A/N- Sorry I haven't updated in so long. Thanks to Tori for editing! :-)
Oh, and if you have any title ideas, send them to me via PM or review. I am going to choose an official title for this story on October 6th (the first Saturday of the month), and whoever suggests the one I choose gets an advance read of the next chapter.
I hope you like this one! :-)
Chapter 9
If the opening was something right from a dream, I don't know how to describe the three days of training. In essence, it was three days to showcase our best abilities. Or lack thereof, in the case of most of the outer district's tributes.
On the third and final day, the training and preparations are more individual than group. Though we do have about an hour in the morning all together to work in various stations scattered throughout the gym, we are soon brought out so that individual scoring can start.
As I will go in fourth, I feel pretty confident. It's early enough in that the Gamemakers wouldn't be bored or distracted, most likely, but I'm also late enough that any kinks in the scoring system would likely be worked out.
All twenty-four of us are brought out into a hallway to prepare for our sessions. Each lasts about five minutes on average, so I figure that I have about fifteen to prepare. Though most seem to be focusing on the emotional aspects- deep breathing or mental meditation- I decide to work on getting ready physically.
So I find a quiet corner at the end of the hallway and start to stretch out my already limber muscles. I really try to push it this time, though; tensing up in front of the Gamemakers is just asking for points to be taken off of my total score. I hope for at least a nine out of twelve, but of course, a twelve would be fantastic.
Too soon before I feel entirely prepared, I hear my name and district number being called. I jump up, tighten my ponytail, and stride back into the gym, shoulders back and with a confident smirk playing on the corners of my lips.
Once I'm in the middle of the gym, I look all twenty or so Gamemakers right in the eyes. I rise to my full height, though I do have the smallest stature they have seen so far. I likely can use that to my advantage, though. Let's say that my score is high, and abilities intimidating, yet the other's won' suspect that. And if the Gamemakers are included in being surprised, the shock may be enough to get them to give me a higher score than they would otherwise…
Surprise. That's my advantage. They have seen my aim in practices, sure, but they don't know my other strengths, such as flexibility, speed, and, as I hope to here, the ability to keep people guessing.
So instead of walking over to the targets to start throwing as I usually do- or as I planned to- I drop into a shoulder roll, and use the momentum that I came out with to take a running start towards the climbing wall. It's risky, and I know that no matter what happens if I fall, they will still put me in the arena, but once I'm at the top, I jump towards the rope course attached to the celling.
At the last second, I grasp the rope by my fingertips. There, I swing across until I am right above my originally planned station. I conclude by following through with my plan. As always, every single target is pierced through the center.
After being dismissed, I give a quick, sweet smile and exit as gracefully as possible. Most don't seem to realize that every single second in front of the Gamemakers counts, including the type of exit you make.
Outside, I am met by a beaming Tessa Nova. Saying nothing about the private training session, she whisks me off to the Remake Center yet again. Apparently the first few districts done are allowed to do their interview prep early before we go back to the Training Center for the interviews.
Today, it's not as awful. All that my prep team does today is repaint my nails to a soft coral and remove the streaks they added to my hair the other day. So for a while, all I do is work on some last-minute planning for my interviews with Marilla. Though each lasts only three minutes, they are, perhaps, the important minutes involved in preparing for the Games. Other than the eight years of training back home, of course. Of course, being seventeen instead of our district's usual eighteen, I had only seven years. Perhaps that is a slight disadvantage, but I had always excelled in our Training Center, anyway.
Anyway, for the interviews, most of the tributes choose a particular spin to put on their personalities. For some, they choose to keep up the act for the entire time they are in the Games. I decide to adopt a false sweetness, though I mix it with some sarcastic sass when the time calls for it. Fortunately, when Angelia enters with the dress she designed for tonight, it seems as if she guessed what I would be doing. The dress seems to have the same personality that I will soon take on. Though it's very feminine, with soft ruffles and a light coral color, it is also slightly edgy, being strapless and slightly above my knees when I put the matching heels on.
"I thought it was a more sophisticated version of what you wore for the Reaping," Angelia explains as she helps me zip up the back. "You were memorable then, because of your energy. I figured that something reminiscent of that would bring that back to the viewer's minds."
Though never being the type to like wearing this kind of outfit, I genuinely like it. "It's absolutely perfect. Thank you."
"Good luck at the interviews," she says with a smile. "Not that you'll need it, or anything. I was talking to Ianthe, the stylist for your district partner, and she says you both are very prepared."
Fantastic. Another opportunity to try to flatter someone on from the Games Headquarters. "Well, we have to be ready, don't we? I mean, you obviously go to such great lengths to be ready for us." I spread out my skirt and turn to face Marilla. "I mean, this couldn't have been designed last-minute, right? It is absolutely lovely!"
Facing Angelia again, I notice that tears of happiness are sparkling on the wings of the pink butterflies that are made from the long lashes surrounding her dark brown eyes. "Aww! That's so sweet. Thank you."
But before I can answer, Tessa runs in, her bright pink lips pulled into a huge smile. "Hi, everyone. So, the training scores just were announced. We don't have time to go back to the Training Center to watch them live, because, and this is an opportunity most district's don't get, they only choose the ones that are historically best, but we're able to go and meet some of the already contracted sponsors before the interviews start. Anyway, I have your scores right here." She finally pauses to take a breath as she consults a slip of paper. "You both got tens!"
