Training Day One:
Evi POV (D10)
I am itching to get to the snares and traps booth but the moderator won't stop talking to us about the rules. Since when do people who murder kids care about rules? I can only hear the rule: Don't hurt or kill any other tribute. I snort. Yeah, wouldn't want them to do it before we encourage maximum bloodshed in the arena. The moderator stops her speech and releases us. I see most of the tributes from higher districts go straight to the weapons while tributes from lower districts go to edible plants and stuff. I head over to the snares and traps and see the boy from Three, Derek, trying in vain to make a snare. I walk over and stand next to him, setting to work.
"Hey," I say, trying to win him over. He flicks me a look with his blue eyes and returns to his cruddy snare. "You know if you loop this like this and-"
"Thanks for the help, princess, but I'll pass." Derek throws down his snare and walks off. I can feel my jaw drop open at his rudeness. My jaw snaps shut when the boy from Seven takes Derek's place beside me.
"Hi, Ten."
"Hey, Seven." I say with a smirk. He smiles back, running his hand through his dark brown hair.
"So, uh, do you think that you could teach me how to make one of these things?" He asks, gesturing towards the snare in front of me, which I just finished while talking to Derek.
"Oh, yeah it's pretty easy," I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear as I show Corin how to make a simple snare. After about five minutes, he holds up a passable snare. I laugh. "Not bad, Seven!"
Corin laughs. "Ya know, you and I make a pretty good team. You with your insane skills and me with my extensive knowledge of weapons."
"You have an extensive knowledge of weapons?" I ask, with a smirk on my lips and one eyebrow cocked. "And what weapons are in your repertoire?"
"Well, I know how to chop up a tree…" Seven looks caught.
"Fair enough. Allies?" I ask. Corin looks speechless. "Well, Seven, what'll it be?"
"Yeah, sure. Allies." He looks dazed as he shakes my hand. I give him a cross between a smile and a smirk as I help him with another snare.
Ashur POV (D8)
After the moderator frees us I ponder which station to go to. I want to go to the snare place but I see the guy from Seven and the girl from Ten talking, and I didn't want to get caught up in a conversation with them. Instead I head to the swordplay station, something I already know but it wouldn't hurt to impress the Careers. I pick up a sword and face a dummy, slicing it into a tattered mess before you could say "impressive." I can already feel the eyes of the girl from Two and the girl from Four on me. I also see the boy from Two glaring at me as he picks up a saber, one of the ones used in fencing. He puts on a helmet but ignores the protective padding.
"Wanna spar, Eight?" He hisses at me.
"Delighted to, Two." I snarl as I don my padding and helmet. I pick up the second saber.
"Read-"
"Fence!" Two interrupts me, taking a swing at my head. I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth in disapproval.
"Don't you know the first rule in fencing?" I say, slicing at the area where his waist is.
"What's that?" The boy growls as he dodges my blow.
"No cheap shots!" I yell as I crouch down, distracting Two for a moment, then dash around to his side and deliver a slash to his back, causing him to fall down. He rolls over and I put a foot on his chest and point my saber at his heart. "Nice sparring with you." I say as I take my foot off of his chest and move the point away from his heart. I offer him my hand, but he shoves it away, brushing his greasy hair out of his eyes.
"Anytime." The boy narrows his snakelike eyes. I guess I've made an enemy.
I put down my weapon, take off my protective clothing, and push my way through the crowd that has formed around the swordplay station.
"Wait," A beautiful girl with long dark brown hair the color of dark alder wood and eyes the color of warm honey steps in front of me and gently stops me by putting her hand on my chest. "You have skill, you know. Enough skill to be Career. So, what'dya say?" She widens her golden eyes at me expectantly.
"Well, I'm gonna need some time to think about it," I say.
"Well, can you at least tell me your name?" The girl pleads.
"Ashur Wybock, District Eight." I say my district proudly, almost like I'm proud of its non-Career number.
"Well Ashur, I hope to hear from you soon." The girl with the golden eyes turns halfway, then remembers something and faces me again. "I'm Ebony, by the way." I watch as Ebony walks away, and ponder my options. My mind wanders back to District Eight. Where Anya is. Anya, with her auburn hair and lively blue eyes. Anya, Anya, Anya. We would have already been married if it weren't for my Reaping. The big day is next week. I even have a tux rented. I hope that they won't mind if I'm not able to return it alive. Don't think like that, Ashur! You'll make it out alive and you'll get back to Anya. And you'll try and get Annora back to her baby girl. I am determined now. Ebony and the boy from Two won't stand a chance. Ten and Seven won't stand a chance either. I'm getting home and getting married. I'll make sure of it.
Ebony POV (D2)
"What were you talking to that boy about?" Erik hisses to me as I walk away from Ashur. I flip a lock of hair over my shoulder and lean in towards Erik like I am about to tell him a secret.
"Nothing that concerns you!" I don't yell it in his ear, but I'm not too quiet about it either. He winces as I lean back.
"Jesus Christ Ebony, just asked you a question." Erik whines. "But I did like how close you were…" He trails off, giving me a look that I don't like one bit. I waggle my ring finger – with my gold band on it – in front of his face and then slap him across the face with the back of my hand.
"Hmm, knife-throwing looks nice," I say to nobody in particular as I saunter over to the station and leave a whimpering Erik behind me. Because I am a Career though, a couple lower tributes try to strike up conversation with me. I patiently listen as I pick up a knife, flick my wrist, and in one smooth motion kill a cotton dummy. This stuns the other tributes into silence. Soon, intimidated by me after about seven throws, the lower tributes leave and I am joined by a fellow Career, Glamor from One.
"So what's up with the major rule breakage over there?" Glamor asks, nodding her perfect head in the direction of Erik and his sore cheek.
"Flirting with me."
"So, on another note, why were you talking to that Ashur dude?" I note that underneath Glamor's curiosity there is an unmistakable trace of jealousy. I shake my head.
"What is this, Twenty Questions?" I snap at Glamor, and I stomp away. Thankfully, the moderator rings the bell for lunch and we are all dismissed. I pile my plate high with exotic foods and join my fellow Careers at the Career table. Once everyone I seated, I hold up a finger to silence any questions. "First, before anyone asks what I was doing talking to the guy from Eight, I'll tell you. I offered him a seat at our table." Erik immediately protests but Glamor silences him with a punch on the arm.
"Ebony's smart, he's freaky skilled. We all saw him kick Erik's butt at swordplay." Glamor persuades, getting Marcus and Emma to nod in assent.
"It's decided then: we vote. All for adding Ashur, raise your hand." All but Erik raise their hand.
"I guess we have a new Career."
"But he hasn't decided yet," I add, remembering Ashur saying that he would sleep on it.
But hopefully, we will have a new member of the pack.
Iota POV (D9)
I know that I shouldn't give away my skills with a dagger, but I can't help it. I find myself migrating to the knives station anyways. I pick up one of the gleaming knives respectfully, admiring how well built it is. These are Capitol weapons, so they will most likely be in the arena. I grip the knife and give it a toss. It lands slightly off-kilter, but that's alright. I mean, these weapons are so much different than the simple ones I have at my home. I pick up another dagger and move to the dummy for close-range fighting. In about five seconds, I have opened gashes in three spots that would eventually prove fatal. I notice Colt coming towards me. We are allies now, bound by that silent exchange over dinner. I honestly feel bad about being so brash and forthcoming, usually I'm not like that, but I couldn't help it. I saw the way he looked at that girl and just needed confirmation. I don't know why I needed it but I did. And I got him upset and angry in the process. That is something that I am not proud of.
"Hey Colt," I say.
"Hey Iota," Colt scratches the back of his neck nervously. "Do you mind expanding this alliance?" My eyes narrow in curiosity.
"Might I ask who is the extension?"
"Eleven." Colt says anxiously. I look over, impressed as I see how large and muscular the boy is. "The girl." Colt adds hastily, and I redirect my gaze. My green eyes zone in on a small, thin girl about my age with dirt-brown hair and sad brown eyes. Her button nose has been broken numerous times, and she looks like she would hurt someone if they dared to fight her. I doubt though, from her stick thin figure and non-existent muscles, that she would be able to make a good ally.
"Her? Why?" I ask Colt skeptically. Colt's eyes dart around the room, looking for an excuse to leave this anxious moment.
"She's pretty good with a dagger and she looks like a survivor. She probably knows boatloads of knowledge about plants too. She's a survivor, Iota. Like us."
I just know that there is an ulterior motive hidden somewhere in this alliance but I can't place it. I sigh. "Let's go welcome her to the alliance then."
Hey guys! Hope you liked the first training chapter! So what do you think Ashur will say to Ebony and the Careers about the alliance? What do you think about Evi's and Corin's friendship? And was Avella right in the last chapter: that the Capitol won't let both her and her brother live? Jeez this sounds like a soap opera haha. So review me with the answers to these questions and who you think should be the next POV. Remember, reviewing gets you $100,000 as a sponsor *wink wink*
Ally