I forgot Shep oops. The flow would be weird to put him in this chapter so I'm going to give him a nice long POV in the night before the Games chapter. Also I got halfway through and remembered private sessions are supposed to come first so I'll just do them next.

Isabella Disney-Busattil, Master of Ceremonies

"What do you think of the stranger-"

I caught myself before I caused another "incident". I was still getting used to pretending the Careers weren't a thing. "Tell us a bit about your alliance," I amended.

Clearly Kendall was this year's favorite to win. His red and gold suit, so flashy and fit for a Victor, was open to show his muscular chest.

"We're an unconventional bunch, to be sure," he agreed. "I think our unusual skills will be our biggest strength. Often people from the urban Districts don't know much about survival skills, but that's Kallik's whole thing. I'm looking forward to trying fresh-caught wild game." Nice. Always good to put in a good word for an ally. It gets sponsors when you seem modest.

"Such a lovely dress!" I said of Kallik's glowing aurora gown. "Is this what your home really looks like?"

"Yeah," Kallik said shyly. "It's really pretty." She had an easier time talking about her dress than about herself so I let the conversation center around that.

Val could have done the interview just as well on his own. He had clearly come in with a list of things to mention and he got through all of them in just a minute- the Capitolite who'd given him the ruby earrings he wore, the friends he was looking forward to seeing again, and all the things he hoped were in the Cornucopia (or that sponsors would send him, he discreetly left unsaid).

Octavia dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief embroidered with posies. "It's just so hard," she managed shakily. She looked out at the audience. "Have any of you ever been away from your child? Every night I just want to gather him up." She mimed holding a baby in her arms. "Please help me see him again."

Over and over I had to remind myself AI was adopted. It was disturbing, the feeling that I was interviewing a tiny Beetee. Ai crossed his legs in that same weird way, at the ankles instead of over one knee. I wondered when was the first time a newly adopted little boy tried to be just like his dad.

"I am one of the younger ones, but I'm not giving up," he said. "I have a good team and we're going to get through this together."

"I'm so excited about my alliance," Yarrow said, smoothing out the tulle skirt of her sunny yellow dress. "People think we're the long shots but we're going to show them all."

All of you? I always wondered which Tributes knew how alliances worked and which ones managed to keep believing friendships would be forever.

It wasn't often I interviewed a Tribute who had real stage presence. Dorian took every one of my questions and came back with a joke or a story that wowed the audience every time. I didn't know much about his skills at the end but I knew everyone in the Capitol PR team was hoping he'd win.

I didn't need to read Alara's profile to tell she was a celebrity kid. She said primly straight in her chair, never slouching or fidgeting. She must have picked up some notes from her mother's speeches, top, since her mournful comments about losing her father were touching without being too vulnerable.

"Trayne and I have a really good plan in place," Trydan said. "If anyone wanted to sponsor us we have it worked out so we only need really cheap things, like we figured out how to clean water and all we'd need is some cotton balls." I mostly set back and let him make his case.

"It's not often we see a outer-District volunteer," I said to Birdie.

She smiled sheepishly. "It might not have been my best decision," she admitted.

"What we really all want to know is the meat question," I asked. "If there's no other food in the Arena, are you going to eat it?"

She shook her head, her flower crown bouncing on her hair. "Nope. No matter what."

Trayne had an admirable peace about him. At first I thought he was one of the ones who didn't really know the Games were real yet, but that wasn't it. He knew he was very likely about to die. He was just taking it in stride.

"So since hockey sticks aren't very sharp I went with the next best thing," he finished his comment. "Spears are pretty similar. Of course we're also good at fighting. That's practically in the rulebook." He flashed his missing tooth.

It took a while to draw Lana out of her shell. Once she finally did it was all worth it.

"I guess I just want to show people who I am," she finished, fiddling with her pink-and-white dress. "It's my first time out in the world. I'm probably going to die. I hope people remember I was here."

Cactus was… proper. He gave polite, bland answers to my questions and asked polite, bland questions of his own. I came away thinking he wasn't really bad, just not really good.

"Here's this year's second outlier volunteer!" I said as Rowena sat down.

"I'm the second nothing," said, pointing her thumb at her chest. "I'm the first and only Rowena Aspen."

"What spurred you to volunteer?" I asked.

Rowena shrugged. "I'm not known for thinking ahead. I don't care, though. I always figure it out after."

I quickly saw my mistake after I asked Tommy about his home life.

"Mostly I take care of my brother," he said, his voice going a little thinner. "He has a lot of health problems."

"Wow, that's very responsible," I said.

"I guess," he said. He put on that fake smile you do to pretend you're not crying. "There's a lot of things I never got to do."

Taylor was clearly loving her dramatic black lace dress. I gave her all the time I could before I had to do it. I wished so bitterly I could warn her about what the screen I was about to activate would show.

"So what do have to say-"

Taylor looked over at the article blinking into existence on the wall

Toddler Killed in Devastating Accident

I watched with a clenching stomach as her face broke. She looked at me in panic, then at the audience in terror, then ran off the stage before most of them could react.

"Commercial break!"

I didn't need to help Robbie. He had all the angles already- he was handsome, friendly, strong, and an alliance that tugged at the heartstrings. I just let the audience fawn over him.

"It's just been the time of my life," Amberlynne said. "I thought I knew how to party but you all ate something else!" Over the next two minutes she crammed in five minutes of comments and plans.

"I hear your family lives an alternative lifestyle. What's that like?" I asked Shep, who seemed bemused by the blinding lights and ill at ease in his garish suit.

"It just felt normal to me," he said. "It definitely prepared me for the Games, though. All that hunting and building and stuff? That's just life for me."

Virgo was radiant in her jewel-toned makeup and dramatic full-skirted ball gown. "I love it," she said when I commented on it. "I should probably be talking about strategy and stuff but honestly I really love you all's fashion. I look great!"

"How are you going to win the Games?" I asked Clover.

"I'm really banking on my alliance and my planning skills. It's so important to work with your environment and not against it. I've been studying all sorts of possible Arenas so I'll be ready for anything."

Persi's eyes bored into me like missiles as I .ace friendly conversation. She answered each question like she was in trial for a capital offense. She sat leaned forward in her chair with the pent energy of a panther. Girl… you need to smoke some pot or something.

"I'm Enzo," Enzo introduced himself, slouched in his seat with one leg up. "I like fire and that's pretty much it. Ha ha, just kidding. I like other stuff too. Like loud noise. Can I get a 'wooooo' from the audience?"

Josie twirled her hair with one hand and fluffed up her tulle skirt with the other. "I was so scared until Robbie allied with me. He's going to keep me safe. I'm pretty sure I'll be okay for a while at least since no one cares about someone as little as me."