So, this is the fourth chapter I've started writing today. I promised it would be longer, and it will be. All I have to say is, I don't own THG, enjoy and review!
I laugh anyway. Haymitch's lips twitch and Emër chuckles, but Effie glares at me. I realise that all Haymitch was doing was humouring Effie into thinking that he cared whether I turned up or not. Apparently, despite my outburst on the train, Effie still loves manners. "Explain yourself," she snaps. "Why are you late?" I force the laughter down in my throat and reply, "I was just waiting for someone to come and get me so that I could whack them on the head with a pillow." This was clearly not what Effie expected, she laughs before managing to control herself. Haymitch looks to Emër, amused, while my district partner gingerly rubs his read at the memory. I laugh too, my voice matching Effie's high tones.
Clearing his throat, Haymitch starts to talk. "So you start training tomorrow. We'll have time to talk at breakfast, but decide now. Do you want to train together, or separately?" I exchange a glance with Emër. He asks what was on my mind as well, wondering why we would need to train separately. "Well, my definition of 'training' includes you learning to perform for the audience, and your approach to the interview, and such. So say you had a secret talent..."
"I don't have any talents." Emër says. He looks so dejected that I have to say something.
"Don't worry about it, Emër. Most tributes haven't trained at all and wouldn't have a clue how to use a weapon. You can learn, though, and you're bigger than most of them anyway." He looks slightly less miserable at this little speech, so I turn to Haymitch. "I don't have any secret talents. I already told you about hunting. Oh, well unless you count being able to find edible plants and things, that's about the limit of my knowledge." No, not the limit. I can learn in training. More like the current extent of my knowledge, something that can be changed. I only have 5 days, though. (AN: How many days do they actually get to train? I read somewhere that it was 3, but I thought it was more than that in the original novel...oh well, I'll leave it at 5.)
Haymitch nods. "Another reason is that you may not want to get too attached to your district partner. Especially if you think they'd be an easy kill." He looks at me pointedly, but I'm not sure if he means that I would be an easy kill or if he thinks that I think that Emër would be an easy kill. Because at the moment, I think we both would be. Me because I'm small and Emër because he doesn't seem very observant. He didn't even notice me, when I was right next to the door. I could easily conceal myself from him in the arena, so long as there are places that you can actually hide.
We eventually decide to train apart. We can be friends, but Haymitch is probably right. Anyway, we can change our minds later. I say goodnight and go to my bedroom. After lying in bed for what seems like hours, I decide that I may need help to get to sleep. I get out of the bed, (which takes me a while, considering how big it is,) order a hot chocolate, and find a book. I scan the bookshelf and decide on one called Urchin of the Riding Stars. I lie back down, sipping hot chocolate and reading, and by the time I'm finished my mug, I'm practically asleep. I put down the book and my empty mug, and the minute I turn off the light I'm dreaming.
That night, my dream starts out peacefully. My dream follows the story line of the book I was reading, about a squirrel named Urchin, who was paler than all the other squirrels. The dream alters itself so that I think that I am Urchin the light squirrel. In one way I am like him, because my skin is somewhere in the middle of Seam and merchant coloured - darker than my mother's and sister's, but lighter than my father's and Gale's. The kids at school teased me about it sometimes. You occasionally had people with parentage from both parts of 12, but usually they took after one parent or the other, not straight down the middle. The dream changes a bit more, and I am running up and down trees, dodging arrows. I only realise who's shooting them when I hear Gale's accusing voice: "Why did you leave me, Katniss? Stop running away from me! Coward!" I wake up as the sugar from the hot chocolate kicks in, saving myself from the physical and emotional pain of being shot by Gale.
I check the clock - 6:30. Effie said we should be up by 7, so I can read for a bit. I've barely read 3 pages when I realise that I'm too hyped up by the sugar to lie down and read quietly, so I get up and go to the bathroom. My hair is getting a bit wispy from sleeping in it all night, so I decide to take a shower and wash it out. When I undo the bun and take out the braids, my hair feels funny from being pulled up for too long, and it looks odd as well because the braids were dyed orange and now I have 12 orange strands in my hair.
When I get in the shower, I first wash my body with something that smells faintly of jasmine. I then wash out my hair, relieved as the colour returns to normal, with apple-scented shampoo. When I step out of the shower, I think that untangling my hair will be a problem before breakfast, but the sensor pad dries my body and sends a tingle up to my scalp; drying, combing and parting my hair in a few seconds. I get a big shock though, because I'm looking in the mirror when it happens and I didn't know my hair would dry, so I almost scream when my hair suddenly billows up around my face. I all but run out of the bathroom and into the room full of clothes, selecting things at random. A close-fitting top, shorts, and I think I'm ready. I head out to breakfast with a spring in my heels.
Literally, since I'm still hyperactive from the sugar last night.
When I get to the dining room, Effie and Emër are there. I offer them a bright "Good morning!" and settle down to eat. The avoxes have loaded the table with all kinds of food. I snag a croissant before Emër eats them all, and continue to fill my plate. Haymitch staggers in when I'm halfway through my second bowl of yogurt and fruit pieces. He's nursing a pretty bad hangover, I'd say. Or he might be pretending again. I'd ask, but I don't want to be rude and talk with my mouthful.
Haymitch asks for confirmation that we still want to train separately. I shrug and say I don't mind either way. Emër still thinks we should train apart. So that's settled then.
"Today, I don't want you to show the rest of them what you can do. So no archery, no weights. Learn something new. Tie a knot, throw a knife, light a fire. Something you learn in training could save your life in the arena. And importantly, if you want an ally, don't ask them yet. Get to know them a little, but you have to run it past me first." We nod, and Effie hurries us down to training. We're ten minutes early, but still the last ones here. All the other tributes are standing awkwardly in a semicircle, nobody talking. We stand in the only spot left, in between districts 3 and 10. Atala, the head trainer, begins her speech.
"Tributes, the time has come to train for the Hunger Games. As you know, you have 5 days to train. On the sixth day, you will have your private session with the Gamemakers. The scores will be announced that evening. The next day will be your interviews and the day after that the Games begin." She alters this speech a little each year. Anabelle and I made a game out of finding the differences. She'll probably be comparing this speech with last year's, that we wrote down together. "My advice is, don't ignore the survival skills. You all want to throw a spear, but you never know what the arena will be. It could be anything, from a frozen wasteland to vast, mountainous hills." She trails off dramatically, her speech over. "Any questions?"
I don't have questions. I won't point out that stupid little mistake... Too late. "Mountainous hills?" The other tributes stare at me. A few laugh, including Emër and Rue. The girl from 5 catches my eye and grins. Atala tells us to start and goes off to talk to Seneca Crane, head Gamemaker. I'm itching to do some archery, as it's been two whole days, but instead I go and look over the edible plants.
So what do you think? Not much action? Don't worry, things get better from here, and I should warn you, there are a huge amount of changes from the book. Don't like don't read. See you later!