A/N: Hey guys! I apologize in advance for such the long time between updates; I've been really busy lately and I haven't had much time to post it. :( But here it is! Finally! :D To make up for the long wait, I've made this chapter slightly longer than the previous ones. :3 Hope you enjoy this! You know the drill by now, don't you? Read & Review! I really appreciate it! I love when someone reviews, it just makes my day!
To my reviewers:
Ghanaperu: Yes, so far the Hunger Games are similar to the books. It's very hard to write from this perspective. Thanks for all your support!
Chapter 11: Interviews
For the first time in a while, I had a good night's sleep. Curled beside Prim, I closed my eyes and smiled. I fell asleep soon after that, unfazed by everything that's happened, from the Reaping to the Opening Ceremonies. But the Interviews were a whole other story. Much like the Reaping, the Opening Ceremonies, and The Hunger Games themselves, the Interviews are an annual, reoccurring event that no one can avoid. Of course, they are also mandatory to watch on TV. The Interviews are pretty self explanatory; they're just an Interview hosted by the Ceaser Flickerman each year, and televised to all of Panem. But there's a twist. The Interviews are just another way to gain sponsors. The more likable you appear on TV, the more sponsors you are sure to get. You have to appear friendly, confident, and fun. If you look scared and weak, the Capitol won't sponsor you because there's no point in sponsoring someone who isn't going to win or at least have a significantly small chance of winning. Madge and Gale are both great people and are well-liked by everyone as far as I'm concerned, but the rest of Panem doesn't know that. They have to see it for themselves. I'm praying they'll both do well and appear likable and sponsor-worthy to everyone.
I suddenly remember that before they left, Gale promised me that he would team up with Madge and that I let Madge in on the plan. So, it's good to know they'll be in the arena together, fighting together, struggling together, winning together. No, that's not possible. There are never any exceptions in The Hunger Games. One person shall win, and that's the way it'll be. How stupid of me, even for a second, to think otherwise. One or none of them will come back home, and I'll just have to mourn over one or both. Knowing the talents of them both, in comparison to some of the other tributes, probably neither of them will come back home. I have no idea how I'm going to deal with the losses of them both, but I'll worry about that later. Right now I have to think positive thoughts for the sake of them.
It's very early in the morning when I wake up, and I decide to follow my original plan from the day before and go hunting before Peeta to get extra food, just in case. I try my best to get out of bed without waking Prim, but my best attempts fail and she's up. I kiss her cheek and say, "Sorry for waking you, Prim."
"It's okay, Katniss. Besides, I was supposed to wake up soon anyways," Prim reassures me.
"Why, are you going into town again with mom?" I question her.
I notice she blushes, ever so slightly, but still visible. "Actually, I'm meeting someone."
This surprises me. Of course Prim has friends, but she's never embarrassed to tell me about them. I mean, why should she? "Who's this friend of yours?"
She doesn't look me in the eye when she says, "Rory Hawthorne." Well, that was surprising. Prim is meeting Gale's younger brother. But for what? It strikes me a minute too late.
At first, I simply say "Oh," but then I say "Ooooh," with more feeling.
Prim just gives me a look and says, "Don't you start with me. Look at you and Peeta. You're kissing this guy you just officially met a few days ago in front of your younger sister. What kind of example is that? It's no wonder I'm going out with Rory."
At that last point, Prim covers her mouth, as if that could erase what she just said. "I never said anything about you going out with him. I just thought you were friends," I tease. "Well, I'm off to the forest, Little Duck. See you later."
"Lemme guess, you're meeting Peeta?" Prim says. "By the way, wash your mouth before you kiss me. I don't want Peeta's lips on my face. The shear thought is just too weird." Prim then makes a face and I laugh.
"Same with you!" I say while she gives me one of those are-you-kidding-me faces. I smile back and say, "Love you."
"Save that for Peeta," she teases. I grab my father's hunting jacket and game bag and leave. To be honest, I would rather be able to leave my bows and arrows with my jacket and bag in our dwelling, but I can't. Sometimes, the Capitol will send out Peacekeepers to each district to check everyone's houses. If they found my bows and arrows in our house, it would be pretty damn hard to explain to them why they're there without them thinking I go hunting illegally. My jacket and bag are safe to stay because they're simple and innocent items. Not the weapons. It's not okay to have them in your house. At least not in Panem.
I make it to the forest and start hunting. The day passes and I catch a small amount of game. Less than I'd hoped. I'll have to rely on Peeta and myself. After all, he is my new hunting partner. Just before noon, I run back home with my game and empty it out. Then I walk back into the forest so Peeta doesn't suspect anything. If you think about it, it's really mean of me to have so little faith in him, especially after seeing his amazing shot at that deer yesterday. I'm sitting at the same clearing I was at yesterday with Peeta and many times before with Gale, thinking, when I hear footsteps behind me. I don't even have to turn around to know it's Peeta.
But instead of greeting me aloud and interrupting my thoughts, he just sits beside me. Even with my eyes closed, I can feel his eyes watching me. I open my eyes just enough so that I can see him watching me, but not enough for him to see me watching him. I open my eyes all the way, letting the early afternoon sun make me warm, while Peeta quickly looks away, pretending he wasn't watching me, out of embarrassment. I could stay here forever with him, sitting here the same way Gale and I used to, but I can't; the reminder of him is too painful for me right now, so I decide to start with the hunting lesson.
"So, you wanna get started?" I ask him, distracting myself from my thoughts and memories. I get up, not really giving him a choice, hoping he won't say anything otherwise.
"Sure," he says, standing by my side. It's so great to know that I have someone to lean on while Gale and Madge are gone. Without Peeta, I would probably go insane. I would only have a will to live for the sake of Prim. I start walking deeper into the forest, gesturing for him to follow, bow and arrows in hand. We come across the lake that my father and I used to swim in. I remember after a long day of hunting, we would jump in the lake, laughing and splashing each other with the lake water. I've spent so many years trying to avoid this lake, and now I come across it with Peeta. I stop in my tracks, and Peeta asks me what's wrong. I take a deep breath, and explain what this lake truly represents. He wraps me in his arms and turns me away from the lake, as if that would make a difference.
"You alright, Katniss?" Peeta asks me. "We could just go back to 12 and walk around for a bit, if you want." He stares at me expectantly, waiting for my answer. I can't just go back to 12, though. I made a promise to him, and besides, I want to teach him how to hunt. Part of me wants him to be my hunting partner. For how long? I don't know.
"No, it's okay," I tell him confidently, "I can still teach you how to hunt." I motion for him to follow and we walk around the lake into the foliage. "Okay, so what you want to do is stand behind something, like a tree, for example, and carefully look around for an animal to shoot. The deer are usually the animals that you need to be extra quiet around. Go over there behind that oak tree, and when you find something, lift the bow and aim. I'll quietly come over to help you out," I whisper. He nods and tiptoes his way to the tree that I was pointing at. I smile to myself at the sight of him being so careful in the forest. He stands behind the tree, looking for something to shoot. I see a rabbit not too far away from him, to my surprise oblivious to Peeta. He then spots the same rabbit that I saw and lifts the bow. I begin to make my way over, but Peeta decides to go ahead and shoot. He hits the rabbit right in the head, surprising both of us. The rabbit curls up, dead, and I just look at Peeta, mouth wide open.
"Was that good?" he asks. I close my mouth but continue to stare at him. It hits me a minute too late that I haven't said anything back.
"Good is an understatement," I start, "That was amazing! I mean, for me that shot would be nothing to brag about, but for you... I'm honestly amazed, Peeta."
"Well, I have had practise," he says. I have no idea what he's talking about. The only hunting practise he's had was with me only once, as far as I'm concerned.
"I don't understand," I say.
"I haven't told you this, but my father used to hunt too. He had a bow and arrows, much like yours, that his father passed down to him as a child. He didn't have a huge passion for hunting or anything, but he liked it. He used to hunt to get away from things. Usually when things were bad at home and there was a lot of yelling, we would go hunting. And he would take me with him, every time. He wanted to take my brothers, but my mother wouldn't let him. She seemed perfectly fine letting me go, though. After my mother died, my father stopped hunting altogether. He never said anything about why he stopped hunting, but I know it's because of all the memories buried here, and why we were here. I guess it was just too much for him." He pauses, then continues.
"But that never stopped me from hunting. Even though he stopped, I continued. I would hunt every day, catching things for the Hob. I would never take my game back home for us to eat because we had more than enough, and I knew that there were thousands of other people in District 12 that needed food more than us. You're probably wondering why you never saw me or my father in the forest all these years, and that's because we hunted in the other side of the forest. We would enter the forest through the opposite side of the gates that you and your father used. For him, it was because it was too awkward. I mean, he wanted to marry your mother, and it would be weird for him to see the man that married the woman he wanted. Of course, he's over that now, and he never held a grudge, take my word for it. For me, I didn't want to be anywhere near you because I wanted to wait for the right time for me to tell you how I really felt about you. Over the years I got better and better with practise and patience, but I still never worked up the nerve to talk to you until just recently."
I honestly don't know what to say to him. I can't believe he's been hunting for all these years, but I know he's telling the truth. Why else would he be so good, so fast? I didn't have a perfect shot at an animal until after at least six months of practise. But it all makes sense. "I would have never guessed," I say in response. I feel the need to say something more, so I do. "That's amazing. We both come from the same background of hunting, but I never knew. Wow, Peeta." On the inside I'm completely shocked, I just don't know how to express it. My mind suddenly floods with images of Gale and Madge and the upcoming interviews and I lose the will to hunt. I half-sit, half-fall down on a nearby rock, and Peeta comes to my side.
"Are you okay?" he asks. He puts his arms around me, combing my hair with his fingers.
"I was just thinking about Gale and Madge and..." I trail off.
He seems to understand how I'm feeling, so he whispers in my ear, "Let's go to the Meadow for a bit before the interviews. To get your mind off things."
I consider this, and reply, "Sure, but I feel so bad for not finishing hunting today."
"Katniss, don't worry about it," he assures me, "I don't need practise, as you can clearly see. And I'll give you some bread to make up for the game we didn't catch. We have more than enough to spare, anyways. I just don't want to see you upset."
Could he get any sweeter? My eyes start to water up and a tear escapes me. Of course, Peeta notices, and pulls me in tighter. "Please, don't cry," he whispers desperately, as if I'm dying.
"Peeta," I say with a laugh, "I'm crying because of how good you are to me." I stand up and we begin to walk to the Meadow. Once there, we lie down and stay there, not saying a word, for hours. At some point I fall asleep, and my dreams are filled with Peeta and happiness. When I wake up, I'm smiling, and Peeta is staring at me.
"How long was I asleep?" I ask him.
"Since you lay down when we got here, three hours ago," he replies casually.
"Really? I never take a nap for that long," I say. Then I realize that the interviews are starting soon, so I tell him we should go.
"I need something first," he says, motioning for me to come closer. What does he need, I wonder? He grabs my face in his hands and kisses me, holding me there. We both pull away and only then do we start making our way back to District 12.
Peeta, being the guy that he is, walks me home, again. There's something I noticed about him, though. Throughout the whole day, he's been sighing a lot, which is unlike him, and I noticed that he's been staring off into the distance, too, as if he wanted to be somewhere else. I never really thought about it until now. The Peeta I know is the type of person who will put others needs before his own, and will always be there to listen. The Peeta I know hides his emotions, but not in the way that he keeps things from me, but the shy kind of way. I'm starting to wonder if something is wrong at home, or, even worse, if there's something wrong with me. I try to tell myself that it's nothing, that it's just my mind playing games with me, but after about five seconds, I give up and just ask him. "Is there something wrong? Is there something you need to tell me? I hope you know you can share anything with me and it'll just stay between you and me."
Peeta hesitates before he replies. Maybe there is something he's keeping from me. "No, it's just that..." he trails off. I grab his hands with both of mine and hold them there. "I've been meaning to ask you something."
That's it? He just wanted to ask me a simple question? He got me so worried! A pang of relief washes over me as I say, "Ask me anything," with a big, genuine smile.
My smile does not seem to calm Peeta in the slightest. When he asks me the question, I know why. "Do you have any feeling for Gale?"
This question completely strikes me by surprise. I thought it was something serious. Like what, I don't know, but I don't understand why Peeta would be so worried about Gale. But then it hits me. For all Peeta knows, Gale could've been my soul mate, and we could've been kissing in the forest every day. But we didn't. And I can honestly say that I cannot picture myself with Gale, no matter how much in common we have. "No, Peeta," I start, "I do not have any feelings whatsoever for Gale. I do not see him as anything more than a friend and... former... hunting partner."
I can see Peeta stifling a smile on my behalf; I barely got the last part out and Peeta must know how hard it is for me to talk about Gale knowing deep down inside that there is a much bigger chance of him dying in The Hunger Games than there is of him coming home alive as Victor. "You had me so worried, there, Katniss. I thought you had feelings for Gale while you're with me."
"Does this mean that we're official?" I can barely contain myself. All this time, without me realizing it, Peeta was the one for me, and now I get the chance to go out with him!
"It's up to you, frosting," Peeta winks as he comes up with his nickname for me.
I smile then say, "Yes."
I give Peeta a huge hug and an even bigger kiss when I ask him if he wants to come inside to watch the Interviews at our house. When he agrees, I open the door to a big surprise: the sight of Prim kissing Rory. When we walk in, they pull apart and Prim goes beet red out of embarrassment and awkwardness. I feel the very same way. "We were just about to go to Rory's house to watch the Interviews, actually," Prim says as she drags Rory out the door. I don't even have a chance to say anything to her as they are already out of sight.
"Well, that escalated quickly," I say with a laugh. I turn on the small TV to see that we are just in time for the Interviews. A long and boring speech is given by President Snow. From what I paid attention to, he's talking about the evolution of Panem, which I really don't care about. After what feels like an eternity, he introduces Caesar Flickerman, and the Interviews begin. The Interviews always begin with District 1 first, ending with District 12. The females always go first. Since the Careers are in the first few Districts, they come out fearless and dangerous, but also likeable and spontaneous. Most people decide to sponsor the Careers because of the Interviews; a lot of the other tributes look weak compared to them. Plus, if a new District, like the perfect example, 12, decided to come out like the Careers, not many people would sponsor them. If you think of it this way, what are the odds of getting a lot of sponsors when you come from a poor District with no prior training? Let's just say, the odds are not in your favor.
The female tribute from District 1 comes out first, and she goes by the name of Glimmer. She seems brave in the feminine kind of way, without looking weak. After her interview, the audience claps, and the next tribute comes out, the male. His name is Marvel. From District 2 comes Cato and Clove, who both act the same as the other Careers. But it's Cato that gets to me; he's more than just in shape. He looks like he can kill anything and anyone. From District 5 comes a female that I don't catch the name of. Looking at her appearance, I decide to call her Foxface. From District 11 comes a young and weak-looking girl named Rue. She's only twelve years old, so that means that this year was her first Reaping. I absolutely hate when this happens. This is so unfair for her. I mean, who has a better chance of winning? A strong tribute taught all his life how to kill for sport, or a young, fragile tribute, who looks terrified and unsure of herself. Not only will she probably not get sponsors, but she'll probably die almost right away. Everybody knows that the key to survival is to get rid of the weakest first. If I thought that Cato was intimidating, then was I ever wrong; the male from District 11, Thresh, looks like he already won! He's so confident, and probably twice the size of Cato! I can't help but feel relieved that I'm not in these Games. There's no way that I would survive. And Peeta? I don't even think he would last more than a day.
Finally, it's time for District 12. "And now," Caesar begins, "please welcome, Madge Undersee from District 12!" To my surprise, the crowd goes absolutely wild for her; they stand up and scream. I think it may be because of her outfit from the Opening Ceremonies. Right now, she's wearing a strapless knee-length dress that is all sorts of beautiful colours, covered in sequins. I notice smoke coming out from her dress, though. It must be for show. She sits down and Caesar welcomes her to the Captiol. He asks her about life back home, and she answers her best, trying not to make it sound like we're truly hopeless. He asks if she wants to tell anyone back home anything, and she pauses.
After a period of pure silence, she says, "I want to let them know that as long as there is hope and love, everything will be okay. I want them to know that I will do whatever it takes to survive and come back home."
"Thank you, Madge," Caesar says, "Please, everyone, give a round of applause to Madge!" She gets up, waves to the audience, but does not walk off the stage. Instead, she nods somewhere in the audience, and all of a sudden, fireworks erupt from her dress. They are big and bold and sparkly, all reading "District 12" so everyone will remember where she came from. As the smoke clears, I notice her dress has changed into an extravagant ball gown. She walks off the stage, and Caesar introduces Gale. Gale comes on wearing a tuxedo, looking very fancy and Capitol-like. Caesar also welcomes him to the Capitol, and about his life back home. He replies like Madge did. He looks very shy and vulnerable. Caesar asks him of any words he'd like to tell his people, and he says, "Katniss, you are my best friend and the person I can lean on. I will do anything and everything I can to come back home." I start to tear up, but quickly stop myself. I tell myself that this is the last time I'll see him alive, even if it's not in person. He walks off the stage, with the audience going crazy. The Interviews are over.
Next will come the training scores. I fear for both Madge and Gale. This will truly determine whether or not Madge and Gale get sponsors. I hope they do. I pray they do.