The 122nd Annual Hunger Games: The Anti-Careers

Hello, This Interview Is Crucial

XIX, i - Castle Marskhaven, District 1 Male

I was the first person in line waiting but Silver was the first tribute onstage being interviewed by the host, Maximus Avitus. From behind the stage, I could easily gaze at her beauty, her cream colored dress and skin tone marvelously shimmering with the people. Her hair was once a pale blonde color but for the interview it had transformed from her once boring color to a golden blonde, for sure a necessary change by the act of her stylists.

I was excellent at hiding my interest for Silver, but unfortunately she wasn't good at hiding hers for Gray. It pained me to know she had something for the guy two years younger than her rather than her me, her own district partner and longtime friend. Silver and I were one class apart but all those years spent in the tribute training center forced us together along with a few others including Louis Nigel whose spot I stole in The 122nd Annual Hunger Games.

At first, I was planning on volunteering because I wanted to get closer to Silver but it only took me months to figure out that that would have been awfully stupid of me because only person would make it out alive. Then, I figured I got lucky that we were one year apart so that she could win the 122nd Games and I could win the 123rd Games so she would have to like me. It starting going awry for me when Louis Nigel began to take his own personal interest in Silver. Then, I got stupid again and volunteered because I felt like I had to steal the glory.

That was how I screwed my chances with Silver; it was either me or her getting out of the games. From afar, I continued to admire Silver, wanting to forever see her beautifulness and to see us both as victors. But I messed up so I had to see Silver go, an unfortunate thing for me.

I had wanted to volunteer for The Hunger Games since I watched the 113th Hunger games when I was eight. Tiber Coin, the seventeen-year-old male volunteer from District 1, my very home, had won in a popularity sweep which I used as a mental justification that I could still take home the glory just like Tiber nine years before my Hunger Games. Then, I told myself often that I'm going to volunteer someday just like Tiber Coin.

Watching Silver's interview became exhausting because it actually scared me to know that four other people volunteered to win the games as well which put me at risk. I slapped myself mentally every time I remembered that I volunteered one year too early.

The buzzer rang, the indication that Silver's interview was over, snapping me out of a trance. Silver walked right past the line, a smirk engraving her face as she strutted herself towards the waiting area backstage. I wished she had look to me one time but caught nothing.

-o-o-o-o-o-

XIX, ii - Hentis Vanelli, District 2 Male

Silver and Castle were gone. Fern, a few steps in front of me in line, was fidgeting uncontrollably with her dress and constantly checking herself for perfection.

Vender was my mentor and he told me five crucial things; one, Castle wouldn't be a problem as long as he stayed stupid; two, Silver was the second most dangerous but I could definitely take her; three, don't worry about Fern because she'd get herself killed before I would have to do it; four, River could be shaken away easy, as long as she and Gray were separated; five, Gray Devon was certainly the true competition, as discussed between Christopher Aventin and Vender Stonewall, the District 2 mentors for the 122nd Annual Hunger Games.

I had to admit to myself every day that Gray Devon, despite being the biggest competition, was still the only tolerable teammate. The others either had no brain or were too obsessed with the Capitol luxuries and Hunger Games hype. Gray was more than tolerable, he was more like the cool guy people wanted to hang out with all the time. I wondered sometimes if that was the way he was at home.