Together Again

Chapter 7: Interviews (Birch PoV)

     I stare out at the Capitol. Thoughts running in my head. My mind racing. I'm confused and ashamed. Marble was right.
     District 2. First up, the male tribute. Marble! With a score of 10, Marble is tough to beat already. And now, the long awaited training score of Birch Jones, the young girl. Birch receives a 6! What did she do in the training room?
     My breath gets stuck in my throat. I can't breathe. I can't do anything. I feel tears. I try to talk. I try to breath. I feel everyone looking at me with shocked faces. Brutus has an "I told you so" look on his face and is staring at Enobaria.
     Enobaria comes over to me and I feel her sit down. She wraps her arms around me. I regain my senses a little bit and push her arms away. I get up and walk to my room. I change into a pair of leggings and a tank top. I sit on my bed.
     I try to process what just happened. I remember Ceaser's exact words. I can't breathe again. I feel a weight on my chest. I let out a strangled sob. I sit on my bed and sob. I hear the door open. The door clicks shut. I hear footsteps and feel the spot next to me sink from the weight of a person.
     They pull me to them. I sob into their chest. They just stroke my back and rock back and forth gently. They wait. I look up and see a blurry Marble. I sob even more. He hugs me tighter and tries to quiet my sobs. I listen to him.
     I start crying silently. I wrap my arms around him. He puts his chin on top of my head. I grip his shirt. I slowly stop crying. He lays me down and looks at me. "It's ok. Your fine. It's just a stupid number. It doesn't matter," he says.
     I snort. "Easy for you to say! You got a 10! A 10! 10! That's amazing! Of course it's just a stupid number to you!" I say a lot harsher than I mean too. I quickly apologize. He shakes his head. "You're right. It is easy for me to say that. But you know what?" He says. "I made a promise. I don't intend to break that promise. I'm going to keep it for as long as I can," he says, stroking my hair.
     "What was it?" I ask quietly. "Hmm?" He hums, laying next to me and playing with my hair. "Oh. To protect you. For as long as I can. And I don't plan on breaking it," he says, smiling. "Who made you?" "Clove."
     I feel tears again. I bury my face in a pillow. Of course. I miss her so much. At least it wasn't Cato. "It's ok. It's ok. It's gonna be fine," he says rubbing my back. He tucks me under the covers and I feel him lay above the blankets and put his head on a pillow. He puts an arm around my torso. I fall asleep quickly.
     I have the same nightmare that I had yesterday. I open my eyes and see Marble. I shiver and wriggle out of his grasp. I run to the bathroom. I catch my breath. I don't go back to sleep.
     I walk out and see Marble. He's looking around and he sees me. He stops and gets up. He hugs me. I freeze. He stops hugging me and we walk to breakfast. Today is interviews.
     The day flies by. Until prep time. Red, Clear and Yellow walk in. Red and Clear look at me. They wash my hair and I close my eyes. Yellow starts on my nails. She makes them a beautiful gold color with a little splash of silver. She lays out my dress and nods in approval.
     Red and Clear finish. They all dry my hair and put it in a half up half down pulled back braid. I look at myself. I gasp. My hair looks amazing. They add a gold laurel clip to the back.
     They start on my makeup. I get a gold eyeshadow and gold lips. I get a gold laurel on the side of my face. My stylist walks in and picks up the dress. They all help me into it. I turn and see a stunning image.
     My gold dress is longer in the back. It is kind of short in the front. My makeup is amazing. My hair looks even better than it did. My nails stand out. I put on my gladiator sandals and smile. After that, I add my own little touch. My necklace.
     The silver normally stands out against my skin. It's even more noticeable with all the gold I'm wearing. I smile and spin. I stop and nod. "Thank you," I say to all of them. I walk out and Marble stares at me.
     I blush a little and tuck a strand of long hair behind my ear. He keeps staring and my blush gets worse. "Hey," I finally say. "You lool great!" I say. He really does.
     He's in a gold suit. It has a silver laurel in the pocket at the top. He has his hair in a swoop off to the side. He smiles warmly and nods. He looks exactly how the Capitol expects.
     "You look stunning," he manages. I blush and curtsy. "Why thank you," I giggle. He smiles and offers me his arm. I politely accept it and we walk towards the elevators.
     We get to the interview studio. I stop and hesitate. He looks at me. I start walking again, but slower. We sit down and I fold my hands in my lap. I zone out until Marble's interview. I don't listen, but I watch anxiously, knowing I'm up next.
     I watch as he walks off stage and smiles at me. I nod. Ceaser says, "Birch!" I put on a smile and walk onto the stage waving and trying not to trip or cry. I sit down and the thunderous applause dies down quickly. Ceaser looks at me. "How are you feeling?" He asks. "Um. I think a little scared. A little on edge. Homesick. I guess just nervous," I say and he nods.
     He nods. "Understandable. Now, any family?" I nod. "Yes. I have a twin sister and my parents. My sister's name is Clove. She's one of my best friends. We're very close and kinda competitive." He laughs. "So one of your best friends? Tell us about the others." I smile. "Well, his name is Cato. He's older than Clove and I."
     "He's cool. He has a lot of other friends and so does Clove, but they still hang out with me. He's attractive. He comes off as rude and harsh, but he's better once you get to know him. He's dangerous. Can be deadly if he wants to be."
     "He's kinda cute. He doesn't really like it when others are better than him. He can be helpful if you're his friend or he likes you. He's amazing. I think he's gonna go far. I know he's gonna go far. Clove is awesome! She's super strong!"
     "She's deadly with a lot of weapons. But she's so cool. And she can be nice. Or she can be your worst enemy. She's good with weapons. A fast learner. She's small. Fast. Agile. Quiet. Deadly. She's so cool! I've always wanted to be like her," I say and Ceaser smiles.
     "So," he starts. "Is there any special guy back home? A girl like you has to have someone! Or are all the guys crushing on you?" I laugh. "Nope. I don't. And all the guys are crushing on Clove. Well," I say. "Not all of them. I don't think. There's at least one who isn't completely crushing on her. I think."
     He looks at me. "And who is he crushing on?" I blush a little. "I could be wrong, but, maybe me. He's amazing! He's really cool. He cute. He's funny but harsh. He's strong. He's someone every girl wants. So," I say. "I wouldn't have a chance. Even if I did win," I conclude.
     "I don't believe that! Happy Hunger Games Birch and may the odds be ever in your favor!" He says, while we shake hands. I nod. "Ladies and gentlemen! Birch Jones, District 2!" The audience bursts into thunderous applause while I walk off stage. I walk to Marble. "Great job," he says. I nod.
     The other interviews go by quickly. I think about my words. I notice that Ceaser didn't mention my score or ask about weapons I'm good with. I smile a little. Element of surprise! I think. Marble and I get on the elevator with the other careers. They all look at me.
     "Awww look! It's family girl! She's gonna be a great distraction. Could get killed. Has no skills. Sweet. Innocent. Not that fast. Great score," Diamond sneers. I look ahead and ignore her. They look at me. I just stare at the elevator doors.
     "Mute too? Awww. That's so sad. At least no one will be able to hear your screams," Diamond says. "No. I just don't talk to people who don't know my worth or my skills. Maybe do a little research before trying to be a bully," I say before stepping off the elevator at floor 2 because the rest of them were going to the roof.
     I walk to my room and change. I slip into shorts and a tank top after showering and taking my makeup off. I leave my nails. It won't hurt. I sit in my bed and fiddle with my necklace. I sigh and take it off.
     I put it on the table next to my bed. I pull the blanket over myself. I go to sleep surprisingly fast and when I wake up I realize what today is. I quickly get up and head to breakfast. I eat a banana and drink some hot chocolate.
     I eat quickly and quietly. Marble looks at me sometimes, but I ignore him. I finish and run to my room. I grab my necklace and put it on. I sigh and run to the elevator. I get on it and am taken to the roof. They lead me to a hovercraft and inject a tracker into me.
     After that, I'm led underground. I take a shaky breathe and see my stylist. He smiles at me. "Ready?" He asks gently. I nod and shiver. I get a leather jacket and black leggings with brown combat boots that lace up. He puts my hair in a ponytail with a braid on the end. I smile and tell him thank you. He smiles and quickly leads me to the tube.
     An automated voice starts counting down the time I have to get on my platform, and I step on it. It raises me up and I watch as the light from the room is slowly swallowed by darkness. That darkness turns to a bright light. I put my hand up and look around.
     I see 23 other teenagers. I see a Cornucopia stuffed with valuable weapons, tools, water bottles, and food. I look and find the other careers. We all nod and I see Diamond smirk. Coral nods at Shark. Marble looks at me and gives me a crooked smile. I look at the other tributes. I shake my head.
     I get in a position that I can spring up from and sprint right away. I see some daggers and a backpack next to what looks like a smaller pack and a possible jacket and sleeping bag. I make a plan. I smile and see the timer above the Cornucopia and hear Ceaser's voice.
     I hear him count down. "10." I cracked my neck. "9." I cracked my knuckles. "8." I rubbed my sweaty hands on my jacket. "7." I tightened my ponytail. "6." I swallowed. "5." Ignored the butterflies. "4." Quickly went over my plan. "3." Thought of Clove and my family. "2." I gulped and smirked. "1. Let the 73rd Hunger Games begin!"