Chapter 10: Training
The elevator took them to a floor full of mini stations. Ben recognized some from the scout rallies he'd been to. Knot tying, shelter making, first aid; Ben felt right at home. He scanned the stations and decided on edible plants and trying the trident at the weapons station. He'd touch up on the other stations tomorrow, but for now, he had his plan.
During the next half hour, the tributes from the other districts started to show up. A couple really buff guys, one with the number one on his shirt, the other with a two, looked at Ben, as if they were sizing him up. He stared daggers at them, and they smiled. They seemed to already have an alliance in place.
A tall, athletic woman stepped to the tributes. "Hello everyone. My name is Atala. I am here to get you ready for the Games. Now, within two weeks, twenty three of you will be dead. Only one will still be alive. And who that one is, depends on how you train here. Any moron can pick up a sword and swing it. But a true person knows the worst dangers: dehydration, infection, and dim wits. My advice is don't ignore the survival stations. You may begin training… now." The one's and two's rushed over to wear the weapons were, picking up knives and swords to practice with.
Ben made his way to the edible plants station, where he extensively examined every plant there, making mental notes on the easy edible ones. The instructor there was very helpful, pointing out tips and easy ways to remember the good to eat flora. Next to it was edible insects. He switched over to that and found out he'd rather be a vegetarian for the games.
A whistle was blown and they were directed to a lunch buffet. Ben filled up his plate and sat down, getting surrounded by the tributes from Districts One, Two, and the somewhat buff male from Seven. They all made Ben seem small, physically, and probably egotistically, but Ben knew they weren't much of a threat.
"So," the girl from Two said, "A tribute from Four spends all morning dealing with plants and insects. Not very smart."
"It depends on how you look at it," Ben replied taciturnly, using a half answer.
"Oh come on kid," The guy from Two began, "You'll need allies, and we're your best chance. You're not making a good impression on us."
"Now who says I need to be in a group of jocks who'll turn on each other in the end?" Ben was starting to get annoyed at their persistence.
"Oh come dear," the girl from One joined. "We'll keep you safe." She batted her eyes and Ben stood up to leave. He made his way back to the training grounds where he found Samantha hanging out at the pool. Ben went to the shelter station and started to work on an A-frame shelter. He wanted to talk to her, but he was certain she liked him too much. He finished his shelter just as she came over.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey," he replied. He knocked over his creation and started anew.
"I need help. I don't know where to go first."
"What did you do all morning?"
"I just, walked around."
Ben looked around at the stations, trying to find a suitable one for her. "Try fire building. That's an easy one." She rushed over there as the remaining tributes filed in. He knocked over his now lean-to and walked towards the weapons training. There, he picked up a chrome trident, getting a feel for it in his hands. He saw a dummy about twenty yards away. Ben hefted the trident, and threw it, sinking the three prongs in the dummy's chest. As he went to retrieve the weapon, he heard slow clapping and looked around. He found the group harassing him at lunch, slowly clapping and nodding their heads in approval.