Training Day 2

Signy Freyda, 15

District 10 Female

The second day of training was much less stressful than the first. In addition to being knowledgable about plants, Braulia was strategic and quickly took charge of the alliance. Not that Signy or Connor were complaining. Things were much more efficient with her taking the lead. Braulia had asked Signy to focus on weapons today, which she was happy to do. Holding a cleaver felt natural, even if killing someone with it did not. She'd been working at the butcher's shop since she was 12, and Reuben, the butcher, had taught her well.

The trainer was showing Signy the most efficient places to stab someone. The jugular, the upper thigh, the heart. She was practicing slashing her cleaver across a dummy's gut when the girl from 7 walked over. She nodded to Signy and grabbed an axe. Signy paused, watching her work. She couldn't quite remember her name, but she knew she was slightly older, and Connor said she was skilled. So, Signy wanted to see for herself.

She pushed her white-blonde hair back, squared her shoulders, and hauled back her arm before throwing her axe. It suck into the shoulder of the dummy and she frowned. Her next throw was more on-target, striking the dummy in the middle of the chest. Signy edged closer, trying to subtly catch her attention. After her third throw, the girl from 7 turned to Signy.

"Hi," she said, sounding a little unsure.

"Hi," Signy said back. "You're really good at this." The girl smiled.

"We had axe-throwing competitions during our lunch breaks back home, just for fun. I guess I got pretty good."

"You definitely did. I'm Signy!" She came a little closer holding out her hand for the older girl to shake.

"Nice to meet you Signy," she said. "I'm Acacia, but you can call me Ace."

After the introduction, they each went back to their individual training, getting occasional pointers from the trainer. Signy even got to practice sparring with a trainer. They both put on padded armor and used plastic weapons. He showed Signy how to dodge and parry, and walked her through the best techniques for using a smaller but heavier weapon. By the time the lunch bell rang, she was sweaty and tired, but the trainer told her she did a good job. "You learn fast," he'd said.

She made sure to get in line near Ace, hoping to talk to her about joining their alliance. Both Connor and Braulia wanted her to join them, and Signy was on board too. When Ace took a seat near the corner of the room, Signy joined her.

"Hi again," she said with a smile. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Go ahead," Ace said, taking a bite of her soup. "This is some of the best soup I've ever had."

"My mom makes an amazing beef stew," Signy said, sitting down. "But I agree, the food here in incredible. Are you, um, in an alliance yet? Or are you looking for allies?"

Ace stopped eating and set down her spoon.

"I'm not against allies, but no one's asked me."

"I'm asking," Signy said simply. "I'm also allied with my district partner, Connor, and Braulia, the girl from 9. They're both really knowledgeable, and they're good company."

Ace was quiet for a moment, but she was smiling. Hopefully that was a good sign? Signy held her breath, worried she was too forward. But then Ace nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds great," she said. "Thanks for the invite."

The next day, the four of them gathered for lunch, before the private sessions. Braulia and Ace were both the eldest sibling out of many, so they seemed to bond over that. Connor had an older sister too, so he enjoyed the family chat. Signy stayed quiet. She didn't mind that she had no siblings, but it made her miss her mom. She was probably worried sick about Signy. What would she do if Signy never came back? Would she be okay? Probably not. Signy couldn't even imagine the pain of losing a child.

"Signy? You okay?" Braulia asked. She must have noticed Signy's expression.

"Yes," Signy said softly. "Just thinking."

"About home?" Braulia asked. Signy just nodded. Braulia gave her a gentle smile and put a hand on top of Signy's.

An announcement over the loudspeakers directed the tributes to head into a nearby hall to wait for their turn in the training hall. Signy sat beside Connor and fiddled with her fingers, waiting.

She waited. And waited. And waited. And finally, her name was announced. Swallowing hard, Signy got up and walked back into the training hall. A group of twelve people were gathered on a balcony, watching her. Some of them were leafing through notebooks, while others were eating or chatting amongst themselves. A slender boy with black hair met her gaze.

"You may begin," he said. Signy nodded and turned her gaze to the room. It was time to show them what she was capable of.

First, Signy went to the rack of weapons and selected a moderately-sized cleaver. Approaching the nearest dummy, she feinted left, then struck, slashing across the dummy's chest. Picturing her session with the trainer, Signy moved through the motions he'd shown her, as if she was truly in a fight. Once she was slightly out of breath, she set the cleaver back on the rack and hurried to the camouflage station.

Quickly mixing some shades of brown paint together, she pressed two fingers together and began to carefully dapple the bare skin of her forearm. By the time she was done, her arm was a forest floor dappled with sunlight. She held up her arm so the Gamemakers could see and strained to hear what some of them were saying. She caught the words "paint" and "skilled" before the same slim boy stood up.

"Thank you Ms. Freyda. You may go." He gestured to an elevator at the other side of the room. Signy bowed slightly.

"Thank you all for your time."