I didn't get much sleep last night. That dream scared me so much i was to afraid to even try. I make my way to the restroom and take a warm shower. It was perfect temperature. When i stepped out there was a training outfit on my bed, I thought it was rather tight. I don't get how you're supposed to train in it. I tie my hair back in a pony tail and walk out to the dinning room. Keith is already waiting with Seth. "howd you sleep?" Keith asks.
"Fine." I lie. I go back to eating, they have a meal of pancakes and fruit. i eat plenty of fruit but i'm afraid the pancakes will be to much for training. After breakfast we go into the elevator and go all the way down to the basement where the training center is. It seems that we are late because everyone else is there. Seth and I walk over to a station, its the one that shows you how to make snares.
As im tying a snare together Seth says, "that guy keeps staring." I look up and see a red haired boy who is roughly about six feet staring at me. I stare back thinking he was gonna walk away but instead he walks towards us. "Hi, i'm Shimmer." he says winking at me.
"Let me guess you're district one?" Seth says, smiling. i stifle a a laugh. you can tell he is because only people in district one come up with names like that. "yeah, I am." Shimmer says never taking his eyes of me. "whats your name beautiful." He says. I look up at him without showing any emotion in my face. "Rosemary." I go back to my snare and finish it. "wow, you're really good with your hands." He says cockily, "you think i can talk to you alone for a second?" Seth shoots me a glance waiting to see what ill say. "I'm sorry, i don't want to talk to someone i'm going to kill" I say with an edge in my voice. Shimmer looks at me with a smile, "feisty i like it." he winks again. "I'm not being feisty. I'm being realistic. now if you'll excuse us, we have training to do." i grab Seth's hand and walk away to the camouflage station.
"He liked you." Seth says laughing. i shake my head and go back to learning which berries could be made to make a dark paint.
"So how'd it go?" Keith asks. "Fine" i answer.
"A career took a liking to Rose today." Seth says smiling.
"It was more of the fact he took a liking to my training outfit." I wink at Seth and we both start laughing. "No, it was more of the fact he found you as competition."
"Me? He finds me as competition and not Seth?"
"Yes." Keith says sternly. "What were you doing when he saw you?"
"I was making a snare."
"Exactly. Carrers cant hunt. they need an aly that can."
"Yeah? Well, I said no."
"Good, i wouldn't want you to team up with those people." Keith says, "how about lunch?" We all go to the dinning room after Seth and I change into something more comfortable. For lunch we have a nice vegetable soup with plenty of fresh bread, they give us a juice that is tangy yet sweet. I ate a little to much and over stuffed myself.
I walk out to the patio and look down at the miniature people down below in their colorful outfits. "You okay?" Seth asks walking out onto the patio. "Yeah, i'm fine. I just over ate." i say with a smile. "No, i'm talking about the fact the interviews are soon, then we have to go into the arena." Seth says looking down at the people.
"I should be fine. its just… Last night i couldn't sleep well." I say
"Whys that? bad dream?" Seth looks at me.
"Yeah." I look up into his blue eyes and remember looking into them in my dream.
"What was it about?" He asks.
"We were in the arena." I say, "and you… you stabbed me." He looks at me with pain on his face. "I could never stab you, Rose." he grabs me and hugs me and for a moment i forget we are about to go in for the slaughter.
"Hey, Rose." I look up at Seth and see him smirking. "What?" I look at him suspiciously. He takes my hand and leads me into an extra room in the apartment. Books are everywhere, he sits me down in a chair and hands me a book. It says Killer Plants. I laugh at the name and look a him. "We can train even when we arent training." he winks. "What if i just want to enjoy the book without it being training." He huffs and says, "I guess you can do that to." We both start laughing. Keith walks in and says "We need to talk about you showing your skills to the gamemaker." Seth and I get up and follow Keith to the living room.
"So?" Keith says. "I was thinking of just using the knife, throwing it, stabbing with it." Seth says smiling. "Show my strength too." Seth is really strong. I guess it comes from working in a butcher shop sense your 9. "I'm going to make a snare, and im gonna climb. I'll probably mix some herbs or something." Keith looks at us, i'm not sure if he's happy or not. He nods "sounds good."
We eat dinner, then I walk to my room to lay down. I crawl into bed and close my eyes. A soft knock hits my door and i rise to open it. Seth walks in. "You think i could get an 8 for my training score?" he asks as he sits on my bed. I walk back over and sit down too. "Probably, you're really good with a knife." Seth looks at me. "Okay." He says getting up to walk out. "Is that all you wanted to ask?"
"Yeah." He closes the door. I lay down on my bed and close my eyes. I dream of Catherine and Smokey. In my dream Smokey is really happy. I slept well that night.
The past few days we train, and train, and train. "Tomorrow is when you show your strengths." Keith says before bed. Seth and I both nod. "Get to bed." We comply and walk to our rooms. "Sleep well, Rose." Seth says. "You too." i smile at him, he stares at me for a minute then walks in his room.
I lay in bed trying to sleep, but i cant. I am pretty nervous for tomorrow. I get up and look out my window. Only a few people scatter the street. Just like yesterday a soft knock rings my ears. I open it and Seth walks in and crawls into my bed, and starts to cry. I walk over to him and rub his back. "whats wrong?" Seth looks at me staring into my eyes. "I just hate this."
"I know, Seth." He sits up and grabs me hugging me. I start to cry too.
"I'm sorry, Rose." Seth says.
"Don't be." i look at him and wipe my tears from my eyes. "you should get to bed we have a big day tomorrow." I force a smile and he smiles back getting up and walking out as if nothing happened. I lay there and everything races through my mind, the reaping, the train, the training. Seth. i slowly drift off into sleep somehow. I dream of Seth, the first time i saw him at school. He was with all of the other boys messing around. I was sitting at the lunch table alone, he walked up to me and said "I like your dress." I always remember that. I told my mom all about it. It made me so happy.
I wake up in the middle of the night, I stay in the warmth of my bed. Soon, I will have to kill for others enjoyment. Soon, I might be watching Seth being killed. Soon, I might be dead myself. A chill sends through my spine and I stay awake the rest of the night. Keith knocks on the door that morning. "Show time, Rosemary."