"Let's hear it for our first tribute, Glimmer!" Caesar's voice rang out. A spotlight beamed down on me. Showtime, I thought to myself excitedly.
I made my way across the stage, listening to the roaring of the crowd. I waved excitedly then, keeping my cool, blew a dainty kiss to the audience. Cashmere smiled proudly and gave me a thumbs up from the front row.
"Well, Glimmer, you look beautiful as always," Caesar greeted me as I took a seat.
"Why, thank you, Caesar." I accepted his praise gracefully, attempting to look both humble and confident all at once.
"In fact, you might even look more beautiful than you did at the Opening Ceremonies, if that's possible. All decked out in jewels. That represents the luxury items that District One makes, am I correct?"
"Yes, that's right," I nodded, remembering what Cashmere had told me about keeping my face turned at the right angle so the light would catch it perfectly.
"Do you have any interest in pursuing that industry when you come of age?"
"Well, my father is in charge of manufacturing lace and silk and exporting it to the Capitol, so I wouldn't rule it out." Maybe I would get some brownie points with the Capitol citizens if they knew that my father was important, practically one of them.
"Very good. Now, speaking of your parents, how did they feel when you were selected as a tribute? Happy? Nervous?"
"Oh, they were very proud of me. I've been training my whole life for the Hunger Games, so they definitely believe that I can win this." I put as much emphasis as I could on the fact that I had been training my whole life. The audience needed to know that I was ready.
Caesar patted my knee. "As do I, my dear girl, as do I." He continued, "So how have you been enjoying your stay in the Capitol thus far?"
"Oh, I love it!" I made my eyes wide, playing up the whole bubbly starstruck girl aspect. "Everyone is so welcoming!"
Caesar grinned. "Well, I'm sure they are to such a smart, beautiful girl like you! I bet you'll just rack up the sponsors. Am I right, folks?" The crowd, which had been listening intently up to this point, let out a roar of approval. I smiled so wide that my cheeks began to hurt; this was going even better than expected. I could practically hear the money pouring out of the sponsors' pockets.
"So," Caesar continued, the crowd quieting immediately. "You certainly seemed mighty happy to be selected as tribute. Is there any particular reason for that?"
I decided it was time to lay the flattery on thick. "Well, I've dreamed of competing my whole life. Who wouldn't want the glory and fame of winning? After all, the winner gets to spend more time here in this amazing city!" The crowd let out a deafening cheer at this. I practically had them eating out of the palm of my hand.
Caesar was chuckling. "Well, can't argue with that! Speaking of winning, let's talk about that impressive nine you scored in training. What skills did you show off to achieve that?"
Oh, no way in hell was he getting that information out of me. I gave him my best mysterious smirk. "Now, Caesar, if I told you that then there would be no surprises left for the Games!"
"Ah, we've got a mysterious one on our hands! No, I can understand not wanting to give your adversaries any advantage over you. Smart girl, smart girl."
I nodded, giving him a confident yet slightly smug smile.
"Well, Glimmer," he said, leaning forward. "I've just got one more question for you."
"Ask away, Caesar."
He glanced at the audience, making sure he had their full attention, then looked back at me. "Are you ready to compete in the 74th annual Hunger Games?"
I paused for dramatic effect, giving him my best smoldering look. "Caesar, I was born ready."
The crowd roared, giving me a standing ovation as Caesar thanked me and I headed back to my seat. I felt like my insides were glowing. That could not have possibly gone any better. My first impression was made, and it was a fantastic one. Beat that, Blueberry, I thought to myself gleefully.
I listened on and off as other tributes took their turns. Marvel was mildly funny, earning a hearty laugh here and there from the audience. Clove went for a witty, mysterious, slightly dangerous angle, and pulled it off pretty well. Cato, of course, went for the strong, tough, cocky, sort of scary image, and it worked marvelously. I could see the audience growing more captivated and assured of his power by the second. I even caught myself staring at his rippling biceps before immediately looking away, giving myself a mental slap.
No one else was particularly noticeable, except the boy from Three. Although I could see the audience losing interest in him as soon as the first words came out of his mouth, I myself was intrigued. My particular talent at reading people told me that this boy was a genius, great with technology, and could be a valuable asset if used right. I made a mental note to keep an eye on him in the arena.
Soon enough, Blueberry from 12 stepped up to the plate. I leaned forward, half-expecting her to pull some amazing story out of her ass. But she was, in all honesty, forgettable. At one point, she started twirling around in her frilly little dress and only stopped because she was "too dizzy." Cato and I made eye contact, and he gave an exasperated eye roll while I silently pretended to barf, which made him crack up.
Before I knew it, her interview was over. I smiled to myself. Ha! Looked like Little Miss Perfect wasn't so special when she didn't have a bow and a stylist at hand. I could practically read the sponsors minds: Goodbye, Blueberry, hello, Glimmer.
I wasn't paying very much attention to the boy from her district's interview, and only looked up when I heard gasps and squeals from the crowd. Quickly rewinding what he had just said in my mind, I realized that he had just declared his love for Katniss.
A fiery anger spread through my gut. Unbelievable! She didn't even have to do anything, and now all of a sudden she looked desirable. I could imagine the headlines now: tragic star-crossed lovers from District 12. Did they plan this? From the flabbergasted look on her face, I guessed that that was unlikely. So once again, the bitch only had to sit there while someone else made her look good. Once again, all the attention went straight to her without her having to lift a finger.
This could not fucking be happening. My fists and teeth clenched in rage. But then I stopped myself, taking a deep breath. Easy, Glimmer. The last thing I wanted to do was blow up in front of a huge audience, make myself look fickle and unsteady. I felt Cato, Clove, and Marvel's stares on my back. Clearly, they were remembering my outburst from last night and were wondering if I would do it again. But they needn't worry; I was under control. To steady myself, I pictured what the expression on Blueberry's face would look like when the light left her eyes and her last thought was the realization that I had beaten her. I internalized all my anger, saving it for the arena.
Still, the second that the tributes were allowed to leave the stage, I was up and out of there. Just because I was under control didn't mean I wanted to talk to anyone about what had just happened. She had outshone me, not once, not twice, but three times. And the third time would be her last.
I crammed myself into an elevator without looking at who was in it, and somehow ended up in the same one as Blueberry herself. Although I glared daggers at her back the whole ride up, she didn't seem to notice.
On our level, I grabbed some dinner, brushing off Marvel and my mentors when they tried to speak to me. I was focusing all my energy visualizing what tomorrow would look like. This was why I was here, after all: not to wear pretty dresses, not to impress some Gamemakers, but to fight to the death. I fell asleep quickly, feeling extremely prepared.
Tomorrow would be the start of a whole new life.