Third Quarter Quell

Chapter Five: The Interview

Haymitch stopped Katniss in the hall. "There's something you ought to know."

"That you've been drinking?" Katniss asked, wafting the air with her hand.

"Whether I have or haven't is none of your business. What is your business is that besides you, Peeta, and the other District 12 Tributes, all of the others are vampires, werewolves, or mutants."

"Now I know you're intoxicated. Coming up with something like that, I ask you."

"It's true!"

"Vampires exist in what reality?"

"Every reality. Vampires aren't made up creatures. And they're dangerous."

"I'm sure you just caught a glimpse of one of the procession outfits and it made you think something crazy was going on."

There had, in fact, been a girl dressed as a the procession. But that was just for show.

"Katniss, listen—you are in dire danger, and so is your sister. Don't you care about her?"

"Of course I care about her," Katniss said, coldly, after a pause. "But it's not like you can get us out of here."

"No, but I want you to be on your guard."

"I'll be on my guard when you stop consuming so much alcohol."

It was the day of the interview. Katniss was at the back of a very long line. The interviews would run pretty much all day. Sure, each interviewee was only allotted three minutes, but with forty-eight people that and a half hours plus commercial. Okay, an entire evening, if not an entire day.

An announcer called the host's name, "Ceasar Flickerman!"

This year Ceasar had his hair dyed yellow. Katniss didn't much care for the look—not to mention that he wore a bright-orange suit. Yuck.

"This year in the Hunger Games we have some very special contestants," Caesar said. "Vampires, werewolves, mutants…and last year's returning champions. Not to mention a couple of new contestants from District 12. And another surprise—people are being paired off this year. This means that there is a couple bonding going on. And this year's quell pulled out an extra need so that we would have forty=eight contestants celebrating this three-quarters of a century of the Hunger Games!"

The crowd went wild, roaring with delight.

"And now, our very first new contestant, the one you've seen on a multitude of posters…give it up for Edward Cullen!"

A boy with marble skin and blazing blue eyes stepped forward from the line. Caesar raised his hand, and they took their seats.

"I take it you are a ampire."

"How'd you know?" Edward asked.

"Neveer seen skin so marble."

"That's what my wife said, whemn we first met," the boy said, grinning.

"Your wife will come out in a bit. We need to see you together. Though in our day and age, people don't usually get married at eighteen."

"I'm seventeen, and Bella is nineteen. But we vampires never age, you know."

"Oh yes. That's one of the perks of being a vampire. Though may I tell you a secret?"

"Sure," Edward said.

Caesar leaned in cloase to his ear, but said loudly and clearly, rather than a whisper, "I have looked like this for four decades myself."

Edward blinked in surprise. Of course, he had probably been around for centuries, Katniss thought. But Caesar looked to be in his late twenties. Not at like the sixty-plus he must be now.

The audience knew this was the case. So they didn't gasp or anything. Caesar had been around forever, it seemed. He certainly had interviewed more than half of the Hunger Games. Nothing unusual about that.

Now Caesar turned to other matters.

"You vampires all have powers, right? What's yours, Edward?"

"I have the ability to read minds," Edward said.

"Really cool. Wish I had that power. I would know why my ex-wife filed a divorce."

The audience laughed.

"So, is there anything else besides the ability to read minds that you can do?"

"Well, I move super fast. I suppose combining those together, I'll manage to do something at this year's Hunger Games."

"I hope so. We never had vampires on the show before, but it sounds like it will be interesting."

"You and your partner Bella are the couple most of our audience are most eager to see. Should we bring her out?"

Edward gave his assent. An usher brought in the large sofa for two and Edward stood up. And then she came out. Bella. The one Katniss regarded with loathing. If the Capitol had thought of doing this last year, they would have had Glimmer and what's-his-name from District 1 as their star couple. But the previous year the point was to keep the people from each individual district separate. Katniss and Peeta had defied them, and now they were thrown back in the Hunger Games.

"So, Bella, you are a vampire?"

"Do my red eyes not make this obvious?" Bella asked.

"I thought you're red eyes made you more gorgeous than any girl we've ever had on the Hunger Games."

Bella grinned goofily. Katniss wanted to smack that smile off her face. Just wait until she got in the arena. As soon as she got hold of a bow and arrow, she would take care of that Bella girl for sure.

"Watch it, Caesar, or I might get jealous," Edward said.

"Now, the audience is dying to know what your power is, Bella."

"I can shield the ones I love. And am unaffected by other powers."

"Really? Then you probably have the best set-up going of anyone here. Mutants, vampires, and werewolves will have a difficult time stopping you."

"One thing we may find impossible to resist," Edward said, "is killing as many werewolves as we come across. And I'm sure they want to do us in, as well."

The bell sounded.

"Well, we're out of time, but I wish you both the best of luck. With a wife as valuable as this, it would be a shame to lose her. Protect her with your will."

"I shall," said Edward, before pulling Bella away after him.

"Next we have, Jacob and Renesmee!"

A boy with husky shoulders and a small, petite girl took their place out of the line.

"So Jacob, what are you?"

"What do you think I am?" Jacob asked, baring his teeth.

"Not a werewolf, I hope?"

"Ah, but I am one."

"He is," the girl next to him said, reassuringly.

"Could you transform right now? Or would our audience be at risk?"

"Only of seeing me naked," Jacob said.

"I'll take your word for it, then," said Caesar, ignoring the whistles of the females in the audience. "A rumor reached my ears that you were in love with this girl's mother first. Is that true?"

"It's as true as the sun rises in the morning. But Bella chose Edward, and here I am."

Caesar turned to Renesmee. "Does it bother you that you were his second choice?"

"Well, I wasn't born yet at the time," Renesmee said, "so why would it bother me? You can't know someone before they were born. Obviously Jacob was waiting for me, but since I wasn't around yet he fell on the closest thing he could—which was my mother."

"That's a positive perspective," said Caesar. "But here's another thing. What are you going to do when facing your mothere in the competition?"

"I hope not to face her," said Renesmee. "She does have a shield ability. She's a toughie."

"But you and Jacob arre wily, are you not?"

"I don't know about wily," Jacob said. "We just want to do our best. But with a love as potent as ours, there's no way we can go wrong." "

The bell sounded, and it was time to usher Jacob and Renemsee away.

Caesar did not introduce the next pair, who had huge, protuberant white eyes with no irises, but asked them their names.

"I'm Starfire, and this is my partner, Robin."

"What are you guys? Vampire, werewolf, or mutant?"

"Actually, we're titans," Robin said.

"That sounds scarier than any of the other three," Caesar said.

"It is," said Robin.

"But we'll wint his thing," Starfire said.

"I'm sure you will," said the talk show host. "With a name like yours, I'd expect you to win sponsors without having to worry about anything else."

"Oh, we don't need sponsors," Starfire said. "As Robin put it, we're titans."

The girl who had been dressed regally stepped forward, along with a boy with dark hair who wore a black shirt under a tan vest.

"Katherine and Lance, everybody!"

There were cheers from the crowd.

"You two are the only ones that the Capitol disclosed foreknowledge of as being mutants," Caesar said. "Do you know why that is?"

"Because we're the ones everyone else really has to worry about," said the girl.

"Yeah, we're invincible," said the boy.

"What are your powers, then?"

"What do you think, Kitty? Should we show them?"

"Most definitely," said the girl.

Suddenly Katniss felt the earth under her shaking. She looked up at the screen, and everything was shaking in the room there, too. And the boy lhad a look of deep concentration on his face.

After half a minute, the shaking ceased, and Katniss uprighted herself.

"Wow! Caesar said. I'm sure nothing can top that!"

"Wanna bet?" Kitty sunk in her chair. She went right through it. Then she got up, rushed at the boy, and his chair, and passed straight through them, as if she were a ghost.

"What a power!"

"It's called phasing," Kitty said, blushing. She resumed her seat.

"How can anyone defeat you?" Caesar asked her. "You can phase through anything.""

"See? Told ya we were undefeatable."

The bell sounded. "Well, our time is up, but I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say, we want you two to be the champions of this year's Hunger Games!"

He bent to kiss Kitty's hand, which Katniss could only perceive because he had done it to her the previous year. He was rather revolting, that man. She hopped that Kitty had made his lips passed through her without touching. His disgruntled face seemed to indicate that. But when the next pair came up, a boy with blue skin and a girl with mostly brown hair but the front arch very white.

"Kurt Wager and Anne Marie!"

"I'm guessing you're mutants," Caesar said. "Or at least the blue boy, here. Since none of the werewolves and vampires we've interviewed so far were blue-skinned. Though you could be a werewolf, my dear," Caesar said, grinning at Rogue. "Your hair looks the part."

"Hey, watch it. I'm not a wolf, though I do bite."

"She's a bit etchy," Kurt said.

"I would be myself, if I were facing so many werewolves and vampires in head to head combat."

"Oh, she can handle them easily," Kurt said. "You're looking at real power, here." He slapped the girl on the back.

"That's wonderful to say about your girlfriend, but until we see what she can do, we won't know…"

"Wait, Rogue isn't my—"

"We're brother and sister!"

"Oh," Caesar said. "That makes it more intruighing. Why did you choose to fight together rather than find other people to pair with?"

"We'd rather not disclose that information," the girl said.

"The people we would choose to be with have other partners," Kurt said. "Or aren't here," he added, looking at his sister.

"That's too bad. But I'm sure you wia team worth sponsoring. I would certainly sponsor you, if I were allowed to. Blue skin, and people who choose family over love. It is really sweet."

"Thank you, Mr. Flickerman."

Caesar now turned to the girl.

"Are you vampire, or mutant, Anna Marie?" He didn't ask her if she was a werewolf, for he was certain she wasn't, after her earlier reaction.

"Please, call me Rogue."

"Rogue, then. Are you vampire or mutant?"

"I could be werewolf, couldn't I?"

"Are you one?" asked Caesar.

"Technically, I can be all of the above."

"Interesting," he said, gazing over her. "Could you make that a little clearer for our audience so that they can understand how your ability works?"

"You knew I was a mutant before I came on the show, didn't you?" Rogue folded her arms.

Caesar shrugged. "I thought it was polite to ask."

"Well guess what? It wasn't.

"There goes the bell," Caesar said. "Good luck, you two. Can't wait to see your powers."

Just a little ways up the line were the small girl who caused Katniss to wine in pain when she looked at her, and a man much older than any of the other contestants. He wore an orange suit and had metal claws extended from his hands.

During the interview this girl had with Caesar, the girl looked directly at the screen, almost seeming to pierce through to look at Katniss. And a pain in her chest forced her down to her knees.

"Are you all right, Katniss?" Peeta asked.

"Not at all," she said.

"What can I do to help?"

"Make the girl get off the stage."

"Jane? She's just irritating that middle-aged guy. I think she's his daughter. At least that's what Caesar is saying."

"I want her gone…"

"She will be, in a moment Katniss."

The bell sounded. A moment later, Peta pulled Katniss to her feet. Her heart wasn't hurting so much anymore. She stood up and pretended to be fine, watching the pair who were being interviewed now, though she didn't hear a word they said.

Then it was her turn. She would be going first, alone. Peeta would come on stage afterward. And her sister—he beloved sister—who was not behind her in line, but hidden away, would follow.

"And now for our returning female champion, Katniss Everdeen!"

Katniss went up the stage with a fierce glint in her eye.

"Last year you volunteered for the Hugner Games to protect your sister," Caesar said. "Does it bother you that your sister is participating this year, and you must too?"

"I will say that it does bother me," Katniss said. "I suppose I'll just have to find a weakness of vampires to protect her this time."

She was surprised by how casual she could make that sound.

"But you,as the Girl of Fire, will protect her."

"I will."

"I wonder…do you see all of District 12's tributes as working together, or will you only be working with Peeta, like last year?"

"We all work together," Katniss said, fiercely. "It is our duty to do so."

"'Duty'?"

"It's time to show that District 12 is united," Katniss said, looking point-blank at the camera. "And that is what we shall do."

"Vibrant spirit from the Girl on Fire. You gotta love it."

The audience cheered.

"Now, let's bring out Peeta Mellark!"

More clapping, as the other victor of the 74th annual Huunger Games appeared.

"You survived the last Hunger Games together through a newly added rule, and when the rule was retracted, you showed that if they had to have a victor, they must take both of you. Do you think you are being asked to enter again because of that?"

"It is a possibility," Peeta said. "But we survived this thing once. It can work again, right?"

"Very likely so. Especially since the Capitol has paired everyone off from the beginning."

Prim came out after Katniss and Peeta were led away. Katniss wished she could be there, but all she could do was watch.

"Primro, or the Forst Princess, I should say. That trick with the knife rocked."

"Thank you," said Prim.

"Are you ready to go up against vampires, werewolves, and mutants?"

"Not really," Prim said, in a quiet voice.

"But you'll have your sister to protect you. And her friend, who helped you get through the time you were here. Right?"

"I suppose…"

"Should we bring him out?"

The audience clapped and Gale appeared. He took a seat and put a protective have arm around Prim's shoulders.

"I see you are attached to her."

"She's as precious as if she were one of my own sisters," said Gale.

"Is she? How do you feel about Katniss being with Peeta?"

"It bothered me at first, but if she wants him, then he's for her." Katniss was sure that that was what Haymitch coached Gale to say.

"Do you think you can handle people with powers?" Caesar asked.

"What powers could possibly match that of brotherly love?" Gale asked, grinning down at Prim. Katniss' heart leapt out to him.

"Well, we can't wait to see you in action."

The bell sounded, and the last interview had ended. A few minutes later, Prim was in Katniss' arms, and Katniss hugged her sister as if it would be the last time they would ever see each other, hoping that it wouldn't be, even with allt he formidable foes they would be asked to face.