87th Tribute Interviews

Name: Lorraine Gaultier, Haus of Gaultier
District 8
Age: 18 

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"I must say, your District made quite the splash at the Tribute Parade. Tell us what you were feeling up there! Confident, nervous, excited?" 

"Honestly? I felt hot! You know, I come from eight- nothing but tailors, right. Everybody's a critique, but Adessia just set me up with the most brilliant outfit. I loved her!"

"Oh, do you now! That's just wonderful, our stylist team is such a talent." 

"You're right, Caesar! Once I'm out of the arena, I'm excited to keep working with her." 

---

"How confident do you feel about the games now that you've seen your Training Score?" 

"Well, I'm gay duh tf" idk I haven't gotten to that part yet, we'll be back

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"What about the other tributes?"

"Hate them, all of them!"

"Woah! That's some strong feelings, surely you can't hate all of them, Miss Gaultier."

"Of course not, just the majority of them! Silk's a piece of work if you haven't noticed, but they aren't all terrible."

"Silk, now? Shocking! She seems like such a darling, too. Tell us now, Lorraine, what have you seen that we haven't?" He looks stern at me, before joking with the audience, "it's always the training center drama that comes into play." 

"I'll save you the details, but-"

"Now, now, you don't have to."

"I just think an ego that big is going to come down hard in the arena." 

---

"Okay okay, so otherwise, surely you've met some fellow tributes you played well with?" 

"There are a few!" We smile at each other, something redeeming but I just want to talk shit. "I think Syd is precious," but protecting twelve's mean it's my ass on the line, right? "but overall, if I don't win, I'd want it to be Kyler."

"Kyler!" The audience roars some, he seems to be a pleasant name for them. "What a charming young man! You seem sure about that, what makes you so confident in him?" 

Who said confident? "He's just a great person, I think he'll be a bit more sane than the rest of us in a week." 

If he's still alive, of course.

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"What has impressed you most about the Capitol since you've been here?"

"Oh, god, not to sound cliche but everything! Ever since I was a little girl, I've always dreamed about being on the Capitol's screens, being here is intense."

"I bet it is! Definitely an upgrade from District Eight."

"Definitely. You can't see a single star in the sky back home, but here, you don't even need to! There's so many new things to experience here, I don't think I'm ready to go, haha."

"Aww, that's alright, Lorraine! I'm sure we'll be seeing more of you soon enough."

---

"So, Miss Gaultier, what is a typical day back home like for you? Do you work?"

"I do! I am a seamstress, kind of generic I know." And I smuggle drugs from district six, can't forget that. I should really put that on my tax forms, "growing up, I wanted to model for Crowe or Antoinette, and the only way to get my hands on clothes like that was to make it."

God, I feel so flat in this interview. 

"Well, you will have many opportunities when you make it back home! Stand up, Lorraine, pose for us," show that star power. 

I feel goofy performing for them, like I'm lifeless wax ever melting to the form they want. It goes on shorter than it feels, but the audience seems to have fun with it. There's one cameraman with flash photography, but he's escorted out before Caesar continues. 

"Stunning! Tell us, what other hobbies do you have?" 

"I don't know if I have any others! I've always been a huge performer at heart, so I'm excited to see where this goes." As if I'm not going to fucking die come a week from now. 

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"Okay, so what about romance? For such a beautiful young model, there has to be a special someone! Right, at least one?"

"Ehhhh..."

"Ehhh?!"

"Ehh! I was always too busy for it, that's the boring answer sure, but boys are dumb and I have bills to pay. Had-"

"So, your family... Sensitive subject, I'm sure, but,"

"Not in the picture."

"And what happened there?" 

He looks at me with puppy dog eyes, and I feel it in my collar bones. The press at the envelope that begs to burst at my lips and I've tried to avoid this damn question for my entire wake. My death day is slowly ticking up like a grandfather's clock, I hear it every second of the day and if I don't make it back, how do I want to be remembered? 

I try not to ball my fists. Breathe slowly while I melt under the white lights, "I told them I wanted to be a model, and they didn't support it." 

It's not a full lie. I adjust the earring caught in my hair and I relax a little easier, he coo's the crowd before turning back to me. "I'm sorry to hear, Lorraine. Surely, they could have supported your dreams!" 

"Yeah," I nod my head like he knows the half of it, "mama wanted her little boy to have a more stable job." The hair on the back of my neck cringes, as soon as I say it and the audience laughs, I feel nothing but heat on my face. Just want to chew my tongue off and bite it up, get this shit over with already. 

"Oh!" 

Like the light bulb turns on, and I smile, at least. 

---

"Lorraine, you have been just lovely, but I have one last question for you. What is it that you're fighting for? When times are tough and there's nothing to rely on but yourself, what will keep 'Lore' going?"

"I know this probably sounds shallow, but the money."

There's some cheers from the audience, chase the bag, ma. 

"Hell, I want to be rich! That's why I'm here, I could spend my whole lifetime making bags or I could just kill three or four kids and never work a day again." I say it like it's easy, simple as that. 

"Well, that is some ambition you got there. Risking it all just to be here, things are getting exciting!" 

---

 

"I'm afraid we're almost out of time, my darling, do you have any last words for the crowd? Or the tributes! You had such colorful things to say originally." The crowd laughs, I don't know if I've done good or bad, I'm just ready to get this spandex out of my ass crack. 

"Thanks for having me, and keep an eye out on my Haus of Gaultier merch!"

Kyler Petralia is, for all intents and purposes, a fucking rock star.

Tallest guy on the stage, lean muscles peeking through black fabric, glitter all over his skin. "You're a night sky in the flesh," his stylist had said to him, waxing poetic about some deeper meaning. He hadn't been paying attention by that point. Dressing up doesn't really need any narration. Except for his own voice in his head, of course.

Yeah. He's gonna kill this shit.

He stays standing when he reaches his chair, turning to face the crowd and reveling in their cheers. "Come on, wake up! On your feet!" It's a little over halfway into the interviews, and he doesn't want anyone to sleep on him. He's gonna need all the help he can get in the arena, whether he likes to admit it or not.

And, no, he is not above charity. Please sponsor him.

Laughing, he lowers himself into his seat, meeting the host's gaze with a warm, relaxed smile. "Sorry to steal your gig there, Caesar. You don't have to worry about easing me into this. I'm locked and ready." The audience keeps on screaming, but it seems like anything he says is going to get that same reaction. It's kind of boring.

Oh, well.

"That's to say the least. I've had my eye on you since the Tribute Parade, Kyler. I think we all have." The older man pauses for all the whistles and applause, like this is a routine he has perfected to the very last detail. "You seem very sure of yourself. As you should be, of course, but how did you really feel that day? Were you nervous?"

Kyler just laughs, kind of on instinct. "Uh, no. Not really." He looks out at the audience again, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling sheepishly. "Until these other tributes start throwing knives at my head, I'm good. No fear." He throws back some of the cloth that has draped over his leg, revealing his calf muscle.

The air is sparkling. He doesn't think about what's coming next.

He should. He doesn't. Too bad.

"While we're on the subject of your peers, what is your opinion of them? You seem like the type of guy who never meets a stranger. Will that be an asset to you in the arena?" This question isn't as easy to answer. He stops looking at Caesar, or the crowd, and moves his gaze to the tributes waiting just offstage. A few faces stand out to him.

"I mean, I hope so. The goal is to be so likable that no one will try to kill me." He laughs at that, everyone does, and then his chest starts to feel tighter. He knows the truth. All of these people do. There's no such thing as a free pass in these Games. Someone is going to try to end his life, and it might just be someone he trusted.

Fuck. This is getting intense.

"I have my guard up, though. I'm trying not to be too gullible." He finds his footing again, easing back into the conversation. "I never meet a stranger, no, but I can figure out who my enemies are." Nice. That's a sexy line. Intimidating, too. "Anyway, if I had to pick favorites, it's between Lore and Reagan. Love 'em both."

That makes Caesar's smile take a sharper edge, spreading out across his plastic face. "Love, you say? You can't bring up the topic of romance and not expect us to beg for details, Kyler. Have you been sleeping with danger?" His grin proves that he's guilty as charged. Not that he's ashamed of it. The Capitol wants a heartthrob.

That's him. This is the part he's playing.

"Sure have, Caesar. And can you blame me for fooling around? I've got to live it up before all my new friends try to kill me." Ah. The same joke, different words. It's easy to shrug it off for now, but the clock is ticking. Every second that passes is another inch that the curtain has been raised. Things aren't going to stay this glamorous for long. This is only a grace period.

No more dancing in the hallway with Lore, drunk on champagne and old regrets — no more begging Reagan to teach him new moves, until she throws him to the ground, until all they can do is laugh at themselves — because this is ridiculous. All of this. Twenty-four people, and only one of them is allowed to keep these memories. Fuck sleeping with danger. He's living with it.

It's everywhere.

"I believe it's safe to say that all of us think you're an absolute delight." He can already hear the knives being sharpened in the background. The girls from One and Two look like they could have his throat slit in a matter of seconds, and the girl from Five is already going to pull more sponsors than him with just her last name alone. All of this is a mess. He's probably fucking everything up.

Is Mackenzie shaking his head right now? Most likely. Definitely.

But right now everything is bright, and loud, and he allows himself to be distracted by it. Until it's too late, and he has no choice but to wake up and get serious. The night's still young. That's what he always says. There's no such thing as being too late for the party — until you're only eighteen, and you haven't figured out anything about yourself yet. And now he'll never be able to.

Now he'll always be a loser desperately trying to become a winner.

"Do you have any parting words before we let you go?"

He just smiles softly — shining, and still alive.

"Just to not forget me. I'll be back before you all know it."