Ch. 6
A/N: I'm pretty sure I wrote in the beginning of my story that District 12 was gone, but I changed my mind for sequel reasons. So let's pretend they were destroyed, but they're back again! Special thanks to Taylor1103. She's one of my only two reviewers! I just started reading her stories, and they're really awesome.
I hope you like this chapter! Please read and review!
"You may begin." Head Gamemaker Silver peered down at me, her shiny silver hair pulled back into a tight bun that accentuated her deep purple eyebrows. Besides her brightly colored hair and purple makeup, I was surprised to see that she didn't look too much like the normal capital citizens. I suppose she was much more focused on her job than getting facial reconstruction. I shuddered at the thought that her job was to design an arena for 24 tributes to fight to the death.
"I said, you may begin, Juliet." Head Gamemaker Silver raised a colored eyebrow, motioning for me to continue. Her sharp eyes bore into mine with a sharp focus, contrary to the rest of the Gamemakers who seemed bored out of their minds.
I nodded, quickly scanning the massive room for an idea. My eyes landed on the weapon rack closest to me and I walked over, grabbing a handful of light knives off the shelf. I turned with sudden movement and threw the knife as hard as I could at the target. Although it wasn't too close to the center, the force and momentum of my throw caused the knife to bury deep into the wood. I threw a couple more before risking a quick glance at Head Gamemaker Silver. She seemed interested, but expecting more.
Well, she would definitely get more.
I turned toward the obstacle course, which was more complex than the one in training. I wondered how many tributes would use it, considering the strong ones would focus more on weaponry and the weaker tributes would show off survival skills.
Pumping my legs as hard as I could, I sprinted over to the beginning of the course. I quickly ran across the long stretch of floor, jumping and rolling to dodge the rubber knives and arrows that were thrown across my path at a rapid pace. I ducked just in time to narrowly avoid a spear that sailed over my head. I could hear a slight buzz as it passed above my ear, and I had a feeling I would be delivered a nasty electric shock if I didn't move out of the way in time. After reaching the end of the hallway-like section, I neared a dead end. After a split second observation I noticed narrow ridges in the thick, rock like material. Notching my foot in the first ridge, I quickly scrambled up the wall in record time, hoping my speed and agility would impress the Gamemakers.
The next portion of the course was filled with real looking trees with low hanging branches. I hesitated, knowing there had to be a hidden trap somewhere. Out of the corner of my eye I spied a trainer crouched behind a tall tree with a wide trunk. I dashed forward, attempting to surprise and out run my opponent, but I was disappointed to see him jump up and follow behind me at a rapid pace.
I let out a yelp as I stumbled over a surprisingly thick tree root, but managed to catch myself just in time. I kept going, attempting to speed up and lose the trainer in the mass of trees, but he was just as quick as me.
I ducked under a low hanging branch, suddenly getting an idea. I turned to the side and subtly looped back around the way I came, giving a wide berth for my pursuer to follow me around instead of cutting across the arch I created. I slowed down just enough for the trainer to be nipping at my heels. As soon as I spotted the same low-hanging branch, I sped up and threw myself upward. My hands grasped around the branch and I flipped myself up and over the branch for a split second before coming down hard, landing on the back of my opponent and knocking him to the ground. I pinned him easily, as he was surprised by my sudden aggression. My hand snaked down to my belt, and I was thankful that I placed a knife from the previous station there on impulse. I yanked it out and held it against his neck.
"I win." I smirked slightly before standing up, dusting off my knees and arms.
"You may leave." The shimmery hair of the Head Gamemaker caught my attention as she spoke from her position on the high balcony. An amused smile played on her face, and I wasn't entirely sure if that was a good or bad thing.
"Thank you." I responded politely, bowing my head slightly before exiting through the door held open for me by a tiny Avox.
"Gather around, dearies! It's time to eat! The training scores are being broadcasted soon, so let's eat quickly!" Hilda ushered Hutch, Atlas, Luke, and I to the table, motioning for the Avoxes to serve us.
I quickly zoned out as Hutch and Hilda began to bicker, something that happened every time they were in the same room together.
"Hutch, elbows off the table!"
"Don't tell me what to do, puff ball!" I tried to drown out Hutches retorts as he made fun of the new, fluffy pink ball atop Hilda's head. I rolled my eyes, focusing again on my food.
"How dare you insult my fashion taste?"
"Oh come on, how can that be considered fashion? It looks like you stuck a bunch of cotton candy all over your head!"
"Please, as if you know anything about fashion!"
"Will you two please knock it off?" I slammed my fork down against the table, catching the attention of everyone in the room.
It was a quiet meal after that.
"So, how do you think your training session went, Atlas?" Hilda questioned as we were all seated in front of the television, waiting for the scores to be broadcasted.
"Oh, it definitely went well." Atlas laughed, sounding like a complete maniac.
"That a' boy," Hutch clapped Atlas on the back, "District Seven might have another winner this year."
I was fuming. How would you feel if your mentor was discussing having a winner from your District, but specifically noting that it wouldn't be you?
Not very good, huh?
"And would anyone like to know how I did?" I growled, surprising the room for the second time that night.
"Oh, so now Ms. Independent wants someone else's opinion?" Luke replied sarcastically. I opened my mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of Panem's anthem.
"It's starting!" Hilda squealed, earning a glare from Hutch.
An aging Caesar Flickerman appeared on the screen, his skin a bright orange and hair a polished white.
"Hello and welcome, Panem! Are you ready to hear the training scores of this year's Hunger Games tributes?" A loud cheering noise came from the television, from what I presumed was a live audience.
"Let's start with District One! First we have seventeen-year-old Layla Macco, with a score of seven!" A picture of the seductive redhead flashed onto the screen, along with her training score. I wasn't surprised in the slightest. She definitely didn't seem like the strongest Career, but she definitely wasn't weak.
"Next up we have eighteen-year-old Cliff Johnson, with a score of six!" I tilted my head to the side, slightly surprised at his score. His picture showed a pale, extremely muscular blonde with an angry glare. He seemed as if he could take out his District partner in a heartbeat, yet he got a lower score than her.
"Fifteen-year-old Aida Horne from District Two, with a score of eight!" The girl's picture popped up, and we were greeted with the angry looking face of a giant, overly muscular female. My eyes widened. Fifteen? Why would she volunteer at such a young age? She must be extremely over confident…
"Al Missler, eighteen years old, with a score of eight!" Al looked almost identical to his District partner; equally as bulky and masculine.
I leaned forward in my seat, excited to hear Moe's score. "District Three's thirteen year old Moe Sparks with a score of nine! Incredible!" Hilda gasped, shocked to see such a young tribute with such a high score. I smiled to myself, happy and nervous for her at the same time. She would definitely have a target on her back, as she scored higher than four of the Careers so far. For some reason, I wasn't completely shocked at her score. She was definitely feisty, and probably had a hidden skill.
Moe's district partner received a score of three, earning a sigh of sympathy from Caesar. He moved on to District Four, and I prepared myself for very high scores.
"Eighteen year old Essie Reef from District Four received a score of ten! Amazing, huh folks?" Essie picture flashed beside her score, her eyes staring intensely into the audience. Gordon, the male tribute for District Four received a nine. Hutch seemed surprised at the capability of District Four's tributes, as was I.
The poor 12-year-old female from District Five, Ribbon Karr, got the lowest score so far-a two. Her District partner scored a four. District Five would most likely not have a winner this year.
The District Six tributes both scored a five, which seemed pretty average. I braced myself for mine and Atlas' scores.
"Next, from District Seven, we have seventeen year old Juliet Breyer, with a score of seven!"
A seven? I got a seven? I thought I did pretty well, but not that well!
"Nicely done, Juliet." Hutch nodded approvingly. I felt pride at seeing the slightly alarmed look on Atlas and Hilda's faces. I expected a snide remark from Luke, or maybe even congratulations, but he remained silent. I crossed my arms, disappointed I didn't even get a reaction from the one person I counted on to be there for me.
I tuned back into the television just in time to see Atlas get a score of eight. That was even better than my score! I didn't even want to know what he showed the Gamemakers…
The tributes from District Eight scored a four and a five, pretty average scores.
Laurette managed to get a six, while Hank got a five. I wasn't surprised; Laurette was definitely a spitfire, and the Gamemakers probably decided she deserved a greater score than Hank, who seemed as if he couldn't hurt a fly.
Another score that caught my attention was the male tribute from District Ten. While his district partner earned a three, the eighteen-year-old Johnny Rent got an eight. He was definitely another contender, and I was hoping I wouldn't come across him in the arena.
Districts Eleven and Twelve scored low, but no one was paying attention at this point anyway. I noticed that by the time the broadcast had come to an end, I was the only one left in the room.
"Juliet, wait." Luke's soft voice stopped me as I was walking back to my room. I turned around with a sigh, hoping we wouldn't fight again.
"I miss it when you call me Jules." A sort-of-smile appeared on my face as I stepped closer to him, itching to wrap my arms around him in a hug for what would probably be the last time.
"I'm going to miss you so much." His voice cracked and he wrapped his arms tightly around me, lifting my body slightly off the ground. I buried my face in his chest, attempting to hold back tears.
"I'm so, so sorry," he continued, "It's just that the thought of losing you has been driving me mad. I was hoping that if I found reasons to be mad at you it would make it easier, but…" He trailed off, and we stood in silence for a couple minutes.
I let out a short, sarcastic laugh. "Well, it's not like I have much of a chance anyway. Have you seen some of the other tributes?"
Luke pulled away slightly, looking down at me with a stern expression. "Don't say that, you got one of the higher training scores. I believe in you Jules, I really do. You're a fighter. You can win this."
"But I can't just kill people, Luke. It's not right!" I began to sob, covering my face with my hands.
"I can't promise you that it will be easy. But trust me, when it comes down to your survival, I know that you can do whatever it takes. As long as you come back to me. And if not for me, for Kit and your parents."
I felt guilty. I had been so consumed by the Games I hadn't given any thoughts to my family back home. How was Kit? How were my parents? Did anyone from school miss me? Would I even make it back to find out?
I looked up, my eyes meeting Luke. He used his thumb to wipe the tears from my cheeks, and I could have sworn I saw his own eyes watering.
"Promise me you'll come back. Promise me." Luke pleaded, speaking softly. I bit my lip in an effort to hold back the tears. I was sure that if I attempted to speak, I would start openly sobbing again. The look of complete despair on his face mirror my own, and I couldn't find any words.
The next thing I knew his hand was cupping the back of my head and his lips were on mine. I barely had time to register what had happened before I found myself kissing him back, all my emotions flooding me at once.
Suddenly he jumped backward, his eyes and mouth open wide. His face was flushed, and he stared at me with a bewildered expression. I couldn't say I looked much different.
"Oh god, I'm sorry." He choked, quickly backing up out of the room and rushing down the hallway.
All the energy I had before left my body. I sat down on the couch, making no move to wipe away the tears silently slipping down my cheeks. How could I live without this boy? I guess I wouldn't have to for much longer.