Emerson "Em" Linelin - District 9 ... Emerson Linelin was fairly sure she had been in line for at least an hour now. She had been trying to calm herself down for the majority of that time. Reminding herself of the things she knew. There would be people, lots of people watching her, but that would also include her parents. This would be one of the last times before the arena that they would be able to see her. She would stay calm, for her younger siblings, for the screen. Em also knew that she would be asked questions for her interview. It was an obvious fact, but one that she kept in mind. She would answer her questions well. Honestly and kindly, happy to be there. Yes, she thought that had worked for her parade. She fiddled with the string of pearls on her neck, then reached up to adjust the matching clipped on earrings her stylist had given her. They were uncomfortable, but she hoped that would help her stay focused on reality during her interview. The silver silk they had draped her in certainly didn’t help much with that. Em hated the slippery coolness of the fabric, even against her fur. She had been trying not to touch it ever since they put it on her, knowing she might take it off if she got her paws on it. Now that she was wearing it, she thought back to a past conversation she had with Somerset. He had compared her to silk then. She wondered, was this what she was now? Beautiful, yet chillingly deceptive? She shivered, squeezing her eyes closed. Surprisingly, she was glad when it was finally time for her interview. She wanted to get it over with, being all dressed up, being here in the darkness. It was only an interview, she reminded herself. There was no real danger here. She padded through the doors, greeted by the unfamiliar scent and appearance of the sea. For a moment, she was mesmerized by the lights and the silhouettes of fish that passed by her on the walls. There was nothing like this back home. She turned her gaze to the interviewer and the task at hand, smiling at the elderly cat she found in front of her. “Hello,” she said. “Yes, hello dear. Welcome to our stage.” they replied, the creases in their face accentuated by their smile. “Hm… What was your name again?” Em smiled back as warmly as she could. “Oh, yes, thank you. I’m Emerson Linelin, from District 9. You can just call me Em though, if you like.” She said, glancing at the large audience before taking her seat. “Yes, yes, that was it. It’s a pleasure to meet you then Em,” he replied with a nod, sitting down with a sigh. “Well, we must be on with it, yes? I had a few questions for you. Let’s see, hrm… Ah yes, I wanted to ask you about your district. How was it, back home? cont. below
cont. It was easy to keep her smile on now, since she was genuinely relieved. An easy question. Yes, she could answer this. “District 9,” she said with fondness in her voice. “Yes, I miss it very much. Grain production doesn’t seem like a very noble job, but I’m very proud of my district. We’re hard workers. I am-- Well, I was still in school before I left, so I didn’t work as often as my parents did, but I still helped out during the harvest season. I miss those days now, as difficult as they were.” She chuckled, wiping at her eyes, which were genuinely misty. “And of course I miss my family very much as well! I have three younger siblings and two loving parents. We have a larger family, so it wasn’t always easy to make ends meet, but I couldn’t imagine life any other way. I love them all very much. If I-” “Well, if you keep talking my ear off like that we won’t have time to get to any of your other questions! I spent a long time preparing these!” The interviewer interrupted. Em blinked, flustered from the embarrassment her mistake and the laughter that began to emanate from the crowd. “Oh, of course, I’m sorry,” she said, slinking back in her seat. “That’s alright dear,” xe replied, clearing xer throat before moving on. “Now, we know how you feel about District 9, but how about the Capitol? Are you enjoying your stay here? It seemed as if you were from what I saw in your parade.” Em hesitated a moment before answering this question. “It’s… Definitely different. But not in a bad way, I’d say. You have a lot of beautiful things here. Like the parade. Like my outfit. Like the fish here,” she said, gesturing to the walls. But to her surprise, when she glanced over, she could barely see them anymore. Was… Was the room getting dimmer? She told herself not to panic, but couldn’t help wondering if this was meant to happen, or if she was just going insane. Em quickly composed herself, turning back to her interviewer with a smile. He was nodding, seemingly ready to move on to her next question. “Now… For your last question, can you give us a glimpse into your strategy in the arena? What could you have hidden under your sweet demeanor dear?” This was a question she had been dreading, but one she suspected would come eventually. It was the last one too, which meant she had to answer well. “I have been working hard to train for the games in the time I have. I've never been opposed to hard work. Even though I’ve also never had any training in physical fights before, I believe in my abilities to find resources and my agility. When I’m in the arena, I’d also like to find a group of allies with other strengths. Then we can rely on each other, until the end.” She swallowed, urging herself to keep her eyes open, even as the room faded into darkness. There, she could hear the disembodied voice of her interviewer speaking. “Well then, I wish you luck in finding your friends.” “Thank you very much,” she replied, unsure if her voice really sounded so small, or if the seeming emptiness of the room simply made it seem that way.
