CHAPTER TWELVE
an unforgettable character

( allusions to sexual harassment, sexualisation of children
and planned rapes NOT GRAPHIC THOUGH )

ELEANOR EVES HAD TO ADMIT THAT EVEN THOUGH LUCILLE HATHING WAS AN ABSOLUTE BLESSING, BEING SAT IN A TIGHT LONG WHITE SKIRT AND A SEASHELL BRA WAS NOT THE BEST EXPERIENCE OF HER LIFE. Thankfully, she was covered a lot more than she had been when she was at the tribute parade, but she could feel all the eyes on her while she waited behind the stage watching the first few district interviews. She nervously bit down on her finger nails, watching quietly as Caesar Flickerman opened. From afar, Alina Scaro was ruffling her curled blonde hair, rolling her eyes ever so slightly as her district partner gave her a semi-supportive pep talk on how not to make herself appear just as a sex symbol.

"Okay, Robb, come closer please?" Robb Dawns leaned closer, almost expecting a kiss from the gorgeous blonde haired girl. Instead, Alina slapped him, sauntering away onto the stage as she was finally announced on. Eleanor watched as Robb rubbed his cheek with a huff, glaring ever so slightly at the spot where Alina had been previously.

Eleanor would have chuckled, if not for the sudden chill that ran up her spin. "Aren't you a pretty thing, Princess?" She heard someone practically purr into her ear and Eleanor flinched ever so slightly, coming face to face with District 2's male tribute. She could not recall his name, which made her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to think of it. As she thought, she remained silent, and his eyes seemed to rake her body. He had puffy brown hair and almost crazed green eyes which seemed to match the colour of moss. His cheeks were splattered with light brown freckles, alongside faint white marks. He reached a hand up to her waist, pulling Eleanor closer to him. "I always do like the pretty ones. Maybe we can have some fun before I kill you?"

Eleanor cringed ever so slightly, moving forward just a little to put some distance between them. She shook her head at him, her skin crawling ever so slightly. "No thanks, you're not exactly my type." She tried to move away, but the boy gripped onto her forearm tightly, squeezing it in an iron fist grip. His nails dug in harshly. Eleanor winced evidently, her breath getting jammed in her throat. It felt as though someone had put her head underwater and she was drowning, as though she was helpless as his grip became more and more painful.

He leaned down close to her ear, the smell of his breath becoming more and more overbearing as he gritted out his response. It took a lot of effort not to gag at the smell, but "I'm not playing,Princess."

Eleanor pried her arm away, snarling out her response firmly. "I. Said. No."

"Oh come on!" He yanked her back once more, but this time someone intervened.

"Aye, Mitchell, lay off her." August stormed up to them, yanking Mitchell away. She rolled her eyes, not sparing Eleanor a glance. It felt as though they were perfect strangers and that completely unsettled Eleanor, wanting nothing more than for August to look her way. "Come on. She ain't worth the attention. You know how girls like her are."

"Yeah," Mitchell spat, glaring at her with mossy eyes. His coy grin was replaced by a stoic expression which paralysed Eleanor on the spot. A chill ran up her spin as he continued staring at her, though his eyes trailed greedily down her body. "Pathetic thing, she is. All she's got going for her is her prettiness. She's just asking for it, I tell you."

Eleanor wanted to say something, but she didn't. She was frozen on the spot, unmoving as he eyed her figure up once more, his eyes greedily peering at her breasts and thighs. She never thought it was possible to feel naked in clothes, but here she was. "Maybe I'll get my way with you when no ones around."

She swallowed hard, breathing in with a deep frown on her face. There was nothing sweet about his comment and something in her gut told Eleanor that his implications were darker than what she was picturing.

She truly hoped he meant he would just kill her when it came to it.

She had sat down besides Kai and simply watched the screen in front of her as the interviews began. He seemed jumpy for a moment, relaxing immediately when he saw Eleanor. His head rested on her shoulder, his smaller hands finding Eleanor's and fiddling with them. Eleanor had to admit, he looked adorable in the brown suit which still seemed to swallow him whole. It was just sad he had to look cute here and not back home.

Eleanor's blue eyes fixed on the screen, unable to look at Kai for any longer. Thankfully, this was only the beginning. Alina Scaro was already stealing the spotlight. The blonde haired girl was sat comfortably in front of everyone, flashing a smile which seemed to have the men and women of the audience swooning. She was dressed in an almost pure white snake print dress, with a deep neckline which left very little to the imagination. 

"Alina, I see you aren't nervous at all." Caesar had teased her, grinning the curly blonde haired girl a grin. Alina simply brushed a curl out of her face, giving a grin. "Tell me, how prepared are you?"

"Well, Caesar," Alina leaned forward ever so slightly, looking up through batted eyelashes. Her perfectly curled hair fell slightly in her face and she daintily brushed it back with her sharply painted finger nails. Eleanor had a feeling just about everything with Alina Scaro was dainty and perfect - how a victor should be. "I'm as prepared as the person with the highest score of the night can be."

Caesar laughed at her comment and the audience roared at the enthusiasm. "Yes, yes, of course!" He clapped his hands together, which seemed to prompt the audience to join in. Alina simply just laughed, her nose crunching upwards as her cheeks became red. "Now, I think I'll say it for us all when I say how exciting a score of 11 is. How did you feel when you got that score?"

Alina faced the audience, a serious look pressed on her face. It was as though she had been programmed to give her response and Eleanor had no doubt that this was exactly what she planned. "I wasn't surprised. I have it in me to win this and I'm not afraid to show it. I'd be stupid and a fool to not score high."

The audience ate it up and simply cheered.

There was something odd about Mitchell Braws' interview, however. It didn't sit right with Eleanor. She watched with nerves as he simply laughed and described how he was ready to finally beat the score of the most kills in the games.

"Well, Caesar, how can I resist?" Mitchell gave a playful grin to Caesar and several women swooned at him. Eleanor had a feeling they were weak, simply because Mitchell wasn't exactly special. "Especially with some of the tributes this year." He gave a playful whistle, making the audience laugh and some of the men join in. It unsettled Eleanor beyond comprehension, making goosebumps appear all over her body despite the lack of breeze. Her breath became wedged in her throat and she squeezed her eyes shut momentarily.

"Ah, yes, some real gems this year," Caesar nodded in response, turning to give Mitchell a coy smile as if to dish out some drama from the chilling teen. "Anyone caught your eye?"

"Not saying, that'll spoil the surprise, but there's this one pretty thing," his smile became almost sadistic as he paused momentarily, smiling wildly in a way which truly did look unsettling and unnatural. Pretty thing... Pretty thing... Eleanor felt as though she was going to be sick again. "Lets just say I have a fair few ideas of what I want to do to her when I get my hands on her."

Eleanor exhaled through her nose, finally focusing back on the screen. A few people who had overheard what Mitchell had said to her earlier looked her way, but she instead focused on Kai completely.

His knee was bouncing up and down uncontrollably. "Are you nervous?" Kai looked up at her with worry filled eyes. It seemed as though he remained blissfully unaware that Mitchell's comment was potentially directed at Eleanor and had darker implications than physically stated. He gave Eleanor a smile. "I think you will be fine."

Eleanor ruffled his hair affectionately. "I hope so," she returned the smile, her cheeks full and true. "Are you feeling ready?"

He hummed. "Just nervous of the crowds."

Eleanor nodded at him, taking both his hands and giving them a tight squeeze. "Well, I'll tell you a secret," she made him lean in closer, before finally whispering, "I'm very nervous too."

His eyes widened and he looked up at her. "You are?"

Eleanor nodded. "Terrified," she nudged him teasingly, wanting nothing more than to reassure him. She didn't want Kai stressed and if Eleanor could do anything to help him, even if it meant not being fully honest, then she would. "But, I know that these are just interviews and these people are just here for us. You'll knock them dead."

That seemed to boost Kai's confidence a bit. Though, Eleanor wished she could have said more before she was whisked away by a tall man holding a clipboard. She could feel the nerves engulf her entirely as she finally waited to be beckoned onto the stage, the light almost blinding. It was hard to swallow, as though poison was wedged in her throat but all Eleanor could seem to do was smile as she finally made her way onto the stage. She swayed her hips ever so slightly as she sauntered towards Caesar, finally accepting his hand as he pulled her onto the platform.

He hovered around her like a vulture, circling her with the microphone. He whistled as Eleanor grinned at the audience. "My, oh, my, the cameras simply don't do your looks justice!" He reached a hand forward. "Isn't she gorgeous? Don't you all think so? Like a real life siren!"

Eleanor laughed as everyone cheered, only settling down ever so slightly to hear her response. "Why thank you, Caesar." She took his hand and was led to the seats. Eleanor ignored all her nerves, all the worries of the cameras on her right in this moment, and simply pretended like she was in the room with Annie and Finnick back at 4, happy and safe. She batted her eyes like a blushing maiden, widened her eyes so much more and ignored the whistles coming from the men and women in the audience. "It truly is amazing to be here!"

"Well," Caesar leaned towards her with the microphone held closely to his mouth. "I think you'll find we're all lucky to be here with you tonight."

She beamed. "You flatter me really."

"Oh I can't help it!" He gave a laugh and the audience joined in. Everything felt artifical, make believe. She doubted everyone here really wanted to be here just for her, that was simply just a way to make her more relaxed. She straightened her posture more, crossing her ankles exactly the way Thana had taught her and held her head high. "Now, I think you've had everyone talking about that look you wore at the Tribute Parade, more so how you looked in that. How'd you feel, dressed in that outfit?"

She hated it. It made her feel so unlike her. "I loved it," Eleanor nodded, not faltering once. I have never felt so different to who I am in all my life. "It felt good."

"Well, many of us here, myself included, agree with you there. Am I right, folks?" He turned to the audience who cheered and whistled in response. Almost as though it was a cue, Eleanor laughed and Caesar turned his attention onto her once again. "Now, the games." He gave an almost dramatic pause, perhaps to built tension or just so he could fill in the time. "How do you feel?"

"Honestly?" Eleanor gave a short laugh. "Nervous, but I know what I have to do." She played off her fears with a large smile which made her nose crinkle upwards almost unnaturally. She was grateful none of the audience knew her truly, otherwise they'd see right through her act and realise just how scared she was. "Besides, I'm excited for what's planned."

"Oh?" Caesar leaned inwards, feigning mock interest at what Eleanor had to say. She ignored how his eyes trailed her body momentarily. "Do tell?"

Eleanor laughed, shaking her head. Her laugh was so unfamiliar to her, just as fake as all of this. "That'll spoil the surprise."

The grown man pouted dramatically. "Do we even get a slight hint?"

Almost comedically, Eleanor paused for a moment, tapping her chin in thought before finally smirking. "All I'm going to say is I have some tricks up my sleeves that'll definitely make these games unforgettable."

The crowd cheers at her response, and Caesar speaks again, "Well, you heard it from Eleanor folks, these games will be unforgettable. So don't miss them!" Eleanor shot the audience a smile, tilting her head back ever so slightly. Caesar leaned forward and held her hands in his own. "Well, I'll be speaking for everyone when I say how unforgettable you have been. It's been a pleasure to meet such a beauty." He got up, helping her up and holding her arms high as the audience cheered, many whistling and screaming wildly. "Eleanor Eves of District 4 everyone!"

UH IM SO SORRY I FORGOT TO UPDATE LAST WEEK

i haven't actually got an excuse

but sorry???

but here's a chapter. we are two chapters away from the games

i'm terrified

rip gauntss because u already know how much trauma our dear baby eleanor goes through

rip bestie

and rip to ur money from that food shop <3333

anyways...

when i was watching deleted scenes of the interviews from the first film, since i legit did not know how to characterise caesar, i feel like caesar's attitude towards glimmer and making her seem desirable irked me in the wrong way but that would be exactly how eleanor would be treated. its one of the things ill continuously highlight since her body type isn't common in the districts and so of course the capitol would lust over it.

additionally, the constant unwanted sexualising is exactly what being a bigger girl is like. im writing from experience that your body is usually the one thing people, especially men, will highlight about you. sad, but its the truth. you walk into town, they'll catcall you about your body. there is no escape.

that's just how it is.

also fuck mitchell. he's a twat

hes a cunt