13. Bombshell

Before I knew it, the day had arrived.

Later tonight, I'd be on live TV. Tomorrow...the final event began: the 107th annual Hunger Games. It was so close...

Feeling groggy, a noise startled me. I kept my eyes closed but ears sharp. Something was in my room. My blinds were pulled up. Somebody was in my room. Damn.

I yawned, sitting up. I opened my goopy eyes to nearly jump into the headboard, screaming. Standing in my bedroom, transforming it into a work station, was my prep team. I grabbed my heart, trying to slow it.

Maggie was the first to notice me.

"You're up!" she squealed. Her curls were pulled into a high ponytail this morning. "Good, it's about time."

"How in the hell did you get in here?" I yawned.

"What kind of a question is that?" She plopped herself on my bed. "Demi ordered us to come here early to make you over."

"It's going to take that long?" I hit my head against the headboard. How could getting me made over for my interview take longer than being made over for the opening ceremonies? Demi must really want me to look stunning.

"Oh, I don't think so. She just wanted us here early."

"Are you starting on me now?" I eyed Remi and Jackie talking, heads together.

"No, silly." Maggie giggled. "You have to eat first. You better get food soon; the Avoxes are going to take it away any time."

I lurched out of bed, out the door, down the hall, and into the kitchen. Sienna looked already dressed up for later tonight. Like her hair, her long, halter-top dress was rainbow colored. It seemed everybody around me—except for Ross and Bane—had a certain color, or colors, they seemed to love to wear. I didn't see Ross anywhere, so I suspected he was out. Bane was finishing eating while I scampered over to grab whatever was left.

"You finally got up," Sienna noted.

"How late did I sleep in?" I whimpered.

"It's almost noon."

That explained why my prep team was in my room. It made me wonder just how long they had been in there, laying out what was necessary while I was sleeping.

Actually, I didn't want to think about it.

I took my time in eating. Maggie flitted out of the hall, complaining that I wasn't finished eating yet.

"Why didn't you guys wake me up earlier?" I asked her. "You couldn't have just got here."

"You're right; we've been here since ten."

"Two hours?"

"We didn't want to wake you. You looked like you were out cold," she said thoughtfully. "Besides, Jackie prefers dealing with people when they have a lot of beauty sleep. She doesn't get frustrated as much when they're well rested."

"I bet Regina will sick my prep team on me," Bane groaned. "I thought the tributes got made up in another room?"

"No way," Maggie told him. "No point. We make you up in those rooms only because it's the opening ceremonies."

The moment I let my plate hit the counter, Maggie grabbed my wrist and dragged me back into my bedroom, locking the door. Remi suggested I bathed, so I was thrust into the shower, making sure to wash my hair thoroughly. Even now, over a week later, I saw a few flakes of glitter fly to the floor. I pulled on a fluffy, red robe, and Remi dealt with me in the bathroom. He had me sit on the toilet seat while he combed through my hair.

"Are we dealing with glitter this time?" I asked.

"Nope," he said.

"Is there going to be anything special?"

"I don't think so."

Remi tucked my hair into my robe, letting whatever beads of water were left drip down my dry back. He pushed me out and sat me on the bed. He didn't touch my hair at all, so I assumed it would be its normal, straight length. Maggie grabbed my nails and started filing them. I swung my legs forward and backward patiently as Remi left the room, leaving me with Jackie and Maggie.

Time seemed to pass quickly. Maggie had applied glittery, silver polish to my nails. I thought she would have gone with black. I was released for lunch but was brought back in not too long after. Apparently we were running out of time, interviews were just hours away.

At about six, I heard Demi make her entrance. She barged into my room, my dress in the bag she draped over her arms. She sprawled it out behind me on the bed as Jackie was doing my face. She was careful in her work, though I almost made it difficult a few times on her. Her red eyes still freaked me out a little bit.

I watched out the window when Jackie gave me some room to. Maggie left since there was nothing she could do at this point. She took Remi out with her.

After about fifteen minutes, Jackie stepped back, examining my face. I stared blankly, trying not to look worried. I wasn't sure how much time we had until we had to start heading down for the elevators. Once Jackie grinned, I knew she was happy with her work. Demi strutted to Jackie's side to look me over.

"I love the smoky look on her eyes," Demi noted. "And the crescent moon you did over her birthmark. Nice way to amplify it."

"It's what you wanted," Jackie said smugly. She looked at Demi. "Dress time?"

"Dress time." Demi nodded.

"I'll just go outside and wait, then." Jackie skittered out of my room.

Once Demi locked the door, she unzipped the dress bag, holding out her masterpiece. I stood up, nearly falling over in awe. It looked better than the sketch she made.

It was amazing.

Little yellow lights twinkled all across my dress, even towards the bottom where my feet would never be seen. I could walk out on stage with no shoes on and nobody would notice. Well, I bet she made it longer because of the shoes.

I shrugged off the robe; Demi helped me pull on the dress. It felt perfect, like it had when she had made the adjustments a few days ago on it. The dress billowed at the bottom, making it look like a puddle of stars around me.

"You'll just have to pick up the dress until you get your shoes on," Demi said. "Now, since we've got a little time left to spare, I brought what I conjured up just in case." She whipped out a black mask and black gloves.

Demi had me put both on, just so she could see what it looked like. Her face was crinkled hard with concentration. I bet she liked what she made but had to figure out what looked best on me. We did a little bit of experimenting. First, I just had the mask on, then just the gloves.

As much as Demi liked her little additions, she and I scratched them both. I wasn't going to a ball or anything, I was just being interviewed. And besides, the mask concealed Jackie's crescent moon near my right eye. That was something that the people of Panem had to see. Every little detail counted.

"You have my shoes, right?" I asked as I picked up the bottom of my dress. I looked out the window; the sun was starting to set.

"Of course." Demi dangled the silver pumps in front of me. "Come on, let's show them the lady of the night."

"I like the sound of that." I laughed. Demi grinned.

Demi unlocked the door, leading me out. I wanted to run back into my room when everybody's eyes locked onto me. Demi stepped aside, letting everyone look at me. Sienna looked in awe; Maggie looked ready to gush about my dress. Jackie looked satisfied, Remi smiled at me. Ross looked like he approved, Regina looked at Demi, an expression of friendly jealousy in her eyes. I didn't recognize three people, so I assumed they were Bane's prep team. They all looked about ready to faint.

Bane noticed me last, giving me a crooked grin. He was dressed in an ordinary black suit. Next to me, I bet he felt normal. I bet that's how everybody felt when looking at me. I bet I just knocked some people's self-esteem down by accident, looking how I did. I wished I could see myself in a mirror, because having people tell me how I looked was one thing, seeing it for myself was a whole different thing.

All this attention made me go bright red. Demi rubbed my shoulder.

"Don't be embarrassed, you look great," Sienna gushed. "I should get Demi to make my dresses for me."

"I think this is my best work yet," Demi said proudly. I looked at her, giving her a weak grin. She looked to my prep team. "I couldn't ask for better partners." Jackie, Maggie, and Remi all looked abashed, but I knew they were proud.

"And I couldn't ask for a better prep team or stylist," I said modestly.

"We better get going," Ross said, breaking the awkward silence in the room. "Come on, you two."

Before I forgot, I strapped my heels on. I felt a little better walking in heels now even though the last time I had worn heels was over a week ago. There was no time for quick hugs, but enough for waves and smiles. We left both prep teams behind but took both stylists with us. We all got into the elevator, packing together.

"You nervous?" Demi asked me.

"A little," I admitted.

"Don't be. Just remember what Ross and Sienna have told you."

"And don't slipup about your training before the Games," Ross reminded me.

"Think of it this way," Sienna piped, rubbing my arm from behind, "you'll get your interview done and out of the way."

"Wait...I'm going first?" I stammered.

"Do you not pay attention to interviews? Ladies always go first, and it goes by district. Last time I checked, you are from District One."

"You're joking, right? Because someone joked about me going first for my private sessions in training, and it wasn't funny."

"This isn't a joke."

"Damn it," I hissed.

"Like Sienna said, don't think of it as a bad thing," Bane murmured. "You'll be okay."

We abandoned Ross, Demi, Regina, and Sienna as we took our places. I stood first in line, already feeling the pressure. I breathed deeply, hoping to calm myself. It was sort of working. I could hear the murmurs of the audience from backstage. I didn't pay attention to see any other tributes come stand in line; I was too focused on where I would be going.

"Relax, you're shaking," Bane whispered.

"I am?" This was the second time I hadn't noticed this. But this wasn't from caffeine, this was from nerves.

"Lose the nerves, Crystal. Be fierce and confident when you're out there. Okay?"

"Right. I'm a Career," I muttered under my breath. "I'm tough, I'm strong, I've got something to prove."

As I kept chanting to myself, I scanned the stage. I could see a camera or two. I rubbed the moon charm on my choker necklace.

Once Caesar Flickerman strolled onto stage with charisma in his white getup, I knew my time was just minutes away.

"Welcome, everybody!" Caesar crowed. "Are you as excited as I am, folks?" The crowd roared in response. "Well, you're all in for a treat. Let's meet our first tribute. She's a mystery in herself, Miss Crystal Springs of District One!"

The audience clapped for me. I straightened myself out. Confidence is key. Play up the crowd.

As I strutted into the spotlight, I glanced at the crowd, throwing smiles their way. I swore the crowd got just a little bit louder once they caught sight of me. No doubt it's thanks to Demi. I kept my smile long enough for Caesar. We shook hands, and then he gestured for me to sit in the pearly white, cushiony chair behind me.

"Miss Springs," Caesar chuckled as he, too, sat down, "it's nice to finally get to meet you."

"Oh, it's nice to finally come out here and let people know more about me," I said. Ouch, not a smart thing to say.. At least I said nothing bad

"Since we have such a limited amount of time, I'll get to the big questions. How've you been enjoying the Capitol?"

"It reminds me of One a little bit," I confessed, meeting his eyes. "It's better than One, in fact. Not that I'm disrespecting my district." I giggled.

"Of course not." Caesar smiled. "A lot of people have been captivated by you simply because you're a mystery to them."

"I don't see why I would be a mystery, Caesar." I shrugged.

"I think your outfits make you even more mysterious, if I may say that. This number you have on tonight is a mystery. Is there a theme going on?"

"Mhm," I said. "Like you saw with the opening ceremonies, I resembled the moon."

"I thought you were a goddess of the moon."

I blushed at the praise. "I bet a lot of people did. But what I'm wearing tonight isn't the dark side of the moon. I'm decorated as the starry night sky."

"It looks lovely. Do you mind twirling just so the audience can get the full effect?"

Yikes, I was going to have to twirl in this ball gown? That was the last thing I expected to come from his mouth. I should have made the note to expect the unexpected.

I kept my face neutral, then rose. I spun a few times, getting good reactions from the crowd. I basked in the praise, a small grin actually turning my neutral expression into one of enjoyment. I bet some ladies in the crowd were eating their hearts out because of my dress.

"Stunning, simply stunning!" Caesar gushed as I sat back down. I nearly toppled to one side; my vision was still spinning a little bit. "You are truly something special, Miss Springs."

"You can call me Crystal, Caesar. I don't mind." I smiled. "And going back to what you said earlier, I consider myself just an ordinary tribute from District One who strives for nothing more than to win the Games." I put fierceness into this.

"You sound determined."

"I am, believe me." Keep going. "It's been my dream to be here, believe it or not."

"Not a lot of tributes confess this," Caesar noted. "Of course, those who do are from the wealthier districts, in which case, you are. This has been your dream?"

"Yes," I said smugly.

"It's coming true."

"But it won't be complete until I win."

"It looks like you'll have some tough competition, though, Crystal. You can't always go by training scores, because sometimes they just mask what the tribute can really do."

"What competition?" I scoffed. "No matter who makes it down to the final five, I can guarantee you I'll be one of them. I'll take the Games for myself. I've waited years for this to happen, Caesar. I've put too much effort to get this far. I'm not about to let someone take this chance away from me, and I'm not about to let my efforts go to waste."

"What inspired you to strive for this?" Caesar leaned in, eyes curious.

"My dad, really," I explained.

"If you wanted to be in the Games so badly, why wait until now? You could have easily volunteered when you turned twelve. Most who want to be in the Games simply volunteer."

"I know, but—here's how I look at things: younger tributes have slimmer odds because they're younger and may not be as strong or agile as older tributes. I figured I'd wait a few years, but not too long of course. I was going to volunteer this year if someone other than me got picked, but the odds just worked in my favor."

"So I assume you aren't worried about what lies ahead?"

"Not at all," I said confidently.

"You're well prepared?"

"Absolutely. I'm ready to go."

"Well, I think the audience can agree with me when I say that you, Miss Springs, are one determined young lady," Caesar flattered me. "We wish you nothing but the best of luck. Ladies and gentlemen"—Caesar stood, taking me up with him—"Crystal Springs from District One!"

The crowd roared and whistled as I exited off stage. I didn't look at anyone as I sought out Ross, Sienna, Regina, and Demi.

Sienna hugged me. "You looked great out there," she squeaked. "I would never be able to talk to people in front of live cameras."

"You do the reaping," I reminded her. "That counts for something."

"It's different."

I looked at Ross. "So?"

"I knew you had it in you." He grinned.

"I was just myself."

"That is what made people like you. You didn't seem like you were trying too hard, you looked like you were comfortable out there."

"Shh, Bane's up!" Regina said.

On the TV plastered to the wall just in front of us, we watched as Caesar and Bane got settled in. Demi grabbed my hand, squeezing it. I felt other pairs of eyes focusing on this TV or others around us. Bane looked like he was in his environment, just like I had been.

"I must say, Bane, you're quite the attention getter." Caesar laughed. "You and Crystal seem to be getting the most attention."

"I wonder why," Bane said.

"Let me get to the easiest question, because I'm sure all of us are wondering: why did you volunteer for the Games?"

"Well, Caesar," Bane started, leaning back in the chair like he was back in the apartment. Sure, I got to be all ladylike and acted like I was talking to royalty while Bane could just lounge in the chair? So unfair. "My family sort of has a past with the Hunger Games. I lost some family to them."

The crowd made the necessary sympathetic noises.

"Did they volunteer?"

"No, they were reaped; nobody volunteered to take their place. I volunteered, because I wanted to show that the Games won't claim another life in my family. I came here to prove, Caesar, that our family is capable of winning these Games."

"But you could have easily not volunteered. If you didn't want the Games to claim another family member, why volunteer? If your name didn't get picked, you would have been saved."

"Well, like Crystal, this was a dream that crept up on me when I got close to the reaping age."

"Hmm, you and Miss Springs seem to have Hunger Games running in the family in some way. Forgive me for asking, but do you two know each other? Are you family in any way, or is the dream of coming here a thing for teenagers in One?" He chuckled.

"We go to school together, that's about it." Bane shrugged. There was only a second's pause. Bane leaned in. "Caesar, do you think I can confess something to everybody here tonight?"

"By all means, go ahead," Caesar encouraged. "I'm sure all of us would be interested in what you have to say." The crowd applauded to emphasize Caesar's point.

"There's another reason why I volunteered. My family isn't the only reason for me being here. I did it because of Crystal."

What? I started to felt uncomfortable. Where was he going with this?

"Please explain." Caesar's eyes narrowed attentively.

"What I'm trying to say is...I'm in love with her."

Gasps were audible everywhere: the audience, backstage, from the other tributes. Caesar looked amused but stunned. My heart dropped into my feet. Ross cursed under his breath.

"I knew it," Demi whispered.

I swallowed. What was Bane doing? Was he trying to start something like Katniss and Peeta had in the 74th Games? District 1 was loyal to the Capitol; we didn't want to get under fire by trying to start a new rebellion.

One thing was for sure: nobody saw this coming. 

**Demi knew it from the beginning. Did you, readers?**