A/N I know, I'm only updating once per week. That twice per week schedule isn't going to work with these longer chapters.
AND OMG 13 REVIEWS? That's huge for me. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. Can we get to 24? You don't have to review, I guess... But if you submitted a character and don't review, you give me a good idea of who's okay to kill early.
Androcles Diorite, 17, District Two Male
I open one eye, and then I open the other. I push off my covers and stretch. Today's the day.
I go into the bathroom, wash my face, and stare at my reflection. I may not be the bulkiest or tallest trainee, but that doesn't me that I can't beat the rest of my competition. It's about time I was the one recognized.
When I go downstairs, my father doesn't say anything. He knows that I'm doing the sessions today, but he also knows that as much as he discourages it, he can't stop me. I'm going to do it. No one is going to take away my chance at glory.
My mother is excited for me; it's about time she gave me this kind of attention. She's always given me attention—in the form of blame. She had trouble during childbirth, and when my aunt came to help deliver my sister and I, she was executed for leaving her post. But just because Hermia came out first by ten minutes, I get the blame. I begin to pick at my eggs. Hermia looks up from her breakfast, and she smiles.
"Morning."
I grunt a reply.
"Hey, don't be so grumpy. Today's the sessions. I thought that I'd see you excited today. "
"I guess so."
I sit down and begin to eat.
"Do you have any plans for this morning?" I ask.
"No, not really. Why?"
"Just curious." I take another spoonful of oatmeal.
"Do you have any plans?" she asks.
"I think I'll go to the Training Center. It can't hurt to get a few hours in before the sessions."
"I'll go with you."
"You don't have to. What'll you do there? You aren't a trainee."
"You might need it."
"No I won't. I'll be fine."
"I'm coming anyway," she insists.
"Fine, go ahead. I won't need it though."
She goes back to her food, muttering something about "getting the last word in everything." I pretend not to notice.
Pretty soon, I'm out of the house and on my way to the Training Center, Hermia beside me.
"You didn't have to come," I say.
"You mean, you don't want me to come."
"No, it's not that."
"Then what do you mean? Every time, you day again and again that I don't have to go with you."
"Why won't you leave me alone sometimes? "
"Look," she reasons, "I know you. You're prone to… acting on impulse. "
"But that doesn't mean you have to follow me around. I'll be fine."
"I'm still coming."
"Fine," I say. I kick a pebble, and it rolls into the gutter. I look up, and I see that we're already at the doors of the Training Center. I look at Hermia, but she doesn't show any sign of changing her mind. Oh well. She'll see. I walk into the building and into the main Training Room, and I see that it's surprising empty. There are a few people here and there, a girl at the swords, a boy at the knives (He's still got another year before being eligible for volunteering), but the axes are open. I guess it's my lucky day.
Hermia sits down on a bench by the wall and pulls out a book to read, but I go to the axes. I pick one of them up and feel the smooth metal head. I turn in in my hands, and it reflects the light coming in from windows in the ceiling. I run and throw it into the target. Bullseye. I remove it before I throw another one; last time I forgot to, I split the previous axe. I turn towards the human dummies.
"Right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm," I mutter, "heart, neck, and head. Next."
I turn to the next dummy and repeat. And repeat. When I've used every dummy, I go up to them and pull out the axe. As I pull one out of a head, I hear a whoosh and feel something fly by my head. A knife sticks out of the dummy's head.
I whip around, and I see the guy who is at the knives, holding a set of daggers. I glare at him. He smiles at me.
"What do you want," I ask.
He shrugs. "Just some competition."
I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Are you a challenge?"
What's that supposed to mean, am I a challenge. Who does he think he is? Does he really think I'm think weak? I stalk up to him. "Don't insult me."
He narrows his eyes. "Insult? Haven't you heard of listening? I said-"
I grab his shirt. How dare he. "Shut your mouth. You better watch your words."
"So you're threatening me now, huh? I expected more from… huh. Your mother's right. You do only cause trouble wherever you go."
That is the last straw. He can insult me, but that is a low blow, bringing up my past. I feel anger coursing through my veins. I throw him to the ground, but he quickly gets back up. I charge at him, but he's ready with his knives. Thankfully, they're not real. I pin him to the ground, but he maneuvers his way out of my grip. I punch him, but he rolls to the side. I can't let him get away with this. He tries to get up, and I tackle him.
All of a sudden, someone grabs me from behind, and the boy is pulled away from me. I force my way out from my sister's grip.
"Let's go," she commands.
"No. I can't leave this unfinished."
"You can. Besides, what were you thinking!? He said, 'Is that a challenge,' not 'Are you a challenge'! This is why I had to come with you!"
Humiliated, I pull away from her and leave the Training Center. When I win the Games, everyone will see that I'm capable. I'm not a little kid that needs to be watched. I'm not the blight on the family name.
I am Androcles Diorite.
And I will not be looked down on.
Aemelia Concordia Melanite, 18, District Two Female
I sit on a bench in the park outside the Training Center . It's quite a nice day. The sky is almost cloudless, with few wisps gliding by. The trees are lush and green, and birds rest on the branches, chirping and singing. I'd be here all day if I could, but that's not an option. I look over to my right, where Liber is messing with his soccer ball, which he carries practically everywhere. He kicks it up, but it goes the wrong way and rolls off to the side. He curses under his breath, which makes Tiburtius smile. Tiburtius flips the page of his book, reads something, and makes a note in the margin. Amethyst, bored of watching him, gets up and sits down beside me.
"Are you nervous?" she asks, "You know, the sessions today?"
"A little," I answer,"But not too much. I've worked hard; if I'm good enough, I'll be chosen. If I'm not, I won't. Plain and simple." I try my best to hide the edge in my voice. Failure can't be an option.
"If only life were that simple," she says. She sighs. "I tried out for the figure skating team, and I thought I did okay. But then I saw some of my competition, and now, I'm not so sure."
"Don't worry about it," I say, "You'll make it in. I know how much you've practiced. You're definitely making it in."
"That's only because I had the best trainer in the District. Can you tell your mom thank you for me again?"
"C'mon," I say, "She knows you're thankful. You've told her about a million times."
She just smiles and looks at the ground. All of us have something we do. Amethyst skates. Tiburtius studies politics. With his way with words, he'll be governor someday. That is, if he learns to keep his sailor's mouth shut. Liber plays soccer. My brother Jocelyn looks up to him. As for me, I train. Skating and politics and sports are all nice, but the ultimate form of success, to me, is victory in the Hunger Games. Grandfather was told me stories of the Victors of old and how they brought glory to our district, making us the most feared and respected. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to continue the Melanite family tradition of success and glory.
Liber sits down beside us, twirling the soccer ball on his finger.
"You heard about the game last night, right?" Amethyst asks him.
He furrows his brow. "Yeah, I did. F*ck those b*tches from One. Someday, I'm gonna kick their *sses."
I lean back and breathe in the fresh air. The bell at the Training Center rings. It's time.
"There's the bell," I say as I stand up.
"Good luck."
I walk through a grove of fruit trees, and I enter the Training Center. Mostly everyone is already here, and everyone else is coming in. Like every year, a Capitol representative is standing to the side, and I'm pretty sure we're the only district with that honor. They play the Panemian anthem, and we all stand and sing. Afterwards, the representative takes the mic and begins to say all the cliché things they say every year. He's dressed in a purple robe, and to be perfectly honest, it's ridiculous. Bright sequins are attached to it, and he says something about it representing the brilliant jewels found deep underground. I barely stifle my laughter.
Sometimes I wonder about the Capitol. The people we see are so ridiculous and shallow, but they've managed to keep control over the districts for almost a millennium. I don't know how they took control in the first place. But somehow they did, and that's why they deserve our respect. Not the individuals per se, but the Capitol as the government.
The man finishes his speech, and we prepare to begin the sessions. Because of the large number of trainees and aspiring volunteers, there are twelve judges. Still, we won't know the results until tonight. Name after name is called. Even with so many judges, it takes forever to get through everyone. At lunch, we take a short break, but we come right back. Late in the afternoon, after almost everyone has gone, I hear my name.
"Aemilia Concordia Melanite. Room 5."
I look around. Room 5… Room 5…
I walk through the door, and when I enter, I see that it's one of the rooms with one-way glass. The four cold wall create a room, holding a variety of weapons and dummies. I inevitably begin tapping my foot. These next few moments could determine my life. I can't fail. I can't fail. A speaker in the wall emits crackling, static noises.
"Aemilia Concordia Melanite. ID number 998133115," I say.
Someone on the other side clears his throat. "You may begin, Ms. Melanite."
The first part of the sessions is modeled after the Gamemaker sessions before the Games. However, the judges here know what to look for, unlike the Gamemakers. I pick up a sword and begin hacking away at the dummies. Splinters of wood and wads of stuffing fall onto the floor as the sharp metal blade cuts through the skin. Finally, I back away to the other side of the room and throw the sword, thrusting it forward like a spear or javelin. It impales the last dummy, burying itself up to the hilt.
That was the easy part. Anyone can do that. I'm not even sweating. Now begins part two. The door opens, and one of the sword trainers walks in, holding two blunt swords. He hands me one and nods for me to begin.
I take the initiative; the first strike is crucial. I go straight for the neck, but he blocks and strikes back. I don't bother to block, instead opting to dodge the attack. I take opportunity of his vulnerable position and attack from behind. He rolls to the side, dodging my swing, and he moves in close. I back away slightly and twist to the side. I then attack his sword with the flat end of my sword, forcing him back. I move in for the kill, pushing against him and tapping his neck with the edge of my blade. Done.
He smiles and leaves. After him, I fight two more trainers, one with two daggers and one with a spear.
By the end of my session, I'm sweating and gasping for breath. I leave the Training Center and sit on the steps, where everyone is waiting.
"Hey, how did it go?"
I look up, and I see Amethyst. She sits down. "I think it went well. I'll get the spot if I deserve it. Where did Tiburtius and Liber go?"
"Their hanging out down there," she says pointing to a bunch of guys lounging around a tree, "Hey, I think the results are out."
The bell begins to ring, and I stand up. "Then let's go."
We're some of the first to enter the building, so we stand near the front. When everyone has entered, the escort begins to read the selected names, starting with us girls.
"Korrina Sidon." One of the upper-class trainees smiles and walks up to the front. I highly doubt she'll end up being the one volunteering. She has so much at stake here in Two.
"Aemilia Concordia Melanite." Even though I told myself that I wouldn't be surprised I find myself jumping at my name. I walk up to the stage where a gray medallion. It's made of smooth stone, which represents all our hard work. In Two, if you volunteer without having the medallion, the actual volunteers are free to do whatever they want with your family. Just a small form of payback.
I don't pay attention to the other names. Now that I've been chosen, I don't need to know the other girls. It won't help me much.
On the other hand, I pay attention to the boys, my possible district partners. Cornelius Terra is called. He's got a reputation for being quiet and underestimated. Androcles Diorite is the only 17-year-old. He's either exceptionally skilled, extremely motivated, or both.
As soon as the ceremony is over, I'm overwhelmed by Amethyst.
"Ohmygosh I knew you would be picked!" she exclaims, "Congratulations! How do you feel?"
"Surprisingly happy," I admit, "But I really can't wait to see Grandfather's expression when I tell him."
-~oO0Oo~-
Night is falling, and I push open the door to my house. The wood floors are clean and shining, and the tapestries are warm in the yellowish light. My father chose to become a blacksmith when he was younger, and he's excelled in it, becoming one of the top ones in the district. That's the only reason we can afford such a house. As soon as I close the door, my twin brother Remus comes into the front room.
"How'd it go?" he asks.
"Perfect. I- Wait, you already know how it went! It's been on TV for a few hours!" I laugh, and he smiles with that perpetual twinkle in his eye.
"You have no idea how proud grandfather is of you," he says.
"Yeah. I suppose that since he's a victor, he's always wanted us to follow in his footsteps," I say.
"I know, but I'm happy learning under father," he says, "I'm not cut out for training. I'd make too much…" He pauses, smirking. "trouble."
"Oh come on," I say, laughing, "Where's everyone else?"
"At the dinner table. C'mon."
We go into the dining room, where everyone else is sitting. My parents hug me, and as I feel my mother's perfectly smooth hands and my father's strong, sinewy arms, I truly feel happy. Even Jocelyn is out of snarky jokes; this is a first for him. Grandfather is at the head of the table in his rocking chair. I go over to him and wrap him in a hug.
"I did it, Grandfather," I say.
"I expected nothing less, " he says, with a perfectly straight face. but then, he breaaks his shell and smiles his warmest smile. "But I'm proud of you all the same." I've never seen him so happy.
I've worked hard enough for this. I've earned my spot. I've made my family proud. I have to win the Games. I can't fail.
I can't let my family down.
Questions:
1. How does Androcles compare to what you expected? Is that good or bad?
2. Were your predictions about Aemilia correct? What can you see about her view on life? How do you feel about it?
3. What roles will the two play? Excited about seeing them more? Which one do you like more?
4. These are the last two standard Careers. Which one of the four is your favorite?
5. To the submitters: Did I do a good job of writing them?
District Three is up! Excited? Hope to hear from y'all (yes, I just used y'all).
~Joseph