Chapter 7
Chapter 7
At breakfast next morning there isn't much talking except maybe " Pass the syrup" or "May I have more orange juice." This is the last morning we'll all be together. Tomorrow, Kala will take me to the arena. Tonight is the tribute interviews. This year they are shortened to 1 minute since there are 48 of us.
Once we are ready for the day, Annabell says "Ok. I will be coaching you for your interviews. I will coach each of you separately for 4 hours. Then I will have a 2 hour coaching session with both of you at the same time. Haymitch, you first." Good. That means I'll have a break in between.
Annabell takes me to the sitting room. For the first hour or so, she gives me a long lecture on how it is super important that I show charm. I tune her out after about...well........the first 5 minutes. Next, she has me practice smiling. Smiling, is really about smiling more. Before i know it, I'm done.
When Maysilee goes in for the interview coaching lesson, I decide to take a nap. I should get some rest since I probably won't sleep at all tonight. I wake up to Annabell pounding on the door telling me to WAKE UP! This time Annabell is just telling us about the procedure, and our stylists. "Last but not least," she says, "make the audience love you. Show them that you adore them. Now, you are released to your prep team."
But I have no intention of looking lovable. Isabella, Opalius, and Crystal all look delighted when I get to the prep room. "Haymitch!" says Crystal. "I can't wait until you see what Kala designed for you!" Once my prep team is done with my hair, apparently make up, and everything else, Kala walks in.
"Haymitch, put this on." she says. When I'm done being stuffed, stretched, and pushed into it, I am allowed to look in the mirror. I'm wearing a tight, bodysuit that is jet black and covers me from neck to toe. My face has black blush. And ugliest of all, this lantern hat on my head that actually looks like it has been through a mine. I groan. But Kala says "Let's go!"
At the interviews, we are taken to a big stage in the city circle. There's a huge adoring capitol crowd. On the side of the stage are chairs for all of the tributes. Maysilee is wearing a similar costume except that hers is a dress. But it doesn't look one bit pretty. It looks like it was actually burned like coal, then tattered by a coal grinder. We scan the chairs that hold all the other tributes. We have the ugliest outfits out of - and I'm not exaggerating when I say "all"- all the other tributes.
Even the tree outfits for district 7 looks better than ours! The 2 other tributes from our district look better than us as well. Ugly, but better. Just then Ceaser Flickerman walks out onto the stage. "Hello Panem!" he says, since this is also televised and mandatory for every citizen in Panem to watch. He is wearing a midnight suit with a thousand little lights on it that make it look like stars. Blue hair, but green eyeshadow. Oh, and lipstick. "It's time for the 1 minute interviews. Let's start with district one. Come on up Blush!" Ceaser says.
A classically beautiful girl named Blush walks up on stage. She wears a pink evening dress with high heels. Beautiful in every possible way. It's a shame she could be dead tomorrow. But, I doubt it since she is a career tribute. I sit in my chair as the tributes go by, 1 by 1. I don't pay attention to them though. I'm last. When It's my turn, I walk up on stage and sit in a red, plush chair in front ofCeaser. He sits in a blue, plush chair.
"Hello Haymitch." he says as if he's known me for years. "Hi." I say with no enthusiasm. Ceasercuts right to the chase. "So Haymitch, what do you think of there being 100% more tributes this year's Hunger Games?" asks Ceaser. "Well, I really don't see how it makes a difference. It's just 100% more stupid people." I answerhonestly.
Ceaser laughs hystericly and the crowd laughs with him. I notice that there is a balcony off to my right which sits the gamemakers and the stylists. "Well, let's hope you aren't one of them." says Ceaser. Then we hear a bell. "Sorry, but Haymitch Abernathy's minute is up." says Ceaser as I step down from the stage.
I was the last one, so we go back to our floors at he training center. After dinner, Maysilee looks like she doesn't want to say anything, but realizes that this will probably be the last thing we ever say anything to each other. So instead of saying good night, she says "Good luck Haymitch." "You too." I say. We go straight to bed since we need rest, even though we both know that weprobably won't sleep at all. Once I'm in bed I try to fall asleep but have bad luck.I don't fall asleepuntil 6:00 am so I get only an hour. But that hour of sleep is filled with nightmares like there's no tomorrow! Which is possibly true. There may not be.
Kala wakes me up at 7:00. She will be with me until the very last second I'm launched into the arena. We go outside to a hovercraft we will board to fly to the unknown location of this years arena. A ladder falls down and I step on. An electric current freezes me in place so I can't move a muscle. The ladder pulls me up into the hovercraft.
Once I'm up, the electric current hasn't released me yet. I briefly wonder why but then a woman dressed in all white comes up to me and says "The more still you are, the better I can place the tracking device in." She lifts a syringe and I feel a sharp pain as she inserts the tiny tracker into my arm. My whereabouts will be known to the game makers the whole time I'm in the arena.
Now the ladder releases me and I'm free to move. The trip takes about 45 minutes. Now the hovercraft goes into some underground tunnels that make up the catacombs beneath the arena. Once the hovercraft lands, Peacekeepers show Kala and I to a small room. They shut the door.
The room contains a blue couch, a table with some crackers (I already ate breakfast on the hovercraft) and metal plate on the floor in the center of the room. This is what the capitol calls the launch room, but the districts call it the stockyard (where an animal goes before slaughter). I'll stand on the metal plate when I'm launched into the arena.
:Looks like the clothes have arrived." says Kala taking an outfit out of a box. She slips me into the under garments. Then she helps me put on the outer layers. When I'm fully dressed, I'm wearing navy blue pants, a white T-shirt, and a bright colored green sweatshirt. I'm also in a pair of boots. This is what every tribute will wear into the arena..
"You should eat some of the crackers." says Kala. "You need the energy." I obey. Who knows the next time I'll have food? That thought reminds me something. I could be dead, flat on my face dead in less than an hour.
We don't talk. I eat. No talking. Munching. Silence. Munching. Silence. Swallowing. still silence. It's like this for about 30 minutes. Then I hear a voice telling me it's time to prepare for the launch. The games will now start. Kala gives me a hug and says "Good luck." She walks me over to the round, metal plate. I get one word out, "Goodbye." before the glass cylinder slips over me. That's when I start to rise.
End of chapter 7. I'm sooooo sorry it took so long. But now I'm getting back into the flow of things. I'm writing chapter 8 now. so KEEP UPDATING!
