Raised to Fight, Born to Die: The District 2 Tributes
So sorry for not updating for like almost three weeks, I was on vacation but now I'm back. Hope you enjoy. Comments, reviews and feedback are appreciated. Thank you!
(Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or its characters.)
Chapter 4: District Twelve?
Clove
Today is the last day of training, when we each have private sessions to impress the Gamemakers. Brutus has told Cato and me to enlist the big boy from Eleven into our Career alliance. I have no problem with that; I kept an eye on him from the start.
Near the end of our last session, I approach the boy at the edible plants station. "I would think," I say slowly, "with you being from Eleven, that you know what plants to eat and what to not eat."
He shakes his head and I hear his voice for the first time. "Just practicing." It comes out deep and rough.
"I'm Clove."
"Thresh. You're from Two, right?"
I nod in response. I watch him for a few minutes, and I think of how he will do in the Games if he decides to not join the Career alliance. He will probably do well surviving by himself, and he is certainly strong enough to kill other tributes, but I can't figure out his strategy. Maybe he is the confronting type, which seems to fit his whole appearance more, or maybe it is all just an act. Maybe he hides and runs, waiting for us to pluck out the weaker competition before coming out and fighting to win.
"I saw you lifting weights," I say conversationally. "You weren't bad. Maybe even good enough to-"
He turns to me and his face changes. "Thanks," he says, not looking like he is thankful at all, "but I'm not interested. I'm doing my own thing." He gets up and walks away to another station, leaving me there staring at some poisonous leaves.
I feel a tap on my shoulder. "Did you get him?" I see Cato and Glimmer standing there.
"He says he's going to do his own thing," I say regretfully. Well, at least we'll have a good challenge eliminating him then.
Glimmer frowns and shrugs. "Oh well. Good luck on your private sessions you guys, I've got to go," she says when Marvel beckons her to the elevator going upstairs. Cato and I say goodbye and she goes off with Marvel.
"Speaking of private training sessions," Cato says, "what are you doing?" he asks curiously.
I shrug. "Probably throw some knives around. I'm going to run the obstacle course, and maybe use some of the other weapons, too." I'm still not sure yet. "You?"
Cato doesn't hesitate. "Use my strength," he says. "Throw spears. Something impressive you're not allowed to know," he says with a smirk.
I elbow him. "I bet I'm going to get a better score than you," I tease.
"Yeah right," he says with a loud laugh.
.
Cato
All the tributes wait in silence. I sit next to Glimmer, and she's going off about what she might do, but I am not listening. This is my chance to impress the whole country, and at the same time intimidate my competitors. I predict Clove and I will get somewhere around 8 or 9, maybe even 10. Hardly anyone gets a 10, seeing as it's so high up of a score. But I am only kidding myself. I already know the Careers will dominate the scoreboards.
Sitting across from us, I see Clove talking to Marvel. I hear the words "knife" and "thank you" come out of Clove's mouth, and suddenly I wish I knew what they were talking about.
Marvel is called first. He looks back at Glimmer. "I know you'll do well," she says. They smile at each other. Then he nods at Clove and then to me. With that he walks inside.
Soon, Glimmer is called, and before I know it it's my turn. Clove wishes me luck and I walk inside.
I look at the Gamemakers. "I'm Cato Larek. From District Two," I announce. Some nod in approval and others are starting to fill their glasses with rich Capitol wine. After a few seconds they are all staring intently at me, waiting for me to start.
I walk over to the weapons station. I drag the dummies to the edge of the room, so they are touching the wall. I grab my trademark sword and a few spears. Then I walk to the beginning of the obstacle course on the other side of the room. I run, weapons still in hand. I jump over the gaps between the platforms, dodge the fake dummy attacks, and then I throw each of my spears at the dummies on the opposite side of the room, back at the weapons station. Each one hits a dummy straight to the heart. I jump down at the end of the course, somersault forward and shoot up.
Now I see a trainer waiting for me, sword in hand. I lift my sword, challenging him, and he comes forward. Our swords clash. He jabs his sword below my arm right to my stomach but I bring my sword down just in time and push it against him, making him stagger backward. I jump forward and he stabs at my face but I drop to the ground and swing my leg out, knocking him over his feet. When he falls to the ground I jump and sit on top of him, my sword touching his throat. I hear loud applause from the Gamemakers and even a few whistles. I bask in my pride for a moment and then stand up.
I only have a few minutes left to kill, so I head over to the weights station and take the biggest balls and lift them, and one at a time I hurtle them toward the dummies I stabbed with my spears not ten minutes earlier. Each one crushes a dummy, and the Gamemakers stand up from their seats, clapping and whooping. I wish I could do more but my time is up.
The trainer I had fought not a minute ago escorts me to the elevator and I ride it up toward my district's floor. On the way out, I see trainers already cleaning up my mess, putting the dummies, the weight balls, and the spears al back in place so Clove can have her private session.
I have to say, I am pretty impressed with myself. I know I have the skills to win the Games.
I imagine what it will be like when I get home. Back to District Two. My mother will be so proud. And my sisters, too. They weren't able to visit me before I left, because they were working, but the last time I saw each of them, they both wished me luck. They're too old to enter the Games, and when they were young enough people always volunteered before them. So they were happy for me when I said I was going to volunteer.
I am excited until I think about Clove. She definitely has what it takes to win, but the question is, will it be her or me? I know I have to win, and I know she has to die, right?
The thought of her dying dampens my happy mood. I'm not supposed to say this, because there is only one victor for the Hunger Games, but…I don't want her to die. For the first time in my entire life, I feel worried about the Games. What am I going to do? The most I can do for her is to hope her passing will be quick and painless. Then another though crosses my mind.
I could let her win.
I shake my head vehemently, as if to shake the words from my brain. What am I thinking? I have trained my whole life for this. I was born to win. I have to win.
Even if it means she has to die.
.
Clove
Cato's private session has just finished. I only have to wait a few more minutes until the door opens, and I am called to go in. I stand up and walk forward. I am the last official Career to have their private session.
On my way to the door, I pass the girl from District Eleven. No, wait. Twelve. She glances at me as I pass by and I glare at her. If only we were in the arena. Then I could kill her already. Unless Cato kills her first.
I walk into the room.
The Gamemakers seem excited to see me, I guess because Cato did well before me. The thought of me getting a lower training score than him makes me want to throw something. He'll hold it against me forever.
I tell them I am from District Two, and then I head past the knot-tying station. I never went there yesterday or the day before, but how hard can it be to die a decent knot? And why would I need to tie knots when I'm a Career? Everything I need will be in the Cornucopia. I shake my head as I head to the weapons station.
I pick up ten deadly looking knives and stick some in my belt. I see the dummies lined up near the weapons station. I walk as close to the Gamemakers' table as I can and then I turn around and run so I am running parallel to the line of dummies. I somersault, then jump up as high as I can and throw the first knife toward the second dummy. Thump! I do the same thing for the next eight knives, doing tricks as I run to impress the people watching me. Thump! Thump!
When I am done, I have the biggest knife left. I stop running and turn around to face the first dummy, which is all the way back near the Gamemakers' table. This is why I had skipped it earlier. I get into throwing position, I then take a deep breath. Then I run a few paces, somersault, jump up, and close my eyes.
Then I throw.
I don't need to hear the thump to know I've hit the dummy.
And I don't need to open my eyes to know I've hit it straight into the middle of its forehead.
I open my eyes and I hear clapping and loud cheering. They dismiss me and, pleased with myself, I walk into the elevator that takes me upward.
.
Later, when we are upstairs eating dinner, Brutus talks. "So," he says between bites, "Did you get Thresh?"
"No," I say. "He's not interested."
Brutus doesn't show any sign of acknowledgement at my words. "Shame," he says. "That means you have to watch out for him later on, especially you, Clove."
Avena cuts in before I can feel offended. "He's right. You are a good fighter, but he is still a lot bigger and stronger than you. Be careful," she warns.
"Don't worry, she's quick enough to run from him if she has to," Cato says, looking at me. Normally, people would think of his words as a compliment, but I know better. He's saying I'm not skilled enough to handle him in battle. He's saying I would rather run away than confront him directly, which is definitely not true.
But then I think about it. If it came down to it, Thresh could most definitely beat me in combat. He's huge, and really strong. The best chance I would have at killing him is if I threw a knife at him from far away. Normally I'm good in hand-to-hand combat, and maybe I am quick enough to evade his hard punches and strong kicks. But he would definitely beat me in the strength department.
"I guess so," I conclude. Cato raises his eyebrows, but I ignore him as he shoves a huge forkful of food into his already full mouth.
"Well, just use your speed to your advantage," Brutus suggests. "Make him chase you. We all already know you're faster. When you get far enough away from him," he chortles, "toss him a knife." Cato laughs.
"I won't let him kill me," I say, my voice full of confidence. I could take him, if I follow Brutus's instructions. Plus I have three other Careers who are all just as skilled as I am. We can do this.
Cato laughs. "You better not let him kill you," he teases. After he stops laughing, he adds, "Seriously." Then before I can look at him he practically inhales two more forkfuls of rich Capitol pasta.
Me, let Thresh kill me? Over my dead body….Well, you know what I mean. "I won't," I say. I scoop some pasta into my mouth.
"How did your sessions go?" Avena asks to break the silence. I know her and Brutus already know we did well.
"Good," Cato shrugs, but I can tell he can barely hold his excitement in. I don't blame him. I want to see our scores so badly!
"What did you do?" I ask, encouraging him.
A huge smile takes over his face. "I threw weights and spears at the dummies while running the obstacle course, and then I fought the trainer." He goes into detail about every single move he made during combat, using hand motions and all, and all I can do is laugh and eat some more pasta.
"I actually closed my eyes when I threw," I say smugly. "And I hit those dummies dead center."
Cato frowns in mock jealousy and says, "Not bad, not bad."
I shove him playfully. "Whatever, Cato. You had to be there."
After dinner we all file down the hall to the sitting room. There we turn on the television and wait for Marvel's score to appear.
Soon enough, Marvel's picture flashes on the screen. Then a large silver "9" appears. Then Glimmer's photo pops up, and she gets a 9 as well.
Cato's picture comes first. I hear Brutus and Cato thumping on the table to mimic drumrolls and a silver "10" appears under his name.
I raise my eyebrows and nod. Just what he was aiming for, I bet. He's whooping when my name and picture comes up.
Cato makes another drumroll and urges me to join in. I do.
A silver number flashes on the screen.
10.
A huge smile appears on my face. Cato and I are whooping and jumping now, and we hug to congratulate each other. "And you thought you'd get a higher score," I rub his words in his face. He shoves me lightly and that's when Brutus says, "Well, we already knew you'd get high scores." Avena just shakes her head, a smile on her face.
By the time we settle down, District Four's scores are on the screen. The boy got an 8 and the girl got a 9. This is when I realize Cato and I have the highest scores. I grin and no longer pay attention to the TV.
The only other scores that stand out are Thresh and his companion. I forget her name, something with an "R" I think. They both manage sevens.
Until District Twelve appears.
.
Cato
I'm whopping and cheering, but a tiny corner of my mind is thinking bout Clove's score. Ten. That will only make her that much harder to kill.
If she got a Ten, that means she'll make it into the final eight. Not that she wouldn't have already. But that also means there will be less people alive to kill her. I dread the thought that comes next; what if we are the last two in the arena? I'll kill her if I have to, but I'd really rather not have it come down to that.
And there's the reality that she might even beat me. She's definitely skilled enough. And smart enough.
Clove is shaking my shoulder. "Thresh got a Seven," I hear her say. I look at the screen and see his district partner, a tiny little girl, get a seven too. "Interesting," I say. Interesting.
The blond boy from District Twelve appears. He gets an Eight.
My face scrunches up in confusion.
"What?" I hear Clove say disbelievingly. "What? How does someone from District Twelve, of all places, manage a Career score?"
Brutus only shakes his head.
"You can't underestimate your competition," Avena says, but I can tell even she is astonished. District Twelve never gets higher than a four, sometimes five. How do they get from four to eight?
Before I know it, the girl from District Twelve appears. I pay attention intently; if she gets an Eight too, I know for a fact she will be the first person I will kill in that damned arena.
But she doesn't get an Eight.
She doesn't get a Nine, either.
Ten? Not even.
"What?" Clove jumps up in outrage. "How? How? How can some stupid skinny girl from Twelve, the most pathetic excuse for a district, get that? How the hell can a girl from the worst district get the highest score?" Clove is in a huge fit, yelling and throwing the pillows she was sitting on not a moment ago. She has officially gone mad.
Not that I blame her.
It is now that I finally learn her name. Katniss. The stupid girl got an Eleven. An Eleven. My body rocks with anger. I jump up faster than Clove did. A deep frustrated growl explodes out of my mouth and Clove screams in anger.
Even Brutus's mouth gapes open. I'm sure he's never seen this in his lifetime.
"Well," Brutus pales, "You just have to-"
"Have to what?" I say, my voice low with red hot anger dripping from every word. "Who knows what she did in her session! Some stupid poor girl from District Twelve has to be taken seriously because of her damn Eleven!" I am yelling now. I can barely pay attention to anyone else. I hear our district escort, Anitah, trying to calm me down but I ignore her. I throw the vase on the glass coffee table in front of me across the room and it shatters loudly when it hits the wall. I can't believe this.
I turn around. One look at Avena and I know I have to calm down. She puts a hand on my shoulder and I shake it off harshly. "Sorry," I mumble quickly. She shakes her head, dismissing my hasty apology. Then two Avoxes hurry to clean the mess up before someone steps on it.
Clove is still yelling. Brutus and Avena leave the room in silence, leaving Anitah yelling at the Avoxes to not get the glass shards anywhere onto the floor.
"Clove," I say firmly.
The sound of her name seems to bring her back to Earth. "What," she says, the end of the word sounding sharp with rage.
"We can still beat them. We've been training our whole lives for this. They've only picked up weapons for the first time not two days ago."
She shakes her head. "But-"
"Just don't think about it," I tell her. But even as I say the words I know I won't be happy until Katniss is dead.
.
Clove
I wake up the next morning with a newfound energy. I wish the Games were today.
Today is Sunday, a day of preparation before the interviews. Anitah is teaching me how to sit and walk like a polite young woman. Of course, I'm not trying to come off as polite.
Apparently, I get it right away. Anitah is pleased with my performance and said I am "a real lady". How nice.
Next I practice with Brutus. He would ask me questions to help me make an appearance for myself. He says I should try to be "polite enough, and friendly. Show them you're determined and won't give up."
"In that case, she doesn't have to try," Cato chuckles.
The next day comes quickly and I am pumped and excited for the interviews. For now, though, Cato and I are stuffing ourselves with rich Capitol food.
"I wonder what Marvel and Glimmer are saying about the training scores," I say before stuffing a forkful of juicy steak into my mouth.
"They got lower scores than us," Cato says happily. "They won't make a big deal out of it now, but I think it's going to make them split up from us earlier. I say when it gets down to the final seven, we ditch them and then we can figure it out from there."
I nod. "Fine with me," I say.
Soon Zaria and Estelle come up to our floor and call Cato and me to the dressing rooms. I take a lot longer because of my makeup, and they have to make last-minute alterations to my dress. My prep team flits around me like little animals, talking and chirping away. They remind me of birds. I am beautiful in my dress, I'm not going to lie. My dark brown hair is up in a loose, elegant ponytail at the top of my head and my dress is a light orange shade. My torso is covered in stiff orange material that opens up into soft warm waves that go down to my feet. They keep my makeup simple, saying I should look like myself.
When Cato comes out of his dressing room, he looks truly deadly in what looks like a black suit, but when you look more closely it is actually iridescent. We compliment each other and walk to the front of the City Circle.
It is dark outside now, and herds of Capitol citizens are gathering in front of the City Circle, where Caesar Flickerman and his blue hair are talking about the beginning of the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hunger Games. All the tributes line up according to district, with Glimmer in front. I wish her good luck and she goes up. Caesar asks her questions about the Games and her strategy, and compliments her on her dress when the buzzer rings, signaling three minutes. Then Marvel is going up. Caesar asks him about his family back home and how it felt at his reaping when they were debating who volunteered first. As for his strategy…let's just say Marvel doesn't seem like the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Before I know it, I am being called. I walk up slowly, trying to calm the adrenaline running through me. I walk onto the stage and I see bright lights and cameras and people cheering and whooping and clapping. Caesar invites me to sit down in the round white chair in front of me and I do. He introduces me. "Alright, everyone, let's give a big warm welcome to District Two's Clove Sevina!"
.
Cato
On the TV in the waiting room, I see Clove sitting down on the stage next to Caesar Flickerman. The first thing he does is compliment her dress and her chariot ride outfit.
"Well, someone's looking incredibly stunning, doesn't she? He asks the audience, who whoops and cheers in response. Clove says thank you.
"So, Clove, what about your training score? I bet you were expecting that, right?" he laughs and a few of the audience members join in.
She nods with a grin on her face. "Definitely. I've trained my whole life for this. I'm going to win." Her voice has a certain determination to it that gets the audience going. "I know it."
"Well, I bet you will," he encourages. "There are rumors going around about you," Caesar winks.
"Oh, really," Clove says mockingly. Some of the audience laughs. "Like what?"
"Well, I don't know about you guys," he says to the audience, "but I heard you're really good with knives," Caesar says in a daring voice. "Is it true?"
"I think," Clove pauses for dramatic effect, "you all will get to see the answer to that when I'm in the arena." She laughs and a few Capitol people groan in mock disappointment. A few voices call out to her saying for her to tell them now, but she laughs and shakes her head. "Sorry!" she says good-naturedly.
"Oh, don't be!" Caesar says excitedly. "I think you like being surprised," he says to people in the audience. A few yell in agreement.
Caesar I about to ask her something about the Games tomorrow, but the buzzer rings too quickly and the audience groans. Caesar says goodbye and wishes her luck, and then I am called to the stand.
Clove
I'm walking back down to my assigned seat to watch the rest of the interviews when Cato is called onto the stage. Caesar introduces him and he sits down, crossing his leg so his left ankle rests on his right knee. I laugh to myself because he already looks so confident and self-centered. The way a lot of Careers look. He's smiling at the audience when Caesar starts his interview.
"So, Cato from District Two," Caesar says, "I must say you look dashing in that suit of yours, don't we all agree?" he asks Cato, while at the same time prompting the crowd. They start cheering and whooping. I hear several people even calling Cato's name.
"Alright, calm down, let's not waste our precious amount of time!" Caesar says, quieting the audience down. He turns to Cato. "Cato, can you tell us why you volunteered for this year's Games?"
He plasters a huge smile on his face. "I know I can win," He says confidently. "I was raised to volunteer. There's no way I'm missing out."
Caesar raises his eyebrows, and some people whoop. "Looks like the other tributes are going to need a lot to even come close to beating you, I have to say!" He says with an excited tone, and the audience cheers once again. Cato agrees and laughs with the crowd.
"Well, well! I have another question for you, but I think the answer is obvious." He pauses for dramatic effect. "Cato, are you going to win this year's Hunger Games?"
I put on a knowing smile. "I think the audience can answer that." Cato looks to the audience and puts his hand to his ear, waiting for their response. He gets loud cheering and whooping and I hear people yelling "Yes!" and "We're rooting for you, Cato!"
Caesar laughs encouragingly. "Well of course, right? I mean, look at you, you're a killing machine! You're definitely in shape, and, I daresay, you have many hidden talents that got you that 10 in Training, am I correct?"
"I'll leave that to your imagination," Cato says, pointing to the audience, who laughs and whoops.
Before he knows it, the buzzer goes off. "Oh no, we've run out of time," Caesar says with obvious sadness. The audience gasps with sadness too. "Well, before we move on, let's hear it for Cato Larek of District Two!"
With those words, the audience erupts with noise and cheering. Cato decides to bow to them, and that makes them go wild. I hear the Capitol audience yell words of luck and encouragement and I see Cato's huge grin plastered on his face. He pulls Caesar in to bow with him, and at first Caesar refuses but Cato insists. So they both bow, making the audience erupt even louder. Caesar and Cato share a manly hug and Cato walks offstage.
Well, he certainly made an impression.
.
Cato sits down next to me, and soon the girl from Three sits down next to him. Caesar and the girl from Four are talking about the unique fashion trends of the Capitol and how she loved them. Probably trying to kiss up. Smart move on her part. I decide to ask her one more time in the arena to ally.
None of the rest of the interviews really catch my attention, so Cato and I whisper to each other, commenting on each tribute as they walk onto the stage. Soon the boy from Eleven, Thresh, walks offstage and Katniss Everdeen is called up. I feel my face coil in loathing. I peer at Cato out of the corner of my eye and I see he is paying full attention now.
She gets boring right away. Her and Caesar are saying something about lamb stew, and soon Cato and I are whispering gain, making fun of her. She didn't have that much to her personality; she seemed shallow, and most of her questions were vaguely answered and Caesar would distract the audience with his commentary, helping her out. Then before I know it she giggles and twirls around in her dress, which appears to have fire on the ends of it. The audience goes wild, and I sense Cato going rigid with anger beside me. Really? Twirling and giggling in her dress? I can't even take her seriously anymore.
No, wait. I do have to take her seriously. Can't forget about that Eleven, can we?
Soon her district partner comes up, and he is apparently a baker's son, because he is comparing Glimmer to District One's light-colored bread, and then he does the same for a few other tributes. I am not paying attention too much, so when I look up at the stage and I see the boy and Caesar smelling each other, my face scrunches up. Weird. Then they are taking about a girl he likes back home when I see Katniss's face on the television. Wait, what?
I elbow Cato. "What happened?"
His face scrunches up in disgust. "You see how corny this guy is? Seriously. He just said he loved his district partner in front of the whole nation," he explains, shaking his head. My mouth gapes open in disbelief.
"Oh, that is a piece of bad luck," Caesar says, earning a few sounds of agreement from the audience. When the boy, Peeta, I learn, walks off the stage, the audience literally goes wild. And I thought Cato got a reaction out of them. I already hear people behind me saying things like "star-crossed lovers". I hope I don't barf.
.
Cato and I are awakened bright and early the next morning, and I can barely hold myself together. It's going to start today.
The Hunger Games.
We don't even get to eat breakfast. Zaria and Estelle practically throw us into our arena wear, and we are brought to the roof, where a hovercraft will pick us up and bring us to the long-awaited arena.
Before we get on, a Capitol woman inserts trackers into my arm and Cato's using a sharp needle. I climb up the ladder and clove climbs up after me. When we get to the top Cato helps me stand up and we sit in empty seats. The only other tributes here are Marvel and Glimmer. Glimmer was complaining because they confiscated the poisonous ring she told me about when we first met. She told them she didn't know about the poisonous spike under the gem. I laugh at that. We talk about our interviews and training scores until District Three and the rest come on.
It takes about a half-hour to get to the arena. I am brought to a Launch Room. There I eat breakfast, but I don't eat too much. I am too excited. I make a mental note to eat once the bloodbath is over.
I take a cool shower and brush my hair. I tie it in a ponytail and then Estelle braids it. Then I brush my teeth and pour water over my face. It's no use. I can't seem to calm down.
It is almost ten o'clock now. I hug Estelle goodbye and walk into the cylinder onto a metal plate. The plate slowly ascends and soon enough I am staring out into a grassy field, and then grass meets forest about a hundred feet away. I look to my right and I see Marvel, and to my left I see the girl from four, Leena. After Marvel is Katniss (blech) and three more people down I see Cato. We smile knowing smiles at each other. I nod at Marvel. I don't see Glimmer, maybe she is too far down for me to see.
Now we have sixty seconds left. I can barely hold myself together. I smile into the warm sun and try to relax.
Let the Games begin!
.
Cato
Clove smiles at me and motions to the Cornucopia. I nod and smile back. I turn to my right and spot Glimmer a few people down, near the boy from Twelve. She notions to me, as if to say, "Should I kill him?" I know what she's thinking. He could help us find Katniss, because there is no doubt she'll runs straight into the forest to find water. If she even survives the bloodbath.
I shake my head at Glimmer. She slowly gives me a subtle thumbs up. If she moves too quickly while still on her metal plate, the bombs will go off and shell be blown to pieces.
There are thirty seconds left. I look at the boy from Twelve, Loverboy we should call him, and he is shaking his head. Probably trying to figure out his strategy. All I know is this is going to be one hell of a Games this year. I can't wait.
Ten seconds.
9.
8.
I look at Clove one last time.
6.
5.
4.
I give the circle of tributes one last sweep, then look to the huge Cornucopia waiting for me.
3.
2.
1.
Then the gong rings.
And I run.
.
Reviews and feedback please! The interviews took me foreverrrr to write. I kept writing and deleting and rewriting, so hopefully you guys like it now. Personally, I liked Cato's better. What did you think? Next chapter will be up soon. Can't wait to work on it. -Brittany