7.
"Hello Annie" Caesar Flickerman says as I take my seat beside him on the stage.
"Hey Caesar" I reply casually while smoothing out my dress.
For my interview Poppy has dressed me in a skinny mermaid style dress that frays out at my ankles with sparkly toole. It's an aqua colour and covered in shimmering sparkles. It is in a sweet heart neckline and the straps are the same toole as the bottom. My hair has sparkles in it and a pretty blue headband. At least my blue heels are shorter than the ones Daisy made me practice in.
My make up consists of pretty blue eye liner and eye shadow. Sparkly pink lips, and blush. I have little sparkles on my face, I look like a mermaid from a fairy tale.
"You look really pretty tonight!" Right folks" I smile as the crowd goes wild.
"Thank you Caesar" I say sweetly with a sideways smile.
Earlier I had gotten over my tears and hatred for my prep team. Truthfully they were too dumb to really under stand what's going on, and me blaming them is not really fair. Snow has twisted their out look on life so much, too much. You see he's the one I hate, all this is his fault.
I hate him, I hate President Snow.
"So Annie, how are you liking the Capitol so far?" he asks me.
'Its awful I hate it I wish I never got here. I hate all you people and its all your fault I'm gonna die in a couple days. I hate you so much, and I hate it here' that's what I want to say, but instead I say "It's beautiful, I've never smelt better". The crowd laughs.
"Yes we do smell quite good" Caesar laughs.
"Very!" I gush "I'm also so thankful for everything the Capitol is doing for me, you guys are amazing". I smile at the crowd.
"Oh thank you Annie, that just warms my heart!" he puts his hand to his heart and smiles warmly at me. The crowd in front of me smiles and waves. Behind me a large screen shows Caesar and I talking, and on the side my face. In the video I can see the stage and Caesar and I, lounging on the plush white chairs.
This year Caesar has died his hair a bright yellow and his face is covered in yellow make up. He looks horrendous.
"So Annie are you ready for the games?"
"As ready as I'll ever be" I smirk as best I can.
"Your training score wasn't the best, what do you have to say about that?"
"Oh that old thing" I laugh brightly "a score isn't how I'm gonna win, oh no I have something else in store for you".
"Oh ya" he asks earnestly grinning ear to ear "come on tell us, don't hold anything back!". The crowd pleads for me to tell them.
"Oh it's a surprise Ceasar" I say with a large grin "you'll have to wait and see. Though I will need you to help me get to the end for me to preform it". I honestly have no surprise, it's just a strategy to get sponsors Finnick and I practiced.
"So all we have to do is help you get to the end, then you have a big surprise for us?" Caesar asks.
"Exactly Caesar" I gush like he's the smartest person in the world. It couldn't be farther from the truth.
"Well we all know what to do now!" he calls out and the crowd cheers in response.
"So Annie do you have a special someone back home?" he asks.
I frown, I really don't know what to say. But I know I can't just blurt out Finnick, it would ruin his reputation and most likely get me in more trouble and no sponsors.
"Yes" I finally reply.
"Well is there anything you want to say to them?" he offers.
"Just that I love him, and if I don't make it I want him to move on from me. He deserves to be happy" I manage "if this is goodbye, then know I will love you forever, in this life or the next" I choke the last bit out with a sob.
The crowd sighs in sadness and even a few appear to be crying. Honestly they are unbelievable, they are the ones doing this to me in the first place. I find Finnick in the crowd and he's staring at me in horror. I guess I made it just seem like I'm giving up.
"We'll just need to help you get back to him" Caesar says while wiping a tear off his face "though sadly your times up Annie, thank you so much!"
"Thank you" I say with a tear running down my face, I walk swiftly off the stage and too my seat. I'm placed between the boy from 3 and Ivan.
Ivan is called up to the stage and he starts his interview. I wipe the tears from my eyes and sink back into my chair to watch. I might appear to be watching but I barley pay attention to what they are saying.
The only part I catch is when Caesar bring me into the conversation.
"So what do you think of Annie" Ceaser asks Ivan.
"She's a nice girl" he says.
" Do you think she stands a chance?"
Ivan looks at me before doing something that surprises me and makes me feel grateful all the same. "I wouldn't count her out just yet" he says.
I give him a grateful smile. It would not have been helpful if he flat out said I don't stand a chance, even though it's true. I still don't believe I will even last past tomorrow let alone win. Never in a million years would I think that's possible.
Ivan's interview ends and he takes a seat beside me.
"Thanks" I whisper gratefully.
"No problem" he smiles at me before turning back to the stage. I don't really pay attention to the rest of the interviews until they get to District 12. When Caesar asks about their relationship Coal flat out says they are not together but I can see she is lieing. Their mentor probably didn't want them to appear together.
Darius just answers the questions with a 'yes' or 'no'. He's not very interesting. Soon I am being escorted back to our room.
"That was good!" Daisy praises us.
"Thanks" I mutter before pushing passed her and speed walking to my room. I feel myself start to hyperventilate as I sink to the floor. Saying goodbye really made me realize that tomorrow would come so fast and so would my death.
Soon my cloud will finally break with rain before the storm will pass. Sunshine will come but I will be gone, away from this awful world. I feel like little pieces of string are tying me to the ground, preventing me from floating off into the sunshine. Lynn, my mother, Emmy and Finnick, my little strings.
My door opens and someone slips inside, I can't see who it is through my tears. Eventually the person sits down and pulls me into a hug. He smells like the sea and I instantly know it's Finnick. I sob into his shoulder and he holds me tightly.
"I love you" he whispers in my ear "i'll get you out of there".
I want to believe him, I wish I could believe him. I lean into his chest and he leans his head on my shoulder.
That's when I realize he's not a little string but a metal bar holding me to the ground.