When I get down to the Dining Room, I am thrilled not to be wearing the same outfit as Cato. He's wearing a mostly red and I have on mostly blue.
Enobaria smiles at me, her pointy teeth flashing grimly. "Hey there, Clove. Got an appetite?"
Not for whatever that is, I think, looking at a bowl of bubbling brown slop with uncharacteristically bright flower petals floating around the top. "I'll have some fruit."
The food on the table is so bizarre and yet I want to try all of it- but not that brown soup. They have sea food, plenty of fresh fruits shining under the bright lights, and glasses of multi-colored drinks, some that swirl with other colors or chunks of strawberries. My mouth fills with saliva and I reach for a strawberry, biting into it. "These are delicious," I find myself saying, smiling.
Cato looks bewildered, then turns away.
"Eat whatever you want," Brutus says, biting off a piece of a giant turkey (I think it's turkey,) leg. "But you'll have to be downstairs within fifteen minutes."
"Right," I say boredly. "Like it'll take so long to go down three floors on the elevator." Once again, why do the poor Districts with no chance of winning get the best floors?
"I'd rather get there sooner than later," Cato says, his blue eyes meeting mine. I scowl. Like I care what you think.
Once I finish devouring two slices of watermelon, a bowl of strawberries, and apple, and eat a quarter of a flounder, I get up, full. I'm used to eating well at home but this is entirely different. I can't eat it all here, and even though we have leftovers at home, it's like we have enough for ten more meals in the Capitol. Getting up, I walk over to the windows with a glass of water, a lemon slice buried below ice clinking musically against the sides.
Outside, I can see the city of the Capitol. Buildings are so colorful here, not grey like at home. They're made with with different materials, windows shimmering and glinting in the sunlight streaming down though the fluffy white clouds under a blue sky. Birds soar and sing as the fly between the buildings, the Capitol citizens walking around the busy square under sparse trees, fountains with aqua water here and there, live fish swimming in them.
Even though it's beautiful, it's so ridiculous at the same time. The people are wearing such strange clothes that they think are good looking. Our stonemasons have better style.
"Clove, darling, time to leave," Sunni calls from the elevator. I finish the last of the water and go to the elevator, Sunni standing in between Cato and me. She doesn't say a word, just fluffs her eyelashes before pushing us out when we get to the Training Center.
We're five minutes early, and seven of the twelve Districts are already here. 4, 6, 10, and 12 are missing. A woman with skin the color of dark coffee stands in the center of a crescent of Tributes, beckoning us to join. Quickly, two Avoxes pin a piece of paper with a 2 on it to our backs and then we join our opponents.
I glance over at other Tributes, seeing if I recognize anyone. There's the girl with dark-blonde hair from District 3, the red head from 5, the buff guy from 11, and a young boy from 9. So much for competition, I smile, shaking my head at the ginger from 9. She diverts her eyes, her shoulders shaking.
District 12 is the last to get here and they're both dressed the same. Me and Cato look at each other, finally agreeing on something. They look ridiculous. The girl from 8 looks at her clothes, regretting not matching her District partners'.
I wouldn't dress like Cato by choice ever.
Once the Girl On Fire and her counterpart join the circle, the woman begins, introducing herself as Atala. She tells us the names of the different activities, including The Gauntlet, Archery, and Knife-Throwing.
Once she's done, I make myself wait before going over to Knife Throwing, walking over to where the girl from 1 is picking up a mace. "Hello," I say brightly.
She looks over at me, smiling. "Hey." She's got long blonde hair and eyes the color of clover. "You're Clove, right?"
"Yep," I nod. "Is it... Glitz?" I already know her name. But, I won't let her think that.
"It's Glimmer," she answers, swinging the mace behind her. "Are you good with close-combat weaponry?"
"It prefer knives," I say. "Throwing knives, I mean."
She nods. "That's neat. I'm not too great at knife throwing. But, I'm trained with maces."
"I can see," I say, watching as she tosses it back to the weapons wall it came from. "Do you want to go with me over to knife throwing?"
"Sure," she shrugs. Together, we walk over to the station. The Aid who helps there doesn't bat an eye, letting me select the type of knife I want. I run my hands over the cool metal knives, watching my face reflect in the blades. I pick one without a handle, weighted more on the end. Daintily holding it by the end, I throw it at the target.
Bullseye.
At Lunch, Glimmer, Cato, Marvel (Glimmer's District Partner,) and the pair from four, Cobia and Sail, sit with me. We laugh loudly and pull our table away from the others, going back and getting food occasionally. Throughout the three days, District Twelve stays together, laughing happily at lunch.
One day, I just sneer to Glimmer, "why do couples have to be so annoying?"
Glimmer sets her hand under chin, shrugging. "They aren't always." She looks over and smiles at Cato, who smiles back. I sigh. Why does she have to try an get rid of the alliance already by flirting with him? They both know there's only one winner. But, I realize, I shouldn't care. It's not like I expect one of them to win.
On the last day of Training, the Private Training Sessions begin. Marvel goes first, the Glimmer, then Cato. Then it's my turn.
"District 2, Clove Wilkinson," the robotic voice calls as I enter the gymnasium, empty and quiet, the noise coming from the Gamemakers who are drinking and eating up on the ledge like always.
I immediately go to the Knife Throwing station. I also tie some knots, and toss a spear or two. I don't climb the rock wall; I'm terrible at it. But, at the end, one of the Gamemakers nods. "Thank you, Miss Wilkinson. You are dismissed."
"Thank you," I say, walking to the elevator.
I smile when I get up to the District 2 floor. I probably just blew everyone else out of the water. I don't stop smiling the rest of the night.
Or, that is, until The Girl On Fire gets an eleven.
I hope you liked this chapter!
Thanks for the review!
Thanks for reading!
Remember to smile today! Christ loves you more than you know!
Also, how about do a good deed? Clove isn't that nice. Let's do some good things!
~Loveableheart
