Jason Lager, 18: District 4 Male
Bad, moonwalkin', this here is our party
My posse's been on Broadway and we did it our way
Grown music, I shed my skin
And put my bones into everything I record to it
And yet I'm on
The sunlight peeking through the gaps in between the Capitol skyscrapers give my eyes a nice, painful wake-up call. I sit up in my bed, shielding my eyes from the light pouring into my bedroom. I take a moment to mentally prepare myself for Training today. Yesterday was quite interesting, especially since I would've never thought I would find myself leading the Career alliance. Well, I would actually be lying to myself if I said that. I just didn't expect it to happen so quick. I can't even tell if I'm doing a good job or not. Especially since Cyrus always looks like he's judging my every move. I'm probably being paranoid, but I still want to ask him about what he thinks. That is, if he gives me more than a one-word answer. Cyrus isn't the most talkative person in the world.
After I feel like I've adequately prepared myself for the stresses of the day, I head out to the dining room for breakfast. When I open my bedroom door, Cece's door swings open and she steps out, nearly running into me.
"Well good morning to you too," I say. Cece groggily looks at me, slightly irritated.
"You're the last person I'd expect to be so energetic this early," she says.
"You got it all wrong," I reply. "My eyelids are still pretty heavy."
"Well it sure doesn't look like it," she snaps back. I'm a little surprised at Cece's attitude this morning. She usually isn't this grumpy.
"Okay Ms. Crabby," I chuckle. "Let's get you some food before you start growing claws."
Cece and I walk into the dining room together. Our mentors, Wade and Miran, are already at the table. Wade gives us a little smirk while Miran just sips her coffee. I grab a plate and start filling it with breakfast food. I take a seat across from Wade. A moment later, Cece sits next to me, across from Miran.
"So, Jason," Wade starts. "Ready for day two?"
"I guess so," I answer. "It's not like I have any other choice but to be ready considering I have to lead our Career pack."
"You know, I never thought you would be the leader of the Careers based on my first impression of you, but here we are," Wade says.
"Yup," I huff. "Here we are."
"Here we are," Wade repeats as he leans back in his chair. Miran lets out an audible sigh, drawing our attention.
"Since Wade still wants to be all buddy-buddy with you, I guess I have to ask the real questions," she says. "How was alliance morale at the end of the day yesterday?"
"I would say it was pretty high overall," I say. "Wouldn't you agree, Cece?"
"For the most part," she answers before taking another bite of her omelette.
"What do you mean by that?" I ask.
"Alto is still being an arrogant prick," Cece says.
"He's always being an arrogant prick," I say.
"True," Cece says. "But he'll still cause problems."
"Yeah right," I scoff. "Alto's too stupid to cause any problems."
"Alto's stupidity is the problem," Cece says. "It could get us killed. We already tried to tell him that but he wouldn't listen. We need to have a plan for when he inevitably does something dumb in the arena."
"Are you suggesting we kick him out of the alliance?" I ask. "Or kill him?"
"No, that's too extreme," Cece says.
"Then what do you think we should do?" I ask.
"Let's just say that if something bad happens to him, we'll just let it happen," she says. Her tone is cold. It's almost unsettling. I still see her point. There really isn't any way to kick Alto out of the Career alliance, he'll just refuse to leave. But Cece's idea is a good one. Alto definitely has more downsides than upsides. Losing him "unintentionally" is definitely not the worst thing that could happen to the Careers this year. I don't think anyone would be complaining if his cannon fired first.
North Freemont, 18: District 6 Female
Don't act like you forgot
I call the shot, shot, shots
Like brrap, brrap, brrap
Pay me what you owe me
Don't act like you forgot
I lean against the wall of the elevator, as far from Taj as I can get. There's just something that's so suspicious about him. I can't put my finger on it, but he's definitely not right in the head. Last night at dinner, I caught him staring blankly at the candle in the middle of the table. Then his lips started moving. I have no idea what he said, and I don't want to find out. The 6 Mob would always joke about how weird the kids from the suburbs were, but I always though they were just jokes. However, Taj is living proof that there are some weird ass people on the other side of District 6.
When the elevator doors open, I immediately rush out into the Training Center, looking for Niobe and André. I spot them standing just to the left of Bellona's platform, talking to each other. I glance back at Taj, who slowly ambles over to an empty bench. I shudder a little bit, but I compose myself as I approach my allies.
"Hey," I call out. "What y'all takin' bout?"
"We were just talking about some of our plans for today," Niobe says.
"Oh that's cool," I say. "Care to fill me in?"
"Sure," Niobe says. "We were thinking about covering the obstacle course and then some more survival skills before lunch today."
"What about after lunch?" I ask.
"We haven't planned that far ahead," André says.
"Y'all taking any suggestions?" I press. André opens his mouth, preparing to give me an answer.
"Of course," Niobe says before André can say anything. "What were you thinking about doing?"
"I wanted to do some hand-to-hand combat yesterday, but I never got around to it," I say. "Can we pick up there after lunch?"
"I don't see why not," Niobe says. André looks a little unsure, just like he was yesterday at the weapons stations. I wonder what his problem is. I want to press the issue, but I decide against it. I can't compromise squad loyalty this early on.
"Bet," I say. "It's always good to know how to throw hands."
"I bet it is," Niobe replies. "Although ranged combat is more my speed."
"That's still great," I say. "We still need shooters and that's where you come in."
André and Niobe exchange puzzled looks. I guess they don't have shooters in District 11. I wonder what kind of gangs they have there, or even if they have any. Even if they do, Niobe and André don't seem like the gangbanging type. Niobe is too chill and André is too passive. Niobe might be okay if she was in the 6 Mob, but André would be eaten alive.
"Good morning tributes," Bellona says, bringing an end to our conversation. "Welcome to Training Day 2. There are no new announcements for today, but I must remind you that fighting is not allowed in the Training Center. You are free to go."
As soon as those words leave Bellona's mouth, all the tributes scatter, going to different places around the Training Center. There are a few more groups than there were yesterday since people have already formed alliances. Niobe, André, and I head over to the obstacle course. There are two pairs that are already in line, the boy from 9 and the girl from 12 and the girls from 5 and 7 are all waiting in line. The boy from 9 is the first in line, waiting excitedly for the trainer to blow his whistle. His little friend just watches on. A chill runs down my spine as I catch a glimpse of her expressionless face. She looks young, but I recognize that blank stare. It's the same one that Taj has. She has to be hiding something under that plain face. I look up at the boy from 9 as he runs through the obstacle course. He has no idea what he's gotten himself into. His ally is going to catch him lacking. I can already see it.
Tyler Lockette, 12: District 7 Male
I don't wanna check my phone
Ten percent my phone
Let that beat die slow
Message at the tone
I'm still a little wary about this alliance I've found myself in. Everything just happened way too easily. For one, Isaak is way too nice. He almost at Arbor's level of kindness, but it doesn't seem genuine. Speaking of Arbor, he's really the only reason I'm still with Isaak and Azo. After our conversation last night, I can't let him down. He cares so much about, so I have to stick it out for him. Who knows, maybe this alliance will work out and I'll be laughing at how paranoid I've been.
The three of us are waiting by the swords. They're not my weapon of choice, but Isaak and Azo both said they want to learn how to use a sword. I guess the axes will have to wait. I take a look at the rack of swords, searching for one that I might be able to use. I don't bother with the larger swords. While I'm sure I can lift and swing one, I don't think it'll be easy to learn in just a couple days. My eyes finally land on a short sword near the bottom of the rack. I grab it and inspect it, weighing it in my hand before deciding it's the right one for me. I turn around to see my allies already speaking with a trainer, swords in hand. I walk over to them, hoping I didn't miss out on any important information.
"Oh, hey Tyler," Isaak says. "I see you've found a sword."
"Yeah," I say. "Although it isn't my first choice. Axes are more my speed."
"We'll be sure to do that next," Isaak says, patting my shoulder.
"Are the three of you ready to get started?" the trainer asks. We all nod our heads in response.
"Great," the trainer says. He leads us over to a set of dummies. He steps up to one of them.
"The most vital spots are here, here, and here," he says, pointing to the head, throat, and heart respectively. "Aim your strikes at these points and your opponent will go down before you can say Tiberius."
The way the trainer talks about killing someone so nonchalantly is chilling. The disconnect between the districts and the Capitol has never been so obvious. I shake my head to clear the cobwebs, but I can't get the thought out of my head. I force it to the back of my head so I can focus on the task at hand. I can't have anything clouding my judgement if I want any chance at survival. I look over at Isaak, who has already taken a threatening stance, eyes narrowed. He lunges at the dummy in front of him, then thrusts his sword forward. The sword plunges directly into the chest, right where the heart would be. He quickly rips the sword out and takes a swing at the neck, making an incision in the throat that would be just as fatal. Looking back at Isaak's face, it has gone from focused and aggressive to surprised and almost scared. He looks back at me, eyes wide.
"I'm sorry," he says. "I didn't mean to scare you. I don't know what came over me."
"Don't apologize!" the trainer says. "That was quite impressive."
"Thanks," Isaak says sheepishly. He turns back to us. "I guess one of you two is up next."
I look at Azo, hoping she'll step up, but it looks like she doesn't want to go at all. I reluctantly step up to another dummy that's still intact. I ready myself, mimicking Isaak's stance.
"You saw what your friend did," the trainer says. "Aim for one of the vital spots."
I hesitate for a moment. Can I actually do this? It doesn't feel right. I know it's just a dummy, but I can't shake the fact that this could very well be another person in the next few days. I don't know if I have it in me to end another kid's life, but I still want to survive. I can't just give up on that, especially after my talk with Arbor last night. He would be so hurt if I just gave up so easily. If I can't do it for myself, I guess I'll have to do it for him.
At that thought, my entire mood changes. I stop thinking about all my doubts and just go at the dummy like my life depends on it. I take a swing at the dummy's side, cutting right through its arm and into the abdomen. It isn't one of the vital spots that the trainer pointed out, but it's still a great deal of damage. I take another swing, aiming for the dummy's head this time. The sword lodges itself right in the skull. It's definitely a fatal blow. I've decided that the dummy has had enough, and I step back, turning around to see three shocked faces.
"What?" I say. "Did I do something wrong?"
"Not at all," the trainer answers. "That was great."
"I think I'm done with the swords for now," I say. "Azo, it looks like you're up."
"Oh, I think it's time we moved on to something else," she says.
"Well that's fine," the trainer says. "If you ever want any more practice, you know where to find me."
We leave the swords station, re-racking our weapons on the way out. When we get far enough away, Isaak stops in front of me and places his hands on my shoulders.
"Where the hell did that come from?" he asks.
"I could ask you the same question," I say. "You went wild on that dummy."
"So did you!" he exclaims. "And you're twelve for crying out loud. I would've never expected someone your age to be able to do that much damage. Especially not someone as nice as you."
"Just because I'm young and nice doesn't mean I can't defend myself," I say. "I'm not going to let myself get killed just because that's what everyone expects to happen."
I surprise myself with my own comments. I don't know what it is, but ever since last night, something in me changed. I was so convinced that I was completely useless that I guess I just thought it wasn't worth putting any effort into my survival. But after that talk with Arbor last night, something in me just snapped. I can't just allow myself to get killed.
"Well that's awesome," Isaak says.
"Yeah, it is," I reply. "What do you say we head over to the throwing stations? I think I'll do even better over there."
"Right after you, dude."
Tomaz Wellflower, 12: District 5 Male
'Cause day 'n' nite
The lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night
He's all alone through the day 'n' nite
The lonely loner seems to free his mind at night
At, at, at night
I'm back at the throwing station again, happy that the Careers have decided to mind their business today. They're on the other side of the Training Center, sparring with each other. After yesterday's encounter, I might be on the District 2 boy's radar, but I'm not worried about him. He seems way too stupid to pose any threat. The way that he still tried to intimidate me after I made it obvious that I wasn't shaken tells me that he's too bullish for his own good. If he actually comes for me in the arena, he'll definitely leave his guard down because he'll think I'm too weak to fight back. That's when I'll strike. Maybe he'll learn his lesson then, although I think his skull might be a little too thick.
The only other people here are the pair from 8 and the boy from 7. I guess they're an alliance. I asked Ion his opinions on joining an alliance. He was totally against the idea. I don't blame him after I found out about what happened in his Games. I would hate to be betrayed like that. Seriously, what good could betraying your district partner bring? Even if you win, your entire district would hate your guts. That doesn't sound very appealing to me.
I throw a knife at the target. It hits the inner edge of the inner ring. My aim is improving quickly. I guess all those years of throwing random objects at my parents to keep them from hitting me really paid off. I pick up another knife and throw it. This one lands right in the center, a bullseye. It's my first one since I started practicing yesterday.
"Damn," I hear someone say. I whip my head around, fully prepared to face the Careers once again. However, it's just the District 7 boy. He looks at the target then back at me. "That was an impressive throw."
"It's my first bullseye," I respond.
"That's dope," he says. "I have a little experience with throwing weapons as well, but I'm nowhere near as good as you."
I glance at his hand and see that he's holding a throwing axe. There's an empty target right next to mine. A smirk creeps up on my face. Ion, I think I'm about to do exactly what you told me not to do.
"Well now I have to see what you've got," I say, smiling excitedly. "Go ahead. Throw that axe at the target."
"Alright, but don't laugh at me," he says. "I'm really not that good."
He winds up his throw and releases the axe. It tumbles in the air at a pretty fast speed. It buries itself right in the center of the inner ring. I look at the axe and back at the kid. He looks nervous.
"I know, I know," he starts. "It wasn't that good of a throw."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I shout, causing the boy to jump. "That was amazing!"
"You think so?" he asks.
"Hell yeah," I say. "You don't give yourself enough credit."
"Yeah, I'm working on that," he says with a sheepish grin. "My allies keep saying the same thing."
"I bet they have," I say. "Care to introduce me to them?"
"Sure, come on," he says. "Oh, my name's Tyler by the way."
"Nice to meet you, Tyler," I say. "I'm Tomaz."
"Great, now I won't have to awkwardly ask for your name in front of them," he says. As we approach the pair from 8, they look up. The boy's eyes light up.
"I see you've found another friend, Tyler," he says.
"Sure did," he says proudly. "This is Tomaz."
"Hi Tomaz," the girl says. "I'm Azo."
"Wow, I never would've expected you to introduce yourself first," Tyler says. Azo blushes and laughs.
"And my name is Isaak."
I freeze up at the sound of that name. Suddenly, I'm taken back to that awful night. I remember my brother and I running for our lives. I hear the gunshot and the peacekeepers shouting. I remember bursting through the front door, telling my parents that Isaac had been shot. I remember them putting the blame on me, saying that it should've been me instead of him. I feel a lump in my throat, but then I remember all the good times before that night. I remember Isaac's bright smile and his endless jokes. I remember all the support he gave me, always defending me and making sure I was okay. I remember him being the only person to tell me that they loved me.
I need that again.
"Umm, this may seem like an odd request," I say. "But could you spell your name for me."
He looks puzzled, but he presses on.
"I-s-a-a-k," he says. One letter off. That's close enough for me.
"Is there anything wrong with that?" he asks.
"No," I say. "In fact, I think it's a great name."
"Well then," he says. "I'm glad you like it."
"So can I join your alliance?" I ask hopefully. I hope I'm not being too pushy, but I need this more than anything right now.
"Of course you can" Isaak says. "The more the merrier."
"Thank you," I say. Finally, despite my unfortunate circumstances, everything feels right in this world. If I die, at least I'll die happy.
Ancatha Adrienez, 18: District 2 Female
I'll be here
Somewhere in the corner
Under clouds of marijuana
With this boy who's hollerin', I can hardly hear
My fellow Careers and I have claimed a table in the cafeteria, a much easier task than yesterday since most of the other tributes were scattered about without any allies to eat with. That's one of the advantages of being a Career, you already walk into Training with an alliance. Although, I don't know how much of an advantage it'll be this year. Cece, Jason, and Cyrus are okay, but Alto and Annese have problems. Annese is a total bitch and Alto is, well, Alto.
Speaking of Alto, I notice him eyeing the boy from District 5 across the room, who's sitting with the boy from 7 and the pair from 8. He's been going on and on about him ever since their encounter yesterday. He keeps talking about how he's going to crush him like a bug or tear him to pieces. It was already annoying enough hearing him rant about Quintinus and not being the leader of the Career alliance, but this adds an extra layer of irritation.
"What are you looking at Alto?" Jason asks. Here we go again.
"That little bastard from 5," he says. "I'm gonna rip him to shreds."
"You're still on that?" Jason says. "There are more important things to worry about."
"Whatever," Alto says. "I'll make sure he's the first one I kill."
"Isn't that what you said about the boy from 10?" Annese asks.
"Yeah, something about wanting to throw a knife in his back before the countdown ends," Cece adds. "Like that's even possible."
"That's besides the point," Alto says. "I'll have them both dead in the bloodbath."
"Alright, but if either one of them gets away, I don't want to hear anything about how you should've killed them," Cece says.
"You won't have to worry about that," Alto says. "They'll both be dead before the smoke clears."
"Anyways, what's the plan for after lunch?" Cece asks.
"We'll hit the obstacle course first," Jason says. "Then I was thinking we could all do the battle simulator. Does that sound like a plan?"
"Could we possibly add some survival skills?" I ask. Alto immediately bursts out laughing.
"Why would we need to do that?" he asks. "We'll be loaded at the Cornucopia."
"You don't know that," I reply. "The Cornucopia isn't stocked up every year."
"Still, we won't need survival skills," Alto says. "That's for the helpless outer district kids."
"Ancatha has a point," Cyrus says. "We should probably spend a little time there. It won't hurt us."
Jason, Cece, Annese, and I all nod our heads in agreement. Once again, Alto is the odd man out. He huffs, folding his arms and turning away from us.
"Get over yourself, Alto," I say, finally fed up with his nonsense. "You can't sit and pout like a toddler every time you don't get your way."
"Seriously man," Annese says. "Even the twelve-year-olds are acting more mature than you."
"I thought you would've been on my side," Alto says.
"Who would want to be on your side?" Annese snaps back. "Your side always seems to lose."
"That's just because all of you just go with whatever Jason says," he says. "You guys can't even think for yourselves."
"Last time I checked, the survival stations were Ancatha's idea," Cece chimes in. "It seems like she was thinking for herself there."
"But- "
"Alto, listen," Jason starts before Alto can speak again. "If you want this alliance to work, you're gonna have to grow up and be a team player. If you can't do that, I'll have no problem kicking you out. Then you'll be on your own because I know you think you're above allying with anyone else. So either you can stop bitching and moaning about everything you don't want to do, or you can leave. The choice is yours."
For probably the first time in his life, Alto actually looks like he's thinking. He taps his fingers on the table a few times before taking a deep breath.
"Fine," he says. "But only because I don't want to ally with any of those outer district twerps."
"If that's what keeping you here, I don't really care," Jason says. As much as I can't stand Alto, he does have some use. He's so bloodthirsty that he'll probably throw a knife at anything that moves. It'll probably be what gets him killed, but it could very well be what saves my life.
Kaliah McFulton, 18: District 10 Female
It started with a whisper
And that was when I kissed her
And then she made my lips hurt
I can hear the chit-chat
I take another hard swing at the punching bag in front of me. My fist connects, causing the punching bag to swing back on its chain. I hit the bag with a two-piece combo, the sounds of the thuds echo through the Training Center. It's almost therapeutic hearing all of my punches connect. It really helps calm my nerves. I hit the punching bag again, but it doesn't swing like it did before. I punch it again, still no give. I take one more swing at the punching bag, putting all my weight behind it. However, the punching bag moves out of the way, causing me to stumble forward. Then the punching bag swings back hitting me on my side and knocking me to the ground. When I hit the floor, I hear someone start laughing. I look up to see Kaven standing over me with a stupid grin on his face.
"Looks like you had a little accident," he says.
"That wasn't an accident," I respond, picking myself up off the floor. "You moved the punching bag."
"Yeah, I did it," he admits. "But it was funny as hell."
"It wasn't funny at all," I say. "I could've gotten hurt."
"That's not my problem," Kaven says.
"Don't you have anything better to do than bother me?" I ask. "These could be your last days and you want to spend them annoying me?"
"Not just you," Kaven says. "Anybody I come in contact with."
"Didn't your parents ever teach you to mind your business?" I ask.
"Probably," he answers. "But I never paid attention to them or really cared for that matter."
"I can tell," I say. "You obviously have no sense of politeness."
"Where has being polite ever gotten anyone?" Kaven huffs.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe it'll make people like you," I say. "You should try it some time."
"Like that'll ever work," he says.
"It's worked for me," I say. Kaven stifles a laugh at my response.
"Says the girl with no manners," he says.
"At least I respect others and don't go out of my way to cause problems," I say. "Y'know, it's really not that hard to do."
"It's really not," I counter.
"Then prove it. Go talk to those two kids over there," he says, pointing to two people across the room. I recognize them as the girl from District 9 and the boy from District 12.
"Okay," I say. "Come on. I'll show you firsthand how easy it is."
I walk over to the pair across the room. Kaven is following close behind. The girl from 9 notices us approaching, and she gives me a wide smile and a wave. I return the gesture.
"Hey guys," she says. "Can I help you with something?"
"Yes you can," I say. "I was just going to show Kaven here how easy it was to make friends if he were actually polite for a change."
I look back at Kaven, who crosses his arms and turns his head away in defiance. I ignore his attitude and continue on with my lesson.
"Oh okay," then girl says. "Well, my name's Avena and this is Callum."
"I'm Kaliah," I say. "And this is Kaven, as you already know."
I shake hands with Avena and Callum, then I tell Kaven to do the same. He protests at first, but a quick whisper telling him that I'll punch him into next week makes him obey. Kaven awkwardly shakes hands with Callum and Avena. I can tell he's never done anything like this before in his life.
"So, what were the two of you working on?" I ask.
"Some hand-to-hand combat," Callum says.
"Well, you've found the right girl," I say. "I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I know a few things about fistfighting."
"So do I," Kaven says.
"Well, would you look at that," I say. "It looks like we could both help you out here."
"That sounds great," Avena says. "Hey, would you two like to join our alliance?"
"I know I would," I say. "What about you, Kaven?"
"Do I really have a choice?" he asks sarcastically.
"I'll take that as a yes," I say.
"Awesome!" Avena says. "I'm glad to have you on our team."
"So am I," I say. "See Kaven? That was pretty easy."
Cyrus Velaz-Ruiz, 18: District 1 Male
I just came here to the party for the drugs
Drugs, drugs
I'm not tryna make a friend or fall in love
Love, love
The Career alliance is at the survival stations. As absurd as it sounds, it's much needed. The Cornucopia isn't a guarantee, so learning some survival skills won't hurt. Currently we're at the fire-starting station. I've dug myself a small fire pit, filling it with dry leaves, sticks, and grass to provide some fuel for the fire. I grab a matchbox and pull out a match to strike. I strike the match, igniting it with a small flame. Just as I'm about to throw the match in the pit, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see Jason standing over me.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?" he asks.
"Yeah, what do you want?" I say.
"Can we talk over there?" Jason asks, pointing to an empty corner with a few benches. Without answering, I get up and start walking over to the benches. Once we get there, I take a seat. Jason takes a seat next to me.
"What do you want to talk about?" I ask.
"Am I doing a good job?" Jason asks.
"A good job doing what?" I ask back.
"Leading the Careers," Jason answers.
Jason has done a decent job leading us given the hand he was dealt. He has had a little opposition in the form of Annese and Alto, but for the most part, he's been able to keep them in line. It's not like we have a hive mind or anything. All six of us have our own thoughts and opinions. However, I haven't really voiced mine. I haven't felt the need to quite yet. I'm happy we have some more vocal people in the group like Jason and Cece, but I wouldn't expect Jason to be concerned about how he's doing. He doesn't seem like that type of person. He just does whatever needs to be done.
"You're doing pretty good," I say, hoping that it's enough of an answer for him.
"What do you mean by pretty good?" Jason asks. "That means different things for certain people."
I should've known that one sentence wouldn't be a sufficient answer for Jason. He's always digging for more information. I'm not usually one to go further in depth, but I think Jason can handle it.
"You're doing well with what you got," I say. "There are certain things you could do better, but you're doing a good enough job to keep us together as a cohesive unit."
"What could I have done better?" he asks. "You can't just leave me hanging."
"Well, you could've been quicker in shutting down Alto's bullshit," I say. "And you should stop constantly asking for our confirmation. If you think your decision is best for the group, then you should go with it."
"Is that it?" Jason asks. "There has to be more that I can improve on."
"I don't know, man," I say. "You've only been at this for a day. I don't have much material to gauge your performance on. Besides, we haven't even gotten to the arena yet."
"I know," Jason says. "I hope things go smoothly when we get to that point."
"I hope so too," I say. "It'll be up to you if that happens or not."
"Wow, thanks. That really put me at ease," Jason says.
"It did?" I ask.
"No," Jason says. "I was being sarcastic."
"Oh," I say. That was sarcasm? It didn't really sound like it. With Jason, I can rarely ever tell when he's being serious or not.
"We should get back to the rest of the group before they get suspicious," Jason says.
"Okay," I say. I get up from the bench and make my way back to the fire-starting station. Jason follows close behind. As we get closer, the smell of smoke fills my nostrils. Maybe Cece and Ancatha finally got their fire going. When we turn the corner, Jason and I are hit with an intense heat. Right where my fire pit used to be, there is a huge fire. Annese, Cece, Ancatha, and Alto are all up against the back wall of the fire-starting station, looking terrified. Right in front of the fire, dangerously close, is the boy from District 6. He doesn't move or even blink. He just blankly stares at the fire.
"You need to back up before you get burned!" a trainer yells at the boy. He doesn't respond.
"Seriously, kid," the trainer says. "You need to move back!"
The kid still doesn't move. Out of nowhere, two peacekeepers rush past me and Jason and grab the District 6 boy by his arms and yank him away. His expression still doesn't change even as he's being dragged away. Another peacekeeper comes in with a fire extinguisher and puts the fire out.
"Alright, this station is closed for the rest of the day," the trainer says. "It'll be open again tomorrow morning."
I turn my head to where the District 6 boy was being dragged, but he's gone. The peacekeepers must've taken him out of the Training Center. I turn back to Jason, whose eyes meet mine.
"We should keep an eye on that guy," he says. "We don't want him to burn down the Cornucopia."
Isaak Monroe, 15: District 8 Male
Gotta eagle beak, with the ostrich feet
Seven spider eyes for every day of the week
Means I'm still up working while your bitch ass sleeps
I'm an alien among the human beings
Tyler, Tomaz, Azo, and I decided to end the day at the plant identification station. Three of us have no clue about plants, so Tyler has taken it upon himself to teach us. For someone so young, he sure knows a lot. Same with Tomaz. He seems really smart, although a bit strange. Our first interaction was all sorts of weird. He froze up when I introduced myself to him, I tried to shake his hand, but I don't think he ever noticed. Then he asked me to spell my name for him for some odd reason. I wonder what happened to him to make him react like that.
I sit in front of the screen, trying to figure out what plant this test is asking me to identify. The plant has three green leaves connected to a thin stem. I click "poison ivy". The screen flashes red and tells me that it's the wrong answer. It then switches to a screen that shows the plant with the name "poison oak" under it. Why do all of these plants have such similar names? It's so confusing.
I look over at Azo, who is speeding through the test. She must have a great memory because for all I know, this is her first time learning about these plants. It's crazy how quickly she learns everything.
"Hey, Isaak," Tyler says. "How's it going over here?"
"I can't get any of these questions right," I say. "All of these plants look the same to me."
"Don't worry about it," Tyler says. "Azo and I have you covered."
"Okay," I say. "But I still don't really bring anything to the table in this alliance."
"What do you mean?" Tyler asks.
"Well, you and Azo are both smart as hell and Tomaz is pretty well-rounded," I say. "But I don't really have any use in this alliance."
"What are you talking about?" Tyler says. "You started this whole alliance. Plus you really showed out at the sword station."
"I guess I did," I say. "I don't know what came over me. I kinda just snapped."
I really did snap earlier today at the sword station. I just imagined the dummy was the girl from District 2 in last year's games, the one that killed Lauren. Envisioning that made me see red. Then I just went to town on the dummy. When I finally calmed down, the dummy was little more than a pile of scraps. I think I might've scared Tyler and Azo a little, but it felt so good in the moment.
"Yeah, you did," Tyler says. "You looked like a different person."
"I felt like a different person too," I say. "But I don't know if I like that."
"I understand completely," Tyler says. "Maybe you can find a balance between the two."
"A balance, huh?" I repeat.
"Yeah, a balance. The perfect mix of kindness and aggression or whatever you want to call it," Tyler says. Wow, this kid is wise beyond his years. That's something I would expect Henley, my mentor to say. Not my twelve-year-old ally. I don't think Tyler realizes how good of a person he is. The kid is more mature than some I know that are way older than me. He's patient, accepting, and always knows exactly what to say. People usually don't learn those things so early in life, but it all comes so easily to Tyler.
The bell rings, signaling the end of Training for the day. The tributes, including my alliance, make our way to the elevator, ready to go back to our apartments. As we gather around, I notice that we have found ourselves right next to the Careers. That usually wouldn't bother me if I didn't notice the District 2 boy glaring at us. He isn't look at me or Azo, so I look at Tyler. He isn't even paying attention. I turn to Tomaz, who is staring back at the boy from 2 with a neutral expression.
"What's his problem?" I whisper to Tomaz. "Why is he looking at you like that?"
"Probably because I threw a knife past his head yesterday," he says way too calmly. "I guess he wants me dead or something."
"I'm sorry, what?" I ask.
"Yeah, yesterday the Careers invaded the throwing station like they owned the place," Tomaz says. "I may or may not have laughed at him and he told me to leave, so I did. But not before I threw my last knife."
"And you almost hit him in the head with it?" I ask.
"He was in the way," Tomaz says. "I wasn't aiming for him."
The way that Tomaz talks about his little exchange with the boy from 2 is concerning. He's talking about it like it's an everyday occurrence. How could he not be worried that his life is in even more jeopardy? The kid is twelve and he's acting like a Career that has trained his entire life isn't a big deal. I'll give it to him, he has guts, but that just put him at a huge risk for the bloodbath.
I just hope he knows what he's done.
Hey guys! I'm back with Training Day 2. A lot of stuff went down in this one.
Questions:
What is your favorite alliance?
Do you think that Jason is doing a good job leading the Careers?
Alliances:
The Careers-Cyrus, Annese, Alto, Ancatha, Jason, Cece
Team Wholesome-Tomaz, Tyler, Isaak, Azo
Bad Bitch Party + 1-North, Niobe, André
Lesson Learned?-Avena, Kaven, Kaliah, Callum
The 3s-Arti, Elecc
Moody Kids-Cannoli, Eris
Daddy Issues-Alice, Piper
The Lone Loner-Taj