Chapter 6
When I think about the interviews, I think about my inability to speak in front of groups of people. At school, whenever we had to give presentations, I was the one who stuttered the most and would get a dry throat halfway through a sentence and pause awkwardly to swallow. Talking to my friends was no big deal, but when it came to crowds of those I didn't know, all of it became difficult. How was I going to pull off a live interview in front of everyone in Panem? It seemed impossible.
I wake up and skip breakfast this morning. Before I can start to intensely clean again, Miranda walks into my room.
"Hello, Atala." she says in that thick accent she has. I stare at her blankly, not knowing what to say. It seems as if Billee has gotten to know our mentors and stylists better than I have. They all have no problem talking to him, and they all get along with him. Maybe it's because I'm quiet at mealtimes.
"I'm here to help you practice for the interview. You know, the interview tonight is the best way to get sponsors, so you must do your absolute best!" She's overly excited about the whole thing.
"Well, what are you going to teach me? We only have a few hours…"
"Hm… We can start with your posture," she says with a slight groan. She plops down on the bed next to me, crinkling her orange dress, and puts her hands on my shoulders, forming them so I'm sitting up straight.
"There." Miranda states, firm with triumph.
"Okay, now what?"
"Well, first, you must remember to keep this posture the whole time. It will give you a bit of class."
As if I don't have any already.
"Oh, and for the legs," she begins and moves my legs around to the correct position. "Keep your body and legs like this. Chin up, too. You can do whatever with your hands but make it look proper."
The day goes by with her explaining things such as how to wear the dress, how to walk well in high heels, how to drink water when you have lipstick on, how to emphasize certain words and how to sound innocent yet strong for sponsors. It's so monotonous, but it's essential. Without it, I would be all over the place during my interview.
Finally, at 6:00, we head to the front of the Training Center, where the Caesar Flickerman Show will be filmed tonight. The interviews start at 9:00, but we're eating dinner there and getting dressed up and getting makeup, so the producers make sure we're early. When I get there, my prep team is waiting for me with a fresh Caesar salad (I get the pun) and a dress for me to wear. Once I scoff down my dinner, I put on my dress and the prep team begins working on my hair and makeup. The dress Garry supplies is something he calls a "sweater dress". It's extremely soft and has this open knit construction, so there are detailed holes all through the crème-colored dress. There is a ribbed trim at the waist and a full circle skirt connected to it. The sleeves are full length, light, and puff ever so slightly. On the back is a thin cutout that ends at my lower back but can be closed a little bit with the help of a button in the middle. The dress falls to my mid-thigh, so it's the perfect length for sitting comfortably and not having to worry too much about what might be exposed if I don't sit right.
The prep team decides that Siarrah will work on my hair. I'm not pleased with this decision. However, she manages to make my long hair look good by tying a fishtail braid that moves from the right down the left side of my head. It falls on my left shoulder down to my armpit. It seems so much shorter tied up than when it's straight.
For my makeup, the team gives me a dark eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, and nothing else but a feint pink lipstick. Usually, the prep teams overdo the makeup on the guys and the girls to make them look good on camera, but mine decided to give Billee and me more natural looks, which I don't mind since I never put on that much makeup anyway. The prep team takes a while to finish off my look, but they embellish me with a long thin necklace with a tall triangle on the end of it and black high heels that cover most of my feet to make the shoes look like boots. By the end of their time styling me, I'm forced to wait in a room with Garry for an hour or so before the interviews start. We sit in silence, for we both don't like each other for whatever reason. I mean, he started it with the whole "rude to Atala" thing, but I could care less. I'm not here to be nice to him, so what does it matter?
The hour wait that seems like eternity finally ends when the producers of the show get me backstage and line up the tributes in order of district. This time, instead of male and then female, they do female then male. Caesar interviews each tribute for three minutes and then rushes them off to get to the next tribute. It sickens me to know that these interviews are solely for the purpose of making impressions and for the Capitol citizens to decide whom to bid on. This makes it hard for me to find any respect for Caesar and the rest of the Capitol. I don't like knowing that Caesar asks certain questions to get a sort of impression of us out to the country.
While I wait for my turn, I make an effort to try and remember the tributes in One, Two, Three, and Four. From One there's Portia and Munstead, from Two there's Teena and Jaymes, from Three there's Pony and Cog, and from Four there's Thyme and Tonee. Portia plays that nice, bubbly girl thing that she's been doing around the other Careers. All I can do is roll my eyes when she bursts out in fake laughter or bite my tongue when she says something stupid. Everyone seems to like her, cheering for her the most when she walks off the stage. Munstead is just buff and serious about the whole thing. He has no motive but has a desire to kill, making him a big competitor. Teena stands out to me because she, like Munstead, is big and has muscle. She's not as pretty as Portia, but her black hair and pale skin give her an look that intimidates me and fills the atmosphere with negative energy. The last person that has an effect on me is Thyme. She's the girl from Four and the shortest tribute in this year's Games. She had no real talent in the Training Center in the physical things, but she was able to surpass everyone in the mental things, like memorizing good and bad plants or how to properly use plants to cure bug bites. She has a brain that will take her far, and what do I have? Long hair? Knife-throwing skills that might not even do me good in the arena?
Before they call my name, I turn around and flash a smile at Billee. He looks striking, a crème-colored suit and pants that match my dress and a blue button-down shirt. His dark hair has also been trimmed slightly to give him a suave yet young look. In response, he flashes a smile back at me and a cheesy 'thumbs up'. Just as I had suspected earlier: he's already on good terms with me. I'm glad he can get over things quickly.
"And now we have, from District Five: Atala Copperwood!"
The sound of Caesar's voice makes me jump but I immediately walk out onto the stage. The bright stage lights blind my eyes and the cheering of the crowd deafens me. As my eyes make the adjustment from the dark backstage to the bright stage, I try to make out where Caesar is. I find out he is about two feet away from me when he grabs my right arm and sits me down in a gray chair with steel arms and legs. Once I can see the whole stage, I find out how beautiful it is. The floor is made of this dark, reflective wood, and there are these huge screens behind us that display weird designs and backgrounds for the interview. The Capitol citizens line the streets and are taking numerous pictures. Everyone wants a picture of each tribute; when a tribute wins, it's cool to have a picture of them before they've outlived everyone. I gaze into the flashing lights of the cameras before Caesar catches my attention.
"So, Atala. How has the Capitol been treating you? Are you enjoying yourself here?" He smiles with his large white teeth. Well, of course I'm not enjoying the vacation before my death, but I lie so people like me.
"Oh, the Capitol is just beautiful," I begin, with a smile greater than his. "I think what I like the most is…" I draw a blank. What do I like? Think, Atala, think, before the pause is too long! "… the fashion here." No, actually, I hate it.
"Really, and what part of the fashion do you like the most?" I can't think of an honest answer so I reply as generally as I can.
"Just every part of it! It's hard to pick with so many choices!"
"I personally like the beautiful sweater dresses, right?" announces Caesar, addressing the audience. They all cheer and clap and whistle. It takes me a second to realize he's talking about the dress I have on tonight, which makes me smile. Caesar tries to make everyone feel comfortable and tries to give everyone a good reputation. I guess I can put that in my bank of reasons to respect him.
For a short while, we banter about my life at home and the reaping (which makes me nostalgic about District 5) and then Caesar brings up the training scores.
"Now, Atala, do you think that your higher training score gives you an advantage over Billee?" I'm angered at his audacity to ask this question. I don't mind answering, but I know Billee will be jealous again. The worst part is I want him as an ally, not an enemy. He's strong and intimidating, he can take me to the end of the Games. But then again, I don't want to be in the end with him. I couldn't kill him; it would be physically and emotionally daunting. I'd never have the strength or courage to kill Billee. Though my mind is racing with thoughts, I force out an answer that might not make him mad.
"I don't really think so. I may have shown the Gamemakers some tricks, but ultimately, Billee is much stronger than I am." I know Miranda will be upset with what I've just said. While she trained me for the interviews, she told me to make sure everything I say is positive about myself, nothing negative. Charlie and Rootina won't care, though. They're my mentors but they could easily care less about me. They're too absorbed with Billee.
After a few more quick-answered questions, Caesar ushers me off the stage and introduces Billee. From a screen in the small backstage room, I watch the course of Billee's interview with Charlie, Rootina, Garry, Siarrah, and Miranda. I know him too well now; I can see the anger in his eyes and the frustration in his jaw. He's mad at me, but what could I have done? I wasn't the one who asked the question, so I didn't deserve the blame.
Once Billee finishes his interview, he walks backstage and talks with Charlie on the side of the room. He makes sure to keep his voice low and he grits his teeth as he whispers in Charlie's ear. Charlie nods in agreement and Rootina walks to them to listen in to the gossip. My irritation builds up quickly at the sight of them talking about me, and before I can start shouting at them, Miranda grabs my shoulder. She turns me around slowly and looks meaningfully into my eyes and says:
"It's not worth it."
The funny thing is, I never knew she was completely on my side. Maybe this is something that happens often. Maybe Charlie and Rootina always pick sides. I quickly eliminate them from my mind; they're not worth my respect or thought.
We're allowed to leave the backstage area immediately after both the tributes are done with their interviews, so we leave before the District 6 people can walk in. We walk into the Training Center building and everything becomes quiet. Back at the interviews, there was a constant cheering of the crowd or sound of Caesar's laugh, but now that we we're in the building, everything is silent. We are all tired and nobody feels like talking to each other. In the elevator, you can count all the breaths each person takes. Inside our apartment on the fifth floor, Rootina and Charlie disappear to their rooms suddenly and Miranda wishes me goodnight and good luck since she won't see me in the morning. It's sad to know that she liked me this late in the game. I could have used her support and talked to her, but instead I kept to myself the whole time.
I look around for Billee, but he, like the mentors, has left quickly. It's not like I would find comfort in talking to him anyway. I'm innocent to a crime that the people around me think I've committed. I never betrayed Billee; I just gave my all and fought for a better score. If he can't handle that, he's not ready for the Games.
Once I find my room, I slip out of my dress and leave it unfolded on a chair near my bed. I change into my pajamas and lay in bed, but I don't fall asleep. There's too much to think about for tomorrow. I've clearly lost any chance of fighting with Billee, so the Games are going to be all the more difficult. My anxiety keeps me up much later than I anticipated.
At some point in the night, I realize how many people dislike me. I'm no more special than the Careers, but they have the advantage with sponsors because they're stronger and win more often. My own stylist tries his hardest to avoid me. My mentors, too, have an aversion for me. I only have myself, and no one else. I am alone in these Games.