This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!
-Remember the Name by Fort Minor

I stared at the screen, gaping. The images moved quickly and soon my face converted to Blue's and a number appeared for him. A nine. And all too quickly did it move to the stupid tributes from the next tribute.

I felt a hand on my back. Wave was patting my back as a congratulation. "You did good, squirt." He chuckled at my face twisting into a snarl.

"Thank you. And if you ever call me 'squirt' again I'll maim your manhood." I threatened, giving him a death glare.

"A ten!" Trixxa practically shouts. "That's the highest score so far! Nine's amazing too Blue. You two did amazing better than I could hope."

I feel my cheeks heating up. "Uh, actually Knighty, someone just score higher than her." He points to the screen, his jaw dropped severly. I turned my head and felt my mouth drop too. I don't know if it was shock or jealousy or even amusement.

It was the boy from Ten. He got a perfect twelve, the highest score you possibly get and the craziest person here got it. "Maybe they were just being nice?" I suggest trying my hardest to smile.

"A little too nice?" Blue raises his eyebrow.

Mags and Wave exchange glances and suddenly I'm not feeling so good. "I think you should go to sleep, Serenity. You've had a long day and tomorrow is going to be even longer. You wouldn't want to put a strain on yourself."

I blink. "What about him?" I accuse, pointing to Blue. "I'm not a baby." I cross my arms over my chest. "I deserve to hear."

Blue sighed and motioned me to him. All of the elders looked at us curiously. "Do you mind?" He asked them in a way you really shouldn't. If I'd use that tone with my mother I'd be slapped. "I'll tell you everything later but you have to be patient." He growl-whispered in my ear.

"Fine." I hissed back. "But if you don't tell me may God help your soul." I warned, storming off into my chambers.

"Ok, now, love, things can be really simple or they can be really hard. Take your pick. I'll have fun either way and you'll still look amazing enough to have sponsors that could buy you out of the Games." Her electric blue eyes penetrating my skin again.

"I'll...um...choose really simple?" The words came out of my mouth more like a question. "You know, Calypso, I'm not scared of you."

Calypso snatches a pair of trimming scissors from the counter. "Really?" She snips the air. "I think you should be."

"But I'm not." I protest.

"But you should be." She counters, starting to trim my hair. Lock by lock the hair fell on the floor. What used to be edges are now two to three inches of hair on the gorund.

"Are you giving me a pageboy?" I petted my hair, which was now resting at my shoulders. The blue streaks are still in there even against my wishes for it to return back to my natural silvery blonde.

"Nope." Calypso shook her head violently, starting to cut my hair on an angle, making the edges sharp and fierce. She examinded my head appreciately. "Your angle for the interview is simple. You're going to look Capitol. I don't like the whole innocent posh thing and we both know while you might be able to act you can't do depressed. You're going to treat this like it's a simple game and you know how to win. Are we understood?"

I nodded. "Yes, ma'am. On that note, I'd like to see my dress." I said sweetly, just to mock her.

"Great." Calypso said sarcastically. "Because that is what is going to happen. Lift your arms up carefully. If you ruin your hair I will give you a battle scar before you get the chance to battle."

I did as told, raising my arms above my head. I expected a sleeved dressed but the shock of having a strapless on wasn't that big. Calypso slid it down my body and zipped it up so I can look at the fabric.

My mouth hung open.

You see, I felt fabric but there wasn't any. My dress was made purely out of gems. Saphire, aquamarine, topaz, diamonds, they all sparkled gleefully on the dress. They were in layers, by hue, rippling from top to bottom.

"This is like a dress made for District One." I stroked the gems carefully, like it was the most precious thing in the world. It must have cost a fortune.

Calypso waves her hand dismissevly. "Didn't spend a dime, dear. If I did it would be ten times more glamorous. Although," She viewed me from the side. "You already are smashing in that dress and that makeup looks marvelous."

Mags hustles into the room. "You look beautiful, as always." She complimented, practically dragging me out. "You have about five minutes til the interview." She shoots a glare at the door.

I feel my legs speeding up. "Don't you'll twist-" Mags calls but thats when I feel it. A sharp pain shoots through my ankle and I nearly fall over. Thankfully I stumble in Blue's arms but my leg gives in.

He looks down at me and chuckles. "Running in heels, not the smartest idea, Starr." He grabs my arms and pulls me upright. The bell buzzes, which ends the interview for the District Three male. I can hear Caesar.

"Thank you Monroe, we look foward to seeing you in the arena." Caesar says and I feel my chest tighten.

Blue gives me a hug for comfort. "Good luck, they'll love you." He whispers in my ear and we quickly unlatch.

"Next we have Serenity Starr, the mermaid princess." Caesar announces.

I plaster a huge smile on my lips and walk onto stage to join him. I stumble a little and grimace at the pain in my ankle. The audience cheers incredibly loud for me. They must really like my dress.

I giggle. "Is that what the people are calling me? I've always wanted to be a princess." I bubble.

The crowd turns silent. "Aw. Is that true? Have you really wanted to be royalty?" Caesar asks, foaming at the mouth.

I raise my eyebrow. "Of course not!" I practically spit. The crowd laughs. "I've always wanted to live in the Capitol."

Caesar laughs too. "I see you like it here." He comments.

"Like it here? I love it here!" I gush with as much enthusiasm. "Everything is so much more exciting with elections going on." I lie. I look at Mags in the audience, now, and she gives me a thumbs up.

"Oh, really? I never expected a young, pretty girl to be interested in politics. Who do you want to win?" Caesar is completely oblivious to my lie.

I think of all the canidates in my head. I can barely remember my mom talking about who she wants. "I happen to favor C. Snow."

He arches an eyebrow. "So you don't believe in all the poison commotion?"

I shake my head. "It's all a big bunch of nonsense. He drank from the same cup, did he not? He wasn't poisoned."

Caesar is quick to jump on another subject; and so am I. "Can you tell us about your training score? A ten is very big especially for such a small girl like yourself."

I giggle again and twirl on a strand of hair. "I have many talents. Do you want to know one of them?" He leaned into me, hoping for a good answer. "I know how to stay silent." I whispered and the crowd laughed again.

We bantered a few more, I got a couple more laughs and cheers from the audience and then the buzzer went off. "It was lovely speaking with you. We look foward to see you in the arena. Ladies and gentlemen: Serenity Starr!"

I give them one last smile, one last wink dance off the stage to join Mags in the audience. She tells me I did great and I tell her thanks but I'm just trying to take my mind off of things. I made a huge mistake.

I corrupted the politics. I didn't believe in Snow, I thought he was a bloody liar. Everyone knows that he might not have been poisoning people but he is a bad person. In the past when a tribute favored something or someone it had an influence in competition and I basically just told all of Panem to vote for C. Snow. I'm responsible for the future of Panem.

It was no secret that our old president forced the better looking tributes into prostitution. It'll be no surprise that Snow will do the same thing. He made a point to say he believed in everything our old president did. And which ever Career wins, they'll have to do Snow's dirty work.

And I'm responisble.

Blue's interview went swiftly, the audience loved him; the girls swooned for him. Actually all the interviews went well until District Ten was up. The boy screamed and yelled and looked completely angry and fustrated. He even tried to attack Caesar and while everyone sent sympathy I tried my hardest not to laugh.

And then Trey was up, the last interview. He was from the dirty part of the district. I don't think it's 'dirty' so to say but he isn't from the merchants part so to say. They put him in a pair of ripped jeans and a long sleeved grey V-neck. Didn't really want to go the mile.

Caesar asked almost all the guys, the handsome ones, if they had a special girl back home. I'm taking it he thought no matter what the age looks applied because they asked him any way. Trey just said a plain no. Then Caesar asked him if any tributes caught his eyes, he obviously wasn't happy with the answer.

"All the tributes are older than me." Trey said matter-of-factly, rolling his eyes. I laugh, he isn't that bad.

"What about Ebony from District Eight?" Caesar asks eagerly. I look over at Ebony and her cheeks are flushed bright scarlet.

"She's too gentle." Trey answered.

"How about Serenity?" I smiled, he didn't even have to say what district I come from. Am I really that popular.

"Too fierce." Trey shrugged.

Ouch. That hurts. But i just sat back, my legs crossed, my hands over my knees watching them, cackling to myself. "Your loss!" I called merrily and people looked at me to see if I had the guts to intrrupt anothers interview.

Trey stole a glance at me. I stared back at him, smiling. He nodded his head, just a little. Ever so slightly that no one else would notice it.

He's asking to ally. He thinks II'd be the perfect partner and I think we might just be fantastic together. Besides, it's not like I'm teamed up with anyone else. So I smiled widely and pointed left. It was me telling him which way to go after the sixty seconds. We weren't going to have the chance to talk before tomorrow.

Twelve hours to hell.