The Silence of the Tribute

Interview

I stand next to Sodi and impatiently wait for my turn. I run my hand through my hair trying to calm myself.

My face still hurts from all the pinching and poking the designers brought upon me. I hate it.

I smooth down my dress. It's an elegant blue mermaid dress. It's something I've always wanted to design, but didn't have the money nor the time to.

I look up at Sodi. I want to ask him how the weather is up there, but this is the pre-game to the hunger games, and people don't make jokes here, unless you're on stage.

Finally it's my turn. I stride out onto the stage, stealing the crowds' attention.

They scream and shout and clap. I almost run off stage. Almost. Instead I strut over to the man that is going to make the capitol love me: Zane Jekyll.

Zane gets up and kisses me on the cheek, and we sit. I fight the temptation to whipe the spot his lips touched my skin.

He smiles, and begins.

"Sarah! You look amazing! Your designers are perfect!"

I smile shyly, and say, "I'll make sure to give them your number." Zane laughs.

"Now Sarah, how old are you again?!"

"I'm fifteen."

The crowd coos.

"You're quite young then! Tell us, Sarah, when is your birthday?"

"It's actually in three weeks from today's date."

The crowd has mixed emotions about my answer. Only God knows if I'll make it to my birthday or not.

"That's exciting!" Zane says, and changed the topic. "What does your name mean?"

"In a long lost language it means princess."

The crowd is on the edge of their seat.
A guy yells close to the stage and I blow a kiss at him. Please sponsor me.

"Princess! You sure look like one!"

I look at Sodi on the side of the stage. He's staring out into the crowd, and then at me. I smile at him.

"Now tell us what is your favorite part of your district?!" Zane questions.

"Well, there's several things I like but I have to say my favorite thing is my family. Then a close second is this secret tunnel my friend and I found one time, and this whole cat family lives in there."

I smile at the memory of Day and I finding those cats.

"That is quite cute, Sarah!"

The crowd loves my answer.

"What's your favorite part of the capitol?!" Zane purs.

"I'd have to say all the different culture and design." I respond, perfectly, as if I have rehearsed it.

"We do love our art here!" The crowd laughs. "Now a little about the hunger games! Who's your biggest threat?!"

The crowd gasp at his question. I'm fifteen, and tiny. Everyone is my biggest threat.

I already know my answer though.

"Myself."

The crowd gasp again.

"What a good response! I hope you'll be able to conquer that! Finally what are you most worried about?!"

I'm worried that I can't kill somebody. I'm worried that I'll starve to death. I'm worried that Sodi will kill me, or any tribute for that matter. I'm worried that someone will sacrifice themselves for me.I'm...I'm...I'm...

"I'm worried the most about what I will become out in the arena."

Everyone claps, and hollers. They even get on their feet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, district eight's Sarah!"

I slowly walk off stage waving at everyone. Sodi is there, and I give him a high five. I wish him good luck, and wonder off.

What do I do now?

I stumble into a bathroom and wipe the paint off my face, and take off the heals.

I stumble out of the bathroom, into someone. He's my hight, with dark curly hair. Day?

I blink, and look at him. A stranger stands in front of me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." He says eloquently.

I smile, "It's fine. I didn't see you either."

I slip around him, and begin to walk away.

"You're Sarah right?" His voice stops me, and I spin around.

"Yeah, why?"

He runs up next to me, and we begin walking.

"Someone gave this to me to give you. He said you would know who he was once you saw what's inside."

I gently pick up the little velvet box from his hand, and look up into the stranger's eyes.

"Thank you."

Then I spin back around and head for my room.

"Dimitri Vans."

I glance back at him, and keep going. I open the box and inside lays a wedding band. It has blood dried to it.

I lift it up into the florescent light.

Etched into the cheap metal is Andy White.

My heart skips a beat, I turn around to see if Xavier was still behind me. He wasn't.

I turn and run to my room.

It's my dad's ring.