The Simpson's Hunger Games

Chapter 10

Lisa:

The crowds scream my name, and it feels like the whole of Simpnem is chanting my name. I can barely see my interviewer, as the audience is all around me, desperate to get a glimpse of me. Lisa. I start to feel dizzy and there is a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. The world starts to whirl, and my vision goes blurry. Squinting, I can just about make out a figure, dressed all in black. The figure laughs and walks towards me. Despite the screaming crowds, they get through to the front with ease. They stop right in front of me, and laugh again. They have a gun in one hand, and a torch in the other. The figure raises the gun and points the trigger at me. But before they shoot, they throw the torch into the crowd, and the smell of rotting flesh hits my nose. I gag, and suddenly a ring of flames circles around me and the stranger. The person in black takes off their mask...It's Millhouse. I scream, and Millhouse smirks and pulls the trigger. Everything goes black.

I wake up screaming and covered in sweat. Tears fill my eyes, and I take deep breaths, trying to calm down. It was only a dream. Millhouse would never shoot you, or massacre a crowd of people. Of course no one will get to you when you are on stage in your interview. You are safe, Lisa. I tell myself this over and over again, rocking backwards and forwards. I hear the door opening, and I can see Millhouse's tall silhouette in the doorway. I sniff, and try not to look so bad. "Lis? Are you ok?", asks Millhouse concerned. I nod and say in a shaky voice that I'm fine. "Yeah right", is Millhouse's reply. He comes into the room, and sits on the bed. He takes my hand in his and gently tells me to go to sleep. Eventually, exhausted, I do. He is still there when I wake up in the morning, his hand still holding mine firmly. Millhouse looks at me and smiles. "Good Morning, Lis", he says cheerfully. I smile back and answer, "Morning Millhouse. Did you stay up all night?!". Millhouse rubs his eyes, and replies, "Yep.", popping the 'p'. "Aww, Millhouse, you didn't need to do that", I say, and continue, "You shouldn't have! It's the Interviews today!", but my district partner shrugs and says it doesn't matter, he'll catch up on sleep when he's waiting to go on. I laugh, and get out of bed. 

To my relief, Millhouse doesn't mention my nightmares last night, and eats his breakfast silently beside me, while Clancy lectures us on how to eat at the table. "Didn't your parents ever tell you not to slurp, Millhouse?", She asks, in despair, "Didn't your parents teach you not to hold your knife and fork that way, Lisa?". None of us answer. The day goes by quickly, and the Interviews come by way too soon for my liking. I meet up again with my stylist, Diana LaValle, along with her three assistants, Zsa Zsa, Bebe and Mignon. They manicure my nails, moisturise my skin and wash my hair. They clean me until I feel like a sterilized needle. Only then does Diana reveal what I will be wearing. She hands me a package wrapped in tissue paper. It is surprisingly heavy, for a dress. I untie the ribbon holding the parcel together, and reveal what I am going to wear. 

Oh my god. The dress is orange (of course), and has a flower sequin pattern on the side. It has long wafts of soft fabric coming out from the waist, and reaches down to the floor. This dress is honestly bringing me to tears. Diana looks at me, concerned. "Is everything alright? I thought you'd like it...", but she has no time to finish her sentence before I throw myself at her. "Of course I love it!", I say, "You are a GENIUS!", and I start to laugh happily. Diana awkwardly pats me on the shoulder and asks Zsa Zsa to help me put it on. I grin throughout the whole time, and Bebe comments she has never seen me this happy before. Mignon agrees, and says, "She looks like she has been crowned victor already!", and the smile instantly dies from my face. We continue in awkward silence, Diana sending Mignon disapproving looks every now and then. I sigh, and touch the soft material of my dress.

I find myself doing this all the time I am backstage and hear the screaming of the crowd, and the great booming laugh of Aristotle Amadopolis, our host. It's to calm my nerves. Millhouse shyly complimented my dress, and I blushed and complimented his tux. Unfortunately, Millhouse doesn't look as good as some of the male tributes in their suits, but I would prefer Millhouse to be my District Partner any day to them. We stand silently in line and wait our turn. All too soon District 4's Male Tribute goes up, and I'm next. I swallow, and try to ignore the dizziness that has suddenly developed and the shaking of my hands. "Pull yourself together Lisa", I tell myself, and focus on the curtain opposite me, separating me from the stage...and the audience. I gulp. The crowd. I'm terrified I won't be able to handle the screaming, after my nightmare last night. I have to though. For my family, no doubt watching from our TV in Springfield, for District 5, even Millhouse. I have to stay strong. I chant, "Stay Strong, Stay Strong", in my head all the way to the small seat next to Aristotle Amadopolis, and ignore the shouts and cheers as much as I can. I smile brightly at Aristotle, and beam at the camera. I do everything Clancy told me to do, and more.

I laugh at Aristotle's bad jokes and clap when he demonstrates his expression when he saw I got a 12 in the Tribute Scores. I ask the audience if everyone was like this, faking a slightly worried expression. The crowd shouts, "Yes!!", and I blush and giggle. I thank everyone for being so nice, and Aristotle gestures for me to sit down. "So, Lisa, how are you tonight?", I smile, and reply, "I'm fine thanks, but I was a bit nervous before I got here though!", and the audience clap, Aristotle says, "Well, who isn't?! I'm loving your dress tonight! Even more glamourous than your Capitol Parade outfit!". I smile, "Thank you, the credit all goes to my stylist Diana!", and Aristotle replies, "Let's give a huge round of applause for Ms.Diana Lavalle for making Lisa here look absolutely stunning!", and the crowd roars, making my ears nearly burst. "Phew!", I say after the audience finally dies down, and fan myself. The crowd laughs at this, and my interviewer asks, "The Capitol has quite a voice, don't you think?", quirking up an eyebrow. He has a bright gleam in his eye, and I sense a double-meaning. I gulp, but the audience doesn't notice. "Yes. It does", I answer, still smiling. 

"Now", Aristotle continues, suddenly turning serious, "Do you have any family or friends back home?". Tears come into my eyes, and the crowd laps it up, and some even start to cry themselves. "Yes", I whisper, and Aristotle looks sympathetic. The audience wail, and say "Aww". When he finds out that there is no real interest in my family for the Capitol, Aristotle says, "Well, I'm afraid that's all for Lisa Simpson!", and the crowd cheers. I stand up and curtsy. The cheers get louder and louder, as I start to disappear backstage. I am met with the face of Millhouse, who is frowning slightly. "What?", I ask, "Didn't I do well?", and Millhouse replies, "Yes, you were amazing. But, you were on for only a short time. The other Tributes stayed on for more than that.". I shrug, "Maybe they're running over schedule?", I say. Millhouse snorts, "No way! If they were running over schedule, they would make the broadcast longer.". I frown. "So, they didn't want me to be on TV for long?", I question, confused. I look up, but Millhouse has already gone on. I watch Millhouse on the TV backstage. 

He wasn't born for this. He falters on words, and pushes up his glasses once every few seconds. The crowd soon get bored, and so does Aristotle. I notice they send him off before the other tributes as well. The Capitol has something against District 5, and I don't know what. But I will find out. I see Millhouse come back from his interview, and he smiles shakily. I smile, and don't mention it, and take his hand. We pass unnoticed by the other tributes, and down a corridor. When we're out of earshot, I whisper, "We need to find out what's goign on.", and he agrees. Before we can say anything else though, Clancy comes down the hall,  her high-heels clacking on the shiny floor. "Lisa! Millhouse! Come quickly! It's about your district!", she shouts. Me and Millhouse exchange a look of horror, before sprinting towards Clancy, my dress getting tangled up in my legs.