Kai From Four

Interview

Artemis took a breath and walked onstage for her interview. She looked beautiful in her princess dress. Silver sparkles adorned the bodice and skirt, creating a shimmering wave-like look that was shared with my sleek blue-grey tuxedo.

I'd told her not to worry, and I knew she'd be fine, as I would be. I didn't see the interview as intimidating, more as just a very good chance to attract sponsors. Seven had told us that Capitol citizens were very easy to win over, and Artemis and I had both agreed to be genuine and bright.

I waited, along with the rest of the tributes from Five to Twelve, hearing nothing but the distant roar of the audience at something Artemis or the electric blue-haired announcer, Zane Jekyll, must have said. We couldn't watch the interviews of the people before us until later.

Soon, a voice reverberated in the room.

"District Four, Kai Seaton."

I immediately headed to the stage. Bright lights struck me, and there were Capitol residents as far as I could see. Zane rose, wearing a wide, winning grin, and pumped my hand enthusiastically before we both sat down on comfortable seats.

"Hello, Kai. How are you?" His welcoming voice made me feel as if I were talking to an old friend.

I smiled at him and the audience. "I'm very well, and you?"

"Me?" He laughed, pointing at himself with an incredulous expression. "I'm great." He spread out his arms to the crowd. "How's everyone in the audience today?"

Everyone cheered and clapped, some waving feathery fans or other odd items in the air. I found myself laughing, cheered on by their excitement.

"So, dear Kai," Zane said, leaning in slightly, an extremely interested look on his face. "What do you like about the Capitol?"

It didn't take me long to answer. "I like that the Capitol has so much to offer," I said, recalling the variety of experiences I'd been through during the limited free time we'd had. "The food, the events, the sights...there's little this place doesn't have."

The crowd cheered in strong agreement.

"I just wish I could've seen more," I added, and Zane's ever-present grin grew wider.

"That's what we love to hear," he said, nodding. "And now the Capitol would love to know more about you, too. In your opinion, Kai, are you a fighter, a thinker, or a survivor?"

I pondered for a bit. "I'm a fighter," I explained, "but not a careless one. I won't run into any brawls without a strategy, but I won't just stand in a corner and wait for things to come to me." I saw several people in the crowd nodding and whispering to their neighbors.

"That is a great answer," Zane declared, clapping a few times, "to a great question from a great announcer, if I do say so myself."

The crowd and I laughed good-naturedly.

"Now, what would you say is your most reliable strength and worst weakness?" Zane asked after the laughter quieted.

"Since I'm in District Four, swimming skills are a given," I said, and Zane nodded quickly. "So I'll keep it interesting by saying my most reliable strength is my accuracy. I strongly prefer working with long-range weapons, though I'm not bad at close combat. My worst weakness is with temperature. I can tolerate freezing temperatures, but if it gets too hot, I lose focus."

"Ooh," he drew out, nodding again. "As I recall, you received a fairly high score in your private training session..." He paused, and addressed the crowd, which had started to roar excitedly, with an apologetic tone. "Ah, I wasn't supposed to reveal that yet, right? I won't say the specifics. Scores will be announced later tonight," he announced, and winked at me, discreetly flashing me nine fingers.

I smiled in pride. A nine. Not bad.

"But you showed off skills with projectile weapons, no?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

I nodded. "I set up targets at different angles and areas as well as obstacles like wind, wood blocks with holes in them, and swinging hammers from the ceiling to make the targets more difficult to hit," I explained, motioning with my hands. "And then I threw a knife at each target and hit the center of all of them." I didn't mention how I needed to stop and rotate my arm a few times before the last throw because of the bruise I'd received from the javelin during training. Thankfully, it was well on its way to healing now.

The audience clapped and hooted, impressed.

"That's amazing," Zane said. "Unbelievable. So, I'd like to know...what ideas do you have for the arena? As you all know," he said, slightly facing the crowd and winking, "the arena changes every year."

The camera panned from his bright, clean-shaven face to mine, and I knew I was up on the big screens above me.

"I'd like a varied arena," I said thoughtfully. "A forest and lake combination sounds great to me, preferably with a wide array of prey. But there'd probably also be predators, then."

Zane smiled. "Indeed. You've got to balance the benefits with dangers in the arena for us viewers to stay interested, right everyone?"

The crowd cheered in agreement.

"Okay, and now, the question we've all been waiting for," he said, and paused dramatically. "Are you excited for the Hunger Games to start?"

Definitely. I can't wait, I was about to say, but then, I froze. The words died in my mouth. I remembered Artemis' terrified face as she'd recalled her brother's death and her reluctance to eat during the lunch break before training. Was I excited to go through a bloodbath, kill tributes, and be the cause of families grieving over their loved ones who were reaped? I hadn't thought of it much when I'd been reaped myself, but it was all I could think of now.

Then I looked at my bracelets, the only possessions I had that once belonged to my real parents, barely showing under the sleeves of my tuxedo. I'd only find out more about them if I returned. And although my feelings regarding my aunt and uncle were mixed, I needed to know more about my family. And in that case...

Zane's smile started to slacken, as I'd taken a while to respond, but it returned in full force as I confidently said, "Yes." I smiled, surveying the crowd. "Yes, I am."

He stood up, and I did the same. He held up my left hand proudly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, District Four's charismatic Kai Seaton!"

The crowd went wild.