The Hunger Games - PRIM EDITION

Chapter 8 - The Girl On Fire

I nod my head slightly at the game makers, and leave the training centre. I find it amusing to leave them staring in awe. I take some deep breaths as I try to steady my shaking hands. In a way, I am glad that I missed the last target, because if everything had gone to plan and I'd have hit it, then I wouldn't have lost my temper and gone for the one hundred yard target.

As instructed, I go straight back up to the top floor. On arrival, I am whisked away by my Prep Team to the room I went before the tributes parade. I am confused at first, but then I remember - tonight is the pre-games interview with Ceasar Flickerman.

Ceasar Flickerman is the man with the crazy coloured hair. He the Hunger Games presenter, so is always on television at this time of year.

Tonight, I am going to be on stage in front of thousands of people, and on every television in Panem. When the thought of this strikes me, I let out a gasp.

"Are you okay, Honey?" Octavia asks, looking up from my nails.

"Oh, yes! I'm fine!" I assure her. "Just a bit nervous for the interview tonight!"

"Ah, I understand!" she smiles. "Ceaser can be a bit scary sometimes!" I smile my response, but don't say anything, because I need to stay still for Venia to do my makeup.

I sit in silence as Flavius, Venia and Octavia scuttle around me, applying different oils to my hair, and makeup to my face. But the silence gats the better of me, and once again, my mind is given too much time to think.

I think about Katniss. I think about my mother. I think about District Twelve. Home. I long to go home.

Although I am not aware of it, I somehow end up crying. Before I know it, I am wrapped in Octavia's arms, as Venia wipes my face, desperately trying to save the mascara which is running down my face. I sob my heart out to these people, and somehow, I don't even feel embarrassed about it. They must have had so many tributes cry to them in all the time they have been stylists.

They don't ask me what's wrong, or why I am crying. They just seem to understand. I don't know how long I cry for, but when my eyes have dried out, my makeup is completely ruined, meaning that Venia has to do it all over again.

After a quarter of an hour of hard work, Venia has worked her magic, and my makeup looks just as it did before. I say thank you to each of them, and they leave me alone to wait for Cinna.

I don't have to wait long. Cinna walks in, with the usual friendly grin on his face.

"How are you, Prim?" he asks.

"I'm fine." I lie, trying to conceal the fact that I am incredibly home sick. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fabulous!" he smiles. "And when you put this on," he rummages around in a nearby wardrobe, "I'll be even better."

He pulls an outfit out of the wardrobe, but I can't see what's in it, because it has a cover on it. Cinna unzips the cover to reveal a simple, yet beautiful baby blue dress.

"Oh my! Cinna, it's beautiful!" I say, taking the dress and holding it up in front of me. Cinna smile widely, and directs me towards the changing room to put it on.

The material feels soft and silky against my skin, and I it makes me feel about four years older. I look in the mirror, and if I didn't know better, I wouldn't believe it was me.

My blonde hair is up in a tight bun, except for a fringe, which is curled at the end. My makeup looks just as amazing as it did before I cried it off, and the blue eye shadow is the exact same colour as my dress. Despite being so simple, the magnificent dress brings out a certain twinkle in my eye that couldn't e seen before. My face looks brighter and happier, not like a girl who will more than likely be dead in a couple of days. It is perfect.

I open the door and reveal myself to Cinna, who has been waiting in anticipation while I got changed. When he sees me, I'm not even joking, his grin literally spreads from ear to ear. I smile, back and am about to do a little twirl when he jumps up and stops me.

"No! Not in here!" he exclaims, stopping me quickly.

"Why not?" I ask him.

"You'll find out." He says, tapping his nose. "Just make sure you twirl when you're on stage."

~~~

Peeta, Haymitch, Effie and I sit in the living room of the top floor, watching Ceasar Flickerman announce the training scores from this morning.

"From District One, Marvell, with a score of nine! Also from district one, Glimmer, with a score of 8! Now for District Two. Cato, with a score of 9, and Clove, with a score of 10!" As usual, all of the careers had high scores. I don't think there's ever been a low score from districts one and two.

The score from the other districts are pretty uneventful, the highest score out of them all being an eight from Thresh in district eleven.

"Also from district eleven, Rue, with a score of seven!" Ceaser says. I raise my eyebrows. I wonder what she did to get a seven!

"And last but not least, district twelve. Primrose, with a score of..." I stare at the screen, my heart is in my throat. "... Eight!"

I stare at the screen in utter shock. An eight?

"Well done, Prim!" Haymitch congratulates me.

"And lastly, Peeta," Ceasar concludes, "with a score of eight too! Well done everyone!" The Capitol anthem plays and the show ends.

"Well done!" I say, but immediately regretting it. Peeta and I haven't spoken since I saw him with the careers.

"Thanks, and you!" he replies, but he doesn't seem embarrassed about being with the careers.

~~~

We wait behind the curtains of the massive stage, listening to the crowd cheer as each tribute makes his or her way onto the stage. Three people before you I think to myself.

Two to go...

One to go.

You're next.

My legs feel like jelly as hear Flickerman announcing me. I stand and walk towards the steps that will take me onto the stage.

"And next, from District Twelve, we have our Girl on Fire! Please welcome Primrose Everdeen!" Ceasar's voice echoes around the stadium, and it's time to go on.

I walk onto the stage, and gawp out at the audience. Thousands and thousands of people sit before me, and every camera is on me. I smile, and take a seat next to Ceasar.

"So, Primrose." He starts "How are you?" I take a deep breath, sitting on my hands to hide the shaking.

"I'm wonderful!" I say with a smile. "Well, I'm fairly petrified of the crowd, to be honest!" I joke, gesturing towards the audience.

"Yes, well who isn't?" he laughs. "Anyway, I have a couple of questions for you, Primrose. Firstly, do you have any siblings?" The thought of Katniss brings a lump up in the back of my throat. I swallow it down.

"Yes. Her name is Katniss." I say, holding my head up.

"And did she come and see you after the reaping?"

"Yes." I say, remembering the tears. "Yes she did."

"And what did she say to you?"

"She told me what to do. She told me to learn how to use a weapon."

"And have you?" He asks curiously.

"I'm okay at knife throwing..." I admit.

"One last thing," he says. "The fire. Was it real?"

"Oh, yes! It was very real! And then I recall what Cinna said to me: Just make sure you twirl when you're on stage. That's what he meant! "Actually, if I'm not mistaken, I may have them on tonight."

"Really? Can we see them?" I nod and stand up, walking to the centre of the stage with trembling knees. I spin around and around.

The crowd roars, and I look down. What I see nearly knocks me off my feet. Flames fly off the skirt of my dress, and the crowd is going insane to be that close to fire. I finally stop, and am excused from the stage.

From now on, I am The Girl On Fire.