(Thanks to Hahukum Konn, Mulligatawny, angie2282, danceinggirl109, AlexTheMortal, and Ryukisu for your reviews! Okay, due to the majority, there will be three chapters for the trainings, and then, the games shall start! Also, the viewpoints will sometime vary in length, as seen in this chapter. hope I did good!
Ryder
I'm glad when the stupid chariot rides are over and we were allowed in a comfortable bed, complete with duvets, a small fridge, and a bathroom/shower combination. Getting out of the costume I was assigned was a hassle, considering it was made of medical wires curling around my body, appearing to come out of my skin. Apparently, the theme I'm taking to is of a child doing everything I can do 'save' my father.
True, I want to help my father, but how the hell does that stupid costume relate to the theme?
I don't actually realise how exhausted I am until my head hits the soft feathery pillow, and I'm out like a light.
When I wake up, sunlight filters into the room and I groggily move off my bed, sitting with my hands over my eyes, rubbing the sleep dust from my eyes. I was actually expecting nightmares or a slightly freaky dream, but no, it was as uneventful as Sly's hair.
The door opened allowing me no privacy and Sly appeared, his face etched with irritation.
Speak of the damn devil.
"Get up! You're late, get up!" He snaps, wiping a hand through his greasy hair. Now I think about it, I wonder if his hair IS so uneventful. Who knows what lurks in there... "Now!"
"All right, all right, I was kind of hoping for relief before the games and my likely death."
"You'll get relief in the evening. You got training now!"
Oh! I completely forgot about that. I stand up, looking around for my clothes, and see a pair of white three quarter lengths and a skin-tight shirt. The sparse costume is complete with a pair of slip-on shoes. "What are these for?"
"These are your training outfits. Now get up! Tilly has already left!" Sly keeps wiping his forehead despite the fact that there is nothing there.
I shake my head at his tone of voice, pull on the clothes, and follow Sly out of the room, already thinking of my checklist for today. I need to see what I'm best at, since I doubt they have a 'experiment tester needed' training exercise. I also need to figure out where the career group stands, as well as talk with Xavier. Oh god I'm not looking forward to that.
Before I know it, I'm taken to a glass elevator, looking to the tall and futuristic buildings of the Capitol. They reach to the sky like plants wanting sunlight, the glass sending reflections into my eyes, making them sting.
The floor rise and rises... and rises until it goes straight over our head. We travel down for around half a minute, before the elevator stops, and the doors hiss open. I get pushed by Sly, before the doors close and the elevator shoots up.
So much for a reassuring comment then. Well, I'm not the sort of guy to wait around.
I walk through the dark corridor, lighted by dim lights, until I come to a pair of metal doors with metal plates. I push it experimentally, and it opens; the screeching I'm painfully away of sounding over a voice that was talking.
Twenty-three tributes turn to me and I can't help but feel awed of the variety. Obviously, I've seen everyone, but we've never been this close before. Well, apart from Xavier, who is leaning against the wall, his face in shadow and cracking his knuckles. I see the fear etched on the faces of the twelve and thirteen year olds, the nervousness of the older Tributes, and the confidence of certain tributes, such as Vera Knight and Lotta Obi.
A tall, bald man with a stern face looks at me, and he is obviously the head of the training, although I can't remember what they're called. It doesn't say anything, and I stand at the back, next to an overly made-up girl from District 8 whose name I can't remember, as well as the small chubby kid from District 9.
"As I was saying, training is essential. It's simple. You don't train, you will die. You need to fight for you lives. I realise I'm not a mentor, but hear me now. Don't trust anyone beside, behind or in front of you. Only one can win. Sever any attachments and only form temporary alliances. Be aware of trickery.
"Okay, there are a number of courses you can partake in over the next three days. They range from simple tasting for poisons to a special gymnastics course. You are sure to find something that suits you. At the end of the three tests, you will perform a skill to the Game maker's. This skill will be known to you and them only. The next day before the interviews, you will be rated from one to twelve. One being abnormally dismal, twelve being brilliant and stand a large chance of winning.
"One last thing before you leave to train. You are not, by any means, to attack any other tribute. Leave it for the games. That is all."
The trainer turned and walked away, leaving the group to awkwardly disperse alone or together. Some stay together, talking about alliances already. I turn to Xavier, who moves towards a 'vital places in a human body' training stall, filled with dummies and a nervous looking man with dark green hair. I go towards the stall myself and stand next to Xavier.
Man, he's one big guy! I mean, I'm fairly tall at 6 foot, but he must be seven, coming near to eight foot. He's twice as wide as me, but isn't overweight, he has muscles in places I didn't know existed!
The trainer looks up at the towering Xavier, and then to me, smiling shakily. I shrug back, and he starts talking.
"O-Okay. Here, you will learn about the vital places of a human body. You can't just fell a Tribute with a stick to the knee or a punch to the shoulder." The trainer motions to the dummies, which I notice have red circles on them. The neck, forehead, heart area, and other parts of the bodies are all circled. "All of these circles are vital. A sharp jab with a stick or a hit with another kind of weapon should kill, if not injure, a Tribute."
"I need no weapon." Xavier suddenly says, in a deep and threatening voice. He strides forward, grabs the head of the closest dummy, and rips it straight off, the fluff inside spilling to the floor. "My strength is enough to kill. I need to advantage, no cowardly way out."
The trainer blinks. "W-well, th-that's all well and all, but not even you can-"
"I can. I will. Step away, old man. I will be using this area as my own." Xavier glared down at the trainer with so much force he cowered behind the wooden stall.
"A-as you wish."
Xavier grabbed the rest of the dummy and threw it over his shoulder, before grabbing another with both hands, and slamming it onto the ground until the seams split and fluff went everywhere.
Well... it was now or never.
"So... you're Xavier, right?"
Xavier stops mutilating the dummy, and slowly turns his head towards me. The scar across his eye just adds to his already monster-ish image. "Why talk to me? Something else can surely garner your attention."
"Well... or course they can." I choose my words carefully. "But I can't help but pay attention to you, you know. Now, I've seen a lot of big guys in my District, but you, you cut the cake. I mean, how much can you bench press?"
"One thousand and twenty pounds." He says, his eyes glaring hard into mine. However, I continue to look into them.
"Th-that's quite a lot. Now, I'm quite strong myself see, and I'm intelligent, y'know. I reckon my intelligence with your strength could work in an alliance, at least until we weed out the weak."
Xavier raised his arm slowly, his fingers outstretched.
"Get lost." He crushed his hand together into a tightly clenched fist. "You will die along with everyone else."
That's... that's one hell of a message. Okay, working with Xavier is not going to work out. Let's just train.
Aron Nethers
I'm glad that I was given earplugs. I was slightly tentative at first, but they are so much easier to deal with than earmuffs. I don't have the weight anymore, and my hearing is just as good as when my earmuffs were on.
I wore earmuffs never because it was cold, but because of an incident which amplified my hearing. When I was younger, my dad practically slapped my head off, shifting something in my ears, or so the doctor says. Since then, anytime my ears are unblocked, everything sounds ten times louder than it's meant to be.
I hope I can wear these in the Games; otherwise I will be susceptible to getting beaten the hell out of.
I'm glad, as they let me and Sine sleep in the same room. The comfort was well... comforting; to know that there is someone there for you. Me and Sina, we are going to be one heck of a team.
We're woken up early by Bobby and Emilia, and taken down to the Training Room. We're there early, and have to wait for around ten minutes before the Head-Trainer starts talking about rules and such. Midway between the speech, the guy who was dressed in wires yesterday appeared last and late.
We were finally allowed to go around the training centre, which was good, obviously. Because me and Sina need to learn new things to survive.
"I'm bad at sheltering." Sina says, smiling meekly. "Like, making cover and so on. I can't even make a piece of cardboard turn into a concrete wall."
"That's quite convenient, considering I can do those kinds of things. The things I'm bad at are tracking and stuff like that, obviously."
Sina smiled. "That's funny; I'm good at those things. We practically match perfectly."
"Of course we match." I say, pecking her on the cheek, but she draws away, letting of a soft laugh.
"Not now Aron. We need to figure out something we both can't do."
I nod, and look around. I rule out the Xavier stand immediately, and then spot something good. "Hey, what about gathering and identifying plant types."
"I have no idea what do if we do have to do that." Sina nods. "So be it, let's go there for around an hour."
"An hour?"
"We need to make sure we remember everything, of course." Sina says; her hands on her hips.
"That's a good point." So we meet and greet a peculiar woman who has a large hooked nose, but is kind enough. We spend half hour learning about how not to rip plants from the ground and which plants are most likely poisonous and all this kind of stuff. I'm not into it, but Sina appears to be enjoying this immensely.
"H-hi..."
I turn at the voice and see a girl; must be around fifteen, with a super smooth face and a fair amount of make-up, but not too much. Her eyes are Emerald, and are looking at me and Sina, who has turned as well.
"Oh, hello." Sina says to her.
The girl smiles shakily. "I o-overheard your conversation about being perfect for each other. And I think you two are strong and prepared. I was... I was wondering if I could ally with you, just at the beginning.
"What's your name?" I ask, looking at the nervous girl.
"Sapphire Iot, I come from District 8, textiles."
"Well..." Sina puts on her thinking face. "What can you do?"
"I-I am good at snares and the like. I can catch rabbits or other things quite easily." Sapphire says.
"I can hunt big animals." Sina said. "But not small animals... But is that all you can do?"
"Umm... well, not really... no. I can sneak really quietly..."
I look at Sapphires face, before turning to Sina. "What do you think?"
"I think... I think we'll give her a chance." Sina says, before smiling at Sapphire. "My name is Sina Terra; this is my boyfriend, Aron Nethers."
I nod at her. Sapphire seems all right, just a typical girl who got chosen and no-one volunteered for her. With Sapphire, we work on the plant stall for the remaining half hour.
It's then that a scuffle breaks out on the stall beside us, and I see... Jasper... I think, get pushed to the floor.
Jasper Waverly
She's still not talking with me. What did I do wrong? I just want to be a brother to her... I follow her around the training area, but every time I stop at the same stall, she moves on. I think she's deliberately ignoring me, but I can't think why. We're siblings, so why would Amber do that?
"Amber!" I repeat, my voice rising slightly. "Amber, why aren't you talking to me?"
Amber just turns and heads towards a camouflage stall, next to a plant detection and gathering stall.
"Please, just talk to me." I plead, grabbing her shoulder.
She suddenly whips around and pushes me backwards, and I stumble in surprise. Amber has never done anything like that to me before. I'm speechless.
"Jasper, don't! Just don't follow me, please! I want to get through these Games on my own!" Amber says, her eyes wet.
"What...? You can't get through the games yourself-" Wrong thing to say.
"Are you suggesting that you are going to help me WIN the games, Jasper?" she asks me quietly. I nod, and she sighs. "Do you realise what that means! Jasper, you will die! Die! Not only did mum and dad leave us, but now you're going to leave me alone! If I won, I was planning on finding Jakes killer, and then give half of my profit to you! But I can't do that, I can't, because you'll be dead; sent to District 1 in a damn coffin!"
I'm dumbfounded; Amber doesn't usually blow up like that, and it hits me hard. I mean... I know what I'm doing, I know the consequences. Am I an Idiot! How did I not realise what she was feeling, we're siblings, we have a bond, and I just... my god, I screwed it all up.
Amber shakes her head, and turns back towards the camouflage stall. I shake my head, realising what my actions have done.
"Amber... I'm sorry... really... I am."
"Sorry doesn't work this time Jasper." Amber says without turning. "It's gone too far."
"I-I see..." I look to the ceiling. "Well... I'll be going then..."
I suddenly hear a sharp laugh to my right, to the poison detection stall. Standing there are three Tributes, Lotta Obi from District 9, Vera Knight, from District 10, and Daniel something, from District 7. He was the one who laughed. I stand still, listening hard.
"God, what a stupid thing to argue about. Brother and sister were never going to work in these Games. The girl should just give up right now."
I'm not sure what it is, but in that moment I felt enraged, even animalistic. Before I know it, my fist connects with Daniels jaw. Daniels stumbles back in surprise and the two girls look at him to see how he would react. Vera grins as Lotta regards him with a wary expression. Daniel feels his jaw, before shoving me hard in the chest, pushing me to the floor.
"You got a problem, man?" He exclaims, standing over me.
"Yeah. You." It comes out before I can stop it.
Daniel reaches down and grabs me by the collar, lifting me up. He's younger, but bigger, and looks threatening. But he was chosen, why would he act like this? "You want to say that again."
"Don't insult my sister!" I say, glancing at Amber who is looking at the wall, as if ignoring what was happening.
"Oh? I'm so sorry."
His tone of voice sets me off again and I push him back. Before I know it he is on me, pummelling on my face. I turn it around, and get off a few punches myself before someone grabs me around the shoulders and pulls me back. I turn around to come face to face with a peacekeeper. He glares at me and I glare back.
Dan was also picked up, but has been let go. He sneers at me. "Not worth my time. Come on Vera." He walks away, followed by Vera. Lotta shrugs and continues to test poisons.
I'm let go finally, and I feel a trickle of blood falling down my nose. Goddamn it! I'm certain, damn certain now. I will not let Amber die! She will win this, if I can help it, no matter what she thinks. Where ever she is, I'll be there!