Author's Note: Another important moment in the novel (and films), so a slightly different take from me.

….

Interviews

Sawyer had already had enough, and Caesar Flickerman had barely begun the opening pleasantries. The falsity and fakery were too much. If the Capitol truly were distraught at losing their victors, this Quell would not be going ahead in its current form. If they did indeed love the victors, they would not treat them as they did. If they had a shred of morality, the Hunger Games would not go ahead anyway. They deserved everything that was coming to them.

The interviews had been a particularly galling experience for Sawyer since the previous Quell, where he began to open his eyes to what his fellow victors at home had known all along, to what he had remained wilfully blind. Ever since then, he had been reminded of all the young lives lost to the Games each year and his shame at his years of inaction whilst those around him were putting everything at risk.

But now he was one of them and he would do whatever it took to free Seven and Panem of the Hunger Games and the Capitol regime. He would just need to keep it together for the coming days to ensure they played their part. But getting through these interviews when it was his friends, including those he loved, facing imminent death, was going to take all his composure.

….

Pluto waited until Gloss and Cashmere had finished their interviews before turning to Halley and laughing, "If District One are going to play this up, it will be an interesting evening."

"I'm looking forward to what they're all going to say. Caesar is in for a trying time."

"It's already backfiring. The moment where Gloss and Cashmere were interviewed together, talking about family, of their loss, the Capitol's loss, it's going to stir the audience into a frenzy."

"Let's hope everyone plays into the emotional aspect of it. I want to see Flickerman finally lose control."

Pluto laughed, "We've got years of training under our belts. Most of us are decent actors by now, so hopefully it works."

….

Noah was disappointed. The Twos were so predictable in their approach, entirely clueless to what was going on around them. He tutted and shook his head at Lyme who threw her middle finger up at him once she caught his eye. She knew what game she was playing, but it was too dangerous to involve the others.

But still, Brutus would be hard to beat. For those who did not know what was about to unfold, Two's man would be a good bet for the win, and he would be a problem for Finnick. Noah was hoping beyond almost all else that they could escape before the inevitable confrontation.

Brutus talked the good talk, and talked up his skills. But everyone knew he did not have to exaggerate. He was there to win, to come back home to Two and continue their proud tradition of victories with the Quarter Quell finally under their belt.

Enobaria was angry, practically spitting her rage at Caesar who was somewhat taken aback by her overt aggression. She made no attempt at politeness and frankly, why should she? But Noah took note of this and shared a pointed look with Chloe and Coral. Enobaria could be a problem.

….

Porter just couldn't understand District Three. There was no point in saying anything about stopping the Games. It was simply not going to happen, and it would not help Beetee or Wiress' chances in the arena. She did not understand what they were thinking in making such obviously anti-Capitol and anti-Games statements. Perhaps they did not think they would have a chance at survival.

She could see that their escort was baffled as they answered different questions to the ones they were being asked. It was not good form in interviews, and they knew that. It was putting the audience on edge too. But maybe that is what they wanted, to try to get the people of the Capitol to actually think about what they were doing, to try to provoke change before dying at the Capitol's hands.

Neither Pluto nor Halley seemed perturbed. Pluto was smirking throughout Beetee's interview and Halley spent the entirety of Wiress' interview, making eye contact with her former mentor and actively encouraging and applauding her comments. Porter simply did not understand how their minds worked in District Three.

….

Luxor was so frustrated. Finnick Odair stood on the stage in front of the audience reciting love poetry to his supposed 'one true love' as audience members began screaming, crying, and in some cases, fainting. It was pathetic, on all parts.

He wanted to scream that Finnick did not love anybody in the Capitol, that he hated them and was using them. It was Annie Cresta that Finnick Odair loved. He was a fraud in pretending otherwise. Luxor could destroy Finnick's carefully curated image with one declaration. But he knew that if he did that, District Four would target District One for future Games to come and that Finnick may be more willing to set aside his history with Gloss and Cashmere. Nobody would thank him, and he would have District Two to deal with too if he threatened their alliance and long-term prospects.

So he kept quiet and rolled his eyes all whilst the Capitol lost their minds over the boy from District Four. But Luxor could practically see the money in the audience's eyes, and it was all lining up in front of Finnick Odair, at Gloss' expense. His boy had a game that he played too but Odair and his 'secrets' triumphed over District One at so many turns and Luxor could not stand to see it happening again.

Mags managed one- and two-word answers but as soon as the words "saving Annie" left the woman's mouth and were repeated by Caesar so the audience could actually hear, everyone was up in arms again.

….

Maria was disappointed in District Five. Self-interest and isolation were the rules they played by and still, they found themselves in the same dire situation as the rest of them. Their loyalty had got them nowhere and they simply did not realise.

Luna had given up and it was a sad sight immediately following the charm and excitement that Finnick naturally brought with him. Maria could practically feel the room fall flat as Five's oldest victor expressed her disappointment and sadness at her predicament. There was no fire or fight behind her sentiments. There was none of Enobaria's anger, Brutus' stoicism or even Beetee's blatant disappointment in the Capitol's lack of morality. Luna was simply sad and that in itself was sad to see.

Hal continued to let his anger run free and misguided. Maria was unsure whether it was a failure on the part of her and her allies to try to re-direct the man's anger or whether he simply could not be persuaded. He was angry at the wrong people all the time. Luna, Porter, old Ellen before she passed on, his family, District Five, the tributes. But never the Capitol. Never Snow. It was always somebody else's fault and Hal never seemed to understand whose.

So he gave the interview that Maria was expecting. He was angry, he spoke about the unfairness of it all, a point on which she agreed, but he never made the leap. Never pointed the blame. Maria decided he was a lost cause.

….

Cotton saw Poppy and Max exchange nervous glances before Claudia stepped onto the stage. She felt their concern as Woof's time on stage was soon approaching and he would not be able to cope either. She wanted to show Poppy that she understood somewhat. The woman from Six had willingly helped her and she wanted to display some solidarity. That was after all, what so many of the victors had been doing.

So she met Poppy's eyes, right as Claudia was walking, unsteadily onto the stage. She nodded and offered a nervous smile, which she knew was reciprocated before they turned their attention towards District Six's older female victor, who by now, was swaying in her seat.

Cotton immediately understood why Poppy was nervous. All Claudia spoke about was her upset at her children. How she was going to share the fate of her poor son and how she never got over the loss of her daughter. Cotton had no idea about any of this and she wondered just how much pain so many of her peers had suffered that she was simply unaware of because she was so caught up in her own world.

She watched as Poppy leant forward, started waving and trying to get Claudia's attention so the woman could at least try to look as if she were engaging with the audience. But she gained mixed results. Sometimes the woman turned in on herself at Caesar's attempts to draw a coherent answer from her. Other times, she looked to the audience and spoke about all the colours and clothes on show. Cotton was not a seasoned mentor, but she could tell this was not going well.

Levi was who she had known him to be. Sullen, distracted and fundamentally not interested in the interview. He looked out at the audience and spoke of his impending death as Max sat with his head in his hands. Cotton managed to whisper towards Poppy that she was so sorry.

….

Barley knew where the Sevens stood, and they were making no secret of it. Johanna was loud, aggressive and foul-mouthed. Nobody could doubt her opinions on the Quell. It was an opinion that Barley shared but he was not going to shout about it. It would not help Johanna's cause either. The Capitol did not deal with righteous anger kindly.

The young victor was being mentored by Sawyer on this occasion, a man who Barley had been friends with for years. They initially shared the same bond. Neither were rebels, they came from families who had a trade and made decent money. They did not expect to be reaped and yet, they did what they could when the unthinkable happened.

But Barley knew that Sawyer's opinions had been changed and that there was now a distance between them that was not there before. Sawyer had not tried too hard to persuade Barley but at the same time knew that there was enough residual anger that Barley would not betray him. Their mutual respect was still standing, and Barley could understand his friend's pain. Their victors were going into the arena and all they could do was watch.

Blight took a different approach whilst the core message remained. He spoke of his music, his band and the strong friendships he had formed in the Capitol, including with the Head Gamemaker himself. He talked of lost opportunities, music he would never make, of friendships never to be found and his dedication to young Johanna, for whom he would fight. The audience loved him, and Barley knew that Seven's prospects were far greater than Nine's.

….

Orchard watched as his old friend was accompanied by Cecelia onto the stage. The young woman remained by his side the entire time and Orchard could not help but feel relieved. It would provide Woof with comfort.

Their victories were ten years apart, but here they were. Tribute and mentor once again, a fact Orchard found disgraceful. As those in between them passed away, they remained. Two of the oldest victors, dedicated rebels who remained as their district's sole victors for years. They had an understanding and now it ended like this. Woof, about to succumb to an arena before dementia could have its way completely and Orchard, tired, declining and feeling increasingly unwell as the days went by. They were fast approaching the end and were being denied the dignity that Orchard knew that had both prided for so long.

Woof was too confused and startled to provide coherent answers, so Cecelia took the reins. She pointed out their friends in the crowd, and spoke of Woof's years designing and making custom outfits for the Capitol and the victors. As she continued pointing out those known to them, a clever mix of rebel and otherwise, Orchard noted, Woof began waving to them. Noting the reaction of the crowd, Cecelia encouraged him and pointed out those most familiar to them and Orchard could see a glimpse of recognition as his own name was mentioned. He hated what had happened to his friend and he hated the Capitol for doing this to him.

But Orchard was proud of Cecelia, for her dedication to Woof, Cotton, her children and District Eight. She gave a memorable performance, speaking of her children, her pain at being parted from them and the pride she felt for the people they were becoming, who she would not get to see.

Audience members were reduced to tears, but Orchard held no sympathy. If the Capitol had morals, this would not have happened. He knew District Eight had tipped over and would lead them all into rebellion and it could not come soon enough. He just hoped that Cecelia's beloved family would be safe.

….

District Nine could not conjure up the emotions of District Eight. Max did not envy their position but could not help but feel that they were not helping themselves. Maizey was polite and charming but ultimately, too boring to stand out.

She had cottoned onto the mood the other victors were trying to create so she spoke of her sadness at the end of her days in District Nine and hinted that she and Barric had finally found each other. But Max felt like it was all a lost opportunity. Maziey and Barric could have created a story. They could have shouted about it and created interest. But it would be a story covered by the Twelves, and they could not compete. So, in many respects, Max knew why they had chosen what they had. Revealing all now might cheapen what they had managed to have.

Barric followed on from Maizey's hints but gave no details. He was not the impressive eighteen-year-old he was before and would fade into the background. His interview proved that. Max knew that some tributes simply never stood out at the interview, he didn't believe he did (although the interviews for the Twenty-First Hunger Games were not what they were in this Quarter Quell), so it would be necessary to make a statement in the arena. Ideally at the start.

Max did not know how Barric or Maizey would play the game. He believed they would ally with only each other as Barric no longer had the leadership influence he did as a youngster but as they did not attend training, nobody could provide him with insight. The thought of an unknown, in an arena of victors where everything was at stake, did not help his nerves about the upcoming days.

In some ways Six and Nine were similar. They never stood out in the pre-Games build-up or hardly ever for positive reasons, so Max sympathised with Barley and Mona and their mentoring predicament as well as the fates of Barric and Maizey. But for all their flaws, Six's victors wanted it all to be worth something. Three of them knew they would never return home. The one who would, had strength, conviction and a will to succeed that had always evaded District Nine's victors in their outlook.

….

They were different, Districts Seven and Ten. Neither Charo nor Adan would react with the anger Johanna had displayed or follow on from Blight's angle, but they displayed their feelings all the same.

Sawyer was hardened with years of Games mentoring, life in Seven and his more recent rebel efforts. But it was the interviews which affected him, and he found District Ten's time on stage upsetting.

Charo spoke of her immense joy at finding Adan from the Games in the most unlikely circumstances. She told the audience about their life in Ten and how distraught they were that it was all ending abruptly. They knew that the Gamemakers would not allow two victors this year and their hearts were broken.

Adan followed suit and it quickly became clear to Sawyer that this was no longer the boy who scored a three in training. Now armed with a more respectable score, he was a man who had lived a life he had enjoyed, and he told the Capitol how it was about to be ripped from him and how he wished the Capitol could use its power to stop it.

They were playing the game, that much was obvious. But even someone as cynical as Sawyer could see the genuine nature of many of their words. Ten's victors loved each other and that was as impactful as Seven's anger.

...

Both Chaff and Seeder had watched his interview from the audience and now he was sitting alongside Orchard, watching them repeat the experience. It felt wrong and Haymitch was truly worried for his friends and what they were about to do.

He was also worried for Orchard who had, over the days in the Capitol, grown increasingly tired and frail. The old man was clearly unwell, and the upheaval and trauma were doing his health no favours. Still, they chatted quietly to themselves as Seeder in her calm, well-mannered demeanour spoke of President Snow's power and how it was up to him to end the Games. It was a clever plan. Indicating to the gullible Capitol audiences that Eleven was still under Snow's thumb, in the belief of the President's omnipotence, whilst presenting a direct challenge to the President, who everybody knew was not going to act to stop the Games.

Chaff was his more jovial self, joking with Caesar whilst still making his point clear. The Games were wrong, and they could be stopped if only someone wanted to. But perhaps the Capitol, or indeed the President did not want to stop the Games and what did that say about them? What did that say about the victors, the people they supposedly loved?

Haymitch appreciated Chaff's honest remarks, as he always did and was proud of how his friends were conducting themselves in the face of impending horror and the realistic prospect of death finding them the following day. Both Chaff and Seeder had other plans, had worked alongside Orchard for years to help free Eleven and now they had been forced away, into a battle they did not deserve.

But on the stage, Haymitch could feel his friends moving further away from him. The true realisation that they were tributes, bound for the arena had hit him. After interview night, he would no longer get to sit alongside them in the Mentors' Centre or share a drink with them. The Capitol was intent on destroying them and it only made Haymitch's hatred for them increase further.

….

Alone, the girl was nothing special. She was a sharpshooter; Brutus had made that clear. But Lyme could see what else was at play. She could answer Caesar's easy questions, but the rest of the work was done by her stylist, who had not only made her look good but had transformed her into the symbol of their rebellion. All Everdeen had to do was twirl and everyone else would do the work for her.

Lyme was not one for symbolism and hidden meanings, but she could appreciate the magnitude of the moment. The girl knew what she was supposed to be too. Lyme wondered if she fully understood what this meant, what she had come to represent.

The boy, however, was a genius. He followed on from the stylists' work and made the girl attractive, loveable and provided a story. He was young but had matured through his experiences of the Games, and could hold a conversation with Caesar and joke freely.

Then he set the audience alight. A seventeen-year-old boy had done what the rest of the victors had hoped they could do. He took the spark they had provided and set the room ablaze. There was no way that the girl was pregnant. She could not believe that the boy would be so reckless in any event. But the Capitol ate up every word, the tears started falling and people started screaming.

There would be repercussions for this no doubt. Especially when Lyme saw the victors take hands. She was surprised at Brutus and Enobaria's participation, but if needed, she could explain this as two victors being caught in the moment on a particularly emotional evening among friends. Even District Two had a heart somewhere.

Lyme certainly knew she did and at that moment she felt for the boy. His intentions were clear. But he could be something great. Peeta Mellark had a way with words that very few others did. The girl could create moments and inspire. But the boy could unite through his words, encourage togetherness and get an audience on side. Leaving him behind and focusing solely on the girl could be to the rebels' detriment.

….

The lights cut to black. The production stopped and the screaming continued. There was outrage in the auditorium as the victors were being hurriedly and heavy-handedly forced out of their seats and back into the Training Centre proper.

But they all understood what they had witnessed before the lights cut and the cameras stopped rolling. Twenty-four victors holding hands, united, before they were forced to tear each other, and themselves, apart. It was a show of power and strength, and Sawyer was energised. It was exactly what they needed.

From his seat, he could hear Poppy gasp in excitement as the victors held hands. Halley and Noah, in the knowledge that the cameras would not be focused on them, visibly applauded the display.

Beside him, Linden muttered, "If this goes pear-shaped, we're all dead, aren't we?"

Sawyer laughed in return, acknowledging the truth in what his friend was saying. But it was now or never.