7: Interviews

Katniss POV

An eleven? Really, me? The only tribute that I can remember getting eleven is Finnick Odair and the whole of Panem saw how deadly he was in the arena. I don't think that I'm quite so dangerous, yes I can shoot, but all of the careers have a special weapon that they're great at. Maybe it's just like Haymitch said, they liked my spunk.

I snap out of my reverie to hear Gale congratulating me and patting me on the back. "Well done Gale," I say to him. "Ten is pretty impressive."

"Not as impressive as you," he says, not a hint of jealousy in his voice, just relief. "This is probably the best we could have possibly hoped for. And it won't make you a target! Katniss, you've got the top score in living memory." It dawns upon me that this is correct, I didn't realise I made Hunger Games history. Though I guess that happened when I shot at arrow at the gamemakers, I doubt other tributes normally do that.

"Now all I have to worry about is my interview," I say, only half-joking. The looming interview is really terrifying me, I just can't speak to crowds and pretend to be all nice and 'oh I love the Capitol so much and will you sponsor me?'. No, I think I'm more the 'I hate you, but seeing as I need you right now, sponsor me or else' type. I don't understand how the others do it, how they can pretend to like the Capitol and actually succeed. Though are the Capitolites really so stupid that they actually believe we like them?

"Yes, the interviews are this evening. We will start interview training this afternoon. Would you like to train together or apart?" Effie asks us.

Gale and I exchange glances. We have nothing to hide. "We'll train together," I say.

"Excellent," Effie responds. I doubt she'll be thinking that this afternoon when she has to train us. Gale or I she can probably cope with, but both of us at the same time learning to walk in heels and sit properly and flatter people. No, I don't think that will work very well. "You'll have your first session with me and then with Haymitch."

Lunch is quite light, some District 12 breads and a variety of Capitol hams and the main conversation is our scores. I feel slightly uncomfortable with everyone praising me like this, I mean, all I did was shoot an apple near the gamemakers. Though I can't really say I am looking forward to the end of lunch, Effie's training is apparently about how to appear gracefully and walk in heels and all that rubbish. Which I know I'll be a failure at: District 12 style does not include grace and heels and dresses.

I'm not exactly sure what Gale's training will entail. A sudden image of Gale in a long flowing dress and heels comes into my mind and I smirk slightly. Gale is looking at me curiously, then his face takes an odd look. I think he just realised why I was smirking. Lunch finishes quickly and we are pushed into a side room with Effie.

An hour and a half later I decide that I was right with my first analysis of etiquette training: it is horrible and I am terrible at it. First, Effie got me in these ridiculously high heels and had me walking around in circles with a book on my head, to help my posture or something like that. And she jabbered on about keeping my shoulders back and the importance of a lady being graceful, and it was torture. I swear, she is part Jabberjay from the way that she just repeats speech again and again in the irritating Capitol accent. Gale and I were way off when we mocked it in the forest.

Next she makes me spend about fifteen minutes just sitting down, how to sit down gracefully, how to stand gracefully, and working on my posture sitting down. And then onto facial expressions, laughing in a ladylike manner and pretending Effie is the audience and speaking. I never thought I would say this, but I'm actually looking forward to seeing Haymitch.

Meanwhile Gale is also being instructed about how to walk gracefully (though luckily for him, not in a dress and heels) and much the same as me in a less ladylike sense. I can tell by the look on his face that he is getting nearer and nearer to breaking point. I reach my hand out and try to calm him down, but Effie slaps my hand away with a proclamation of "ladies don't do that!" I growl slightly, soon it will be too late for me to calm Gale or to keep my own temper in check.

Gale erupts when Effie corrects his posture once again. "For God's sake Effie, would you stop your criticisms! I'm doing the best that I can, okay, and frankly your jabbering in my ears isn't helping! I'm bad at sitting gracefully, who cares? I think in the future I'll have more use knowing how to use a sword than knowing how to walk with a book on my head!" Effie stares in shock for a second and them tosses her head.

"It's obvious that your parents never taught you the importance of good manners," she responds.

I begin to feel my cheeks redden in anger. Insult my posture, fine, insult mine or Gale's parents, not fine. I beat him to it. "Hazelle Hawthorne is one of the kindest women I know. Don't you dare insult her, you.."

"Fine. This training session is over," Effie interrupts, and flounces out of out of the room, leaving me fuming with Gale.

"I hate her!" Gale growls angrily. "She just doesn't seem to realise what this means. We are going into the games and she sits here insulting my posture and acting as if I should be grateful?"

I touch his shoulder and feel him flinch away. "Gale."

"What?"

"We'll show her. Tonight, at the interviews, we'll come out with something no one has ever seen before. And she'll see how useless she truly is," I say, the anger spreading over my body.

"Catnip?"

"Yes Gale?"

"I love you."

"Just show it in the interviews."

"Don't worry about the interviews, it'll be fine," Gale replies.

I don't understand how he can be so calm about it. These interviews are almost as important as the training scores to determine sponsors and we desperately need sponsors to survive. And Gale isn't any more of a people person than I am, so how can he just go with it so easily?

Training with Haymitch comes next. Haymitch's training is more about what we are going to say, our angle and all that, which is a lot more to my tastes. At least this will be useful, and besides, I have an angle already: star crossed lover. Not sure if the Capitol will buy it, but it's something. Haymitch enters the room.

"Effie told me what happened. Nicely said sweetheart. If only you could be that lively and interesting at an interview."

I smile at this. "You mean I should insult the Capitol crowds? Well if you say so, but I'm not sure of that strategy."

"Not exactly what I was thinking no." A slight smile flits across his face. "Interesting as that would be. But no, you need to find an angle that works for you. Some tributes choose fierce, or mysterious or hostile. Do you have an angle in mind?"

"We did think of an angle, yes," Gale responds.

"Well go on boy," Haymitch says impatiently.

"Lovers. It's something the Capitol has never seen before, and they like that sort of thing. It will gain us attention and sympathy at least."

Haymitch nods. "It will make you look desirable. That could work. So sweetheart, how do you plan to confess your love to this boy? Your interview is first."

"Caesar Flickerman will probably ask about whether she has a special somebody at home, or if she knows why I volunteered. She can confess then," Gale replies for me.

"That will work. And if not?"

"Then I guess he can confess in his interview."

"Precisely. That will look better, don't you agree? The girl on fire, who volunteered for her sister and the boy who was ablaze confesses that he loves her. A protector of sorts. Because that's why you volunteered, isn't it boy?" he addresses Gale. Gale nods. "So Katniss, don't mention love directly. Hint though, gush about how grateful you are to Gale, that you can't imagine killing him. And play up the Prim part too, some proper emotion."

I hate how in this place, everything is about appearances and the Capitol. Don't talk about Prim because you feel strongly about twelve year olds having.. Having to murder each other. Speak about her because the Capitol freaks want some emotion, so you make an interesting piece in their games. It's disgusting.

Next Haymitch asks us questions that Flickerman might ask, getting us to play up a certain angle and making sure we won't be offensive to the Capitol. I must say, for someone who spends most of the time in his house drinking Haymitch is actually a fair teacher and knows how to communicate to Capitol people. Better than Effie, in any case. The training passes quite quickly and soon Gale and I

part ways to see our stylists.

xXx-X-xXx

Gale POV

Portia comes into my room soon with another bag of clothes. I wonder if she will be doing the fire thing again, that really was amazing. Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was on fire. I must say, the name really suits her. I wonder how she feels about my nickname. Do I suit 'the boy who was ablaze.' Maybe I do.

"Interviews tonight Gale!" she says in a horribly cheerful manner. "How do you feel?"

"Like crap," I reply honestly, the argument with Effie made me feel so angry and after loosing my temper like that I generally feel tired. After releasing all of the pent up anger since the Reaping Day I guess. Mostly I've kept calm so far, but Trinket insulting my parents was the last straw.

"Well I'm sure this outfit will make you feel better," she insists.

I disagree with her, but I don't say. It's pointless to argue with this type of person, and I know she doesn't mean any harm. I don't hate her personally, just that she's one of them. If anything she reminds me of Delly Cartwright, a girl at school who was always cheerful and wanted to make others happy too. Difference is, Delly was successful. Portia isn't.

She opens the bag revealing a charcoal grey suit and matching trousers with a cream shirt. Not too bad, definitely not in the crazy Capitol style. Yes, I can live with this. I go into the bathroom to put it on and emerge a minute later. I look good, I must admit. My dark brown hair is tousled and pushed back and the suit matches my grey eyes. I look quite neat, but not unnaturally so, and the buttons on the suit are made of a reflective material with images of flames running through. Very nice, not too overdone and quite comfortable.

Portia gushes about how handsome I look once again and adds a bit of pale grey eyeliner around my eyes, before announcing me presentable and sending me to the waiting room behind the big stage where interviews take place. The other tributes are sitting here too. Some catch my eye. Most girls are wearing dresses: Rue in particular looks angelic with long feathery wings coming off her dress. Most of the boys are dressed similarly to me, minus the flames, but some are different. Cato is wearing some sort of golden armour, as is Clove and they look very intimidating.

Then Katniss walks in. She is, without a doubt, the most beautiful girl in the room. She is wearing very little make-up, but she is dressed in an amazing floor length red dress. I can see tiny jewels embroidered into it and the way it moves reminds me of flames, probably the effect Cinna was going for. It must have cost a fortune, but for once I don't resent the Capitol for it. Katniss looks amazing, even better than Rue.

The tributes names get called quite quickly; the interviews have a time limit of two minutes. Glimmer is first, and she is going for the pretty girl angle. Then Marvel, who tries to be funny. As I expected, Cato and Clove go for fierce and scary. They succeed. District 3 go for smart. Foxface from Five also plays up her intelligence. Maybe she is one to watch out for, despite her training score. Nobody else stands out until eleven, where Rue plays up the victim, but says she is good at hiding. Thresh also stands out, being the first tribute to take the hostile approach.

Then Katniss comes up. Caesar asks a few questions on the flames, Katniss makes a few jokes. Nothing special. But then she gets up and twirls around. The bottom of her dress bursts into flames and they spiral up as she spins faster. Cinna and Portia have been amazing. She sits down.

"That was wonderful Katniss," Flickerman says. "Now I'm sure a lot of us have been wondering, who is Gale Hawthorne to you? Do you know him, or did he volunteer for the other boy?"

"He's my best friend," Katniss replies quietly. Then her voice picks up. "It's been a real comfort to have him with me for these last few days, but he hasn't told me why he volunteered. I can't imagine killing him though."

"No, that is unfortunate. Now do you think you could tell us about your sister?" Caesar changes the subject.

"I love her more than anybody else in the world," Katniss replies honestly. "When I left her, I promised I would win." And you will, I think to myself. I will make sure of it.

"And win you will. Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire!" he announces as the gong goes. My name is called and I walk up onto the stage and sit down in front of Flickerman. Katniss goes off with a slight good luck sign to me. Butterflies are fluttering in my stomach, I need to get this interview right for Katniss' sake.

"So, Gale Hawthorne, the boy who was ablaze. I think the whole Capitol has been wondering why you volunteered. Care to enlighten us, Mr Hawthorne? Was it for the other boy?

"I did not volunteer for Peeta Mellark. No, I volunteered for Katniss Everdeen."

"But why?" Caesar asks confused. "She is your best friend, surely you don't want to kill her?"

I force a laugh. "Of course not. I volunteered to protect her. Because.. Because I love her," I come out with it.

Flickerman is shocked. "Love?" he asks.

The whispers spread through the Capitol audience faster than wildfire. For a few moments all we can hear is muttering.

"Well, Mr Hawthorne, I wish you the best of luck, and may the odds be ever in your favour." He bows his head as the gong goes and I walk off the stage.

xXx-X-xXx

Authors Note:

Well that was the longest chapter yet! Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave a review, let me know if it's good or bad.

-MoonOfPluto