"Ladies and gentlemen, your master of ceremonies, Ceasar Flickerman!"

The audience roars as Ceasar is revealed, sitting on his chair, his hair puffed up, microphone in hand, his left leg propped up on his right.

The night before the games is when the interviews come. All the tributes get hauled up to the stage in order of District, the girls going before the boys again, and get three minutes to talk to Ceasar. It's all timed, and there's sponsors in the audience, so really, this is the final hurdle before we reach the arena.

All the tributes are backstage right now, watching what's going on on the stage through big TVs. The audience is huge, packed full of sponsors and Capitol citizens alike.

Ceasar does his big intro, but I'm not watching. I'm backstage right now, in a small dressing room, standing before Cinna in my dress.

"Amazing," Cinna grins.

I huff, turning to him. "Well, I don't feel amazing."

My stylist frowns. "You don't know how beautiful you look?"

"No!" I snap. "And I don't know how to make people like me, how do you make people like you?"

"You made me like you," Cinna tells me.

"That's different, I wasn't trying," I look down.

"Exactly," Cinna stands up, walking towards me. "Just be yourself, I'll be there the whole time, and just pretend that you're talking to me," he tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Okay?"

He makes it sound so easy. But I know it's not.

"Okay," I look down.

By the time I'm standing, second furthest from the front in the line, the first tribute is being welcomed up by Ceasar.

"Let's see if she does indeed shine, let's have a warm round of applause for Glimmer!"

Glimmer wears a short pink dress, her blonde hair swishing about as she walks up to Ceasar. She tries to go for the 'flirty' approach, but she doesn't really manage it.

"Glimmer, are you prepared?"

"Yes, Ceasar, I am very prepared..."

The TV at the front of the line gives me a perfect opportunity to watch, but my eyes are attached to the back of someone else's head instead.

Cato stands taller than any of us, even taller than Thresh. He wears a shiny blue suit jacket and his hair is gelled back nicely. I can't see his face, but I presume it's just as stupidly handsome as before.

I look at him for most of Glimmer's interview and the majority of Marvel's, only really catching the moment when Ceasar grabs his hand and lifts it up high, Marvel whooping loudly and increasing the volume of the crowd tenfold.

Clove goes next, and she isn't playing any games. She's not caked with makeup like Glimmer was, and has a peachy pink dress on. The audience will see her beauty now, and tomorrow, they'll see her lethality.

She tells the audience how she hopes to win, and how she's been waiting for this moment for a long time. I don't bother believing that she's lying. She's from Two, after all.

It's when Cato is sitting in that chair that things really get interesting.

"It's an honour representing my district, I'm really proud to be here," he lays out.

"So you're a fighter?" Ceasar says.

"I'm prepared, I'm viscous, I'm ready to go!" Cato smirks.

"Ohhhh, that is some confidence there, m'boy!" Ceasar teases, Cato grinning back at him. Then he changes track quicker than I can think. "Now, Cato, I have to ask, because I think many of our audience members tonight will be thinking the same thing, but is there a girl back home?"

Of course there is, I think, as the audience whoops and cheers. Look at him.

Cato smirks easily, saying. "Well, there actually is a girl I've had my eye on," he begins.

"Oh, I knew it! I knew it!" Ceasar plays it up for the audience. "Come on, Cato, tell us more! Who is she?"

"Well, she's very beautiful," Cato begins. "And she's also one of the smartest people I know. She's very snarky, and annoying, but I can't help but be intrigued by her, and want to know more about her."

As he describes his mystery girl, the whole audience is either crying or 'awwwing', and many are swooning as well.

"Oh, young love!" Ceasar comments. "Now, Cato, our time is sadly over, but I'm sure our audience will agree with me when I say we all hope you can get back home to this girl, and tell her how you feel about her!"

"Yeah," Cato agrees vaguely.

"Give it up for Cato Hadley, everyone !" Ceasar does the same thing, raising Cato's hand up. The boy grins easily round at the audience, and for a split second, I wonder if his girl is watching this in Two, crying like the rest of the world probably is, waiting for him to come home. Hadley, I think vaguely, wondering if this mystery girl will ever share that name.

The next person I can properly tune into is Foxface, who is talking about her wits and how she can get through situations with them. I don't doubt this for a second, but what I do doubt it how she only bagged a five in the assessments.

I don't pay much attention to the tributes from Six to Ten, because I haven't had many impressions of them over the past few days, but when Rue from Eleven comes up onto the stage, I tune back in again, and stop myself from being so worried.

"So you can climb trees, you're pretty fast, and are you a hunter? A gatherer?" Ceasar asks her.

"I- I can find food," she replies, her voice small, her eyes big.

"Amazing, you can find food!" Ceasar smiles. "Now, Rue, I heard a little rumour backstage that you have a catchphrase you will be using. Do you mind sharing?"

"Yes, um... it's 'if they can't catch me, they can't kill me'," Rue says confidently.

I can't help but smile slightly. She's smarter than a lot of the tributes, perhaps even the careers.

Thresh does well, and is probably the calmest of all of us. I respect him immensely for not joining the careers, but I also don't know if he's trustworthy, or what he will do in the arena.

Then, before I can think, officials are at either side of me, beckoning me forward and taking me to the wings of the stage.

We get there just as Ceasar starts his intro.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, from District Twelve! District Twelve, you know her as the Girl on Fire! But we know her as the lovely Sage Everdeen!"

The claps ring in my ears as I step out onto the stage. I'm not really aware of how fucking huge the audience is, nor of how sore my feet are in these stupid heels. All I can sense is my nerves, and my shaking body.

"Welcome! Welcome!" Ceasar reaches out to me, but I barely hear him as I sit down. He says something else, then, but it is also muffled.

It is only then I realise that the whole audience has fallen silent, and all eyes are on me.

I frown at Ceasar. "What?"

The whole audience starts laughing, and so does he. I can't even bring myself to be angry, because I'm too nervous.

"I was saying, that was quite the entrance you made the other day, at the Tribute Parade," Ceasar tells me with a keen smile. "D'you wanna tell us about it?"

I speak honestly, because the crowd seem to love that. "Well I was just trying not to burn to death."

They laugh, and I hope I'm winning them over. I'm smarter than I'm playing it, but I'm also trying very hard. And acting is something I can only do to an extent.

"When you came out of that chariot, I have to say, my heart stopped," Ceasar tells me, turning to the audience. "Did any of you experience this as well? My heart stopped."

He looks back at me and I again, speak honestly. "So did mine."

More laughing. More cheers.

Ceasar chuckles. "Now tell me about the flames, are they real?"

"Yes," I smile, looking out into the crowd.

Where is he? He said he'd be ther-

My eyes snag Cinna's just in time. He's standing among the crowd, looking back at me. He nods, as if signalling that this is the time to do what he told me to do not half an hour ago.

"In fact I'm wearing them today," I smile, looking back at Ceasar. "Would you like to see?"

The crowd cheers but Ceasar asks. "Wait, wait, wait, is it safe?"

I giggle. I never giggle. "Yes."

"What do you think, folks?" Ceasar plays it up to the audience, and they make noise like never before. "I think that's a yes!"

So I get up, again looking at Cinna, and walk forward slightly so I won't trip on anything.

Then, slowly, I spin about, waiting for the audience to gasp, which they do a second later.

Because the bottom of my dress has burst into flames.

I spin for longer than I should, and start to get dizzy because of it. By the time I stop, my vision is going slightly blurry at the edges but the crowd is loving it. I sit down with a smile on my face.

"Oh, that was really something!" Ceasar grins. "Sage, that was something, that was something, thank you for that."

I nod, smiling slightly.

"I have one more question for you," Ceasar shuffles his chair slightly closer. He takes my hand, squeezing slightly. "It's about your sister. We were all very moved, I think, when you volunteered for her at the reaping. Did she come and say goodbye to you?"

I falter slightly. Talk of flames and tributes I can do, but talk of my sister? I don't know.

"Yes," I reply, my voice slightly hollow.

"Yes, yes," Ceasar repeats. "And what did you say to her in the end?"

I can't think of a reason to lie.

"I told her I would try to win," I say. "That I would try to win for her. And my other sister, Katniss."

"Of course you did," Ceasar nods. "And try you will, for it is very clear you love your two sisters very much."

"I do," I tell him.

Ceasar smiles, kissing my hand which he still has in his grip. Then he lifts me from my seat, holding our hands high like he's done with all the others.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, from District Twelve, Sage Everdeen, the Girl on Fire!"

☦︎☦︎☦︎

Effie meets me backstage, running up to me and giving me a quick hug.

"You did it darling! That was incredible!"

We walk away from the stage, her arm around me, and come into an area where Haymitch and Andrew are waiting.

"Nice job, sweetheart," Haymitch says.

"That was amazing," Andrew agrees.

I smile, looking down as I murmur. "Thank you."

"Nice dress, too," grinned Haymitch.

"Now please welcome, Jasper Mellark!"

Ceasar's voice on the TV beside us makes me look up. Jasper is walking onto the stage, a big smile on his face. Haymitch, Andrew, Effie and I all turn to look at his interview, and see what his strategy is.

"Jasper, welcome!" Ceasar grins. "Now, how are you finding the Capitol, and don't say 'with a map'!"

The audience laughs, and so does Jasper.

"It's, uh... it's very different than back home," he smiles.

"Different, in what way? Give us an example!" Ceasar laughs.

"Well, the showers here are weird," Jasper answers, the whole crowd wrapped around his finger. Anger courses through me. They haven't seen what he's really like.

"The showers?" Ceasar plays into it. "We have different showers, okay, okay!"

"I have a question for you, actually, Ceasar," Jasper says. "Do I, uh... do I smell like roses to you?"

The crowd laughs on as Ceasar makes a face.

"Alright, uh- should I-?"

Everyone watches as Ceasar leans forward, taking a whiff of Jasper's jacket. Then Jasper, grinning, takes a whiff of Ceasar's.

"You definitely smell better than I do," Jasper comments with a grin.

"Well, I've lived here longer."

I fight the urge to roll my eyes.

"Very funny, now Jasper, tell me," Ceasar sits back. "I've asked a few people this question tonight and I just have to ask you, is there a special girl back home?"

Oh, here we go, I think. Jasper does not have a girlfriend, and I don't think he ever has. But that will not stop him now.

He surprises me when he says. "No, no, not really."

"No?" Ceasar frowns. "I don't believe that for a second, ladies and gentlemen! Look at that face!"

It gets uglier by the second when you find out what he's done.

"Jasper, tell me," Ceasar implores him to listen.

And then he looks off into the distance, and speaks softly.

"Well there... there is this one girl who I've had a crush on forever," he begins. "But it's never going to work out."

"What? Are you crazy?!" Ceasar gasps. "I'll tell you what, Jasper, this is what you do. You go out there and win this thing, and then she'll have to go out with you."

Mystery girl, whoever you are, I wish you luck.

But Jasper is shaking his head. "Thanks, but... I don't think winning's gonna help my case at all."

"And why not?" Ceasar questions.

Jasper's face flattens, and he takes a deep breath.

And then he says six words that will forever change us.

"Because she came here with me."

☦︎☦︎☦︎

For a second, I don't process what his words mean.

For a second, the girl he's talking about is still Jennifer Wilkins, or Annie Anderson, or another pretty girl in our school class.

For a second, he's still the boy that raped me, and hasn't turned into the boy that's just admit he's got a crush on me on national television.

Because it's me.

He's talking about me.

By now, Jasper is off the stage, and the broadcast has cut out.

Before Haymitch or Andrew or Effie can say anything, I'm already marching back to the stage exit, where Jasper will be in a few seconds. My mentors and escort rush after me, but rage is fuelling me, so I am much faster.

I intercept Jasper as he exits the stage, and before he can resist, I grab his arm, my other one coming up and pinning him up against the wall by his neck.

"What the fuck was that? After every fucking thing that's happened between us and you go out and say you have a crush on me? You just say you wanna train alone, is that what you wanna play-?"

I falter as I am pulled away from him by Andrew, who is yelling. "Stop! Stop it!"

"Let's start right now-!"

"Hey!" Then both Haymitch and Andrew face me, both panting, faces angry.

"He did you a favour," Andrew tells me.

"I don't give a shit, he made me look weak-"

"He made you look desirable! Which, in your case, can't hurt, sweetheart!" Haymitch snarls.

"He's right, Sage," Cinna, who has at some point shown up, adds.

"Of course I'm right!" Haymitch rolls his eyes.

But I am still livid.

"It's not about that," I snarl. "You- none of you understand-"

"Then help us to," Andrew speaks.

"No! You know what? I won't!" I yell. "But how about you ask Jasper? Considering he just so nicely wrapped up his own lies on stage-"

"Shut up!" Haymitch shouts, silencing me. He pauses, waiting for my silence. "Now, I can sell the star-crossed lovers from District Twelve-"

"Fucking say that again, I dare y-"

"It's a television show!" Haymitch finally cracks, laying out the truth for me. "And being in love with that boy might just get you sponsors, which could save your damn life!"

I stare back at him.

"You still don't understand," I tell him. "But considering we'll both be dead in a week, luckily I won't have to tell you."

And then without permission or consent, I march off, back up the stairs and to the apartments.

None of them has a single idea.

And I'm not wasting time explaining.