Takara Morreal, 17

District 1 Citizen

Girlfriend of Lumine Bellerose

I was grateful that Alsephina invited me over to the Bellerose apartment to watch the interviews. I didn't think I could handle watching it at home, all alone. My parents worked late and I'd been an emotional wreck recently.

I knew Lumine volunteered for a powerful cause, and I fully supported her. But I missed her. We used to spend every Saturday together, talking and laughing and watching the sunset. I missed her voice, her scent, her heartbeat against my cheek when we cuddled.

Now I was sitting on the sofa between the triplets. Calanthe was settled in her worn armchair, and Boreallis was cross-legged on the floor. The national anthem began to play and the silvery symbol of Panem took over the screen. Then Caesar and the interview stage appeared.

Caesar's suit was buttery yellow this year, which matched the glittering stars all over it, but clashed significantly with his navy hair. Still, he looked ecstatic to be onstage and interviewing the tributes. My stomach churned with nerves.

"Welcome everyone!" he said loudly. "I am absolutely delighted to be here, and I'm sure all of you are as well!" The crowd cheered in agreement and Calanthe closed her eyes, whispering a quiet prayer.

"We have an amazing batch of tributes this year, and I know I can't wait to meet them. What do you say? Should we get them out here?" The crowd roared again and I bit my lip. In a few moments, I'd see Lumine.

"Well then, let's welcome Lumine Bellerose to the stage!" Caesar called out. Lumine entered the stage in a long-sleeved mint-green dress that was decorated with white lace. She had pale pearl jewelry on and her makeup was soft and silvery. And she had a warm smile on her face.

"Hello Caesar," she said politely as she sat in the plush chair across from him. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Caesar replied smoothly. "So, Lumine… you were a volunteer. What drove you to your decision?"

"I want to make my district proud," she said firmly. "I love my people, and I want them to see how powerful that is."

"That's very touching," Caesar commented. "Who is waiting for you back at home?"

"My mom, my older brother, and my triplet sisters. And my girlfriend, Takara." My heart clenched when she said my name.

"Triplets! Oh my!" Caesar gasped. "Your house must be quite crowded."

"It can be," Lumine said with a light laugh. "But we all get along well. I miss them a lot."

"And I'm sure they miss you. What would you say to them, if they were here?" I leaned forward in my seat, impatient.

"I'd tell them that I love them, and that there will always be goodness in the world."

"A beautiful sentiment," Caesar agreed. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for. Give her a hand, folks!"

The audience erupted in cheers and I smiled. Lumine did wonderfully. Surely the Holy One was smiling upon her.

Adonis, Lumine's district partner, was next. He swaggered onto the stage in a cream-colored suit. But the jacket was unbuttoned and so were the top few buttons of his shirt, showing off his muscled chest.

"Adonis!" Caesar cheered, offering the man a firm, friendly handshake. "What a fitting name."

"Thank you," Adonis chuckled. "And thank you for the warm welcome," he told the audience. They roared with applause.

"So," Caesar said. "I'd dare to say you're a crowd favorite this year. How do you feel about that?"

"I'm absolutely humbled," he said modestly. "I worked hard to get here, but I owe everything to my mothers. To receive this much love and support really validates all their efforts."

"They sound like wonderful mothers," Caesar said. Adonis nodded.

"They worked so hard to make sure I could be here and so my little sister could attend the best schools. Her name is Flora and she's one of the smartest people I know. I want to win so that she could go to school here, and to give my mothers everything they deserve."

"What an amazing son you are!" Caesar gasped. Adonis chuckled.

"Thank you Caesar."

"Well, we'd love to hear more, but unfortunately our time is up."

"We'll talk more after I win," Adonis said, standing up to give Caesar another handshake. The audience cheered wildly as he left the stage.

Billie looked stunning in a dark red bodycon dress. Her makeup was equally intense, and she had gold beads in her hair, as well as on her wrist. Her walk and smile were ones of confidence, and she shook Caesar's hand a little too firmly, but he hid his wince well.

"Billie!" he gushed. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you Caesar. I'm very happy I got to wear my hair this way. Not every black girl gets that freedom."

"Yes," Caesar said. "You definitely suit them."

"It's not about suiting them," Billie explained. "It's about being able to honor myself and make a statement for all the people that look like me."

"That's a very important cause," Caesar agreed. "Everyone deserves to feel represented."

"I completely agree," Billie said. "That's why I volunteered."

She left the stage to thunderous applause, especially from the women in the audience. I smiled. Billie was a brave and likable competitor, but Lumine had to win.

"And next, we have… Spartan Akuma!" Caesar introduced the boy from 2 with a flourish. But he was stoic and subdued, and refused Caesar's handshake. His dark hair shone under the spotlights and he looked regal and intimidating in his black kimono.

"Welcome Spartan," Caesar said, brushing past the man's dismissive behavior with ease. "You scored an 11! That's quite impressive. Can you tell us about that?"

"No," Spartan said firmly. Caesar nodded.

"Understandable. I'm technically not supposed to ask." He laughed at that, and so did the audience, but Spartan remained silent.

The rest of his interview went the same way; him answering with 'yes' or 'no' and Caesar struggling to keep the audience engaged. Both men seemed relieved when it was over.

Caesar introduced Evelyne Hope next. She was the tribute who made me the most nervous. She lost her girlfriend two years ago. Would I suffer the same fate? 'No', I told myself. 'Don't think like that'.

Evelyne looked very pretty in a pale pink ball gown decorated with butterflies. Her black hair was lightly curled and hung loosely down her back, showing off her shoulders and collarbone.

She greeted Caesar with a nod and flowed down into her chair. He sat down with her and patted her hand.

"Evelyne. I have to admit, I've been excited to speak to you."

"Because of Lana?" Evelyne asked. Caesar looked surprised, but nodded.

"Yes. How does it feel, following in her footsteps?" I winced. What an insensitive question!

"It's daunting," Evelyne said smoothly. "And it brings up a lot of old feelings. But I am determined to succeed."

"Do you think Lana would be proud of you?" Caesar asked.

"Yes," Evelyne said confidently. "I know she would."

Their conversation turned to her time in training and her impressive score of 7. Evelyne answered every question with her head held high, and received an overwhelming amount of applause when she left the stage.

Hugo's stylist clearly played up the "cute and nerdy" angle. He was dressed in a black dress pants and a white dress shirt with red suspenders and a red bowtie. His round glasses were perched awkwardly on his nose and he was carrying a thick notebook.

"Hello Hugo," Caesar said in a booming voice. Hugo's face was pale; he was clearly nervous. But he kept his composure.

"Hi Caesar," he said as he sat down. "Thanks for having me."

"It's our pleasure," Caesar replied. "You scored an impressive 7 in training. Do you think your skills will be useful in the arena?"

"I hope so," Hugo said. "But it really depends on your generosity. I have a lot of potentially useful devices designed." He held up his sketchbook and quickly flipped through some of the pages, showing off a variety of mechanisms, from water filters to what looked like a bomb of some kind. The crowd 'oohed'. Given District 3's success the past two years, I knew better than to count Hugo out.

Mira Marlina was introduced next, and she strutted out onto the stage in a tight, sleeveless teal dress. The sweetheart neckline was decorated with seafoam tulle, like the crest of a wave. She responded to Caesar's greeting with a simple nod and flowed down into her chair.

"Welcome Mira!" Caesar said. "You look stunning."

"All credit goes to my stylist," she said. "I can definitely put an outfit together, but not to this level."

"Well, you still rock the look," Caesar said with a chuckle.

"How have you been enjoying the Capitol?"

"It's been wonderful," Mira said. "Everyone is so kind and attentive; it makes me feel like royalty!"

She continued to gush about the Capitol with Caesar for a few minutes before he asked her his final question.

"Do you feel prepared for the arena?"

"Absolutely. I've been through hell and I'm not afraid in the slightest."

The crowd gasped at that and Mira smirked. I could tell she was playing up the edgy angle, and they were eating it up. It was a smart strategy though. The Capitol loved personas. Mira would be someone to watch out for.

The next tribute was Marino Cortez, whose drag persona was Abyssa Deluge. And she took the stage in full drag. A sheer golden gown, black hair tied up in an intricate bun, flashy makeup and fluttery eyelashes.

"Marino!" Caesar crowed. "You look stunning!"

"I'm Abyssa tonight, baby," she teased. "And I'm so thrilled to be here with you all."

"We're thrilled to have you," Caesar replied. "Now, I am curious; how did you get into drag?"

"I'm a queen, born and raised," Abyssa said, tossing her head proudly. "My mentor introduced me to it and I was a natural."

"How wonderful," Caesar commented. "Now, you were a reaped tribute, and District 4 usually presents volunteers. How are you feeling about that?"

"Well, it was certainly unexpected. But it's better to dance through life and embrace what happens than to mope and moan."

"A wise sentiment," he agreed. I smiled. Marino, or Abyssa, or whatever they wished to be called, seemed like a good person. It was a shame they were up against Lumine.

Thorus Skansen, 49

District 5 Citizen

Father of Zeppelina Skansen

I settled down on the sofa with my cup of chamomile tea, inhaling the calming scent. Work was taxing today; it was very kind of my mother to make me tea. Tonight, we were watching the pre-Games interviews. I missed the first few while driving home, but I wouldn't miss Zeppelina's for the world.

It was unfortunate, watching my only child go into the Hunger Games. But I was confident in Zeppelina. She was an intelligent girl with a sharper mind than any other tribute; I was sure of it.

"It's starting!" my mother said excitedly and I set my mug down, leaning forward to watch. The crowd was applauding as the fancy man from 4 left the stage. Then Caesar stood up and announced her.

"And now… Zeppelina Skansen!" More applause followed as Zeppelina walked across the stage. Her dark hair was combed straight and she was wearing a black dress with a white collar and black strappy shoes. She looked pale and dark all at once.

"Hello Caesar," she said, her voice soft and cool.

"Hello. Welcome," the blue-haired man said. "How are you feeling about the Games?"

"I'm excited," she said, her tone still flat. "Death is absolutely fascinating, and I am thrilled to experience it again."

"Oh…" Caesar trailed off awkwardly. "How… how nice."

"After all, the human body is so complex. There is so much we don't know. The opportunities a corpse can provide is wonderful."

They chatted for a few more moments, and Zeppelina kept up her cool, mysterious demeanor. I smiled. 'That's my girl'.

Zeppelina's interview was followed by Rain's. He was a skinny brunette in a classic black tuxedo that made him look older than he was. He greeted Caesar with a warm handshake and a grin.

"What a positive young lad!" Caesar exclaimed.

"I try to look on the bright side," Rain explained. "In my line of work, you have to."

"Oh? What work is that?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to keep it a secret," Rain said. "But I will say that it gave me the skills I need to succeed in the arena."

"That's a relief," Caesar said. "You did score on the lower end of the spectrum though. Do you think that's an accurate reflection on your talents?"

"Sometimes we're more than we appear," Rain said.

He too seemed to be playing up the mysterious angle, and the crowd was loving it. Thunderous applause followed him off the stage.

I took another sip of tea as Winona Espero was called onstage. She was a volunteer, and had a dark vibe about her. She would be interesting to watch. She was dressed in a long silver gown that faded from the palest of grays to a deek charcoal. Her eyes were lined with thick black makeup and her black bob had glitter in it.

Her face was as steely as her dress when she joined Caesar mid-stage. He greeted her warmly, but she remained closed-off.

"Winona. You were a volunteer," Caesar said. "Why did you make that choice?"

"Nearly every year, a Career wins," Winona said. "It's completely unfair, and I'm here to change that. I've got some tricks up my sleeve and I can guarantee this year's victor will not be from a Career district."

"Well, I'm excited to see what you have planned," Caesar said. Winona smirked.

"I have the experience needed to make these Games a hit," she told him before exiting.

Ronald Jones, the massive boy from 6 took the stage in a dark red tuxedo. He purposely gripped Caesar's hand a little too tightly when they shook hands, but Caesar managed to cover it up with an awkward smile.

"Ronald! You're shaping up to be a crowd favorite. What do you plan on showing us in the arena?"

"Well Caesar, I'm part of a large alliance, and we've got a big plan. I won't share more though. Best to keep people on their toes."

"Well, we're all very excited to see the show you put on for us tomorrow."

"I'd argue that I'm even more excited," Ronald laughed. Then he looked out at the audience. "It's time for an epic show."

Hey everyone! I thought this would take me a while but I was in a writing mood last night, so I ended up powering through this chapter. It got so long though that I decided to break it up into two parts. Hopefully Part 2 will be out in the next few days. A week at most.

Questions

1) Whose interview outfit was your favorite?

2) Which POV did you prefer?

Alliances

The Careers:
- Adonis
- Lumine
- Billie
- Mira
- Marino

Winona's Bunch:
- Evelyne
- Winona
- Ronald
- Jackson
- Ebony
- Kerra
- Victor

Manipulation Station:
- Hugo
- Zeppelina
- Vasir
- Ruby

The Family Men:
- Jeff
- Spruce
- Jonathan

Loners:
- Spartan
- Rain
- Ada
- Juliana
- Beria

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona