-Ductor, D3M-
The training center is full of tributes. I can very distantly hear noise, as I can sometimes when it's very loud. I still do have some hearing left, so I know that people are making noise, but I can't make out what the noise is.
I stick close to Cyra as the lady gives the rules.
I'm quite glad that I have an ally now. I don't know why my District partner chose me, though. Probably because she has a soft spot for those who don't have as much hope like me. I just can't give up now, I have too much riding on it. But still, I will need an ally that can hear and is willing to help me out. She is a good choice, 18 and intelligent, not horribly starving, pretty. I'm sure the Capitolites are going crazy about her.
I stand nervously as the tributes appear to be dismissed. Cyra nudges me gently, causing me to look up. She gestures at the girl from District 6, where she stomps through a crowd of people on her way to start training.
"I think she's deaf too," Cyra says, speaking slower so I can read her lips.
I nod a bit, surprise that they would reap not one but two deaf tributes. Oh wait, the reapings are random. Totally random. Right.
Cyra points up to where the Gamemakers sit. They're talking and laughing, except for the two co-Heads. They both watch intently, occasionally making a comment to one another. I snap out of watching them, knowing that I'm not going to get points by just standing like an idiot and watching them.
We're approached by Hamilton from District 5, who puts up a hand in greeting. Cyra waves to him, and she says, "Hey!"
The other two immediately get to talking, so fast I can barely follow them. I catch the word "Allies" and "partner" and something that looks a lot like "blue sea dogs pineapple" but I'm pretty sure that's not what they're actually saying. I feel shut out and clear my throat a little bit, hoping that it doesn't sound incredibly obnoxious and rude. I try not to use my vocal chords, but I have no idea how to even control that anymore.
They both turn to look at me.
"Sorry!" Cyra says. I can tell she does genuinely feel bad from the look in her eyes. I still can't stop looking at my District partner with the new dark hair with silver tips. I think it's really ridiculous and I definitely got off lucky with silver highlights as opposed to a dramatic change like that.
"It's okay," I say. I feel like I'm shouting. "Am I shouting? Sometimes I talk loudly because I can't hear myself speaking."
"You're speaking a little loud," says Cyra, glancing around. When I look around I notice some of the other tributes giving us weird looks, and immediately blush. I hate to be the center of attention. I remember when I would've been the one to give a weird look. If only I could have those days back.
No, no no Ductor. I hate feeling sorry for myself even more than I hate being deaf. I'm not going to sit by and have a pity party for myself. That's not the Ductor I've ever been, and now is the worst time to get in my head.
"We were just saying that we were going to ally, right? All three of us?"
I nod, giving them a smile. "Yeah. Sure."
"Good," says Hamilton. I can't hear his tone, but he shifts from side to side and seems nervous. I notice his District partner glancing back at him to watch him every once in a while. "My District partner, Cory, doesn't want a big alliance. So I think she'll look elsewhere."
I nod. "Oh. Alright."
"I think we should focus on survival," Cyra says. "After all, they said that so many tributes die from the harsh conditions. So I think that we should work as a team to learn how to survive. Then I do think it's important to start learning at least one weapon."
Hamilton says something but his lips move so fast I can't catch his words. "Can you repeat that but slower please?" I feel my ears heating up again. "I'm sorry…"
"Oh, yeah. I was just saying that's exactly what I was thinking," says Hamilton.
"Right. Thanks. I think that's a good strategy."
"Alright, then let's go! If we wait much longer training will be over!" Hamilton says. I laugh, probably too loudly because I see other people look over and Cyra cringes a little bit. My ears burn as we all go to the station for tying knots together.
We try out some of the simplest ones, each of us taking a different kind. These kinds of knots are mostly just for setting traps for animals. The boy from 10 and the girl from 11 are by us, and one instructor shows the whole group of us how to tie knots that can be used as a fishing net. The three of us work together to make one, while 10 and 11 both struggle by themselves.
When I look up, the boy from 8 is showing off for the girls from 1 and 2, who are definitely judging him. The other weapons stations are taken up by tributes. The boy from 11 looks like he already somewhat knows how to use the scythe he has. The girl from 7 is horrifying with an axe. The boy from 1, though he didn't look like much when he volunteered, is getting to be scary with throwing stars. All-in-all, I think the Games are going to be one giant-ass nightmare for all of us involved.
Cyra taps my shoulder, snapping me out of my daze from looking around. "Ductor. Let's focus on the nets." She gives a nervous glance to the others as well.
"I think we're going to be in for a smaller Career pack," I comment, though immediately regret starting a conversation. I can't look at their lips and my hands at the same time trying to tie and talk. Sometimes I forget I'm deaf. Sometimes I still believe I can hear. Even though I can't. I don't think about how things will affect me now. I realize how much I'd take for granted when I could actually hear.
They discuss amongst themselves, but I can't hear them. I have to focus on my hands, not on their mouths, trying to figure out the words. I haven't gotten that good yet. I work with my fingers well, though. I think that learning how to sign increases your dexterity like crazy, because I finish my part of the net before they do, and then I can follow them.
"Only two. So far. There might be more, though," Cyra comments, glancing back at the other tributes that are training hard and swallowing nervously. "And the girl from 10 that volunteered."
"A smaller Career pack means that survival is more important than ever," Hamilton. "It'll be less of a bloodbath and more of a group of people outlasting each other," Hamilton observes.
"Hopefully you're right," I say. I try not to remember that this is a fight to death from which one will come out. I can't get too close to these people. I have to keep remembering that. It's either them or me.
We sit and I watch them tie until they're done. I glance over at Raoul's and Martina's, each of them having a net that's small and pitiful. I'm suddenly glad I have allies. We hold up our net, practically big enough to hold a small tribute like the girl from District 9. It's also very sturdy, nothing that can't fit through the holes is getting out any time soon. Though it took a long while and sore hands, that'll do us well for the entirety of the Games. Not to mention the repeated motion of tying that provides a calm feeling. If we got a long wad of rope from the Cornucopia, as doubtful as it is, we could spend the morning tying to overcome nerves.
"Very good!" the lady says, clapping her hands. Sometimes I'm afraid that I'll completely forget what the noise sounds like someday. I'm afraid that I'll forget what the birds sound like, what my friends' voices sound like, what clapping and stomping sounds like, what shouting sounds like… I'm afraid I'll forget. Maybe I will.
I long for dreams. I can hear in my dreams, just like I could before the accident. I can hear my friend's voices, I can hear the sounds of footsteps, the sound of people pushing chairs in and shuffling and tapping fingernails on tables. It's the small things that really get me.
The instructor says something to Cyra, which she and Hamilton both pale and shake their heads at. When we get up to move to the next station, Cyra tells me that she asked if we'd like some lethal knots to hang other tributes alive. I understand why they got pale now. The thought of that is just sick.
We sit down at the fire-building station, where the boy from 4 and girl from 6 have both been unsuccessful thus far. The instructor explains it to Cyra and Hamilton, who explain it slower to me. Hamilton is the first to take a stick and start twisting it between his palms, as fast as he can. I watch him, giving him reassuring thumbs-up and words of encouragement. Cyra cheers him on vocally, with encouraging "almost there!"s and "so close!"s. I can feel eyes on me and glance back briefly to see the boy from 4 watching us, focusing quickly back on his own fire.
He's successful before we are, but that doesn't worry me. After all, it's to be expected. He volunteered for this, after all. He has no reason to volunteer if he doesn't totally think he can get out alive. Why would anyone? They put out his fire and he gets up to go to another station. Meanwhile, we watch Hamilton. After a while of becoming frustrated, Hamilton hands the stick off to Cyra, who puts some more elbow grease into it, making smoke.
"So close…" I encourage her, causing her to move the stick faster, desperate for fire. She passes it off to me after a bit and I finish the job, moving the stick as fast as I can so that my heart rate's picked up by the time we get sparks that eventually engulf the stick into a full fire. The girl from 6 gets up and stomps off at that. The instructor puts out our fire, smiling at us and looking impressed. I have the feeling of Victory, and can't resist the instinct to look up at the balcony where the Head Gamemakers sit. They're still watching everyone intently, looking interested. Santana sits with another man around her age with orange hair, Diesel leans forward over the balcony, watching like this is some kind of crazy interesting documentary.
I glance back up and notice that Cyra and Hamilton have stood up, and quickly get up to follow them. We all go to the edible berries station. We decide to do the test as a team, consulting each other and voting with a majority-rules decision. We find that we usually agree on the choices, whether or not they're right is a different story. The first time we take the test, we would've starved, because we had a better-safe-than-sorry attitude. I guess we wouldn't have been poisoned, but if we don't eat some berries, what's the point of doing the test?
We take the test again, depending on our collective memory of each one. This time we wouldn't have starved, but we would've been poisoned to death five times and had some nasty diarrhea two times. We keep on taking the test, over and over again, until I feel like my neck's going to go stuff forever if I have to keep looking up at that screen.
Eventually, though, we get the test totally perfect. We take it again, to make sure. We're about to take it again when they call us to lunch. My group is in the front of the line, and find a table just as the girl from District 8 drops her plate on the ground. Everyone else covers their ears as her mouth is open, and even I can indistinctly make out the sounds of her screeching. Cory from District 5 and Kade from District 9 quickly rush over to help her. Collin looks stunned, and Iridesce from 1 snickers as an Avox cleans up the food and Felicity gets another plate.
I dig in hungrily, enjoying the food while I can. Pretty soon a meal like this is once again going to be nothing but a distant dream. Cyra eats slower, but still puts food into her mouth. Hamilton glances around nervously, his hand shaking slightly as he brings food to his mouth.
"You okay?" Cyra asks, concerned.
"Yeah… I'll be alright," he says. He keeps talking, but I think he's stuttering. "I-I just p-panic sometimes." He puts his head down on the table, and Cyra reacts like he said something else but whatever it was I don't know. I eat until my plate is empty, quickly getting up to get dessert.
When I get back, Cyra has Hamilton sitting up again. He keeps on eating, shoveling food into his mouth quietly. I keep on eating hungrily, enjoying what I have while I have it.
After lunch, we go back to the training center. Hamilton seems shaken, but keeps his composure. We go to the knives station, and start to learn together how to use the weapon. Focusing on the close range is easiest, so we each train with some of the Capitol trainers, and I don't see much of my allies through the afternoon.
By the time we retire, I'm so incredibly sweaty, exhausted, and worn out that I scarf down dinner and two rounds of dessert, shower, and fall asleep as soon as I hit my bed.
~.~.
-Briella, D7F-
Breakfast that morning is absolutely silent.
Nobody talks. Heather glances back and forth between myself and Kendal. I feel fine eating with my mentor, but Kendal looks awkward being there with just the two of us.
Look, I admire what he did. Kid's got balls, I'll give him that. I'm still slightly shocked that he was so bold. When he was reaped, and up until that point, he seemed like a quiet, passive wallflower. Guess not, though. What he did was extremely bold.
And extremely stupid. Adler Shelton is a no-nonsense guy. He doesn't take shit. He knows what he's doing, though, and he would've made a good mentor that gives plenty of survival advice. Giving up a resource like that, your only resource? That was stupid. He should've been smart and taken his place. It's that kind of stupid golden heart bullshit that'll get you killed in the Arena. Now his only hope lies in Cobra, a rash, sensitive, disrespectful, touchy person that could possibly explode on him for no good reason at all. After all, they called him "an 11-year-old" and "monkey" and other horrible bullshit like that.
Whatever, though. I had the thought that maybe we could just trade mentors, but then I remembered what's on the line. Andy. Getting home. Life. Every disadvantage of his is another advantage of mine. He may have balls, but that could be the very thing that ends up biting him in the ass. If I'm ever going to see Andy again, he and 22 others will have to be dead. And I have to get home.
Cobra walks in, crossing their arms. "Adler is acting like a child!"
"Aw, did he refuse to hate-fuck you?" Heather asks. I think that Adler's not the only one that gets life-force from picking fights with Cobra.
They tense, making a noise of disgust. "What are you, 11 years old?"
Heather snickers. I feel extremely awkward, and Kendal sinks into his seat next to me. I glance down at the pancake. It has a smiley face on it, two slices of strawberry for eyes and a banana mouth. I take the fruit and start to cut it up.
"You're just too easy to tease," she laughs, eating her breakfast.
"Well you're just plain rude!" Cobra says, putting whipped cream on their pancakes.
Heather fake-coughs. "cough cough don'tpretendthat'sAdler'sdick cough cough!"
Cobra glares over at her, their cat eyes digging into Heather's very soul, but she doesn't crack. She just snickers. I feel Kendal glancing at me, probably to exchange a they're-so-weird-and-crazy look, but I don't look back at him. I can't afford to become close to him. We are not going to be friends.
I pick at the pancake, watching Heather snicker as she finishes eating. Avoxes come in to collect dishes and I realize that today we start training.
"Come now," says Cobra. "You two and your mentors have to be present for training."
"You're not a mentor," Heather says snidely, "You're still an escort. Don't go trying to claim the title without being emotionally scarred in the Games first."
Cobra calls the elevator. "You District 7 Victors are the most unpleasant I've ever seen!" they say, sounding disgusted.
Heather gasps dramatically, in feigned horror and shock. "What!? Oh no! I had no idea! Now that you say that totally unnecessary comment of course I'm going to change! I'm sorry there was ever a time I chose to not love my abusers!" She finishes with a calm scowl, which Cobra returns.
"You are blessed to be able to spend time in the Capitol, Missy!" Cobra shrieks. The elevator opens and the crew from District 10 stares at us.
"Uh, we'll take the next one," Kendal says awkwardly. There's a second more of awkward staring at each other between both groups before the doors close again and the elevator keeps going down.
The elevator takes a while to come back for us, probably picking up the groups from a lower floor and taking them down. Finally the doors open and the elevator is empty. We all step in, Heather and Cobra still bickering. We keep going upwards, and stop all the way up at floor 11.
Instead of taking the next one, though, the escort from there piles her group in, all of them bright and vibrant. The old wrinkly lady stands closest to the doors. Chaff Durant absolutely reeks like alcohol. Donavan Osten stands awkwardly against one of the walls. The elevator stops at District 6 on the way down, and the escort, younger than the others, clops in on her high heels, her tire right in my face as she piles her group in. Allocen Barque and Clara Revery are now closest to the doors.
"Sorry guys," Amari says, laughing good-naturedly. Some of the other good-humored ones, including Martina, give awkward laughs. Billie looks pissed having to be in such a tight space. "You're all really cozy though." More awkward laughing. I count down the floors until we're underground at the Training Center.
I glance at Kendal, who is smushed tight against the boy from 11, whose ears and face look suspiciously flushed, as Billie nudges people out of her way to have more personal space.
Finally the doors open and the group pushes out of the elevator, much to the relief of all of us. I'm glad to have room to breathe. We go out to the center as the elevator goes back up.
The lady gives the rules and releases us for training. Kendal gives me a look, and I suddenly wonder by the look in his eyes if he's considering asking me to ally with him. I wasn't particularly looking for an ally, I work just fine by myself. Besides, I feel like if we allied together, there'd be too big a conflict of interests.
This is the Hunger Games. If you want to live, you can't always dish out justice like a hero. You have to play the game.
I start out simple at some of the survival stations, making a plan for the day to follow so I can get time at the most important stations. Eventually, I start to try out the axes, showing the other tributes and Gamemakers that they'd better not mess with me.
I'm approached by the girl from 1 early on, with the proposition of me joining the Careers. I had never considered it. Me? A Career? What the hell would that mean? That changes the game completely, my strategy… I don't know if I want to do it. Careers are known for using outer District tributes and dumping them off. But it's exactly the kind of alliance I want. Curt, trust before separating ways, no attachment. Especially with how the Careers turned out this year, the fact that the alliance is going to be smaller and less lethal… I could rival them. I could pull my weight. I don't know if I would want such a big alliance, but… It's definitely a thought.
I eat lunch alone, and Kendal sits by me. We don't talk, but eating with someone at least half-familiar is reassuring somehow. The tributes from District 3 eat with the 5 boy, the Careers talk quietly, and it's awkwardly quiet.
"Much less of a headache without the adults, huh?" Kendal comments, putting a bite of salad into his mouth.
"Heh. Yeah," I say awkwardly. We keep eating in silence, and none of us talk for the rest of the time.
Lunch ends and we all go back out onto the floor for some more training. I stay at the survival stations that afternoon, budgeting my time. Maggie catches me at the butchering station.
"Riella! Right?"
"Uh, yeah, hi."
"So, at your reaping… I saw… Were you…"
"Andy's my girlfriend, yes," I say curtly. I don't have time for the shock everyone seems to experience when I tell them this news.
"I have a girlfriend too," says Maggie, causing me to look up. "Hannah."
"…Oh."
Maggie looks around nervously. "Look, I don't have much time because Iridesce will be looking, but I don't trust these Careers she wants to collect. She wants to do a lot of playing dirty and sabotaging the others, and targeting the Four tributes… I don't like the big alliance. Would you like to work something out?"
"Huh? Uh… We'll see," I say. That's an even more interesting proposition.
"Talk to me later," she says quickly, leaving me before Iridesce can turn around. I work on the survival stations for the rest of the afternoons and don't have any conversations with tributes for the rest of the time.
We all eat dinner together, Cobra chattering mindlessly about stupid Capitol affairs and shit like that. Heather makes faces while they talk, pausing only to snicker. Kendal and I eat silently.
"Heather! Cut that out!" Cobra scolds like Heather's five years old.
"Heather! Cut that out!" she mocks. "Mememe. Listen while I talk. Blah blah blah blah. Even though nobody cares at all!"
Cobra's face burns red, causing Heather to snort.
"You will have some respect!" they shriek.
"You will have some respect!" Heather mimics. Cobra gets up, shoves their chair in forcefully, and stomps off. Heather laughs.
Kendal sinks in his seat, pushing Brussels sprouts around with his fork. "I think I'm done," he mumbles, pushing in his chair and going back to his room.
"So, Riella, how've you enjoyed your training?" she asks.
"Enjoyed? Seems like an odd word."
"I liked my training. It gave way to my true ambitions. Let me branch out and dominate and figure out my strategy."
"It was fine."
"Any allies? Or at least possibilities?"
"Well…" I bite my lip. "Uh… I was asked… To join the Careers."
Heather's eyebrow shoots up. "The Careers? As in… the Careers?"
I don't get why she's making such a big deal out of it. "Yeah. As in the Careers. Iridesce and Maggie and all them."
"That's quite the offer, Riella."
"I know it is. What should I do?"
She bites her lip. "Well, I think you know better than me. You could do fine on your own, hell, I did. But ultimately, it's your decisions and your brain that will decide your fate. My words can only do so much."
"Right." I bite my lip. I shouldn't be wary of telling my mentor these things, but I worry Kendal might be eavesdropping or something. I dunno. "There is… Another option."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"Maggie, from District 2. She… Is hesitant about the Careers like I am. She asked if we could team up. But I don't see how we can do that without pissing off the others. She said the 4 tributes have become targets."
"Oh." Heather cringes slightly. "Yeah. Well, that's getting risky. The most tempting reward, of course, but the riskiest means. I think it's all up to you Riella. Don't stress out, though. You still have plenty of time to figure it out. Two more days of training before you even have to remotely worry."
I nod a bit, some of my worries put to rest. "Right. Thanks."
Heather stands up. "Alright, kid, good talk. Go get some rest, you have another long day of training tomorrow."
I nod a bit, rubbing my eyes and yawning. "Alright. Good night Heather."
I walk to my room, stripping off my clothes and taking a shower, feeling relieved. I shampoo violently, still trying to get the crazy green stuff out of my hair if I can. It's a relief to wash off in the warm water, soothing my muscles. I stretch, feeling the warmth and gentle pressure and sighing quietly.
I pull on my PJs, sighing in relief as I climb into bed. I'm comfortable, maybe too comfortable to possibly be able to sleep. I miss the small bed I shared with Andy. I miss the cramped but cozy apartment we called home. I miss the relief of being in her arms after another long day of work. I miss home. I didn't have much but I miss it so much.
I hear footsteps and figure Kendal must be on his way out to the balcony. I couldn't stand being out there, though, I'd get too homesick.
I feel sleep pulling me in and close my eyes, knowing that tomorrow's going to be another long day.
~.~.
A/N: Hi! Back again with another update! Here you go, hope you like it!
I'm sorry there's still so much to go before the Games actually start. I promise I'm trying to get through all this pre-Games stuff as quick as possible so we can get to the action, but I like to develop the characters more and each one is getting another POV. Trust me, though. I'm learning a lot of lessons from this SYOT that will be applied to my next SYOT, if I have the time for one with my freshman year of college!
I hope you're all enjoying the story! I know there are a few characters that haven't been mentioned much, but I promise I'll get to them. Please let me know what you like and what you want to see more of in the reviews!
Chapter Question: Who do you think Riella should choose to ally with? No one? Kendal? The Careers? Maggie? I just want to see what you guys think!