Chapter 4: Underappreciated
I missed it. A clean miss, is there ever was such a thing. My dagger slices underneath the dummy's ear, barely scraping the cloth. Just what I need. I thrust my arm forward again this time connecting the blade with what would be the neck region of an opponent. This can't go on for much longer. I can't go on much longer without the possibility of my arms falling off. They burn with every movement even though I slowing down to compensate.
I'm midway through my individual training and I'm sure I've lost the interest of every single Gamemaker in the room. The last of the careers went through about an hour ago and with them the last ounce self-restraint these people had. I don't dare to glance up though, in case I miss again. They were lounging on chairs when I came in, sprawled out, talking loudly and reaching for any food nearby. I haven't looked up since then for fear they'll be shaking their heads at me in disgust. Another miss and I can feel my score dropping. How many was that? Three or four? Haymitch ensured I had my daggers and a couple of dummies but ultimately this was up to me. My blade connects once more, this time sinking into the chest. I spin it in my hand and slam it backwards into a dummy behind me. I raise my hand again but I'm interrupted by a loud cough. Seneca Crane stands towering over me from the balcony above.
"That's enough. Thank you" He says seemingly uninterested and with that I'm dismissed.
Panting heavily, I make way slowly out of the room. Everything is going to hurt tomorrow. If I even manage to get up out of bed. I'm so tired and drained from today's events. Dany blowing up the training centre, Cato being Cato and now I have to wait for my training scores. Part of me wishes we could skip all of this, get dropped in the arena right off the bat but I know I need this time to get my head straight. I just wish it wasn't so exhausting.
Dany is waiting for me by the elevators but he doesn't look as happy as he did this morning. Haymitch had really stuck into him for showing everybody what he could do. Not exactly yelling at him but just highlighting how disappointed he was. I'm not sure which I'd prefer.
"You look terrible" He states, raising his eyebrows at me. Always the little charmer.
"Thanks. How come you're not covered in soot?"
"According to Hunger Games 101, tributes may be restricted in their choice of weapons if there is substantial risk of injury to themselves or a third party" He puts on a capitol accent, trying to stand an inch taller as we walk into the elevator. Well it didn't come as a surprise but I still wasn't expecting it.
"That's ridiculous. What did they think? You were going to blow them up" I add sarcastically.
We look at each other for second. Of course they did.
"What did you do then?"
"Tied a few knots, started a fire. You get your daggers?"
"Yep, but I probably should have gone with your approach"
"I think swinging daggers around is more deadly than rope tying"
Haymitch is snoring on the couch when we come in. Sprawled out with an arm falling over the edge, I fail to see a bottle anywhere so perhaps he isn't actually drunk. He'll delay his binge drinking some days but I feel it's mostly to stop Effie from nagging him rather than our own benefit. The scores won't get announced for another couple of hours so we end just hanging around in the apartment. We snack on whatever source of sugar we can find while Dany teaches me how to shoot spaceships on his game console.
"I don't see how this is possibly going to help us in the arena" I take down some sort of spinning dome with a press of the button. I seem to be getting the hang of it. Dany chuckles beside me.
"It's not supposed to. Ever thought perhaps you spend too much time thinking about the games?"
"We go into the arena the day after next."
"And?" He pauses the game and stares at me puzzled. This ticks me off. How am I supposed to help the boy when he doesn't take anything seriously?
"And… we have to be prepared. You think the careers aren't spending every waking moment planning strategies?" I throw down the controller at my feet, no longer caring whether or not I wake Haymitch. I'm exhausted and I really don't want to be having this conversation now.
"I'm not a career, Ira."
"Dany you have-"
"I'm not going home!" It's the first time I've ever heard him raise his voice and it scares me. I'm taken aback by how quickly he's become angry with me. Despite all the smiles and laughs, I've forgotten that he's not dumb. He knows the odds, the likelihood of his return. Perhaps the reason he doesn't take this seriously is because he believes there no hope for him.
"I know what you're doing" he stands up now, watching me with glossy eyes, "I'm not stupid. And neither are the others. I'll last longer with you but what happens when you die and I don't. How long do you think I'll last then?"
"You don't know what you're capable of" I try to reason with him.
"I know I can't take down another tribute. I know you can. So why are you protecting me?"
It doesn't just scare me now, it hurts. Somewhere along the line I've decided his life is worth more than mine and it's not because he's better than me. I can try and justify it in my head as the reason but I know it's not. I'm not that selfless. I can't even answer him because if I do he'll never look at me the same way. I want to be remembered. Is that so selfish of me? To use this boy as a tool for my own gain? In saving him, I can do something good and be known for it. Be someone worth remembering.
"Just forget it, Dany" I quickly make a dash for my bedroom, hoping he doesn't follow. I slam the door and throw myself onto the bed. I am selfish.
An hour later Haymitch is still snoring on the couch. The television has buzzed to life since I left and Dany sits eerily still, focused on every word that comes from the box. I join him without acknowledgement. Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith go through there introductory welcomes before crossing to capitol citizens for their favourite tributes. As usual the careers get mentioned the most but I also hear Pearl's and Thresh's names pop up. The noise seems to have startled Haymitch awake and almost immediately he's making his way over to the liquor cabinet. It's not long before the rest of the entourage makes their appearance.
"Hello my lovelies!" Effie calls out as our floor suddenly becomes very crowded. "How did we go? Oh, never mind I'm sure you both did splendid"
A crash at the door turns her attention away from us. Our prep teams have actually turned up today though not in the best of conditions. I take it they had a wild night. Petunia stumbles in on a pair of very high heels. Pink of course. And almost collects Effie as she sits down next to her.
"Really Petunia! I wish you would take this more seriously"
"Girl has got the right idea. Perhaps you should follow her lead, sweetheart" Haymitch smiles at Effie, who turns back to the television grumbling. The betting charts are being displayed. Cato is the favourite by far, followed closely by Clove and Marvel. I sit further down the list, just below the fox faced girl from five. Dany is tied last with the Rue, the young girl I saw at training.
"Take no notice of them" A raspy voice says into my ear and I look up to find Dany's stylist Verinus leaning over the back of the couch.
If I didn't know any better I would say Verinus could have been a victor himself. For a stylist he seems very bulky. He moves away, lighting up another cranberry flavoured cigarette that he never seems to go anywhere without. The dye from them has stained his hands a dark pink and I suspect is the reason he has trouble talking. At least he isn't hung over.
We're sitting for about ten minutes when Caesar begins to announce training scores. A picture of the tribute is displayed with their district number followed by their score. Dany fidgets nervously beside me. He would be a lot more relaxed if they had let him make his damn explosives.
The careers are obviously the first to come up and as usual they are given the highest scores. Cato's score of ten has sky rocketed his favouritism even more. They cross to the betting charts to see the numbers flicking quickly next to his name. He'll love this. The next few vary from low to really low. Foxface gets a score of five and I'm still pondering over it when Dany's name flashes up. And then a score of six.
"Not bad, boy" Haymitch says from the corner but we all know he could have scored a lot higher. I don't get time to acknowledge him because next my name is displayed. It disappears and is replaced with an eight. I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding. Eight. I'm happy with that. Thank god it wasn't any lower.
"Well done Ira, very respectable" It seems Effie is rather happy too. It's not a great score but the best I could hope for considering.
"Seems someone's a little underappreciated" Again Haymitch pipes up but I turn back, catching the last of the tribute scores.
My previous worries are confirmed when Pearl receives a nine. Murray, an eight like me. Thresh is no surprise when he gets a ten and little Rue, a solid seven. This year's tributes are definitely ranked higher than last years. I can barely keep tabs on the careers, now there are at least five others that pose risks.
A/N: So there wasn't any Cato this chapter but there will be lots and lots next one. This may seem a little rushed because I'm trying to get to the good stuff.
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