13. Smooth Sailing

       The remaining days up until the interview had flown by so quickly they all had seemed to blend in as one day. I didn’t like that. I felt that all the preparation we were given wasn’t enough. But I didn’t see why I felt that way considering Johanna said we’d both be fine. She had no concerns about Daniel, but for me, she and Harper thought I’d get a case of stage fright. I wanted to prove them wrong there. If Dan could be confident around Caesar, why couldn’t I?

            Even though the interviews weren’t until later tonight, I was still woken up early. I cannot stress how irritating that was to me. But I wasn’t the only one who complained about being woken up early, Dan got the same treatment as me.

Shockingly, I didn’t feel so nervous about later today. In fact, I felt ready. I wanted to face that interview head-on.

            There was a tired skip in my step throughout the morning. Jade seemed to notice, Johanna did as well. It was evident that they both liked the optimism I was displaying. Dan gave me strange looks, as if he was looking at a different person. I guess it had been a while since I had seemed so cheery; it was hard to be in such a good mood when you’re a reluctant tribute in the Games.

            Throughout the day, Harper kept chirping last minute interview review tips at me. I swore I heard the same things about five times: look calm; don’t stress; ignore the cameras; win over the crowd; and don’t forget to show your vulnerability. I swear it was like she was a broken record. Jade came to my rescue and told Harper gently to back off and let me be. Harper never protested with Jade.

            Dan and I had been sent to a prep room where once again I was met by my prep team. Farah, Nadine, and Aria were all ecstatic to see me again. Alden had given them instructions beforehand, so the moment they got a hold of me, they knew what to do and immediately went right to work. I wasn’t waxed but my eyebrows were still plucked. Aria combed through my hair, styling it while Nadine made sure the nails on my hands and feet were fresh and polished. There was no need for nail polish on any nails, so I was happy with that.

            “We’re going to make you look so gorgeous that nobody is going to forget you!” Farah squeaked.

            “Image is everything in the Games, especially for the interview,” Aria sang. “But don’t worry; we won’t let you blend in with the other tributes. We’re going to make you stand out!”

            “Great,” I sighed.

            “Don’t sound miserable. From what Alden heard, you were pretty peppy all day,” Nadine reported. “Where’s that happy girl that had a spring in her step?”

            “She’s gone. Nerves are taking over.”

            Earlier today, I didn’t think that nerves would eat at me. Now, knowing that the interview wasn’t far away, anxiety began to settle in. Of course, I had quite a bit of time to pep talk myself since I would be the thirteenth tribute being interviewed. The girls always went first, the boys following.

            It seemed like I was in the prep room for hours. Aria spent the most time with me on my hair, Nadine and Farah flitted away to fetch my outfit during that time. I really hoped that they remembered my tribute token that Farah had a hold of. I wouldn’t leave the room without it.

            Aria ended up straightening my hair for a change, weaving the strands of vines through my hair. I tried to touch her handiwork, but she slapped my hand away. She took her work seriously and clearly wanted nobody, not even me, to touch it. I never bothered to touch my hair again after that.

            Once Farah and Nadine came back with everything, they helped me suit up. The dress felt snug and fine. Aria carefully latched the flower necklace around my neck, Nadine strapped on my tribute token on my right wrist. I felt a little better knowing it was on.

Once my brown heels were strapped on, each of my prep team gave me a hug but didn’t ruin any part of me. I bid them farewell and exited to the waiting area for all of the tributes.

            There was a line of tributes; most were already in their places. I sought out Daniel immediately and found him. Harper had gone with a simple approach, a mixture of earthy colors: brown and green. It looked pretty good on him.

            “You look great,” we both chirped. We both laughed.

            “Can you hear the crowd outside?” Dan whispered to me. Listening past Eric and Kaya’s loud talking, I could hear the crowd. They seemed to be buzzing with excitement. My heart pounded furiously in my chest. Here came another wave of anxiety. I put my hands to my heart. “Bridget? You okay?”

            “Sorry, brief panic attack,” I stammered. “I’m fine.”

            We both fell silent as the remaining missing tributes showed up. Taking one quick sweep around the line, there were a few interview outfits that seemed to catch my eye.

            “Welcome, everybody!” boomed Caesar’s voice. All heads even from off stage turned to him. Caesar’s color for the final Hunger Games nearly made me blind. His suit and his hair were so orange I thought he looked to be on fire. The vibrant background behind him made my eyes hurt. So many bright colors. “What an amazing turnout like always! This is it, the final Hunger Games. Let’s get right down to business, shall we? Let’s meet Miss Kaya Haddington of District One!”

            Kaya flitted out to meet Caesar. Her dress was hardly appropriate for an interview and hardly right for a girl her age. Some areas exposed skin but nothing that would cause controversy. It was a sleek black; the dress showed her skinny legs. She looked downright lethal in that dress.

 Kaya played up the crowd, getting lots of applause. I knew most of it was from men who liked how she looked in that revealing dress of hers. I snorted in disgust, folding my arms. I bet she knew what some people thought of her: that she looked trashy. If none of the tributes here were frightened of her, one would open their mouth to tell her off. But of course, I bet that would be a mistake. Kaya didn’t seem like the type of girl who would run away and cry in the bathroom if someone made a nasty comment about her. She’d probably tell them off or beat them up.

            Caesar got Kaya settled down quickly. She answered everything in a voice that I considered to be falsely innocent, like the kind of voice Ariel had used when she had visited the Kinsley family.

            “It must be heartbreaking for you, having your brother alongside you in the Games,” Caesar said.

            “Oh, it always is, Caesar. Nobody wants to go through what we are,” Kaya sighed. She crossed her ankles. “We’re just going to fight to the end.”

            “What if it comes down to just the two of you?”

            “We’ll figure out a way to win together and not kill each other.”

            “Hmm, a good plan, but will it ever work? Alliances seem to be torn apart towards the end. I’d hate to think of what could happen if it came down to you and your brother.”

            “We wouldn’t fight each other; we’ll fight for each other.” She giggled. Ugh, somebody please get her off stage before I go out there and rip her away myself.

I realized then that Dan and I weren’t the only ones with the goal to have two victors be crowned for this year’s Games.

            “Well, I wish you all the best, Kaya,” Caesar said.

            Kaya waved and blew a few kisses to the crowd before scampering off. As she walked past the tribute line, she gave me the coldest glare that could made the world go into another Ice Age. I shot her a look behind her back. As I watched her leave, I saw her shoot a flirty look at the District 8 kid, the one who always stuck to the Boxing station while in the Training Center. Was there something going on there nobody knew about? Well, if the people of Panem wanted romance, the District 8 boy and Kaya would give it to them—only if it was true.

            Eric played the crowd just as good as his sister did. Caesar pretty much went over the same questions with him as he did with Kaya. Their interview time seemed rather short. Eric strutted off, not even bothering to look at anybody as he left. Self-centered much?

            Sutton made her way to the stage next. Her outfit was really striking, one that I liked the most other than mine. Her dress was knee length and a pale pink except for the black belt and black pattern on her left strap that covered her shoulder. Her hair had glitter in it and was straightened, like mine was. She had some eye shadow on as well. Her necklace bore pale pink diamonds all around. She looked much older than fourteen.

            Sutton seemed to be a little nervous at first when around Caesar which I found odd considering Careers were good with everything. I always thought they were trained for the Games at an early age so that when the time came, they’d be naturals in every step of the Hunger Games.

 The audience and TV cameras probably scared Sutton more than anything. Caesar eventually coaxed her into speaking out.

            “Let’s go back to the reaping,” Caesar said, leaning over towards Sutton. “You didn’t seem too enthusiastic when picked. Most Careers like you volunteer or don’t mind getting picked. A lot of people are intrigued by your reaction.”

            “I’m not like most of the kids in District Two, Caesar,” Sutton confessed. She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I didn’t want to get picked. I don’t consider being picked for the Games a dream come true. That’s what makes me different, and I have no problem with it.”

            Sutton clearly was a girl who said what was on her mind and nothing more than that.

She looked relieved to have skittered off stage. I threw Sutton an encouraging smile as she walked away. Her counterpart, Meeka, strolled out to do his interview. It seemed that Eric and Meeka had the crowd eating out of their hands, they were extremely charismatic. Just the fact that they were Careers probably enhanced their likability.

            The District 3 girl, Jillian, turned out to be a shy thing. She was one of the youngest tributes in the 95th Games, being only twelve. The first thing Caesar dived into was about her training score. He asked her whether or not it was an accurate score.

            “Oh, it was pretty accurate,” Jillian whispered. Her caramel waves quivered as she spoke, her moss green eyes very alert. “See, none of the stations there helped me perfect my…special talent.”

            “And just what might that talent be, if I may ask?” Caesar probed.

            “Ah-ah, I can’t say. It’d ruin my strategy.” Jillian winked. Whatever her “special talent” was, it was obviously something very lethal. On top of Careers, Jillian was somebody I probably didn’t want to come across.

            The interviews of Districts 4 and 5 seemed to breeze by. The District 6 male, Bernard, didn’t really talk that much. As hard as Caesar tried, Bernard wasn’t opening up. I felt kind of bad for both of them, really. Bernard looked depressed and Caesar was busting his ass to try and help the kid.

            I realized that once Bernard walked off stage, I was next in line. Oh God. I’m not ready! I’d been too busy focusing on tributes before me that I hadn’t even bothered to coach myself into giving proper answers.

            “Our next tribute is one that I’m sure you’ve all come to adore, I certainly love her! From District Seven, Miss Bridget Melina, our very own Mother Nature!” Caesar crowed.

The crowd applauded. My feet suddenly felt like they got stapled to the floor.

            “Go, Bri,” Dan whispered to me. He gave me a gentle shove, and that was enough to get my legs moving.

I stepped out into the spotlight, being showered with applause. This felt so surreal. Caesar gazed at me, offering me a warm smile. I gave him a nod of acknowledgement, and we both sat down. I patted down my dress so nobody could look up it. The last thing I wanted to have was all of Panem looking up my dress.

            “Bridget, I must say you look really beautiful tonight,” Caesar complimented me. I immediately went bright red. “Doesn’t she look amazing, folks?” The crowd cheered in agreement. I’ve got the crowd hooked by my looks; let’s make the hooks deeper with my words. Caesar’s attention turned back to me. “So, Bridget, let’s start with your reaping, shall we? What was going through your mind when you realized you were the last female tribute of District Seven?”

            “Well,” I started, “like most tributes, I was in shock. I felt like I had been picked for a horrible fate, because I know what the Hunger Games means.” I said those words carefully, trying not to offend the Capitol or the Games themselves.

            “Your district partner, Daniel Kinsley, didn’t look too happy either.”

            “He wasn’t.” I fumbled with my bracelet.

Caesar sensed my anxiety immediately. “That is a lovely bracelet,” he said. “May I ask as to where you got it?”

Ah, it was a smart move after all to wear the bracelet. This man didn’t miss a trick.

            “It was my dad’s. My mother made it for him on their first wedding anniversary.” There were a bunch of “awww”s. “The colors represent them: the blue my dad, the white my mom. I keep it with me because I know that even though they aren’t here with me right now, they’re with me in spirit.”

            “How do they feel about this situation?”

            “Well…my dad is distraught. But he and my brother support me all the way.”

            “And your mother?”

Here’s where I’d get the crowd’s sympathy. “She passed away a year ago from illness.”

            “I’m terribly sorry to hear that.” He briefly grasped my hand. Sympathy was something anybody could use on a crowd. It seemed to be working for me. “Getting back to your district partner, I can’t help but wonder if there is anything going on between you two.”

            “Oh, we’re just best friends, Caesar,” I said lightly. I crossed my legs. “We’re like family.”

            “Really? I didn’t see that when you two rode out into the City Circle. By the way, gorgeous outfit at that event as well,” he added.

            “Thank you. The look he gave me was just one that a brother would give to a sister. I look at him the same way.” I shrugged. “We aren’t dating, we aren’t in love. Sorry to disappoint all you people who love a good romance to spice up the Games.” I giggled shyly. Okay, got through that, so far so good. Despite how well I was talking, my heart was pounding in my chest.

            “What’s your impression of the Capitol? I’ve been digging too deep into the not-so-essential stuff that I almost forgot about this question,” Caesar chuckled.

Not so essential? Is my personal life not important? To me it was very important. For the Games…not so much, but I still considered sympathy from the crowd a good thing. Good thing we went over the Capitol-impression question. Just remember what I told Harper.

            “Oh. Well, the people here are very…different.” I looked at the audience. “But that isn’t a bad thing. The Capitol is just an amazing place. It’s different scenery, you know, since I’ve been in Seven all of my life. It’s really a nice view to see at night. The food here is good as well.”

            “Now, tell me, because I’m very curious, how did this whole “Mother Nature” aspect come about?” Caesar leaned forward, eagerly waiting for my response.

            “Actually, it was my stylist’s idea,” I admitted. “He’s good for thinking outside the box. Personally, I like the outfits he’s given me. Honestly, it was a good change from being a tree. I had thought about that sort of concept before even realizing that my outfits were going to surround the aspect of nature itself rather than trees only. The dresses make me feel like I’m back home.”

            “You smell like nature too.” Caesar wrinkled his nose. I didn’t dare take a whiff of myself on live TV. That was going to have to wait.

            “I can attract wildlife too,” I blurted out. That came out of nowhere.

            “Oh, can you now?” Caesar’s orange eyebrows rose in curiosity.

            “Do you mind if I call a friend of mine to come join us?”

            “Oh, well I don’t see why not, Bridget.”

            “I need it to be quiet, otherwise he won’t hear me.”

            I waited until everybody quieted down. People looked around, Caesar watched me intently. I inhaled deeply and threw out my whistling tune, my call for my little blue friend to come join me. Don’t let me down, little guy.

I was answered immediately by a twitter and he soared above the audience’s heads. People gasped, murmured, and pointed up as the creature flew above them and rested on the back of my hand. I grinned. Caesar chuckled and applauded me; the audience gave soft clapping as well, probably thinking that anything louder would scare the bird away.

            “I must say, you are Mother Nature,” Caesar said. I stroked the bird’s chin like last time. “You live up to your reputation.”

            The bird chirped at me and I sent him away. People looked above warily, as if he would poop on their heads.

            “Well, we wish you the best of luck, Bridget,” Caesar said. He stood up, taking my hand. I rose. “Ladies and gentlemen, from District Seven, Miss Bridget Melina, Miss Mother Nature herself!”

Some of the crowd stood up, clapping. I heard some whistling involved. I beamed, feeling accomplished and proud of myself.

            I strutted off stage with my head held high. I flashed a grin at Dan, who gave me one back. I avoided the other tributes’ eyes as I made my way to seek out Harper, Jade, Alden, and Johanna.

            “That was amazing!” Harper squeaked. She and Jade attacked me into a big group hug. She looked at Alden. “Nice touch with the bird.”

            “Everything seemed to go well,” Alden noted.

            “Great job out there, kiddo,” Johanna said, putting a hand on my bare shoulder.

            “You think so? My heart was sprinting every minute of that interview. I was so nervous I thought I’d pass out,” I said breathlessly, laughing nervously.

            “You didn’t show it,” Jade piped.

            “Shh, Danny’s up now!” Harper sang. We all looked to the plasma TV set on the wall in front of us.

            Daniel seemed to walk onto the stage with as much confidence as Eric and Meeka had. I wondered if he was just as nervous as I had been. If he was calm throughout this interview, I was going to have to ask him for tips on how to stay calm in nerve-racking situations.

            Caesar flew by on Dan’s opinions of the Capitol. I had a feeling as to what he really wanted to get into: the relationship between Dan and me. I really hoped Dan didn’t pull something ridiculous like proclaiming his love for me or something like that.

            “You and Bridget seem to be quite the talk of Panem,” Caesar told Dan. “A lot of people are just hoping that what you two have is more than just friendship. Miss Melina told me it was strictly a friendship. How accurate is she on that?”

            “Oh, very accurate,” Dan told Caesar smoothly. I grinned. Good, he said the right thing.

            “Are you sure? You seem to have this look about you when you watch her.”

            “I watch over her like family, Caesar. There’s nothing going on between us. Do I love her? Yes, but only as a sister.”

 I wondered how many people actually believed that. I was one of the few that probably did.

            “What is your strategy going into the Games tomorrow?” Caesar didn’t hesitate to roll into other topics; I guess there was still time left to kill for Dan’s interview.

            “Grab what I can, run, and hope for the best.” Dan shrugged. Caesar laughed at that, and I didn’t see why. It was an honest answer.

            Caesar sent Daniel off. I trotted to him, and he took me in his arms.

            “I don’t think that could have gone any better,” I squeaked, glaring up at him.

            “It could have,” Dan muttered. “But it’s done and over with, and that’s all that matters now.”

            “Should we stick around for the rest of the interviews?”

            “I want to!” Harper piped.

            “She just wants to see what the other tributes are wearing,” Alden whispered to me. I snorted a laugh.

            I finally learned the District 8 boy’s name: Noah. It seemed like most of the guys this year were very charismatic. They must’ve all took some personality steroids before the interviews started.

            “Tell me, Noah,” Caesar said. “There has to be some lucky lady waiting for you back in District Eight.”

            Noah laughed.

            “Am I wrong?”

            “Yeah,” Noah snickered.

“I don’t believe it for a second. Who’s the lucky girl who will get her love back when he wins the Hunger Games?”

            “Oh, actually,” Noah muttered, “there is one girl…but she’s here in the Games with me.”

            The crowd burst into excited whispers. I knew it, I thought. There was something between Kaya and Noah. I wonder if anybody knew, especially Eric.

            “Really now?” Caesar’s eyebrows rose in wonder. “Is it your district partner?”

            “Oh no, we’re just stuck together.” Ouch, that’s got to hurt that girl’s feelings. “I’m talking about Kaya, the girl from District One.” Noah blushed bright red; I never took him to be the blushing type.

            “What’s a Hunger Games without a little romantic drama?” Johanna snorted in disgust. Clearly, she wasn’t a person who enjoyed much romance. She really needed to find herself a guy after the Games, no matter who became the victor of this year’s Games.

            I looked around, searching for the District 1 tributes. Neither was present, so they were probably on their floor. I bet Eric wasn’t too happy about Kaya’s relationship with a non-Career. I bet he’d give her hell for it.

            “Ah, you’ve caught yourself a looker there, Noah, but it’s a terrible shame that you two are in the Games together,” Caesar sympathized.

            “I don’t believe it,” Jade murmured. “That’s the first time there was an inter-district relationship.”

            “You two never saw it when training?” Johanna probed Dan and me.

            “Not at all. All I know about Kaya is that she’s out to get me,” I said. “Noah was at the Boxing station the entire time. If it was going on during that time, nobody noticed it. They never sat together when lunch got called.”

            “Maybe they kept it hidden and snuck out at night to be with each other,” Harper theorized. “Aw, that sounds so romantic!”

            “Harper, shush,” Alden hushed her. Harper gave him an evil glare.

            There were a few other notable tributes. The boy from District 10 seemed way too cocky. His name was Francois, and honestly, I couldn’t digest his attitude very well. His attitude was like a Career’s, and it made me wonder why he wasn’t put into one of the wealthier districts. The girl from District 11, Seraphine, seemed so reserved I thought Caesar was going to have issues with her like he did with Bernard from District 6.

            “You had the highest score in training, better than the Careers. Do you feel like you have a target on your back?” Caesar questioned her.

            Seraphine’s dress looked to be made of wheat. On top of her short, dark brown hair was a wheat crown.

            “Oh, it’s obvious I have a target on my back,” she said, shaking her bangs away from her brown eyes. “But I never intended on getting such a high score. I did what I could, and I guess it impressed the Gamemakers more than anybody.” She gave a small shrug.

            “Do you think you’ll gain allies this way, because of the number you put up?”

            “Not really. I mean, if it’s every tribute for themselves, why ally up with perhaps the most deadly person that could kill you the moment you turn your back? If anybody wanted me as an ally, it’d most likely be the Careers. They’ll want to have a strong group so they can knock out everybody…but I know they won’t recruit me. They’ll see me more as a threat than an ally.”

            “She’s got that right,” Dan murmured.

            I think the most heart-wrenching tributes to watch were District 12’s. Both were amongst the youngest in the Games. It was evident that they wouldn’t last very long. My heart poured out to those kids. I remembered back during training, Seraphine hung around those kids, watching over them like they were her siblings. She wouldn’t have much time to watch over them once the Games started tomorrow. I hated to think of twelve-year-olds being on their own against older tributes; the odds didn’t seem to be in their favor.

            Reality just hit me then. Tomorrow the Hunger Games were to start. Tomorrow, twenty-four tributes were going to be sent into an arena filled with unknown terrors, fighting to the death to be the last one standing. Tomorrow would determine Dan’s fate and mine. Tomorrow, we’d have to put our plan in action.

            “Nothing more to see,” Johanna piped. “Let’s get back to our apartment.”

            “Come on, Bri,” Dan crooned. He had to pull me along, because my feet had frozen to the ground like they had before, only it wasn’t from nerves of being interviewed.

 It was fear for what lay ahead in the 95th Hunger Games.

            Daniel was the only way I managed to make it back to the apartment. Harper and Alden bid us all farewell at our apartment door, both of them giving us hugs. Their affection didn’t help me at all; nothing probably could now, knowing what lay ahead.

            “Well, that was a rather eventful night,” Jade sang. “I never thought you two of all tributes were getting talked about the most. Around here, that’s a good thing. You’ve got supporters.”

            “We probably won’t have as much as Noah and Kaya now that their relationship is public,” Dan mumbled. He leaned against the back of the couch. I stood in the middle of the room, suddenly exhausted and petrified.

            “Bridget, you okay?” Jade asked, coming to me. She touched my face tenderly. “Are you feeling ill?”

            “She realizes what tomorrow is,” Johanna said at once.

            “Oh.” Jade’s face fell. “Right. How can we all forget that?” She gave an apathetic laugh.

            “Excuse me,” I told her softly.

I retreated to my room, stripped off everything (except my dad’s bracelet) and changed into a brown cami and black shorts. It didn’t really match, but whatever, I didn’t care about what I wore now. I sat on the bed, hugging myself, taking deep breaths; the method wasn’t calming me down any.

            “Bri?” Dan’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Can I come in?”

            “It’s open,” I croaked. I heard the door slide open. I stared out at the windows, looking at the Capitol.

            My eyes flickered to Dan as I felt the bed sink on my right. He was already out of his interview outfit and dressed for bed, which to him was a light cotton shirt and sweats.

            “What’s wrong?”

            “I just realized that tomorrow is it, the start of the Games,” I whispered, sniffing.

            “You’re afraid.”

            “Y-yup.” My lower lip quivered. There was no point in trying to lie to him about it.

            “Hey, hey.” Daniel crawled more onto the bed, sitting beside me. “Come here.” I fell against him, quietly sobbing. He rubbed my back, trying to calm me down. “We’ll be okay, Bri. You’ll see.”

            “How? We don’t even know what we’re getting into tomorrow!” I whined. “For all we know, they could be tossing us into a desert with no water so we’ll all die of thirst, or they’ll send us into an arctic wasteland where we’ll freeze to death and get eaten by animals! Maybe they’ll put us all on a mountain or a volcano…”

            “Shh.” I burrowed into Daniel more, seeking his comfort. “You need to settle down. Is this how you want Panem to see you tomorrow?”

            “N-no.”  I hiccupped.

            “Then you need to relax. It’s not until tomorrow morning.”

            “Oh,” I moaned. “That means we’re getting up early! Damn it.”

            “So that means if you want to get a good amount of sleep, I suggest you sleep now.”

            “But I can’t, I’m too worked up.” I looked up at him with red, puffy eyes. “I know this may sound totally weird, but do you mind hanging around in here tonight, just until I fall asleep? I don’t think I’ll sleep any other way.”

            “If you want me to, but Johanna and Jade will think—”

             “I don’t care what they’ll think. They know we aren’t dating,” I snapped tiredly.

            “Okay, okay, sorry I brought it up.” He wiped away my tears. I tried to attempt to smile at Dan.

I couldn’t believe I was saying this, but I was glad he was here with me. If I had a stranger with me, there was no way he’d come and comfort me. If Daniel wasn’t with me right now, I’d be crying myself to sleep tonight. Instead, I had him to help me get to sleep.

Eventually, I simmered down. The hiccups faded as had my sobbing. I wiped my red eyes once before just trying to relax. Dan never let me go. His natural body heat helped calm me—I never thought I’d say that.

            It wasn’t easy, but somehow I managed to drift off to sleep at some point during the night.