Inferno
Disclaimer: I am not Suzanne Collins and I don't own the Hunger Games.
Chapter 9
IMPORTANT: Please reread the second half of the last chapter, starting with the argument with the instructor. I made some major changes because I didn't like where I was taking the story. I repeat, please reread it before reading this one!
Gale and I eat lunch silently, sitting side-by-side, but today, unlike the other two days, we have an extra person at our table.
It's a little girl from District 11, about the same size as Prim and with similar, delicate features. You can tell she's only twelve years old with one glance at her young, innocent face and petite body. She had approached our table shyly only a few minutes ago, because all of the other tables were full of either tributes or mentors; the latter having gathered to give any last minute advice before we get our personal training sessions. I just gave her a little smile and told her she was welcome to sit with us. The more I study her, the more my heart aches for this girl. Maybe she girl has a sister she loves back in District 11 that she was ripped away from, or a brother, or her parents. No matter how weak she is or how much dangerously attached I might grow to this little girl, I know I'll do my best to protect her in the arena.
When the majority of the tributes are finished eating, there's a call for a last minute meeting with our mentors, so they can dish out any final tips before the private sessions. As Haymitch starts to stagger towards us, the girl gets up and waves at me and Gale hesitantly before making her way to her own mentor, a woman that looks double Haymitch's age. District 11 doesn't have many victors either.
"Her name's Rue," Gale says, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"Huh?"
"The little girl, her name's Rue. I heard her talking to her mentor yesterday," Gale repeats, tilting his head to look at me.
I know that he can see right through me, and he knows that I want to be allies with Rue. He gives a little sigh in response, and at that moment a shadow appears on our table as Haymitch finally manages to reach us.
"What's this I hear about you and sweetheart?" Haymitch asks Gale, his voice reasonably steady and clear of alcohol. Only about ten minutes and word of the instructor incident has already reached Haymitch.
"Nothing," Gale says nonchalantly, shoveling another forkful of rice into his mouth. "I just had a small disagreement with an instructor, and the Careers just blew the whole thing out of proportion. Everyone's just overreacting."
"You two'd better listen," Haymitch says, leaning in towards us until he's at our eye level. "In the Capitol, it doesn't matter what actually happened. What matters is what everyone thinks happened. So if the Careers say that they think you're little love birds or whatever, everyone else thinks you're little love birds, because the Careers have power over this stupid gossip and no one's going to put up with your denial."
"Too bad for them," Gale says drily, fighting to keep his voice low, "Because we are not damned love birds or whatever the hell the Careers are saying."
I can only manage to nod in agreement with Gale.
Haymitch rakes his hand through his graying hair, which is relatively clean thanks to his prep team. "Whatever ," he says, dismissing the whole thing with a wave, "We'll have a talk about it later. Just don't do anything else to bring unwanted attention from the Careers, okay?"
Gale and I both nod in unison.
"You both know your strategies for the one-on-one sessions, so you won't need any help from me on that matter. Sweetheart shoots some stuff, and the boy ties a few fancy snares. Now excuse me while I go get some more alcohol," Haymitch says, maving a move to leave.
"Wait," Gale says, his eyes suddenly lit up with both parts excitement and nervousness. The same look he gets when he has a new idea. "Do the Gamemakers have any children?"
Haymitch frowns. "Why?"
"Just curious," Gale says casually. I eye him warily, wondering what plan's swirling around in his mind.
Haymitch thinks for a moment, obviously in a hurry to get back to his alcohol. "There's three that I know about. Seneca Crane's girl's name is Alyeska, and another one of the top Gamemakers has twins. Rayn and Hesta."
Gale nods thoughtfully, and Haymitch takes that as his cue to leave. He sets off towards his table, stopping only to ask an Avox to fetch a bottle of who-knows-what for him.
I turn towards Gale. "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing," he says evasively, jamming another bite of rice into his mouth. I glare at him, silently urging him to tell me whatever he's thinking about. He can obviously feel my gaze on him, but he decides to ignore it.
"Just don't do something stupid," I say after a few minutes of silence, knowing that if Gale hasn't told me by now he won't be telling me anytime soon.
He doesn't answer.
All of the tributes are called up for their private sessions in the order of their district numbers, so as usual, District 12 is last. Everyone is silent except for when the next person is called, and even then only soft footsteps are the ones to break the nervous silence. After the sessions, I assume, everyone goes up to their assigned floors after finishing, since no one comes back afterwards.
Gale and I are careful not to make any conversation, since the Careers are probably keeping an eye on us now. We sit just like all of the others, quiet and seemingly alien to each other, but after Rue is called up, the room is empty and it doesn't matter now.
"I'm nervous," I say, stating the obvious. I was never really good with words.
"You'll do fine, Catnip," Gale reassures me, and although there's no need to speak because we've always been better at communicating without talking, we try to talk anyway in an attempt to burn off some of our nervous energy.
"I hope so," I reply, and at that moment someone calls up Gale for his turn.
"Good luck," I whisper just as he's leaving and brush my hand against his. He nods in return.
I'm left alone, and I try not to think too much, because if I think I'll be thinking about all of the possible ways this could go wrong, which won't help my nerves. I strain to hear any noises from the training room to get an idea of what Gale's doing, but the walls are sound-proofed and I give up after a few moments.
After what can only be a few minutes, I am finally called up for my session and I get up quickly, almost running into the room.
There are all sorts of weapons and dummies set up, and everything is perfectly in place, giving no hint as to what the other tributes might have used. I skim my eyes over all of the assorted bows and arrows, finally selecting a silver one that's about the same size I use back at home, and I take the matching quiver of arrows.
My first few shots at the dummies are a little off. This bow is strung more tightly than my own bow, but after a bit of practice my aim is up to its usual standard. The Gamemakers, however, barely even notice me, because they all look a bit shaken and angry at the same time and everyone is crowed around two men. They're all talking rapidly in their Capitol accents, stuffing food into their mouths in between words.
I frown, shooting a few more arrows straight into the dummies' hearts and making a lot more noise than necessary to get their attention. When it doesn't work, I send an arrow flying at a light fixture, and a shower of sparks rains down at the contact. A few Gamemakers glance up at me, looking only annoyed, and go right back to their very important conversation.
I can feel my cheeks heat up as I suddenly get angry. I quickly prepare to shoot another arrow, this time aiming for one of the Gamemakers' fancy headpieces. The arrow zips through the air, piercing through the fancy headpiece and sending fake gems and glitter flying everywhere. The owner of the headpiece shrieks as it's pinned to the wall.
I think I hear someone mutter, "So they're both trouble makers, aren't they?"
I give the words no thought though and instead bow deeply and march out of the room. "Thank you for your consideration," I say, striding towards the exit.
I make a beeline for the elevator, ignoring the stares and whispers that are directed at me. The elevator opens, allowing me to enter, and I jab the button that reads twelve, tapping my foot impatiently as the elevator slowly ascends.
When I arrive at the sitting room, Cinna, Haymitch, Gale, Portia, and Effie are all gathered there. The adults are all engaged in deep conversation, with Gale sitting off to the side with a stony expression.
"Ah, sweetheart," Haymitch says, noticing me, and everyone looks up at my arrival. "We were just discussing the boy's training session," he adds, gesturing towards Gale.
"What did he do?" I ask curiously, and Haymitch's expression hardens.
"Let's discuss your session first, shall we? Then we'll fill you in on the boy's," Haymitch replies. I don't really see why the order matters and shrug, some of the heat leaving my cheeks, and I suddenly realize just how stupid my actions were. What if the Gamemakers punish for doing something so rash? Or worse, my family? I bet I'll get a score of no more than 2, scaring away sponsors I might've had.
Everyone's looking at me intently, so I reluctantly decide to tell them. They'll find out sooner or later. "I shot a few arrows," I say vaguely.
"Please, spare us all of the details," Haymitch says with an eye roll, "The whole story, sweetheart."
"Well, I shot a few arrows, but the Gamemakers wouldn't look at me, so I pinned one of the Gamemaker's headpieces to the wall," I say quickly, watching the others for their reactions.
There's a collective groan and Haymitch slams the table. "Shut up! We need to think."
"Is it really that bad?" I ask, panic rising.
"No," Haymitch says seriously, "It's not."
"Will they do anything to me?" I ask, not convinced at all.
"Probably not. They won't hurt your sister or your mother, that's for sure. And they can't kill you off, either, because the Capitol won't want to replace you at this point. Others have done worse," Haymitch shoots a glare at Gale at this, and Gale looks away.
"So I'm okay?" I ask cautiously, looking around at everyone. Haymitch nods.
"Can't say the same for the boy here, though," he says.
"What did he do?" I ask, my mind racing.
"Why don't you tell her yourself," Haymitch says bitterly, looking at Gale.
Gale tilts his head up to meet my gaze. His gray eyes are clouded with a number of emotions. "I wrote the names of the Gamemakers' kids on dummies and hung them."
There's complete silence as his words sink themselves into me. I can feel my eyes widening and my mouth hangs open.
"Isn't he a genius?" Haymitch remarks with a bark of laughter, drowning the words with a gulp of wine. I close my eyes and slowly count to ten. Cinna, Portia, and Effie have all been quiet the whole time, but now they all speak up at once.
"He'll probably be punished."
"The Gamemakers are definitely furious."
"It could be considered an act of rebellion," Cinna says thoughtfully in his soft voice.
"Which is not good. The Capitol does not like rebellion," Effie adds helpfully. I sit down on the couch next to Gale, not saying anything. What I did is nothing compared to Gale's actions. No wonder the Gamemakers looked so ticked off.
Insistent chatter starts up again, but this time it's Cinna who shushes us all. "No use speculating. We'll all find out after dinner when the scores are announced. Let's just hope for the best until then."
(A/N)
What did you think? Do you like where it's going? Any suggestions or things I should avoid doing?
