12. Preparations

       Like Johanna promised, she never let Daniel and me sit around all day in our apartment. The only good thing about preparing for our interviews was that we didn’t have to get up early or encounter the other tributes. For once, I got a good amount of sleep in me. Prepping for the interview didn’t seem so bad.

            Alden promised he’d come just a few days before the interviews to have me approve of the image he wanted me to display for the cameras. Knowing Alden, his idea would be stunning. I just hoped he didn’t go overboard with it. Having a good appearance was only part of the interview, being able to talk with Caesar and be comfortable in front of TV cameras and the Capitol audience was a whole other ordeal. That was where Harper and Johanna came in.

            It was day three of our preparations for the interviews. Johanna and Harper switched off, helping Daniel and me both. Honestly, I wanted Jade and Harper to help us out, not Johanna. Even though she had gained respect for me, I wasn’t sure whether or not I could trust her methods for making the Capitol people adore me. But I had to remind myself that Johanna knew what Dan and I were going to be getting into when the time came. She had been interviewed twice, so really her experience was something we couldn’t ignore.

            Johanna was with Dan in his bedroom while Harper and I sat on the couch. It was better for us to be separated in case we distracted each other. We both were going to have to make a good impression, that’s the only way people would love us.

            “What have we not covered yet?” Harper asked me. Today, she was in a fiery orange dress; her red hair had orange streaks in it as well. She looked to be on fire, if I didn’t know any better.

            “A lot,” I muttered, slumping against the couch. “You’ve only taught me how to look innocent and sweet. We haven’t really done a mock interview.”

            “Well, I know Johanna doesn’t try and teach you how to behave properly when talking in front of the cameras,” she snorted. “Anyway…just look at me, keep eye contact, and pretend I’m Caesar. He’ll want to get the best from you, so I expect excellent answers. Ready?”

            “I think so,” I said uneasily. This wasn’t scripted and neither would the actual interview. I was going to have to think of good answers on the fly and hope that they sounded good.

            “Okay. So, Bridget, did you ever think you would ever end up being the last female tribute of District Seven?”

            “Honestly, no,” I confessed. “I thought the odds of that happening were slim.”

            “From what I’ve heard, a lot of people are saying there is something going on between you and your counterpart, Daniel. Tell us about that.”

Well, just forget about asking my opinion on the Capitol, then. I had a feeling Harper would eventually get to that question though, later on.

            “Well, Dan’s my best friend. We’ve grown up together. When he was reaped…it was like my whole world came crashing down on me. I never wanted him to get picked along with me. Neither of us wanted to get picked. The odds weren’t in our favor that day.” I gave a dry giggle.

            “Hmm, how sad that must be,” Harper sympathized. “Forgive me for saying this, but a lot of people—including myself—see more than just a friendship between you two. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it looks as if you two are keeping a secret relationship.”

            “Harper,” I whined. “I don’t think Caesar is going to ask me that.”

            “You don’t know that,” she retorted, messing with one of her ringlets. “You have to be ready to answer anything Caesar asks you. For the record, I’d be shocked if he didn’t ask you after that hand-holding deal you two pulled off in the opening ceremonies. Besides, you’ll thank me for this when he does ask you that question. Now, answer me.”

            “We’re nothing but best friends,” I said evenly. I kept myself restrained from snapping.

            “Yet I see something in Daniel’s eyes when he looks at you. I could easily see it when the opening ceremonies took place.” I wasn’t sure whether Harper was still pretending to be like Caesar, or if she was actually saying that as herself. It was hard to tell.

            “That’s nothing,” I said evasively. “He watches over me like a brother, like I’m family. If I look at him in the way he does at me, it’s because I’m watching over him like a sister would her brother.” I sighed irritably. “Can we move on? I don’t think I can go much further with it before I explode.”

            “Alright, alright,” Harper snapped. “Hmm, let’s see….Oh! Bridget, what do you think of the Capitol?”

I wondered when she’d asked that question. “It’s much different than District Seven,” I said. “It’s all buildings and technology. The view is very beautiful at night. The people here are different too, but that’s not a bad thing. The hospitality is good as well, not to mention the food. It’s probably been the best I’ve ever tasted.”

            “Is that an honest answer?”

            “Partially,” I admitted. “No offense, but this rich food sometimes makes my stomach upset. I don’t know how you digest it every day.” Consciously, I wrapped my arms around my stomach; as if I was going to puke at any second. “Was I convincing enough?”

            “Partially,” Harper reported. “You need to make me believe every word you say is true. I can see you look nervous just by how your body language is. Don’t stress. Even Caesar can see fear in a tribute’s eyes and their body. He can detect when they’re uncomfortable. You have to be as confident in front of the cameras as he is.”

            “Well he’s been doing that for years. I’ve only been on TV a few times, and I didn’t even have to talk then,” I whimpered. “I don’t have much charisma in front of strangers I don’t know. I’m only my outgoing self when around people I’m comfortable with.”

            “Then you better get comfortable around Caesar quickly if you’re going to be successful.”

            “How can I do that? Unless you bring him here to help me, I can’t do that. Can we just go back to the mock interview?” I complained. “It’s Johanna’s job to bark orders, you’re supposed to teach me to look innocent and whatnot.”

            “Honey, you don’t have to look it. You already are innocent.”

            The mock interview continued to test my patience. Harper had very few questions to ask me, which I knew for a fact that Caesar probably wouldn’t. He’d bombard me with questions of all sorts surely. Soon I got fed up with trying to answer fake questions in a fake interview. Harper could easily see that I was done, so she and I ended our mock interview session. I had no doubt what would come next: whatever outfit I was going to be shoved into, I was going to have to wear the shoes Alden would give me from day in and day out until the interview itself.

            I managed to get a little bit of me time in before Alden made his presence known in the apartment. I knew what that meant: he had my outfit already done. He probably wanted to put me in the shoes he wanted me in and walk around in them until the day of the interview. That wasn’t something I was going to really enjoy, I knew that much.

            Alden pulled me into my bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Whatever he was about to reveal to me was something he clearly didn’t want the others to know about. I just had that feeling that Harper was listening on the other side of the door, though.

            “Alright, what brilliant outfit are you squeezing me into this time?” I asked eagerly, bouncing on my bed. Alden sat beside me, a sketchpad in hand. Clearly he wasn’t going to show me the finished outfit. Still, seeing sketches was better than seeing nothing at all.

            “We’re still keeping the Mother Nature persona,” he told me. He flipped through his sketchpad. “The dress won’t be as flashy as the opening ceremonies dress, but it’ll be good enough.” He handed me the sketchpad so I could look for myself.

            The sketch was in color and everything. The dress was just above my knees. It was mostly strapless except there was a thick strap over the left shoulder. Looking closer at the strap, I noticed it was a butterfly. My head tilted to the side.

The dress itself was a rich brown this time, a nice change from the tree-leaves green I wore for the opening ceremonies. It looked like it was actually wood. Around my neck looked to be a necklace made of the white flowers used in the opening ceremonies. In my hair looked to be vines with a few blossoming flowers. The flowers must’ve looked really good in the other outfit if they were being brought back for my interview outfit.

            The shoes had a thick, semi-high heel to them. They were open-toed and brown, like the dress. I saw there was nothing for either of my wrists. Well, there was time to suggest things.

            “So…what do you think?” Alden asked me.

            “It’s amazing, as usual.” I grinned. “But can I make one small suggestion?”

            “Anything.”

            “Can I wear my tribute token?”

            “Depends on what it is.”

            “I have it here.” I pulled out the bracelet from my back pocket. Alden took it from me, examining it.

            “It’s amazing. Where did you get this?” he murmured. He kept turning the bracelet around in his hands.

            “It was my dad’s. My mom gave it to him on their first wedding anniversary. She made it herself. She passed away about a year ago.”

            “I’m so sorry.”

            “Thanks. He gave it to me so that I had them with me in spirit when I’m in the arena.” My throat closed up as I recalled that heart-wrenching moment in the Justice Building. “I wore it during the opening ceremonies, didn’t you see it then?”

            “I don’t remember seeing it. I think it’s a good idea to wear it to the interview.” He gave me the bracelet back. “I’m sure Caesar would notice. Speaking of the interview itself, I have a surprise for it.”

            “Oh dear,” I said nervously.

Alden chuckled.“It’s nothing bad, Bridget. Since you’re keeping up the beautiful nature image, I figured we could add a little wildlife.”

            “What do you mean by ‘wildlife’ exactly? You’re not going to throw in wild dogs, are you?”

            “We want people to be captivated by you, not afraid of you. I was thinking a bird or two.”

            “Am I carrying it out with me?”

            “No, no. You’ll call it. Let’s try that now.” He went to the other side of the bed, pulling up a cloaked cage. I sat on my knees on the bed, looking curiously at the cage. I heard nothing inside, but that didn’t mean it was empty.

            Alden ripped off the cloak, exposing a magnificent, little blue bird. It looked gorgeous. Alden opened the cage, and then looked to me. “Call him.”

            “How?” I asked stupidly.

            “Whistle.”

            I gave Alden a questioning look then looked at the blue bird. I cleared my throat and whistled a few notes, all different pitches. The bird turned his head to me, eyes watching me. I tried again, this time louder. The bird hopped in my direction. I tried a third time, and I found success. The bird flew onto my arm, twittering back at me. I giggled, stroking under his beak. He was a precious little thing.

            “I think he’s just perfect,” I cooed. “Where did you get him?”

            “I know people,” Alden said proudly. “I’m satisfied to see that he responds to you well. That’s good. I bet you’d be the first tribute ever to have an extra asset when being interviewed.”

            “So we’re hoping Caesar leads into my persona as Mother Nature,” I mused.

            “Hopefully he does, otherwise this little guy won’t get his screen time.”

            “That wouldn’t be fun.” The bird tweeted at me. I cracked a smile. “Okay, let’s put you back in your cage.” He hopped onto one finger that I put before him and escorted him back into his cage.

            “So what do you think of all this?” Alden asked as he folded up the cloak. He was probably going to have to put it on the cage again soon on his way out. I bet he didn’t want anybody to notice the bird or get curious about him. “It’s not too dramatic, but not too simple, either…right?”

            “Right,” I confirmed. “So the dress and everything is finished?”

            “For the most part. There are still a few tweaks I need to make to it, but other than that, it’s mostly done. Oh, and I have one more thing to give you.” He ducked behind the bed to pull out a shoe box.“I’m giving you a piece of your outfit early so you can adjust.” He slid the box over to me.

            I uncapped the box and took out the shoes. I grimaced.

            “Do I have to sleep in these?” I asked him.

            “No, but I would recommend walking in them day and night, starting now.” He stared at me until I strapped the shoes on. Slowly, I stood up straight. My legs wobbled, but Alden was at my side, ready to support me. “You’re probably going to need to have somebody around you when walking for a while.”

            “True. Hey, what’s Harper doing for Dan?” The curiosity just sparked in me. There wasn’t much Harper could work with when it came to Dan. It wasn’t like his interview outfit could be dramatic. That was the thing about girls and guys for outfits. With girls, you had more to work with. When it came to guys, stylists seemed pretty limited.

            “I’ll have to ask her. She hasn’t given me any details, which concerns me a little bit.” Alden’s brows furrowed. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure whatever she puts him in won’t make him look ridiculous.”

            “Thank you,” I said gratefully.

Alden escorted me out of my bedroom door out into the main area. Johanna, Harper, and Daniel were all sitting on the couch, staring at me as Alden led me to them. I was relieved to plop down on the couch. I almost considered taking off the shoes since I wasn’t going to walk for a while, but it was better if I didn’t, because if I did, I’d probably get yelled at.

            “I’m guessing these are a pre-interview gift,” Harper mused, glancing at my shoes.

            “Yup. I’ve got to learn to walk in these babies by the interview. You all have to help me walk until I feel comfortable in them.”

            “I’m so glad I’m a guy,” Dan said. “I’d hate to be you right now, Bri.”

            “It’ll pay off wearing these almost all day and night, though. I’ll be able to strut out to Caesar with confidence.”

            “If you build up enough confidence to overcome a case of stage fright,” Harper muttered under her breath. I shot her a look; she looked away, messing with her curly, fiery-looking hair.

            “In terms of progress, how set are we?” I asked Johanna.

            “I think for the interviews, you’ll both be fine,” she said. That was an answer I could be glad about. “Just relax and let Caesar make you feel at home. Once you’re comfortable, the interview will fly by. You’ll be done before you know it.”

            Somehow, I got the feeling that my interview would drag out the longest out of all twenty-four. I’m pretty sure I only thought like that because nerves still ate at me.