Caesar Flickerman sat down with our newly crowned Quarter Quell victor, Kai Albacore (18) from District 4.  

 

Caesar: Hello again, Kai! Thank you for being here, I’m so glad to see you. Tell us, how did you feel the moment you knew you were the victor? Walk us through that experience.

Kai: Hello Caesar! Well, first of all I couldn’t celebrate because I immediately passed out but I don’t think I would’ve celebrated anyway. For most of the time in the arena, Gabriel was my ally. My friend. Those final minutes of us together, collapsed on the cornucopia, trying to outlive each other were quite terrifying though. After everything I went through in the arena, I knew I couldn’t stop fighting at the very end. I used every ounce of power left in my body to keep myself awake and I’m so grateful to be sitting here with you today. To be honest with you, I thought that Gabe’s cannon was my own until I realized that I was still awake. I couldn’t believe I was the only tribute left in that huge arena. But to go back to your original question, I just felt relieved that I could go back home for those few seconds of consciousness.

 

What are you most excited about back in your home district?

I can’t just give you one answer, Caesar. First off, I’m thrilled that I can see my family and friends again. I’ve missed their hugs, jokes and smiles so much and I can’t wait to experience that once again. I finally get to see my little siblings, who must be so glad that their big brother is coming home. In only a few more days, I’ll be able to watch the sunset on the beach and soak my feet in the water without worrying about a mermaid or stingray attacking me. With the winnings I have earned from my victory, nobody in my family will have to work again, so there’ll be plenty of time for bonding and spending quality time with one another. Our new home will be quite the upgrade from the modest residence that can barely fit all of us inside. I hope I’m not too paranoid to swim again after all of the deadly aquatic animals I encountered. I’m sure there’s nothing to that extent back in Four but I think getting back in the ocean will take some time. Unfortunately, I can’t say I’m too excited about the food because we ate a ton of fish here anyway. 

 

Do you have any regrets?

The only real regret I have is looking back at Gabriel at the feast. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I lost an eye just from that small movement. However, I’d rather have one eye and be alive than have both and be dead. There are other things that I probably could’ve done differently, but some of my mistakes actually came to good use. Take, for example, the time Ocean and I brought back those poisonous plants. Our alliance ended up using those multiple times during fights and feast tasks. The only other thing I regret was who I voted for on some of the days. One day in particular, my alliance really messed up on who we decided to vote for and we were all terrified that we would end up dead. Waverly did end up being voted off and I really did feel bad. Her death was so brutal and there was nothing we could do to save her once she was trapped inside the tube. I keep trying to tell myself that none of the things that went wrong were my fault, as it was really all about the odds.

 

Are you excited to become a mentor next year?

I’m looking forward to being a mentor next year for sure. Since I have experienced the games for myself, I know what my tribute will have to go through and what they’ll need to do in order to survive. I’ll be able to help them find allies, get sponsors and make a good impression on everyone. Although I’m excited to be a mentor, it’s quite a big task. When you’re a mentor, you basically have someone else’s life in your hands. I’m going to do everything I can to help whoever my tribute will be next year. My biggest priority will always be getting them back home and back with those they love and care about. I know how badly I wanted to return home, so I’ll be able to recognize how they’re feeling.

What was the most important thing you learned about yourself during the games?

The most important thing I learned about myself during the games was simply that I really do love and appreciate all of my friends and family back home. Every night, I would hold my anchor necklace to my heart, hoping that I would have the opportunity to return home to them. In the end, my hopes and dreams became a reality and I’m forever thankful. Thank goodness Four isn’t too far from the Capitol. I want to get on and off that train as quickly as possible so I can see everyone sooner. Returning to the question, I knew that I was going to be a fighter and that my skills with weapons would be very vital to my survival. However, I didn’t think it would be enough to outlive twenty three other tributes. So I guess something else I learned was to never underestimate my own abilities.

 

What would you like to say to your mentor?

There’s so much I want to say but to my mentor but I won’t be able to fit it all in during the interview. So for now, all I can say is thank you from the bottom of my heart. Since the beginning, you always believed in me and helped me survive the arena. You were always giving me amazing tips on how I could stay alive and how to carry myself. Although you weren’t actually by my side, it sure did feel like you were whenever you sent me exactly what I needed to tend to my wounds. During my time before the games, they were basically like family to me. They always made me feel comfortable and I could talk to them about all of my worries and concerns. Once again, I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me. I know for a fact that I would be long gone if you weren’t as amazing as you were.

 

What would you like to say to your family and friends?

If I haven’t talked about them enough during this interview, I would like to tell them that you’ll see me very soon! I know you all must’ve been so worried about me the past few weeks. Although I’ll never fully recover from my time in the arena, all that matters to me is that I’m going back home and I can hopefully live in peace for the rest of my life. Before my interview, I watched my friend Rio and mother Cordelia speak to you when I was in the Final Six. I couldn’t help but shed a few tears as I saw the fear and worry in their eyes. Luckily, you won’t have to worry anymore because I’ll be home before you know it!

 

What will you do with your winnings when you get home?

The winnings I’ve earned are more than I need, but I won’t just use my winnings for my family and I. My siblings have always wanted a dog, so I think we can definitely work something out sooner or later. I’m happy that my district will be getting a big feast with an abundance of food! I think everyone will appreciate something other than the usual fish and bread loaves. I also plan on donating some of my earnings to help my district’s industry. I’ll have enough money to pay for some new fishing nets and tools to help the workers catch fish with ease. To sum it up, my winnings won’t just be for myself, as that would just be wasteful.

 

Did anything happen in the arena that you want to talk about or explain now?

There really isn’t anything that the viewers didn’t see, as my life has been very public over the past week or two. One thing I do want to talk about was the relationships everyone made in our alliance. While everyone was a good friend to each other, Flint and Mason definitely had something special. It pained me to watch them die, but I know they’re together at last and can finally be at peace. Speaking about myself, someone who is going to stay with me forever is my district partner. I will get to talk about her more later on in the interview, but she really was the best friend I could ever ask for. I just wanted to explain all of the friendships and relationships within the alliance, since it is something that will forever stick with me. 

 

Did you think you could win? Are you shocked?

Up until I lost my eye, I knew for a fact that I had it in me to win. Once my eye was gone and I realized my aim was completely off, I started accepting the fact that I could easily die. Prior to my injury, I knew that my odds at winning were quite high. I had tied for the highest training score and my district is known for producing rather strong and skillful tributes. Although I was one of the favorites, I didn’t let any of my advantages blind me. As the days went on and more and more tributes passed, I started to get very hopeful that I would return back home. I wouldn’t have been shocked if I won with two eyes but considering the fact that I was half blind, it came as a surprise to me that I ended up as the victor.

 

What’s the worst part of being in the arena?

I would say that the worst part of being in the arena is never knowing what the next day will bring and if you’re going to be alive or not. I would always have a hard time sleeping at night, as I never knew if a mutt or some “natural” disaster would come and attack my allies and I. Many times, everyone would be having a conversation one second and then we would be racing through the Jungle and away from mutts the next. Another thing I was scared of was betrayal. Although I did that a bit myself, I was always nervous my throat would be slit in my sleep or my heart would be pierced. I knew all of my allies were good friends to me, but everyone wanted to go home and you need to do whatever it takes to do so. Overall, I think it’s just the fear of the unknown that makes the arena a nightmare. 

 

How has your new eye been treating you? Are you adjusting well to using it and what were your thoughts when you lost your eye?

My new eye has been treating me quite well! I’m only wearing an eyepatch tonight because I just underwent surgery a few hours before the interview and it’s still a little swollen. I would like to thank the doctors who performed the surgery. You did a wonderful job and now I don’t look like a pirate anymore! It’s definitely not the same, but it’s certainly better than having only one eye. I’ll eventually get adjusted to it. When I lost my eye, I didn’t even notice it at first. I was so focused on the fact that I had just lost my district partner. When I looked at Gabe’s stake, I almost vomited at the sight of my bloody eye, skewered onto the spike. At that moment, I was completely distraught. Although I was very upset at first, losing my eye only gave me more of a drive to get back home.

 

What was the scariest muttation you encountered this year?

Isn’t it obvious? That damn dragon! We have big whales back in Four, but nothing nearly as big as Mama. I remember how fast my heart was beating as I grabbed her egg and started rushing back to the table. She ended up digging into my entire back, but I did receive immunity so I guess it was worth it. The crabs, the snake, the stingrays and mermaids were all terrifying, but Mama really outdid herself. From the fire to her fangs, everything about her sent shivers throughout my entire body. I’m grateful that none of the mutts took me down, but many of my allies weren’t as lucky. I can’t stop thinking about how much pain they must’ve been in.... Can we move on to a different question?

 

Of course. Which district are you most looking forward to visiting on your victory tour? Why?

To be honest with you, I can’t decide what district I’m looking forward to visiting most. My allies all came from various districts of Panem, so I really want to visit all of their districts to really see how they lived prior to the games. I’m looking forward to seeing Ocean’s family in particular, but she was my district partner so I can basically see them whenever I’d like. As I was saying, it’s such a hard decision to just pick one district that I want to visit the most, since my allies were all such amazing people.

 

If you didn’t win, who would you have liked to see go home?

Honestly, I would’ve liked to see any member of the Infinity Alliance go home. We were all fighters and we all had the same goal of surviving the arena. As each of my allies perished, I couldn’t help but think about what their families were feeling. They must’ve been absolutely heartbroken, which is completely understandable. I bonded with Ocean the most during the games, but I know for sure I would be great friends with all of my allies if we weren’t in a situation where we had to eventually kill each other. I just hope that I can comfort their families during the Victory Tour.

 

Tell us about your alliance and your district partner.

Even though I’ve spoken about my allies and district partner quite a lot in this interview, words can’t describe how much I miss them. Without them, I surely wouldn’t be sitting here with you right now. Going back to the instance with the poisonous plants, Ocean and I probably would’ve died if my allies didn’t identify the plants as poisonous. Coming from various districts, we were all able to share some skills from our homes that were helpful to our survival. We started out as a pretty large group and we were always there for each other. I’ll never forget the memories I made with them in the arena, I really won’t. Moving on to Ocean, she was the best district partner I could ever ask for. Since the moment we stepped foot on the train to come here, our friendship and bond with one another kept on growing. We talked with each other about life back home and how we missed our families so much. I wasn’t alone until the final day, as she died at the final feast. I’ll never forget her, I really won’t. I look forward to speaking with her family when I get back home. She was such an incredible person and her life was taken too soon.

 

Last year’s District 4 boy, Nathan Campbell, made it to the Top 2 as well. Did you follow his story last year and what are your thoughts on his plight? 

Nathan and his story were truly unforgettable. I remember watching him everyday before and after school, hoping he would be alive the next time I went to watch. On the final day, the entire district could barely watch as he was stabbed by the girl from Ten. Although we were disappointed we couldn’t have a victor, we were happy for his ally and friend Juniper. When I was using the blowtorch on the final day, I thought of him and how he had to kill the zombies that resembled the fallen. All of the memories I had watching him in the arena came flooding back to me during the final moments. I was nervous I would have the same fate as him. He came so close to survival and got so close to returning home. I just know he’s up there with Clem, at peace with one another. I’d like to think that he’s proud of Ocean and I for how we did in the arena. This wasn’t just a win for myself. It was a win for Nathan, Darya, Ocean and my entire district.

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