Emily had started to fret. Training was over, and they were now preparing her for the interviews. Plucking eveery hair, waxing her body, applying make-up across her face. It felt weird, having all of these things being done for her. She couldn't remember the last time she had even seen make up.

Her designer looked at her, and Emily evaluated herself. They had already taken her flannel shirt and jean skirt, and probably burned them. Those were her comfiest clothes, but no matter. She needed to look good for the interviews.

What she really needed was a strategy. Would she go for flirty, or kick-butt? Shy, or loud? She didn't want to draw unneeded attention to herself, but she knew she needed it if she wanted to survive. There wasn't any previous victors from District 12 to teach her. The last one had died from a morphine overdose, so there wasn't a person who could tell her what to do. What could she do? 

"-mily? Are you listening?" her designer asked.

Emily was ripped out of her thoughts, and into a conversation.

"What?" 

Her designer groaned, muttering something about "incompetent tributes"

"You need to do exactly what I say, if you want to survive." her designer ordered.

-----------------

Angie was starting to worry. She hadn't seen Logan since training, and he had taken a huge beating. She wasn't even sure if he was alive. He had saved her from that bully, and she had gotten him hurt. Logan was funny, and sarcastic, and brave-

Angie shook the thoughts out of her head. She needed to get her head in the game, and couldn't have any emotional attachments. This wasn't fair. She should have never volunteered. But her big sister was the only thing keeping the family afloat, after dad had left. She couldn't let her go, and be sacrificed to this cruel game.

They needed Rachel, but not her. The idea was hard to perceive, and brought the smallest of tears in her eyes. She wasn't needed, or essential, and they would just carry on with their lives, now that she was gone.

"No tears! Red and puffy eyes are so not in!" her stylist scolded.

It's not like she had a chance at getting a sponsor. She had frizzy red hair that wouldn't stay put, and watered down emerald green eyes. Not piercing, or soft, just diluted. Freckles splashed across the bridge of her nose, and all around her body. Not pretty, at least to her. 

They shoved her into a striking dark blue dress, and high heels she could barely walk in. She silently cursed the creator of the annoying contraptions, as she tried (and failed) to get up. A thought of Logan splashed into her mind, but she tried to push it out. She couldn't afford to mess up. She needed to win, to prove she was essential. No, she would win.

--------

Mikey was not having a good time. Forced to wear an unbearable tuxedo, he was really getting antsy. And he hadn't even thought about what he'd say in the interview. If all else failed, he could play the hyperactive kid. Heck, he was already the hyperactive kid. He had never been tested, but he was pretty sure he had ADHD.

Mikey listened as the other tributes started to play their sob stories for the crowd. His face dropped when he saw who was interviewing. Ebony black hair, died with wild green streaks, and pale skin? Loki Stellio, nicknamed after the Norse god, was known for his tricky interviews. No fake personalities could go through him. Most of his interviews ended with someone crying, and it wasn't him. He would dissect you, make you bring up your innermost secrets. All on the order of Athena, the head Gamemaker.

Mikey was dreading having to go up there. He knew he would either make a fool of himself, or end up revealing some embarrassing secret he didn't even know he had. Mikey started to panic as he heard his name being called. 

A memory that he always clinged to in times of stress filled his mind.

"'It's all alright. We're going to be okay'" he repeated in his mind.

He remembered his mother, saying that when he was little, when they didn't have enough food to eat, or a place to stay. He repeated the mantra in his mind, before he calmed down. He walked onto the stage, and into the seat. 

Mikey had half-expected Loki to be wearing a reindeer helmet, but he looked normal. In fancy capital clothes, but nothing too exotic. In fact, he looked... too normal. His skin was pale, like he hadn't seen sunlight in years, but somehow he seemed like he could hold his own in a fight. His ebony black hair was neat, yet had a messy quality to it. The wild green streaks were attention grabbing, but his eyes took the cake. 

They were an eery green you just couldn't place. One second, you thought they were shining bright, the next, they were swampy and murky. They swirled around, almost like magic. They were...unsettling.

"Hello, young man!" he said in a rich voice, like honey. Or silver.

Those words were inviting, and polite, and made him want to rela-

Keep your guard up, he reminded himself.

"Hi." he squeaked out, his voice cracking.

He cursed puberty a million, trillion times at that moment, as the crowd went into awkward, polite laughter. This was not going to be a good interview.

"Nice voice you got there." he said smoothly, taking some embarrassment off of him, then putting a ton more.

He awkwardly laughed with the crowd, wishing he didn't have to be there.

"Any chance you have somebody at home, waiting for you?" Loki asked.

"No, I'm an orphan." he replied, earning a sympathetic awww from the audience. 

Yeah, right. Like they care. he thought bitterly.

"So, no pressure on you to win. Well, your whole district is counting on you!" Loki stated.

Mikey didn't know how to answer that. This was not going to be a good interview.

--------

After Mikey's disaster, the rest of the tributes came. Some were confident, like Zia ( "No question.  I will win.) others, flirty (Kayley wouldn't stop throwing back her hair, in the two inches of clothing she was wearing) 

Emily had obviously listened to her stylist, as she came out with a black dress, and left with a sparkling diamond gown.

But all of them had one thing in common. Loki tricked them all. Atticus was the only one who even stood a chance, but he was soon tripped up in his words, as Loki found his secrets. Loki had an infectious personality, that made you comfortable, while also tripping you up at every corner, and laughing it off like a joke.

The weirdest occurrence during the whole event, was that there was a last-minute replacement for John, from District 1. Logan was nowhere to be seen during the whole scene, and that just made Angie even more nervous. 

Athena was having a field day with the drama-fest of Michelle crying, while Wynter was starting to wonder if she had miscalculated her own fiasco with her brother. And all while the spy was still undetected by the tributes. 

Yes, this time around, the games would certainly be interesting.

-----------------------------

How was it? I think I'm a little rusty because I haven't written in a long time, but all in all, I think this is okay. Thanks for checking this book out, and sorry for the lack of updates. I'm going to try and pick up this book with a lot more chapters, and a lot faster.

Sincerely, 360_Productions