Chapter 25
883 Words
Caesar Flickerman
Before I fainted, I had figured out that Gidget was, in fact, giving birth and not exploding. That did not make it any less scary, hence my reaction. It was the absolute last debut I would have wanted, but on the bright side, the ratings were spectactular. I scuttled back onto the stage the next day to finish the interviews with a nose red with bruises and cheeks red with embarrassment.
"Life's short, you know? Better to live hard than die easy," Shane said. He was much friendlier than the other Careers, except Rhoda, of course. Most of them seemed businesslike and serious. Shane seemed to be doing this on a lark.
"I've never seen such a young volunteer," I said to Rain. She looked like an adorable cupcake in her pink dress with the bow around her waist.
"Not just a volunteer. A Career," she added. "I'm super excited to show it was worth it, and I'm super glad the other Careers let me stay around even though I'm littler." She smiled winsomely at the audience, looking to hook some sponsors.
"It's not every day we see a Career from Five," I said to Slater.
"They thought I as good enough, and I thought they were my best shot," he said simply. He was straightforward and confident. I'd bet on him.
I looked out at the audience as Sita came out, and they stared back at me like a jury. My mind went blank, and I curled my hand to read the cheat question I'd written just in case.
"What kind of Arena are you hoping for?" I asked.
"Urban would be the most ideal, but I've been practicing all sorts of things so I can get by anywhere," she said. She was more rehearsed than I was.
"Here's this year's spitfire," I said, pleased with myself for thinking of something so witty, at least for my first year.
"You bet," Ferrari said. "I'm itching to get started. I don't have a deathwish or anything, but I know it's coming, so I want to get it going."
"What an interesting outfit." Lucius was dressed like a pilot. It was something we'd usually see in a parade, not an interview.
"My stylist found out I wanted to be a pilot. She was real mad she missed such a great costume opportunity. So here I am," he said.
"You must be as nervous as I am," Keylor said. He must have noticed I was doing some breathing exercises while I waited for him.
"Maybe a little. This is a very important job. I want to give you all the best shot," I said. The crowd ahhed at the emotion of it all, and I started to feel a little better.
"It's very nice to meet you," Violet said. We exchanged pleasantries and by the time I got to the questions, time was up. ITALICS oops.
"What did the eight... no wait, what did the zero... yeah, what did the zero say to the eight? Nice waist! No wait, nice BELT!" Eddin finally managed. I sank in my chair with secondhand embarrassment as the crowd laughed not at the joke, but at him.
"Who do you think will be first to go?" I asked Martha, peeking at my other hand.
"It could be me, but I hope not," she said. ITALICS ahh, she wants to be underestimated.
"Any skills you've been holding out on us?" I asked Caine, who smiled sneakily.
"Of course. And I'll keep holding out on them," he said.
"That was a very respectable score you got," I said to Tillia.
"It wasn't easy, either," she said breezily.
"What's your strategy for the Arena? Unless it's a secret," I asked Soma.
"It's like hide and seek. They can't kill me if they can't find me," he said.
"You want to hear something really funny?" Briar asked, sitting across from me in a cowgirl outfit. So of course I said yes.
"I've never ridden a horse," she said.
"What sort of things did you do for fun in Eleven?" I asked Lily.
"Sometimes I read books. I play outside," she said.
"Why should you win the Games?" I asked Kuma. He looked down at his hands.
"I wasn't going to say anything... but my mother could really use the money. She works so hard to provide for us," he said.
"Are you planning to ally?" I asked Gray.
"No. I don't want to have to worry about anyone else. And I'm strong enough to do this by myself," he said.
"Do you have a strategy ready?" I asked Allecia, relieved to be at my last Tribute.
"I've been studying the Games a lot. There's more than just weapons and shelters. It's important to know other factors, like probability and risk management," she said. I understood half those words.
I plastered on a smile and bolted the second the curtain came down. I was used to being in front of people. They wouldn't have hired someone without experience. But this was something else. Outside of the President and the Victors, the interviewer was the most recognizable face in Panem. There was a lot of pressure. I was sure I'd get better with time, but even the best of us got stage fright.
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