TRAINER FLAVIUS GRATIS: TRIBUTE TEAMS AND SCORES
~ POV: Flavius Gratis, Age 30, Head Hunger Games Trainer at the Capitol Training Center ~
"LISTEN UP, YOU CRAWLING WRETCHES!"
I stare at every single one of this year's tributes for the Hunger Games, half of whom jump at the sound of my voice. "Do you all believe I'm an imbecile? I've been listening in on your pathetic little conversations for the past three days, and how you think you're so smart by forming groups and alliances beforehand. As it turns out, I have a little surprise for you: By order of the Gamemakers, you are to be placed on six teams." Gasps and groans emerge from the arena fodder, and I place a list on the nearest wall. "Memorize it, and become familiar with your team members. If you kill one of your own before someone else, you'll receive a severe penalty - perhaps the loss of a sponsor, or a handicap specific to an area of the arena. Forward!"
RED TEAM: Mars Cutullo (11), Orion Watts (9), Aoife McCallan (7), Caissa Scheveningen (2)
ORANGE TEAM: Carter Gneiss (10), Brandon Shimkus (6), Olivia Dalton (8), Emma Portnoy (5)
YELLOW TEAM: Lance Umber (9), Gordon "Ghost" Rivers (8), Taylor Birchwood (4), Daisy Sayre (7)
GREEN TEAM: Mikhail "Misha" Rybakov (11), Ceekyoo (7), Peridot "Peri" Sartor (10), Faith Goddard (6)
BLUE TEAM: Jefferson "Jeff" Parker (8), Teddy Stearns (3), Eevee (6), Seraphina "Special" Lazuli (5)
PURPLE TEAM: Noah Goddard (9), "Ike" Ouroboros (8), Melissa Carrington (6), Haley Orchardson (7)
"I don't want to hear any of you complaining about which team you're on, because I drew your names completely at random," I tell the twenty-four tributes. "That way, strength won't be overly concentrated in any particular group. Every year the Careers form an unbreakable alliance, and every year they dominate. Usually, that makes the Games exciting, but according to audience polls in Panem, they want a break this time. They're tired of seeing the same Districts win, especially people who live in the poorer areas of Panem. I know - they're whiny weaklings who would never volunteer for the Games themselves - but we must keep our annual bloodbath popular as well as necessary. Got me?" Glum nods from the meatballs.
"Now, if you're all still paying attention, I'm going to give you three rules that you absolutely must follow if you're going to survive in the 77th Hunger Games." I clear my throat, enunciating the same axioms that I have in previous years, but with a touch of malice in my voice. "Stearns! Stand up tall and open your ears:
"Rule One: Always look forward, and never look back. Do you think the very first humans wanted to turn into dinosaurs, no matter that they had more highly-developed brains but no scales? Of course not! They wanted to evolve, not devolve, because they knew who they were. They were men, and not mere animals.
"Rule Two: Be ever vigilant. Keep all of your senses alert, even if you've been deprived of several of them! Many times in the Hunger Games arena, tributes die due to their own carelessness instead of the prowess of their opponents. Remember the girl called "Foxface" by that dead traitor Katniss Everdeen? She gulped down some poison berries because she thought she was so smart, stealing food from fellow competitors. I'm not saying that's a bad strategy, but remember, danger lies around every corner where you're going.
"Rule Three: Kill or be killed. As you can probably guess, this is the Hunger Games' most important rule. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, not only in the arena, but in life as well. Competition and conflict are the essence of our existence in Panem, and it's no different on a small scale than on a large one. Mercy? Kindness? Compassion and self-sacrifice? Altruism? All of those are worthless here, and I daresay they are in the wider world as well. Feeding the hungry only enables them in their dependency, and so does clothing the naked and giving the thirsty some water. Let them buy their own cup and drink from their own well! Once you step off your starting circle, tributes, all bets are off, and all friendships and relationships. However, your team is everything. Eliminate all opposition before you cannibalize your own people. Move!"