Eurydice Adello, 17

Sister of Orpheus Adello
Capitol Mainstage

Eurydice shivered a little as she rose from the vanity in the dressing room she'd been given to prepare herself in. It was hard to fathom that only eight tributes were left alive, but just after the explosion, the mayor came to knock on the Adellos' door with Adriane Accorso, the District One escort. Eurydice had not been there. Instead, she was in District Three for a graduate program for pre-medical students, the highest performing of which would be invited for higher education in the Capitol. It had been the District Three escort who came to her dorm room with an ornate envelope in hand. "The Capitol and President Willoughby Shakira cordially invite you to visit the Starlight City for interview," they informed her. "Will you be in attendance?"

Eurydice packed her suitcase immediately. The Capitol was even more glamorous than she imagined, the citizens more beautiful, the buildings more grand. She caught sight of the sprawling university in the distance and looked longingly at its stone buttresses. She was first in her class by a narrow but meaningful margin, and it was only a matter of time until she came here for her own journey. The interviews were done in district order, so Eurydice knew her family would set the tone for the evening. Each guest had been provided a small chamber with clothing, cosmetics, and a private bathroom. Eurydice took advantage of the call button, which summoned the District One stylists for fashion support. She was nervous. Normally, she was perfectly fine with public speaking, but a poor interview could come with deadly consequences for the tribute whose family had transgressed. If she failed, Orpheus might pay with his life.
An attendant swept her down the hall, scooping up the train of her dress to prevent her from tripping over the fabric. "There," he instructed, pointing her to a row of chairs backstage. Eurydice slotted in between her parents, bundling the train into her lap. The plan was for her to take the lead, since her parents weren't very passionate about her brother's ambitions. They wouldn't live up to the standards of normal Career parents. She needed to cover for that by being the coolest, most interesting sister ever. She tried to hide her anxiety as she stepped onto the stage. "Hello, Pandora!" she enthused.

"Miss Eurydice Adello, Panem! Mr. and Mrs. Adello, Eurydice, do tell: what do you think about dear Orpheus's sponsorship successes?" Pandora accepted the Adello adults' comments with a brief, polite expression and a nod, then leaned in with a grin and twinkled in Eurydice's direction. "And your thoughts?"

"Oh, Pandora, I'm so glad you asked. That parachute appearing was a moment of relief for us, for me, at least. Knowing what Twyla Behring had been setting up, as an observer, I was very concerned for him. Now knowing that the armor saved his life, I'm even more grateful. I know when he wins, his sponsors will be satisfied with their generosity."

"But Eurydice…" Pandora lowered her voice soberly. "He didn't escape uninjured. He might be the only survivor of Twyla's attack, but he's suffering from a serious burn. Do you think he'll be able to rebound from that?"

"I certainly hope so, but the Games can be unpredictable. I think if he has the time to recover a little and the Careers don't split too soon, he'll be alright."

"Understood. But Eurydice, we're all dying to hear your opinion of Orpheus's controversial romance in the Arena. I imagine you have a special perspective of it, yes?" That was a complicated question, but not for the reasons most people probably had in mind. Eurydice knew her brother. He was older than her by a year, but they were close, closer than they would have been if their parents treated them fairly. Orpheus spent most of his childhood being ignored. Eurydice spent most of hers being pressured. Talent is a utility, she remembered her mother telling her. Do something important with your life. Orpheus was more artistic than scientific. He wanted connection, and had more trouble finding it than she did. He was convinced that it was his destiny to find love and death in the Games. It saddened her, but it was not surprising.
"I know he looked forward to meeting likeminded people. I'm happy that he's getting what he hoped for, but I am concerned about Nikita's loyalty to him. There's a sort of love triangle happening, and I just hope Orpheus will be okay." Pandora nodded.

"Tell us: will we in the Capitol be reuniting with him anytime soon?"

"Definitely," said Eurydice. "There's not a doubt in my mind." But that was a lie, and the doubts only grew as she watched the subsequent interviews in the hotel room she was given. Apparently, the attendants didn't want the tributes' families getting to know one another, so they were brought to their rooms immediately after their interviews were done. Eurydice loved her parents, but there wasn't necessarily a high degree of warmth. She didn't want to hear what they had to say about the other tributes' guests, so she watched alone lying in the large bed she'd been given, eating cream-filled wafer cookies from a meal dispenser built into the wall.

She didn't like Tybalt, from what she saw of him, but she couldn't exactly hate him. Now she couldn't even dislike him anymore. Alistair Asher Martell was a mean man. There was something cruel in his demeanor, like he enjoyed tearing other people down, including his son. (Especially his son. It took about thirty seconds for Eurydice to figure that one out.) Pandora was friendly and eager to meet the parents of such a strong tribute, but they were disinterested in her questions. "What do you think about your son's progress so far?" she asked.

"Dreadfully boring, sweetheart. Do get me a glass of something nice. It's a little stuffy in hear. Perhaps a Scotch on the rocks?"

"Mr. Martell, perhaps you misheard me. Your son Tybalt Alistair, named after you. The one who scored a ten in training and is predicted to place first, please tell us what you think about his progress in the Arena."

"I did." Mr. Martell smiled. "If you like yapping, perhaps you'd better ask my wife instead." Eurydice assumed it was a barb. He didn't seem like the kind of person who was happy with his marriage. Elizabeta Amrine, the mother, pursed her lips.

"Such a shame, really. He was a nice boy. It's such a pity he was sloppy in training back home."

"I beg your pardon, ma'am?"

"He's terribly stupid," put in Mr. Martell.

"Tragically lazy."

"It's probably best if he doesn't come home at all. I won't be able to stand the shame of knowing that we raised such a…what's the word?"

"Failure?" Pandora asked tentatively. She looked confused about how someone could be disappointed in a son who performed so well. Clearly, whoever raised her had done their job properly.

"Not exactly."

"A letdown," exhaled Mrs. Martell. Her frustration had melted away and now she was almost picturesque in her serenity at finding the right word. "Our younger son, Paris, died unexpectedly earlier this year. It was shocking, but…" she trailed off.

"But it also saddened us. Such potential, gone. And now we've struck out with this one and have no more chances." Mr. Martell looked almost angry that Tybalt had placed him in this predicament.

"Well," said Pandora, "That's all the time we have. Lovely to meet you!" Two lies, Eurydice was sure of it. There was more than enough time for a complete interview, and it had not been lovely to meet the parents Martell.
The Behring-Kuiper clan was much more palatable. They were a large family. Twyla's father was there, and an aunt, uncle, and multiple cousins. Eurydice had been kept apart from them during travel, but they seemed like nice people. Twyla's explosion worried her less than it probably should have, but she recognized the composites Orpheus's armor was made of. She knew he would walk away from it alright if he was smart, which he was. She couldn't blame Twyla. In the same way that Careers killing outliers was natural and expected, she knew that being attacked by other tributes was a common cause of late-game Career death. It was just what happened. Twyla had killed several people, but that wasn't something Eurydice could justify holding a grudge about. The interview had a tone of hope. Twyla's family believed in her. They were excited for her to come home safe.

Then she got tired and stopped paying attention as closely. Odicci's mother was a clear Career, firm and confident, with high expectations and high praise for her daughter. She talked about her experience as a trainee before she fell pregnant, and that she was concerned for Odicci's wellbeing. There had been an altercation between the Sixes during the storm, before the Twyla incident. Eurydice had been exhausted from a double block of organic chemistry and couldn't bear the thought of television at the time. Neither of them had a family interview, so they were either dead or orphaned. Pandora jumped straight to an interview with a tall redheaded lady, a clear relation to Maize, the Nine girl. She was an aunt, as it turned out. She was loud and funny, very different from her much quieter niece, but Eurydice was glad to see someone happy. It was unusual, to be sure. Pandora even asked why she could be so lighthearted when Maize's life hung in the balance.

"It's been a life well-lived," she said. "If she dies, we will mourn, but she's spent her time baking bread, stroking barn cats, and thinking up stories. It's all a person needs to do to be satisfied." And then there were two. There was a delay. A commercial break. A sudden check-in on the tributes' location even though nobody was doing anything important. Pandora returned with a comfortable-looking blonde lady. Oh, thought Eurydice. She wore a dainty pink dress and scallop-edged pink high heels made of soft leather with only an inch or so of lift. There was a wide pink ribbon drawn around her waist as a belt, knotted in a floppy bow. She looked incredibly kind, like the personification of a hug. I would like her to be my mother-in-law, thought Eurydice, before she could process what that meant.

"The Silvius family has declined an interview," Pandora said. "We will progress to the Valeta family, originally from District Two. Mrs. Valeta, please tell us, what do you think of your son's work thus far?"

Mrs. Valeta, the nice pink lady, smiled like a summer breeze, opened her mouth, and burst into tears.