Prince Middleton, 17
District 1 Male
Tonight was the night. Interviews. The last chance to make an impression on the Capitol before the Games began. Prince already wasn't very impressive; he'd only scored an 8. So he had to do good here.
He looked nice, in a deep purple suit with black accents. Purple was the color of royalty. Of victory. It was perfect. But Queenie was up first. She wore a sleek, mint-colored ball gown with a crown of pearls. She looked nice, though he was a bit worried she would trash-talk him.
His suspicions turned out to be right. As soon as Caesar finished gushing over Queenie's dress, he asked how training had been. She turned to the crowd.
"It's been tough. I was supposed to volunteer with a boy named Elijah. We were a perfect team. Prince definitely threw my rhythm off, but in the Games, you must adapt and overcome." She left the stage with lots of applause.
Caesar was wearing a fuschia suit, which clashed horribly with Prince's. But he forced a smile as he shook Caesar's hand.
"So, Prince, you were a surprise volunteer?"
"Yes, I was. I didn't like taking Elijah's place, but it was necessary. You see, my parents are not the best people. They kept me and the love of my life apart. I had to volunteer to escape them, and marry the man I love. Ali, if you're watching, you are the love of my life. I will make it home to you." The crowd 'awwed' as Prince left the stage.
Up next was Ada, who was dressed in a dramatic blood-red gown with spiked shoulders.
"I'm here to bring glory to my district," she said. "Everyone else better watch out."
Cadmus, the handsome blonde from 2 who could have easily been from District 1, was up next. He was wearing an old-fashioned sky-blue suit with coattails and everything.
"The love and support," he said when Caesar asked what his favorite part of the Capitol was. "Everyone here has been so kind and welcoming; I can't wait to come back!"
The pair from 3 weren't as impressive. Tessa was wearing a lacy black dress with dark makeup, which made her look quite stunning, but her interview was dry. She talked so quietly no one could hear her, and she looked sick the whole time.
Bo wore all white, and spent the whole time bragging about his inventions and his smarts.
"With my brain, there's no way I could lose."
Lazuli looked beautiful, with her dark, curly hair tied up in a high ponytail, an ocean-blue sundress, and silver strappy sandals. She sat down beside Caesar with a big smile.
"I might not be a Career," she said. "But I have an ally in Raven, Nero, and Moira, and we're strong. Don't count us out."
Tulio looked handsome in a coral-pink suit that matched his complexion wonderfully. He sat with Caesar and cracked jokes until the crowd was cracking up. Prince was glad his interview went well. He liked Tulio.
Indigo Li, 13
District 8 Female
Indigo despised her dress. It was poofy and frilly, and of course, indigo. How creative. At least she didn't have to wear heels. Instead, her feet were crammed into golden flats that didn't quite fit and made her toes hurt. She was doing her best to focus on the interviews, but focus was never her strong suit.
As the boy from 4 walked off the stage, the little dark-haired girl from 5 came up. She was wearing a beautiful golden dress with puffed sleeves, and she smiled sweetly when she sat down with Caesar. It made Indigo frown. She was also 13. Why couldn't Indigo be as dainty and lovely as her?
"This is a very new experience," she said when Caesar asked her if she was nervous. "So of course I'm a little anxious. But everyone has been very welcoming, and my escort Sabrina has been very kind and calming. I really appreciate her help."
The boy from 5, Nikolas, was a handsome boy with dark, curly hair and bright blue eyes. His suit was black, but his tie matched his eyes perfectly.
"I'm smart," he told Caesar. "And I'm pretty fit. I'm hoping that will benefit me too." He received fewer cheers than his district partner did.
Raven from District 6 was wearing a long, feathery black dress, which made Indigo feel a little better. She wasn't the only one who's stylist wasn't very creative. But Raven's personality more than made up for the lacking outfit.
"I'm not afraid of death," she told Caesar. "We're on a first-name basis."
Nero was also dressed in all black, which made his fiery red hair stand out even more. He shook Caesar's hand a little too firmly before sitting down.
"So Nero, where did you get those muscles?" Caesar asked.
"I work in my mom's mechanic shop," Nero said. "So I'm always lifting car parts or building engines. I guess it just built up over time."
Indigo wrinkled her nose as Jasmine took the stage in a prettier, more mature version of Indigo's dress. Typical. Jasmine was all flushed though, and her words were clipped and messy. She was very nervous, and Indigo took sick pleasure in that. Her district partner Elliott was much more confident. But he was worryingly thin and his brown suit looked like it was trying to swallow him whole.
And then it was Indigo's turn. She wriggled her toes as a stage manager escorted her to the stage. And when Caesar announced her name, she took a deep breath and walked over to him.
"Hello Indigo!" Caesar cheered. She gave him a small wave. She wasn't a shy person, but standing in front of such a large crowd with so many bright lights was nerve-wracking.
They sat down together, and Caesar folded his hands.
"So, Indigo, why did you volunteer?" Indigo swallowed hard, remembering what Kelsi told her.
"District 8 is a small district," she began. "And I wanted to experience more in life. The Capitol is absolutely incredible, and I'm so glad I made the choice to volunteer."
The crowd cheered wildly and Indigo smiled, her confidence growing.
"And who is waiting for you at home?" Caesar asked.
"Just my aunt, and I doubt she'll care much if I don't come back." Indigo internally winced as she said that. There was no way she'd get sponsors with a statement like that. But luckily, Caesar stepped in and saved her.
"Well, she doesn't sound like a very pleasant lady, because we would love to have you return," he said, and the crowd cheered. Indigo left the stage with a smile.
Dakota Grangerford, 12
District 9 Female
Dakota was not ready for her interview. Despite spending most of the morning practicing with Maddox, he said she was still "surly" and "generally unpleasant." According to him, she'd spent so much of her life being grumpy that she was stuck like that. And that made her even more grumpy.
Plus, her dress was itchy. It was quite pretty; a pale silver slip that fell to her feet, covering the sandals she wore. And her wheelchair was decorated with glittering gold ribbons and little sparkling lights. But it made her legs itch and there was nothing she could do about it.
As Indigo left the stage, her district partner Keith stumbled towards Caesar. Apparently his stylist had taken away his glasses, and he was struggling pathetically. He stammered through his answers, but when Caesar asked about his family, he had a decent answer.
"My mom passed giving birth to my baby sister. I want to go home to her and my dad. They need me and I need them."
And then it was her turn. She glared at the stagehand who tried to help her, so the woman let Dakota wheel herself onto the stage. She made her way over to Caesar and stopped in front of the chair the other tributes had sat on. Caesar had to awkwardly scoot his chair closer.
"So Dakota, how do you think you'll fair, given your… uniqueness?"
"You can say disability," Dakota snapped. "It's more rude not to. And I think I'm going to be fine." She straightened up and held her head high, staring Caesar down.
"Um, my apologies," he stammered. "So, you scored a 3, the lowest score of this batch of tributes-"
"Yes," she interrupted. "Isn't it your job to make sure we look good?"
The crowd laughed at that and Caesar's face turned the same color as his suit.
"Don't count me out just because I'm in a wheelchair," she snapped, glaring at the crowd. "I'm not going down without a fight." Then she wheeled herself off the stage without being dismissed.
Once she was out of the spotlight, Dakota slumped back. She had no idea where that sudden confidence came from, and she had a feeling Maddox would be furious with her. She humiliated Caesar and yelled at the audience. What a great interview.
Ezekiel took the stage in a rust-colored suit. Caesar managed to compose himself, but his questions were rather lame and uninteresting. She felt a bit bad for Zeke. But he still managed to talk about his grandparents and how he wanted to get back to them.
Moira from 10 was a tall, skinny girl with mousy brown hair. Her dress was quite nice though; a silky blue slip that fell to her knees and strappy white heels. She gave Caesar a hug before sitting down.
"I have a big family," she said when Caesar asked about her home life. "Four older siblings and four younger siblings. And we all live in a 3-bedroom house. If I win, I want to have my own room!"
And then it was Mars's turn. He looked dashing in his heather-gray suit, and greeted Caesar with a warm smile.
"How are you feeling about tomorrow?" Caesar asked.
"A little nervous," Mars admitted. "But I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be."
Next up was Millie, the girl from 11. She was wearing a spring-green dress and her hair was in pigtails.
"Hi Caesar!" she said cheerfully as she sat down.
"I can't wait to see the arena," she said when Caesar asked if she was looking forward to the Games. "I love nature, and I want to learn more."
Her district partner Quincy was much less personable. He answered each question with a nod or a grunt, and managed to lose one of the buttons on his dark blue shirt as he fiddled with them.
And finally, they reached District 12. The chubby blonde girl was up first, looking cute in a petal-pink dress and sparkly heels. She did a little twirl before sitting down.
"So Blythe," Caesar said. "What special skills do you bring to the arena?"
"Well, my mom is the main doctor in District 12," she said. "So I know about medicine and things."
Iago wore a solid black suit and had an equally dark look on his face. He started talking before Caesar could ask him anything.
"I'm a Career," he said. "So you shouldn't underestimate me. If you do, I'll kill you." He left the stage with half-hearted applause.
Afterwards, as the tributes headed for the elevators, Dakota tried to locate Maddox. Better to deal with his anger tonight than right before going into the arena, right?
She spotted him at the same time he spotted her. And to her surprise, he was grinning. Maddox rushed over to her, cheering as he got closer.
"Dakota! I didn't know you had that fight in you!"
"Neither did I," she said, trying to keep a smile off her face. Maddox patted her shoulder.
"That'll do kid, that'll do."
Hey everyone! Here are the interviews for the 54th Hunger Games! I actually almost posted the bloodbath without these, so... the bloodbath is done too! It'll be out in the next day or two, I hope. But for now, enjoy the interviews!
Alliances
Careers:
- Queenie
- Prince
- Ada
- Cadmus
- Tulio
- Iago
4+6=10:
- Lazuli
- Raven
- Nero
- Moira
The 7's:
- Jasmine
- Elliott
Polar Opposites:
- Indigo
- Blythe
Kindness:
- Dakota
- Mars
Loners:
- Tessa
- Bo
- Nina
- Nikolas
- Keith
- Ezekiel
- Millie
- Quincy
Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!
- Fiona