6: Interviews

Katniss POV

The next few days of training pass in much the same way as the first. I spend one morning at the survival stations, because I know most of the survival tips from District 12 hunting. Most of the time is spent practising with the polearm though, and I have to say, it is a beautiful weapon. It just feels right in my hands, much lighter than a sword and keeps your enemy out of range. But still a close range weapon, though I don't plan on getting so close to a tribute trying to kill me.

I don't know, it just seems so much easier to kill from far away with a bow and arrow. Just like hunting, I realise. Maybe this is how Gale seems so unbothered by killing, he's one of the best hunters I know. But it just disturbs me that if I don't distinguish people from animals then it will be hunting. I suppose that's why I prefer the bow and arrow, when I'm up close it will just feel a lot more personal, looking into their eyes, then killing them.

Today though, there is no training. The room is kept for private sessions, so now, Gale and I are just sitting here hearing the names being called out. As we are from District 12, we come last for training sessions. This is unfortunate for us because the careers come first, so the gamemakers will have seen the best, and by the time our District comes they will just be bored. I probably have it the very worst as boys have the training sessions first.

Gale is sitting across from me stony-faced as the gamemakers call in each tribute. To anyone else he would probably look angry, but I can see beyond that and realise that he is scared. Because these interviews mean practically everything when it comes to sponsors. Because though our stylists have been amazing, even if you dress a career up as a flamingo it will still get sponsors. Stylists get you attention, but what is really taken into account is your training score.

District 1 and 2 take the longest. This is understandable, they have the most skill in weapons and are show-offs. District 3, the female takes only a short time but the boy takes a bit longer I notice. Maybe I underestimated him, I can't really remember taking much notice of District 3. Mara takes quite a while, but her partner doesn't take long. The rest take relatively short times, except for District 11.

Thresh, the boy, I can understand. He is eighteen and looks very strong. I've seen him in the training room and he is good with a scythe, and climbing which is normal for 11. But Rue, I don't know about. She is only twelve, like Prim, and hasn't shown much skill in training at all. OK, she can climb, but that wouldn't take very long.

"District 12, Gale Hawthorne," the woman calls. Gale gets up and walks determinedly through the door. Rue is coming out, looking quite scared and I feel a rush of sympathy for her being the only twelve year old in the Games. Not that I want there to be another twelve year old.

xXx-X-xXx

Gale POV

The door shuts behind me. The training room looks odd being empty, but I shrug and walk over to the table of gamemakers. "Gale Hawthorne, District 12," I announce myself. Hardly any of them are looking. I go over to the bows and arrows. Maybe they're just waiting for me to do something.

Nocking an arrow, I aim at the heart of a dummy and shoot. It hits where I aim and I wait for a reaction. Nothing, they are still eating and half-drunk. Damn, maybe this is why so few District 12 tributes get good scores. Anger wells up in me, they only have to do this for one day and they can't even concentrate on us trubutes for that long? I try throwing knives, doing well, and I use a sword to behead a few dummies easily. Still nothing.

I glare at the gamemakers, pinpointing the source of their attention. A few had watched me, but hardly any. I see a pig with an apple in the mouth. If I were as good with a bow as Katniss maybe I would try and shoot the apple, but with my skills it's a bit too risky. Still, maybe I can do something to get their attention.

I go back to the archery station and pick up a bow and an arrow. Next, to the fire-lighting station. I grab a bit of cloth and some matches and wrap the arrow with cloth before setting fire to it. Now, timing is everything. Quickly as I can, I load the bow and shoot the arrow into the heart of another dummy. The fire blazes for a second, catching the attention of a few more gamemakers, before going out, leaving part of the dummy charred. Living up to my Capitol title of 'the boy who was ablaze'.

Then I walk out of the room, my head held high, though I know that fury is still mouldering in my eyes. Katniss looks at me curiously, but right now I'm not really in the mood to tell anyone about what happened. Not even Katniss, my friend, hunting-partner and true love.

The worst part is that I don't even know if it worked. I didn't even get all of the gamemakers attention, though I did get many of theirs, including Seneca Crane (the Head Gamemaker). Hopefully that should be enough to get me a good score, and maybe I've even made things a bit easier for Katniss.

"Katniss Everdeen, District 12."

Catnip gets up shakily and walks over to the door. "Good luck," I say to her before she goes through. She smiles slightly at me and goes through the door. I am left waiting for her, hoping that the gamemakers are paying attention. I wonder if this was what it was like for her waiting for me. In all honesty, this waiting is probably worse than the actual session. Just hoping that they won't give her a bad score, though for us it may not be the end of the world. After all, we still have one thing left: love. And besides Cinna and Portia have got us a lot of attention with the fiery outfits. But still, it will help a lot if we both get good scores.

After about fifteen minutes Katniss comes out. Her head is held high like mine was, but I can easily see past the proud act. Her eyes are nearly spilling over with tears and she is looking very afraid and sad. I am immediately next to her, holding her hand and taking her up to my room. Once we are there I finally speak.

"What's wrong Katniss? What happened in there?" I ask, feeling slightly murderous towards the gamemakers for upsetting my love like this.

Katniss wipes her eyes and brushes her hair out of her face. "I'm hopeless," she whispers. "I.. I shot an arrow at the gamemakers."

"Shh, it's OK Catnip, don't worry," I murmur.

"No, it's not OK Gale!" she shouts. "It's not OK at all! They'll give me a low score and maybe the careers will reconsider me being there and they'll take it out on me in the arena and I won't have any sponsors. So don't tell me it's OK when it isn't!"

"Don't worry Katniss, I'm here for you," I try again. "And the careers know what you can do. And besides, we still have one last trick for the sponsors." I'm not really sure how to comfort a girl about something like this, though I am worried too, to be honest, I really respect Katniss for this. This is the girl I fell in love with.

"Love," she mutters. "Well I didn't exactly shoot an arrow at them. Near them though, they were paying attention to a stupid pig with an apple in it's mouth and I just got so angry and shot the apple."

I smile slightly, Katniss and I really are similar. "Katniss, my first thought to you is well done. I thought of doing that, but I didn't really trust my archery skills. But I did set an arrow on fire and shoot a dummy with it. I hope that got their attention, though you were so much better."

"So that was what that burn mark on the dummy was?" she asks curiously. I nod. "Amazing," she says. "But they probably won't misinterpret that as an attempt to kill them," she adds putting a dampener on it. "I suppose we've got to go down and tell Haymitch and Effie about it?" she asks. I nod and we go downstairs.

"So how did the private sessions go?" Effie asks. "Do you think you did well?"

"I set an arrow on fire and shot it at a target," I reply. "Other than that, no probs."

"I shot an arrow at an apple in a pigs mouth near the gamemakers," Katniss responds, outdoing me.

Effie's response is an ear-piercing scream of "what?!"

She is about to continue when Haymitch walks in. "Nice shooting sweetheart," he addresses Katniss giving her a thumbs up. "Well done too Gale."

Effie is looking more frustrated than ever. "Oh it's all very well for you.. For you to laugh now. But their actions reflect badly upon all of us," she says gesturing around the room for effect. "What do you think will happen if they decide to take it out upon them in the games, eh?" she continues.

"Lady, they've already made her life hell. There's not that much more that they can do." Effie is silent. For the first time since getting here I am starting to respect Haymitch. Yes, he's a drunk, but he's a lot more aware than others give him credit for. And anyone who can annoy the hell out of Effie has to have some good in them. The TV comes on, about to give us the scores.

"Glimmer Shine, District 1," a picture of Glimmer comes up. "A score of nine," and a large nine flashes across the screen. "Marvel Ore, District 1, with a score of 9. Clove Davis, District 2, with a score of 10. Cato Bridon, 2, with a score of 10." This is unsurprising. Careers generally get around eight-ten. It continues with the boy from 3 getting a notable 7, Foxface from 5 getting four (maybe she's not so big a threat?) and Mara getting 9. Thresh gets ten and Rue, surprisingly, pulls a 7.

"Gale Hawthorne," my picture comes up. I feel my breath hitch in my throat waiting. "With a score of 10." I let out the breath. Ten. The top score since Finnick Odair got 11, equal to Cato. I couldn't have hoped for better.

"And Katniss Everdeen, with a score of.. 11." Everybody starts cheering, nobody harder than me. Katniss is looking surprised with an unmistakeable look of pure relief and happiness on her face for the first time since the Reaping.

"They must've liked your spunk kid," Haymitch says.

xXx-X-xXx

Authors Note:

Hope you liked the chapter. Probably only one or two more chapters until the games now. Feel free to comment, thoughts on this story would be really nice.

-MoonOfPluto