Chapter 25: Training – Day 2.
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-Want to throw some spears? – Peeta suggests. It's the second day of Training and we want to practice some fighting skills.
-Sure. – I say, walking to the station. I take a spear and I'm about to throw it when the trainer interrupts me.
-That's a dangerous weapon child. – He says in a worried tone. – I better teach you how to use it. – He thinks I have never thrown a spear, well he is pretty wrong. I make like if I don't hear him, and I throw my spear at the dummy. The spear pierces the body in the heart. I hear the trainer gasping at my back, obviously surprised at the fact that a kid from 12 is better at spears that a guy from 1. The careers and some other tributes are looking at me too. The trainer goes to the side and leaves us alone to practice.
Peeta tries to hit the dummy but he missed for a few centimeters. He looks at the side and says:
-I think we have got a shadow.
-What? – I ask at the same time that I throw a spear. – What are you talking about?
-I think her name is Rue. – He answers. I look to the side, and see the little girl from 11 that tries to hide behind a mainstay. – She's from 11.
-What can we do? – I ask. I must be good at some other things, but children are not my specialty.
-Nothing. Just keep training. – He responds. We keep throwing spears for half an hour, by the time we finish, Peeta has hit in the target 4 times and I had not missed any one.
-What if we try hand-to-hand? – I suggest. There has been quite a long time since the last time I fought someone, but I'm confident that I'm still able to do it.
-Are you sure? – He asks. –I think that hand-to-hand is pretty difficult. – He says looking at my skinny body.
-Yes. I've done it before. – I say in an arrogant tone. – It's not that difficult.
When we arrive, the station is alone. The trainer goes nearer to us and starts talking.
-Are you two going to practice hand-to-hand combat? – He says in a defiant tone. We both nod. – Who wants to go first? – He says looking at us. I move to the center of the mattress. – Are you ready, girl?
-Born ready. – I say as I put my right feet behind my left one and closing my hands into fists. The trainer tries to close his hands around my throat, but I duck just in time. I stretch my leg and the trainer trips over it. He attempts to rise to his feet but I knock him out with a sharp blow on the neck. He loses consciousness for some seconds but then he rises again and tries to lift me from the floor, my instincts arise and I jump in a somersault and hold myself from the ceiling lamp, then I jump again, falling over the trainer shoulders, he takes me down to the floor, but I kick him in the jaw. I stand up and wait for him to do the same. I kick him hard in the leg, incapacitating him to walk, run or jump; then I give him a straight blow on the abdomen and another one on the back, causing him pain and making his breathing difficult.
-You win, kid. Stop hitting me. – The trainer prays to me. – You are pretty good at this. – He says lifting himself from the floor. I notice that every single tribute and trainer has been looking at us, since we start fighting. – Can I ask you something?
-Sure.
-Where did you learn that and how is it called?
-Krav Magá. I learnt it while I was in Israel as a hostage. – I shiver at the memory.
-I didn't really understand what you just said but I think that is a good technique.
-Thanks.
-Hey, guy. – He says looking at Peeta. – It's your turn.
Peeta looks at me with fear showing in his eye, but he bravely puts himself in the center of the mattress. He starts fighting against the trainer; their fight is more based on strength than on speed.
-Good combat, kid. – The trainer says after they finish. – Both of you are good at hand-to-hand combat. – He gives us a huge grin and we walk away. A bell rings and we go for lunch. We sit on a table, away from the others and start talking as if we were friends.
-What is Israel? –Peeta asks me. – Is it a country?
-Yes. It's a country with an excellent army. – I say.
-And what is Krav Magá?
-It's an old combat technique. It is used to train Israeli soldiers. – I say remembering the time I passed in Israel. – I learned it because I was a prisoner and I wanted to escape and that was the only way to defeat the Israeli army.
-And you defeated them. Right? – He asks me concerned. I nod. – Were you injured?
-Just some bruises and small wounds. – I say confused at his preoccupation about me. – It's your time to talk.
-I have nothing to say. – He says. – I prefer to hear one of your stories.
-It was Thanksgiving Day, and all my family was at our house. – I start. – My dear cousin, James, - I say sarcastically. – was singing: "I love rock and roll. So put another dime in the jukebox, baby. I love rock and roll. So come on take your time and dance with me." He was standing up on a chair and then his mother, Aunt Cordelia, came into the dining room. She shouted at him to get down the chair, but he tripped and fall onto the turkey. He had the turkey at the top of his head, but he did not minded and kept singing: "I love Turkey Day. So put another turkey in the table, baby. I love Turkey Day. So come on take your time and eat with me."
-So he was singing with a turkey on his head. – He asks. – Wow! Your family is sort of weird, even more than mine.
-Your family is not strange. Mine is, was and will be weird. - I say referring to my biological family and my adoptive one.
-Can I ask you something? – He asks with a pained expression in his eyes.
-Yes. - I reply, wondering what does he wants to know.
-Why did you end up here?
-Because I volunteer for my sister. You were there. Remember?
-No. – He says. – I mean how did you end up in Panem?
-When my parents died, I was supposed to live with one of my relatives, but my parents did not say which of my relatives should take care of me. I was send to an orphanage and six months later I was adopted by a pair of Russian spies. We were on a plane, there was a bomb but I jumped on the moment before the airplane blow up.
-Do you miss your parents? –Why is he asking this? Why does he care?
-I don't know. – There is an awkward silence and the bell breaks it.
-What do you want to do now? – He asks me.
-Let's get some sword training. – I say, still thinking about his words "Do you miss your parents?"I honestly don't know. They weren't very good parents but they loved me and Margaret. At least that's what I want to believe.
-Are you good at swords? – Peeta asks.
-Excuse me. – I say, suddenly realizing that he has been talking for a while. – What were you saying?
-Are you good at swords? – He asks again. I thought he would be angry but his voice sounds as kind as always.
-Yes. Or at least I was.
I take a sword and program the dummy to fight against me. The dummy starts moving but I pierce it in the stomach. It tries to attack me with a holographic sword but I cut its head off before it can even move. Peeta does the same but he takes more time fighting against the dummy. Peeta is bigger and stronger than me but I'm faster and more agile than him. We pass half an hour using swords and then we go to the obstacle course.
-The objective is to run through the running track in the smallest amount of time possible. Obviously, you have to avoid the objects and obstacles. – The trainer tells us. – You're first. – He ends, pointing at me. – When I say "start" you run. Start.
I run at my top speed. The first obstacles are some branches. I jump over one and bend myself to avoid the others. Then there is a mud puddle, which I jump with the help of a rope hanging from the ceiling. There are some rocks, logs and other stuff that I have to avoid. When I finish I walk to the trainer.
-How did I do it? – I ask.
-3.5 minutes. Pretty good, kid. You are fast.
-Thanks.
-Now, your turn. – He says pointing at Peeta. He is slower and less agile than me. I wait for 5 minutes until he finishes.
-You are slower than her, but both of you did a good time. Most tributes do 6 or 7 minutes.
-Thanks. – Peeta replies and we walk away.
-What else should we try? – He asks.
-I want to throw some knifes. – I say and we walk to the station.
-It's very easy. – The trainer explains. – You pick a knife, you wait until the light of the dummy is on, and you throw the knife to the head or to the heart.
I go first. I take a knife; the dummy at my left is on. I close my eyes and throw the knife; I open them again and see that the dummy is dead; I pierced it on the head. I repeat the action many other times, always hitting the target.
-She can't be that good. – I hear Clove, the girl from 2, growling. – I'm better than her. – Se walks to the knife station and throws knifes at the dummies; she just misses one. – Ahhhhhhhh, - she screams in frustration and walks away. I grin at her and she looks at me with a death glare and then I laugh.
-You know she will try to kill you in the Arena. – Peeta says behind me.
-I know, and I don't really care. If she wants to kill me, I'll have to kill her. – I say. I'm really determined to win these Games, no matter what I have to do.
-How can you be so calmly when you talk about killing people? – Peeta asks with a horrified look in his eyes.
-It's easy. Just keep this in mind: Kill or be killed. The survival of the fittest. – I say in a dark tone.
-What if we throw some axes? –He suggest, pointing at the axe station.
-Yes. Why not? – I answer. The truth is that I've never liked throwing axes.
There are at least 25 different kinds of axes. I take one by one and throw it to the dummies. Fifteen minutes later, all dummies are dead.
-You could be a potential killer. – Peeta comments. – I should take care of my back when I'm near you.
-Don't worry. If I have to kill you, it will be fast. – I reply.
The clock strikes 6 o'clock and we return to our floor.
Hope you liked it. Please read and review!
Taylor.