Deceived: The 500th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 49 - The Interviews

PHILLIPE HONEYMAN'S P.O.V

"Good evening Panem!" I yell to the audience. "Tonight is the night where I, Phillipe Homeyman, get to interview my beloved tributes from Districts 3, 7 and 11. Let's begin with Billee and Theta from District 3."

Billee and Theta walked in onto the stage, waving and cheering to the audience. Theta wore a bright purple dress and Billee wore a small yellow tux.

"Hello guys," I smile.

"Hi Phillipe," Billee beams. Theta bows her head and smiles slightly. Maybe she's camera shy.

"So you two are our first interviewees. How do you feel today?" I ask.

"Nervous," Theta mumbles.

"I'm okay, even though I'm going to die tomorrow," Billee shrugs.

"Don't count yourself out Billee," I tell him. "You're stronger than you think. Look at your training score!"

"Everyone got high scores this time around," Theta pulled a face.

"What's been the best part of the Capitol?" I asked them.

"The hotel," Billee smiled. "The food, the beds, the clothes, it's all so rich!"

"I've really enjoyed the people's attitude and enthusiasm," Theta mumbled. "They're so happy about everything."

"One last question," I say. "You two are in a huge alliance of eight. How do you think that'll turn out?"

"I think it'll be okay," Billee said. Theta nodded. "Of course, people will die, only three get through, but I'm sure we'll get on well. We could be strong enough to take over the cornucopia if Indigo and Vibia aren't in the right position."

The buzzer cuts us off. "I would love to talk more, but time is up," I say. "Keep your hopes up and good luck."

The two of them stand up and wave to the crowd again before leaving the stage. "Next up is Mizar and Yasmin!"

Mizar and Yasmin walked onto the stage. They didn't wave or cheer. Yasmin looked like she was about to cry. Mizar scowled at everyone. Yasmin wore a baby pink dress and Mizar wore a bright orange dress.

"Hey girls," I smile at them.

"Hello," Yasmin murmured, her bottom lip trembling. Mizar continued to scowl.

"So how are you?" I ask.

"I want to go home!" Yasmin wailed, tears streaming down her face. "I want my mum and dad."

"It's okay," I tell Yasmin, bringing her into a hug. I tried to comfort her slightly. "How are you Mizar?"

"How do you think I am?" She spat, glaring in detest.

"I think you're a little bit down too," I reply.

"Of course I am. I volunteered for no reason!" She screamed. "Marius is dead. He died yesterday and now I'm here for no reason!"

"I'm so sorry," I whisper. "It's hard when you lose someone, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Yeah. But at least I'll be able to join him soon."

"Don't think like that," I say. Why are they all accepting death already?

"One last question. I'll make it a happy one. What has been the best moment here so far?" I ask.

"The train ride," Yasmin said, finally sitting up and wiping away the tears left on her cheeks. "Where I met Shauna and Orchid and Wyatt and Alberto and Confrey."

"And what about you Mizar?"

"When I realised that Ogilby could beat people up sitting down."

"What?"

"Ogilby almost knocked Indigo out," she chuckled.

The buzzer cut us off, stopping our conversation. "Well, I hope you both feel better and I hope you have a great last night," I say to them, helping them out of their seats. They both trudged off of the stage.

"Now give it up for Arlu and Auricula!"

The two of them entered the stage, holding hands and forcing their smiles. Oh, how well I know that feeling. My jaw aches a little bit right now.

The crowd wolf whistled and cheered for the couple. Auricula wore a violet coloured dress dotted with sequins whilst Arlu wore a bold, lime green suit.

"Hello lover birds," I say, winking at the two of them.

"Hello Phillipe," Arlu said, still holding Auricula's hand.

"So, how have you been?"

"Pretty good considering tomorrow we may have to kill people," Auricula said.

"Yeah, it's weird hanging around with all these people knowing that at the end of the year, none of us may be alive," Arlu added.

"Now, Arlu, we saw you volunteer for Cosmo, Auricula's younger brother. Both of you, tell me what went through your minds at the reaping," I say.

"I was shocked. Arlu and I had only spoken a few times before. It was like my wishes had been answered," Auricula said. "But now Arlu is here. I've realised how kind he is to people, and I don't want him to die. I love him just as much as Cosmo."

"I didn't even know why I did it, but in a way, I'm glad I volunteered." Arlu said. "I saved Cosmo's life, and I can die happy knowing I protected someone."

"Arlu," I turn to him. "You, Bramble and Marius were involved in an explosion, is that correct?"

"Yes." Arlu ran his finger over the lightning bolt shaped scar under his eye.

"What exactly happened?"

Auricula gripped his hand. Arlu cleared his throat. "Marius' dad and Bramble's uncle had just left the factory for five minutes. We were all left in there. Someone had messed with the machinery before they had left. Sparks were flying out of the machines. Suddenly, the machine exploded, triggering the other machines. It was like watching a fire spread." He started to shake. "Then, a huge piece of machinery fell. I pushed Bramble out of the way and it landed where he was standing before I pushed him. The entire ceiling collapsed. The two kids were separated from me. Once I had found them again, they were being taken to the hospital. The criminal was never caught."

The buzzer cut off a traumatised Arlu. She was shaking violently from remembering the incident. "I'm sorry. I hope you all do okay in the arena and I hope to see you all in a few months."

Auricula and Arlu stood up and waved to the crowd before dashing off of the stage. Bramble and Gauis walked on as I introduced them. Bramble wore a baby blue suit while Gauis wore a red waistcoat and bow tie with generic suit clothes.

"Hello guys," I smile at them.

"Hello Phillipe," Bramble said, confident and less cheerful than normal.

"How are you Phillipe?" Gauls asked.

"I'm okay, what about you two?" I ask back.

"I'm not sure," Bramble said.

"What about?" I ask.

"I remember everything. I remember what the Hunger Games is. I remember what I'm facing tomorrow." He stared at me, pain in his eyes. As if he had been betrayed, deceived.

"He suffered from severe amnesia," Gauis said. "On the last day of training, I told him we may die and his memory recovered on the spot."

"I'm not dying!" Bramble yelled. "This may be the Hunger Games, but it doesn't mean I'm dying."

"Bramble," Gauis said, patting his friend on the back. "Come on buddy."

Bramble let out a long breath. I asked the next question. "What did you both do to get such high training scores?"

"I did what I did throughout training with my whip and dagger," Gauis said.

"Mine consisted of a spear, a dagger and an agility course," Bramble said.

"Well, you both got great scores. Bramble, you got a 12! That's amazing!" The crowd cheered for Bramble's success. "Do you have any alliances?"

"We're with Mizar and Ogibly, but we've created a truce with nearly everyone else. The only people I want to kill are the Careers," Gauis replied. Bramble nodded his head.

The buzzer cut us off.

"Thank you guys," I said, shaking their hands. "Give it up for the last pair of District 3, Bramble and Gauis!" They wave and bow before leaving the stage.

"Now give it up for Thalia and Flux from District 7!"

Flux walked on first, practically dragging Thalia onto the stage with him. Thalia wore a sky blue dress and Flux wore a dark green suit.

"How are my first tributes from 7?" I ask them, helping them into their seats.

"Scared, nervous," Thalia replied, laughing uneasily.

"How come?" I ask her.

"Tomorrow I could be dead. You never know how it'll all turn out," she replies. I nod I'm agreement.

"So, Thalia," I say. "You volunteered for a boy named Lotus. What is your connection?"

"He is my adoptive brother. He happened to be called, but I didn't volunteer to save his life. I volunteered to get away from him," she shook her fists at the camera. "Hear that Lotus? I hate you!"

"Last question for you two," I say. "What is your relation?"

"Best friends," Flux smiled, pulling Thalia into a hug. "We've been friends since we were babies."

The buzzer signalled our time was up. "Thank you for joining me. I hope to see you soon!" They exited the stage without looking back. "Now give it up for Vibia and Shauna."

Vibia and Shauna walked on to the stage, standing far away from each other. Vibia wore a dark red dress and Shauna wore a white dress.

"How are you two?" I ask them, helping them into their seats.

"I'm fabulous, thank you. Do you like my dress?" Vibia asked.

"It's beautiful. So is yours Shauna." Vibia didn't seem happy with my comment.

"Mine is the colour of blood," Vibia said. Shauna looked disgusted.

"I'm sure we'll see a lot of blood tomorrow," I say to Vibia. "Have you decided who is your biggest threat?"

"No one is a threat to me," Vibia laughed. "I will kill everyone before they can kill me."

"My biggest threat is myself," Shauna said. "One mess up, you die. You're not that spectacular Vibia. You're a human, not a god."

"I will kill you first," Vibia muttered, shaking her fist at Shauna.

"What is your weapon of choice?" I ask, trying to cut away from the threats.

"An axe. District 7 here, hello!" Vibia said, waving her arms in my face. God, she's rude.

"Who needs a weapon when you have an alliance who all use weapons?" Shauna said.

I wanted to jump into the air with joy when the buzzer went off. I didn't hesitate to rush them off of the stage. "Now, joining us next is Alberto and Confrey!"

The two boys walked onstage, straightening their suits and ties. Confrey wore a blue tux and Alberto wore an orange suit.

"Good evening lads," I smile at them.

"Hello Phillipe!" They chime in unison.

"So, let's cut to the chase. You both did outstandingly well in training!" I say, the crowd cheering along. "Give us an insight into what you did."

"Archery. Special archery," Alberto laughed.

"Shurikens," Confrey replied. "It wasn't special, just accurate."

"Well, you both did outstanding!" I say.

"Thank you," Confrey blushed.

"So, is there anyone special at home? Anyone here that catches your eye?" I asked.

"Nope, not for me. I never had a girlfriend," Alberto replied.

"Me neither," Confrey replied. "I mean, my mum and dad are at home, but that's not the same, is it?"

"Well, some people don't have parents to support them," I point out. "At least your parents are there and they love you."

The buzzer cuts us off before I have a chance to ask another question. "Thank you for joining me. I hope to speak with you after the games."

"Last up for District 7 is Briar and Vanity!"

Briar and Vanity walked onto the stage, waving and laughing. Briar wore a burgundy suit and vanity wore a magenta dress.

"Hello," I smile at them. They return the smile. "Vanity, I see your fingers aren't strapped together anymore!"

"Yes, after a checkup yesterday, they said it would be okay to take the strapping off," Vanity replied, wiggling her fingers.

"So, you two are quite interesting. Are you still a part of the Career alliance?" I ask.

"Vibia forced me to agree to kill Vanity if I joined the Career pack, so no, unless Vibia is taken out, I won't be in the alliance," Briar said.

"That's a shame. I'm sure the Capitol will enjoy watching your encounter onscreen when you finally end up in the bloodbath together," I say.

"I'm not going into the bloodbath," Vanity pointed out.

"Why?"

"Because of my bone condition. No doubt that I would break a leg or an arm in there. No, I plan to grab anything near my podium," she said.

"Ah, I understand now," I reply.

"Last question. Who is your biggest threat?" I ask.

"Vibia. No doubt," Briar said. "She's tougher than she looks. I'm sure if I can get her out of the way, I could go home."

"I think Arlu and Auricula. They'll obviously be very protective of each other, so I won't be paying them a visit in the arena," Vanity said.

The buzzer cut us short. "Thanks. I'll hope to see you after the games." The two of them waved and made their way off of the stage. "Now, from district 11 we have Skene and Persei!"

Skene and Persei walked onto the stage, not waving or smiling. They walked on, stone cold and hatful.

"Hi guys," I force a smile, trying to get them to smile back. They both glared at me. "What have you enjoyed about the Capitol?"

"The luxury. I like being pampered up," Persei scowled. "Oh wait, I'm only being treated this way to relax me when I'm about to die."

Shut up, Persei. Shut up.

"Skene," I say, trying to cut away from the girl. "We've seen you use a variety of weapons, and I'm not sure what you used in your private session. Tell us."

"Nunchucks." Blunt, straight to the point. Rude.

"You both got great scores," I point out, sweating slightly.

"It's not a 12 though, is it?" Skene said.

"12's make you the target," I point out. Skene nods. "I wouldn't mind being the target. Take it away from Persei."

"Are you two an item?" I ask.

"So what if we are? Why do you make us miss our old lives so much more before you send us to kill each other?" Persei screamed.

The buzzer cut off her ranting, and to be honest, I was glad. That was a disaster. I thanked them and rushed them off of the stage.

"Next up we have Ogilby and Indigo!" I smile. The two of them come out. Ogilby growls at Indigo. Ogilby wore a black tux and Indigo wore an indigo dress.

"Hello guys, how are you?" I ask, shaking their hands.

"I'm great," Indigo said through gritted teeth, glaring at Ogilby.

"Ogibly," I say. "I heard from an ally of yours that you beat Indigo up. What happened?"

"Don't bother butting in Indigo, this is my question to answer," Ogilby stopped Indigo, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "She called me a bloodbath tribute and I poked her with my crutch."

"Stabbed," Indigo corrected. "Stabbed me."

"I didn't leave a mark," Ogilby sighed.

"Now, Indigo, who is in your alliance?" I ask.

"Vibia. Briar is still welcome to join us," she twisted her hair. It was so obvious she liked him.

"What do you see in Briar?" Ogibly asked.

"He's great," she says, sighing slightly.

"If you both make it out of the arena, will there be a chance of you hooking up?" I ask.

"Keep your hopes up. I'm definitely coming back," she replied.

"Last question. Who will you hope to kill first?"

They both pointed to each other. Awkward. I'm slightly glad the buzzer went off, stopping them from fighting on the floor.

"Next up is Otillie and Violetta!"

The two of them walked out, holding hands. Confidence, not love. Otillie wore a silver suit and Violetta wore a yellow dress.

"Hello guys. Violetta, I expected a violet dress!" I exclaim.

"Everyone did. I hate having a colour in my name. My stylist and I decided not to do the generic 'match the dress to the name' game," she replied, holding out the bottom of her dress for all to see.

"So, are you two in an alliance?" I ask.

"Yes," Otillie said, looking up at Violetta. She's so tall!

"Do you plan to go into the cornucopia?" I ask.

"Yes. I will kill Persei and then get out," Violetta replied.

"Persei?" I ask.

"Yes. She beat me in the agility test thing. If she dies, I'll be the best one there," Violetta replied.

"Now, Otillie, about the finger. What happened?" I question.

"Some psycho in the trees. He chopped off my finger. He was killed later that day," Otillie replied.

"He stabbed three guys and pushed a 10-year-old from a tree. They were in a coma for months," Violetta added.

"One last question. Do you think you'll make it to the Ultimate Game at the end of the year?" I ask.

"Maybe. I don't want to get my hopes up, but I would like to think I can make it," Otillie said. Violetta nodded.

"Thank you guys," I say. "Last but not least, we have Orchid and Wyatt."

The two of them walked onto the stage, holding their heads high and smiling. Orchid wore a purple suit and Wyatt wore a pink tux.

"Hi boys," I smile. "How are you?"

"We're scared but excited," Wyatt replied.

"About the arena?" I ask.

"Yeah. We still don't know what the arena will be like," Orchid said.

"Well, let me ask about your alliance. It's huge!" I exclaim.

"Yeah. Eight of us," Wyatt said. "It's a lot. A quarter of the tributes."

"We all get along at the best of times," Orchid added. "But if someone steps out of line in the arena, we aren't sticking around."

"Are you planning on going to the bloodbath?" I ask.

"We're going to discuss that later at the dinner," Wyatt said. "Not all of us are going in, but most of us."

"Well, good luck to both of you. Is there anyone you're trying to win for?" I ask.

"Our families," Orchid replied. The buzzer went off, cutting our conversation short. They went off of the stage and I turned to the audience.

"The Capitol Catch is back!" I said. "Your choices this time are poison rhinos, the option from the last games, and laser rays. The laser rays will burn the skin of the tribute and will be scattered around."

"You have until the bloodbath cannons sound to vote. I've been Phillipe Honeyman, thank you and goodnight Panem!"