributes are. He's talking a lot about his dad and how he wants to please him, because he was once a winner of the Hunger Games. He's definitely a different person on stage than off, which is slightly depressing.
District 2's interviews are painful to watch, as we all get a taste of Shadow's fake macho act and Elspeth's incredible bluntness. The snake girl is up next, and she talks in such a prideful way that it makes me want to smack her in the face. I usually give people a chance, but after her performance in the waiting room I'm out of patience for her. Of course, the crowd loves her, and so does the entire Capitol probably. For the first time ever in my life, I'm wishing death upon someone – but only because it's fairly inevitable soon. I'm just hoping it comes to her sooner rather than later.
Now it's Dan's turn. He's very instinctively charismatic, and it really comes out when he's talking to Racus. He hasn't asked anybody about motivations so far, thankfully, but instead he's asked Dan a very strange question.
"Is there anybody in particular you hope to ally with in the Games?" he asked, probably expecting to hear him say Roxanne's name.
"Well, I can't reveal too much to my fellow tributes, but let's just say I'm not one to abandon a pre-established friendship," he replied with a smile, looking at the camera briefly. It takes a while for me to register exactly what he meant, but when I do, I can't help smiling either.
District 4 is very much similar to District 2, a macho guy and a quite frankly nasty girl, except I'm not sure if the macho act is actually an act with Suriel. I look away for most of Rochelle's interview in case I accidently catch her death glare again.
Listening to Sheila's interview is like listening to a twelve-year-old girl in a jewelry shop, she's certainly an excitable girl. Kitro is a decent guy but something's off about him. Every time he's asked a question, he pauses as if he's loathing every second he has to spend with Racus. I can't say I blame him, but he's not a very good actor, and his true feelings are clear.
Now it's my turn. Oh god, I still don't feel ready for this. What the heck am I supposed to do? I don't have time to think about it because Kevin nudges me and I'm forced to walk onstage. I almost trip on the steps heading up to Racus, and have to do a little twirl with my dress to make it look intentional. I sit down in the red chair opposite Racus and do a little smile-and-wave to the crowd. I can't believe this is actually happening. All of Panem is actually watching me! Every single action I make is being watched by the whole nation. This is my time. And I don't have a clue what I'm doing with it.
"So, Cadence VonKoche… certainly one of the catchiest tribute names so far," he begins. The crowd laughs a little at this. They're seriously easily amused. "Tell me, Cadence, do you have any particular goals in mind for the Games?"
That's just the motivations question but with slightly different wording! It had to come now, didn't it? Of all the interviews, he chose mine to ask that question. Let's think… my mind is racing over every possible thing I could say, and the entire time I've got the waiting room music playing in the back of my mind. I can't say it's very fitting for the situation.
"Cadence…?" Racus asks, leaning over a little to glare at me. Shoot, did I really spend so long thinking that I left an awkward pause?
"Oh, sorry! It's just that I'm such an ambitious person that it's hard to pick out just one goal," I say, rather bewildered by the fact I'd come up with such a good reply out of nowhere. The crowd replies with an 'oooooh' and Racus smiles a little.
"I see, so you have many goals! I hope we get to see some of this, because an ambitious tribute is always one to watch!" he says. Right, so now I've got to come up with a ton of goals in the arena. Great. "During training, we saw you particularly excel at climbing and scaling the landscape. Do you think this will assist you during the Games?"
Of course I do, why on earth wouldn't it? He really does ask stupid question sometimes. "I think it will, but it'll depend on the arena. If the landscape is difficult then I'll be at an advantage, because I'm good at maneuvering around tricky areas. I'll be able to stay well hidden, or escape from a pursuer." The crowd seems to like this, although I think they'd like it more if I added that I could brutally murder a pursuer in the process.
"Ah, I see. So would you say you're a survivalist by nature?"
Ugh, I am but I can't say that. I'll have to think of something else. "I survive in ways unprecedented by others. I'll do what it takes to survive, and if that means killing someone then I'm up for it." That's a flat-out lie, but the crowd seems more excited now, and Racus is smiling again. Kill, murder, stab, injure, blood and death. Some of the Capitol's favourite words.
"It looks like you don't let your conscience get in the way, Cadence! That's a strong trait for a girl," he points out. I don't see how, but I guess it's a compliment, even if it's not true. I smile and nod again.
"I only have one more question for you, Cadence – if you didn't win the Games, who would you want to win in your place?"
This one's a toughie, because I want to say Dan, but Roxanne will rip my throat out if I do. Perhaps I might have to take that risk. "I've made a few friends in my time here. And I'm not one to abandon those friendships, if you get what I mean," I reply tactfully. The Capitol is probably shallow enough to have completely forgotten that Dan said the same thing, but it doesn't matter what they think, I hope Dan is smiling as he watches this now.
"Absolutely brilliant! Give it up for Cadence VonKoche, everyone!" Racus yells, standing up and extending his arm. It takes a moment for me to realise I'm supposed to hold onto it so he can thrust our arms in the air. I smile, showing my teeth and looking at as many Capitol faces as I can. It can't hurt to have them remember me.
As I walk off stage and back into the waiting corridor, I get to see Kevin's face, completely drained of all colour. He looks close to tears. I don't know whether to feel bad or to be happy he's finally going to have to act normally. Regardless, I don't get to watch his interview, because by the time I get back to our living quarters and switch on the TV, he's already off stage and District 7's interviews are on.
Now that my interview is over, I'm admittedly a lot less interested in everybody else's, but I leave the TV on anyway for some background noise. The District 8 boy, I think he's called Silas, made quite a stand during his interview and sarcastically stated his dislike for the Capitol many times. They picked up on this and seemed quite shocked. I admire his bravery, but I don't know how far that's going to get him in the arena.
Speck Field, the District 9 male, is probably my favourite tribute after Dan. He has a very likeable personality, just listening to him talk relaxes me a little. The same can be said for his district partner, Mimi Duloc, she's similar to Sheila in that she's quite bubbly, but she's amusing to watch.
The District 11 girl is adorable. She's pretty small, and has pale skin, which isn't very typical of a girl from her district. I don't quite catch her name, but I think it began with an L. She made the crowd laugh a lot, and served as their dose of 'cute little girl' for this year's games. In reality she's older than me, which is quite scary.
I turn off the TV when it gets to Hunter's interview, because I can't be bothered watching him. At this point, Kevin finally comes through the door, looking fairly traumatized.
"What's wrong, Mr. Emo? Too much contact with the real world for one day?" I jokingly ask.
"Don't ask! And don't even think about making me watch my interview! If those Capitol people from the crowd were in the arena with us, I'd happily line them up and shoot them one by one. Hah…" he quickly spilled, before walking back to his room, sniggering at the thought of shooting Capitol residents. That boy worries me sometimes, but he's a bit of comic relief.
I retire to my room and flick through the TV channels, but it's all Hunger Games banter. I keep listening for my name, but they aren't talking about the tributes much, rather they're predicting what the arena's going to be like, or what's going to be around the Cornucopia. I'm tempted to listen, but then I realise that these people can't predict the future, and I'm better off not preparing myself for something that might not happen.
I turn off the TV and toss the remote to the floor, before getting changed and slipping into bed. I'm about to have a good night's sleep for the first time in a while, before it suddenly hits me – this is it. The fun days are over. Everything's been done. It can't be, surely… there must be something left! Something we haven't done yet! No, we've done everything. It all starts tomorrow. Tomorrow, the 110th Hunger Games begin. I could be dead in 12 hours.
Tribute List
District 1
Christopher Young (17)
Elizabeth Prower (17)
District 2
Shadow Noctus (18)
Elspeth Plummer (16)
District 3
Daniel MacLeod (15)
Roxanne Lionheart (15)
District 4
Suriel Raffolk (17)
Rochelle Amphora (15)
District 5
Kitro Token (16)
Sheila Lirette (14)
District 6
Kevin Kane (15)
Cadence VonKoche (15)
District 7
Leon Kafei (16)
Laura Kingswood (16)
District 8
Silas Edwards (15)
Luna Wolfe (17)
District 9
Speck Field (16)
Mimi Duloc (17)
District 10
West Arkain (18)
Jailey Burwell (13)
District 11
Knott Seneko (16)
Lolly Sarine (16)
District 12
Hunter Venezia (18)
Olivia Nyne (14)