Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or The Hunger Games.
Eugene wakes up to sunlight hitting his face. Agitated at the annoying awakening, he slowly gets up to close the window curtains. He heads for the shower in a zombie-like state. He pushes a button without looking at what he is doing. Suddenly, a jet of icy cold water attacks Eugene. That wakes him up instantly.
He randomly punches buttons of the shower panel to get rid of the cold. Then, he is attacked by burning hot water followed by a rose scented foam. Annoyed, he tries to rid of all traces of the foam. Even though the foam is off of him, the smell still lingers. Eugene tries to use a heavy bristled brush to scrub off any remains but his attempts are fruitless. He tries to mask the smell with a different foam. He ends up smelling like a fruit salad.
He gets out of the shower and dries himself with one of the gadgets. It's a mat that when stepped on, has heaters come on that blow-dry your body. He's glad the mat isn't complicated like the shower is. Eugene finds that Maximus left an outfit for him hanging from the closet. Loose tan pants, blue tunic, and leather boots. It feels very similar to what he always wears. He wonders if Maximus chose these clothes based on what he wore to the reaping.
Eugene heads down to the dining room for breakfast. There is a long table to the side that is overflowing with food. He fills his plate up with eggs, rolls, sausages, and pancakes. Soon, Rapunzel and Shorty enter the dining room.
"What smells like roses and fruit salad?" asks Rapunzel who doesn't see any fruit nor real flowers in the dining room.
Eugene ducks his head in embarrassment. He slowly looks up to see Rapunzel wearing the exact same outfit as him. Hers are just a little bit baggier than his and he can't help but think how cute she looks. He shakes the thought out of his head.
"Hey, look. You two match. Perfect," says Shorty. He sits down next to Eugene with a hot bowl of beef stew. Rapunzel gets a plate full of eggs and quietly sits down opposite of them.
"What do you mean by 'perfect'?" says Eugene.
"I've decided you two are going to be a couple," says Shorty.
"What?!" Eugene and Rapunzel say at the same time. Her face reddens at the thought of them being together.
"Aw, look, you're already talking together," says Shorty.
Shorty continues on eating as if he has said nothing shocking at all. "My plan is that you two act as a couple."
"That's all you could come up with? Be a couple," asks Eugene. "How is that going to help us?"
"Well, after the whole chariot ceremony thing, the adults got talking about strategies. I thought, 'Hey, what if they're a couple? That would definitely get them sponsors.' Your welcome," says Shorty.
"I don't understand," says Rapunzel.
"Listen, sweetheart. Two tributes in love. Imagine the possibilities. It's genius," explains Shorty. "So, I want you both to dress together, train together, and basically do everything together. Do couple stuff."
"This is stupid! Can't we get to be coached separately? I mean, this whole couple thing is going to blow up in the arena. Only one person gets out," Eugene reminds everyone. He doesn't like the idea of being a couple with Rapunzel. Sure, she's nice and all but this is the Hunger Games. If they act friendly with each other, he might get too close and that's dangerous to both his life and hers.
"No. My decision is final. You two are a couple. So, if you really want to survive, act like one," says Shorty. "Now, what's something useful you both can do in the arena?"
"Uh, I know which plants and herbs can heal," says Rapunzel.
"Anything else?" asks Shorty. She sheepishly shakes her head. "What about you, Eugene?"
"I'm good with knives and a bow and arrow."
"He's great!" interrupts Rapunzel. "He can hit squirrels right in the eye every time! And he's strong. I've seen him haul a deer all by himself."
Eugene is surprised that Rapunzel is talking him up but he's kind of grateful. He never thought anyone took notice of his skills. Sure, many girls back home took notice to him but not much to what he could actually do. It would always be about his good looks or how charming he can be. Now he feels bad that he never paid much attention to her except for when Jack was gawking at Rapunzel. Sure, he would talk to her but he still didn't know anything about her.
"That's good. Very good," says Shorty. "When you are training, stay away from the knives, weights, and the bows and arrows. Hide your talent for the private session with the Gamemakers. What about trapping?"
"I know some basic snares," says Eugene.
"Perfect," says Shorty. He then addresses Rapunzel. "Try to learn something useful in training. Training is at ten. Effie will take you there."
Shorty gets up and goes back to his room, leaving Rapunzel and Eugene in an awkward silence.
"I'm sure you're not useless," he says. She obviously feels bad for not having a skill and he feels that he owes her for what she said.
"Thanks."
She gets up and leaves the dining room. Eugene eats another round of food before heading back to his room. He lays down in his bed and thinks about what's in store. Training with the other tributes is the perfect time for him to start making alliances. He doesn't want to tell Shorty about his plan in case he rejects it. The only problem is how to make the careers take in someone from an outlying district.
It's almost ten o'clock. Eugene meets Effie and Rapunzel at the elevator. Rapunzel is nervous to meet the other tributes. Her nervousness translates into her fidgeting and hopping from one foot to the other.
The training rooms are below ground level of the building. The elevator ride is short. The doors open into a huge gymnasium that is stocked with various weapons and obstacle courses. The other tributes are already there even though it isn't even ten yet. Everyone is waiting in a tense circle. Each tribute gets a cloth square with their district number pinned to their shirts. As someone pins a 12 to Eugene's shirts, he notices that they are the only two tributes wearing the same outfit.
The head trainer begins to explain the training schedule. There are experts in each skill at their stations. Everyone is free to travel from on station to the other. Some stations teach survival skills while others teach fighting techniques. None of the tributes are allowed to fight with one another. There are assistants on hand for sparring if they want to fight.
Eugene looks at the other tributes. The boys are about the same height as him and the girls are a little bit taller than Rapunzel. Only two of the girl tributes are shorter than her. The ones from the poorer districts have a hollow look to them.
The other tributes are shooting dirty glares at Rapunzel and Eugene. Their amazing performance at the ceremonies got them more attention than the others. It must be harder for the other tributes to now get sponsors since the opening ceremonies are a big part of it. The head trainer finishes her talk and releases everyone. The Career Tributes head for the deadliest weapons and start handling them with ease.
The stylists did an amazing job but now it will be harder for Eugene to make an alliance with the Careers. Especially now that he has Rapunzel following him everywhere.
"If we're a couple, do we hold hands or something?" asks Rapunzel, breaking him out of his thoughts. It takes him a minute to process what she is saying.
"What? Oh, I suppose." says Eugene. He takes her hand in his. "So, where do you wanna start?"
"How about the camouflage station?" she asks. They walk hand in hand, ignoring the glares of the other tributes, to an eager looking trainer. Rapunzel excels in this area. She weaves combinations of clay, mud, and berry juices onto her skin along with vines and leaves. The trainer is ecstatic to have her here.
"Wow," says Eugene. "You're really good at this."
"I guess all that painting I did helped," says Rapunzel. She's happy that Eugene is giving her attention and holding her hand. She's starting to like this couple idea of Shorty's.
Next, they go to the knot-tying station. The trainer is happy someone finally came over. She doesn't get a lot of tributes to pay attention to her area of expertise. Once she learns Eugene has experience with basic snares, she shows a trap that will leave a human dangling by their leg from a tree. Eugene easily picks up on how to do this. Rapunzel has a harder time since she isn't familiar with knot-tying. They stay at the station for an extra hour so that she can fully master it.
The next three days pass with Rapunzel and Eugene quietly going from station to station holding hands. They pick up valuable skills such as making shelter and starting a fire. Even though Eugene is great at throwing knives, they still go to that station. He quietly stands by Rapunzel's side as she tries her hand at it. During the training, Eugene learns that he is good with a sword and in hand-to-hand combat. Eugene and Rapunzel both easily pass the edible plants test.
Rapunzel's mother was a healer and taught her about different kinds of plants before she died. Rapunzel knows which plants are edible along with those that can help to heal. Eugene passes the test with knowledge he had picked up from a stolen book. One day, as he went to give the berries to the mayor, he found a book in his house about the different kinds of plants. He quickly learned all he could from that book before discreetly returning the next time he visited the mayor. But ever since then, the mayor wouldn't allow Eugene into his house again.
On the first day, the Gamemakers came early. About twenty men and women dressed in deep purple robes sit in the elevated stands that surround the gymnasium. The Gamemakers watch the tributes, jot down notes, and eat endless banquets that have been set up for them. They keep an extra careful eye on District 12 this entire time. Whenever Eugene looks, he finds at least one person watching him.
Lunch is served in the gymnasium's dining room. All twenty-four tributes eat lunch together. The food is arranged on carts around the room where tributes serve themselves. The Careers sit together while the others sit by themselves. No one seems to be talking except for the Careers. Rapunzel and Eugene sit together and eat.
"I'm not good at this couple stuff," says Rapunzel. "I don't know what to do."
"Just hold hands and smile, I guess," says Eugene. The truth is, no matter how many girls are after him, he's never had a girlfriend. Sure, he has been with girls but after a while, he becomes bored and goes on to the next.
"Okay, lean against me and laugh like I said something funny," he says. Rapunzel does what he says, ignoring the looks from the other tributes.
"Now what? You know, other than smile," she asks. Eugene thinks for a moment before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. Their lips barely touched but it was enough to make her face go red. She opens her mouth, trying to find a response to what has happened. He smirks at her attempt to understand that he kissed her. Rapunzel has dreamed about kissing Eugene before. To imagine that it happens in real life is too much for her to handle. She doesn't know what to do so she stares down at her soup. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see him still smirking at her reaction.
Eugene figures that he can't keep up with his "don't get close" plan if Shorty wants them to be together. He might as well make the best of his situation.
On the second day, Rapunzel decides to try the rope course. She starts to climb the net in front of her. She is halfway up when the net flips over. It takes all her strength not to let go. It's a ten foot drop from up there. She tries to flip the net back around when her grip loosens. She closes her eyes as she waits for impact. It never comes. Instead, she feels Eugene's tight grip on her. He is holding her bridal style.
"T-Thanks for catching me," she stutters. Rapunzel has never been this close to him before. She could smell the scent of the woods and leather on him.
"No problem," he says. "Just be careful." To her disappointment, he lets her down. Now she has to deal with the glares coming from the Career Tributes instead of focusing on Eugene and how nice he smells. He goes to stand off to the side, watching her. She goes back to trying to climb the rope course knowing Eugene would be right there if she falls again.
Back at the District 12 floor, Shorty and Effie grill them on several different aspects of their training. They want to know about everything that has happened that day. Who watched them, what they did, what they think of the other tributes.
On the second night, Rapunzel and Eugene are finally able to get away from Shorty and Effie.
"Did you really have to take Shorty's drinks away? I'm starting to miss the old drunk," says Eugene.
"I think I am, too," says Rapunzel.
"He really needs to loosen up," says Eugene. They share a laugh before heading off to bed.
I want to get a head start on ideas for what happens in the arena. If you guys have any suggestions, leave it in the reviews or PM me. Thanks for reading.
