LEONA SOLARI, DISTRICT TWO
10:46 AM, DAY THREE OF TRAINING, THE EVALUATION HALL
"Leona Solari of District Two," Leona stated her name and District of origin proudly.
She stood before the watchful eyes of the Gamemakers, her chin held high. This was the most important moment of all of her training. This moment, here, in the presence of the Gamemakers, would determine how efficiently she had been trained over the course of several years. A simple score would define her ability and show the people of the Capitol if she was a Tribute worth betting on.
Leona could not overstate the importance of this moment enough.
And she wasn't nervous.
As she idled patiently, waiting for the Gamemakers to tell her to begin, there wasn't so much as a hint of uncertainty in her mind. This private session was going to go off without a hitch. Whether the Gamemakers were watching or not made no difference to her. Once she had the sword and shield in her hands, nothing else mattered except for the tools of battle that became an extension of herself.
"Leona Solari, you may begin."
Leona bowed her head at the Gamemakers before walking over to the weapon rack. She picked up a broadsword. It was sleek and light in comparison to the swords that she'd used at the Academy, but it would certainly suffice. It had a nice matte black finish that stood out against the sharp, polished steel of the blade itself. The Career then walked over to a portion of the Evaluation Hall that hosted a variety of dummies. She situated herself in the middle of them and drew in a steady breath.
As she exhaled, she swung into action. She pivoted, slicing through the air with the blade until she felt the inevitable collision of the sword with the torso of a training dummy. Drawing the blade out of the dummy's body, she whirled around in the other direction and cut through the necks of two dummies standing parallel to one another. Leona moved about the area in a sort of poised dance, piercing and hacking away at the dummies until they had all suffered some sort of damage.
In that moment, she was the personification of grace and the picture of strength.
When she finished, she returned to the weapon rack. This time, she plucked a kite shield off of one of the bottom hooks. The shield was designed similarly to the sword in her hand. It was lightweight, constructed from some sort of expensive metal, and hand-painted. Leona appreciated the craftsmanship, even if the shield wasn't what she was entirely familiar with. It mattered not how fond she was of the shield. What mattered was that she could use it. And she certainly could.
This time, Leona directed her focus to the trainers at the opposite end of the hall. Unlike the dummies, they were capable of fighting back. Leona decided that she was going to take them on. If she was going to show the Gamemakers what she was capable of, then she wasn't going to hold back. Leona approached the trainers and got into proper stance for battle, ensuring her weapons were close to her person.
"Ready to begin?" One of the trainers asked, brandishing a sword of his own.
Leona nodded, "I am ready."
SONORA CAULEY, DISTRICT NINE
12:05 PM, DAY THREE OF TRAINING, THE EVALUATION HALL
Sonora worked quickly and efficiently as she selected weapons from the rack before her. A mace, a sword, a shield, an axe… She picked out what she could remember from the three days of observation she'd been given. Sonora grabbed as much as she could carry, bringing the weapons over to the training dummies. She set the weapons up as best she could in the arms of the dummies, trying to ensure that they stood up on their own once she stepped back. When she was sure that they would remain in the proper positions she wanted them to be in, she strolled over to one of the many tables that had been set up in the Evaluation Hall.
The one that she approached in particular was decorated with tools that could be used for camouflage. Sonora picked up a paintbrush and a container of black paint, returning to the dummies that she had set up. With broad strokes, she painted numbers on the fronts of the bodies that were large enough for the Gamemakers to see from above. First One, then Two, then the one from Three, and the one from Four, and finally the one from Five. Sonora stepped back to admire her handiwork.
She'd done a fine job.
As she walked back to the arrangement of tables, she closed in on the one that hosted a variety of fire-starting utensils. There were boxes of different types of tinder, tools for starting fire, and matches of every sort. Sonora took her time as she browsed the selection. She gathered up an entire crate of dry brush to use as tinder, as well as a single match. The District Nine girl brought the tinder to the dummies and dumped it onto the floor near their feet. She spread it out evenly, ensuring that there was plenty to work with beneath each respective member of the artificial Career Pack.
When she finished, she stepped back and looked at the match that rested between her index finger and her thumb. With her free hand, she lifted the neck of her training outfit to her lips. She wiped the dry cloth along the back of her top front teeth. The saliva in her mouth was near-instantly soaked up thanks to the expensive and intuitive material that the Capitol used for the training uniforms. Sonora then raised the match to her mouth and pressed it against the back of her teeth.
In one swift movement, she lit the match and moved it away from her face.
Sonora's eyes danced with excitement as she felt the slight, yet undeniable heat from the match in her hand. After taking a moment to admire the flame, she threw the match into the tinder. For a moment, it did not catch. Sonora watched, her breath caught in her throat as the flame threatened to die out. However, the air returned to her lungs as she watched the fire dance to life. Within seconds, it had spread to the rest of the tinder.
Sonora stood before the dummies as they were consumed by the flames, smiling at the tremendous warmth that radiated off of the growing inferno.
Her point had been made.
PRESIDENT KALLISTA SILVERHORN
3:30 PM, HOUR OF THE TRAINING SCORES BROADCAST, THE PRESIDENTIAL ESTATE
There was much chatter as various people from the highest tiers of the Capitol's social sphere meandered about the Presidential Estate. Music played softly over the speakers throughout the house and the gardens, just barely audible against all of the other noise. President Kallista Silverhorn had gotten into the habit of hosting a get-together every year to watch the training scores broadcast. She liked the company that it provided, as well as the opportunity to gauge the Capitol's reception to the Tributes for each year.
This year was already proving to be quite the mixed bag. Kallista could only hope that the unpredictability factor would carry well into the Games—Though, not to a detrimental degree, of course. Kallista merely wanted an exciting Game… Not a catastrophic one.
"Oh! It's starting! It's starting! Everyone quiet!" Someone said, drawing the attention of the President.
All of the heads in the garden turned toward the massive projection on the rear wall of the estate. Pictured crisp and clear as ever were Pertinax Flickerman and Arista Fleetwood. Pertinax had donned his sparkling yellow suit, which was every bit pricy as it was eye-grabbing. He'd even dyed his hair yellow to match. Arista had settled for a far more modest number. She wore an intricately-patterned dress that was light blue and purple. The two were clearly buzzing with excitement as they channeled what little focus they had into getting through their opening announcements.
"Good afternoon, Panem! I'm your Master of Ceremonies, Pertinax Flickerman, here with my co-commentator, Miss Arista Fleetwood!" Pertinax began, his veneers looking more painfully obvious than ever due to the impossibly large grin on his face, "As I'm sure you all know, we are going to be unveiling the training evaluation scores of this year's Tributes in a matter of minutes!"
"That's right, Pertinax! We're going to be filling you in on the Tributes' scores, as well as their projected odds. According to the Gamemakers, this year's Tributes are going to have everyone second-guessing their opinions!" Arista added.
Kallista watched as Pertinax tapped on the holopad that was situated at the commentators' desk, "And it would seem that we've finally got our hands on the official Tribute training scores! Are we ready to begin?"
"I think so!" Came Arista's eager response.
"Wonderful. We'll begin with District One!"
Kallista raised the glass of wine in her hand to her lips. She took a long drink as she weighed the possibilities. Pertinax had a habit of exaggerating things for dramatics, as did Arista… But the Tributes. Was there anything about them that set them apart from last year's batch? Kallista supposed she just needed to wait and see.
"District One's Erebor Pierce stands with a score of nine. His projected odds are four to one. His District Partner, Aenea Singh, scored a ten. Aenea's projected odds are three to one." Pertinax began.
Some of the partygoers began whispering to each other, likely already preparing to reconsider their bets. Kallista always wondered why they allowed themselves to grow so eager. Many Capitolites placed bets the moment that the Tributes arrived by train. First impressions hardly ever left Kallista with enough faith for that sort of thing, though she didn't concern herself with betting, regardless.
"Vitus Heilmine of District Two scored a ten! His current projected odds are five to one." Arista continued, "Leona Solari, also from District Two, completed her evaluation with a score of ten. Leona's projected odds are three to one."
No surprise there. The Career Districts always scored exceptionally. It was like no one was interested in hiding it anymore, the training for the Games. Kallista wasn't sure how she felt about it personally, but there was no denying that it made for some very entertaining twists and turns once the Tributes were placed in the Arena.
"For District Three, Emmanuel Ash secured a score of six. Emmanuel's projected odds are twenty two to one. Clio St. Francis of District Three scored a nine. Her projected odds are fifteen to one." Pertinax said with a dashing smile.
There it was. There was the first hiccup, the initial upset. The son of a Victor hadn't even matched his District Partner in score nor odds. Kallista wondered what had happened in the Evaluation Hall for such a thing to occur. What had those two shown Stellan that had elicited such starkly different reactions? Kallista took another sip of wine as the show carried on, making a mental note to ask Stellan about it when the opportunity arose.
"Moving onto District Four! Nyle Seaton scored a seven. Right now, Nyle's projected odds are eighteen to one! Sutton Grey, his District Partner, scored an eight. Sutton's projected odds are sixteen to one."
Not much of a surprise from District Four. Over the past few years, Kallista had grown accustomed to seeing most of the wildcards coming out of that District in particular. The current circumstances in Four made for quite the shift from year to year. Sometimes they were Careers, sometimes they weren't. It was all left up to the odds, which still seemed to be slightly in their favor this year.
"District Five's Isaac Oppenheimer has scored a nine! His projected odds are eight to one. Meanwhile, Nami Mizukana of District Five has scored an eight, with projected odds of twenty to one." Even Pertinax couldn't shield his slight surprise at the District Five boy's standing.
The chatter among the partygoers had steadily grown louder. Many were already preparing to head down to the wager station to place their money on different Tributes. Others were still watching, their eyes glued to the screen in anticipation as they waited for their favorites to be shown.
"For District Six, Nicholas Carrillo has managed a score of five. His projected odds are twenty seven to one." Arista read, "Elesa Chase of District Six has scored a seven! Her projected odds are currently twenty five to one."
District Six always seemed to score in a rather middle-of-the-road fashion. In every sense of the word, the District was average. Kallista had never put much thought into why District Six was often outshined year after year… Perhaps a visit there was in order.
"Tyrell Oxton of District Seven scored a six during evaluations. Presently, his projected odds are twenty six to one. Cherry Golden of District Seven has scored a seven. Her projected odds are also twenty six to one as it stands." Pertinax narrated.
Kallista had seen the Tributes from Seven. They weren't exactly out of the ordinary for the District. They weren't underfed, but they weren't nearly as healthy as the kids who came out of the wealthier Districts. Of course, there was the rare instance where Seven managed to draw the names of some of its particularly strong contenders… It seemed that had been Ten's luck this year, though.
"Now, for District Eight. Kolton Falco has brought in a score of seven. Kolton's projected odds are twenty three to one. Jubilena Pin, also from District Eight, has scored a four. Jubilena's projected odds are thirty six to one." Arista announced.
It was always a shame when the odds weren't even tipped slightly in the favor of the contenders. Kallista wondered how it felt to know that the odds were so skewered. She could hardly imagine the immense dread that would loom over the Tributes who had such poor standings, though she doubted that the numbers would be anywhere in their minds once they were put in the Arena.
"District Nine's Henry Stratum has earned a score of five. This puts his projected odds at twenty eight to one. As for Sonora Cauley of District Nine, she has scored an eight. Sonora's projected odds are twenty to one."
District Nine was the first one that Kallista had heard about from the Gamemakers. Stellan hadn't even been the one to tell her about the spectacle that the girl, Sonora Cauley, had put on. Kallista wished she would have been there to see it herself. If there was anything that got the Capitol on its feet, it was the outer Districts striking back against those in the inner circle, so to speak.
"Clarus Farley from District Ten scored an eight. His projected odds are fifteen to one. Maine Guernesey has scored a seven. Her projected odds are set at twenty three to one."
There it was, District Ten. As the Tributes' pictures flashed on screen, Kallista eyed them. Both were healthy and strong, certainly two impressive finds from the Livestock District. Looks were hardly a factor when it came to the Games, but Kallista knew better than to write off the gangly looking Tributes in favor of backing the strong. Sometimes the brightest minds came from the dullest Districts.
"Onto District Eleven… District Eleven's Sett Epicus has scored a nine. Sett's projected odds are six to one." Pertinax's brow was quirked, "And Callista Cantonburough has scored a three. Her projected odds are forty to one."
Ah, the girl from Eleven. Kallista had been told about her. She'd been in the habit of hissing at the trainers and scratching up the equipment. It was laughable to the President, though she'd never admit that to anyone else. Meanwhile, the boy was impressive… Certainly a contender she would be keeping an eye on, at least. District Eleven had demonstrated quite the contrast this year, if nothing else. The odds spoke for themselves.
"Now, District Twelve! Atticus Burnheart of District Twelve has earned a score of six. His projected odds are twenty six to one. His District Partner, Pepsi Finch, has also scored a six. Pepsi's projected odds are twenty five to one."
Kallista swished the wine in her glass around. District Twelve had scored average, which was good for them. More often than not, they managed lower-end scores. It was often difficult for Twelve to choose two capable Tributes. In truth, they were outshined by just about every other District. Still, there were those in the Capitol who would bet on them year after year in the hopes that they'd be able to strike gold in winnings.
"Finally, for District Thirteen, we have Adam Tuner. Adam scored a five in training. His projected odds stand at twenty eight to one. As for Nova North, she has scored a five as well. Nova's projected odds are also twenty eight to one."
After last year, Kallista wasn't going to write off District Thirteen. The finale of the 148th Annual Hunger Games had been one for the history books. The projected odds and the training scores had absolutely been forgotten as Panem sat on the edges of their seats, watching everything unravel with bated breath. For all she knew, District Thirteen could pull out another win… Maybe.
"Well, I say, I think the statistics speak for themselves! We've got some phenomenal Tributes this year who show great promise. Wouldn't you agree, Pertinax?" Arista asked in a sing-song voice.
Pertinax nodded, "Oh, absolutely! The odds are so exciting! There will be quite a bit of shifting come tomorrow morning, but remember to head down to the City Circle's wager station to place your bets tonight! The lines are already out the door as people are rushing to put down their money on favored Tributes!"
"I can hardly wait for the Games to begin!" Arista squealed, "That will be it from me for tonight! However, we can expect to see Pertinax center stage tonight for the Tribute Interviews!"
"That's right, Arista! Don't forget to tune in to Capitol TV tonight at seven, when we begin the process of interviewing the beloved Tributes—And trust me, you won't want to miss this year!" Pertinax grinned at the camera, winking before the screen faded and returned to its regularly scheduled programming.
Kallista circled the rim of her wine glass with the tip of her index finger, chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully.
She'd nearly forgotten about Pertinax's idea.
a/n: hi, everyone! i hope you enjoyed this chapter. we're getting so close to the Games! i hope you're as excited as i am. i will try to keep chapters coming as consistently as i can. i've been having so much fun writing them and sharing them with you all! i wanted to take the time to thank you again for submitting to me and reading this far! i would also like to shout out a wonderful author who has recently opened an SYOT of their own! please go and check out Desire & Damnation: The 99th Hunger Games by Flawless Catastrophe if you're looking for someplace to submit! it's going to be an exciting read, i just know it! thanks for sticking around for this message! and as we grow ever closer to the Games, may the odds be ever in your favor.