12: Interviews

Katniss POV

Haymitch exits the training room and gives me a thumbs up. The last few days have passed quite uneventfully, just training and honing our survival skills. Now it is time for the private training sessions. Gale said that he can't see these. I'm not sure what, if anything, I can do to top last year in the private session. Shooting an arrow at the game makers once may make them respect me, twice it will just seem old and a bid for attention.

"District 12 female, Katniss Everdeen," a robotic voice calls over speakers. "Please enter the training room for your private session."

I gulp and get up. I should have planned something for this before. The empty training room gives me a flashback to last year with Seneca Crane. Him explaining why he saved mine and Gale's lives and us having to let him go to repay him. The bowlful of cyanide. The strong smell coming from it. It seems so vivid and I wonder what Seneca is doing now. Did Snow catch him and have him executed? Now that I know about the cameras in most of the tribute buildings it seems likely.

Instinctively I head to the archery station. The dummy stands twenty metres away. A still target. I am confident that I can hit this, unlike last year when I was inexperienced with Capitol bows. I fit the arrow to the bowstring and draw it all the way back, fixing my eyes on the heart of the target. I let the arrow fly. It hits exactly where I aimed it, tearing through the material of the dummy with a soft thud.

I glance up at the game makers. They are silent, all watching me. This year they know what I can do. They know that I am the favourite to win. I have captured their attention and held it. I look back at the target with the arrow in its heart. That is the state that I want Snow to be in by the end of this rebellion. Dead, killed by my arrow. The image in my mind is satisfying and an idea strikes me. I nock a second arrow.

Normally after demonstrating a skill a tribute will move onto something else. I can feel the tension in the room as the game makers stare down at me. I give them a cold smile before looking back to the target. The second arrow impales the dummy around an inch above the first. The next arrow hits an inch below the first one. I empty the quiver of arrows, aiming carefully around the heart.

I stand back and look at my handiwork. The arrows mark a snowflake into the torso of the dummy. An obvious sign and definitely one that will make an impression. Exactly the sort of effect that I wanted. A few game makers are pointing and they are whispering to each other anxiously. I set the bow down in the stand. A small bow, just like last year. Then I exit.

I decide to go and find Gale and Haymitch. They will want to know about this. Gale had been asking me for the past morning what I was going to do and I had no answer. He was supportive, telling me that I didn't need to be a rebel to get a high score. He's probably right. After my show with the bow and arrow around the fake birds on the first day of training and all of the alliance invitations I had, I probably didn't need to make a stand in the training session.

It sends a message, yes, but probably one that Snow already knows. That I am the centre of an uprising is no secret to him. It also has a high chance of showing the rest of Panem that something happened. I can't see that what I did will give me a regular score like a nine or ten. No, it'll either be very high like last year or very low. I'm not exactly sure which one I am hoping for. One on hand, low will attract more attention from the Capitol and will make me less of a target during the Games. But high makes me more likely to be sponsored and I need those sponsors.

It isn't too hard to find them; they normally go back to their Capitol rooms after training. They are sitting in Haymitch's room, probably discussing interview strategies. I walk over and join them. My interview needs to be better than it was last year. The only memorable part of my interview last year was when I spun around in Cinna's dress and it burned up with the signature fake-fire. Other than that all I did was mumble answers to Caesar's questions.

"Are you talking about interview strategies?" I ask them. "Will Effie be coming again for interview training this year?" I grimace. Effie's training last year was more horrible than anything I went through in the Games. Maybe that was an exaggeration, but I'm definitely hoping that I'll get to skip posture and walking in heels training this year. Gale shakes his head.

"No, the only training you have this year is from me and Haymitch. Apparently Cinna will be bringing your wedding dress out for this evening. The main strategy of every tribute is going to be to try and have the Games cancelled. Even the career victors aren't as sure of themselves as they were when they volunteered. So you need to be sucking up to the Capitolites, telling them about how you so enjoyed what they did for you. That it was only thanks to them that you got out last year. How you wish you just had a few more years so you could get married."

I can tell how frustrated Gale is with all of this. At this moment I almost want war to just break out instead of all of this subtle manipulation and mind games with Snow. War will come anyway, it would be so much quicker just to skip this stage. But I know that the rebellion isn't ready yet. If we fight now the same will happen to us as to the rebellion of the Dark Days. Total destruction and a barbaric punishment for our descendants.

"Snow will never cancel the Games," I say with certainty. "You know that. No matter how many Capitol citizens want a different Quarter Quell he'll never do it. That'll show that we have won- one battle at least. Besides, I bet the Quarter Quell has been the only thing that half the Capitol has been talking about for the past few months. Snow would disappoint too many people if he just cancelled the biggest event this year."

"You underestimate how popular you are," Haymitch says. "The Quarter Quell isn't the biggest event of this year for them. It's your wedding. I can't believe that you haven't seen all of the publicity of it here! Half the advertisements on buildings- those are by people trying to get in on the wedding of the Capitol's favourite couple. Trust me, there are very few people in the Capitol who want you to go into the Games again."

"They don't control the Games though!" I shout in frustration. "Snow does! The game makers do as well, but only to a certain extent. If Snow wants to kill me then they will kill me. No matter what all of the Capitolites want. I doubt that he really cares that everyone will be disappointed that they never got to see our wedding."

"They will though. I told you, I've been informed that you will be marrying the day before you go into the Games," Haymitch responds calmly. I don't know why he is so calm about this, he's going into the Hunger Games too. And I have a much higher chance of survival than he does. Perhaps he has already accepted his death. And why would he care? He has no one left, except maybe for me and Gale. "Anyway, doesn't that show you that he does care about what they think?"

"It's a wedding," I snap. "It's not exactly cancelling the event that his whole plan hinges on. This wedding doesn't harm him in any way at all- all it means is that the Games start one day later and the Capitolites get some closure and something else to celebrate. That's going to be so useful for the rebels."

Haymitch shrugs. "It can be useful for both of us, depending on how you play it. Get it right and you will have given a symbol of hope to those in the Districts. Proof that you can make a change, even something as small as making the Games start later. Play it wrong and you show the Capitolites that you are one of them, Snow's plan. And don't you get it yet? Snow's whole plan hinges on popularity. If even the Capitolites side with the rebels, we have won. If he thinks he can gain more followers by cancelling the Games then he with cancel them."

I doubt any amount of Capitol followers will be enough to change his mind. Besides, it isn't like the Capitolites would be much help in a war. It's not like they can fight or do anything that would require them to break a nail. The resources Snow needs Snow has. Weapons. His army of peacekeepers. People to provide a good image. All of Districts One and Two on his side. I don't think many people in those Districts like me. District 2 especially, the District that pumps out ruthless careers doesn't strike me as the place that would be cooing over whether I have two tier and four tier wedding cake.

"We won't be able to persuade him by just speaking," Gale says. "We all know that. But I have an idea. Something that will really stick out to everyone. Something that has never been done before."

"That seems to be your forte," Haymitch mutters. "Get on with it. Tell us your plan, and it had better be a good one." He's impatient and I don't blame him. It's his life at stake here and he did tell us back in District 12 that he values his life. I want Gale to blurt out his idea too. I can tell that it is good though, by the tone of his voice and expression on his face.

"We could tell them that you are pregnant," Gale says. "They would never let you in the arena if they thought you were carrying a baby. They probably wouldn't even let you out of the Capitol. It would be the child of the star-crossed lovers. They would adore it." I look down at my stomach. A baby.

"But won't they know that I'm lying later on?" I ask. "If they cancel the Games. I would need to actually have a child for that to work. I guess if I go into the Games I could pretend that the child was killed in an injury, but the plan is to stop the Games." I wonder what it would be like to have a child. I don't want one, at least not yet.

"If we cancel the Games then yes, we would actually have to have a baby. I don't see any way of getting around that. But won't it be worth it? You could get out of the Games for good and have most of the Capitol on your side. It would make rebellion so much easier," Gale says.

"Really?" I ask. "Having a baby will not make rebellion easier, trust me. Besides the fact that the child would have a terrible upbringing because it's parents are trying to start an uprising. And I don't want a child. I'm only seventeen, I'm not ready to have a baby yet. And I definitely don't want to give Snow any leverage on me. It would be easy to make the death of a baby seem like an accident."

"You could fake it," Haymitch says. "You have enough enemies that it would be easy to fake you being poisoned and it killing the baby. Good idea Gale, stroke of genius. Katniss, you need to pull this off just right in the interview for it to work. You can't be seen faking, then they hate you. By the way, your training scores are coming on now. You'd better not have messed up."

"Don't worry, I don't think I did," I reply. I don't elaborate on this, I'll have time to tell him and Gale later. The screen comes on and Gloss's face flashes up. Eleven. He was spears I think. Cashmere gets a ten, Brutus also gets ten. Enobaria manages an eleven. Beetee gets nine, Wiress six. Finnick has eleven, he must be very skilled with tridents. Everyone up until Johanna gets between three and seven. Johanna gets ten.

By now I'm getting impatient. District Twelve is always last and I will be the very last tribute who's score will be shown. Gale, Haymitch and I sigh with relief at Haymitch getting nine. It was about what I expected for him to be honest. Then my face flashes up the I stare in shock at the number beneath it. A twelve. I got a twelve for my message. That will get me sponsors, but I think that I am now the biggest target in the Games. Great.

"Nobody has ever had a twelve before," Gale says, staring at me in shock and admiration. "You'll have to tell me what you did later. But with a score like this, you are going to be a huge target for the careers." It seems like Gale read my mind. "But think of all of the sponsors you will get! I bet even the careers fear you now," he says. I just nod my head dumbly, not sure what to think.

"That is impressive," Haymitch says. "The Capitolites will be curious. You didn't shoot an arrow at the game makers again, did you? I'm not complaining if you did though. You must have sent some message to be given a twelve. Gale's right you know, this is a first in Hunger Games history."

"Yeah," I say. "Cinna said he would meet me now, I need to go back to my room. Portia should be seeing you soon Haymitch. You're just lucky that you don't have to wear a wedding dress and make-up. I'll see you after the interviews Gale. Tell me how I did." I exit the room, my head swimming from the plans.

Cinna is waiting patiently in my room when I open the door. A dress is hanging up on the door of my wardrobe, the dress that I will be wearing tonight I guess. It doesn't look like I expected it to. I have a basic idea of how wedding dresses are supposed to look from seeing weddings in 12, but Capitol fashion is very different. Back in Twelve we would have a plain white dress with a pale blue ribbon tied around the waist.

This dress keeps to the theme of white, but there are silver strands woven into it. Instead of the pale blue ribbon, there is a thick piece of cloth that I recognise as the type that Cinna lights on fire. It is long-sleeved, the sleeves will reach my wrists once it is put on. The dress is also long, though not long enough to trip over. I'm glad that Cinna remembered that my ability to walk in heels or with impractically long dresses is low.

Cinna hands me the dress and a small bag of accessories to go with it and gestures for me to go into the bathroom. That's one of the things that I like about Cinna, he respects my right for privacy. Except for last year at the start when he needed to provide a full body make-over, but he couldn't help that.

I slip the dress on over my shoulders. It is light and airy and as comfortable as a dress can be. In the mirror, I see myself. The dress fits well, the fire strand pulling in my waist the emphasise curves. I look a lot like one of the Capitolite women now. I've seen a lot of them wearing fire clothes, imitating Cinna's style I suppose. I've seen dresses that are quite similar to this one, though not exactly the same of course.

In the bag is a necklace made of white gold with a mockingjay pendant. The eye of the mockingjay is a perfect sphere of amber, identical to the one in my engagement ring. I slip it around my neck. Part of me feels happy and pretty, but a much larger part of me wants to feel sick. The Capitol, my enemies, are lavishing expensive gifts upon me. Useless trinkets, costly jewels. It just isn't right that I should have this when other are starving. That I have earned this by killing children.

I come out to let Cinna brush my hair. "Good luck," he says to me gently. "I know that this will be difficult for you. Just do what you did in your first interview. Pretend that you are talking to me the entire time. Not to the Capitolites. I know how they make you feel. What they do makes me angry too, but it must be worse for you." I nod, my throat tight. "But you need to do this. For the cause." Cinna is part of the rebellion, I realise.

I don't know why I never saw it before. It should have been obvious to me. The way he always supported me and he is clever enough to know what has been going on. "For the cause," I repeat as he winds my hair up on top of my head. "Thanks Cinna. You've always stood by me and I'm grateful." Cinna smiles back and I know that he has understood what I meant and how grateful I am to him. Without him I probably wouldn't have attracted nearly so much attention as I did.

A few minutes later I am backstage at the interview stage with the other tributes. I will be second last because I'm from the last District and only Haymitch will be after me. A few other tributes, mainly from one and two snigger at me as I come in, whispering about how ridiculous it is that I'm wearing a wedding dress. I ignore them and sink down next to Haymitch as the first tribute is called up. Cashmere from District 1.

The interviews pass by slowly. Cashmere and Gloss talk about how great the Capitol has been to them and how amazing they think the people are. They conclude by saying that if the Capitol people wish for them to participate in the Quarter Quell, they are willing to because of the admiration and friendship with the Capitolites. As if anyone from a District could be friendly with a Capitolite. Even Districts One and Two aren't that close.

Enobaria and Brutus come out with the same rubbish as District 1. I'm surprised that they aren't looking forward to the Games because I bet they volunteered. Maybe career victors are different to career tributes though. After all, they actually know what it's like to experience the Games. Plus they have all the money and fame that they could want just being victors.

District 3 is Wiress and Beetee. Beetee says something fitting about how these rules were made by man, they could be cancelled by man if they wanted. Wiress talks about how she never expected this and was just an old woman who wanted to rest and live out her days in peace. I doubt that her hostile attitude will be repaid in the Games because to be honest, she isn't going to win anyway. She is old, like she said. And she doesn't have the same skill with electricity as Beetee. He won his Games by electrocuting six tributes. I remember watching those Games- the fifty sixth- when Gale and I were practising strategy.

Finnick gives a message to his love. I know that he means Annie Cresta when he says this, but most of the Capitolites don't. I see many of the women in the crowd smiling at him and I realise that there is a darker side to being a popular victor, one that I haven't had to experience because I'm not overly attractive and I'm with Gale. Being forced- I think- to spend nights with rich people in the Capitol. I doubt Finnick would choose to go with a lot of those women. Then again, he could get something out of it. Maybe they know info that could be useful to the rebellion. They would tell him if he convinces them that he loves them.

Most of the other interviews are unmemorable. There is an interesting moment when Johanna Mason swears at the Capitol audience. I wonder if that was cut of the cameras to the Districts. That is a definite sign of rebellion and Johanna is a strong victor. I've seen her training with an axe and she is lethal with it. Even better than Haymitch is. It's surprising that she doesn't fear revenge in the Games, but I think the plan is that she dies so that I come out alive. She has nothing to fear.

After a few more interviews with old victors, my name is called. I receive by far the biggest cheer from the Capitol. As I walk onto the stage, the cheering becomes much louder as they see my dress. They must know that it is my wedding dress. It has a much different look to the other dresses and is mainly white, so I guess it's obvious. A large part of me wants to shout that they have just seen twenty two other people talk about how they feel towards their coming deaths, yet they have the biggest reaction to seeing my wedding dress. The materialism of the Capitolites disgusts me.

"Hello Caesar," I greet him as confidently as I can.

"Hello Katniss Everdeen," he responds. "Girl on fire. Now a little birdie told me that we would be seeing your wedding dress today. Was my informant right?" he asks.

"Yes, yes he was," I reply. "I'm told that President Snow said that everybody wanted to see my dress. I would have thought they would be more excited about seeing me before my quite possible death," I say dryly. "But yes, this is my wedding dress," I address the Capitol audience, turning to them.

"No, don't talk like that," Caesar tells me in fake horror. "You'll be the victor. Have you seen your training score? The top score, twelve. You've made Hunger Games history today Katniss. People who score full marks in training don't die. What did you do to get such a score?"

It seems like favouritism what Caesar is doing to me. He's just playing up to the Capitol audiences though. I wonder if he has been told what happened in the training session. "Anyone can win," I respond, partly honestly. "Training scores don't mean that much. And I shot arrows. Very accurately. Every single arrow."

"Well done," he replies. "So do you have any regrets? Any fears about going into the Games?" he questions me.

"Just the normal fear of getting killed," I reply. "But I do wish that I had more time to spend with Gale. We only became boyfriend and girlfriend a year ago, before that we were just friends. I had no idea how he felt about me." I pause. "I wish we could have been married," I say. "The wedding would have been soon if it weren't for these Games."

"Well I have some excellent news for you Miss Everdeen," Caesar says, smiling with his bright, white teeth. They have to be surgically enhanced, just like the rest of his body. "You're not the only one who wanted this wedding to happen. There were enough people that the Games have been postponed until after tomorrow. The ceremony will take place here tomorrow." The cheers of the Capitol become deafening and I wince.

Then I put on a fake smile. "That sounds wonderful Caesar, truly wonderful. Thank you everyone for giving me this opportunity. I really appreciate what the Capitol has done for me." I hesitate, breathing in to calm myself. "But I have one more regret. The night before we came here, Gale and I.." I trail off. "I'm going to have a baby!" I blurt out.

There are gasps across the Capitol audience and Caesar opens his mouth to ask me another question. Fortunately the gong goes, signalling that my two minutes with Caesar are up.

xXx-X-xXx

Sorry for the wait. This is my longest chapter yet. I hope you enjoyed it, and please follow, favourite or review. Thanks to those who have already done so.

-MoonOfPluto