❝we will never go back to that❞

THE INTERVIEWS WERE ONE OF THE WEIRDEST PARTS OF THE GAMES. Isla had never understood why they were trying to get the audience emotionally attached to the kids that were about to die. She understood that it was for sponsor reasons, and it made things more interesting at some points. But she remembered watching as a little girl and refusing to watch the games after her favorite died. It was honestly kind of messed up.

She was in a white dress that made her look really pure and angel-like, just what the Capitol wanted to see her as. Her hair had been brushed out and curled, and her makeup was heavy but would look really natural under all of the bright lights and cameras.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for being here tonight on the eve of the 75th Hunger Games!" Caesar Flickerman announced to the cheering crowd. "We have never seen anything like this. And we will never see anything like it again. Because tonight, on this stage, 24 of Panem's brightest stars will vie for the ultimate crown. Tonight will be their final opportunity to express their thoughts. Our final opportunity to express our love. And heartbreakingly to say goodbye to all but one."

The blonde girl walked down the hall to find her spot in line, and as she passed the District 6 part, she felt eyes on her. She glanced over to see Lexa staring at her with an unreadable expression. It was not cold, but she was not smiling and waving either. The Angler woman offered a small smile, but once the Armada girl realized that she had been caught, she just looked away.

Isla looked absolutely stunning. Lexa could not keep her eyes off of her. As she walked past her and down the hallway, her eyes scanned her up and down for what felt like forever until she stepped into line behind Finnick and was out of sight. The brunette woman just shook it off and looked straight forward. She did not know what was wrong with her. When Isla smiled at her, she got a weird feeling in her stomach.

"Thank you, Finnick," Caesar said once the Odair man was done with his interview. He had done a beautiful goodbye to Annie that left dozens of Capitol women thinking that he was talking about them. "And now, his equally stunning district partner — Isla Armada!"

Isla put on the biggest smile she could muster and practically danced onto the stage. She waved at the audience before sitting down in the chair that her best friend had just occupied. She sat up as straight as she possibly could and placed her hands in her lap. "Hi, Caesar. It's nice to see you."

"Oh, it's great to see you too, Isla. I must say that we have missed you in the Capitol," he informed her, even though he probably had no recollection of the girl's interview and maybe not even her games. He spoke to thousands of people a year. She was surprised he even remembered her name. "How are you feeling about your second Hunger Games?"

"I think I'm pretty confident,"she responded with a nod, and she looked to the audience for their opinion even though she did not give a crap. They clapped and cheered loudly, signaling that they were confident for her as well.

She had scored a ten on her individual assessment, which was pretty high, and she improved a lot since the seven that she got during her first games. She won those games, though, so the scores were not very reliable. "With that high skill assessment score, you should be. What did you do that impressed the judges so much?"

"Well, I guess you're going to wait and find out in the arena," she told him with a sly smirk. She knew how to appeal to the crowd.

"Well, we already asked Finnick about his certain someone, so what about you?" he questioned, and she froze for a second because she was reminded of how lonely she was. She shook it off, however, deciding that her being available, while making her uncomfortable in the Capitol, would make her more appealing to the citizens. "You have anyone waiting for you at home?"

She kept the smile on her face, but she sighed like she was just a bit disappointed about the fact. She answered, "No, I don't, Caesar."

"With a beautiful face like that, there must be someone," he pointed out, and he leaned forward and placed a hand on her knee right where her dress topped. She tensed up, feeling very uncomfortable with the grown man touching her with the entirety of the country watching. She tried her hardest to hide her discomfort, and she hoped that she was successful.

She glanced over to where Finnick was standing with the other tributes that had just gone, and he just shot her a sad expression and a nod. There was nothing he could do, and she knew that. She just had to make it through so that she could go stand by him. "Thank you, but no."

"Well, that's all we have time for, folks," he said to the crowd, and he removed his hand from her legs to clap along with the audience. "Thank you, Isla. Your dress is amazing, and it's always a pleasure."

"You too, Caesar," she replied, and she stood up, waving at the audience for a final time before heading up the stairs and to where the other victors were standing. Finnick brushed her arm, letting her know that she was there, and she smiled at him before going back to standing straight up and staring at the crowd.

"Now, the formidable Lexa Armada!" Caesar shouted once it was time for her to go on. The brunette woman walked onto the stage, and she looked elegant and badass. She smiled ever so slightly as she sat down in her chair. "Hello, Lexa."

There was a slight anger in her voice because she had still not gotten over the stunt he had pulled with Isla. If he made a move like that toward her, she might have bit his hand off. She nodded at him, and her eyes were cold. "Hello, Caesar."

"You received a very high score from the Gamekeepers, although we're not very surprised," he chuckled out since she had gotten and eleven on her assessment, the same score she had received during her first games. "I remember your games. How does it feel being back?"

"I think it's bullshit, Caesar," she said confidently, and there were scattered gasps across the audience.

"Woah, some colorful language from Lexa here, folks. Cover the kids' ears," Caesar joked, but he seemed to be getting a little nervous and unsure of what to say. He did not want to continue this conversation, but he did not know how to segway into something else. He panicked, so he just kept talking. "What makes you say that?"

She leaned back in the chair, placing her hands on the arms of the chair. Isla noticed that she looked powerful, like a queen. "As soon as we stepped out of that arena the first time, we were promised that we were safe and done. Yet, here we are, about to fight for our lives again. So, I think it's bullshit."

"Well, your dress is stunning tonight. Red and black look amazing on you," Caesar told her, switching the topic.

Lexa seemed content with everything that she had said and accepted the compliment, going along with the change of topic and smiling at him, a quick change from the angry and cold expression. "Thank you, Caesar."

"Despite your negative opinions toward the games, do you think you have a chance at winning?" he questioned, and the crowd cheered as well, letting them know that they also thought that she had a pretty good chance. "You are fairly skilled with a sword."

"I think we all know winning takes more than being good with a sword," she informed him, and that was true. You needed to have a variety of skills and intelligence. You needed to be cunning and strong and brave. Being good at swinging a weapon around would help, but it was not everything.

"Well, I guess we'll see if you have what it takes," Caesar told her with a grin, and she stood up and resumed her elegant standing position. She seemed to glide across the stage and up the stairs. "Thank you so much, Lexa. May the odds be ever in your favor."

A few more interesting things happened during the interviews. Johanna cursed out Caesar and the crowd, similarly to Lexa, and Katniss was wearing a wedding dress. Once she got up and spun around, though, it burst into flames and turned into a much less tacky black dress that had wings like a Mockingjay.

Peeta was the last person to go, and he revealed that he and Katniss got married in secret. He was really good with both Caesar and the crowd, making people laugh and love him. "You know, Katniss and I, we've been luckier than most. And I wouldn't have any regrets at all if it weren't..."

"If it weren't for what?" Caesar questioned, leaning forward in intrigue as did many of the audience members and the tributes. They were very interested in what was getting the great Peeta Mellark all choked up.

He sighed. "If it weren't for the baby."

The crowd went nuts, and thousands of people were shouting and telling them to call off the games. Lexa had to hold back from laughing because that was fucking genius, even if Katniss was pregnant, which she doubted she was. Peeta grinned mischievously as he stepped off the stage and stood by the Everdeen girl.

"He is good," Finnick whispered to his district partner, and she nodded, still in shock. He grabbed her hand, and she glanced over when she felt another one grasp her other hand. She looked around to see all of the victors holding hands. She grinned as they all raised their arms up.

They were united at that moment, even if they were not in the arena. Snow would absolutely hate it, and that made every single one of those people happy. They were all grinning out at the angry crowd when the lights turned off.