Training Scores
Measure
TW: Discussion of gender dysphoria related to voice and height in Lucinda's POV.
Measure: A single unit of time featuring a specific number of beats played at a particular tempo.
Fermi Schoenberg, 15
District Three
"It-it's all y-y-you f-fault," Eddie groaned as the three of them waited for the scores to start broadcasting. "You w-w-wanted h-him to c-c-come out."
Fermi rolled their eyes. "I did you a favor. What were you planning to show? Plant skills? Hyde probably got you a nine or ten at least."
"Or a z-z-zero," Eddie mumbled, shaking his head. "After wh-what he d-d-d-did…"
Fermi shrugged. "Either way, it'll be interesting."
"I d-don't w-want to b-b-be in-interesting," Eddie insisted. "I j-j-just w-want him g-g-g-gone."
Fermi shook her head as the scores started to appear. "From District One, Baoba Pitblossom, with a score of ten. Opal Granite, with a score of nine." Typical. Just … typical. Even with the Career pack as fractured as it was this year, the Gamemakers just couldn't seem to help giving them the usual scores, making it appear as if they were really a threat. "From District Two, Quint Delgado, with a score of eight. Octavia Branshaw, with a score of nine."
Fermi leaned forward as Eddie's face appeared. "From District Three, Eddie Hyde, with a score of six. Fermi Schoenberg, with a score of eight."
Fermi cocked his head. "Huh. That's interesting." She glanced over at Eddie, who still looked like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. "Maybe Hyde wasn't so impressive after all."
"He s-s-stabbed a t-trainer!"
Fermi grinned. "Really?"
Eddie nodded. "I t-tried to s-s-stop h-him, b-b-b-but…"
"Well, that explains it, then," Fermi reasoned.
"It d-does?"
"Sure. Hyde did some damage, so he earned a high score. You tried to stop him and probably broke down over it, so you got a low one. Since they can't give each of you a score individually, they averaged 'em, and got something in the middle."
"You th-think so?"
Fermi shrugged. "Well, the other option is they're trying to make you look like just an average tribute so it's more of a shock when Hyde goes after someone in the Games."
"If h-he c-c-comes out d-during the G-g-games."
"Oh, please. He's already broken through, what? Four times since you got reaped? You think he's just going to stay put once we're in the arena, when things are even more stressful? Besides, don't you want him to play for you?"
"I … I d-d-don't know."
Fermi shook their head. How could he still be so unsure? Hyde was prepared to play the Games; Eddie wasn't. It was an obvious choice. Why was he still holding back?
Fermi turned her attention back to the screen. It was an obvious choice, but one Fermi was glad they didn't have to make. She didn't need a serum to bring out his exciting side; they were already willing to do everything Hyde was. And tomorrow she would finally get the chance. Just one more day, and the Games would finally begin. Then they could really have some fun.
Elemeno Pereira, 12
District Seven
"From District Four, Sebastian Banks, with a score of six. Corin Palmer, with a score of seven." Huh. After the other Careers had scored high despite the fact that they were relatively young, Elemeno had expected the pattern to continue for District Four. Instead, both of them had scored relatively low. Part of him couldn't help wondering if it was because Sebastian had helped him. Helping Malachi was understandable, perhaps, but if the Gamemakers had noticed a Career helping a twelve-year-old from Seven make a proper weapon, they might decide he was too soft to be a Career.
Maybe. Or maybe he'd scored low on purpose. Careers did that sometimes to make the rest of the pack think they were less of a threat, but that didn't make much sense this year. It was obvious to everyone that Sebastian – one of the older, stronger, more trained Careers – was someone to watch out for, regardless of how low he scored.
"From District Five, Dario Baretti, with a score of five. Aurora Flash, wish a score of ten."
Elemeno shook his head. That made even less sense. Maybe Dario was trying to appear less of a threat, as well, especially after what he had done at the reaping, but that didn't explain Aurora's score. She'd spent most of her time during training at the various survival stations, along with the girl from Six. Did that mean she was hiding something?
"From District Six, Percy Allen, with a score of five. Vicarys Flask, with a score of seven."
Interesting. Certainly not as interesting as her ally's ten, but a seven was nothing to laugh at, particularly when one of the stronger Careers had scored a six. Maybe the two of them were a team to keep an eye on.
"From District Seven, Elemeno Pereira, with a score of nine." What? Elemeno was so shocked, he barely heard the announcer say, "Ebony Timberough, with a score of four." Ebony nodded, as if that was what she'd been expecting. Perhaps she'd been trying to score low, as well.
Then she turned to him. "Looks like you've been holding out on us, Elemeno."
Elemeno shook his head. "I didn't think I would score that high."
Marius raised an eyebrow. "But you were expecting something higher than the rest of us were. What did you do?"
"I … All I did was recite the stations each of the tributes visited during training, and who was working with whom."
Ebony cocked her head. "That's it?"
Elemeno nodded. "I thought I might get some points for having a good memory, but…"
"But that's not really enough to warrant a nine," Marius agreed. "Interesting. Looks like the Gamemakers decided to have a bit of fun. But I wonder why they picked you."
"I don't think they just picked me," Elemeno pointed out. "Aurora scored really high, too, and everyone in the pack did really well – even the thirteen and fourteen year olds."
Ebony shrugged. "Maybe they're just feeling generous this year."
Maybe. But Elemeno couldn't help the feeling that it was something else. He just wished he knew what.
Malachi Thorne, 18
District Nine
"From District Eight, Fabrion Morrison, with a score of three. Lucinda Tweed, with a score of seven." Malachi nodded along as the faces appeared on the screen. At least those scores seemed normal. Maybe a three was a bit low and a seven a bit high, but neither of them was as unexpected as Elemeno's nine. What had he shown the Gamemakers that could be so impressive?
"From District Nine, Malachi Thorne, with a score of ten. Squirrel Tail, with a score of four."
Malachi stared. Squirrel clapped him on the back, but he barely even noticed. A ten? Okay, sure, he had fought one of the trainers with a scythe, and he'd only gotten knocked down twice, but was that really worth a ten? Even most of the Careers hadn't scored that high.
Actually, none of the Career pack had scored that high. The boy from One wasn't part of the pack. Malachi had assumed it was because he wasn't trained, but if he'd scored a ten…
What were the Gamemakers thinking?
Unless…
Maybe it wasn't his score he should be worried about. He had scored a ten. Elemeno had scored a nine. Meanwhile, Squirrel had only scored a four. Just looking at their alliance, it looked like the Gamemakers were singling her out. But why?
Malachi turned to Dawn, who nodded. He followed her into the next room while Squirrel kept watching the rest of the scores appear on the screen. "You think you know what's going on?"
"I … I think so," Malachi admitted. "Something she said during the chariot rides … If the Gamemakers heard, it might have upset them."
Except it wasn't just that. It was the way she'd reacted to the idea of the Games in general. She'd barely bothered to hide the fact that she thought they were horrible, inhumane, cruel. Of course, they were, but tributes who expressed those ideas out loud … it didn't tend to go well.
Dawn nodded. "So what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I … I just wanted to help her, but if the Gamemakers think she's a threat … But I don't really know that. All I really know is the scores were a little weird."
"What's your gut say?"
Malachi shook his head. "I don't know." He'd never really been one to go with his gut. He preferred facts, instructions, a clear path. He'd spent all his time since the reaping trying to help Squirrel figure out what was going on, because he knew what was going on.
Or at least, he had thought he had.
"Look, you don't have to decide anything right now," Dawn assured him. "See how the interviews go. See what the host brings up. That could give you some clue about what they know. Then you can figure out what to do next."
Malachi nodded, but part of him already knew putting off the decision wouldn't make it any easier. He'd been so focused on helping Squirrel and Elemeno that he hadn't stopped to think about what would be best for him. But eventually he would have to decide which was more important – helping them or surviving. And he already knew what the answer had to be.
Rose Thornton, 12
District Eleven
"From District Ten, Whisper Collins, with a score of six. Arti, with a score of six."
Rose popped another shrimp into her mouth as the scores continued. After trying a few at dinner their first night in the Capitol, she'd really started to like the taste. In fact, she was really starting to like everything here. If it weren't for the fact that the Games started tomorrow, she would actually be enjoying this. The food, the clothes, the clean showers, the beds. The beds were just so soft.
"From District Eleven, Nirel Jackson, with a score of five. Rose Thornton, with a score of five."
Rose grinned. "Hey, we tied. Good job."
Nirel scowled, clearly not thrilled with the fact that he'd tied with a twelve-year-old. Or maybe just upset about the fact that he'd scored so much lower than his ally. Still, the boy he was working with was a Career. Well, not a Career exactly, but he was from a Career district. Everyone expected them to score high.
"From District Twelve, Lark Lucas, with a score of seven. Aloe Brittle, with a score of seven."
Huh. Aloe and her district partner had tied, too, even though Lark was working with the Careers. Whatever Aloe had done, it must have been good. Still, Rose had only scored a few points lower. And they'd known when they'd decided to split up their demonstrations – her demonstrating her plants skills, Lucinda showing off shelter building, and Aloe demonstrating weapons – that weapons would probably earn Aloe a higher score. Lucinda was a little older, which might account for hers. All in all, this was about what they'd expected.
She hadn't expected Dario to score so low, but maybe that was his plan. Score low, try to fit in with the rest of the group. Did that mean he was going to work with them after all?
A knock on the door shook her from her thoughts. Her stylist, Millicent, bustled in, grinning from ear to ear. "Well done, both of you. Now, time to get you ready for the interviews! Rose, you remember that rose petal you showed me – the one you brought for your district token? I was thinking we could go with that color for your interview dress, and some petals in your hair to go with it. What do you think?"
Rose reached into her pocket, where the rose petal was safely tucked away. "I like it." She turned to Nirel. "How about you? What'd you bring for a token?"
Nirel shook his head. "I didn't bring one. There's nothing from Eleven I want to be reminded of in the Games."
Rose cocked her head. "How about from here?" He seemed to be enjoying the Capitol just as much as she was; there had to be something he would want to bring with him.
Nirel rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I really like the pillows here, but I don't think they'd let me bring one…"
Before he could finish the sentence, Rose hurried to the next room, and emerged a moment later with a pillowcase. "How about just the case? Or maybe part of it?"
Nirel considered that for a moment, then chose one of the sharper knives from the table and cut one of the corners off the pillowcase. "Yeah, I think that'll do nicely."
Lucinda Tweed, 15
District Eight
"Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." Cheri grinned as she circled around Lucinda, taking in her handiwork. Apparently, she'd decided to stick with the velvet theme – this one a deep purple, with an icy blue trim around the edges. It was beautiful. Cheri circled around to the front, laying a hand gently on Lucinda's shoulder. "Are you all right, Lucinda? You look nervous."
Lucinda nodded. "I'll be all right. It's just … I don't like speaking in front of people."
"You seem to be doing just fine with your allies."
"That's different. It's…" She hesitated, but only for a moment. Where was the harm? "It's my voice. It changed about two years ago, and I … I've tried different things, exercises and stuff, practicing to make it higher, but … well, it hasn't really worked. It's different when it's just people I know, but when there's a whole crowd of people…"
She trailed off. The Games were tomorrow. In less than twenty-four hours, she could be dead. Maybe that meant it should matter less. But if this was going to be the last time her mother saw her, the last time she heard her voice … It did matter.
Cheri nodded. "I wish I had something that would help."
"I guess part of me was hoping you would," Lucinda admitted. "With everything you can do here in the Capitol, I mean, there's got to be something you can do to change someone's voice."
Cheri shook her head. "Nothing that would work in an hour or two – or even a few days. But there may be something I can do." She disappeared through a door, then emerged in a few moments with a pair of purple-tinted glasses. "Try them on."
"How are glasses going to help?" Lucinda asked skeptically, but she slipped the glasses on anyway. Immediately, the room grew darker, except for the space maybe eight or ten feet in front of her. "What did you … what do they do?"
"You said it would be different if it was just people you know. I thought this might help you ignore the crowd. Focus on Casca. He's a real sweetheart; he'll help you with the rest.
But I don't actually know him. She almost said it, but thought better of it. She didn't really know Cheri, either, or Rose or Aloe or Dario. But she'd been able to manage just fine for the last few days, while she'd had other things to focus on. Lucinda took the glasses off and turned them over in her hands. There was something about them…
"You didn't just happen to have these lying around, did you."
"No."
"They're yours, aren't they."
Cheri nodded. "Yes, but I don't mind you borrowing them for tonight. I'm not the one who's going to be in the spotlight."
Or in the Games. But she didn't say it. Cheri had been more than kind, and she was grateful for that, even if she wasn't sure why. "Thank you."
"You're quite welcome."
"If you don't mind my asking, why…?"
"Why do I have them?" She smiled. "You make it out of this, and I can recommend a specialist or two who can help with your voice. Here in the Capitol, we have drugs that will prevent those sort of ... unwanted changes in the first place, but they were harder to get when I was young. By the time I started taking them, it was too late to do anything about my height. I'd already … well, shot up like a beanstalk. All the other girls had to look up to me – and not in a good way." She gave the glasses a tap. "Sometimes it's good to just be able to tune out all the background noise and focus on what matters."
What matters. Cheri was right. Right now, what mattered was the Games. What mattered was surviving the next few days. She slipped the glasses back on. "Then I think I'm ready."
Lark Lucas, 18
District Twelve
"I don't think I'm ready," Lark mumbled as he, Octavia, and Quinta joined the rest of the tributes in the interview waiting room.
Octavia shrugged. "Well, you've got about two hours to get ready. You're last, so you've got a bit of time. Quinta and I will set it up for you, hinting that there's a special reason we let you join the pack, and then – boom. You hit 'em with the truth."
The truth. Lark nodded. What would his family back in Twelve think of the truth? Oh, they'd always known he came from Eleven, but a Peacekeeper? The Peacekeepers in Twelve weren't as bad as he'd heard they were elsewhere, but the idea of anyone falling in love with one – running away with one – was still a bit bizarre.
On the other hand, they were just people. People were people everywhere, right? Octavia and Quinta didn't seem all that different from some of the people he knew back home, and the other Careers had been nice enough. Even the Capitolites, with their funny accents and hair and odd dress sense, were just people when you got right down to it. Just people trying to live their lives.
It was just that living their lives meant being entertained by the fact that he might lose his. Lark glanced around the room as a few more tributes trickled in one by one. In a matter of days – a few weeks, at the most – twenty-three of them would be dead. Twenty-three of these people. Twenty-three of these kids. Younger kids like Aloe and Quinta. Careers like Octavia and Sebastian. Soon, all but one of them would be equally dead.
And if he didn't want to be one of those twenty-three, then Octavia was right. He had to play along. Play it smart. Win over the sponsors. Stick with the Career pack until … what? Until his gut told him it was time to leave, maybe. Until they started to see him as more of a burden than an asset. But how was he supposed to know when that was?
And what was he supposed to do then?
"You look good."
Lark nearly jumped as Sebastian clapped him on the back. "Thanks," he mumbled. "You too."
"Looking forward to whatever you've got planned for tonight."
Lark froze. "What?"
Sebastian shrugged. "Whatever the reason is that Octavia invited you to join the pack – I'm guessing it'll come out during your interview, right? End the night with a bang? Am I getting warm?"
Lark hesitated a moment, but where was the harm? He seemed to have it all figured out anyway. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."
Sebastian grinned. "Neat. Good luck out there."
"Why?"
"Why not? What's good for you is good for all of us, right? For a while, at least. We're on the same team for now."
For now. Until they weren't. Lark nodded as Sebastian wandered off to join Corin. The same team. But he couldn't afford to be on anyone's team – not forever. Eventually, he would be on his own. And right now, he couldn't help wondering if maybe that would be better.
Well, that spilled over into a bit of pre-interview stuff, partly because the scores weren't as bizarre as last time around, so there was less to dissect there. Scores are up on the website, and interviews are up next!
