Nothing Personal

District Four Interviews

Martina invited Misty first. The girl bounded to the front of the stage, waving at the crowd. Unlike the other girls, the stylists had dressed her in baggy jeans and a loose T-shirt, obviously playing on her more tomboyish nature. She flopped into the chair like she owned it, although fear flashed in her eyes. "So, Misty, honey. It's good to see you," Martina began, and the crowd cheered their agreement, although admittedly with less enthusiasm than they'd shown the other girls.

"Hello!" Misty chirped in return.

"So, is this a big change from District Four then?" Martina felt like she had to ask; none of the other tributes had really talked about their homes. She was supposed to try to get them to, because it was good for the audience, but they didn't take the bait. Misty leant back, crossing her hands. The stylists had even kept her hair the same as it had been at her reaping, like a small orange explosion. "Oh, yeah, definitely. There's a lot less water here!"

It wasn't meant to be funny, but people laughed.

"You like water then?" 

Misty chuckled, relaxing. Everyone was looking at her; she loved it. Now she just had to make herself memorable, and she'd been told how to do that. Get a few jibes in at the interviewer, or at least engage with her rather than just answering the questions. "Have you ever met anyone from District Four before? Of course! We love water! I can hold my breath for fifteen minutes!"

"And that's useful, is it?" asked Martina with a smile. She'd already warmed to the boyish, open girl, and she knew that people in the crowd would have too.

"Oh, yeah!" exclaimed Misty, kicking her feet, "It saves loads of money on diving equipment, and it's much more fun! I mean, you actually feel at one with the fish, like there's nothing different between them and us. They don't swim away from you. It's beautiful."

Several people in the crowd vaguely wished that they'd been in District Four. Vaguely.

"You like it, then?" 

"It's the most amazing feeling in the world!" Misty enthused. She loved to talk about being in the water nearly more than she loved being in it, and that was a lot. No matter what she said, it was never quite right. It never quite captured the perfect isolation, the stillness, the beauty. She was almost back there now, the salt on her mouth, the fish flickering around her arms, her hair wafting around her shoulders, defying gravity.

Her enthusiasm was catching and the crowd nearly forgot that she wasn't beautiful.

"I love my home," she added, just in case they hadn't got it, "And I intend to return." Her eyes glinted dangerously. Martina was almost scared by it. Taylor and Austin exchanged another twin-glance. Even Amber and Dark, who had been engaged in another charged staring match, both looked at her with something like respect. If she noticed, she didn't show it. "My parents only have me," she said calmly, "I don't have any brothers or sisters. I love my parents, and they love me and they need me. So I'm motivated. If you underestimate me, you will regret it. Painfully."

"Nobody is underestimating you, honey!" exclaimed Martina. She was starting to feel like she hadn't spoken in a while, and although the interviews were about the tributes, she didn't like feeling like she wasn't getting her share of the limelight. "Good," retorted Misty, with a firm smile.

"So, you'll be translating for Meridan then? How have you found that?"

"Not bad. I'm not a great signer, but I think I'm good enough." She automatically looked back at Meridan, who was gazing at the screen, but of course he hadn't heard so he couldn't give her any encouragement. In truth she was very nervous about it. She hadn't had any interview training herself because it had all been about Meridan and translating for him. She'd been assured that she was good, but she wasn't sure. Meridan had a patronising way of looking at her whenever she got something wrong that made her feel small. The reaping had been one thing; the adrenaline had been pumping and Meridan had been so shocked that he was probably just grateful that she'd sort of understood him. Now he'd had time to get used to the importance of the interview he'd turned into a huge perfectionist and had even stormed out of the interview training yesterday.