7: {Interview}

Coyra has done it again.

She's set me up in a white dress with a low cut neckline and big puffy sleeves that I feel ridiculous in, but Ican assures me that I look "perfectly wonderful!" My hair is allowed to be it's natural color. It has been curled, styled, and arranged to the side. A silver necklace is placed around my neck, and matching flats are on my feet.

It's right before the interviews. Enobaria has told me to act completely in control of everything, like I've got this in the bag. I remember asking her if that meant being arrogant. Her reply? "If it works for you." Thanks, mentor.

The girl tributes go before the boys. I watch the tributes from District 1 go before me. The boy has blonde hair and a pretty face, but that doesn't distract you from the fact that he looks like he could take on most of the Peacekeepers in the Capitol. He'll be a contender for sure.

The girl from 1 is slender, but strong-boned. She's ridiculously gorgeous, with long, dark brown hair and big blue eyes. But she too looks like she could kill without any hesitation. It's something in her eyes.

Caesar Flickerman, the announcer for the Games, has had his hair dyed bright yellow this year. He's famous for changing the color of it for every Games. In my opinion, it looks like he took the contents of a toilet bowl and dumped it over his head. I'll be willing to bet it smells as bad as it looks. And I haven't lost a bet ever.

Then it's my turn. I start to get nervous, but I don't show it. My face is completely composed as I ascend to the platform and sit down in the chair facing Caesar.

"Ah, Ayla Cetteras," Caesar says. There is mild applause from the audience, but nothing special. I manage a small smile, and a little wave.

Caesar continues. "That was some outfit you wore a couple of days ago. Don't you agree?"

I suck in my breath and go for it. "Yeah." I wince inside. "It was very pretty wasn't it? Striking. Though I'm not sure how Ebb liked his part." There is a laugh from the audience. It's pretty big, and I allow myself a smile.

Caesar laughs too. "Tell us about your home, Ayla. Who's waiting for you to come back?"

"My brother. His name is Wyss and he's nineteen. My parents died a few years ago, my mother of a miscarriage and my father of a mining incident." The audience sighs a little, but they're all waiting for me to go on. "Wyss works in the mines."

"And what does he do?"

"Well, I can't really tell you that..." The audience laughs again. I seem to be a comedy center.

Caesar asks his next question. "So, your score was pretty high. What do you think of that?" I think back to my performance in the training area. I practiced with the snares a bit, shot a couple arrows, but mostly I climbed. All over the walls, without a harness. That impressed the judges at least a little bit, because my score was a nine. Ebb earned an eight.

"I think it was well-deserved," I say. "I mean, I worked for it. It's not like I can roll out of bed and go earn a nine. I sincerely think there is no one who can do that naturally."

"Excellent answer. Alright, we have time for one more." He fidgets in his chair. "Your mentor is Enobaria, as we all know. What do you think of her? Do you feel pressured to live up to her?"

What kind of question is that?! I feel the same hotness start to bubble up inside me as I felt with Ebb, but I ry to subdue it.

"Pressured?" I ask, leaning forward. "I don't feel pressured, Caesar. I don't think it's a measure of if I can live up to her, it's whether her performance will live up to what I'll bring to the Games. Winner or loser, I'm going to give you all a show you won't forget. Believe me when I say that."

Caesar turns to the audience. "What do you think of that?" They roar their applause. I smile and nod my head, looking over their faces. And that's when it clicks. These people don't care whether I live or die. What they want is entertainment. Plain and simple.

Caesar gets up, and I follow his lead. He shakes my hand, and I descend the steps to the roar of the crowd behind me.

The rest of the interviews pass quickly, at least for most. I get quick glimpses of each tribute's personality.

The girl from 4 is quick on the uptake and bites back. The boy from 6 is quiet and shy. Thella from 9 is sweet and kind, and her laugh sounds like bells. Kirwan is quiet, but when he speaks, it's funny, and I find myself laughing. And then the boy from 12 is stuttery and sort of broken.

After the interviews are over, I go up to Enobaria. Before I can even open my mouth, she nods. I did what I was supposed to.

Now all I have to do is survive.