Chapter Eight,Yay!
I do not own The Hunger Games
As I awake to the sound of Leto's shoes pacing around the breakfast table only days from the start of The Games, only one thing is in my mind, private training. I walk to greet her and Seeder is there where, Leto leaves me to talk to Seeder alone and goes to find Thresh. She tells me how getting the right type of score could depend on how I do in the arena and how I have to make the right impression,
"I know we wanted to make you seem small and weak at first, but now I think you should show off some of your skills - climb something or use a slingshot, do whatever you think you are best at but still be quiet whilst you are there,"
"Ok, I'll try my best, but don't expect much of a good score from me," I reply timidly,
"I'm sure you will do just fine Rue, just fine," she is looking me in the same way Katniss did - like someone they have lost who close to them, a sister or another close family member, or maybe even an ally from The Games who was lost like I will be. Seeder can see what I am thinking,
"I don't want you to feel that this is a death sentence Rue, you could win The Hunger Games," she tells me but the hope in her eyes is little,
"I doubt it, no twelve year old has ever won the games,
"They've come close Rue, very close, and you're smart, small and people wouldn't expect much from you so you could prove them wrong. You could be the first," she turns and leaves the breakfast table, smiling weakly at me as she enters the lift to go and meet Chaff and I am left alone to think before I prepare for the day. My life is so different now, like something entirely new that I never imagined! If I had known then that I would have been coming here I would have cried, I could have known whilst me and Willow were turning cartwheels in the meadows and never believed a word of it. I could have looked at Thresh and never imagined that he would be anything else but Juniper's son, but in fact he is more like an elder brother to me now. I would have hugged mother like I did when I was Willows age and cried into her arms about it and asked her why it had to happen to me but- I only found out at The Reaping and that's why it was so upsetting and how The Hunger Games rips apart the innocent families of Panem every time a name is read, every time a canon sounds and forever past that.
I am a tribute of these games, so I am just a piece of The Games that they dress up so that I put on a good show and am unneeded once I enter the arena, for then they just need me dead in the most interesting way possible.
I return to my sleeping quarters and get dressed into my training outfit like I did yesterday, but today is not my day of training with the other tributes, I just have to sit with them until it is my turn for the individual assessment. I tie my hair back into a loose ponytail, thinking of how I used to do Willow's hair every morning. I would braid it into plaits before she went to sleep then when she awoke I would brush it and fasten it with a ribbon and it would be frizzy and curly all around her face. Frizzy describes Willow well, as do Bubbly, sweet, caring... for a moment I can see her as if she is in front of me, her eyes shining in admiration of her big sister like the time I climbed a tree to fetch her teddy she had thrown up there and brought it back to her arms. She never was angry or upset with anyone, just her own bubbly self who was always playing with the butterflies and dreaming about fairies. Once we made a fairy stone circle in the meadow and asked them to bring her good dreams and happy memories, the sun shone down on it and shone down on her beaming face. We would sing a song I created for her about The Willow Fairy and dance until sunset barefooted in our homemade cotton gowns,
Oh precious fairy of the willow tree
Let your light shine down on us and see
That though times have been tricky for us
And though we are not old and wise
I wish to tell you to your eyes
To let you know this is my only wish
This is my special wish
This is my precious wish
Not much, I know - but it made Willow happy all the same and seeing her happy made me happy too.
I wonder what Tansy was doing before her private assessment, she was probably not sitting on her Capitol bed thinking of our family, was she? I never knew her well enough in that way but maybe one day before her games she did sit and think of us and I wonder if she did when her body hit the ground and the canon sounded in the arena. Poor Tansy, somehow I have got to win The Hunger Games for Tansy didn't and if you don't win The Hunger Games then you are dead. Dying scares me a lot, but it is already too late to be scared.
I meet Thresh and we are escorted down to the training centre where we all sit in silence in a small room and one by one are called for our assessment, the Ones look smug as they enter, looking back at the other one as if to say, this is easy. It's the same with the Twos but past that, apart from the Fours, they all look terrified. By the time aThresh is called for his turn, there are only four of us left: Me, Thresh, Katniss and the Twelve boy who I think is called Peeta. Thresh exits into the assessment room looking strong but still looks back at me. After ten minutes, I hear my name called and all goes dizzy and dark as I stand up and walk forwards. I try to be brave as I enter the room and hear the bellowing sound of someone's voice from the platform above,
"You have ten minutes to present your chosen skill," he says and they all look at me. I immediately run over to three piles of plants and tear them apart to fine shreds before attaching them to hard, sharp stones. I then find some wood and string and craft a quick slingshot, before launching the stones at the dummies. I had to be careful for the plants were poison, but they seemed impressed enough seeing as I am so small even for my age. I then see a stretch of rope leading from the ceiling and climb up it until my hands hurt and then seeing that I have reached the top, I am level with the game makers for a second, before I climb down the rope and jump onto the mat below. I then turn and leave the room watching as Peeta enters looking bewildered already.
"So Rue my dear how did it go," Leto and her team all cluster around me excitedly, back on the eleventh floor
"It went fine, I guess?" I am tired now and relieved to be able to relax on one of the velvety sofas and watch our scores. The Ones and Twos score highly of course but the others score averages of around five to eight, Thresh scores an amazingly high score of ten which is equivalent to Cato and Clove from District Two, and then it is my turn. I watch as Caesar reads out my score,
"Seven," they all applaud me on my high score and especially Seeder who looks at me as if to say I knew you could do it. But there is not long to celebrate our scores for tonight we have the interviews so we have to be prepared and tutored by Leto and the rest of the prep team. We are taken down to be washed and dressed for the interviews and they give me a hot bath with lots of bubbles which is simply heaven and then show me what I shall be wearing tonight, I am quite taken back be the wispy green dress with golden wings on the back because it appears to me as something out of a story. It looks like the dress of the Willow fairy that I used to describe to her, I used to describe that to Willow. My stylist, once I am in the dress attaches the wings and asks me how it feels, but before I can reply he says,
"So you see Rue, these wings can actually fly when you press the button on the back so that you can enter your interview flying like a fairy,"
"Oh ok, shall I try it now?" I ask and reach for the button,
"No don't be silly girl, you need to report to Leto for practise. Now off you go,"
"He ushers me out of the room and I enter the next where Leto is seated at the far corner in a tangerine orange dress, she turns to me and her face crumples like she is crying,
"Oh Rue, you look like a little fairy,"
Please review and can you tell me some names of Capitol people please?
Rueflower7 xx
