Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games. They belong to Suzanne Collins.
Note: Quick update! Not sure how frequent updates of such a swift speed will happen, but I will do what I can to remain prompt with the story if at all possible. Things are starting to get to the nitty gritty now. Reaping Day looms, but before all that we still have a bit to be getting onto. All the same, the slower parts of the story are done and the action is just about here. I'm certainly pumped for it, and hopefully you guys are too. Enjoy the chapter, I had fun writing it. :)
ACT 2: THE FAMILIES
Part 2: Gadget, Mentor in Training
A month after the Quell has been announced, and even now everybody is on edge and feeling awful. In fact, I think that it's gotten even worse now. Every day, after all, Reaping Day gets closer. Perhaps it's months away, true, but time flies when you're feeling like crap. No matter who is picked, a family is broken in a way worse than usual. And even for those who cannot be reaped, like orphans or those without kids at all… well, they stand a good chance of losing somebody close to them. A best friend, a husband or wife… this is wrong. Sick. Twisted, I say!
But, you know what I say? If the Capitol is the virus that poisons our lives, then let I, Gadget Byte, be the antidote. I can't exactly cause the reaping to be cancelled – nobody is that powerful except Snow and we all know he's not gonna do diddly squat about it – but I can at least prepare the people of Three as best as I can. Maybe not years of training like the Careers have, but enough that they have a solid chance and we can pull off our first ever back to back Victor.
So that's why I currently find myself in Beetee's house with the other four living Victors of my District. It's that time of year again where it's time to decide who shall be Mentoring this year's Tributes. I have a pen and notebook in hand, writing down everything they say. Any scrap of information could save lives… or, well, one life really. But, so long as we get somebody out of the Arena then we'll have done the best we could.
"So, we can rule out the Arena being a forest," Beetee says, looking over his own page of notes. "The Arena has never been the same terrain twice in a row. I can't see them starting now."
"First time for everything," Honorius adds. "With how half of the Tributes are going to be adults, they'll probably make it bigger than usual. Adults travel faster on foot, they've usually got more muscle."
"Could be possible," Beetee agrees. "Now, there's a new Head Gamemaker and that means new tricks and traps in play. So, we're going into this somewhat blind."
"Blind… pitch black Arena. Maybe no light at all," Wiress mumbles.
"Then we'd have to get Sponsors in place to send in night vision goggles," Beetee states. "But one thing we should keep in mind is that both the past two Quell Arenas had a lot of poison in them. You know what they say about the rule of three, yes?"
And so, it goes on like this for a while. All of us bringing up various ideas and points of interest for the Mentoring ahead. Well, when I say 'all of us' I mainly just mean Beetee, Honorius and Wiress. I just stay quiet, taking as many notes as I can – note to self, buy a new notebook because this one is getting full – while Yohan doesn't say a word. He sits across from me, staring down at the table. An open book on first aid is open before him, but I don't think he's reading it, really.
It feels strange, being part of the Victor family yet having as neighbour I know nothing about. I've never even seen him in person before, so I've not even given him a simple hello yet. Perhaps it's time I did, though.
"So, Yohan, how-," I begin. But one look at his cold eyes makes me trail off, whimpering.
"Don't even talk to me," he says. His voice is barely a whisper, but he has that kind of tone that makes one think twice about disobeying him.
I just slowly nod, and go back to being silent. We have years ahead of us… maybe a proper chance to talk will pop up in ten years or so? Maybe twenty.
An hour rolls by, and by the end I've resorted to writing notes on napkins. No space left in the notebook, but I don't want to miss any of the information I'm learning. Even as a Victor, some of this I've never heard of when I was being mentored. Like how the Capitol citizens seem to love tributes who kill using swords the most. Makes me wonder how angry Cato's fanbase were when he died. Who knows, maybe landmine kills are all the range now?
"So, Gadget, you've been rather quiet," Beetee notes. "Anything to add?"
"Oh, um..." I flip through my notes. "So, alliances. I was thinking, given how close Lacey and I were last year and how we're both, um, not corpses… maybe getting the Tributes of Three and Eight to align would be a good idea. They really loved me in Eight."
"She's right, they did," Honorius agrees.
"A teen celebrity," Wiress mumbles.
Beetee seems to be considering the idea. Whoa, I actually contributed something! This is going better than I expected already.
"It comes down to the Tributes as individuals," he says, thinking hard. "But, certainly raising the idea wouldn't hurt anybody's chances. I'm sure Cecelia would be up for it. Plus, if Three and Eight stay friendly… well, things will be easier in the future."
The Victors all share slow nods. I see their point. If Three and Eight start to team up yearly like how One and Two do, we might pull off a win more times than we don't. Or, at least maybe another time this decade.
It's another quarter hour of this, me suggesting ideas and the others either taking them on board of turning them down. Stressing the importance of fleeing the bloodbath is accepted, but trying to intimidate the Careers is swiftly shot down. Yeah, what was I even thinking with that one?
"So now, the Capitol will want us to all decide who is going to be mentoring this year. The deadline for the choice is the end of the week," Beetee states. "I'd normally just skip to suggesting myself and Wiress do so as usual, but we have a new Victor this year. So Gadget, as the rules state… it's your first year as a Victor and that means you are required to Mentor for this year."
"Lucky me," I say without joy. "...What if I screw up and get the poor Tribute killed?"
"Then do better next year," Yohan mutters.
"Yohan is right," Beetee says. "You can only try. So, that's one Mentor of two. Who else wants to? I'd be willing to take on the role once again."
"Hm… no, no," Wiress says, shaking her head. "Need a break, this year."
"No," is all Yohan says, not lifting his head to look at us for even a moment.
"...You know what, I wouldn't mind giving it a go," Honorius says after some thought. "If I'm not too old to go on a Victory Tour, then I'm not too old to try and save somebody from getting killed, eh?"
"Indeed not," Beetee agrees, lightly smirking. "So, we'll decide between ourselves who gets the Mentor position. But one thing we should decide now is the fact it will be one adult of any age, really, and one standard aged Tribute. While we can negotiate this one if needed..."
Beetee turns towards me.
"Gadget, I think it would work better if you Mentored the tribute who would most likely be of a similar age to you," he suggests. "I think it would make things a little awkward, or worse complicated, if you ended up mentoring somebody in their forties, as an example."
"That's fine by me," I tell him. "I think it'd be better for the Tributes as well, honestly. At least I might know the poor kid I have to get through this mess. That works well with my own little scheme I've got going on."
The Victors all exchange looks.
"...Scheme?" Beetee repeats.
"The baby of the Victor family is scheming? Oh, this ought to be good," Honorius adds with a chuckle.
"Well… I consider it unfair that only One and Two get to train," I say, bopping a fist against the table. Hopefully that made me look serious, and not stupid. "So, I'm gonna be running my own little, uh, Career Class at school. Teach them the skills, maybe form some basic level of trust with who I have to Mentor if one of them is Reaped… oh, uh, and unlike the normal Careers I'll make sure they're not highly sadistic either."
"Love it," Honorius says. "Feel free to use anything in my house if you think some of it will help. I have some wooden swords in the basement if you want them? I collected them about… hmm, maybe fifty years ago?"
"That would be great, thanks," I say.
"Careful. Might get caught," Wiress warns me. "Be careful Gadget. It's risky."
"Yeah… but lives are at stake. I can't play it safe anymore," I reply firmly. "Besides… what are they gonna do if they caught me? Put me back in the Arena?
Everybody is silent. No notable reaction except how thoughtful Beetee looks.
"...I didn't think so." I continue. "I could disguise it as a study group or a computing club or something. Those are things that exist. I think it could work out… I mean, I'd be careful and it gives them a 'good show' in the Capitol, yeah? I don't think anybody would tattle when they literally have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so..."
"I think it's a good idea," Beetee says. "But, you need to be careful. Being caught… you might be able to get away with it, somewhat, but those in attendance will not. Are you willing to risk that?"
Am I?
…
What would Weldar do?
"...Damn right I am, dammit," I say, giving a firm nod. "I'll make Careers out of them. Uh, hopefully."
"While you do that, we'll all offer our support to all parents who want it," Beetee says, shuffling through his papers. "No rule against people dropping by to visit us. In the best case scenario, we can give plenty of pre-Games training to both the adult and offspring. But, I would settle for just one of the two having some preparation for what lies ahead."
"So, when is the first club meeting? Soon? Later? Tick tock." Wiress asks me.
"After school tomorrow," I say. "I've got a lot of set up done, and I think that we'll be seeing some good results. I'll teach them the book stuff and Mirrus will teach everybody the more practical stuff, like how to use a sword or do acrobatics."
"That Avox of yours sure has a lot of skills," Honorius notes. "Just how did he become so powerful?"
"I have no idea. He, uh, 'said' he'd tell me later but I don't know when later is," I reply, gathering up my notes. "He did tell me one thing though. He used to live in District Eight. Lacey didn't recognise him, so… at least he wasn't her long lost brother or something."
"That'd be awkward," Wiress says. "Where are you going?"
"I'm gonna go over the training schedule with Mirrus," I tell her, putting all of my notes into my bag. "The Games are months away, but mentoring begins now, people!"
(Not much later…)
"Ok Mirrus, so we start it off small and we build up to the big stuff. We gotta walk before we run, and crawl before we walk, right?" I say to my friend as we sit together on the sofa, many pages of notes scattered around us.
He nods, giving some signs.
-What if some kids can't even crawl?-
"Then I guess they, uh… do the worm?" I say, shrugging. "Like those giant worm mutts five years back? Oh, those were not fun. Nope, not at all."
-I'll teach them how to gut worms with a serrated knife. It's easy stuff-
"Good plan. But first, I'm thinking we work on proper running form, wrestling and how to throw a punch without the puncher breaking their hand when they hit the, uh, punchee," I sheepishly giggle at the thought. Oh, that certainly sounds like the kind of thing I would probably do…
-Easy stuff. Consider it done. If they train hard enough, they won't even need any weapons from the Cornucopia at all. Makes the 'get the hell away from there right away you fools' suggestion more likely to be listened to.-
"Exactly. Anywhere from eight to fifteen tributes are dead there usually. I can't imagine why anybody runs into the fray," and as I lay back a little, I thank the stars above I chose to run away. If I hadn't, I'd have been dead in under a minute. "If we can make them punch hard and become survivalists, maybe the Cornucopia will not even be needed? The Career from One and Two don't know anything about Survival. ...Marvel proved it. So, if our 'Careers' could survive… maybe they'd win?"
-Either that or they just won't choke on poison berries. That's a good thing in itself.-
I nod, and so we're soon back to writing down ideas or occasionally bringing something up. I think I underestimated just how much there is to go over here. Last time I only got a small amount of it, and I guess it makes sense as Wiress only bought up ideas that I could make use of… so, uh, not much. But now that I must Mentor, and have no idea who it is that I have to Mentor through the games, I'm getting a real sense of the scope of it all. It's making my brain tingle!
"How do you think the Reaping is gonna work?" I ask him. "I mean, the usual idea before Tesserae is added to the mix is one slip for twelves, two for thirteens and so on… but how is that gonna work for the adults? There are so many ages, and would Tesserae from their youths carry over?
-Hell if I know. Let's just be glad our names aren't in that dumb bowl-
"Agreed," I quickly say. "So very agreed."
But as we resume looking everything over… I can't help but think over what he just said. Our names are not in the bowl. Like myself, Mirrus is not eligible to be Reaped.
"...Hey Mirrus," I say as a thought enters my head. "Why is it you're unable to be Reaped? You're the same age as me, right."
-Fourteen in a month. I guess it's because I'm an Avox?-
"I thought being an Avox was meant to be a punishment? Instead, you get to skip the Games," I say, sighing. "Wait, that was probably insensitive! Sorry..."
Mirrus just shrugs, not seeming bothered. But, he does seem a little… I guess 'distant' might be the word for it? Hmmm… maybe this is as good a time as I'll get to ask about, well, where he came from?
"Mirrus," I begin. "...Why did they do this to you? What did you do to be made into an Avox?"
For a while, Mirrus doesn't sign to me. He's completely silent, not moving a single muscle. Oh dear… did I break him? Oh no, did I make any notes on how to fix a broken brain!?
But it seems I can relax – well, about that one thing at least – because he turns to me. His signs are complex, but thanks to him teaching me the ways of Avox sign language, it comes to me quickly.
-Well, I committed a crime.-
"...Yeah, that part I kind of worked out already," I say.
He silently chuckles, but resumes his tale.
-My whole family were really active and strong. We all worked out a ton and liked the outdoor life. As much as we could get of it in Eight anyway. Gave me some of the skills. Of course, we were also pretty rebellious. I don't know if the Capitol found out exactly, but they caused an accident at the factory my family worked at. Set off a huge fire, we all know they did as the machines never blew up before.-
Mirrus silently snarls, continues his gestures which are now a tad more frantic as his hands tremble from anger. I lay my hand on his shoulder.
-Capitol people came in to put it out as a 'show of generosity', with cameras to film it. A celebrity of some kind held the hose. My family died for some fucking celebrity to look good for those grotesque citizens! That's when I realized something.-
"...What?" I ask. I gag a little. Dying for such a pointless, stupid reason. ...Why? What is the point? None! There is none!
-If they burn my whole life, I'll burn theirs. I was nine, back then. I was already skilled for my age so I just kept training. Then I felt I was trained enough when I was twelve and decided to do something.
"Ooooh… what did you do?" I ask, intrigued yet wary. I mean, he's an Avox… whatever it was, it was bad and Mirrus got caught.
-I stowed away on a train, found that celebrities' house and blew it to rubble with some pipe bombs. They died. Oops.-
…
...Uh.
...Was it really the celebrity's fault actually? Uh...
...Whoa, that's, uh… really crazy. And deadly. And maybe a terrorist act… reminds me of Rivett, but I don't know if this is the same thing. Is it? I don't know. But what I do know is that Mirrus acted in vengeance, and as I look at him now looks upset.
-I got caught. They Avox'd me and carved an eight into my back with a hot knife. Then, a year later…-
"...Yeah?" I say, uneasy. The thought of a number being knifed into my flesh… ick, so nasty.
-I met you after you and Lacey outwitted them. I knew I wanted in on that. So when Snow wanted an Avox sent to harm your reputation, I tried to stand out and be chosen when Nova came looking. I was. Now I'm here, happy and happy to help get them back.-
He smiles, gently taking my hand.
-You showed me care when few would. I wanna repay that.-
I don't know when it happened, but suddenly I'm giving Mirrus a big hug.
"Well then, let's train some kids to kick some ass!" I exclaim.
With shared nods of seriousness, we return to the notes and work faster than ever before. I do wonder though… what kind of training did Mirrus do to have all of his skills? Perhaps some details were left out? Well, even if they were, I've heard all I need to hear… and I know beyond doubt that the Capitol is foolish to overlook Avox's.
(The next day…)
"Even with the Quell, this is a higher turn-out than I was expecting," I say to Mirrus and Flick. "Oh boy… I have to speak in front of all of these people?"
"The crowds on your Tour were bigger," Flick reminds me. "This is nothing."
"...Oh, maybe you could do the speech?" I suggest to her.
"It's your club!" she huffs.
"It's a Quell, they've suffered enough even without my speech!" I plead, whining despite my best efforts. "Have a heart!"
"Oh, grow some ovaries!" Flick states. "Mirrus, get her on stage."
-Gadget, tell this Harpie I'm a complex boy and not her servant-
"Mirrus says I can take my time… uh, roughly," I lie.
I guess it's a bit silly that I feel so nervous, isn't it? After the Arena and the Victory Tour, how bad is this in comparison? Not at all, and even if several of them don't like me it's all a bunch of who cares these days. Just gotta go on that stage and then face the huge crowd gathered in the school's gym hall and explain what's gonna be happening. Easy right?
Issue is, I just feel wary that this whole idea might go wrong and I'd make it even harder for the poor Tribute. ...No. If I spend life worrying about maybe messing up then I'll never get anything done. ...What would Weldar do?
…
Swiftly, I march my way up to the stage – making sure my footsteps are more like stomps – and grab the microphone.
"Alright glitches, listen up!" I yell. "We have just under five months to the Quell and just as long to train you from girl and boys to really serious, yet not sadistic, Careers! So if you… you… um..."
Ok, I may be a lot of things but Weldar is not one of them. The crowd look at me, bewildered and confused. I can see Diode is shaking her head from where she is sat while Tech and Cache glance at Magnette, who just shrugs. Everybody else I don't know closely are various amounts of confused and bewildered. Either that or they're looking annoyed I called them all glitches.
Shit, I came on too strong! Backpedal, backpedal!
"Um… a-anyway, we're all gathered at this club for one reason," I say to them as I start to pace. "Whether we're popular or unpopular, big or small, boy or girl, poor or… well, less poor… we all have a common goal, and that goal is to not be killed in the Arena. So, here we are at the Byte Career Club. A place to learn the skills, and ensure your continued survival. Any questions?"
"Why should we listen to you?" somebody calls out from the crowd. Hmm… rude.
"Uh, I survived the Games?" I call back to him. "In fact, I not only survived them but I'm your age too. There is literally nobody better to ask for help than me! But if you want to take your chance with the Cato's of the next Games, the doors are over there.
The boy doesn't move. Yeah, that's what I thought!
"So, our goal is to get everybody as well prepared as we can. That way, whoever is unlucky enough to get Reaped will have a fighting chance. I mean, uh, if a lanky twig like me could win before she's even thirteen and a half, then who can't? Exactly," I say, and with a clap of my hands I gesture to Mirrus and Flick. "So! Myself, Mirrus and Flick will be teaching you as best as we can. If you feel you've really gotten the hang of a skill, try and teach it to those around you. Knowledge saves lives, people! So, um… any questions… uh, questions that do not come off as rude?"
"What are we learning today," one girl calls out. "Swords?"
"I wanna learn to snap a neck!" a boy cheers. "It'll be fun!"
"No, no! The point is to be prepared for the Games like the Careers and tonot be sadistic or out for blood like they are!" I exclaim, quickly shaking my head. "It's about survival, self-defence and sweetness. Three fine qualities of a Victor."
Seeing no more questions, I continue.
"Today I'll be teaching you how to make a spear out of vines and branches. I did that, and while it didn't exactly help me for long… well, uh, it made me feel a tiny bit safer. Plus, if you can make your own weapons you won't even need to run to the Cornucopia. "Oh, and on that note..."
I pause, just for a moment.
"Do NOT run into the Bloodbath!" I yell, staring at the crowd. "Seriously, don't."
It seems they heard me loud and clear. Whether or not they listen is up to them, but so long as I make clear of this option to them then I'm doing my job right.
"Mirrus will be teaching you all about hand to hand combat," I continue. "Meanwhile, Flick will be talking to you about how to properly boil water to make sure it's drinkable. Clean water can save your life."
It seems everything has been explained, so… time to get started and hope so very hard that nothing is going to go horribly wrong.
"Ok people, let's go!" I say. "And remember, the first rule about the Byte Career Club is that you do not talk about the Byte Career Club. Not to the Peacekeepers, anyway."
(Time passes…)
Two weeks have gone by and so far the Byte Career Club has been a success. Or, at least now everybody knows how to throw a punch and, whether it's strong or weak, they won't break any of their fingers in the process. Best of all is that nobody has caught onto this club yet. No sudden appearances by Peacekeepers, nor do any of them approach me on the street. To them, I am just like anybody else.
But there is somebody being paid attention to, and that's Dayta. Posters of his face are in the streets and he has been named as missing – or rather, a fugitive – and people have been questioned as to his whereabouts. Surely any time now I will be as well. Well… they can do whatever they want to me, I'm not telling them anything. So long as the questions continue, I know he is alive. Maybe not safe, but at least he's not dead.
...I miss him.
I can't let myself be too depressed though. So far I've been able to keep myself strong and keep the training ongoing for all the kids. It'll be better for them to be taught by somebody outwardly confident rather than a crybaby. So, that's what I am doing. Being strong. Being an adult.
Of course, right now I'm doing something else as well. That being taking a trip to the junkyard. We're moving on from the basics now, and that means a few extra supplies are needed. Bolts, metals, springs, that kind of stuff really. Plus, who better to get it all than the girl who once lived in a shack within the junkyard? I know where everything tends to be, more or less. Sure, it's been a while since I was last here but the people who dump stuff here tend to put the same kinds of stuff in the same areas, generally.
"Ok," I say as I look at my notebook upon entering the junkyard. No security, as ever. Like I said to Snow, his rule makes no sense. "Perhaps bolts first. Should be that way."
So off I go and this is what I do for the next half hour. Scamper around the junkyard, gather all the bits and bobs I need for the club. The bolts over there, they could be fine ammo for a slingshot. The sheet of metal there, it could be turned into an armoured shirt. The duct tape… well, what can't that do, really?
My backpack can only carry so much, though, before it becomes full. I can't help but wobble for a moment as I slug it on, nearly falling over. Ok, balance Gadget, balance. Having succeeded in not falling onto my butt it occurs to me I might be making more than one trip from here and to the school. Hmmm… I should have bought a trolley or something.
"Maybe I can make one though," I ponder. "Gotta be parts for a trolley around here somewhere. Oh, of course, they'll be towards the east."
So, the east side of the junkyard is where I'm heading. Weaving through the piles of junk, my eyes on the visual hunt for anything that looks like it could be useful. That wheel there would help.
I hear a smash and a grunt. Not one of pain, but one that kind of sounds like… combat? Is a fight going on? Hopefully it's nothing serious, but just to be sure… I better check it out. Carefully, I'm creeping through the area where all the engines are piled up and left to rust. I'm quiet, not letting the pretty sunset distract me nor hitting my foot against anything on the ground.
Carefully, I reach a new clearing and crouch behind a rusted car chassis. There… right over there, I see the fight.
...Wait a second, it's not a fight at all. Just daddy smashing several dummies with a halberd.
…
Wait, what!?
I'm silent, not daring to breath too loudly as I watch him go. He slices into the many dummies effortlessly, the motions of the halberd fast and precise. I'm not an expert, but I get the feeling that every single one of those hits would be fatal if they hit an actual person, no matter their size or age. With a loud grunt he slices the head right off of the last dummy, before taking calm breaths.
I can't help but lightly touch my neck as I observe all of this. I should probably get going, right now, but my legs just don't seem to be moving. I'm still here, still observing.
He puts the halberd down and drinks from a bottle of water. As he catches his breath, a phone rings. Quickly, daddy takes it out of his pocket.
"Yeah?" he says. "Yeah, I hear you Nova. ...Of course I'm alone and training hard, I'm not an idiot… no, no sign of Dayta. That boy is in a whole world of trouble. ...Yes, I know. I'm already planning out what to say on the day, I'm taking it seriously. You got the name of the women? ...Genius. No way can it be refused after that."
What's he talking about? Clearly, Nova has a plan that he's in on, but I have no idea what it is. Oooo! For somebody who has only spoken to me once several long months ago she sure seems to have a focus in having me ruined, be it by death or worse! Nova has plans involving me, for sure, and all I can do is wonder what they are. With daddy's words kind of vague it's hard to speculate, really.
"...Yeah, you can count on Flux. He has the bank details for that," he assures Nova. "My boy can hack basically anything. ...Yes, as a matter of fact I do know why Rivett got caught. I just happened to get a rather interesting call from Slate, saying that thing that was once kind of my daughter gave them a tip-off. No, I have no idea how he was caught but at least we made it work."
Shitshitshitshitshit! This is badbadbadbadbad!
He knows…
...But wait, if he knows then why has he not tried to hunt me down and kill me? Why would he hold back from hurting me? That was never his style in the past and now more than ever he has all the reason to want to try something. Something just feels off about all this. Not to mention, what's this about Flux hacking a bank?
By the time I'm slightly calmer and focusing once again the phone call is over and the massacre of the training dummies has resumed. I always knew daddy had a really hard, painful smack… but even I find myself a little impressed with how he handles that weapon. Hmmm… wait, didn't Nova him about weapons when they met a few months back? It's a little fuzzy but didn't daddy say he wanted a halberd? You all remember it, right? Yeah, me too. Looks like he's got what he wanted… but for what purpose, I don't know. It's not like he's able to be reaped now that I'm a Victor.
Time to get going.
I'm soon creeping back the way I came from. So many questions in my mind, so few answers for any of them. Maybe I just need to write it all down, focus on them just one at a time? Yeah, maybe that will work. Ok, so first thing's first, I should-OW!
Aw crap, I just knocked one of the engines over. My foot stings.
"HEY! Who's there?" daddy yells from behind me.
Crap!
I'm quickly sprinting away, ready to run all the way across town to hide under my bed. It's only a few seconds before I scream when I'm grabbed by the back of my parka. Owww, right on the neck, that was.
"So, snooping around, were you?" daddy asks me, holding me in a headlock. "Ok, right now. What did you hear? This time, you cannot run away Gadget."
Maybe I can't run away, but there is one thing I can do – well, besides scream and cry – and that thing is lie.
"I heard you say something about Flux being able to hack into anything. I already knew that, so not harm done?" I say, choking a little.
I'm soon choking a bit more as his hold tightens.
"So, you also heard that I know you sold out Rivett," he says. "You betrayed the family."
"I thought I wasn't part of it," I reply, starting to wheeze. Let me go, let me go! "People know you hate me. A-and, if I die then everybody is gonna suspect it w-was you!"
"Oh, I've got no intention of killing you today," he assures me. "I'm pragmatic. It serves me no benefit at all. But let's be clear, stay away from this junkyard in the future. This place is mine now."
"Your place? I'm sure the Capitol would laugh, or get angry," I say, trying to punch him in the hip. No use!
"Heheh, true. But the thing is… they don't give a damn if I train here. Unlike you, I'm not a problem they'd rather not remain around," he states, very calm. I meanwhile start to panic as his hold increases. "I could kill you for what you did to my son. Maybe I should… but I won't. I'd suggest we just stay far away from each other for the next few months."
Says the guy having me in a choke hold! I wonder, is my face turning a little blue my now? I feel a bit woozy, like my vision is just a bit fuzzy.
"Why are you even t-t-training…?" I manage to wheeze out. "I won, so you're safe f-from being reaped."
"I guess I should say thank you," says my daddy. I can't see his face but I bet he rolled his eyes.
"What can I say except y-you're welcome?" I choke out.
"I just feel it's a benefit for me. Don't you worry your smart head over it," daddy… no, Binary says. "Why worry, you won? But then again, you-AARRGH!"
That there was his scream as I stomped as hard as I could on his foot. His hold is released from me and without wasting a second I shove him over to the ground as hard as I can. With a clatter, he falls onto a pile of bolts.
"You're a horrible person!" I shriek as I back away. "Choking your daughter? Who even does that?! You're involved with bad stuff Binary and it's gonna get you back. All the vague lines and blaming others for your own screw-ups, just shut up! I'm not asking for love, just for you to stop being such a dick! But I guess that's too much? Well fine, you do your thing and I'll do mine. We'll see who ends up better won't we?"
He's getting back up and looks angry. What are you doing Gadget!? Run! So I do. I turn and flee for my life. Sure, he said he won't kill me but forgive me for not quite believing that. As I run I grab a pipe and fling it hard towards the pile of junk. I don't know what I expected to happen really – maybe a small amount of junk falling to slow him down? - but the sound of a junk avalanche behind me was beyond what I hoped.
I chance taking a look over my shoulder. The path is blocked by all the metal and other junk. No way could somebody get through it.
"You can't run from your fears forever," Binary calls from the other side of the junk pile. "I've had enough of this."
I hear him walk away, no doubt to continue training with the halberd, and so I am all alone. I don't stand around like a fool, I just resume running. I've got what I came here for – the various things in my backpack - and as I am certainly not gonna be coming back, well, I'll just have to make do with what I grabbed.
If I can win the Hunger Games without starting with any Cornucopia supplies, then I can surely make stuff for the club with just one backpack of old parts.
(Time passes…)
The best thing about Spring is the fact it's never brutally cold in Three. Much better than the chilly winter. With the last of the snow gone and a good amount of sunshine cast upon the District, things are looking really nice to the eye currently. The trees have leaves again, the flowers are all growing back and here and there I hear baby birds in nests around the District. All things I can't help but briefly smile about.
Ever since that encounter in the junkyard I've not seen Binary once. Perhaps he meant it when he said it'd be better if we were apart. Or maybe he's just biding his time? Hard to say. I have seen Flux around though and while he tends to ignore me or speak as briefly as he can… the fact there have been over ten run-ins, well, I kind of think he might be following me. But, he's also not stabbed me so I guess I can live with it.
Right now, it's the end of another day at the Byte Career Club. After the months it has been open, improvement is really starting to show in the possible tributes now. They run faster and for longer, they know how to punch and use weapons, kind of. Best of all, none of them have become savages. If we can keep this up until Reaping Day, then at least a fraction of my worries will be gone. Or, well, mainly just postponed… I guess what will be, will be.
Most of the students are already leaving out the doors, a few at a time. Just another way to avoid getting caught. Not having every single person leave at once and attract tons of attention. Right now, it's just me and the gang left, mostly. The last few are about to leave.
"Remember, reading over a textbook on poisonous plants before bed will never go amiss," I tell them. "Just knowing if any one specific plant is safe to eat or not could be the exact thing that saves you."
They all assure they will give the textbooks a read and take their leave. Well, all but one of them anyway. A small brunette girl with a pair of goggles approaches me with a box.
"Oh, hello Satella," I greet her as she walks up. "What's up? Um… need me to go over daggers again?"
"Oh, no, actually I just wanted to give you this," she says with a smile, pressing the small box into my hand. "Just a thank you for being a good teacher in the art of, well, not being killed. Happy birthday Gadget!"
...Oh yeah, it is my birthday today, isn't it? I'd honestly forgotten. With what happened last summer, it's kind of amazing I've lived to see it at all, right? Being given a gift… this feels nice!
"Thanks Satella," I say, grateful. "That's really nice of you."
"You're welcome," she tells me, smiling. "Well, better get going. Daddy's making stew. See you tomorrow."
With that said Satella leaves. But no sooner has she gone I am suddenly flocked to by the gang from all sides.
"Sooooooo… what's in the box?" Cache asks me.
"Uh… a present?" I say, shrugging. I mean, of course that's the answer, right?
"She means open it," Tech says.
"Or wait until we're at your house so you can open mine first. I mean, honestly, who does Satella think she is just stealing my thunder like that," Diode mutters, looking distinctly cheesed off. "I got you a decent gift. I'd have won."
"Won?" I ask, curious.
"Diode does this every stinking birthday one of us has," Magnette groans. "She tries to get the birthday girl the best gift so that she 'wins'. It's silly."
"Oh, and your crackpot theories aren't?" Diode huffs, crossing her arms.
"...Just open it," Flick states. "Only thing to do, right Mirrus?"
Mirrus nods, giving a thumbs up. I have to say, it's nice how those two are getting along a lot better now, most of the time. Certainly makes this whole thing run a lot smoother, that's for sure. Still, they're right. Can't enjoy a gift if you don't open it.
So, I open it. Inside is a bandanna. It's got a sort of 'army camo' pattern on it, mostly of greens and browns, but as I let it unfold in my hand I see it's got a G stitched into it with golden thread.
The first birthday gift I've gotten in years…
I love it! Indeed, I'm quick to put it on. A quick tie of the not, and it fits around my head perfectly.
"So… how does the birthday girl look?" I ask my friends.
All of them smile, voicing their approval. Diode mutters something about her gift still being better, but she seems to like it. For me, this is enough. Even with the nightmares and the plotting, life is starting to get itself properly on track for me.
Now I just need to ensure I can get my Tribute this year through the Games, and then I can call the entire year since the dreadful last one a victory. I can do this. That's what I need to keep on telling myself, that I can do this.
I can.
Looks like despite all the causes for anxiety and paranoia, life is getting good for Gadget. Dare I even say it looks not shit for her? Well you know what they say, life is beautiful… until the moment it's really not. Reaping day approaches and with it all the emotions that can be expected, all of them negative. What lays in store in the chapters ahead? Stay tuned and find out!