Chapter 4
I wake in the morning and climb out of bed, I stumble to the shower and push random buttons. Luke warm water and a rose smelling body soap sprayed out from all sides of the shower covering me in pink bubbles. I press more and end up having organic blueberry shampoo in my eyes, I yelp and rinse it out immediately. I step out on to the mat ad have my body and hair blow dried. When I emerge from the bathroom clothes is already layed out on the bed waiting for me.
I slip them on and shove my hair into a neat pony tail, I walk gently down the hall as to not wake anyone sleeping. Haymitch and Peeta are waiting for me at the breakfast table. I am starved so i rush up to meet them. I frown the table is empty, where is all the food. Peeta notices my look and appoints me to the table on the far wall. I am not disappointed the table is stacked with food. How does it hold all the weight?
I grab a plate and start to pick up food. They have everything from eggs to fluffy waffles. I pile food on trying a little of everything. By the time i finish that my plate is heavy i return to the table and Peeta chuckles when he sees my plate so full i grin at him and dig in to my meal.
"so what skills do you two have?" Haymitch asks
"I can lift heavy things" Peeta states "But what good is that?"
'Good you can learn some hand to hand combat" Haymitch says "What about you prim?"
"I can climb, and gather berries, that's it though" I hang my head i have never thought about how little of a chance have in the games.
Haymitch stays quiet he also realizes i have no chance,I will certainly die. I will try though no matter what I will not give up, i can come home for mom I will win.
"Well are you fast?"
"Kinda I am faster than all the girls in my grade"
"The use that run it will be your best tatic" Hyamitch encourages "Only fight when necssary"
Peeta and I nod, it's time to go down now so we both stand from our seats and walk towards the elevator. It glides gracefully down to the bottom floor, i get the same thrill as I did the first time. I almost wish I could just stay here riding up and down all day, but I know that can't be possible we are down to the floor in seconds. Peeta and I are ushered out of the elevator and down the hall.
"Oh wait do you want to be trained separately or together?"
"I don't mind being together"
"Neither do I"
"Okay now get in there" Haymitch says and gently pushes our back towards the door.
A number twelve is pinned to my back and Peeta and I push open the heavy steel door. All the other tributes are standing in a circle in the middle of the giant room. We are instructed that we ca go to area to area learning what ever skills we need. I look around at the other tributes they are all bigger ad stronger than me I am the smallest. I glance to the far side and I spot Rue cowering on the outside of the group. She is about my size too so maybe I wont be the first dead.
We are dismissed and I start to walk towards Rue thinking she would be a good partner, she must have thought the same because she is walking towards me also. "Hi im prim"
"I am Rue" She says softly, I have to lean in to hear what she is saying.
'Do you want to start?"
"Sure" She replies "Where too"
"Well I think poisonous berries would be useful seeing that will be a main food source"
"Yah that sounds good, let's go"
Rue and I head over to the berries section. The man there is very kind and patient, while he teaches us what is safe to eat. We are taught to not go on looks alone, we have to cut the berries in half and smell them. I smelt a pink berry and decided that it was not safe to eat on the black goo on the outside. Rue picked a red one that resembled a raspberries. She cut it in half and decided it safe, the instructor nodded and grinned at us. We had passed the first course we picked.
"How about climbing next?" Rue asks with a wicked grin.
I nod I am good at climbing there was a tree down the road from our house that i had spent hours climbing when I was small, the tree was at least 50 feet tall. And I would climb to the very top. Mom and Katniss would panic and ask me to come down I would grin and gracefully slide out of the giant branches to land gently on my feet.
We arrive at the huge net and a boy from 2 is struggling with his giant body build. Rue and I gracefully climb to the top and swing one leg over and scale down the other side. The boy gives us a death glare and Rue starts to giggle. I don't see what is funny about this we just agitated him one of the biggest threats in the arena.
"I think we should try throwing knives"
"Yah we need something to protect ourselves I the arena"
We move from the net to the knife throwing station, I have steady hands from helping mom with medical emergencies so I can aim easily and throw the knife easily at the closest target. It sticks with a satisfying thump. Rue looks at me with a shocked look on her face, I smile i have found a talent. I aim at a target of an person standing a ways away and nip what would be his ear. Not as good but I think I can work on it. I throw several more and finally end up sticking one dead center of what would be my victim.
Rue picks up a sling shot and places a rock in the elastic she aims and fires the rock in to a target at a amazing speed and accuracy. We aren't out of these games after all. Rue and I stand up throwing knives and sling shooting rocks, when we realize we have drawn quite the crowd all standing around us watching in awe. I pick up the last knife in reach and aim for the moving target i throw the knife with a flick of the wrist and watch as it slices through the air and plunges in it's heart. Rue slings her last rock and watch as it cuts clean through the foam dummies.
A girl from 4 i think pushes me out of the way and grabs a knife she stands and carefully aims then throws the knife but missing by an inch, she grunts and picks up another then misses again. I smile to myself, this girl can't hit the target and she has a good 70 pounds on me. She throws more and more but only manages to hit the target once in what would be it's thigh. She storms off obviously frustrated.
A boy from seven has taken Rues slingshot and a temps to shoot it but it fall miserably 5 feet in front of him. He picks it up and pulls the string back further and ends up busting it.
I see Rue also sneak a smile to herself. The crowd breaks ad they all return to spear throwing and sword fighting. Peeta stands behind us with Thresh the boy from Rues district that is a giant compared to us. They both approach and congratulate us. I feel proud of my new skill and cant wait to tell Haymitch and Cinna of it. No our time is up and we exit the training arena.
This happens the three days and by now Rue is and expert at the sling shot. I am okay but I don't have enough power so I stick to knife throwing, I have excelled in knife throwing managing to hit the target every time. Rue can hit the target but usually in the arm or leg not enough to kill a person.
Now Rue and I are sitting down eating lunch together we have picked our own table. Soon they start to call us out for our private sessions for the game makers, we are the last districts so we finish our lunch and let it set before Rue is called down, then Peeta and I he goes first and I sit down in the hallway and wait until my name is called. I have been in here many times but now I feel scared and like I am shrinking getting smaller and smaller. The game makers aren't paying attention half of the drunk and laughing. I stand in the middle of the room, "Hello my name is Primrose Everdeen"
Some have turned to face me but the majority have not, I raise my voice which I rarely do "Primrose Everdeen!"
That got their attention but now I just look rude. i walk over to the netting and scale it easily to hop down I grab some a belt of knives and wrap them around me. I throw several sticking them in to the heads and hearts of targets. Now a pig has arrived so they have lost interest in me. I climb the netting again faster than before the throw a knife into a dummies from the top I try to come down from the top and lose my grip. I let out a scream and am hanging by my foot. They all look at me some laugh, so I take a knife out from upside down and aim at a moving target i let it fly and pray that it hits and it sticks again.
The game makers look astonished i hop down from the net and walk out with a hurried goodbye. That went well i guess, i think I made an impression.
Authours note: I hope you are enjoying my story! Feel free to give any ideas or suggestions you want! :)
