Did you enjoy those last two chapters? I'm glad to see a new reviewer/reader, apexxx, and I am glad to see you specifically enjoyed the first nineteen chapters. Now, as seen before, the last two chapters were more from the perspectives of the tributes. These next two chapters (or one, if I am patient enough) will be in Aurora's perspective as she watches the interviews.
If you were paying attention, you will notice that I skipped the training center chapters. This is because A) though those chapters are always nice when it comes to learning more about the tributes and the alliances formed, those chapters are a drag and B) I am probably as excited and impatient as you are to get a move on to the games. And C), this fanfic is mostly written from the view of a Capitolite, and according to cannon, the training center and performances are always closed to the public as well as the other tributes. So realistically, we wouldn't be able to see what happened inside the training center or during the private sessions. I might use a small scene between the President and the head Gamemaker as a filler in which they discuss the alliances, etc., before the Games, but I am still not sure. I know for certain, though, that I will discuss alliances/friendships/relationships/friction between tributes somehow.
Now, I'll let you in on a little secret:
I've already begun writing the bloodbath :)
Aradon Flickerman has just started riling up the crowd when I sit before my wall-tall television. In one hand I hold a glass of icy eggnog and in the other is a warm, gooey spiced ginger cookie with white pepper glaze. Yes, these are winter holiday foods, but I love them year-round and I see no reason to eat such things exclusively in the winter. It is time to get to know this year's tributes better, and I can't wait! Earlier today, they released the tribute scores, and some of them were not what I expected. Just so I will never forget, I'm going to include the list below:
District 1
Taffeta Royden, 17: 11
Blake Stonem, 17: 9
District 2
Candle Saunteir, 15: 10
Mars Everett, 18: 9
District 3
Viola Ro, 13: 7
Viole Ro, 13: 4
District 4
Mistle Lou, 17: 9
Axl Floyd, 17: 10
District 5
Roxy Larose, 18: 5
Niklass "Nic" Hadeshan, 12: 7
District 6
Alaina Midnight, 17: 5
Harley "Lee" Chang, 17: 5
District 7
Allela Ling Bucker, 12: 4
Jack Roader, 14: 2
District 8
Mazella Bancroft, 12: 5
Tanner Craven, 18: 2
District 9
Sundance "Sunny" Ticia, 17: 8
Ahron Ember, 15: 7
District 10
Annetta Sander, 18: 6
Johny Harper, 18: 9
District 11
Cinnamon Spice, 18: 11
Coren Joss, 16: 6
District 12
Marian Hallchanser, 17: 5
Harrison Baleiv, 14: 1
There! Isn't it odd, though? Outlier districts never get high scores; an eight is normally the top. But an eleven! What is that about? That insolent little ungrateful wench can't be that good at anything, so how'd she get such a high score?
Aradon is starting the interviews!
"Now, you all remember the illustrious Velvet Royden, victor of our very own 93rd Hunger Games, right?"
The crowd cheers excitedly.
"Good!" Aradon shouts. "Because I have here a very special treat. Presenting... TAFFETA ROYDEN!"
Taffeta Royden walks out on stage in a gorgeous gold Grecian-styled gown. She looks to oozes confidence with every step she takes, but is that a flinch as Aradon reaches for her hand?
"Taffeta," he says as he guides her to her chair, "Tell me. What is it like, having a Victor for an older sister?"
Taffeta smiles her thanks and sits gracefully in her chair, then appears to take a few seconds to ponder the question. "Well, Aradon, it can be very intimidating. I constantly have to surpass people's expectations of my sister, and that in itself is a very tiring thing to do. People consistently expect me to be just like her, and I'm not Velvet. I am my own person, and I plan to prove it."
"Well that is for certain! I mean, just looking at your training scores we can see that you and Velvet are very... different. She scored what, an eight?"
An image of Velvet, the same one they used in her Games for her score, shows on the screen with an eight circling around it.
"And you! My dear, an eleven! I haven't seen one of those in a very long while!"
Grinning broadly, Taffeta nods. "It took lots of hard work, but I managed to do it. I'm very proud of my score, and I hope it helps show my sponsors that I am a capable tribute with a definite chance of winning."
Aradon shakes his head in disbelief. "A score like that and you won't even tell us what your skills are?"
Taffeta's face becomes mischievous. "No, Aradon, I won't reveal all of my secrets. So though I showed off enough of my skills to solidify my place in with the Careers, I didn't show off everything and I'm not about to tell you what I didn't tell my own allies!"
She looks around with a mock horrified face and the audience laughs. Aradon assumes a pout and scowls at the audience.
"Well, Ms. Royden, I wish you the very best! Thank you very much; it's been an honor interviewing you."
Aradon stands, takes Taffeta's hand, and bows to her as she curtsies before leading her to the edge of the stage. Aradon is, without fail, nothing if not a gentleman.
"Next, ladies and gentlemen, we have the handsome male tribute from District 1, Blake Stonem! Please give a round of applause for this handsome tribute!"
Blake walks onstage calmly, waving to the audience and smiling. Once he reaches his seat, he shakes Aradon's hand and they both sit down.
"So, Blake... your partner hinted at the career pack. Are we to guess that the Careers are a strong group this year?"
Blake adjusts his position in his seat. "Well of course, Aradon. Even when not allied, the Careers are certainly the most formidable tributes in the arena. That's why we have so many Victors. We know how to work together, and we've been... preparing ourselves for this most of our lives."
"Speaking of lives... a handsome young man such as you must have a girlfriend back home in the districts, right?"
Blake smiles coldly and shakes his head mutely.
"Not a girlfriend..." Aradon ponders the fact for a moment, then gasps in mock surprise and revelation. "A boyfriend?"
"No," Blake says, laughing. "I'm too busy training for a girlfriend. There is a girl I have an on again, off again relationship with, but she's not the type for me to marry. She's more of a distraction, you know?"
Aradon nods knowingly. "Quite the little heartbreaker, aren't you?" he asks teasingly.
"Oh, yeah," Blake replies sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Totally."
The audience is giggling after that last comment.
"Well if not a girlfriend, how about family? How does your family feel about having their son volunteer for the Hunger Games?"
The audience stills – they seem to be holding their collective breaths.
"My dad was thrilled," Blake says. "He actually congratulated me, and he never does that. My dad is the number one reason I'm number one; he always pushed me to do my best. My mom isn't really all there, because one of her best friends died in the Games and she never really got over it. I think the person to miss me the most while I'm here, though, is going to be my little sister Eura. She's a lot like me, and we get along fantastically."
The audience sighs happily – they seem to be quite taken with Blake.
"Awww," Aradon moans, fanning his eyes. "I'm tearing up. Is there anything you'd like to say to your family?"
Blake looks like he is thinking for a moment and then grins. "Hey Eura," he calls, "Stay away from that douchebag Benji! He's gonna try to 'look out' for you, but you know he's just trying to look at you!"
The audience explodes into laughter again and Aradon grins as he stands back up. "Ladies and gentlemen, Blake Stonem of District 1!"
Soon after Blake has left the stage, Aradon is leading the female tribute from District 2, Candle Saunteir out onstage. She smiles politely as Aradon seats himself at the same time she does.
"Candle, I hear you volunteered for this honor! Correct me if I am wrong, though, but normally our District 2 volunteers are older… often they volunteer on their last year of eligibility. So tell me, and not that I am insulting you, but how did a fifteen-year-old get away with volunteering before her last year of eligibility for the Games?"
Candle smirks and leans back in her chair, relaxing against the soft, squishy back and crossing her long, toned legs. Her ombre dress falls dangerously short, and the action of crossing her legs has slid her dress up even further. It isn't difficult to determine her angle – everything screams sex.
"Well, Aradon, it's very simple. Most of us start training when we are nine – I started training at five. I have more years of training than most of the eighteen-year-old tributes do, so I was the top choice to represent my district. I beat every single opponent in the competition, which makes me the best chance at brining honor to both my family and District 2."
Aradon whistles, then gives a knowing eyebrow raise to the audience. "What about the rumor that you were pressured into volunteering by your boyfriend, BLADE YUINK?!" He raises his voice in a dramatic manner on the last two words, and Candle's face hardens instantly.
"Oh. My God," Candle replies. "Who would do such a thing? I mean, I know I'm enviable, but for someone to start such a rumor? That's just cruel! Who would do that? Aradon – do you know? Do you think someone would have started that rumor just to discredit me? Why would–"
The buzzer goes off just in time to cut Candle off, and Aradon rises, looking startled. "Ladies and gentlemen, Candle Saunteir!"
Next up is that dreamy Mars Everett. He walks onto the stage in an elegant yet simple silver suit with a black-and-silver swirls tie. Instead of greeting Aradon cheerfully as the other tributes have done, he nods icily to the interviewer and seats himself in the tribute's chair. Aradon is slightly put off by this display (or lack thereof) of interest, and overemphasizes his pout as he sits in his chair across from Mars, whom instead of replying simply shoots Aradon an unimpressed look and says nothing. Aradon glances out at the audience and shrugs his shoulders as if to say "Well, I tried," and turns back to Mars.
"Mr. Everett," he says conspiratorially. "Word has it that Taffeta is not the only legacy in these Games! Is it true that you have not only one, but two Victors in your near family?"
Mars glares at him for a few seconds then nods grudgingly, prompting Aradon to try again for some real interaction. "Who precisely are the Victors in your family?" he asks, forcing Mars to use his voice.
Mars waits almost a full minute before replying, and when he does, his voice is low and harsh. "My older brother is Bray Everett, the Victor of the 94th Hunger Games. My father, Dirk Everett, was the Victor of the 79th Hunger Games."
Aradon grins excitedly. "What's it like living with two victors in the same house?"
Mars actually flinches, and I think anger flits across his face too. Something tells me that this boy is barely keeping it together.
"Bray is okay. Dad expects a lot more from us, though, and his dream was to have all of us kids win a set of the Games."
Aradon's grin disappears. "Was?"
Mars sighs as though he's given himself up to his fate. "My sister, Heaven… she wanted so badly to please our father, so she volunteered way too early – she was fourteen. She…"
His voice cracks.
"She didn't make it."
On that serious and disquieting note, the buzzer goes off. Aradon stands and somberly shakes Mars' hand before leading him off.
Thankfully, the next tribute is that cheerful, peppy little girl Viola Ro, from District 3. Aradon seems excited to see her, and soon I find out why.
"Viola!" Aradon exclaims as he guides her to her seat. Her silver pantsuit is paired with a very feminine black blouse, and I can't help but think that she looks very much like a young boy in this outfit. "Before I say anything else, I must tell you that I personally was very surprised to see you volunteer for the Games. Could that have anything to do with your brother, Viole?
"Of course!" stated Viola emphatically. "I and my brother have always had a special bond," (the audience cheers and Viola smiles tolerantly) "so there was no way I could possibly let him go into the arena alone! What kind of sister would I be if I did that?"
Aradon sighs in agreement, but then cocks his head to one side. "You are aware that only one tribute comes out, right?"
Viola sighs. "Of course I'm aware, Mr. Flickerman, but I don't like to think about such things until absolutely necessary. I'm certain that Viole and I can last a while in the arena, and we make a fantastic team. So such things aren't really things I want to think about right now." Viola gives Aradon a condescending, patronizing smile and goes back to sitting primly on the edge of her seat.
Aradon shakes his head slightly and smiles gently. "Right. So do you have any specific plans for the arena?"
Viola gives him a cheerful, incredulous smile. "Duh!"
Aradon tries again. "What are your plans for the Are-"
Aradon is cut off by the buzzer, and he rises, gracefully ignoring the fact that he really didn't get any information out of his tribute. "Good people, that was VIOLA RO!" Aradon says before he leads her offstage and then leads on Viola's brother, Viole. "And this is VIOLE RO, Viola's TWIN BROTHER!"
Aradon and Viole reach their chairs and sit at the same time. "So-" they both begin simultaneously, then Aradon begins laughing and Viole stiffens. "So sorry, Viole," Aradon chuckles, "But it seems as though we are operating on the same wavelength!"
"Quite," Viole says coldly.
Aradon sobers quickly, judging rapidly the lack of interest this tribute has in humor. "Viole," Aradon begins again, "We know your sister volunteered to go in with you, and I'd like to touch on your feelings about that, but would you first tell me about your other family? I feel like we only know a little bit about you two twins, and nothing about you of substance."
Viole nods obligingly. "My family is in no way poor," he begins, grimacing when he says poor. "Nor, however, are we rich. We never go hungry, though, and it is because my parents actually work for their living instead of going around begging." Insert a smug smirk. "My father Sebastian is an electrical engineer, and he is very good at what he does. Jessa, my mother, is a nanotechnologist, and she is allowed to work on top-secret projects that I most certainly cannot mention on national television. I also have three siblings. Chell is the oldest, he's my brother, and there's Pia, the youngest girl. Of course there is also Viola."
Aradon nods understandingly. "Speaking of Viola! What was your reaction to her volunteering to go with you?"
Viole stiffens even more, if such a thing is possible. His words are tight, clipped, and the audience can tell he's not happy.
"Her act did not please me in any way, if that is what you are asking. I hope she understands now that I will not be able to concentrate as well on surviving now that I have to protect two of us instead of just myself, which statistically exponentially decreases our chances of survival."
Aradon pushes further. "Won't it be nice, though, to have someone in the arena that you know you can trust?"
Viole snaps up out of his chair and Aradon is on his feet too, hands out in a placating gesture. "Family bonds only hold so tight, Aradon," Viole spits out, and storms offstage just as the buzzer sounds. Aradon stands speechless, the screen goes dark, and in comes the commercial break.
Wow, so much for a calm-and-collected tribute. BTW, the cookies mentioned earlier do exist, all you have to do is google them and find the "Sweet Paul" website. I am in no way compensated for this advertisement, and as such it is not an advertisement, simply my statement of an awesome cookie. If you can get the glaze done right, tell me how you did it.
Sorry I took so long, holidays/finals and all that. But I'm back just in time to leave again for a cruise. Wish me luck; I have this horrid gut feeling that an ex-friend of mine is going to be there too and as we didn't part ways well (actually not my fault), I'm not sure how that will go if he's there.
