"Dad!" I call into the hallway. "Can you come zip me up?"
My dad shows up outside my room a minute later, two ties slung over his arm. I turn around and he quickly pulls the zipper of my emerald green dress as far up as it'll go. We have just over fifteen minutes before we have to leave for the tribute interviews and somehow I'm the only one ready.
Dad holds out the two ties at me. "What's this for?" I get to ask.
"Well, since it's your night, you get to pick which one I wear. Green or blue-"
"Green."
"I had a feeling you'd pick that."
"Guess I'm predictable," I shrug as Dad puts the blue tie down. He rests a hand on my shoulder. "It's hard to believe you're so grown up now, Tati."
I don't tell him I still feel like a child.
"Rockstar seating," Dad says out loud as he, Aquilo, and I are led to the front row of the theatre where the tribute interviews are done. I find I'm seated right under a spotlight. Perfect. Exactly what I needed. As if I haven't been the centre of everything already.
I find myself wishing the Games are over just so I can move on.
I settle into my seat, which isn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be and has plenty of room for me to stretch my legs out. If Mom attends she'll be on a balcony with President glacier somewhere, but I wouldn't put it past her to still be working right now. I used to say that she's going to drop dead at her computer one of these days. She doesn't like when I do that.
The Master of Ceremonies, Extrolipus Flickerman, takes the stage. He likes to go by Extro, which I suppose is fair because even by Capitol standards, his name is pretty silly. I like seeing him; he's an old family friend of my dad's. Anyways, Extro starts rambling about how it's the Quell and therefore a big deal and yadda yadda whatever.
"Now introducing the lady of the night herself: Tatiana Tremblay!"
Just as expected, the spotlight falls onto me. The crowd cheers loudly. I grit my teeth behind my closed lip smile and politely wave. Extro chuckles and thankfully shifts the attention back onto him.
"Alright, I think Tatiana would like to focus on the tributes. And that's exactly what we're here to do. Let's bring the tributes out!"
First is Chanel, who wears a knee-length red dress that poofs out at her waist and has a sweetheart neckline. She saunters confidently onto the stage with a tight-lipped smile and plops herself in the chair next to Extro.
Despite only having three minutes of interview time, Chanel makes it clear she has not a lot to say. "I gotta have some surprises!" she chuckles. But she also is sure to state that her top priority is winning the Games and bringing honour to her district, something she's always strived to do ever since she was little. Spoken like a true Career, I suppose.
Next up is Midas, who wears a dazzling gold suit with a black trim and a silver tie. He makes a grand show of kissing Extro's hand, causing Extro to squeal. Unlike Chanel, Midas has a lot to say.
"I know we just met, but I've already seen the sparks fly in the air and I know that she is the one I'd love to spend the rest of my life with. Tatiana Tremblay, you have my entire heart. I've never met someone as down-to-earth and thoughtful as you. I look forward to growing old together." He blows a kiss to the crowd and I hear a bunch of squeals.
"Be my brother-in-law!" Aquilo shouts out. The crowd bursts into laughter. Thankfully, Midas looks as embarrassed as I do.
Beatrix has on a floor-length strapless black gown that fits her sleek frame and has a slit down the side that shows off her toned legs. Before Extro can ask her anything, she cuts him off.
"I couldn't care less about this stupid Quell twist. I'm here to win what's rightfully mine and has been constantly getting stolen away year after year. The Victors are going to regret not choosing me before. I will make sure of that."
Cyrus has on a red blazer with a white dress shirt underneath. He seems a bit nervous but after Extro cracks a couple of jokes, he begins to relax and come out of his shell. He stops fidgeting with his sleeve and his hands sit relaxed in his lap.
"I'm grateful for a second chance. I can give my daughter the world she deserves. Yes, I'm a parent. Her name is Serenity, by the way. And I'm also hoping for another chance at love too. Serenity deserves to have a wonderful mom in her life."
I catch Dad looking at me funny.
Vevo wears a sparkly silver jumpsuit whose bottoms flare out around her platform heels. I remember how loud she was when I spoke with her yesterday. Unlike the Careers, who were very prim and proper, Vevo practically lounges across the chair with one leg crossed over the other.
"Hey, any publicity is good publicity! You better be careful, Extro, I'm ready to snatch away your job!" Vevo laughs and pats Extro on the knee. "I'm just kidding. But I already know what my Victor talent is going to be: being a DJ!"
Cordin nervously stumbles out in a blue dress shirt with a yellow tie. They look ready to dart off the stage at any given moment. Extro is kind and patient, I'll give him that, but poor Cordin is so wound up that they look ready to cry at any moment.
"I'm going to try my best. I promise, I will. I…my parents…they don't like me cause I'm not straight…or a boy…but I'm hoping to prove them wrong. That…that…I deserve love as much as anyone else."
"What a weirdo," Aquilo mutters.
"Shut up!" I hiss.
"What? He's not a boy! That's weird."
"You're weird for acting like it's weird! Not everyone is a boy or a girl!"
"Can it, both of you," Dad says sternly. I roll my eyes and fold my arms.
Coral's mermaid dress matches her namesake, a bright orange colour that hugs her waist and flares out at the bottom in a mass of feathers and sequins. She's easily the most confident tribute so far, extending her hand to Extro who thankfully takes the hint and kisses it.
"These other tributes haven't got a clue. Sure they think they have a shot, but there's only one Victor, and there's only one Coral Rawlins." Coral flashes the crowd a dazzling smile. "So if you want to be right on the money, make sure you root for me. I get everything I want and I want that sweet, sweet prize. Don't do anything stupid, darlings!"
God, I really don't like this girl.
Gaius's blazer is a sandy colour and his dress shirt is a bright blue, which reminds me of the beaches in Four. Unlike the other tributes who wear dress shoes, he just has on a pair of leather sandals. And he flops grumpily in the chair with a loud huff. "I'm not supposed to be here."
Oh, here we go again.
"This is just another excuse for you folk to take me out like you did to the rest of my family, huh? Well, I won't stand for it. I'm a Julianum and we don't back down easily. I'm going to make everyone regret throwing me in here."
Irie's dress is a beautiful deep purple that reminds me of the irises that like to bloom in my backyard. It is a solid colour, which has long flowing sleeves and trails on the ground behind her.
Irie seems to practically shrink under all the blinding lights and noises of the crowd. Thankfully, Extro is patient with her and helps to draw her out of her shell. "I miss my moms and my garden back home. I hope I can come back."
Ari is wearing a solid black turtleneck and a pair of jeans with combat boots for shoes. He manages to shove his hands into his pockets as he shuffles awkwardly onstage. Extro tries to joke around with him, but drops it once it becomes obvious that Ari isn't very receptive to his humour…or being interviewed in general.
He seemingly avoids most of the questions Extro tries to ask him. "I don't really even have much at home. I mean, I have my son. He's important to me and I do wanna get home to him. But that's it. There's nobody else."
Braydyn's lime green dress is a big poofy thing that makes her look more like a child than an adult. I can't help but cringe. She's clutching her teddy bear, which wears a matching bow on its head. Extro's eyes soften as he tries to talk to her.
"Beary," Braydyn blurts out.
"I see," Extro smiles. "That is a very cute bear you have there, dear. Don't you think so?"
Braydyn nods. The rest of her interview passes by with her barely saying anything and Extro seems relieved to finally help her back into the wings. The crowd whispers among themselves.
Kaydyn's suit is a much darker shade of green, with a jade blazer and a pastel dress shirt with a black tie. He looks upset, probably worried for his sister. Extro greets him but can't get another word out before Kaydyn begins to talk.
"Please, I beg all of you. Sponsor my sister if you can. Or even me; my mentors and I agreed that all my sponsor money will go to her. It's absolutely important to me that she gets out of here alive. I know she seems like cannon fodder but she won't be, I promise…please, just sponsor her…"
"Desperate," Aquilo mutters under his breath, I pinch his leg and he glares at me.
Kai's suit jacket is a bright red with an amber tie that matches the flame design on his shirt. His hair has been slicked back with a surprising amount of hair gel and he struts confidently onto the stage. Someone in the crowd wolf whistles and Kai just smirks.
Yep, he sounds as confident as he looks. "I may be from 7, but we don't go down without a fight. I've put together a formidable team that's sure to give the Careers a run for their money. Come on, folks. Aren't you tired of seeing the same districts win all the time?"
Hyacinth has an orange flower tucked behind her ear, which complements her dress that almost looks like it has a sunset painted on it. Unlike the other tributes, she's barefoot. And she sports a giant smile on her face.
"It's so wonderful being in the Capitol! Your food is so lovely and your fashion is just jaw-dropping! And of course, it was great to talk to Ms. Tremblay herself. Hopefully she and I can become great friends in the future!"
Shadow's outfit is all black, from his blazer and T-shirt underneath to his slacks and boots. His hair is rather messy, like he just rolled out of his bed fifteen minutes ago. Something tells me a District 8 stylist just gave up.
Shadow confirms Kai's plans of an alliance that is going to challenge the Careers. "Yeah. What of it? You think I wanna go down as a coward and beg for my life? Hell no. I'm gonna put up a hell of a fight."
Cassandra wears an off-white toga, which is composed of a large sheet of fabric that's been wrapped intricately over her shoulders and around the body. She also has on leather sandals and tons of gold jewellery, from earrings to bangles on her wrists.
Cassandra and Extro chat a bit about her home life but her eyes light up when she mentions her animal shelter. "I really love it! It's the perfect way for me to give back to the district and look after the animals we have. After all, don't they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect?"
To nobody's surprise, Indigo's ballgown matches her namesake. It's a deep, dark blue with a sweetheart neckline, tiny diamonds sewn into the fabrics that remind me of stars in the night sky, and she wears a pair of black gloves to complete the look. But with how much volume the dress has, Indigo struggles a bit to sit down.
Right away, it's obvious that Extro recognizes her. Indigo sighs sadly. "It's a damn shame, really. I miss Matteo everyday but I'm not gonna let my family lose another child. We've been through enough as is. Plus, I've got a sweetheart back home I need to get to!"
Roxy seems a lot happier than she did yesterday, clad in a golden evening dress that stops just past her knees and has straps loosely hanging off her shoulders. Still, she isn't smiling and glares at the crowd, which seems to rile them up even more. Hey, in the Capitol, any attention is good attention.
"Call me Evander and I will break your kneecaps," she snarls. "My name is Roxy, alright? I hope I don't have to spell it out to you imbeciles. And Mom, Dad, if you're seeing this…go fuck yourselves! When I get back home, I'm gonna make you regret turning your backs on me!"
Belinda has on a wine red dress that has the front cut out to show off her legs while trailing on the floor behind her. She wears no jewellery except for a chunky silver necklace and fixes her hair before sitting down and scowling at the audience.
It becomes very obvious Belinda isn't going to be much of a talker. She responds to Extro's questions with very curt and tense one-word answers and doesn't let up on her scowling the whole time. Her interview ends without much fanfare or excitement.
Judd's outfit is apparently a callback to what he was wearing during the Parade I didn't even watch: a ruffled white shirt with a leather cowboy hat, pants with a pattern that reminds me of cows, and boots with spurs. He takes off his hat and excitedly throws it into the audience.
"I really like my alliance and I think we're gonna do great! Yeah, Belinda is really cool; she's like the older sister I've never had. And yeah Roxy seems angry all the time but that doesn't mean she's a bad person, y'know?"
Cayenne wears a muted pink cardigan over an ivory blouse and black dress pants. The outfit reminds me of what my mom likes to wear but I decide not to say anything out loud because Cayenne doesn't look very comfortable in it.
She talks about the orchard her family owns back home. "Everybody works on it at harvest time, from my family to the seasonal workers we hire. I know my family is very lucky that we own so much land and can help provide jobs to the district."
Sorrel's brown suit appears to be almost made out of burlap, or maybe that's just the pattern on it. He tugs nervously on his bright red tie, straightening it as he sits down. One foot taps against the stage floor.
"I have a boyfriend back home," Sorrel tells the crowd, which begins to squeal excitedly. "And no, I will not be breaking up with him just so I can date the Head Gamemaker's daughter. I have some standards, you know."
Emberly's dress comes in different shades of gray, starting from an almost black at the top before gradually fading to a pearl white at the bottom by her ankles. Silver sandals on her feet and matching bangles on her wrist help to complete the look.
Despite Extro's attempts, Emberly still looks as resigned as she did during the Reaping. "I suppose it is what it is. We in 12 are very familiar with the concept of death. And honestly, if it's decided that my time is up, then so be it."
Ajax concludes out the interviews in a very flashy black blazer that appears to sparkle under the spotlights. He isn't wearing a shirt, but his pants flare out at the bottom and he has a fedora on his head. He doesn't look impressed with his outfit and I don't blame him.
"Why would I even wanna talk about my family anyway?" Ajax asks when Extro brings it up. "My mom died when I was four. I barely remember her. And my dad was a total piece of shit who decided he was too good for me. It's been me, myself, and I for basically my entire life."
With that, the interviews are over. And it's late and the Bloodbath is tomorrow. I decide to skip the pre-Games parties to go get some much deserved rest.
Alliances:
Careers: Midas, Chanel, Cyrus, Beatrix, Gaius, Coral
Anti Careers: Cordin, Kaydyn, Braydyn, Kai, Shadow
Rumble and Tumble: Roxy, Judd, Belinda
Witches' Coven: Irie, Hyacinth, Cassandra, Indigo
Street Smart: Ari, Ajax
Let's Go Lesbians: Vevo, Cayenne
Loners: Sorrel, Emberly
So now it's time to get into the part you've all been waiting for: dead tributes! Not much to say here, except I hoped you enjoyed the interviews and a chance to know a bit more about our non-featured tributes.
See you all next chapter,
-Vr