Poisoned Flower (The Hunger Games)

Four: The Return

The following day Diantha followed the same routine as she had done the previous day. It was the same early morning start, the same escort, the same styling team and so on. The only difference was that it took significantly less time to get prepared and it she was in a new location. This time she was in a television studio. Diantha used the time it took to get ready to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to do. In all honesty, she was terrified. Last night had been a walk in the park compared to this. In only one second her life would change, and she would be on everybody's radar.

Goodbye privacy.

The reason it took considerably less time to get ready this time was because she didn't need to be prepped to the extent that she had before because it was already done. Also, she was wearing the exact same thing she had worn to the party. It had been a sort of 'test run' so they knew what they were doing this time. Obviously it was all a part of her father's plan. Even though Diantha hated it, even she had to admit that it was smart. Think about it. You had talked to a random girl at a party, probably after drinking some alcohol and with your guard down. Then you find out that she was the daughter of the President. It would make you worry because who knows what you said? Even if you didn't say anything, the fear that you might have would be in the back of your mind. Additionally, it still portrayed her as innocent and, ironically, not a threat. She appeared to be on the people's side.

When the final touches were completed, she was escorted down the winding corridors towards the stage. It was the exact same one used to the tribute interviews that they always conducted before the Hunger Games. She could hear the host, Caesar Flickerman, talking to an enthusiastic crowd. An older woman with an electronic clipboard attached a microphone to the front of her dress and briefed her on how it was going to work. She also put an earpiece into her ear.

"The crowds are going to be loud, so this'll help you hear the questions" she said as if it was nothing.

Great. That made her feel so much better...

Before she could do anything else, Diantha was placed at the side of the stage to wait for her cue. From this point she could see the size of the crowd and there was a lot of people present. In her whole live she had spoken in front of half a dozen people at most. Now she had to speak in front of the several hundred people in the crowd along with the entire population of Panem who were watching from their homes. Even if they didn't want to watch it, they had no choice. It was the only thing being televised. She closed her eyes and controlled her breathing as she heard Caesar's voice turn to a more serious tone.

"Now, we haven't seen our guest for almost fifteen years. The last time we saw her she was only a little girl. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to her for a little while". He paused for dramatic effect before grinning and returning to his usual excitable demeanour.

"It's time for use all to be reunited! With great pleasure I would like to re-introduce you all to the Capital's daughter, Diantha Snow!"

As soon as her name left his mouth, she buried her nerves and stepped out into the blinding lights of the stage. When she did, she was greeted with a loud roar from the crowd. She smiled wide and waved as she walked across the stage. When she reached Caesar, he held out his arms and she embarrassed him. They both sat down into the chairs put out for them and waited for the cheering to die down. Diantha laughed as they carried on. She sat with her back straight and ankles crossed over each other. She rested her hands in her lap.

"Wow. Just wow" Caesar laughed too as the noise returned to a quieter level. "Look at you! You're a young woman! It's like you're a completely different person now! How old were you when we last saw you? Three, four...?"