I look absolutely dazzling, save for the bruises. However, Gabriel came up with an ingenious way to cover up my black eye. I have a half mask that resembles a flame, and it looks beautiful. My outfit consists of a skin-tight, shiny black shirt with orange studs along the arms, a pair of red and gray pants, and orange flats. I turn toward Gabriel. Even if I didn't talk to him much, this is the last time that I'll be able to talk to him openly before the Games. The scores come out late tonight, and the Games start tomorrow morning.
"Gabriel," I whisper, staring at my reflection in the mirror, "thank you for making me beautiful."
"Aw, girl, you don't need a stylist to do that," he smiles before hugging me. "Okay, flame princess, go out there and shine!" I roll my eyes and smile at his major Capitol accent. I then walk out to the waiting area, where all of the other tributes are. I don't see Dan yet, but that's fine. He's probably still getting ready, and the interviews don't start for another five minutes. Briefly, I make eye contact with the girl from District Two who nearly beat me to death. She smirks evilly, and I am filled with rage.
Suddenly, Dan appears behind me, and he gives me a good luck kiss on the cheek. I blush, and then I turn myself to face the stage. The interviews actually go faster than I expected them to, and I'm kind of nervous. Before I know it, I am being guided to the stage, and the audience cheers as they see me. I sit down next to the interviewer, whom I can't remember the name of at the moment. As the cheering dies down, the interviewer asks me, "So, how do you plan on winning the games?"
"I don't plan on winning. Because the reality of the situation is: you can never win," I barely say above a whisper.
"Please explain," the interviewer asks, confused.
"I mean, you make friends in the Games. Some people call them allies. However, only one person can win these Games, right?" I ask.
"Yes..." the interviewer answers slowly.
"So, alliances are useless. If both of you make it to the end, one will have to kill the other. To me, that's the worst part of the Games," I fake sniffle. I get a lot of sympathetic "aws" from the audience. These people are so stupid.
"I see. Anyhow, do you have any friends? Any close friends?" the interviewer asks hopefully, nudging my arm with his elbow. I smile lightly.
"I do have one friend. And yes, he is close to me..." I trail off.
"He? Oooh! Looks like we have a boyfriend, don't we?" he says.
"Well, not really, per se. But I do really like him. Are you familiar with the boy from my district? Daniel Howell?" I ask of everyone.
"Yes, we know of him," the interviewer tells me.
"Okay. Well, it started when he kissed me during training -" I say, but then the buzzer goes off to signal that my time has ended. I then bow, and I leave the stage. As I go, I pass by Dan, who has this look on his face. It looks like he's happy, but also really scared.
"I'm sorry," I mouth as he goes. I think I made a mistake. I then turn to the monitor, and I watch as Dan takes the stage.
"Welcome, Daniel!" the interviewer greets him.
"Hello, Mitchell," Dan smiles. Mitchell. So that's his name. Dan then sits down in the chair that I sat in less than a minute ago, and he brushes his hair out of his eyes.
"So, what do you think about what Charlotte just said? Hm?" Mitchell asks Dan.
"Well, what she said is true, to say the least. We did kiss in the training center," Dan confesses.
"What was her reaction?" Mitchell coaxes.
Dan half-smiles, half-frowns, "Uh...she kind of got mad."
"Why?" Mitchell asks, confused.
"I guess I'm not a good kisser," he laughs. Then, a huge, thunderous howl of laughter from the audience.
I then walk just out of sight of the audience, and I yell, "You're an awesome kisser! You just didn't ask first!"
"Thanks for that interjection, Charlotte," Mitchell chuckles. Dan then gives me a funny look as I go back to look at the monitor.
"Daniel, speaking of things that Charlotte said, I would like to ask if you believe what she said about allies being useless," Mitchell wonders aloud.
"I actually don't, in some cases. In these Games, I would want to be her ally. Not just because I love her, but because she's never had much. I think that she deserves to win these Games, for both her and her dad," Dan explains.
"Okay, well I think that -" Mitchell gets cut off by Dan's buzzer. Dan then bows, and he leaves the stage himself. As he walks down the stairs of the stage, I run and hug him.
"You can't be my ally. I can't win. Dan, you have to win, for me," I whisper in his ear.
"I'm sorry. You can't decide for me," he tells me, kissing my cheek. I slap him.
"Stop that! If it gets down to you and I, just know that I'll kill myself before I would possibly kill you!" I scream.
"Shh. Stop. Okay, I get it. We'll figure something out, okay?" he asks me, keeping me in his embrace.
"Okay. Alright, I trust you," I whisper in defeat.
That night, I am woken up by the sound of screaming. I know it's Dan. I just know it. I jump out of bed, and I race to his room.
"Dan! Are you okay?" I yell as I come into the room. His face resembles a sheet of paper.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just...go back to sleep," he sighs.
"Are you sure?" I ask, sitting down on his bed.
"Yeah. It was just a nightmare," he replies.
"I get those, too," I whisper.
"Really?" he asks.
"Ever since I was little," I tell him, tracing shapes on the covers with the tip of my finger.
"What about?" he asks, pulling me closer.
"My mom, mostly. Sometimes, losing my dad in the mines or a fire or something," I brush my hair behind my ear.
"Mine started when I was chosen for the games," Dan confides in me shyly.
"Don't worry. We're here for each other, right?" I grab his hand.
"Right," he whispers before kissing me.
