The Capitol's Tribute

I sat on the fluffy, large yellow couch, my hands locked around my knees, making them go bloodless. No one was speaking as the large television plastered against one of the walls in the living area turned on. The scores were out. And I was terrified.

Brant seemed fine. Maybe a little anxious but not the wreck I was. That was good; at least Brant was confident about his performance.

I peered over at Haymitch who had been pleased by my display of affection with Finnick, if only it hadn’t been to hurt Peeta. No matter how many times I told him that I hadn’t meant for Peeta to see it or to hurt him, he still wouldn’t listen.

“Peeta and I are through. He has no reason to get upset over a simple kiss!” I growled.

Haymitch had simply rolled his eyes, “If you can make that boy believe it, you can make the world believe. Just turn up the heat with Finnick tomorrow, sweetheart.”

“Turn up the heat? What? Do you want me to have sex with him on television?” I asked sardonically.

Haymitch shrugged, “What ever it takes.”

As I peered at Haymitch, he gazed back at me with the same satisfied look on his face. I could hear his voice saying those last words to me. Well, I was going to do what ever it took to save Brant. And after the performance I made at the training session, maybe having publicized sex with Finnick was what I would have to do.

But, that thought made my skin crawl.

On my right was Cinna who had come to be supportive, but I thought he secretly just wanted to steal me as soon as possible to start getting ready for the interviews in four hours. Next to him were Portia (who I suspected had the same agenda as Cinna) and Katniss and Peeta.

Peeta hadn’t said a single word to me since I left for training sessions when he wished me luck. Now, it was as if he was pretending I didn’t exist. It was the same tactic I had used this past year with Peeta. It felt strange to have the roles reversed. I tried to speak with him multiple times to set the record straight, that Finnick was just being an ass to Peeta because of what had happened between us, but he had vanished into thin air the night before. When I asked Haymitch where Peeta had gone, all he said was, “Out.”

Katniss had been just as unhelpful because she had disappeared as well. At breakfast I sat next to Peeta and tried to start up a conversation with him but all I got out of him was a grunt and an eye roll. He was being completely ridiculous and immensely unfair about all of this. Peeta was free to marry Katniss but I couldn’t even pretend to date someone?

So, after his eye roll, I decided that I was done trying. He would have to live with the way he treated me because I wasn’t going to come out of the arena to patch things up with him.

Even as I glanced over at Peeta, he remained in deep conversation with Katniss, not even looking my way once.

Fine I thought Two can play at that game.

Caesar Flickerman, the Games commentator and the man who was going to interview all the tributes tonight, flashed on the screen, smiling his blindingly white smile. Every year Caesar dyed his hair, eye lids, and lips a different color for the Games. This year they were a deep royal purple. The same color as my dress. I wondered if Cinna had planned that.

Caesar started with Ridley from District 1. She earned a nine. No one was surprised by that. Malum earned a ten and I could feel my hope slipping away. We listened in silence as the scores were called off. Some earned additional comments. Effie popped in as soon as Malum was called and put in her two cents every other tribute.

Velvet, nine. Gusto, nine. Narina earned an eight, Reid a ten. The careers were high as usual. No one really stuck out like during the reapings, mostly mixed to lower scores with the rest of the districts. The redhead from 5 earned a six.

I held my breath as District 7 was up.

Caesar looked into the camera seriously, “From District Seven, Roma Ovaltree: a seven.” I waited as he looked down at his score sheet. I pushed myself up, leaning forward in anticipation. “And Frederick Mason: a nine!” I let out a shaky sigh a relief. How the hell had Freddy managed that? Maybe he wasn’t the one who needed helping after all. I was looking more pathetic by the minute.

“Looks like Freddy might have been playing you.” Peeta said coldly. How did he know I had been allying with Freddy?

The look on Brant’s face gave him away.

“He’s Johanna’s brother, not some helpless child.” I informed him. District 9 flashed on the screen. Anna had received a three.

“Like you?” Peeta shot back, glaring at me.

I pursed my lips tightly, “Freddy’s never hidden his talent from me. There was never any doubt he was skilled.”

Before Peeta could say something ruder to me, Katniss shushed him as District 11 was announced. Bruno earned himself a nine as well.

Now, the moment we’d all been waiting for. The worst thing about being from District 12 was you were always last.

Caesar looked genuinely excited. His purple brows rose considerably and his smooth voice called Brant’s name. “And from District Twelve, Brant Hart. With an eight.”

Brant smiled, letting out a relived sigh. I hugged him, laughing nervously because I was next. “And, his sister, Rixa Hart…” He paused for dramatic affect, masking whether he was surprised by my score or disappointed. “A ten!”

I almost fainted.

“Rixa!” Brant cried, grinning madly, “Rix, that’s amazing!”

I was in shock. I glanced over at Haymitch for approval and he nodded his shaggy head, but his face wasn’t as smug as I thought it would be. In fact, Haymitch looked positively grave.

He obviously should be thinking that this was proving the point of what he said on the train. But, he wasn’t happy with my score at all. Was it too low? Katniss had earned an eleven last year. Maybe he’d hoped I would do the same.

I felt overwhelmed. My eyes burned and I couldn’t comprehend what was going on. “I shouldn’t have gotten that score.” I managed to get out.

“That’s what I said last year.” Katniss told me. “I guess they must have liked whatever you did.”

All I did was make a fool of myself. Nothing worthy of a ten. This was a mistake.

“Oh, Rix,” Brant groaned, “Don’t complain! You got a great score.”

I managed a weak smile before Cinna rescued me.

“We should get preparations started. Tonight is the biggest night. It’s the last thing people are going to remember before you enter the Games tomorrow.” Cinna said calmly. I glanced anxiously at Brant. Tomorrow the Games started. The thought was absolutely terrifying.

Portia took Brant away. “See you tonight, Rix.” He smiled nervously. “Don’t let that score go to your head.” He joked before disappearing in the elevator.

Cinna made his way to the elevator, waiting for me. I slowly made my way over before Katniss stopped me.

“Wait.” She said, hurrying over to me. Peeta eyed us quietly. He hadn’t had much of a reaction to my score. “Can I talk to you for a second?” Katniss asked.

I glanced over at Cinna and he nodded. Katniss led me away from the others to her room and shut the door behind her.

“What’s up?” I asked nonchalantly. Katniss turned to me with a determined expression on her face.

“You’re scared.” She said plainly.

“That’s a given.” I nodded. She cracked a small smile before getting serious again.

“They’re going to target you. Especially since you got a better score then most of them.” By them, she meant the careers.

“I know.” I muttered. “They shouldn’t have given me that score.” And Katniss understood the double meaning behind those words. They shouldn’t have given me that score because it put an even bigger target on my back. It was going to make keeping Brant alive even harder.

“Obviously you’ve proven yourself or else they wouldn’t have given you that score. That’s a career score.” Katniss informed me, “What did you do?”

“Shot some lousy arrows.” I answered, “Ran around like a lunatic.” I muttered as well.

“You must be fast.” Katniss apparently didn’t think what I did was as stupid as it felt.

“They certainly thought so.”

“Use that.” She told me urgently. When did Katniss become my mentor? “Do whatever you did in there and replicate it in the arena. It’s what I did and it worked for me. I know you don’t plan on getting out alive, but Haymitch does and Peeta hopes, so I’ll be the cold one and help you get what you want.”

I wasn’t sure if it was so I would be out of the picture or she was listening to what I wanted because no one else was. Katniss was unreadable.

“Thank you.” I uttered. I stopped for a moment before adding, “He’s mad at me.”

“He’ll get over it.” Katniss assured me. “You’re leaving tomorrow, probably for good. He’ll get over it or live with it forever.”

I swallowed, changing the subject. “I should go. Cinna always makes me look at everything he makes me for an hour and then we make final touches before we even start getting me dressed.” I chuckled lightly. Katniss agreed and opened the door for me.

“The interview was probably to worst part of this whole thing.” She admitted. “Sometimes I think I’d prefer the arena over public speaking.”

“You were great.” I told her.

“And you’ll be even better.” Katniss said knowingly. “Haymitch is convinced you’ll be unforgettable.”

“That’s the idea, isn’t it?” I shrugged, “If they forget you, how can they sponsor you?”

Katniss smiled grimly, “Good point.”

We walked back out to the living area, breaking up a deep chat between the boys.

“Have a good chat, sweetheart?” Haymitch asked innocently.

“Which sweetheart are you talking to?” Katniss asked smartly.

Haymitch rolled him eyes, directing his attention to me, “Go with Cinna, sweetheart. See you tonight.” He said mischievously. I sent him a glare before following Cinna into the elevator and down to S3.

Cinna had decided to forgo the usual preparations we did together. He did my makeup before showing me my outfit when all I wanted was to see what I was to wear. I was regretting not being more helpful when Cinna wanted my opinion. The anticipation was killing me. It could be anything. All I knew was it was black.

My makeup was dramatic again, dark and bold. The black liner went out further then my eyes, giving the appearance that I had wings. Next, he went to work on my hair. Cinna took his time, delicately intertwining my blonde strands into a loose side braid. We didn’t speak for a long time, just enjoying each others company.

He painted my lips and nails a sparkling gold before disappearing into the closet and pulling out a mobile rack that held two clean bags.

Two dresses? Was he expecting me to change halfway through the interview?

Cinna turned around, smiling tentively. “Since you were so unhelpful, I decided to give myself full creative reign.” He unzipped one of the bags and pulled out a gorgeous champagne colored dress. It was simply and elegant. “Besides, black is a mourning color.” He added.

My breath had been taken away as I felt the smooth silkiness. “It’s amazing, Cinn.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Cinna smiled knowingly. I glanced over at the other bag, questioning Cinna.

“What’s in that one?”

“Just in case.” Cinna said casually, pulling out my interview dress and handing it to me.

Just in case I win. That’s what it was for. I almost wanted to see what it looked like because I would never get to wear it.

I didn’t respond as I took the dress from him. He helped me slip into and handed me a pair of black, lethal looking stilettos. They were as uncomfortable as they were intimidating. Cinna wheeled me around to the mirror and I was once again at loss of words. The top of the silky dress was wrapped snuggly and the sleeves were daintily off my pale shoulders. It dipped down a bit in the chest, showing just the right amount of skin.

I smiled sadly at Cinna. “Thank you.” Was all I could think to say. He was a life savor for Brant and me. He deserved so much more than just two words.

“I know.” Cinna said, reading my mind. “Just go out there and show the world the fearless Rixa Hart who dazzles the Capitol and earns a ten. She can do anything.” And his gaze wandered to the other dress.

“Cinna,” I tried to explain I wasn’t coming back but he cut me off.

“It’s time.” He glanced at his watch, “Interviews are starting in fifteen minutes. We need to get the Capitol’s tribute upstairs.”

I grinned appreciatively and followed Cinna into the elevator again, off to the interviews and Finnick.

Brant was waiting for me in the back of the tribute line looking as elegant as me. Portia had dress him in a champagne colored suit with black button up and a gold tie. He smiled brightly when he saw me and I couldn’t help myself from returning it. Brant’s emotions were contagious.

“I like this one much better,” He told me, “Much less cleavage.”

I snorted, punching him lightly in the chest. “Grow up.” He childishly stuck out his tongue out at me and I noticed that some of the tributes were eying us. I cleared my throat as mentors came up to their tributes for last minute advice.

“I spent all day with Effie learning how to talk in an interview.” Brant whined as we waited for Haymitch.

I chortled, “I spent the day with Cinna getting ready. This,” I motioned to my body, “Took about four hours.”

Brant’s eyes widened, “I didn’t realize you were so hard to make pretty!”

I smack his chest, glaring at Brant. “I have never been so offended in my life.”

“Oh, calm down, Rix.” Brant snorted, “We’re still the best looking pair here.”

Haymitch popped up, more sober than usual. “I wanted to be as alert as possible for tonight.” He said pointedly at me.

“Maybe you would feel more comfortable with a little buzz.” I remarked. Brant glanced between us, puzzled.

“Make me proud, sweetheart.” Haymitch smirked. “We’re all counting on you.”

“So, no pressure then?” Brant asked.

Haymitch patted Brant on the back. “Exactly.” Haymitch glanced at me, wanting to say more but only looked pointedly at Brant. Obviously what ever he wanted to say, he didn’t want Brant to hear it. With one final nod, Haymitch disappeared.

I glanced around the room as Katniss and Peeta came up to Brant. I caught Freddy waving excitedly at me. I smiled and returned it, noticing the gorgeous brunette dressed in a tight red dress standing in front of him. She turned around impatiently and scowled at me.

I felt like a deer caught in the head lights. Johanna probably thought I was going to use Freddy and get him killed but I had no intention of them. She was a victor; she was paranoid for her brother. There was no point in telling her I was just looking out for him. The only person she trusted was herself.

Her brown eyes blazed with anger and desperation before turning back to Freddy, forcing his attention back to her.

“Are you even listening, Rixa?” Peeta’s annoyed voice brought me back.

I snapped my head to him, a bit dazed, “Wha—sorry, what happened?”

“I said are you ready?” Peeta asked impatiently. I could tell he was worried sick. Apparently, Katniss was right. He was getting over the kiss.

“I think so.” I answered. “But even if I wasn’t…”

Peeta allowed himself to smile slightly, “You’ll be fine. You’ve always been good with people.”

“Thanks.” I breathed, “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about last night—”

Peeta’s eyes flashed with anger and his face tightened, “It’s fine, really. Finnick seems like a great guy. I’m happy for you.”

“You sound over the moon,” I said sarcastically. “But, Finnick was just being an ass. We’re not really—”

“Peeta,” Katniss said suddenly, “We’ve got to go.”

Ridley’s name was being called by Caesar Flickerman. The interviews had started.

I reached out for Peeta’s hand to make him stay so I could explain, but he shook me off and followed Katniss to find their designated seat in the front row.

“What happened with Finnick?” Brant asked, glaring.

“Nothing, Brant.” I sighed, “Peeta just caught us—”

“Kissing?” Brant finished. So he knew. He seemed a bit peeved for a moment but relaxed. “As long as he makes you happy, I’m happy.”

I smiled lightly, hugging Brant. “Love you, bro.”

I felt sick to my stomach not telling Brant the truth, but I guessed the less people who knew about this, the better.

The line slowly began to disappear as tributes gave their interviews. Some were charming or seductive, cocky or coy. I was about to ask Brant what his interview strategy was when Freddy’s name was called.

“Good luck, Freddy.” I told him as he walked forward.

“Thanks, Rixa.” He grinned, “I got this in the bag.” And I’m sure he did.

I felt a little uncomfortable when the boy from 11, Bruno, glanced at me with his unreadable expression. I didn’t need another person adding me to their hit list so I ducked behind Brant until Bruno was called.

After Bruno left, it was just Brant and I. He gripped my hand, giving a comforting squeeze as we listened to the crowd’s reaction to Bruno. He must be one of the biggest contenders besides Malum, one of the most sponsored.

Bruno exited the stage as Caesar announced me.

“I think I’m speaking for all of us when I say that the moment you’ve all been waiting for is here!” Caesar’s voice shouted exuberantly, “Our very own tribute, Rixa Hart!”

I felt nauseas. I was going to vomit.

“I can’t,” I told Brant fearfully, “I can’t do it.”

He didn’t understand what I meant. Brant thought this was just stage fright but this was a matter of destroying Finnick’s relationship with Annie. This was about reliving that night from Peeta’s perspective, only I wasn’t in love with Finnick.

“Rixa,” Brant smiled, “You’ll be fine. I know you will. They love you already. Just go out there and make them want you even more.”

I nodded, pulling Brant in for one last hug. I quickly walked as Caesar asked for me again. I rounded the corner and pulled back the thick red velvet curtain that hid us backstage and Caesar Flickerman and all his glory stood expectantly before me.

“Sorry, about that,” I smiled apologetically as the crowd erupted into applause and screams, “Got held up back stage.”

Caesar grinned his large blindingly white trademark smile, “I think you’ve been forgiven, my dear.”