My performance with the Gamemakers did not please Queen Bee. Who ever would have thought?

"Do you realize what you have done?!", she demanded, her voice too cold and low and her face too often subjected to Metropolises' surgeries to hold onto her youth to truly betray any real emotion. Yes, I thought. I had very easily jeopardized my chances of making it out of that fancy hole alive. I could have been arrested, executed or much worse. Of course there was no way I was going to say so to Queen Bee.

Besides it wasn't like I was going to win anyway.

So I just folded my arms, leaned back into the couch in between Kaldur'ahm and Dinah, who both looked more worried than angry, and put on an expression of "I could really care less". Of course that only infuriated Queen Bee even more. I think. "You realize that your actions reflect, not just you, but all of us." she said gesturing around the room.

Zatanna looked about as concerned as I was. "They just want a good show, Beatriz. It's fine." The name Beatriz threw me until Queen Bee answered "It's just bad manners, Zatanna."

And then Oliver walked in. "There are you are." Queen Bee pointed to me, like I was an errant child who needed to be put into my place. Oliver however took one look at me and gave me a thumbs up with a conspiratorial smile before moving to stand next to his seated wife. "Fantastic job sweetheart." He laughed. It was so unexpected it made me smile in return. "What, what was it you said to them?"

I had to think for a minute. I was expecting more anger or cool indifference. "I said thank you for your consideration." He mouthed my words along with me, laughing again when he finished. "Genius," he declared, looking at me with something like respect.

Dinah was clearly unsure of whether to scold him or take part in his happiness. Kaldur'ahm looked happy. Zatanna wore the same smug smile as Oliver. Only Queen Bee was angry. Probably. "I don't think your going to find this so funny, if the Gamemakers decide to take it out-"

"On who?", Oliver interjected. "On her? On him? I think they already have."

Everyone went quiet then, until I spoke. "My score will probably be terrible."

Oliver shook his head in disagreement. "Scores only matter if they're great. No one pays attention to the poor or mediocre ones. And as far as they know, your hiding your skills to purposely get a low score. It's a decent strategy after all." It was.

"Hopefully that is how the four I will receive will be interpreted," Kaldur'ahm said. "If that. Truly, is there anything less impressive than holding one's breath for ten minutes."

They showed the scores after dinner. It went in order. The Careers were in the eight-to-ten range. Shocker. Most of the others managed a five, though Barbara Gordon and Billy Batson both managed a seven.

Though Gordon's score didn't surprise me (it was obvious during our training that she was a clever and resourceful girl), Billy's did. He was so small he must have done something impressive to get that score.

"And now, District Twelve. Kaldur'ahm, with a score of.. " The spindly little announcer man paused for a dramatic effect. "Eight." Small cries of joy went out all around. Queen Bee simply said "We can work with that." Kaldur'ahm looked like the weight of the world was lifted from his shoulders.

I just sat silent and tense. My fate was about to announced to the whole world, so sue me.

"Artemis Crock, with a score of.. oh my.. this is a first" I thought a zero was about to flash onto the screen. "Eleven." Everyone went nuts, shouting out and clapping me on the back. I just sat in a stunned silence, before I managed to spit out "I thought they hated me."

"Well, I guess they saw something in you they liked," Oliver told me.

My sleep was deep and dreamless that night. I shouldn't have, but I woke up without a sense of dread that morning, the first since I'd entered Metropolis. Since it was still early, I layed in bed for a bit.

It was a Sunday. Back home it would have been a day off, for all of us. Thinking about home made me think of my sister, and Roy. How were they? I had no way to contact them? How was my niece? I know, there's no real way to tell whether a woman is having a boy or a girl until the infant itself is born, which Roy and Jade liked to argue with me, but I said girl. It just felt right.

How were Dick and his family? Jason, who followed me everywhere with a kind of puppy-like devotion. Tim, who preferred his meager book collection to his rowdy siblings. Sweet-tempered Helena, who emulated me in the way small children do.

Dinah politely knocking on the door roused me completely. Tomorrow night we were having the televised interviews. I figured the whole team would spend that the day and the next getting us ready.

At the breakfast table, Kaldur'ahm, Dinah, and Oliver were huddled together, speaking in as hushed tones as possible. It didn't sit right with me, but hunger won out over my curiosity.

I had shoveled threw half of my breakfast before I realized that I was the only one. I'd literally watched Kaldur'ahm push a mound of rice back and forth on his plate for about five minutes. It was far too quiet, and no one would look me in the eye. "Is everything okay?"

"Sure." Oliver was curter than usual. "Your teaching us interview techniques today, right?"

"That's right."

"You don't have to wait. It is possible to hear and eat at the same time you know."

"Oh, I know. There's just been a change of plans. About our current approach." Then he went silent. It was infuriating. "How's that?" I hadn't even realized we had any kind of approach at all aside from appearing average in training.

Oliver shrugged, though his stiff posture made it plain he was annoyed, but by what I couldn't say. "Kaldur asked to be trained privately."