Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Confession of Love

Betrayal, this is my first feeling.It's ridiculous to say that only when trust is established can we talk about betrayal, and the trust between me and Peeta is not written in black and white, and it is certain. After all, we are "tributes" to each other's competition.But the person who gave me bread at the risk of being beaten, held my hand on the chariot during the opening ceremony, covered me in front of the red-haired Avax, and insisted on telling Haymitch that I can hunt... Can't you trust me completely? On the other hand, I'm also relieved that we don't have to pretend to be friends anymore.Apparently, the tenuous connection that had been so foolishly established between us had since been severed.It was also the right time to do so, the Hunger Games started two days later, mutual trust can only become a person's weakness.Whatever Peeta's reasons for making the decision—I suspect it has something to do with my grades being better than his—I can only be grateful for the decision.Maybe he also realized that we are each other's opponents, and the sooner we accept this fact, the better.

"Okay," I said, "so, what's the new plan?" "You two each spend four hours on etiquette with Effie and four hours on interviewing skills with me," Haymitch said. "You learn from Effie first, Katniss." I couldn't imagine Effie teaching me anything, it would take four hours, but she would definitely teach to the last minute.Effie and I went to my room, and she put me in a floor-length dress and heels, which wasn't really what I was going to wear for an interview, and she taught me how to walk.Wearing high heels is the most difficult thing for me to adapt to. I have never worn high heels before, and I am not used to walking with trembling toes in high heels.But didn't Effie walk around in high heels all day long?So I made up my mind that if she could do it, so could I.Then the skirt brought a new problem, it always tripped my feet, so I just lifted the skirt up, and Effie swooped like a hawk when she saw it, slapped the back of my hand and shouted: "The skirt can't Higher than the ankle." I finally got over the heels.Then there's the sitting, standing—obviously I love bowing my head—eye contact, gestures, smiling.Smiling is mainly a question of how to maintain it.Effie made me say a hundred monotonous words, smiling at the beginning, smiling during, and smiling at the end.When it was time to eat, the muscles in my face were still twitching.

"Okay, I've done my best." Effie said with a sigh of relief. "Remember, Katniss, you have to make the audience like you." "Do you think they won't like me?" I asked. "Not if you stare at them all the time. Why don't you save that piercing stare for the arena? Now, you gotta feel like you're with your friends," Effie said. "They want to bet how long I can live." I suddenly lost my temper, "They are not my friends!" "Hey, try it, pretend it is." Effie interrupted me.She smiled at me calmly afterwards. "Look, like this, even when you make me angry, I'm still smiling at you."

"Yes, it's quite sincere." I said, "I'm going to eat." I kicked off my high heels, ran to the restaurant with a thud, and lifted the skirt to the top of my thigh. Both Peeta and Haymitch seemed to be in high spirits, so I figured the interview skills training would pay off tomorrow morning.But I was wrong to think so.After lunch, Haymitch took me to the reception room, directed me to sit on the sofa, and frowned at me for a while. "How?" I finally asked. "I'm wondering what to do?" he said, "how do you present yourself in public? Charismatic? Aloof? Fierce? So far, you're a rising star. You volunteered to rescue My own sister, Cinna also makes you look amazing, your grades are high, you have aroused a lot of interest in the audience, but no one knows who you are. I want you to be in tomorrow's interview Make an impression so you can get sponsorship," Haymitch said.

I've seen countless interviews with "Tribute" before, and I know he has a point.If a contestant can captivate the audience, whether it's humorous, brutal or eccentric, he'll be loved by the audience. "What's Peeta's way? Can't I ask?" I said. "He's the likable type, and he has a natural, self-deprecating sense of humor," Haymitch said, "but when you open your mouth, it comes across as sullen or hostile." "I didn't," I said. "Well, I don't know how you were so bright and sunny that day in the chariot, but I haven't seen you like that before or since," Haymitch said.

"But you haven't given me much reason to be happy." I retorted. "You don't have to please me, and I won't help you, just assume I'm the audience." Haymitch said, "Find a way to make me happy." "Okay!" I yelled.Haymitch was posing as a reporter, and I was trying to answer the questions in my own favor, but I couldn't, I was too angry at what Haymitch just said, and I wasn't in the mood to answer the questions.The only thing I can't get out of my head is how unfair this whole thing - The Hunger Games - is.Why should I act like a clown to please those I hate?The longer the interview went on, the more I couldn't hide my anger, until I literally sprayed the answers in his face.

"Well, that's enough," he said, "we need to look elsewhere for the angel. Not only are you hostile, but I don't know anything about you, I've asked you fifty questions, and I don't know anything about your Life, your family, the things you love are still in the air, and the audience wants to get to know you, Katniss." "But I don't want them to know me! They've taken away my future, they can't get the life that used to belong to me!" I said. "Then lie! Make up a story!" Haymitch said. "I'm not good at lying," I said.

"Then, you'd better learn quickly. Your charisma is about as good as a dead slug's," Haymitch said. Oh, that hurts so much.Haymitch, too, must have realized he was talking too much, and his voice softened. "I have an idea, you pretend to be humble!" "Humble?" I followed him. "You just say, can't believe kids from District 12 can do so well. It's all way beyond your imagination. Talk about the clothes Cinna designs, how nice the people are, how amazing the city is to you .If you don’t want to talk about yourself, at least praise the audience. Just don’t shut up, okay? You just talk!”

The remaining hours were a real pain.It didn't take long for me to realize that I couldn't keep talking.Haymitch tried again to make me look arrogant, but I wasn't that arrogant.I was small and thin, and obviously incapable of appearing ferocious.At the same time, I'm not the intelligent, funny, sexy, or mysterious type. Towards the end of training, I didn't do anything.Haymitch had started drinking, and was speaking slightly mocking and weary. "I give up, honey. Then you just answer the questions directly, and don't let the audience see how much you disdain them."

The dinner that day was eaten in my own room. I asked for a lot of food until I was about to vomit.After I ate, I smashed the cups and plates to pieces to vent my hatred for Haymitch, the Hunger Games, and all the Capitols.The red-haired girl came in to make my bed, and her eyes widened at the sight of the mess. "Never mind," I yelled at her, "don't mind anything." I hate her, too, for blaming me with her talking eyes for seeing me as a coward, a monster, a Capitol puppet, now and then.For her, justice will come one day.At least my death can pay for the boy who died in the woods.

Hearing my shout, the girl not only didn't leave, but closed the door and went into the bathroom.She took a cloth from the bathroom, wiped my face gently, and wiped my hands clean where the dishes had cut them.Why is she doing this?Why did I let her do this? "I should have saved you," I whispered. She shook her head, was she saying we were right to leave her alone?Are you saying she has forgiven me? "No, that's not right," I said. She tapped her lips with her finger, then pointed to my breasts.I think she means that if I do that I'll become an Avax too.Maybe, then become an Avax, or die. After a while, I helped the red-haired girl clean up the room. After an hour, all the crumbs and food in the room were cleaned up, and she put my bed down.I huddled in the sheets like a five-year-old child, and let her pull the corners of the quilt for me.Then she left.I told her to wait until I fell asleep and she would be there when I woke up.I want this girl to protect me even though she never had mine. Early the next morning, it was not the red-haired girl who appeared next to me, but the image design team.My course with Effie and Haymitch is over.Today I belong to Cinna, he is my last hope.Maybe he can make me look mentally pretty so no one cares what comes out of my mouth. The makeup artist kept busy with me until late in the afternoon.With makeup on, my skin is a glossy satin, my arms are painted with cutouts, and my twenty perfectly shaped nails are painted with flames.Afterwards, Vinia did my hair, starting with a pattern of red rope, starting from the left ear, going around the back of the hair, and ending in a braid that fell from the right shoulder.They painted my face white with a thick foundation and then lined it.Big black eyes, full red lips, thick long eyelashes.Finally, apply gold powder all over the body to make it shimmer with golden light. That's when Cinna walked in, holding what was supposed to be my costume, but it was under the cloth and I couldn't see it. "Close your eyes," he ordered. As I got dressed, the silky lining dangled down my smooth naked body, but then I felt the clothes were heavy, like forty pounds.I grab Octavia's hand and feel my way into my shoes, delighted to find they're two inches lower than the ones Effie wore to practice.I couldn't stand upright at first, but it took me a while to adjust.Then, there was silence all around. "Can I open my eyes?" I asked. "Yes," Cinna said, "open your eyes." The man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror must be an alien creature.Glossy skin, sparkling eyes, pearly clothes.My clothes, oh, my clothes are studded with sparkling gems, red, yellow, white, and the gems are set in patterns of flames.As long as my body moves slightly, it gives people the feeling of being surrounded by raging flames. I'm not pretty, I'm not beautiful, but I shine like the sun. For a moment, everyone stared at me. "Oh, Cinna," I finally said softly, "thank you." "Turn around and let me see," he said.I raised my arms and twirled them around.The entire image design team cheered with incomparable admiration. Cinna dismissed the others, then let me walk around the room in my clothes and shoes, which were much easier to walk in than Effie's shoes.The skirt hangs naturally and I don't have to carry it when I walk, so I have one less thing to worry about. "So, all set for the talk show?" Cinna asked.I could tell by the look on his face that he had talked to Haymitch and he knew how bad I was. "Damn it, Haymitch called me a dead slug, I couldn't do it no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't do it, I couldn't be what he wanted me to be," I said. Cinna thought about it. "Then why don't you just be yourself." "Myself? That's no good either. Haymitch said I was too serious and hostile," I said. "Ah, you talk...you can't do without Haymitch," Cinna said, grinning. "I don't think you are like that. The image design team likes you very much. You even won the recognition of the competition organizers. As for the people in the Capitol City, they are all talking about you. Everyone admires your spirit. " In my spirit, this is a new statement.I'm not sure what that means, but it's like saying I'm a fighter, brave, without saying I'm unfriendly.Well, maybe I can't give love to everyone I meet, maybe I don't smile much, but I do care about some people. Cinna put my cold hand in his warm one. "As you answer the questions, imagine yourself talking to a friend from back home. Who's your best friend?" Cinna asked. "Gail," I replied immediately, "but it's no use, Cinna, I can't tell Gail about me, he knows." "What about me? Can you consider me a friend?" Cinna asked. Of all the people I've met since I left home, Cinna is my favorite.The first time I saw him, I had a good impression of him, and he hasn't let me down until now. "I suppose so, but—" “I sit on the VIP table with the other stylists, and you can spot me right away. When you ask a question, you look at me and answer as honestly as you can,” says Sienna. "Even tell the truth about things that I find horrible?" I asked, because it might happen. "Tell the truth, especially when it comes to things that scare you," Cinna said. "You'll try, right?" I nodded, this is also a way, at least it is the last straw. Soon the time will come.The TV interviews took place on a stage set up in front of the training ground.Once I walk out of this room, within a few minutes, I will appear in front of the audience, the camera and all the people of Panem. Cinna turned the doorknob and I stopped him. "Cinna..." I was terrified of going on stage. "Remember, they're in love with you," Cinna said softly, "just be yourself." We bumped into the rest of the District 12 design team in the elevator.Portia and her team put in a lot of effort.Peeta looked sprightly in a black suit with flames.The two of us looked very harmonious together, luckily we didn't dress exactly the same.Haymitch and Effie also dressed up for the occasion.I avoided Haymitch as much as possible and only accepted Effie's compliment.Effie may be clumsy and annoying, but she's not as emotionally disruptive as Haymitch. The elevator doors opened, and the other "tributes" were lining up to take the stage.Twenty-four of us sat on the curved bench behind the stage during this interview, and I was last, or second to last, because the girls in each district spoke first.How I wish I was the first to get this over with!But right now, I'm going to watch them all: smart, funny, humble, fierce or charming.By then, the audience will be as bored as the contest organizers, and I can't shoot an arrow at the audience to get their attention. About to take the stage, Haymitch came up behind Peeta and me and yelled, "Remember, you're still a happy couple, just act like that." What?When Peeta asked to train separately, I thought we'd give up on it, but that was private, not public.Whatever it is, we don't have much chance to interact anyway.We each went to our seats and sat down. When I first stepped on the stage, I was short of breath, my temples were throbbing, and my calves were shaking, for fear that I would fall on the stage.After sitting down, he was relieved.Although it is night, the city circular square is as bright as day.There is a row of raised chairs on the stage for VIPs, and the front row is the designer's seat.When the audience commented on their work, the camera lens would focus on them.The huge balcony on the right building is reserved for the competition organizers, and the other balconies are full of cameras.The city square and surrounding roads were full of spectators, and everyone could only stand.Whether in the house or in the public hall, the TV is turned on.The entire country of Panam is empty.There will be no blackouts tonight. At this moment, Caesar Flickman--the host of the show for more than forty years-stepped onto the stage in high spirits.It's kind of scary that his image has hardly changed in forty years, the same face, the same hairstyle - his face is covered with snow-white makeup powder, and his hair has been dyed different colors in previous competitions - even The dress was the same: a dark blue dress dotted with a thousand tiny light bulbs that twinkled like stars in the night sky.In the Capitol, people undergo plastic surgery to look younger and slimmer.In the 12th district, the vicissitudes of life is an achievement, because many people have gone before him.If you see old people, you can simply congratulate them and ask them the secret of longevity.Fat people are also envied because they don't have to run around for three meals a day like us.But here it is different.Wrinkles are bad, and a potbellied belly is not a sign of success.This year, Caesar's hair was dusted in blue powder, and his eyelashes and lips were also blue, looking strange but not scary.Last year, he painted it in a deep red shade that looked like he was bleeding.Caesar first told some jokes to set off the atmosphere, and then got to the point. The female contestant in the first district wore a golden transparent dress, looking sexy and provocative. She walked to the center of the stage to be interviewed by Caesar.You could tell her instructors had no trouble finding her spot, with flowing blond hair, emerald eyes, a tall, shapely figure... she exudes sex appeal from head to toe. Each player is interviewed for only three minutes before the buzzer beeps and the next player comes on.In all fairness, Caesars has indeed tried his best to make each player show his own strengths.He is amiable, tries to eliminate the nervousness of the contestants, and speaks with a little ridicule. Even if the answer is not ideal, he can still impress the interviewees in his way. I sat there like a lady the way Effie taught me.The players in the second, third, and fourth districts all finished the interviews, and everyone seemed to have found their own performance angle.The male players in the second district were like a brutal killing machine.The girl from the fifth district has a fox face and looks cunning and difficult to fight. I saw Cinna as soon as he showed up, but I couldn't shake my nerves in his presence.Then there are eight districts, nine districts, and ten districts.The lame boy from District Ten was quiet.My palms were sweating desperately, and the gem-encrusted clothes didn't absorb sweat at all. I tried to wipe the sweat, but the sweat dripped down my body. District eleven. Lulu was wearing a spider web-like long dress with two wings on her body, and she came to Caesar like a fairy.The audience in the audience fell silent when they saw such an incredibly slender player.Kaiser smiled and praised her for her excellent grade of seven points despite being small.When asked what her greatest strength is in the arena, she replied without hesitation: "I'm hard to catch." Her voice trembled slightly, "If they can't find me, they can't kill me, so don't Want to eliminate me." "I won't eliminate you, not even in ten thousand years." Caesar encouraged her. The boy from District 11, named Saresh, was dark-skinned like Lulu, but that was where the similarities ended.He was tall, six-and-a-half feet tall, solid as a calf, but I found out that he turned down the pros who asked him to join.Instead, he was a loner, didn't talk to anyone, and wasn't interested in training.Even so, he scored ten points and it's not hard to see that he impressed the tournament organizers.He ignored Caesar's teasing, and only answered yes or no, otherwise he was silent. If only I were as tall and big as he was, even if my expression was sullen and hostile.I bet at least half of the patrons are considering spending money on him.If I had money, I'd bet on him too. Then someone called Katniss Everdeen's name.It felt like a dream to stand up and walk to center stage.I shook hands with Caesar, whose upbringing prevented him from immediately wiping the sweat from his hands on his clothes. "Then, Katniss, the Capitol must be very different from District 12. What impresses you the most after coming here?" Caesar asked. What?what did he say?As if I didn't understand what he was saying. My mouth is as dry as sawdust.I tried to find Cinna, my eyes fixed on him.I imagined in my mind that these words came from his mouth. "What impressed you the most after you came here?" I searched my brain desperately for something to make me happy. "Be honest," I said to myself, "Be honest." "Mutton stew." I finally spoke. Caesar laughed, and I vaguely felt that some of the audience laughed too. "The kind stewed with dried plums?" Caesar asked.I nod. "Oh, I eat with a bucket." He turned to face the audience, clutching his stomach and making a horrible expression. "I can't see it from here, can I see it?" the audience shouted, saying they couldn't see it, followed by a burst of applause.I already said Caesar was great, he always smoothed things out. "Well, Katniss," he said confidently, "my heart stopped when you came out in the opening ceremony. What do you think of that costume?" Cinna looked at me with raised eyebrows.Be honest. "You mean after I worried about being burned alive?" I asked. The audience burst into laughter, this time from the heart of the audience. "Yes, let's start there," Caesar said. Although I have always been nervous about not knowing how to speak, these words must be said now, to my friend Cinna. "I think Cinna is amazing, that outfit is the best I've ever seen, I couldn't believe my eyes when I was in that outfit, like this one I'm wearing now. ’ I pulled up the dress and spread it out. "Here, look!" The audience let out a "huh" sound.I saw Cinna making slight circles with his hands, and I knew he was saying, "Turn around, let me see." I immediately spun around, and the audience reacted enthusiastically. "Oh, one more turn!" said Caesar.So I raised my arms and spun around and around, and the skirt floated up as I turned, and I was surrounded by flames.The audience cheered enthusiastically.I stopped and grabbed Caesar's arm. "Don't stop!" he said. "I can't do it, I'm dizzy!" I giggled too, a hearty laugh I'd never had before.But suddenly the nervousness came back and I was dizzy. Caesar wrapped his arms around me as if protecting me. "Don't worry, I've got you, your instructor has stumbled, and I won't let you follow suit." The camera pans on to Haymitch, and everyone's eyes are on him.He had already made a name for himself by falling headlong into the audience at Harvest Festival ceremonies.He waved gently to the camera reporters to stop filming him, then pointed at me. "It's all right," Caesar told the audience, "she's safe with me. So, how about the training session. Ten...one...points, let us know a little bit about training." I glanced at the contest organizers on the terrace and bit my lip. "Well... all I can say is that this is only the first time." The camera focused on the organizers of the competition, and they nodded and giggled. "Look, you're always hesitant, you want us dead?" Caesar said, pretending to be in real pain. "Details, details," I said to the contest organizers on the terrace : "I can't tell, can I?" a member of the tournament organizers, the one who fell on the hitting ball, yelled, "She can't tell." "Thank you," I said. "Unfortunately, my mouth was sealed." "Well, let's go back to the moment when your sister's name was called at Harvest Festival," Caesar said, his emotions had stabilized, "you volunteered to replace her in the Hunger Games, can you tell us about her? " No, no, in front of so many people, I can't say it.Maybe say it to Cinna.I think a look of pain crossed his face when he heard that, and it was by no means a figment of my imagination. "Her name is Prim, she's only twelve, and I love her more than anything." At this time, the circular square was completely silent, and even a needle could be heard. "What did she say to you after the ceremony?" Caesar asked. Be honest, be honest.I fought back the pain in my heart. "She wants me to do my best to win the competition." The atmosphere in the audience is very solemn, and every word I say echoes in the air. "How do you answer?" Caesar asked softly. At this time, a cold feeling spread all over my body, my body was stiff and my muscles tensed, as if I was ready for a fight.My voice seemed to drop an octave too, "I swear, I will." "I'm sure you can do it," Caesar said, hugging me tightly.The buzzer goes off. "Sorry, we're out of time. Good luck, Katniss Everdeen, 'tribute' from District Twelve." After I sat down, the applause continued for a long time.I looked at Cinna, hoping for his approval, and he gave me a slight thumbs up. When Peeta's interview first started, I hadn't recovered from the conversation, and I was a little absent-minded.The audience responded enthusiastically to his interview, and I could hear laughter and shouts from the audience.Playing up the role of the baker's son, he likens other "tributes" to bread from other districts.He tells a joke about how dangerous Capitol showers are. "Tell me, do I still smell of roses?" he asked Caesar. Then they sniff each other, to the laughs of the audience.I gradually came to my senses.At this time Caesar asked him if he had a girlfriend in his hometown. Peeta didn't know how to answer, then shook his head speciously. "There must be a different girl, a pretty girl who would match you. Come on, tell me, what's her name?" Caesar said. Peeta sighed, "Hey, there was a girl, I can't remember when, I fell in love with her deeply. But I'm sure she didn't know that I was a living person until the Harvest Festival ceremony. " The audience made a sympathetic voice, it was unrequited love. "Is she in love with someone else?" Caesar asked. "I don't know, but a lot of boys like her," Peeta said. "Then, how about this, if you win the game and go home, she will have no reason to reject you, huh?" Caesar encouraged him and said. "I don't think it's going to work. It's useless to win . . . " Peeta said. "Why?" Caesar said, bewildered. Peeta blushed and stammered, "Because...because...she came here with me."