Snev's A/N: No-one is reviewing. No-one even cares. I would have thought that with one of the most popular authors in the hunger games domain (aka - moi) that people would flock over here. But evidently not. Evidently you're just too high and mighty to review for the likes of me. Foxx and Sub, I can understand. No-one wants to review for them, but me? So yeah, I'm having a bit of a rant about nobody reading it to the people who are reading it. Stupid, huh? We only have 182 hits overall. I know. My hits for a story with just TWO chapters so far that I only put up yesterday total more than that (Lost In Translation). Honestly? Pathetic! (-.-) Why don't you just click the next" and "previous" chapter buttons a few hundred times to double that? Because that's what's needed really t keep our ego up. Not mine, obviously. And not Foxx - Foxx doesn't know the definition of the word ego, but Sub. Sub needs it (and it's his profile we're posting this on, remember?). The only solid reviewer who isn't myself (yeah, I'm the second best reviewer - and I write the dratted thing!) is (it's Foxx's thing to mention this so I won't pry) one of my faithful reviewers.
Foxx's A/N: Subject and Snev are bummed that no ones reviewing. But I'm going to look at this optimistically and say, thank you to Arcticmist for following our story and being our one faithful reviewer. Oh, and here's the pie that I owe you from chapter nine. *sends virtual pie* Or was is chapter ten? My minds confuzzled. Anyways, if you review, I love you, but beware, when I love someone, it normally involves me eating them.
Subject's A/N: Well, I have officially partaken in the wondrous world of ADVERTISING. That's right FFnetters, this is all for you! And someone knock Snev off her high horse. Or low horse. She owns too many horses. We all love you Arcticmist!
~SFSFSFS~ 3
Chapter 14 - Derryl's POV - Bring It
"Maia," Caesar greeted her with a nod as I sat in my seat watching her pause with uncertainty. I hope she doesn't screw this up. What? Damn that, I hope she dies in a hole for all I care. She should trip on the way to the stage. But obviously it didn't happen and she sunk into the chair without even stumbling slightly. I ignored it then, but a part of me at the back of my mind was slightly relieved that she didn't stumble.
"Maia?" Caesar persisted, and it caused her to jolt her head up in surprise to look at him. It looked like she had just drifted off into a world of her own. How could she do that with the whole of Panem watching?
"Uh," she stuttered with a wave, "Hi."
What is this girl doing? She isn't an airhead! My nails tore into the soft wood of my chair, and a splinter shot into the soft skin of my finger. Swearing quietly under my breath so as not to alert the cameras, I listened to Maia's interview while ignoring Belladonna's death stares, feigning boredom.
"Hello," answered Caesar, waiting for her to say more. A slightly evil-sounding chuckle resounded from the Capitol audiences.
Her face flushed pale, anxiety evident in her eyes. "Great weather, ain't it?" she asked, obviously saying the first thing that popped in her mind.
Is she drunk! Who mentions the ever-perfect weather of the Capitol in an interview! What angle is she playing?
"It's always like this in the Capitol," Caesar replied, trying to prompt her on,"Would you say that the weather is your favourite thing here?"
She paused for a second, "Er, what would you say if I were to say yes?"
"Well, I would say that I agree with you, naturally." Caesar flattered, causing a shy smile to flutter onto Maia's face. Suddenly her cheeks flushed an anxious red.
Why? I never imagined Maia as the person to me shy. But then again, people do weird things under the harsh sweat and attention of the whole nation gawping at them all at once. It's almost like being an exhibit in one of those weird places the Capitol calls a zoo.
The image of my utter failure on stage flashed to the forefront of my mind, and I groaned inwardly. I honestly hope they bought it, it was hard enough acting like a complete and utter dumb ass.
"Then," she perked up, "I think the weather is amazing and is my favorite thing about my trip here in your beautiful city." Aside from the ugly color of mud and the odd splatter of grotty dark green paint, her dress fit her body perfectly, enhancing her few curves before it got to the waist, where it hung down like a potato sack. Luckily, the camera operators had the sense to zoom in and only film her top half, the brown in the dress bringing out the wild naturalness in her. Under the stage lighting, it matched her deep dancing grey-blue eyes and dark chestnut brown, almost black hair with ease. She was beautiful.
Damn it Derryl! You'll most likely be the one to KILL her! Romantic ploys are nothing but a burden in the arena! Despite my misgivings, I continued to watch her be an idiot, trying not to dwell on visual looks.
Caesar laughed softly and smoothly changed the topic of conversation, "So, Maia, a training score of 7. Mind telling us what you did in there to get such an impressive score?" He hardly whispered the sentence, beckoning Maia closer as if in secrecy, but each and every word echoed loudly through the speakers dotting the vast space.
I noted a cheeky glint in her eye as Maia leaned forward towards Caesar, him doing the same in reply, as she whispered oh-so softly, "One word." She paused for a moment, suspense playing throughout the room, tense anticipation suffocating everyone. "Gotcha!" she said.
Most of the tributes jumped at this exclamation, including me. Damn you, Maia. I almost believed you. Belladonna had outwardly gasped, losing her composure for a second. The crowd was busy recovering from the wave of laughter that overtook them. Caesar looked surprised, but didn't react. I wonder if all of the plastic surgery removed the ability to be react. And that's when I realized how good an actor Maia was. . . When she tries.
Moving quickly to the next question, Caesar continued the interrogation. "You led us on for a moment, Maia! The suspense was killing me." The crowd laughed at the face he made, happy for a change.
"Not that anyone here would want you dead, Caesar." Winking, Maia laughed along with the crowd. When the alarm signifying the end of three minutes went off, Caesar hastily shoved Maia off the stage.
Those were an extremely long three minutes. I'm glad someone else can go embarrass themselves. When the next tribute proceeded to the stage, my eyes followed Maia. She looked proud of herself. Although she had upstaged all of us, I felt really glad she recovered so easily from her terrible beginning. Or was it all part of the plan?
The rest of the interviews went by in a blur - my mind was too preoccupied thinking about Maia. The way her shimmering hair fell in waves down her back, and the sweet blue glisten in her eyes, and he cocky attitude that could not be disliked at all. Stop it now. I needed to have mutual feelings towards her, at least, if I was going to kill her when it came to that arena.
The arena. Was I prepared? No one was ever prepared for the arena. With twenty-three other tributes desperate to get home. Did I even stand a chance? I felt that I did, but in hind-sight, did I? Did I really have what it takes?
Dinner was uneventful, but lying in bed that night, worries raked through my body. Tomorrow I will be in the arena. Tomorrow I could be dead. This time tomorrow night I could be back home, dead in a box and getting prepared for burial.
But should I really care? There's nothing for me back in district four. I'll be in the Games tomorrow? Bring it.
Foxx's A/N: 12.44AM on a school night! Feeling like a rebel. Life is Beautiful. -WATCH THAT MOVIE! Yeah, it's in Italian and has subtitles, but so what? BEST FREAKING MOVIE. Just putting it out there. On another note, review, tell us what you think, and I'll give you more pie! *hands over virtual pie*
Snev's A/N: My little rant earlier was just me venting off anger and hoping an unknown reviewer would pop out of nowhere. You may be thinking that we have loads of reviews, but that's basically me and Foxx pranking Sub and stopping him quitting. Stalling the inevitable in a way. Yes, this is a comedy now. We've decided it. Some things, such as the ending, are just going to happen like that. None of us own the huger games, that's Suzanne Collins, and we really need reviews. I give a permanent content warning here, because there is swearing in this, from Foxx and Sub mainly, and I want to make sure your innocent ears have earmuffs on for the necessary moments.