The Third Tribute

Chapter Six: Interviews

Gale and I wake to the obnoxious alarm clock called Effie Trinket. "Up, Up, Up! Today is a Big, Big, Big day!" She yells through the door while knocking.
"We're up!" I yell back.
"We? Why this is unusual! I'll leave you two to get ready." Effie replies. I hear her footsteps over a few feet and then she does the same thing to Peeta besides asking about having a companion. I grab my clothes Cinna has instructed me to wear today and I go to the bathroom to change. I dress into a green dress and put my hair up into a messy braid. Gale changes in my room while I change in the bathroom and we meet up to go to breakfast. Yet another enormous meal. Ham and cheese breakfast sandwiches, sausage and pancakes, a side of hash browns, and strawberry tarts for dessert. Alongside orange and apple juice, tea, and coffee. Why are these meals so filling? I question. Do they want to explode? I think jokingly. Cinna, Portia, and Vibia are there, along with Haymitch and Effie. Haymitch is still hungover from yesterday, and Effie looks sleep deprived and moody. Funny, I thought she had an endless amount of energy everyday.

After breakfast Effie and Haymitch lead us to our rooms. But they aren't about to let us rest. We are split into two groups. The guys and then just me. Today is manners and interviews day. Effie is in charge of making us approachable and teach us posture, manners, and other useless things, while Haymitch will be helping is with our interview approach. I get Effie first. Three long hours of heels, falling, yelling, and learning table manners before she gives up. "You're hopeless!" she wails. "I've had enough of you. It's Haymitch's turn now." She storms out of the room and Haymitch comes in within a few minutes.

"Great job. Now Effie is upset and will have a harder time with the boys. How 'bout we get started?" He grunts. I don't say anything, and he starts anyway. "So, how do you think you come across as to people?" He asks.
"Well, I don't really care. I come across as me." I say.
"You need to stand out sweetheart. You can't just be you. That isn't how it works." He tells me.
"So what do you want me to do?" I ask him.
"Talk to me, let's see.... Try to be seductive." He insists.
"Are you kidding me right now? I don't know how to pretend to be anything. I'm just me." I complain.
"Well you have to try today." He barks at me.
"Fine. I can try to be funny I guess." I suggest.
"Good. Because with you being you, you'll never get sponsors." He says. I glare at him, offended. "Just try to be funny. We'll see where it takes you from there. I'll be going now." Haymitch tells me. And before I can ask where he's going, he's already slammed the door.

In my spare time I decide to talk to Cinna. He tells me to be myself and go with the flow at the interviews. "Are you sure? Haymitch doesn't like me when I'm myself. Who are you to say there aren't more like him out there?" I argue.
"Because I know there are certainly more like me out there, and I like you just fine when your'e yourself." He answers. He walks into his walk in closet with his, and his clients clothes. He enters the room yet again with a red ruffled dress in his hand. "Make sure to spin at those interviews. But save the spinning for then. It looks best the first time."
I shrug "Okay. But what happens if I spin?"
"You'll see." He says mysteriously.

I brace myself for failure while waiting for my interview, and before I know it, The girl from eleven is in the midst of her interview. Ceasar asks her what her strategy in the games will be, and she replies; "Well I'm very hard to catch, and if you can't catch me, you can't kill me. So don't count me out." Then the boy from her district, I think his name was Thresh, is done with his interview. And I'm next. I stagger over to the interview chairs and sit. I stare into the crowd trying to find Cinna, not caring about anything else at all. "Katniss?" A voice presses to my right.
I look to see who it is, and I realize I've been shutting out Caesar's questions. "What was that?" I ask.
"Looks like somebody is a little nervous." Caesar tells the crowd. "Let me just say, that your dress at the opening ceremonies was absolutely stunning." He compliments.
"Thank you," I reply.
"What were you thinking when you took off?" He questions.
"Well, I was hoping I wouldn't die." I answer.
He laughs very loudly. "Well let me tell you, my heart stopped."
"So did mine." I say in return.
He laughs again. "Is there anyone special back home?" He asks me.
"Well, there is my sister. And then there's my best friend."
"Who is this best friend?" He asks. "He came here with me." I answer.
"Well that is very unfortunate for you and him. What did you say to your sister, before you left to be here?" He asks.
"I told her, I would try to win. And that I would try to win, for her." I reply.
"And try you will." He says. The buzzer goes off, and I stand to leave, but Ceasar stops me. He grabs my hand, holds it above us, and yells to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, The Girl on Fire!" The crowd cheers and I walk back to Peeta and Gale.

Peeta walks up to Ceasar waving to the crowd and smiling. He's always been good at acting. "You did great. Gale tells me."
"Thanks. I'm glad I didn't ruin my chance." I reply.
"Hopefully I don't either. If I do, how can I make it out?" He jokes.
"You've got to be kidding me. You are so much better a hunter than me, and we will be allies anyway for sure. I can always share my sponsors."
"That's got to be the only good thing about our current situation. Other than that, it sucks." He says.
"You've got a point." I agree.
"Look." Gale says, gesturing to Peeta. I watch him win over the crowd with flying colors, and he has a minute on the clock.

Ceasar asks him if he has a special girl back home, and he thinks for a moment.
"No, but there's this one girl, who I've had a crush on forever." He adds.
"Really? Well I'll tell you what. You win this, and she will most definitely fall for you. Who wouldn't?" Ceasar insists.
"Ah but Ceasar, I don't want to make it home."
"Why? Do tell." Ceasar questions.
"Because that special girl......she.........she came here with me." Peeta admits. The crowd breaks out in sobs, confusion, and shock. Meanwhile, Gale's temper is becoming too much for him to handle. I can see the different looks on his face; first shock, then denial, then it all narrows down to pure rage. His hands start to shake and he keeps muttering these words: This isn't happening. He can't take her from me. Over and over again. I then realize his true feelings. He loves me. But so does Peeta.

I leave my confusion aside and try to calm Gale down. "Gale! Listen to me. You are about to go to your interviews. You need to calm down. He only likes me. He isn't going to take me from you."
"Yes he is! Don't you see? He is going to take you away from me! I'm going to die, and I'm going to lose you. Don't you understand?" He counters. Raising his voice, but gradually lowering to a breath by his last word.
"You aren't going to lose me. I'm right here. I'm right here....with you. It's time for you to go Gale." I calmly remind him.
His anger still lingers. "No, it's not." He grits his teeth at me. Peeta gets back from his interview and Gale is called up to the interview chairs, but he doesn't go. He walks closer to Peeta, until he has him in a headlock and Peeta can barely breathe.

xoxo- Fourtris_Fangirl