Chapter Seven: Caesar's Interviews

 "So...have you two got any plans for the interviews?" Gloss asked casually the next morning, which caused Lucy to spit her mouthful of cereal out.

"Lucy!" Kathleen gasped as Lucy pulled an innocent face, Kathleen hadn't been pleased with Lucy since yesterday.

"Oopsies..." she giggled as Marvel tried to hide his laughter.

"Don’t encourage her!" Kathleen snapped at Marvel and then she turned back to Lucy. "And don’t you ‘oops’ me! I’ve never seen a District 1 tribute act in such a poor way!" Kathleen shrieked as an avox cleared up the mess.        

"Calm down and straighten your wig, Kathy, I don’t want to hear your stupid Capitol accent twenty-four seven!" Gloss barked then turned back to Lucy and Marvel. “The interviews are today and I want to make sure you’re both ready for them."

"I’m sorry but are you talking about Caesar Flickerman’s interviews?” Lucy said, her mouth wide open. "The one’s that are t-televised across the whole of Panem and if you mess up you’re done for?"

"Hey, not to worry we’ll — " Gloss began but Lucy interrupted.

"It’s not like I’ve mucked up at all yet! Oh no, by cutting my lip in the training centre and getting a training score of four, no big deal! First District 1 tribute in history who won’t be a Career!”

"Well then, we obviously have your interview technique sorted," Gloss smiled. "You can appear like a sweet an innocent girl, you’ll get sponsors from back home instantly."

"Not bloody likely! Everyone hates me back home! The girl’s are jealous because they think I’m going out with Marvel! My parents just want me to win so they can have more fame and glory and my mother can have more make-up products! I don’t even think there’s a point in winning..."

"There is though," Marvel spoke up suddenly. "You deserve to go home."

"No I don’t, Marvel, if there’s anyone who should go home it’s you. You know how to fight, you have lots of friends, you have a family who loves you — " Lucy paused in mid-sentence as Marvel bowed his head. She reached out her hand and he took it gladly. "I'm sorry," she said. Marvel nodded in response, of course Marvel was thinking about his mother, he really did love her. 

"But I agree on your interview technique for me, Gloss," Lucy said as Marvel continued to grip her hand. "Marvel can use the technique of being funny, because he always makes people laugh." 

"Sounds good to me," Gloss said. "I know Marcel's already got your outfit ready, Lucy, it's quite pretty actually. He certainly takes your personality into account." 

"Yeah..." Lucy said, thinking about what Marcel had said yesterday. She obviously didn't make a good impression on Capitol people. 

*      *      *

"Fabulous!" Marcel laughed as Lucy finally had her interview dress on. It was light pink and tied together with lace starting just below her shoulder blades and ending at her waist, she also wore a pair of light blue heels and her brown hair was loose, so it hung down to her waist, almost covering the lace. She looked stunning. 

"Are you sure about this, Marcel?" Lucy wondered sweetly, she'd have to try and be nice to Marcel, she couldn't upset anymore Capitol people. 

"When am I wrong about dressing you in something?" He said then spun her around and made her look in the full length mirror, she peered at herself self consciously. 

"Never..." 

"That's right, and let me say you look even more stunning in this outfit than you did in the tribute parade!" 

"Are you sure?" 

"I'm positive! You're going to look the best! Even Marvel's going to be shocked at how great you look!" 

"Thank you," she whispered. "Listen, Marcel, I want to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" He asked. His face, for once, full of concern. 

"I wanted to apologise about yesterday, I really did get a poor training score. I'm sorry for disappointing you." 

"Oh, you didn't disappoint me! I hoped for something a little better but I shouldn't of expected something like that, it's the first time you've had proper training...and for me to expect you to learn a skill in two days was...absurd! So really, I should be the one apologising, my dear." 

Lucy smiled as Marcel gave her a hug. 

"Now remember what Gloss said, sweet and innocent. You'll be the first one up there, so you're going to be the one to make the first impression — no pressure — just do your best, talk about back home, the reaping, possibly your training score even Marvel. You'll do fine." 

"OK, then..." Lucy laughed nervously as Marcel led her out of her dressing room and down a corridor and into a room where Marvel was standing. 

"Woah..." Marvel gasped even though Lucy had to admit he looked pretty well dressed himself; he wore an electric blue blazer, a waistcoat and trousers to match, a light blue shirt that in a way matched Lucy's heels and a pair of shoes much like the one's he wore on reaping day. 

"I'm hoping that's a good reaction..." Lucy bit her lip and Marvel nodded. 

"You feeling alright?" He asked as they both sat down on the seats provided. 

"I'm OK, apart from the fact I'm up first..." 

"It'll be alright. Do you remember that time we watched The Hunger Games together last year? You didn't want to but I convinced you it would be alright and so we watched the interviews and we saw Caesar? He seemed really nice and seems to work with the tributes." 

"I suppose so, but I'm still terrified...I've never been the sort of person that sort of grasps confidence." She laughed quietly and Marvel took her hands in his. 

"We both know that," he laughed. "But just trust me, you'll be fine. You're not going to make a fool of yourself, I promise you." 

"I have to admit, I trust you on that one." 

"You should, it'll be great. Just answer honestly..." He said then added quickly. "Unless lying is completely necessary." 

Suddenly the door opened and Gloss was standing there. "Come on you two, time to get you lined up." 

Marvel let go of her hands and they followed Gloss through a few corridors before they saw all the other tributes being lined into District order. They were positioned at the front, Lucy in front of Marvel, and they waited nervously for when they would be called out. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Caesar Flickerman!" Someone said into a microphone as Caesar strutted confidently onto the stage and the audience cheered enthusiastically at their host, who was wearing a sparkling blue suit and outrageous hair to match, like Lucy had seen him wear every time she'd seen him this year. 

"Thank you! Thank you!" Caesar said as the crowd slowly died down. "And here we are for the 74th Hunger Games!" Everyone cheered on cue as Caesar let out a signature laugh. "Like every year we have twenty four guests who all have different stories to tell, so I think it's quite appropriate that we start with our District 1 female, LUCY DIME!" 

An avox approached Lucy and began to take her out of the backstage area and up to the stage, she turned around and looked at Marvel who gave her a thumbs up. She mounted the stage nervously as Caesar offered her a seat. 

"Hello, Lucy, and welcome to the show!" Caesar smiled as he sat down next to her. "And may I just say how stunning you look tonight!" 

"Thank you," she blushed. 

"Lets start off where this journey first began...the reaping, you seemed pretty nervous when you were chosen, which is perfectly understandable as it can come as quite as a shock to you if you're chosen, but I don't think I've ever seen a nervous District 1 tribute you know." 

Lucy shifted in her seat. "Well, I'm not a fighter, Caesar, I never have been and I never will be. I tried training back home but was never successful. As you can probably tell by my training score." 

"Yes, I think your training score shocked us all. What do you think went wrong?" 

"I messed up, I lost confidence, I didn't mean to...I was just really nervous, using my skill in front of the Gamemaker's was very nerve wracking."

"What's your skill then?" 

"Oh I can't tell you that!" Lucy laughed. 

"Come on, we all want to know!" Caesar laughed as the audience cheered. 

"Alright, I've only just learnt how to use a bow and arrow. But I swear I was better on the second day of training than in front of the Gamemaker's." 

"Lets hope it helps you out in the arena!" Caesar smiled. "What did your parents think when you were chosen?" 

"My parents? Well seeing as my father is the Mayor of District 1 — " 

"I didn't know I was in the presence of royalty," Caesar winked. 

Lucy smiled then continued. "I'd say my father was pretty proud but at the same time concerned...my mother was very upset though. I'm their only child and I think they'll be pretty sad when I die..." 

The crowd awed but Caesar held out a hand to stop them, his face was full of concern. "When?" 

"Come on, you must be a fool if you think I'm going to win! Like I said before, I got a four in training and I'm pathetic at fighting." 

"My dear," Caesar whispered, reaching out and holding Lucy's hand. "Surely you must have some hope that you're going to get out of the arena alive." 

"There's no point lying to myself, look out for my face in the sky when in the arena...that's where you'll see me next." 

"Well...going back to the reaping, I saw a young man whom is your District partner now, tried to volunteer for you. Do you know why?" 

"You're talking about Marvel Sanford, he's my best friend and has been since I was very young. You'd think it quite odd that we're friends with him being seventeen and me being fifteen...but the thing is, he told me the other day that he came into The Hunger Games to protect me." 

The crowd awed again and Caesar gasped. 

"He did?" Caesar asked. "What a courageous young man." 

"He's a wonderful person and I don't deserve him at all, he's so protective of me, he'll do anything to keep me alive. But...I don't know how I'll live with myself if he dies. We both know that we're both not going to come out of that arena alive. It scares me almost to think of life without my best friend." 

Suddenly a buzzer went off and Caesar still looked at Lucy concerned. 

"Well our time is up." He said then turned to the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, LUCY DIME!" He yelled as they both got up and he held up her hand and the crowd cheered wildly. 

Surely that's got me sponsors. Lucy thought. 

But even though it seemed like a story that would impress the Capitol citizens for sponsors, the sad thing was that it was all true. 

"Good luck," Caesar whispered and kissed the back of her hand just before she left the stage. 

She stepped off the stage and was directed by an avox into a room where Gloss was standing and watching the interviews live. 

"That was excellent, sweetheart!" Gloss smiled and hugged her. "You were perfect out there, you'll have sponsors raining in when you get in that arena." 

"Thank you, Gloss," she smiled as the two sat down on the seats provided and watched as Marvel got on the stage. 

"Hello, Marvel! And what a pleasure it is to meet you, young man." Caesar beamed as they shook hands and sat down. 

"I think I should be saying that about you," Marvel laughed and the crowd joined in. "It's great to see you in person rather than on my television screen back home in District 1." 

"District 1! What a fabulous place it must be!" 

"You have no idea, Caesar, you have no idea." 

The crowd laughed again as Caesar began the interview. 

"You know I think we match," Marvel added quickly. "Is my stylist the same as yours? Are they running low on staff here?" 

The crowd erupted with laughter and was now cheering Marvel's name. 

Lucy and Gloss watched intensely as Marvel's interview went along, he obviously took Lucy's advice on trying to be funny in the interview and he did it successfully. The crowd laughed every time Marvel pulled off a joke and all humor was in the air until Caesar spoke up. 

"I just spoke to your District partner, Lucy, and what a sweet young lady she is! I really do feel sorry for her though. More to the point, she told me you're very protective of her, is that true?" 

"Of course it's true, every word she said was the truth." Marvel nodded as the crowd awed. "She's my best friend and I've never met any other girl as unique as her." 

"You tried to volunteer for her at the reaping, didn't you?" 

"I tried, I tried...but unfortunately it doesn't work like that, a boy volunteers for a boy and a girl volunteers for a girl. You can't change that." 

"And you kissed her on the cheek during the tribute parade, why was that?" 

"Because I wanted to show the world — and Lucy — that I care about her and if she dies life will never be the same without her. I'd wake up every morning and there'd be a part of me missing." 

"You want her to win, don't you?" 

"I don't just want her to win, I'll make her win. I'll do everything I can in that arena to get her out alive...if not, I'll make sure that I don't get out either." 

The buzzer went off, signalling their time was up. Caesar stood up and the two of them shook hands, afterwards Caesar held Marvel's hand up in the air and he cheered. The crowd went wild with cheers as he left the stage. 

He entered the room where Gloss and Lucy were, and as soon as he entered Lucy stood up and ran towards him. He enveloped her in a hug and she hugged him back softly. 

And suddenly the cameras were on them and the crowd was practically sobbing for them. The cameras remained on them as Caesar spoke. 

"You've got to feel sorry for them, haven't you?" He said but Lucy didn't pay attention as Marvel held onto her. 

Caesar called Clove up to the stage and the cameras were on her. Marvel let go of her then looked into her eyes but didn't say anything, so they sat down next to Gloss. 

In fact they didn't say anything as the interviews went on. Marvel just had his hand intertwined with hers. 

Symbolising their unbreakable friendship. 

Symbolising how much they cared about each other. 

*      *      * 

"My nest guest has migrated all the way from District 3, Rookie, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Caesar said as Rookie stepped onto the stage and sat down on one of the chairs, Caesar joining her. 

"Afternoon, Caesar, nice suit," Rookie said with a smile. 

"Thank you! I thought it went good with my hair but that's another story," he laughed. "Now, I think what everyone's dying to know today is about your training score." 

"My training score of eleven? Oh that's nothing," Rookie said in a sarcastic tone, waving the comment away. 

"How did you get that score then? What weapon did you use?" 

"Weapons? Oh why would I use weapons?" 

"So what did you do then? Tie some knots?" 

"Hand to hand combat," Rookie said proudly and the crowd gasped. "There's no secrets to keep as the other tributes already know what I'm made of." 

"Why did you show them that? Why didn't you keep that skill to yourself?"

"Because a certain tribute thought I couldn't do anything in the training centre...so I proved them wrong."

"I like it! So, why did you come into the games, because I saw that you volunteered for someone."

"Well, Caesar, every year I see tributes being slaughtered. Every year 23 tributes die and only one gets out of the hell hole...also known as the arena. But then I stopped and thought about it, the Career tributes are there to kill and then snatch the victors title from everyone else...but what about us poorer Districts? Of course we don't get much of the fame...so when I volunteered for that girl in my District I thought that I'm not here to win. I was here to save that girl's life, I'll make it as far as I can in the games. You never know, I might make it out alive."

"Very courageous, aren't we?"

"You could say that, or you could say I'm just here to protect someone. If I win, I win. If I lose, whatever, I'll have died for a good cause."

Caesar seemed a little lost for words but Rookie just answered Caesar's questions as they came, it was as though she'd done this all before, like she had been in The Hunger Games hundred's of times. 

She left the stage after Caesar thanked her and then watched the rest of the interviews in another room, watching what everyone else was made of...

This was going to be a tough Hunger Games for everyone. 

Tougher than any other Hunger Games that had taken place before.