The Fandom Games

PART II: Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 – CAPITOL TV

A/N: This would be the chapter with the most spoilers. Caesar is going to interview each character and we're going to reveal some things about Sherlock (BBC Sherlock, season 3), Tobias (Divergent, book 1), Isaac (The Fault in Our Stars), Kirke (The Magician's Nephew), Tate (American Horror Story, season 1), Louisa (The Sound of Music), and Sweeney (Sweeney Todd) which are pretty spoilery. I think I organized the chapter well enough for you to be able to see it coming – only when that character is being interviewed is anything spoiled, so you can easily scroll past their paragraphs if you need to. I don't suggest you skip the entire chapter, though, because there is a lot of vital information about these characters you might miss! Without further ado, enjoy the chapter.

Sitting in the room with all of these people was relatively exciting, I'd give them credit for that. The dressing up was much too overdone and the colours far too bright, smiles all painfully fake, but I'd never seen such an intriguing group. Twenty-three deductions waiting to be made.

Caesar Flickerman warmed himself up with some petty breathing exercises which really did nothing for the nerves – unless, of course, the mind-over-matter method worked for him. He sat in one of the chairs and waited for the countdown from the cameraman. The rest of us were shoved backstage, except for the District One tributes, who he would interview first. We all watched on a screen what was happening right behind us, which I found to be extremely inefficient.

"Live in five, four, three, two-"

A voiceover came through the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, your master of ceremonies: Caesaaaar Flickermaaaaaaaan!!"

The stage filled with light as horrible pre-recorded trumpet music blasted out to the audience. Rich as the Capitol was, they hadn't bothered to get a real trumpet player but instead spent at least twice as much money getting a computer technician to compose a measly theme song. Caesar flashed a wide grin at the cheering audience, then eagerly leapt out of his seat and waved at the audience. They went crazy.

"Welcome to the seventy-third annual Hunger Games!" Caesar announced, earning him another round of applause. "Are you excited to meet the tributes?? Let me hear you!"

I rolled my eyes. "His enthusiasm is a bit forced, don't you think, Molly?"

"Wha- oh, um, yes, it's not natural at all, is it?"

She didn't see what I was seeing. I sighed and resigned myself to quietly watching. I entertained myself by using the three minutes each tribute had to deduce something about them. I may as well try to learn something I didn't already know. I had spent the week previous clearing space for such details on my opponents so I could store them efficiently in my mind palace.

Hermione Granger was the first to sit in the chair opposite Caesar. District One. That meant she was a witch. Went to a private school for it. Ordinary parents, extraordinary child.

She wore a red, long-sleeved gown with glittering gold lining. Clearly a brave young girl. Her hair had been notably tamed for the interview, and though it may have looked nice now, she was self-conscious about it. That and her teeth, though with dentists as parents she hardly had a thing to worry about.

She spoke cheerily of her friends at home and how much she'll miss them, then cheerily let on that she thought she would win. Playing up the audience's sympathy for the child. Still, she was older than she looked.

"Hermione, everybody!" Caesar lead the applause that got her off of the stage while Oliver Wood stepped on, wearing a tuxedo a shade of red so similar to Hermione's dress one could almost mistake it for the same. His necktie glittered gold. I could tell he went to the same school as Hermione. Significantly older. Sporty kid, though not muscular; rather scrawny. Whatever kind of sport he played, he was a type of goalkeeper.