Chapter 11: Tribute Interviews Part 2
I hurry into one of the dressing rooms and switch on the small TV. It's a shame I never got to watch the other tribute interviews - it will be a disadvantage for me in the games, not knowing much about my competition. Also I'm not sure how well my interview went as I have nothing to compare it to.
Did the Capitol adore the other tributes, or hate them? Were they as nervous as I was? Luca seemed nervous, but I'm sure he will have no trouble wooing the audience.
"Now let's give a big round of applause to our very last tribute, Luca Edenthaw" Leon says, welcoming Luca to the stage.
"Hello, hello how are you?" Leon asks Luca.
"I'm good, how are you?" Luca replies with a fake smile.
"I'm fine, thanks." Leon says with his usual fake friendliness. "So you're our last tribute of this evening. What do you think of the other tributes? They're an interesting bunch aren't they?"
"They certainly are. Although some of the other guys really need to climb out of their own behinds"
That earned a laugh from the audience.
"What about the girls? Anyone catch your eye?"
"Well there are some really beautiful girls-"
"Especially the one from your District"
"You can say that again"
I can feel my cheeks redden. I'm glad I'm in one of the dressing rooms and not in the waiting room with the other tributes where my reaction would be broadcast live.
"Well it's too bad you never got to know her better"
"Yeah, it's too bad"
"Maybe if you knew her better you could tell us how such an innocent-looking girl could score a perfect score in this deadly game"
"I couldn't possibly tell you, even if I knew"
"It couldn't have something to do with everyone having to be evacuated because of a fire, could it?"
"Maybe"
At that moment, three peacekeepers barge in the room and one of them says:
"It's time to go back to your room"
They mean that empty, sterile place, totally devoid of colour. The room is as white as I imagine heaven being. But it is far from heaven. I hate that room; it completes destroys my spirit. I guess that's its purpose.
But that's not the reason I don't want to go back. Tomorrow the games begin. If I don't speak to Luca tonight, I may never get to speak to him again. I could die on the first day, I could die on the eighteenth day - I just don't know. I'm not willing to take the risk.
"No, please. Just a couple of more minutes" I beg the peacekeepers.
"Mam, if you do not come with us willingly, we will have to remove you by force"
It's a threat, but he says it with a bored expression. He doesn't' expect me to fight back much. I'm just another inconvenience to them. Perfect. They won't expect it. I'll have the element of surprise on my side.
I barrel into the peacekeeper who is barricading the door, completely knocking him over and start frantically running up the hallway before I realise I don't have a plan. All I can do is keep running.
I see the stage door up ahead, past the portraits of past presidents and other equally famous people who adorn the walls, past the other tributes who are now bounding out of the waiting room, causing a riot.
"Hi Willow. Your interview was-"
"Not now" I say, cutting Cleo off in mid-sentence.
"Willow?" a familiar voice asks.
Luca! I've finally reached him but I'm not sure what to say. I hadn't quite planned out that far, since I hadn't expected to reach him at all. I can hear the peacekeepers running up the corridor behind me. I have to think fast.
"GET IN THERE" I shout, pointing at the nearest dressing room.
"What?" Luca says, with an incredulous look on his face.
I have no time for hesitation. I push Luca the dressing room, slam the door behind me and prop a fluffy chair up against the door.
"You're crazy, you're insane. No wonder they locked you up" Luca says, looking serious, but I know he's joking.
"I may be insane, but I'm you're only friend" I answer, with a laugh.
I catch a glimpse of myself in the tall mirror behind Luca. My pale blonde hair has come out of the neat bun in straggles. My dress is ripped from catching on my heels whilst I was running and one of the straps has broken. I look like a complete mess.
"Hey, I have other friends..."
"Like who? Mason? The brunette from the training centre?"
"Who? Alexis? Yeah right".
The peacekeepers are now hammering on the door, destroying the light-hearted mood.
"You didn't lock me in here to talk about Alexis, did you?" Luca says, sobering.
"No, I didn't" I admit, "Look; I wanted to speak to you one last time before tomorrow. I know you were hurt because of what I said in the interview. But if I told them the truth, they would think that we were a couple..."
"Would that be so bad?"
Would it be so bad? I don't know. Gee, thanks for complicating matters further, Luca.
"Umm, no but-but..."
"You're adorable, do you know that?"
"Err...yeah, thanks?" I reply, not really sure how to take the compliment.
Luca looks down at me through his sad green eyes. He looks as if he is about to say something else but then backs down. He doesn't say anything for a while. Just gnaws his lip. For a second, I though he was going to kiss me...
But then the peacekeepers' knocks become louder and louder, startling us both.
"I guess we should open the door now..."Luca says, looking disappointed, as he proceeds towards the door.
"It's not fair." I say, with sudden tears springing to my eyes. "We're only kids; we shouldn't be worrying about surviving the Hunger Games. We should be learning how to be an adult."
"I know," Luca says, looking sad all of a sudden. "I wish you would stop talking like the Hunger Games is your own personal death sentence. You are not going to die, Willow. I would never let that happen"
"But-"
"You're going to get out of this dreadful place and go home to your family. And you're going to get married some day, have children, grow old and have grandchildren. But most of all you are going live a happy life"
"No. I'm not going to live a happy life. Not if you're not coming out of that arena with me"
Luca looks completely taken aback. He did not expect me to say that.
The peacekeepers finally managed to push the door with so much force they nearly bowl poor Luca over. I reach over to steady him but am taken away by the peacekeepers before I get the chance. One of them twists my arm in a way that makes me want to cry out I pain, but I refuse to give them the satisfaction. I only let out a small whimper.
They drag me back to my punishment room but I still hear the shouts from the corridors before I went.
"Lock her up! Lock up the lunatic. Imagine taking a nice boy like Luca hostage in Leon Honeyman's dressing room. The horror!" Theta rants.
And then Luca cries:
"Remember, you're not in this alone. I'll see you real soon, Willow!"
As I lie on cold, hard mattress, my head starts spinning. Tomorrow is the Hunger games. It has only just sunk in. It's strange to think that tonight could be my last night. Ever.
I will see other people die right before my very eyes tomorrow. Could I ever bring myself to kill another human being? I'm not sure I could. This and about a hundred other things worry me to the point where I think I will never fall asleep. But I do eventually.