Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games. They belong to Suzanne Collins.
Note: Here we go with another chapter! With the Tributes all in one place and the training for the looming, brutal Games section of the story underway, it's time for things to get ever more serious. I mean, assuming they are not serious already lul. We saw some of the new Tributes last time, but now we'll get to properly meet them all. Hope you guys enjoy them and Gadget's continued woes. Gee, when one puts it like that's it's almost sadistic. Heh, well anyway, read on and enjoy!
ACT 2: THE FAMILIES
Part 5: I'm On Your Side
The bed in the training center was as soft and cosy as I remember it being. Similarly, the pillow is just as tear absorbing as it was last time too. It's a trip down memory lane, as they say, and I'm just unable to stop thinking… is death at the end of the lane? Where is this road of dread going to take me next?
I could hardly sleep. I did eventually, so I'm not 'dead on my feet', for lack of a better saying, but… I feel rough. Not the strong kind of rough either. I just quickly went to bed after a light dinner and cried. I cried so, so much and couldn't stop for hours. It was just like last time. Back to the Capitol, back to the Tribute Center, back to Training… doesn't it make the previous year feel pointless, really?
...Only if I allow it to be. Only if my spirit is truly crushed beyond repair can they win. If they break me, then it makes me easy pickings for the Careers to break. So, I just have to keep trying to be strong.
But it's so hard! How can I can strong when they are going to be gunning for me specifically?
…
By refusing to let them see me cry. That'll be a start, at least. Change, both in myself and in Panem as a whole… it all starts with me. They want to stop what I started, so I can only keep it going. It's not like I'll be spared any pain if I 'take it back' so frankly I have no reason to do as they say.
So, ever since waking up and forcing myself to get out of bed I've been at the breakfast table, thinking hard. My notebook is beside me, thankfully bought along from Three by Mirrus, and I'm thinking hard on what my first move can be. I expect Honorius will be a big help, but the bulk has to come from me. I'm going into the Arena, not him.
The obvious plan is to ally myself with Sash and Lacey. Nemo also offered me a deal if I go to speak to him, so I'll want to meet him quickly as possible. Besides that, avoid the Careers and learn as many skills as I can. I was doing some training with Sai blades back in Three, so if that training station is there then it's probably the clear option for me to take. If it's not… hm, well, I'll see what lightweight weapons they have. If all else fails, I run for my life from the Bloodbath as planned and try to use survival skills and my limited knowledge of rope traps to try and stay alive until my fortune changes, or…
I shake my head. I have to stop thinking that way.
"Stop scaring yourself," I say to myself firmly as can be. "Focus on the lucky charms, girl, and then training."
...And how to beat the Games, I add to myself silently. Gaining the skills and sponsors is crucial, but will it really matter in the end if I cannot figure out a way to save myself, Lacey and Sash too? The Capitol are clearly on edge and for their system they need a Victor. Any Victor, really. Maybe a suicide gamble to force their panicky hand is truly the best idea?
Unless they decide to just let us die to 'even things out' from last year. Keep thinking Gadget, the answer lays in your mind somewhere…
"You're thinking again," Binary says as he sits across from me.
"I am," I tell him. "About how much I really do not like you."
"Hm, looks like we have something in common," he says as he piles sausage and eggs onto his plate, lightly sprinkling salt onto them. Looks delicious. "I'm thinking the same. Another year of no love between District Partners. That's ok. I'm stronger than Weldar."
"A blade can kill, no matter the skin of the body," I mutter.
"By that logic, you can be stabbed just as easily as I can," he says coolly. Nuts, he's got me there… "I have the ability to intimidate, as you're proving now. You lack that skill. Focus on what you know, it's your only hope."
Strange as it is, he's given me one decent piece of advice. I know what my best skills are, and sticking to them will help me. But still, I'll need to branch out and learn more skills too… maybe it's less 'don't try new things' as it is 'don't try something I cannot possibly do'. I could learn to track. I can't learn to intimidate Matilda.
As I finish my cereal Honorius sits beside me. Binary grunts.
"Where's my Mentor?" he asks, dully.
"On the phone," says Honorius as he puts eggs upon his plate. "He'll be right with you. Maybe it's a Sponsor?"
The thought of this ceases Binary's complaints – a first, that's for sure – and he settles to quietly eat. That's when Honorius turns to me, serious as can be.
"Alright Gadget, it's day one of the Games," he says. "Not the Arena yet but we all know it truly starts today."
"Should we say anything while he's there?" I ask, pointing to Binary. He idly raises a hand in a mock-wave.
"Normally I'd Mentor you in privacy, but what I am telling you is basic stuff he'd know anyway if he is indeed as smart as he seems to think," Honorius states. "The 'sponsor ball' is on your court right now as everybody has seen you in the Arena before. This goes for Lacey too, but as you're the girl considered the true Victor more eyes are on you. I'll do what I can to make sure things stay this way."
"Thank you," I say, soft and grateful. "What should I do?"
"Survival stations are a must," he continues. "While learning to properly use a weapon is good, you won't be up to par with the Careers or most adults in general in just three days. So, a good idea is to know who to survive and keep yourself fed, hydrated and strong until the hunger and thirst set in for others. Swords are lethal in the hands of a Career, but a sword won't stop them from starving."
"Survival stations, got it," I say, nodding. More or less what I had in mind, but hearing this I'll go to a station about finding water first, I think. "Allies. You said go to the smaller tributes."
"And that still stands. You can only fully trust Lacey and her father but you can at least trust those as young as you, and shorter too, to not overpower you easily when it comes to it. They'd be worth working with," Honorius says. "I went it mostly alone all those years ago, but for you… I don't feel that's as reliable as an option."
"Yeah… Nemo said he wanted to give me a deal of some kind. I'm gonna seek him out first," I say. "Better to hear him out than ignore him."
"Exactly," Honorius agrees. "It's not just the big, burly people who make great allies."
"True," Binary adds, "But, they are usually the best. That's why I'm going to be working my way into the Career Pack."
"Your funeral," Honorius says.
"Oh really? It seemed to work pretty well for our District last year," Binary says, scoffing. "Remember?"
Oh, I remember all too well. By the looks of things, Honorius does too. It was dark days for me and Lacey, being in the Pack… well, kind of. We were bottom ranks, but they were not trying to kill us at the time so… I should stop rambling.
"I'm gonna head down now," I say, rising to my feet.
"One more thing, don't bring too much attention to yourself," Honorius advises me. "For somebody like that woman from Two it would make sense, but for you… not so much."
"Got it," I say as I head to the elevator. "If you see Mirrus, tell him I'd like to, uh, 'talk' with him later tonight."
"Can do," says my mentor.
Stepping into the elevator I press the button to take me down to the Training Center. I feel my chest tighten a bit as it makes its descent downwards. Come on Gadget, you've done this already and made it through, kind of. How bad could it be to do so a second time, and this time have some idea in mind of what is in store?
"Be calm, and be careful. They might not even notice that you're there," I tell myself.
(Not much later…)
I was wrong.
No sooner am I in my training uniform and entering the training center once more, all eyes are on me. All of them. The four Careers stare hard at me – at least Wonder is polite enough to wave – and several of the others are looking at me as well. I guess being among a Victor is… something notable. I just try to ignore it all as I approach Lacey and Sash. Not everybody is here yet, so it could be worse, really. I'm not paying attention to who is and is not here, though. Right now, I'm just wanting to disappear under the radar and not look anybody in the eye.
It's not easy doing this, though, when Matilda approaches me. I'm quickly short on breath, taking a step back as she looms near. Standing taller than me by a few inches, she's having no problems making me shake and stammer like a baby.
"So, you're a Victor," she asks.
"...Didn't you watch the games last year?" I ask her, shivering. "Um, isn't that illegal?"
"Weak. Pathetic," she scoffs. "Useless girl without any power. It's going to be satisfying making my first kill a Victor."
"Hey, she's my rival," Wonder says. "Pick somebody else to kill! You've got like nearly twenty other choices!"
Matilda snarls at Wonder for a moment before turning back to me. She's as scary as ten Catos at once!
"Cheaters and cowards are we?" she says, deathly calm. "When we're in that Arena, we'll see how cowardly I am, won't we?"
She draws a finger across her throat, still staring at me. Nobody else is making a move to do much of anything, though I can see Lacey looks frightened and whispers something to Sash, who also looks tense.
"Mom, give it a rest," Julian says. "You're a grown woman threatening somebody who is fourteen and-."
The slap echoes throughout the training center. Julian has a red mark upon his cheek, but doesn't even flinch. He just coldly stares at Matilda. You'd think the staff would do something by now. What ever happened to 'no fighting with the other tributes'?
"Leave her alone," Sash says, firmly. "Your son is right. You're a grown, powerful woman threatening somebody who is still, really, a child. That is indeed pure cowardice. If you must fight, save it for when the world is watching."
Matilda gives Sash a glare. Weaker people, like myself, would shudder and puke under such a look… yet, Sash holds firm and doesn't flinch. I can't help but notice how he moves himself in front of Lacey as an extra act of protection. ...I wish my dad was this brave, nice and not douchey.
"Your my first target," Matilda says, turning away and returning to her previous spot amongst the crowd of Tributes.
"Noted," he says. "Appreciate the heads up on that."
I take my chance to move forth and stand beside Lacey, safely away from the Careers – for now at least – and mumble my thanks to Sash.
"It's not a problem," he tells me, his quiet voice warm as his eyes. "You bought my daughter back to me. Whatever happens, I'm on your side."
"Likewise," I tell him. "Lacey… fancy getting the old team back together?"
Lacey nods, smiling at me. I return her smile, but I don't speak. Now's not the time to talk too much, not with almost everybody around us and watching. So, we stand silent as the rest. But, I take the time to try and get a decent look at those around me. A sword is powerful, but some would say information can be even stronger.
While nobody is exactly calm, except maybe the Careers, some are more notable in their actions than others. I see Hatchet send a glare towards his mother. Beffany doesn't even notice him, and in fact looks everywhere but at him. Nemo appears to notice too, trying to discreetly move towards him. I can't hear what it is that Nemo tells him, but whatever it was Hatchet looks intrigued.
Shelly stands a distance from Nemo, a contrast to how most District Partners – or, really, families – stand together. Poor women, so depressed. Edison seems to look concerned despite his own terror, but when he sees Wolfgang calmly flexing near Shelly he abandons any intent he might have had to move over to her. No sign of Switch.
Hovis looks a little drunk already – I relate to this guy, I must admit – and snarls at any who stand near him, besides Karron. In fact, he seems protective of his mother. Gillet chuckles when Karron almost falls over from her intoxication, and Hovis is quick to loom over him, snarling like a Mutt. Gillet backs away while Pagani snickers.
I don't get much chance to observe everybody else as it looks like everybody has arrived now that Binary strides forth, coming to a stop near Gleam. Besides giving her a brief greeting, he does nothing else. He doesn't even look at me… I don't know why, but somehow this unnerves me a bit.
Wait, hang on, somebody's missing. One… two… three… ten… sixteen…
Huh, there's only twenty three of us. Who is the missing tribute? Huh, somebody trying to make a break for it… yeah, good luck with that. No way out besides death, Victory or, as I hope, a forced tie.
"NO! LET ME GO!" a young girl screams, panic in her tone. "NOT HIM! HE KILLED ALL OF FAMILY!"
The doors open and, like everybody else, I look over to see what the commotion is all about. A burly Peacekeeper enters the training center, carrying Switch who struggles and writhes in his grasp, screaming. Her complains and cries ignored, he dumps her on the ground in front of us and turns to leave. Some look away but some, like me, do not. I mean, she's a terrified kid, who can ignore that? ...Oh, I can think of a few dozen people who could…
I'm about to move to help her, but Nemo beats me to it. He kneels, extending an arm to Switch. She's shaking, but doesn't hesitate to take his hand and let him help her up.
"What's wrong?" he asks. "Trying to escape? Good luck..."
"No," she mutters. "Him. That… that thing that calls itself my dad. He… he..."
"No! Don't say it!" Edison yells, panic in his tone as he moves forwards.
"You killed them all!" Switch squeals.
Nemo puts himself between Switch and Edison, giving the man a glare.
"Hey! Back away from the lady, Grandpa!" he says, confident.
The Peacekeepers move in swiftly to break things up. Edison is led one way and Switch to the other, Nemo alongside her. Seeing the two kids getting along already… very clever, Nemo. Stand up for her and protect her from harm when, due to the Peacekeepers, the odds of real harm are remote.
Exactly what I was going to do before he did it, come to think of it.
"Gadget, these people are scaring me," Lacey says, softly.
"...Me too," I tell her. "Eyes on the prize Lacey. Eyes on our freedom..."
We don't get to stand around in near silence for long. That same strong woman from last year – Atala I think her name was – strides up and stands before us all. Her stance is strong, confident and so unlike my own. I can't help but feel a little uneasy as her gaze passes over us all, lingering on me for a moment.
"In two weeks, twenty three of you will be dead. One of you will be alive," she says. Much like last year, this isn't going to happen. Not if I have any say in it. "Who this person is will depend upon how much you pay attention over the next few days, particularly to what I am about to tell you. Firstly, no fighting with the other Tributes. Until the Arena, an instructor shall spar with you. Secondly, there are four compulsory exercises you must complete. Besides that, you may train in any way you desire. If you want my advice, I would suggest stopping by the survival stations. Dehydration and poison can kill just as well as a sword can. And, again, no fighting with the other tributes! Those who do shall undergo a penalty"
Her gaze lingers upon Matilda, Edison, Switch and Binary for a few moments before she dismisses us. Everybody is going off to separate areas… and I'm just standing here in the middle. Ok, time to get cracking… where to first?
People clearly move fast when their lives depend upon it, as already many of the others are at various training stations. Matilda is destroying dummies at the Sword Station while the Stations for spears, maces and knives have been claimed by Wonder, Julian and Gleam respectively. Seeing Beffany smashing away so scarily at the Axe Station, that's another place I know I won't be going to.
"So, where are we going first Gadget?" Lacey asks me.
"Oh, um… maybe the three of us could..." I pause, seeing our third member is absent. "Uh, where's your daddy?"
"Learning to fight better," she says, pointing behind me.
Oh, there he is, over at the hand to hand combat area. I guess if we branch out and learn as many skills as we can between us, our odds will improve. But not if we keep standing around here, doing nothing.
"He's really good. So, anything you'd like to do first?" I ask her. "I was thinking something like finding water, but I'm open for ideas. Especially as Chive is over there now and she looks, um, scary."
"First aid?" she suggests to me. "They can't kill us if we keep healing our wounds, right?"
"Excellent point," I say.
So, that's where we go. It's nothing too complex really, and the trainer is patient with us as he talks. All the ways to tie a bandage, the best ways to fix each sort of cut, bruise or broken bone. Assuming that we can get ahold of the proper kinds of gear, or a good substitute, I'd say we can patch ourselves up pretty easily. Well, if we have at least one arm unbroken.
"The trick is to just keep yourself limping through the Arena," the trainer explains. "If one of you wins, then the Capitol will fix any sort of wounds you have."
If one of us wins.
He says it so casually, likely to Tributes every year. But right now it's not a comforting thing to hear. Lacey certainly doesn't seem to think so based on her expression, but she doesn't raise a complaint. She just quietly reads a textbook on CPR.
"Hey," I say as I move beside her. "It'll be alright. We'll survive this."
"Heh… I'm supposed to be the optimistic one," she says, softly giggling. "Glad to see you're confident."
She leans closer to me, her head almost upon my shoulders.
"You're exactly who I'd wish to be rigged into a Quell with," Lacey says, fondly. "Um… ok, that might have been weird to phrase it like that. So, uh… what's the plan?"
I glance around. Nobody near us, but that won't last long. I lean closer, almost cheek to cheek with Lacey.
"I'm trying to figure out a way to force a three way tie between us and your daddy," I say, glancing around just in case of an eavesdropper. "We're gonna make it home."
"You lead, and I'll follow," she says. "I promise."
"...A year ago I'd feel sick at the thought of leading anything," I say, looking up. "Now though… so be it. So, I know this is all crappy but I was wondering what-."
"Um, excuse me," a soft voice says. One a little raspy and high pitched. "Can I have a look at those books? I need to brush up on, uh, CPR."
I glance back, willing to let whoever it is do what they want to do. It's not anybody who sounds scary, so no reason to feel afraid or intimidated. Indeed, it's just Smokey. The girl Mirrus picked out from the crowd as 'cute'. I can't say he's wrong… dirty or not, she has wide, curious eyes that are nice to observe.
"Smokey, right?" I ask her, just to be sure.
"Yes," she says, looking up at me. "I need the books. I gotta be sure I can keep daddy breathing if anything, um, wrong happens. He's not good at running… or walking… he has physical difficulties."
I glance beyond Smokey. Sure enough, Mack is over at the fire starting area, though he looks like he's choking a bit from the light smoke of the fire. A Peacekeeper is on hand immediately, but it doesn't hide the fact Mack doesn't look so good.
"You're a medic?" I ask Smokey as she steps forth to read the books.
"Doctor," she insists. "Daddy's doctor. He needs me to care for him, or..."
She sighs, lamely drawing a finger across her neck.
"You poor thing," Lacey says, looking sad. "Want a hug?"
"...I'd not mind it," says the short girl from Twelve. "Been a while since I got one, and you two aren't scary. Not like that nutjob from Two."
Lacey is in action, giving Smokey a gentle embrace. How sweet of her.
I turn away after a moment, focusing again on the bandages and how to tie them. Good thing I bought my notebook with me. I can just write stuff down and revise it later. So, that's what I do. Being a fast writer has its perks, huh?
"Want to train with us?" Lacey offers.
"...Yeah, would you like to?" I say, backing Lacey up. "Three's a crowd, right?"
"Thank you, but no thanks," Smokey says, taking one of the books in hand. "Daddy needs me. I'm the only thing keeping him alive. I can't slack off."
Yawning, her fatigue clear, Smokey heads off to where Mack is now stabilised and working on the fire once more. As she sits beside him, he hugs her close. It's as sweet as it is sad.
"Hey Gadget, check this out," Lacey says.
I look to her and yelp as I take a step back. Bandages are wrapped all over her face!
"Oooohhhhh, I'm a scary mummy!" she squeels, giggling. "Hahaha… haha… not funny?"
"Actually, that wasn't bad at all. I appreciate you being positive Lacey. I need a good laugh right now. So… want to focus on water next?" I suggest.
"Sounds good to me," she says."
"Then let's go," I reply.
We're not alone as we reach the water station. Not just the trainer, who is quick to give us both a pamphlet on how to spot poison water – no matter the arena, water with visible maggots in it is deadly. Useful to know. - but also it seems Shelly is here. She's got a few sheets of information in front of her, but I don't think she's paying attention to any of it. The sobbing is a giveaway.
I look at Lacey, and she looks at me. It's a shared question in our eyes.
Should we say something?
...I'd say yes. People standing back when I was in pain is what led to a lot of my own issues. I have no real excuse to not do anything, unless I plan to be a hypocritical glitch.
I don't plan to be.
"Hey, uh… Shelly, right?" I ask her, stepping forth. A glance at Lacey shows she's studying the pamphlets carefully. Guess I'm going it alone. "Uh... what's wrong? I mean, besides the obvious stuff with your son and… uh..."
This was a bad idea. Abort, Gadget, abort!
Aw crap, I'm still talking!
"Anything I can do to, uh, help?" I offer, awkwardly.
"Not really," Shelly says, not turning to look at me. "The Capitol… always knew they were cruel, but this, this is a new low. It was obvious I wasn't picking Nemo but that Escort wouldn't hear otherwise. It was just a mistake… now I'm gonna die, and my youngest son hates me. Whether he lives or he dies, he hates me."
Shelly turns to leave, dragging her feet as she goes.
"I'm still ready to die for him, all the same," she says as she heads off to the trident area. "He'll be the first twelve year old to survive these Games."
She's soon gone, and so I approach the area she stood. I do my best to look over the information and examples of safe and contaminated water, but it's hard to focus as much as I want to. I keep thinking of her broken voice… honestly, I never knew an adult could sound so defeated and hopeless. But here we are, it's happening.
"We gonna help her?" Lacey asks me.
"Yeah, if we can get a chance to," I say. "But we… have to look our for ourselves first. It's us, and your daddy. Nobody else."
"This is so unfair," Lacey whispers, sniffling.
"I completely agree. But, this is Panem," I say, shaking my head as I look to the ground. "It won't change… unless, that is, we make it change."
I flinch as Atala sounds the whistle, loud and shrill. Another fight? Please no.
"Everybody to the climbing wall," she says. "The first compulsory exercise starts now."
"Child's play," Beffany says as she strides past.
I remember that wall from last year all too well. I fell off it, and nearly broke my butt upon impact. Maybe… maybe this time will be different?
(Not much later…)
It wasn't different.
I wince in pain as I take my seat at one of the cafeteria tables. Owwwww, that hurts! I wonder what my pained, sulky expression must be like. Judging by the concern on Lacey's face as she sits across from me, it can't be particularly good.
"So, uh… that was, well, kind of bad to the point of sucking a whole lot," she says, awkwardly.
"It was worse than that," I can't help but whine. "I fell five meters and landed on my butt. I nearly broke my butt! Again!"
"Between that and the Careers, it really gives us a scale of how bad it all is," she says, quietly chuckling. A scared chuckle, not a joyful one. "Gadget, I… I… um, whoa, this food sure is good, huh?"
"Any way I can be of help, Lacey?" I ask, moving around the table to sit besides my friend. "You can always talk to me. We're a team. It's… why we're still alive."
I lay my hand upon her shoulder. Come on Lacey, please talk to me. I know something isn't right… just, let me know what it is. Let me help you. But, no, she's quiet. Should I press her? Should I let it go?
"Whenever you're ready, we can talk," I say to her, squeezing her shoulder. "We'll be strong. We'll… survive."
"You two hanging in there?" Sash asks as he approaches us, sitting on the other side of Lacey.
"...Something like that," I say while Lacey forces a smile. "How did hand to hand training go?"
"Decently. The trainer says a man in his prime like me could punch hard enough to kill," Sash says, looking at his right fist. "...Hopefully, I won't need to test this and find out for sure. Also checked out tracking. I don't want to lose track of either of you two in the Arena. Stick by me, and I'll do my best to keep you safe."
"You're amazing daddy," Lacey says, giving him a big hug.
"...Exactly as she says," I add. "Uh, minus the daddy part. Already got one of those, whether I like it or not."
I can't help but scowl a little. Hard not to when one thinks of everything that has happened in the past twenty four hours or so.
"I sure don't," I conclude.
"Seems he's making friends," Sash notes, a frown on his face.
I follow his gaze… aw, crap. Looks like Binary just shook hands with Matilda. Looks like his plan to join their pack has gone off without a hitch. Really, how lucky can a guy get? What could he possibly offer those carnivorous killers?!
...Me, dead. That's what. If anybody could figure out a way to counter the tech I could make in the Arena and track me down no matter how far I may flee, he certainly could. I can't deny he's a genius, so everybody better watch out for what Binary will make. I dread to think, but yet I do anyway… maybe some kind of chainsaw rope trap? Nasty.
"Well, we're friends too," I manage to say. "It's something."
"It is," Sash says. "...I'll see if I can make us some other friends too. I was thinking of talking to Bovin… I get a good feeling about him."
Finishing my food, I spot Nemo at a table a distance away. He meets my gaze and gives me a wave. Clearly, an invite to head on over. I don't see any sign of threat in his gaze… no, he seems friendly.
Yes! He's not trying to kill me! To some, a very trivial thing, but for me it's music to my ears!
"I gotta go talk to one of the others," I say, rising. "You two gonna be alright here?"
"Of course," Sash says, and for once I believe the assurance. "Right Lacey?"
"Mmmhmm," she mumbles, nodding.
With that, I make my way to where the kid from Four is sitting. Time to see what offer he's got in store for me. But as I come closer, Hatchet and Switch have suddenly taken places beside Nemo and seem more cheerful than before – not that it's hard – and with how friendly they seem, I think I know what Nemo wants to talk to me about.
An alliance offer. Thing is… why me?
"Gadget," Nemo says, gesturing to the seat across from himself. "Good to see you. I was worried you weren't gonna come talk."
"I've got no reason to make enemies," I tell him. Softly, I nod my head to the careers' table. "Already got five."
"Well, that's a good segway," Nemo says, smirking as he taps his fingers together oh-so-slowly. Hmm… what's that look in his eye. "As you can see, we're not alone. This is Switch from Five, and Hatchet from Seven. Already two good friends of mine."
"Hello," Hatchet says, giving a single, short wave. "Sorry to see you're here, again. Capitol really had an axe to grind. ...Forget I made that joke."
"Nice to meet you," Switch says. Looking at her now, she looks much less terrified. Glancing around, I see Edison is at the far side of the cafeteria with a Peacekeeper standing very close to him. "Name's Switch. I, uh… oh who the frick am I kidding, this is crap!"
"We in Seven would call it poisoned roots," Hatchet says, frowning. "Why did mam have to pick me? Just 'cause I'm the tiny one? The one she says would cause the 'least change' if I were dead? I didn't ask to be born small..."
"Horrible," Switch says, depressed. "My daddy was worse. He poisoned all my siblings water to kill them so he'd avoid the reaping bowl. I wasn't thirsty… it was all so pointless! I miss them all so much..."
Hearing this, my chest tightens. One boy picked for being weak and one girl the survivor of a massacre. Compared to Switch part of me feels lucky the worst I got was beltings. With a bitter sigh, Nemo continues.
"To conclude the intro, your dad is also horrible and we all know what messed up barnacles happened at my Reaping," he says, resentment in his eyes. "So, I have a deal for you Gadget. Hatchet and Switch are already on board if that helps you decide. See, what do we all have in common?"
"We stands a good chance of dying? Our lives have been ruined? We're gonna be crying tonight? We're from single digit Districts? Am I anywhere close?" I ask him. Can't help but get the thought I'm rambling…
"...Ok, all true," he says, holding up a hand. "But… we're all young. Furthermore, we all have parents in the Games who either abuse us or let us down when it mattered most. Therefore, I'm starting up an army. An army for kids who don't need their parents anymore and who are ready to make it on their own as a solid unit. If they don't love us, then fine! We only need each other, right guys?"
"Yeah!" Switch agrees.
"Exactly," Hatchet says. "I can't count on mam, but I already feel I can count on you guys. Given I just met you all, it says a lot."
"Just as the good man says," Nemo states, smirking. "What do you say Gadget? Are you in? We've got your back if you've got ours. We all know how it feels, being hurt. But I, the Ocean General, will help you not hurt anymore."
I'm silent, thinking fast after hearing all of this. On paper, this actually isn't a bad offer. Three allies means three less potential knives in my back on day one and, well, I can't say I'm exactly intimidated by them either. Really with the tendency for young Tributes to die early most years I can see the logic in Nemo's plan.
But, what about Lacey? Nemo didn't bring her up at any point in this talk. I guess with her having a loving daddy she doesn't 'qualify', but no way am I ever gonna leave her behind. Never! Not only that, but while I can't speak much on behalf of Edison or Beffany – seriously, what the fuck Edison?! - I do know Shelly loves Nemo. If this alliance is built on his anger at her… well, I feel an issue. That, and why not ask Pagani? I think she'd fit the standards that have been set.
I better give him an answer, he's starting to look impatient.
"She's doing it again," Hatchet groans. "That thing she did in the Games last year where she's monologuing in her head and not realising time is not actually slowing down."
"Oh! Uh..." Oh so this so, so awkward… "Well, why not ask Pagani as well? She got adopted for the sake of sacrifice in case Gillet was Reaped. Nemo, you said this alliance is for abused kids."
"Yes, but that is overruled by the fact she's bigger than us and could probably kill us all single handedly," he says, shrugging almost apologetically.
"I see," and as I say this, I have to admit, he does have a point. "What about Lacey."
"Her da' loves her," Hatchet states. "He is also much stronger than all of us. Only one Victor… and really, no Survivors this time. Let's just… well, let's be realistic."
"At least if I die, I can see my sisters again," Switch says, depressed. Icy, even. "No, Lacey cannot join as she has a good parent. ...Same applies for Smokey."
"Exactly," Nemo concludes. "So, if that's all cleared up?"
It's not though, not really. A quick glance at Shelly sitting a distance away is simple proof of this. The tears only further back me up on this belief.
"Nemo, I spoke with your mother a bit," I say as I carefully rise. "She loves you. She's hating herself so much for her mistake… make it right. Don't let things go terrible like me and my daddy because soon… you won't get another chance to make it right."
"She made her choice. I've made my own," he says. Yet, he doesn't meet my gaze. "You have a choice… the offer is still open until we board the Hovercraft to the Arena."
"Please join us," Switch says, putting on a smile. "You're cool. You inspire a little bit of hope in us."
I can't find it in me to properly respond. I just mumble a farewell and make my own way back over to Lacey and Sash… well, just Lacey as Sash has moved away it seems. It'd be smart to accept the deal, but I can only try and save us three. Anymore than that, and I think it's too many to try and pull off. It'd never work. Of course, I can't even save three people if I can't think of a loophole or exploit to do it! Urgh, I bet it's staring me right in the face too…
"How did it go?" Lacey asks me as I sit down next to her. "Good?"
"I'm not really sure," I reply. "Those three have an alliance. They… they wanted me in it."
"Ohhh… so, what did you tell them?" she asks me, her eyes wide and unsure.
"...No deal without you in it is worth it to me," I tell her, my hand upon hers. "You light up my life. Right now it's pretty dark, but… you're here. We'll find a way, I promise."
Lacey trembles for a moment, but flings her arms around me. A tight hug, but I don't mind. It's just what I need right now.
"Where's your dad?" I ask her.
"Talking with the Tens," she says, pointing over there. "Might be going well. Might not be… I don't know."
"Better than the Six Pair," I say quietly.
And sure enough, as if on cue, Pagani smacks Gillet. He soon returns fire with a strike of his own and… yep, there we go, the Peacekeepers are dog-piling them. Brilliant.
Atala's shrill whistle is almost welcome at this point. Looking at her, she seems to be exasperated.
"The rules say no fighting with the other Tributes!" she yells, clenching her fists. "Everybody back into the training center, lunch is over!"
As I follow the crowd I can't help but glance back at the Pair from Six. Seeing them fight and hearing them swear, it's hard not to wince.
"You dragged me here, you heartless Audi!" Pagani shouts.
"Somebody had to come with me!" Gillet snaps, red in the face. "Other parents did the same!"
"It doesn't make it better!" Pagani screams, seething hard.
I don't stick around for more. I just turn away and quickly bring up the rear as we head back to training. Just don't think about it, that's what I tell myself. That particular fight isn't my battle to take part in.
"Tasteless, isn't it?" Wonder says as he slides up beside me, jerking a thumb back at the Six Pair..
Oh no, not this guy again…
"Um… yes, it is," I eventually say.
"Exactly. Just generic yelling. Sure, kinda cool but pretty overdone," he says, casual as can be. Somehow. "But our rivalry, it's way better. We're going to give them a real show. I'm so psyched!"
And I'm just psyched out. This is scary!
(Some time passes…)
Since the Knife Training Station was unoccupied I went right towards it as soon as we all got back. Lacey's gone to look at axes, but that's fine. The more skills we have collectively, the better things might be. Of course, I'm not going to run to the Cornucopia for weapons so this might not end up helping, but… who knows what Honorius could sponsor to me?
It's fortunate that Sai Blades are supplied. I was starting to become quarter-way decent with them in Three, so I might as well stick to what I know I can kind of do. I'm not much of a fighter, and three days of training won't make a woman out of me. It's all 'just in case', and hopefully I won't need to kill anybody. Not again…
Of course, the way I strike at the target I don't think I'd be able to even if I tried. Sure, the dummy is getting wounded but nothing looks much like a killing blow. Not the way that I see Matilda decapitate three dummies over at the Sword area… eep…
If this is an immobile target, I'd rather not face-off against a moving target that can and surely will fight back.
"Move over, I'm not waiting around while you flail like that," a voice states.
A moment later I'm bumped to the side as Chive walks up, a pair of serrated daggers in hand. Part of me wants to call her rude for that – is it so hard to say please? - but the way she calmly drives one dagger into the gut of the dummy, the second being stabbed into the head right to the handle a moment later… well, it makes me know it's probably better to say nothing.
"How did you win?" she asks me. "Feeble, and poor. You really got lucky."
"So people say," I shrug. "I'm back here though. So much for luck."
"You're not gonna get lucky twice," she says, performing the same double stab on another dummy.
"Guess I'll have to rely on skill then," I tell her, not looking at those blades. She might try to kill me… nothing stopping her.
She laughs. No words, just a cold laugh. Maybe that's how she's dealing with this crap, by acting strong and making others feel, well, not strong. Sure seems to be working, let me tell you…
"You think you can win?" I ask her, daring to raise my eyebrow. "Have you got luck, or skill?"
She stabs a third dummy. Yep, she has skill and the ability to kill by the looks of it. I can't help but put a hand over my gut, and my head. Not that it's much help to me. Her cold, lifeless look… I take a step back.
"Papa leads a gang in Eleven," she says. "Wolfgang and his Boys, that's what they're known as. They fight, they kill… they survive and always win. They'll be my boys one day, and Papa raised me as a fighter. He… he said he's willing to die for me."
She looks away. I guess she doesn't want me to see her looking upset.
"I'm not squeamish, and I'm strong," she says after a while. "Which, in a word, means… Gadget, you're fucked."
At that final word, she stabs the dagger into the throat of the dummy. Shitshitshitshitshit…
"...I see," is all I can find it in me to say.
I try to resume training, but with Chive just a few feet away and constantly trying her double stab method on the dummies – she does it so well I can't help but wonder if she has already killed somebody back in Eleven – I soon leave as quietly, and quickly, as possible. Seeing out the corner of my eyes that Wolfgang himself was coming over, it's no doubt the right move here.
"You're strong," I hear him say to Chive. "...I'm proud. Only regret is I can't live to see you rule the gang."
"I'll do a good job, Papa," Chive replies. Of this, I have no doubts...
Having walked off in a random direction, I find myself at the camouflage station. I recall the words of Rue in her interview, 'they can't kill me if they cannot catch me'… they killed her, but maybe they won't kill me if I stay hidden. Yes, could work.
But, Valley and Julian are here… Valley I don't mind so long as she's not too close to me in case what she has is contagious, but Julian has me nervous.
I look over the paint, pondering what to use. You know, it's interesting actually… the trees set up last year are no longer in place. Instead, it looks like a sort of urban ground, some of it covered in a rusty orange kind of dirt, along with a brick wall. Could this be a clue to what the Arena might be?
...Did Plutarch actually use my Arena idea? Maybe too much to hope for, yet I sure am hoping.
With the terrain examples right next to the paints, it's not hard to get my lower arm looking as it should. A dab of paint there, a trace of dirt mix here – kind of tickles, heheh! - and soon I look over my work from both sides. Not bad. But, placing my arm upon the wall, and I can see that some more work is needed here.
"Not bad," Valley says, looking up from her own work.
If you ask me, Valley is the one who is 'not bad' at this. Actually, she's better than merely not bad. Her arms and her face are painted excellently. So precise, so clean… well, maybe not exactly 'clean', but when she moves in front of that wall, I see I've been topped. Despite her coughing, gagging and how runny her nose is… if she hides long enough for dehydration to start hitting people she could win. Not that this is an outcome I exactly want, per say.
"Very good," I say to her. "How'd you learn to do that?"
"I used to… used to paint the outside of the house..." she says, gagging heavily. "Before… before this… ack!"
She breaks out in a coughing fit, and I'm quick to step backwards. Even if Bovin is healthy, it's no reason to assume that Valley's coughing is harmless. Julian seems less worried though, staying where he is. I wonder, has he been near Valley for a while? ...Would he get sick, or would be like Bovin and appear fine? Perhaps it doesn't matter.
Especially as he looks up at me, and I feel all feeling exit me. I feel outright sick as he moves a step towards me.
"You can't kill me yet," I say, frightened as can be. "Atala said-!"
"I know," he says, shrugging. "But I'm terrible sorry, it seems you've mistake me for somebody who gives a damn."
I almost scream, only stopped by the vomit stopping my voice from getting out. No, no!
"I don't give a damn about killing. This whole thing is stupid," he says with a shake of his head. "Also, yuck."
"...Wait, what?" I say, wiping my dripping mouth. "You, urp, don't like the Games?"
"I may be from Two but it's no reason to think I enjoy killing people," he states, returning to his work. "Sure, I'll do it to get out of here but I hate the Hunger Games. It's overrated crap. I wanted to just grow up and do Masonry… the thing Two is meant to do. But no, mother just couldn't get over the fact she got sick and missed her chance to Volunteer. She's trained me since I was two years old."
He's still calmly painting himself, but Julian sounds angry. Hurt. I feel I can understand it, some of it at least. To train all your life for a destiny you don't want? Unfair. He could refuse to Volunteer in a normal year, but now even that choice was taken away.
"So..." I trail off, not sure what else I can say.
"Mother values the glory of this crap more than her own son? Why yes, yes she does," he tells me. Julian shakes his head, briefly glancing at his mother who now trains with a sledgehammer. "Yes she does..."
"...I'm sorry," I tell him.
"Whatever. Nothing to do now but hope everybody but me dies… no offence," he states. "Stupid, arrogant women, that's mother. She would have been in the Fifty Eighth Games. A year where the Cornucopia had little food, and what little there was ended up being eaten by Lizard Mutts some kid from Nine lured to the Career camp. She'd have died, but does she care? As if."
That's the year Yohan won. I'd love to know more, but it feels disrespectful to ask, but to Yohan and to Julian too. So, I just give a short nod. Then a wince when Valley pukes all over the wall. Though, I can't really claim to be superior can I?
"I'd advise running away when the Games begin," he says, taking his leave to where the spears are set up over yonder. "I have no grudge on you but only one can live, and you'd probably get more Sponsors being a Victor and all. Plus… calling us cowards and cheaters? The Games suck but that was a low blow."
He's gone, nothing more to say, and I'm alone once more. Well, not quite as Valley is here but she's in no state to talk to me. Eep… looks pretty bad, this poor girl suffering like this. I can see Bovin is running over from where he'd been training with snares.
"Hey, can we get a doctor over here?" I call out, frantically pointing to Valley. "Uh, please?!"
Again, the shrill whistle sounds out. Ack, not good for the ears that one, nope.
"Compulsory exercise number two is starting," Atala states. "Everybody line up for Duelling."
...Nuts…
(The next day…)
Another day, another bowl of lucky charms to start me off. Not that it makes me feel much better. No nightmares last night, at least, but on the downside Dueling went about as well as I'd expected. Meaning it sucked. I've got the bruises on my arms to prove it, if need be.
Fact is, training is going better than I'd expected it to. Imagine that.
"So, how's your training going?" Binary asks me, smug. "I got into the Career Pack without much hassle. Bottom rung so far, but it's a start. You?"
"...I made it through another day of life," I say coolly. "Today, I'll do the same."
We don't say anything else until our Mentors take their seats.
"You in need of any help?" Beetee asks Binary.
"Not really," he replies. "I have a plan. Just make sure some Sponsors are interested, and I'll be satisfied."
"Oh, there are some already," Beetee states, sounding displeased. "Live past the Bloodbath, and they'll be there."
"Child's play," Binary says, managing a chuckle. "Literally, come to think of it."
He rises, and with barely a word of goodbye heads for the elevator. At least with him gone I can eat in peace. And that's what I do. Though after three full bowls of cereal Honorius takes away the big box of cereal. I'm quick to grab hold of my drink before he does.
"Is that alcoholic?" he asks me, serious.
"Yes," I admit. "...I can't just suddenly stop drinking, Honorius. Hovis and Karron haven't and… and it takes time to truly give it up."
"That's fair. Just… don't drink so much that you make it impossible to train," he says, concern mixed into his warning. "Now, I've got plenty of Sponsors lined up for you. You, like him, just need to survive the Bloodbath. As you're planning to run from it, this won't be a problem."
"Exactly. Running was always the plan," I tell him. "I'm no fool."
"Good. Now, do you have a plan for once you have escaped the Bloodbath?" he continues.
"...Um, stay alive?" I say, giving an awkward shrug. "Well, actually, I did have one thought. Forcing a three way tie with Lacey and Sash. I just can't figure out exactly how. The broken tracker idea won't work again, will it? Even if I do it on purpose this time?"
"It won't," he says, shaking his head. "There's never been a tie before last year… and you'd be hard pressed for it to happen again. It's… difficult."
"...You didn't say impossible," I say, near silent.
"Nothing is impossible. Just hard to succeed at without being killed," he says, also quiet. "I've seen many Hunger Games over the years I have lived. I recall many of them vividly, and…"
I just frown. There's truly no obvious stalemate method here, and we all know it. But the moment I give up, it's the moment I condemn Lacey, Sasha or myself to die. Maybe all of us.
"We shouldn't talk about this," Honorius says quickly. But, he drops his voice dead silent. "Keep thinking."
We move on to quietly discussing tactics – among them being to never go near deep water in case of aquatic Mutts – but I can't help but think. If a tie cannot be reached, and by the looks of things it seems like it won't, then maybe focusing more on escape could be a good plan? The only thing is, there is a big problem.
The forcefield.
What was it I wrote in my notebook months ago? A flip through the pages shows me – the forcefield can absorb a force of up to two hundred and twenty tons – and now I have to think. Is there any way this could be overcome? What could overload it and smash it with such a force? My old Mech Suit can't, no weapon can, a falling tree probably won't… and even then, we'd have Trackers still in us.
Still, a forcefield limit of two hundred and twenty tons. That's a starting point at least. But what is the Arena would have so much explosive force to be able to override that number?
Explosive…
The land mines. Yes! If anything could do it, they could. Rewiring them back up doesn't seem like it would be particularly hard. Stressful as the land mine class was, I paid attention. But, to get the land mines I'd have to return to the Cornucopia after I flee from it… a Career, or two, might be near it.
One step at a time. At least now I have some kind of a plan. Maybe one more or less held together by paperclips, but it's something.
I look up as Mirrus sits down next to me. Like me, he seems tired.
-Hey Mirrus, think you could keep an ear out in case any of the Staff let anything slip about the Arena or something like a conspiracy with Binary and Nova?-
-Of course. I'll see what the rest of the Avox's might know. They all know me, so it won't be hard. I'll ask one of them to stalk Binary, just in case.-
-You're a star. Thank you.-
Soon, I'm off to the elevator for day two of this crap. Ok Gadget, breath. You have a plan. Kind of. So now… you just need to keep learning the skills. It's the one thing I have always been good at, after all. Learning.
(Not much later…)
While I may be great at learning technologies or working my way through logic puzzles, I think social skills are something that I'm not gonna be learning any time soon. You would think that I'd make no attempt to try and talk to most of the adults. After all, I'm gonna be doing my best to avoid most of them in the Arena anyway, yet here I am… very close to Beffany.
Lacey suggested I try to learn to use an axe and credit to her as I see the value. If not for fighting then chopping wood or other debris that might block something would be good to know how to do. Of course, Beffany has more or less been living at this area for a lot of training. If she's not checking out survival, climbing or hand to hand combat then she's here and leaving a massacre of dummies behind her. Those poor training dummies.
I was planning to ignore her, but when she chops down the thick tree used as an example of terrain - and in one single blow, at that! - I can't help but forget common sense and then say something.
"You're strong," I say to her. "That was, uh, really neat."
"Nothing to it," she says proudly. "You see the way it took one good swing and I didn't break a sweat from doing so? That's standard stuff for my family, for the men and the women. Well, all but one of us. If we're in another forest, I have only one thing to suggest for you. Run."
"I was already gonna do that," I mumble, turning away.
I could just leave it at that, and I should. I gave her a compliment, she accepted it and didn't outright threaten to gut me… but, nope, a few moments go by and suddenly I'm talking once more.
"Hatchet's angry with you," I say, trying to chop the wooden log that was supplied. I squeal as my wrists fire up from the impact, no damage done the log. "Ow!"
"What business is it of yours?" she asks me. I turn, trembling under her scowl. "He can be angry all he wants, but I don't regret the choice. I had to make a choice whether I wanted to or not, and I did not want to, and I picked the boy who would least effect District Quota or family stability in his absence."
I'm silent. I can't argue with her. I don't want another enemy! ...Grim and unfair as it might be, I see her point here. So, I just feebly nod and turn away, trying to get a good swing done to the log.
"You're not a Victor, you're just a Fallen Tribute who didn't die," she states, walking away to the fire starting station.
"...Aren't those the same thing, really?" I whisper to myself once I am sure she is out of hearing range. "...Well, I guess Victor sounds less rude."
Though, I suppose bringing up things with Hatchet probably was rude of me to do as well, wasn't it?
Soon enough I see this is a bit of a lost cause – even if I do gain some ability to use an axe, Beffany would just hoard the axes anyway and she can use them far better than me – and decide to move on. Where to go next? Still plenty of things to choose from that I've not tried yet and while trying too much can backfire, so can doing too little.
Seems like Lacey is over at the poison identification zone. That's one I'd certainly love to learn about because dying due to a berry burning my guts to nothing from the inside is not how I wanna go! I'd rather go when I'm old, surrounded by loved ones. In a mortal world, I can't think of a better way to die.
As I approach Lacey, I see she's not alone. It's Mack and Smokey. Nice to see Smokey looks a little more cheerful, even if just a bit. Mack, too, weakly smiles. Whether it's depression or sickness in his eyes, I'm not sure.
"Hey Lacey," I say as I walk up. "How's training going so far?"
"Not crap," she says with a wide smile. "I tried learning how to make a hammock. Really wish I could just lay down and sleep on it, but I gotta train… and I snore a bit."
"At least it'd annoy the Gamemakers. If only some Tribute had that nerve," I say. Though, I guess as we all want to live nobody dares to provoke them. "How are things here."
"Really good. Let me promise you this, Gadget, Nightlock berries will not be the cause of my death!" she exclaims. ...I think it's clear some of this 'cheer' is forced. How do I point this out, though? "Wanna read with me…?"
"I'd love to," I say, moving beside her. I give a glance to the Twelves. "How are you guys?"
"Well, daddy's not coughing much today," Smokey says, some relief in her eyes. "So far, it's been a… good day."
"We're hanging in there," Mack adds. "Smokey here is a tough young lady, and... I still remember the days I was a tough man. I think. ...We're making every moment count before… um, what were we saying? Gone and forgotten it."
Smokey hugs Mack close, telling him she loves him. It's hard to watch. Not because of their bond I wish I had, but more because Mack isn't going to last long past the Arena, and where does that leave Smokey? If all of us end up dead except her, what's her Victor life gonna be like?
"Good luck to you both," I eventually say.
"Thanks Gadget," Smokey says, wearily smiling. "Means a lot."
"Oh, Gadget. Nice to meet you," Mack says, giving me a slow nod.
...Did he forget me? Or, is he giving me an official greeting? I can't say I'm sure, but I can't ask because he wearily stands up straight.
"Come on Smokey, let's go look at the first aid station. Won't that be fun?" he says, gently leading his daughter along.
"But we already… whatever you want, daddy," she says.
I make myself look away. I think if I focus on them too much I'm gonna start crying. More than I normally do, anyway. So, Lacey and I stand in silence for a few minutes, doing nothing but looking over the poison samples and the listed ways to correctly identify them. But soon, she speaks.
"I think it'd be nice if we could help the Twelves once… once it begins," she says, curling some of her hair around her finger. "It feels like the right sorta thing to do, you know?"
"I completely agree with you," I say to her. "But, how do we help? We need to make plans, and time is running out. Should I try and make my way to Mack once I leg it at the start and lead him to safety?"
"Good idea! And I, Lacey Valentine, shall prevent Smokey from being… uh..." she trails off, her eyes a little wider, her smile looking ready to break any moment.
"What, what is it?" I ask her, worried.
"I'll prevent the lady from behind you killing her," she says, her eyes widened.
With a frightened squeal Lacey runs to the swimming area and leaps into the water, out of sight. Meanwhile, I nearly wet my pants when I turn and see that Matilda is now right in front of me. The other three Careers look on with Wonder excited, Julian indifferent and Gleam just a little unsure. Varied emotions, but none helpful. I'm a dead girl…
"...No fighting with the other Tributes…?" I barely manage to squeak out.
"I'm not here to fight you," she says, picking up a book on poisons. "I'm just here to train."
With a single, almost half-hearted, smash she makes the book hit the table. It leaves a dent.
"After all, a sword is fine… but I might prefer to kill you with a book instead or perhaps a nasty poison," she says, licking her lips. Nonononononono! "Not so cowardly, right?"
"Um… would an apology for what I said help at all?" I ask, shivering in fear.
"No," she says, cold as ice.
After chopping another tree, she lets the axe drop and stretches out.
"You'll be begging for Cato and Clove," she says, coldly.
"Ok, you've made your point!" I squeal, holding my hands in front of me, not that it'll help. "Leave me alone!"
"Heyyyyy..." says a soft voice.
Turning, I see that Karron has come over. She's swaying, and her eyes look sleepy… textbook case of being drunk as hell. But, mercifully Matilda has turned to look at her instead.
"She's… uh, less than half your age Mmmmmmatilda," Karron slurs, her voice soft and quiet. "You're picking on a child. It's pathetic. Jjjjjjust go swing swords if you want to be intimidating."
I wince as Matilda punches Karron down to the ground. Already, a big bruise forms upon the forehead of the Woman from Nine.
"Stay out of this!" she snaps.
"HEY! What the FUCK did you just do?" another voice yells, this one loud and furious.
His footsteps echoing as they pound along, Hovis is storming over and looks really red in the face. I wish I had his nerve, to yell at Matilda.
Or to uppercut her like he just did.
"You mother fucking fuckerrrrrr!" he screams, pounding his chest. "You leave my Ma alone! Leave the kid allllllone too! She's having a fucking hard time, bitch!"
I'm quickly backing away, and it's just as well I did. Right as I hide behind the climbing wall Matilda is on her feet, and now she and Hovis are fighting it out. Again the shrill whistle is sounded and again Atala is yelling about the increasingly ignored no fighting rule.
"No! Fucking! Fighting!" she yells, stomping her foot, her fists clenched. "If you can't behave, you will go into the Arena with your arms and legs in cuffs!"
...When she puts it like that, maybe it won't be so bad if they keep on fighting.
"Hey, Gadget," Lacey says. Turning, I see she has a towel around her soaked training outfit. "Sorry for running away, I just got so scared when I saw her and… and… oh, I'm sorry!"
I can't bare the fear in her eyes. That she thinks I'd be so furious over this. I can only hug my friend, just… holding her, for a while.
"It's alright," I assure her. "I would have ran away, and screaming too, if I'd gotten the chance. We're still a winning duo."
"Thank you," she whispers.
Seeing Edison and Gillet walk past, both men lightly sharing a hand shake, I hug her all the closer.
"...With other alliances going on, we gotta stay close no matter what," I mutter.
To this, Lacey just silently nods. But talk is cut off when we're all called over for the next compulsory exercise. The Gauntlets. A serious of platforms we must run over while trainers try to smack us with batons.
Dammit, I hate the Gauntlets. I fell and split my lip on them last year. Didn't tickle, let me tell you…
(Time passes…)
You know, I could grow to enjoy having lunch in this place. Sure, we're in the Hunger Games and, yes, the Careers plus Binary are no doubt glaring at me by now. I'm assuming so anyway as I don't dare look in their direction. The point I'm making is that, while there are plenty of downsides, there is one notable upside.
The fact Sash cares about me.
"Are you girls ok?" he asks us, making certain nothing is out of place, be it upon our heads or our minds.
"As much as we can be, thanks to you," Lacey says, sitting very close to him.
"Exactly. Thanks for being here," I tell him, nodding my agreement. "Having emotional support is so, so vital to me right now..."
"I can only apologise I wasn't on the ball back in there to keep you both out of trouble. Matilda and Beffany… I hate to say this about fellow parents and people, but I'd rather they… well, not rank high," he says, shaking his head.
"In fairness, I probably ran my mouth around Beffany more than I should have," I assure him.
"All the same, from now on I'm gonna keep a better eye on you two," he says, his promise clear. "Now, Bovin and I have been hitting it off pretty well. I think we can count on him and Valley in the Arena. That makes a solid unit of five so we can stay out of danger. Also, a plan… the tail of the Cornucopia points to the North, so after the dust settles from the Bloodbath, let's all meet up in that direction. If for some reason we cannot go that way, we head south of the Cornucopia instead."
"Great plan, works for me," I nod. Common sense, one of my favourite things. "Hey, uh… any chance we could maybe return to the Cornucopia a few days in? See..."
I glance around, lowering my voice. Can't risk an eavesdropper.
"I could..." I trail off.
I can't talk about this when Lacey is there. After how the land mine incident in the parade scared her, I think talking about them right in front of her would be… yeah, it'd be a bad idea. I can't do that to her, it's thoughtless and mean. Ok, how to get around this…
"You could… trail off silently?" Lacey asks. "A rather unique plan, certainly!"
"Um… Lacey, could you cover your ears please?" I ask her, quietly. "I'm gonna be saying something of a, um, sensitive nature and I really don't want to risk hurting your feelings or making you afraid."
"Oh, ok. I trust you," she says, giving me a warm smile as she puts her hangs over her ears. "Lalalalala~."
"You treat my daughter really well," Sash notes. "Easy to see why she likes you as she does. So, what's the plan, Gadget?"
"I could rewire the mines," I whisper. "I think it'd help us a lot. And, uh, Lacey won't have to touch them or even look at them. We'd just have to dig them up, and I'll take care of the rest."
"Think we'd get a shovel at the Cornucopia?" Sash asks. "I've never seen one there."
"Then I'll have to try and make one. If I can't, well, I've dug for them bare handed before," I say, before sipping my drink. "Lacey, you can take your hands off your ears now."
"Lalalalalalala!" she continues, oblivious.
"Lacey?" I say, quietly giggling as I wave a hand in front of her face.
"Huh? Oh, we done? Cool," she says, smiling as she resumes eating. "So, after whatever that was, uh… what's next?"
"...Either of you like booze?" I say, taking another gulp of my drink. Awww… empty...
"In moderation," Sash says, holding up a hand. "I need to stay sober so I can think. Plus, I'd rather not drink with my little girl here."
"And daddy won't even let me drink," Lacey adds.
...Does that mean Lacey wants to or has tried to? Actually, that's not important, is it? What matters is training and working out what I can do with this land mine idea. I did the Math in my notebook, and all of the Mines together won't be enough force to bring down the forcefield. Well, possibly, but it depends on them all striking the forcefield and detonating at the same time… a big gamble, especially as if it failed there would be none left and this also assumes I'd be able to dig them all up. Last time I only got that chance due to being unwillingly in the Career Pack, and that's not happening this time… though, perhaps for the better.
I look up as a hand is placed upon my shoulder. Lacey leans against me, managing a smile. Where would I be without you Lacey?
Six feet under.
"You alright?" she asks me.
"I don't know," I say, honest. "I just know that we care about each other… and that I need a refill. Back in a few."
So, I grab my empty mug and head to where all the drinks are kept. I saw five other bottles of Cherry Shandy here so getting a refill is no issue. No, the issue is how can I smuggle it all into my bedroom without anybody catching me doing so?
"Come to mama," I mutter, grabbing a bottle. "Need you so badly. I wonder if beer can be Sponsored. Food and water can, so..."
I shake my head, pouring my drink. What useless drivel I think up when I'm feeling anxious. At least with a big gulp I feel just a tad better for now.
"Good taste in beer," Hovis says as he makes his way over, grabbing a bottle of his own – Capitol Caligula, the Orion Favourite – and tearing off the cap. "They call it Capitol's finest but really it's made in Nine. I should know, it's made at my family's fucking brewery."
"...It's the best drink I've ever tasted," I whisper, eager. "It's so good."
"What can I say except you're welcome?" he states, chugging from his own bottle. "So, I wwwwwanna give you an offer. See, the fact you have been known to enjoy that brand of beer has made Capitol Citizens buy it from my folks' brewery and make us loads of money. Therefore, if you die I'll be fucking pissed! So, a two hour alliance. I help you make it out of t-t-the Bloodbath with gear and then we split up. Least I can do b-b-because seriously, fuck the Capitol."
"Well, I'm planning to flee from the Bloodbath," I reply. But, I am not about to say an outright no to this. Good fortune like this, I'd be a nutcase to refuse it. Well… maybe more of one, realistically… "I don't think it's a good idea to charge in."
"Flee if you want to. The less people there, the less idiots I gotta avvvvvvooid," he slurs, swaying back and forth for a moment. I was worried for a moment there that he was gonna fall over. "Just tell me where the fuck I can find you after the Bloodbath or something. I'll give you some stuff and hit the road. I'll just stay the fffffffuck outta the drama."
"You sure started some in the Training Center," I say, unable to stop myself from giggling a bit. "I wish I was that daring."
"You j-j-just need to drink more. If you get really drink you just don't give a fuck," he shrugs, letting out a hic. "Besides, that woman needed to shut up. She was hurting my head, and if anybody hits my Mother they gotta get ffffffucked!"
Looking over at Karron at the Nine's table, I see she has a beer in one hand and holds a pack of ice to her head with the other. I can't help but think to myself that she's probably going to be among the first four to die. I guess all I can do is hope that when she does go it won't hurt too badly.
"I'm gonna go past the tail of the Cornucopia," I tell him. "Good luck."
So, we part ways and I'm back over with Sash and Lacey. We're all silent as we finish off the rest of our meal. Sash moves over to speak with Bovin once again, and Lacey shuffles up beside me.
"...So, made a drinking buddy?" she asks, pointing her eyes in Hovis' direction.
I can't help but laugh from this one. I guess she's right, we're gonna be buddies for all of two hours and we have a serious addiction to drinking. Now all I need is for Haymitch to drink with me and I'll be all set for my next trip to a bar. But until then, looks like training is about to resume.
Please, no more incidents!
(Not much later…)
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you're around something you really enjoy, and yet you just can't enjoy a single bit of it? Right now, I'm feeling a lot like that. There's actually a Training Station for painting. I think it's meant to be for making symbols, be it for signals for an alliance or maybe a warning of sorts for foes to see. It's not a place visited much, I think, but I've been having a good time letting out my emotions upon the canvas and making a nice picture. Maybe it'll be my last, I'm not sure… but, I'd say the image of myself and Lacey upon a hill, the rising sun behind us, is looking to be a success.
But to the point of being unable to enjoy it… well, issue is that Wolfgang, Edison and Gillet have all come over. They're not painting but they're hanging out at the punching bags. The place literally right next to where I am. They're barely two meters from me.
Oh snap, Wolfgang just tore off part of the punching bag with his teeth and is tearing the whole thing apart now. Nope, don't wanna look at that, nuh uh… why am I still looking?!
"Stay away, stay away," Edison mutters, backing off from Wolfgang.
"In the Arena, run the other way," says the man from Eleven, calm and cold. "I've broken six necks in life and you might be the seventh."
"I said stay away!" Edison screams, panic in his eyes. "Leave me alone!"
Breathing deep, the Man from Five – or, Killer from Five based on what Switch said – leans against another punching bag, looking ready to be sick.
"I was reaped and saved by Volunteers twice as a teen, twice! I was safe! This should not be happening!" he mumbles, sobbing a little.
"But it did," Wolfgang states. "Man up, and deal with what's happened. Your little girl said you killed most of your kids, so this isn't anything new for you. You make me sick."
"Says the gang leader who just admitted to breaking six necks," Gillet mutters, rolling his eyes.
I wonder, honestly, if these three men even notice I'm here. I'd kinda prefer if they didn't notice me at all, or just don't care that I'm next to them.
"I haven't killed reaping age kids nor any of my family, that's the sole thing I am claiming," Wolfgang says, giving a calm shrug. "I have nothing more to say."
Wolfgang begins beating up another of the punching bags, but it seems Gillet wants the last word based on how he is not shutting up. Quickly, I add my signature to the painting and turn to leave.
"Confident guy. Confident enough to go a few rounds with us two?" he asks.
"I have my daughter on my side, so yes. Yes I am," Wolfgang says, bored. "Meanwhile that sad shit has driven his daughter away and you adopted some kid with anger issues who wants to kill you."
"Shut up!" Edison screams, his voice cracking.
Just a few more paces and I hear punching. I just speed up my pace as the whistle sounds and Peacekeepers run over.
"NO FIGHTING!" Atala screams. "What is so fucking hard to understand about that rule?!"
What indeed. Maybe I'll figure out what while I hide at the Knife Training Station, or maybe I'll just forget about it and try to get better with the sai blades. Yeah, I think I'll just do that.
Hitting the dummy isn't hard when it doesn't fight back, and I think my strikes and fighting stance are getting better. But as I look at the dummy, I can't help but wonder… who of the other twenty three Tributes does this dummy represent? It's the same anxiety inducing feeling of last year. Being scared of who might kill you, and feeling sick about who around you is going to be your own victim. What if this dummy is a prelude to a duel with Smokey, or Nemo… or Matilda? No, not Matilda… she'd just kill me.
"Sai blades? A rare choice," says a voice.
I squeak, turning on my heel to face Wonder. Oh no, not again. Not more of this guy! The rivalry he wants is gonna get me killed… literally.
"No Victor has ever had that type of blade as their main weapon. I mean, I guess you're already a Victor but last year doesn't really count, so… if you win, you'd be making history," Wonder continues. "Though, being the first two time champion in history would probably be more exciting, huh? Mizar Aldjoy holds the distinction of being the first ever Victor, but you'd be the joint holder of first two time Victor and youngest victory. I can't lie, I'd be jealous."
"You wouldn't be. You'd be dead," I say, my tone soft. Anxious too. "Who cares about a title? I just want to live."
"Well, you'll live as a celebrity or die as a legend, I think both have their pros and cons," he says, giving a chuckle.
"...What upside is there to being killed in an Arena?" I say, bewildered. To say I'm lost would be an understatement. "Besides Careers and the occasional volunteer from somewhere else, no Tribute is happy to be here. The Capitol essentially kidnaps us from our homes and families for no reason other than their sadism and counter-productive regime. I swear, this country makes no sense..."
"Maybe it doesn't, but at least being in the Games means we get to be on TV," he says, cheerful as ever. "Also, a tip, if we're gonna make our rivalry work we're gonna need to be sure you can actually fight back in some way. I'd suggest that you focus more on using a sai blade with your dominant hand."
"Wonder, dear, Julian wants to spar with you in hand to hand combat," says an approaching voice.
"Got it. Thanks mom," Wonder says, quickly jogging off.
Finally, some peace. Though, not for more than a few seconds. Gleam is here now, speedily hacking and slashing away at a dummy with a knife in each hand. I look at her attack with such vast skill and then I glance at my own sai blades. I just let them drop. With how incredibly good Gleam is, maybe this is a waste of time. Even if it is not, I can't focus very well with Gleam right next to me.
"So, I see you've met my son," she says, her voice softer than I'd ever expect from a Career. Especially one who is all grown up. "He's taken a shine to you, Gadget."
"...A shine?" I repeat. "Um, I don't really think about boys that much… or at all really, and, uh… well… please tell me I'm misunderstanding this."
"No, no. I mean that he's a big fan of you winning your Games," she explains, giggling for a moment. "You're his overall sixteenth favourite Victor. He's so happy to be your rival. It's a mother's dream, seeing her son in such a cheerful mood."
"You must really care about him a bunch," I note, making a stab at the dummy. "I can hardly remember my own mommy. Wonder better know how lucky he is. Although..."
I can't help but look towards Gleam, maybe with some pity. I know, crazy that I of all Tributes is the one feeling pity for another. Yet, here I am doing so. Just as I did for Shelly, but… I guess here it's not the same. Not really.
"Why are you throwing your life away for your son to win these Games?" I ask her, unnerved. "Wonder's not eighteen, he could have just volunteered another year, right? Either he wins and loses a mother, you win and lose a beloved son or you both die. I don't understand."
"His dream is to win the Hunger Games, and a Quell. A mother does whatever it takes for their offspring to achieve their dreams," Gleams says, her tone softer. "It's all I know how to do, make my family happy. I'm not bothered by it. It's the District One way, to not feel bothered."
"...Well, good luck to both of you," I tell her. "My daddy's in your Pack… guess it makes us enemies?"
"I suppose so," Gleam mumbles. "...I think he's a prick, if I may say so. I don't like how he treats you. Same for how Matilda treats Julian. But, it's the Pack I'm meant to be play the Games alongside. What can I do?"
With a small shrug, she resumes striking and stabbing at the dummy. As for me, I move on. It'll be time for the last compulsory exercise soon – a computer test all about plants, terrain and other such survival matters – and after that we'll be dismissed for the day, so I better get on with something soon.
So I do. Working on snares with Lacey. Quiet, careful work but something we're both getting the hang of at least. Quietly, I lean closer to her.
"I think we should talk on the roof tonight," I whisper to her. "I have some things I wanna go over… in private."
"I'll be there," she promises.
(Time passes…)
I lay in my bed, unable to sleep. The bed may be warm and cosy, so easy to settle myself down in… but, sleep evades me. Not hard to figure out why. But, I need sleep. If I can't sleep, then I'll do worse at my private training session tomorrow. I won with a three, but I'd hope to do a little better than that this time, you know? Of course, that'll only happen if I can actually rest.
It's ten at night, and I'm meeting Lacey on the roof at midnight. I'd wanted to take an early night and nap for a few hours, but I guess it's just not happening. I sigh, sitting up in bed. Even with my fluffy, purple nightgown I just can't relax.
"Maybe I'll get a drink," I mutter, rubbing my sleepy eyes. "That may help."
On goes the bedside lamp and out of the bed I go. I wonder if Mirrus is having a peaceful night. He's been made to sleep with the other Avox's at the training center, so I've not seen my friend as much as I'd like. Hopefully he'll find the chance to sneak away and come see me soon. Perhaps he's found out some information that I could use?
Or maybe he's just found me a good bottle of beer. That would also work, just saying.
I freeze from the sound of a knock at the door. Ok, ok, no need to panic. It could be Mirrus right now, actually, or maybe Lacey wants to come in and talk to me? It's not a guarantee that it'll be somebody, or something, horrible on the other side.
So, I approach the door and grip the handle. With my breath shaky, I pull open the door.
It looks like an Avox, but certainly not Mirrus. This one is taller. But, same red uniform they usually have – I say usually as apparently the one on Lacey's floor has a cage over their head and a whiter outfit. Creepy. - and their face powdered to be pale as is the norm. It's a boy a little older than me, carrying a tray of food and drink. His hair is dark and a bit shaggy, and a faded bruise is upon his face. Wait, wait… right on the tip of my tongue…
"Hello… little sis," whispers the Avox. "...From now on, I'm on your side."
I freeze, rooted to the spot as my eyes practically pop out of their sockets.
"...Dayta?" I whisper.
Whoa! Family reunion, am I right? While the training is going off a bit crappily and full of fighting, at least Gadget is starting to gain a plan and now seems to have her brother back alongside her once again. You know what they say, reunions are great so long as you don't hate the other person! But, what will happen from this? Stay tuned!