Armin and I sat in the train cart alone waiting for our trainer to show up. He was playing some video games he had somehow found in his room and I was looking out the window.
"You know you don't have to be so verbose." Armin's sarcastic voice shocked me out of the trance I was in. I glanced over to him before turning back to the window. He sighed going back to his game. "Look, I know we're enemies now but a little help isn't gonna hurt. I don't want you to get hurt."
He trailed off slightly at the last sentence but I still heard it. "We shouldn't help each other. We're going to be killing each other anyway. You are killing aren't you?"
"Yeah well we have to. What, are you planning on getting by cheating death by not causing any yourself?" He asked appalled. I shrugged turning back around. Silence ensued after that.
We barely looked up when the door opened.
A man stumbled through not seeming to notice us, or just not caring for our presence. He had choppy black hair and black eyes. His clothes were a detangled mess around his limbs. The way he looked I could tell he was heavily intoxicated.
He went to the bar and grabbed an entire bottle and sat down across the table from us. "Is this guy suppose to be our trainer?" I whispered to Armin.
He had apparently heard me though since he tipped his bottle down to get a good look at me. "Is this child supposed to have no manners? And yes I am." He said before jugging down the bottle again.
Armin placed game aside and leaned forward. "Ok well good. Your supposed to train us. So do you have any tips on how to survive?"
I shook my head at him. Throughout my experiences with drunkies I knew they wouldn't bother to stay serious for even a moment.
"You want some tips? Well I'll give you a tip...I got nothin." He said before taking another gulp out of his bottle.
"Nothing? What do you mean you have nothing? You're our trainer. You have to tell us how to survive!" Armin yelled at him.
"I don't have to do anything. The one thing you need to understand is nothing can brace you for what you are about to be apart of." He went to take another drink when Armin tried to grab it out his hand. The man kicked him back into his seat holding his drink out of grip.
His bare foot forcefully held his chest back against his chair. Honestly I was surprised he was that strong. There was no doubt why he was chosen as a mentor.
After another glance at us he removed his foot letting out a groan. "Now if you excuse me." He said getting up and walking out the room, not without grabbing another glass of liquor.
"I'm gonna go talk to him." Armin said getting up.
"What Armin, it's no use!" I yelled after him.
He turned back around for a second. "I might as well try." He ran out the door the man went out of.
I walked into the dining cart later and was surprised when I saw Armin and the man from earlier sitting down talking. I walked over tuning into their conversation.
"So I just make a fire to heat me up."
"Not if you don't have any supplies. And fire is a surefire way to get killed." The man retorted.
"What are you talking about." I asked monotonous as ever.
They both seemed to finally notice me. "We were just talking about how to survive."
I sat down between them and the end of the table. "How do you survive?"
Instead of answering my question he instead reached for some tiny biscuits. "Pass me the jam."
"How do you survive." I persisted a little more sternly.
He groaned giving me an aggravated look. "Look sweetheart. I just woke up so give me a chance to sober up." He poured some alcohol into his coffee dispite his last sentence. "Pass me the jam."
Anger and impatience overtook me. As he reached for the jam I picked up the butter knife and stabbed the area right between two of his fingers right on the table. Armin jumped back in his seat while he just stayed calm.
"Congrats. You can stab a still table. Nice going. You're going to have to do better than that if you want to live." He mocked reaching around the knife to his condiments.
"Go stand outside and give me arrow. Let's see how well I hit with that." I threatened.
Armin placed a hand on my shoulder. "Yo chill."
"I like her. She's feisty." He smirked. "But fine. You want to know what will help you live? Sponsers. Didn't expect that? Well when you are freezing to death or are injured badly, you have sponsors. If people like you enough they will help you and give you what you need. If not your on your own."
"Who are you anyways? What do you know about surviving?" I asked.
His demeanor changed to more serious as he adjusted his posture. "Oh I apologize. I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Leigh. I am going to be your instructor. Please forgive how I acted earlier. Someone I once knew has entered the games this year and I just couldn't bare with it...not the best way to cope with something like that is it?"
"Someone you once knew?" He looked away as if knowing they would die.
"Hey look a that." Armin stood up slightly and moved towards the window. The capital city stood tall just across a large lake from the us. The train went through a tunnel and when it came out a crowd of cheering people stood waving at us. It took me a minute to realize we were outside the train station.
Armin had already started smiling and waving at everyone in the masses. He urged me to come look but I didn't feel like it.
"Now that is how you get people to like you. He's gotta good chance." He told me.
"I'm not a people person."
So now we met their trainer. They are now in the capital. Who did Leigh THINK he was going to lose in the games?Yes I did say think