第38章

  you’re coaching us on interviews today,
  right?”
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  “that’s right,” says haymitch.
  “you don’t have to wait until i’m done. i can listen and cat
  at the same time,” i say.
  “well, there’s been a change of plans. about our current
  approach,” says haymitch.
  “what’s that?” i ask. i’m not sure what our current ap-
  proach is. trying to appear mediocre in front of the other tri-
  butes is the last bit of strategy i remember.
  haymitch shrugs. “peeta has asked to be coached separate-
  ly.”
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  betrayal. that’s the first thing i feel, which is ludicrous. for
  there to be betrayal, there would have had to been trust first.
  between peeta and me. and trust has not been part of the
  agreement. we’re tributes. but the boy who risked a beating
  to give me bread, the one who steadied me in the chariot, who
  covered for me with the redheaded avox girl, who insisted
  haymitch know my hunting skills . . . was there some part of
  me that couldn’t help trusting him?
  on the other hand, i’m relieved that we can stop the pre-
  tense of being friends. obviously, whatever thin connection
  we’d foolishly formed has been severed. and high time, too.
  the games begin in two days, and trust will only be a weak-
  ness. whatever triggered peeta’s decision — and i suspect it
  had to do with my outperforming him in training — i should
  be nothing but grateful for it. maybe he’s finally accepted the
  fact that the sooner we openly acknowledge that we are ene-
  mies, the better.
  “good,” i say. “so what’s the schedule?”
  “you’ll each have four hours with effie for presentation and
  four with me for content,” says haymitch. “you start with ef-
  fie, katniss.”
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  i can’t imagine what effie will have to teach me that could
  take four hours, but she’s got me working down to the last
  minute. we go to my rooms and she puts me in a full-length
  gown and high-heeled shoes, not the ones i’ll he wearing for
  the actual interview, and instructs me on walking. the shoes
  are the worst part. i’ve never worn high heels and can’t get
  used to essentially wobbling around on the balls of my feet.
  but effie runs around in them full-time, and i’m determined
  that if she can do it, so can i. the dress poses another problem.
  it keeps tangling around my shoes so, of course, i hitch it up,
  and then effie swoops down on me like a hawk, smacking my
  hands and yelling, “not above the ankle!” when i finally con-
  quer walking, there’s still sitting, posture — apparently i have
  a tendency to duck my head — eye contact, hand gestures, and
  smiling. smiling is mostly about smiling more. effie makes me
  say a hundred banal phrases starting with a smile, while smil-
  ing, or ending with a smile. by lunch, the muscles in my cheeks
  are twitching from overuse.
  “well, that’s the best i can do,” effie says with a sigh. “just
  remember, katniss, you want the audience to like you.”
  “and you don’t think they will?” i ask.
  “not if you glare at them the entire time. why don’t you
  save that for the arena? instead, think of yourself among
  friends,” says effie.
  “they’re betting on how long i’ll live!” i burst out. “they’re
  not my friends!”
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  “well, try and pretend!” snaps effie. then she composes
  herself and beams at me. “see, like this. i’m smiling at you
  even though you’re aggravating me.”
  “yes, it feels very convincing,” i say. “i’m going to eat.” 1
  kick off my heels and stomp down to the dining room, hiking
  my skirt up to my thighs.
  peeta and haymitch seem in pretty good moods, so i’m
  thinking the content session should be an improvement over
  the morning. i couldn’t be more wrong. after lunch, haymitch
  takes me into the sitting room, directs me to the couch, and
  then just frowns at me for a while.
  “what?”