∞Chapter Six∞

I woke up around eight-thirty (the clock in my room said so). I stretch my body and realize that two days ago, I woke up on the floor, ready for the reaping. Right now Amy might be sorting out the food she gathered and hunted, if she ever did. Josh would help her, he hunts too. Thats where I met Josh, in the Woods, six years ago. I met Wade before in the open market a few days earlier. He had a broken arm from an animal attack in the Woods then, the reason he doesn't hunt but gathers. Him throwing knives, that was how he hunted animals. He uses it as a defense now. And you often see him next to a bush either stripping it or checking it to see if it was edible.

I dress into an orange short-sleeved top and creamy white shorts with orange strips. It was just the first thing I saw when I opened the drawer. I get into the dinning room and see Wade outlooking on the balcony in dark blue shirt and pants. I walk out to him.

He's eating something circular and golden brown with squares pressed all into it. He is shocked when I say hello, and almost drops his food off the side.

"Good morning," I say.

"Hi," he says with his mouth full. He leans a little closer over to the side and bounces back with a little static lightning following him. His food is history, burnt black and falls next to my feet.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yea." He picks up the food and tries to bite it. But it is to hard for him. He throws it over the edge. "Force field burnt my waffle."

I laugh hysterically. For one thing, I learned that what he was eating a waffle (I've never seen one before, true). Another is that is my guess a force field is protecting us from falling/jumping off to the other side. It is just how he said it. "Force field burnt my waffle." Ha! I'd love to see Alex beat that!

Wade just looks at me like I'm nuts. Then he laughs and repeats it. We both laugh like there is no tomorrow (which is partly true) and repeat the sentence. Finally we slow down after two minutes and catch our breath.

"Ha!" I say "Hysteria! That was so funny! I'd love to see Alex's face when he hears you say that!"

"I do too." Wade looks into the distance. "I wonder what they're doing down there."

We just look at the Capitol people strolling by. Most have no idea that we are looking down at them, seeing that they are as small as ants to us. Some notice us looking at them. I can barely hear them say "Tributes," or "Which district are they?" or discussing who might win. Do they ever wonder about us? About our hopes and our future being destroyed? About our lives cut short? The thought sends me to give a mean look to one of the passerbyers. The little boy seems to have great vision because we is screaming and yelling and raving at me. I laugh.

"I wonder what they do all the time," Wade says "Instead of eating, making weird fashions, and waiting for more tributes to die each year."

"Maybe that is all they do," I say "Right now most might be thinking of an epic showdown with the Games this year… because of me."

"Why?" Then he realizes what I mean. "Oh…yea."

We go inside and join the others who are already eating, except Tawnya who is standing at the elevator. An Avox sets me down with a tower of syrupy pancakes, cherry pie, strawberries and blueberries, and apple juice right in front of me. Wade sits next to me with the same thing, and we start eating.

Tawnya points at the clock thats over the elevator door. It reads 9:42am, meaning we have only 18 minutes to eat. "At least you didn't over sleep," she says.

Alex puts his elbows up on the table. "After you finish training we'll discuss your improvement over the next few days. If you want to, we'll talk about the other tributes once you meet them."

Marie nods. "Its good to know your competition," she says "because you'll know what to expect. But they might be hiding their true selves so watch out for that too."

Thats what most of the tributes might be thinking about me, how to use my true self against me. My anger at the boy from One killing Aaron, my sadness over his death, and what they don't know-my confusion over the familiarity of this year's boy from One tribute. If I had the nerve I would confront him and ask who he is, but he surely knows who I am. Besides, who would even want to ask a giant Career who he is? Even with possibly half the sponsors wanting him because of his size alone.

My breakfast is cut short when the clock says 9:55 and Tawnya announces it is time to go. The rest of my pancake tower beckons but I can only sneak a small piece into the elevator. Marie and Alex don't join us. Only the tributes go and their district escort only escorts them, then leaves.

Unfortunately we have to stop at level two to pick up the District Two tributes, who are dressed alike in green shirts and red pants. The girl is really small and looks about 10-years-old. At the same time, she looks fierce and shy. It is surprising when I recall District Two's reaping, the girl volunteered for someone else bigger. The boy however is about as tall as the boy from One. You can see his muscles from tons of exercise. He is overly protective about the small girl. Even when the girl accidentally bumps into Wade, the boy pulls the two apart and shouts "YOU DO NOT TOUCH HER!" I swear, any louder the crystal elevator would have shattered.

When the elevator stops at an enormous gym, I realize we are the second-to-last to arrive. The tributes from Twelve haven't shown up yet and it is almost 10. The Gamemakers are already there. About twenty men and women dressed in dark indigo-like robes sitting in tables around the gym.

Someone pins a number 5 to the back of my shirt. Me and Wade join the line of tributes between Four to the left and Six to the right. When the District Twelve tributes finally arrive a few minutes late, the head trainer Atala steps in front of us.

She explains the schedule: how we are free to move from area to area, when lunch starts around noon and ends at one pm, and what some of the training areas are. Survival and fighting skills. She tells that we are not allowed to do even lay a finger on any of the tributes. When we want to do hand-to-hand combat or practice with someone there is helpers ready to do so. Then she releases us.

I watch the Career tributes from One and Four move toward stations with deadly looking weapons. The boy from Two takes his tiny district partner over to a knife-throwing station. Then he moves to the ax station.

Believe me when I say this: I'm not a very fast runner. I have run as fast as pelting rain whenever I'm being chased by wild bears or rabid animals in the Woods. And once when I was teaching Amy to swim a few years ago, the rushing river water pulled her in the current and I had to chase after her. But this is different. These people could kill me. Now I'm scared.

Wade points to an archery station. "You can go there," he says "I'm going to survival."

I hold onto Wade hand so he won't move. I look into his eyes and I sound like I'm twelve when I say "Don't leave me here with them."

"Okay."

We go to knife-throwing first. I wonder if it is any different than throwing small spears at a moving animal. It is. The blade was to heavy and the target was too far away. Wade does excellent, the expert said so. The tiny girl from Two was a lot better. She even sunk her blade into the center target, even when Wade's knife was there. Her blade got stuck on Wade's handle.

I decided to move on the spear-throwing. Wade didn't come with me. I decided to stand up for myself. Who knows if I could be alone in the arena?

There was no miniature spears. I had to use the smallest ones, which was more than half my size and made of metal. But I did good anyways. I was starting to move onto the bigger ones when the boy from One joined me at the station. I got a way better look at him up close. His eyes were turquoise and shinning. Sleek black hair was short, but a small braided ponytail hung on the back. It matched his flawless carmel skin and the muscles that rippled with every throw. A thin scar under his left eye made him look fierce. He never missed the center target. Not once. Even with the heaviest and longest metal spears.

I moved onto archery. I just wanted to get away from him. I was to distracted by him to focus on the target. Add that to the pre-strung bows being tight and made of metal. The arrows were just fine, but I couldn't shoot. I left after several failed attempts. I noticed two Gamemakers behind me, keeping a safe distance away. One was jotting down notes in a small notepad. He looked up and nodded. The other one was keeping a very close eye at me.

Right before I was going to join Wade at a fire-starting station, the bell for lunch rung. The Gamemaker with the notepad pointed over to double-doors, but he doesn't say anything. I guess that is where I should go.

The doors open up to a dinning room about half the size of the gym. I'm second to arrive with the girl from Eleven already there, staring at the Avoxes putting meals on the tables. Then she turns to look at me but never says anything. I look at her little rag doll. It was held on a clip around her belt. It seems entirely made of thin yarn and string. The hair is long and faded blue. The doll's dress is a little bit dirty but still white with a pink flower sown into it. The shoes were black and the skin was creamy white.

The girl looked at the doll. She gave it a squeeze then she faced me.

"My name is Bonnie," she says "Bonnie Picket."

"Alanna McLee," I reply.

The doors burst open with the rest of the tributes coming in. Bonnie's district partner rushes in and grabs her hand. Another boy follows with pale skin.

It looked like Bonnie was about to say something, or maybe not, when Tailor (her district partner) pulls her forward.

"Don't wander off without me," Tailor says. Hugo just sighs and joins them at a table in the far end.

Wade sits at the closet table to me and beckons me to come. I sit down next to him. There is already food on the table, but I eat the fluffy bread and drink the ice cold water with crystal-like ice.

"How you do?" he asks.

"I had two Gamemakers watching me," I say "That should be a good thing."

"There was four watching at the knife-throwing. One was looking at me. The others were watching Naomi, thats the girl from Two's name. She does pretty good. Or to well."

I stuff a roll into my mouth. The six Careers assemble at a table across from ours. This is a problem. The Careers usually join together into the Career Pack. Together they'll hunt down the other tributes. Last year the Career Pack was the last six left because most of the other tributes died at their hands or tricks. They had a huge fight until the last two, the tributes from One. The boy from that district won by knocking his partner unconscious then throwing her off a cliff. I found that cruel and not fair. The girl even helped the boy get that far and admitted she was in love with him. But things are like that in the Hunger Games.

I watched the Careers chatting and eating. The boys from One and Two were talking silently together. They often pointed at and/or talked about the other tributes. When they looked at me and Wade, I kept my head low until they stopped looking at me. But they were still talking, surely about me.

Lunch was going to be over soon. I could tell because the clock had 12:56pm on it. But the Careers were arguing about something. I saw that the other tributes were watching. Even the staff.

"Forget it! Lunch ends soon. THEN you can talk to her. Better yet, NEVER." It was the girl from Two, Naomi. For such a little girl, she makes such an impression just from her shouting.

"I am and I will. I don't care what they do to me. I just will! She needs to understand!" That was from the boy from One!

"You can't touch the other tributes!" the girl from Four says "Besides, you can tell she's scared enough from you!"

"I'm not gonna touch her Jackie!" the boy from One says. Even from behind, I could tell his face was getting red.

"WE NEVER AGREED ON YOUR PLAN! ITS STUPID ANYWAYS," the boy from Two says. He holds up his fist and starts to swing it but his district partner catches it. She puts a hard stare into him and the boy drops his arm.

"Like you're gonna listen to the tiny twelve-year-old. Thats it, I'm going." The boy from One swings his arm across the table, wiping it of all of it's contents all over the floor. He takes a few deep breaths to calm down and walks over to me.

To me.

I freeze. I see Wade sliding down to under the table with a loaf of bread. I'm thinking about what this boy is going to say to me. It might be something threatening. I'm about to hide under the table when he sits across from me. He looks fresh and innocent, but more like a man. Especially with his black short sleek hair, minus his braided ponytail which runs down to the floor.

Wait a moment… ponytail.

"Hi," he says "Alanna McLee. Nice to meet you in person. Your brother made quiet an impression a couple years ago. I'm Antonio el Brice." I knew he was trying the gentle approach.

I'm stumbling over my words when I say "You look familiar."

"'Cause you recognize my brother, Marco el Brice." Seeing my confused face he added "Two years ago he won the fifty-second Hunger Games."

I'm mad. Angry at the realization. My teeth grit and point a finger at Antonio and shout "Your brother killed my brother!"

He leans back after slapping my hand to the table, waiting for impact. I notice everyone is looking at us and how staff are positioned to go after us. Also I see how Antonio looks worried for a moment then tenses up. He points a finger back at me and shouts "Now listen up girl, my older brother Pablo won these Games several years ago. Then Marco, now it is my turn! You stay out my way and you won't get hurt! I'll make sure nobody from my gang hurts you. Your little boyfriend isn't getting the same treatment. But if you or him gets in my way, your both going down. Got it?"

I nod but clench my teeth. I want to jump up and tackle him but I know what might happen. Suddenly, I was more scared of him than I ever was. The bell rung for the end of lunch and Antonio rushes out the dinning room. Wade pops out, pulls on my arm, but never says anything. But I have things to say.

"Why didn't you protect me?" I ask.

"I'm not facing him," Wade says and shakes his head "Just look at his size, muscles…" He stops when he realizes what he is saying is making me more upset. "But no worries. I'll be by your side every minute in the arena. That is, if I make it through the first day."

Wade and I start walking out, holding arms, when I see the girl from Four staring at us. She whispers something to the boy from her district. His voice echoes when he shouts "No way." He kicks a chair and disappears behind the double-doors.

I was worried the next day. About facing Antonio again. My sleep was strangely peaceful. It wasn't until I was nearly awake when I saw Aaron in the clouds. I know it wasn't real- the dreams I get since Aaron passed away seems like my brother was actually talking to me- but I had no choice at all but to keep myself sleeping.

"You'll be protected," Aaron said. Thats when my eyes snapped open and I faced reality. I dressed into a blue, orange, and green plaid top and bottom with my white sandals- which Rivers had delivered to my room last night.

During training, Atala reminded us of the rules, especially that we can't touch each other and harming our bodies with material items. I know why: Antonio slapping my hand, me nearly giving him a punch, the boy from Four kicking the chair for no reason, Antonio wiping his table clean with a swipe of his arm. So much tension.

I didn't see Antonio until a half hour before lunch. I was practicing throwing spears when he showed up again. He kept his gaze away from me but I didn't. Seeing him throw like that- even one of his spears when through the target completely! When we were called for lunch I ran away from him and picked a table far from where the Careers' table was. Wade followed me. We ate in silence and barely noticed each other.

Then the Careers were arguing again. Some of the guards were watching them closely, as if preparing to separate a fight it one erupts.

Jackie, the girl from Four, stood up and walked to another table. Bonnie, Tailor, and Hugo were sitting there. Before Bonnie and Hugo sprinted away, Jackie said, "Wait! I want to talk to you."

The four of them were in a quiet conversation. Bonnie looked at me with concern in her eyes, quickly turned away. I saw Tailor glare at Jackie, then get up and leave the table.

I got nervous. What were they planning?