Training – Afternoon 1
Doran Ibarro, 16, District 5 Male
"Remember when I said it can't possibly be as hard as it looks?" Emilia says through quick breaths, wiping sweat off of her forehead with the back of her wrist. This is the final mandatory exercise that the two of them have to complete and, to Doran, it's the most daunting- armed sparring. He feels sick just at the thought of trying to actually hurt someone, even if they're dressed in full protective gear.
"Yeah," Doran shrugs, trying to swallow down the nervousness. He knows that he should be heading in next, but he follows Emilia away from the sparring ring and the District 9 girl takes his place. Doran doesn't think he's been more relieved in his life.
"I lied," she says with a weak smile. "I don't think I actually hit him once."
Doran wants to argue but he can't bring himself to lie to her. He watched the whole thing, he would have seen a hit if there was one but he didn't. Despite the fact that the trainer only had a foam tube to defend himself, he was more than equipped to handle Emilia. The more Doran thinks about the fight, the more terrified he feels for his own. They likely only have a few hours left to train today and then tomorrow. It can't possibly be enough time to learn everything they need to and it feels depressing to even try.
Time is something that's always gone too fast for Doran. One minute he was headed to his first day of school, the next he was set to graduate and do something with his life. Now the passing of time doesn't just feel uncomfortable and inconvenient, it feels absolutely horrifying. He can probably count on one hand the number of days left until he's dead. The only comforting piece is that he finally has a direction to go. There are no longer a hundred options dangling out of reach, just two. Live or die. Beyond that nothing else matters anymore. It's strange that this makes him feel almost better.
"You lost your place in line," Emilia sighs, looking back to see a few others lining up where Doran had just been. "Sorry, my fault."
"Shit, I was so eager to get beat up," Doran jokes, but his laugh dies quickly on his tongue. It was easy to feel confident about their chances back on the train, when it was just Emilia and him versus a bunch of unknown tributes. Now that they're actually in the room with them, Doran doesn't feel nearly as sure of his chances. Even Emilia, who seemed to be filled with enough motivation to last a lifetime, appears to have faded a bit. They're not the only ones who want to live.
"We could get back in line," she offers.
"No thanks," Doran says too quickly and she laughs. "In fact, I'd rather do just about anything else."
"Well there's District 6," Emilia says, pointing to the station beside the ring. Doran feels the lump return to his throat remembering their plan to approach the pair today. They spent a few hours last night watching the commercials and reapings, hoping to come with some alliance options. It felt right to look for another pair and they settled on talking to District 6. They both look put together enough to be helpful but not nearly as intense as some of the upper districts. Plus, they don't seem to be talking to anyone else yet.
"Lucky us," Doran says softly, but Emilia is already heading over. Not wanting to be left behind, Doran jogs to keep up. He's thankful that Emilia is taking the lead with this because he can't imagine what he would try to say to them. Alliances are common in the arena, at least from what Mykel told them, but it still feels strange to ask. Doran is no stranger to making friends, some would say he's a natural, but knowing all of them will have to die if he wants to live kind of puts a damper on the whole thing.
"Hi there," Emilia says brightly, some of the energy from the train ride returning. The boy, Fitzroy, gives them a welcoming smile but Chiara's expression just wrinkles at their presence.
"Can I help you?" Chiara asks flatly. Fitzroy puts his hand on her shoulder but she shakes it off roughly, shooting a warning look back at him. Doran fights the urge to step back, instead trying to project some of the same energy as his district partner. They remind him a bit of the way his siblings often fight about the smallest things from breakfast portions to who gets to stay up later. Drawing that parallel helps Doran feel more comfortable.
"Actually yes," Emilia says. "We're looking to expand our alliance and were wondering if you'd be interested?"
Chiara snorts and is about to answer when Fitzroy cuts in, glancing at his partner with a look Doran recognizes to mean 'please stop talking'. "We're definitely interested. Is it okay if we think about it for a bit?"
Emilia doesn't seem to know what to say, probably having expected a resounding yes. Doran steps forward to help, plastering a smile on his lips that probably doesn't match hers. "That's fine, you know where to find us."
He leads his district partner away before she can say anything else. Doran can understand when people need their space, and this pair seems like they definitely need that. He's not totally convinced that they're the best choice anymore either. Fitzroy seems nice enough, but Chiara is a lot more unwelcoming than expected. It's possible they rushed into this too quickly and need to rethink their options. Their indecision gives them time to reconsider.
After a few minutes explaining this to Emilia, Doran finds himself back in line at the sparring ring. It's the last thing he wants to do right now but he's running out of time to get it done. Emilia's right to suggest that he just get it over with. He spent some time with knives before lunch, so when he's given the option that's what he decides to arm himself with. As the trainer approaches with foam weapon drawn, Doran finds it difficult to swallow down the urge to run away.
Is it such a bad idea just to run away? He asks himself. You can't be stabbed if you can't be caught.
A tone cuts through his thoughts and Doran allows them to be drowned out by the sound. He's been in his own head for most of his life, but that never got him anything but a headache. It might not be the worst idea to stop thinking for a little bit. Doran does his best to push every thought from his mind and focus on the heaviness of the knife, the stiff floor under his boots, and the trainer that has begun to step towards him. It helps the trembling in his fingers, but not by much.
Doran moves quickly away from the corner and draws the knife up beside him. His hands shake but he tries not to focus on that. The trainer lunges at him and Doran ducks, narrowly avoiding the foam tube and stabbing out blindly. It's not the best strategy, in fact Doran can't even be sure that what he's doing even is a strategy, but it works better than expected. He takes a few hits to the shoulder and hand but doles out a few hits as well. When time runs out, Doran's face lights up and he runs to the edge of the ring where Emilia is waiting for him.
"I did it!" Doran says, barely managing not to scream his excitement across the room. She wraps him in a hug and her smile is so bright one might think she'd been the one to tie, not even beat, the trainer. After a few seconds, Doran glances around the room to see a dozen pair of eyes looking at him. His face reddens as the District 1 boy chuckles to his partner, who makes a face in response. Doran's eyes lock with Chiara, still at the same station, who squints in his direction but Doran doesn't know what to make of the expression.
Capri Romano, 15, District 3 Female
Capri looks over at the sparring ring along with everyone else, but her gaze lingers a while longer than most. There are so many things to watch in the gymnasium, and it's difficult to even try and focus on the tasks she's trying to learn. If the threat of the arena wasn't looming over her, Capri would be out there meeting everyone and trying to see what they're all up to. All she wants to do is throw down these stupid leaves and explore, but that's not going to help her to learn these survival skills. Capri's never been so frustrated in her life.
From the moment she stepped foot on the reaping stage, Capri has been afraid. It's a weird feeling seeing as she grew up stretching the boundaries of what she should do, where she should be, and who she should be around. Capri has always approached life wanting more for herself and moving away from the things that bored her. Fear had never been a part of her makeup until the escort called her name. Still, Capri is determined not to let it define her. She has spent her life crafting the best image of herself for everyone she meets, and she will do it again. Capri will make herself look like a Victor if that's what it takes to become one.
"I have no idea what plant this is," Erdan sighs from beside her. Capri picks her smile back up and gives him a playful shove. He's the only person she's actually met here and also happens to be one of the easiest people to understand. Erdan is like every other boy at her school, he wants someone to make him feel important and to laugh at his jokes. Easy enough to accomplish but also pretty boring at this point. Between the leaf identification and trying to listen to his weak comedy, Capri feels like she may as well be at a funeral. The boredom is enough to make her begin to forget about the Hunger Games, so she does. There is still another whole day of training tomorrow. She'll spend that time learning, but for now she deserves a bit of a break.
"Let's go see what's going on," Capri says, pushing away the tray of identical looking plants. It's difficult for her to wait for Erdan to do the same, but she knows she has to keep making him feel needed. She hasn't really figured out what she'll do when it comes to alliances and strategy, so it's better to keep him around until she finds a better option. There's nothing particularly wrong with Erdan, but he's about as useless as she is with survival skills. In the few weapons they've tried, he's been even worse. It doesn't matter whether she likes hanging out with him, Capri needs to surround herself with people that will make her stand out as having potential. At least that's her excuse to keep looking around at the other tributes. She needs options and that's a productive way to spend her time right now.
"I thought we were doing this station last," Erdan says quietly as they approach the sparring ring. It's not hard to pick out the discomfort in his voice, but it is hard to ignore it. He's scared and that's another point against him. At least Capri is able to pretend she's confident.
"We are," Capri says without even looking at him. Her eyes scan the area around the ring, watching the District 5 pair as they walk away. She briefly considers stopping them but decides against it. They're not exactly the exciting people that would normally catch her eye so, regardless of anything they might be able to offer her, she lets them walk off. The volunteer group is also nearby, but even Capri isn't certain she is willing to approach them. She's looking for someone in between those two extremes. Interesting enough not to bore her, but also not someone who can pick her out as not belonging with them.
"What are we looking for?" Erdan asks, wrinkling his forehead in confusion.
"You said you wanted more allies, right?" Capri shrugs. "There's a lot of people gathering here so I thought this might be our chance."
"I never said that," Erdan says, confusion written clearly on his face. Capri is sure that he must have earlier, but that also could just be her projecting. Excitement rushes through her now that there are more people around and Capri revels in the feeling. Erdan is fine as a district partner but surrounded by people is where Capri always wants to be, not roped off at some survival station learning things she won't remember tomorrow. Now that they're away from the torturous plant station, she has no desire to go back. She still wants Erdan as a backup plan, but if he leaves her to go train it also wouldn't be the end of the world.
"You could always get in line for the sparring," Capri says quickly, aware of the harshness in her voice but unwilling to suppress it. "If this feels like a waste of time, I mean."
Erdan's eyes widen slightly at her tone and his mouth opens a few times before he actually gathers the words to say. "I didn't mean… I'm sorry?"
"No worries," Capri smiles, her light tone returning. He's not going to fight her on taking a break to talk to people, and that's all the go ahead she needs. She tilts her head towards an older girl standing in line behind the volunteers. "I'm going to go talk to her."
"Uh, okay," Erdan says weakly and Capri can hear his footsteps stumbling to follow her. Here, out in the open without the trainers to make her feel unprepared and stupid, Capri feels a lot more like herself. She walks with a lightness to her step that she hasn't felt in days. Talking to people is something that she is good at, maybe it was dumb to try and force herself away from that. After all, if she can find the right allies it won't matter what skills she knows. Capri holds her head up as the District 8 girl watches her approach, her lips pressed into a tight frown.
"Hi, I'm Capri," she says sweetly, putting her best smile forward. After a second thought, she motions vaguely behind her hoping that Erdan has caught up by now. "That's Erdan. We're from Three."
The District 8 girl looks them both up and down for a moment before she turns entirely away from them. "Good for you."
"This station looks fun," Capri continues, watching for a change in expression to let her know she's on the right track. It's not uncommon to be met with uncertainty, but Capri almost always manages to win people over. She mimics the girl's closed body language, wiping the smile from her face and replacing it with a smirk. It's all about trial and error when dealing with people, well that and a lot of persistence.
District 8 turns back to Capri. "Beat it, sweetheart. I'm not in the mood to make friends."
For the first time in a while, Capri is completely speechless. Erdan lays a hand on her shoulder and squeezes it, letting her know that it's probably a good time to leave. Capri takes a couple steps with him before she turns around, trying to keep the frustration off of her face. She's never been talked to like that, dismissed so easily before she can even learn someone's name. It's not a feeling she is ready to get used to. "I bet you have a lot of people rooting for you with that attitude."
"Capri!" Erdan whispers, quickening his pace to get away from the station. Capri looks back and smiles at the District 8 girl, not hearing her reply if she even gives one. "What are you doing?"
She shrugs, only now realizing how she might have looked to the other tributes. There aren't that many around anymore, and District 8 doesn't seem like the type to talk to them. She's probably safe from their judgement. Still, Erdan seems shaken. "We don't want her as an ally anyways."
Delias Vayne, 18, District 2 Male
As soon as they finish the mandatory stations, Aristona decides that it'd be best to spend the rest of their time on weapons. Delias has always preferred swords, as most of the Academy trainees do, but Aristona thinks its best if they train with other weapons today to be versatile. Delias doesn't mind, it feels like as good a plan as any, but he does mind the fact that District 1 is trying to be so chatty while they practice. Romello, especially, seems intent on cracking through Delias' hard exterior. He can't understand why they can't just train in silence, after all Jordan seems willing to do just that. Delias isn't here to meet new friends and he certainly isn't here to be ridiculed like at home. If he could, Delias would spend the rest of his life without speaking another word. Lucky for him, Romello doesn't seem to care if he gets answers or not.
Delias has never spent time considering why other people might volunteer for the Hunger Games. To him it was an easy choice, he could spend the rest of his life in prison just like his father or actually fight to turn his life around. He's not the tough, heartless guy that everyone sees when they look at him and definitely not the typical trainee. His parents have never been Peackeepers or fought in the war like most of the others'. He just wants his father back and, as a Victor, he believes he can make that happen and hopefully much more. That's why he let himself be pressured into volunteering.
"They seem to be getting along," Romello whispers, nodding towards their district partners. Delias glances over but to him everything looks normal; they're both training with spears and look to be doing decently well. He shakes his head to show that he doesn't understand. "Trust me, keep watching."
Aristona throws the spear, but as soon as it leaves her hand she is no longer watching the weapon. She looks over the barrier at Ashara, who looks away as soon as they lock eyes. Ashara quickly throws her own spear and also hits the center, albeit from about two feet closer than Aristona did. His district partner watches Ashara's throw with narrowed eyes, clearly picking it apart in her mind, before she makes any move to retrieve her spear.
"Weird, right?" Romello laughs. "It's like a silent skills competition but they're their own judges."
Delias grunts out a laugh, which brightens Romello's smile. It's pretty clear that he wants some connection, even if that's not what Delias is looking for. He has to admit that the jealousy in both of the girls' eyes is surprising, especially from Aristona. From what Delias has seen, his district partner isn't one to play into that kind of competitive drama. She's about as no-nonsense as people come which is just fine with Delias. However, there appears to be some cracks forming in that image. He's not sure if he buys her unwavering confidence anymore and that's oddly comforting.
Romello's eyes drift away form the girls and Delias' attention returns to the axe in his hand. It's a much bulkier weapon than he's used to and moves a lot differently than a sword, but he has the basic principles down. As long as he doesn't have to throw it, Delias is confident that he will do just fine if this is all he's left with in the arena.
Delias flinches when Romello begins to laugh again, this time not even attempting to keep it quiet. The axe slips and the blade rubs against the inside of Delias' fingers. He winces, putting pressure on the bleed immediately just as he's always been told. Injuries in the Academy aren't rare and Delias has the scars to prove it, but this one doesn't feel too deep.
"Shit, are you okay?" Romello asks when he sees the blood dripping down his wrist. Delias nods and drops the axe to the ground, knowing that he'll probably need to have someone wrap the wound eventually. "Look, there's something to make you feel better."
Delias follows Romello's gesture back to the sparring arena, where a girl with a curly ponytail is trying to get up from the ground while avoiding the trainer's mock-weapon. Delias can barely make out the silver 11's on her shoulders as the trainer manages a hit on the side of her face. The girl winces, but doesn't let it stop her, reaching out with a knife that's far too big. The trainer slaps it out of her hand and brings the foam down on the top of her head. The supervising trainer calls the match and helps the girl back to her feet.
"She spent more time on the floor than on her feet," Romello smirks and Delias looks at him directly, crossing both arms over his chest. It's not right to be mocking someone for failing at something like this and Delias isn't about to take part. One look from him is usually enough to shut up just about anyone, well anyone but his cousin, but Romello continues. "We know who not to bother with now, at least."
Delias glares at him, but Romello isn't even looking at him anymore. He knows that he should say something, and he wants to say something, but he's too afraid to speak. His voice is the one thing that has always betrayed Delias, always showed people just how easy he is to ridicule. If he could just say the words he means without slurring them together or stuttering, life would be so much easier. Delias could tell his cousin where to shove it and not fear that the mocking would just get worse.
The girl's district partner, a boy that reminds Delias almost too much of himself when he was younger, takes her place in the ring and Romello giggles beside him. "This ought to be good."
Before he can think it through, Delias shoves Romello from the side. His voice comes in a low growl, meant only for the District 1 tribute to hear. "Shut up."
Romello stumbles a couple of steps, his eyes wide, until he loses his balance and lands on the ground with a hard thud. He stares up at Delias with a mixture of confusion and fear that is quickly replaced by rage as his face turns bright red. Delias freezes as dozens of eyes turn to see what's going on and he drops his hands to his sides. Romello jumps to his feet and lunges forward with both fists in front of him but Delias doesn't bother to move. Peacekeepers jump between them and pull the two boys apart, slamming Delias into a nearby wall.
"What the hell?" Romello cries over the loud tone signalling the day's end. "It was a fucking joke!"
"Attention tributes," the familiar mechanical voice chimes. "Training has ended for the day. Please report to the elevators, your mentors will be there to return you to your accommodations."
Delias is still trapped by the Peacekeepers as the other tributes begin to file out of the gymnasium. After a few moments, Aristona and their mentors find him and the Peacekeepers finally release their grip on him with a sharp warning. Delias isn't sure what to say, but Aristona isn't keen on letting him speak anyways. "What the hell happened?"
Delias can't think of another time that he has seen Aristona this upset and without her usual composed confidence. He flinches away from her, not knowing how to answer without sounding like a maniac. He pushed some guy he hardly knows, who he's supposed to be in an alliance with, and for what? Romello's attitude is absolutely disgusting, but he should have just spoken up. Delias is embarrassed to explain himself, so he just stares at the ground and says nothing as usual.
"Delias," Matias whispers, gently picking up the bloodied hand from earlier. Delias pulls it away and shakes his head, trying to tell his mentor not to worry about it.
"You hit him that hard?" Amos asks, eyes wide. Delias shakes his head and looks between each of them, seeing a mix of confusion, anger, and fear. He knows how this looks. People always want to see the worst in him- he's the big, intimidating monster that also happens to be trained. Just like his father, Delias always comes off as a threat. He's not even sure that explaining himself would help at this point. The looks in their eyes tell him it wouldn't.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Aristona says through gritted teeth, her cheeks flushed and lips tightened into a thin line. "We just confirmed with them. How could you be so stupid?"
"We'll talk to their mentors," Matias says quickly. Delias doesn't blame her for being upset; an hour ago they all discussed the alliance again and it was unanimous that they would continue with it this year. Now, he's not sure this will be the case anymore and it's all his fault. "We'll figure this out, okay."
Evi Tolbert, 17, District 8 Female
Evi smirks as she is ushered out of the gymnasium with the rest of the tributes. Earlier, as she saw them train, Evi had almost allowed herself to be intimidated by the large group of volunteers. Now it's obvious that they're not even close to the cohesive front they've been trying to put on. Maybe if Evi is lucky, they'll pick each other off by the time they get to the arena. That sure would help her chances.
Madina and Aberro are already waiting at the elevators by the time she gets there. She's surprised not to see her district partner crying, that seems to have become a pretty consistent theme for him. It doesn't bother Evi that he's upset about being here, if she were him she'd probably feel the same way. He's young, small, and naïve, not exactly the makings of a Victor but at least Aberro is smart enough to see that. Not to mention that he's so easily thrown off by a couple of doubtful comments. He simply doesn't have the mindset to make it in the arena, but that's not her problem. Evi knows that she will outlast him and that's really all that matters.
"Is everything alright?" Madina asks sleepily. She had been awake when Evi and Aberro left this morning, but it looks like that didn't last very long.
Evi shrugs. "A little intra-alliance feud, nothing that interesting."
"Okay," Madina says, taking a moment to rub the exhaustion out her eyes. "How did today go?"
"Great," Evi says with another smirk. It went about as well as can be expected, but she got through everything she wanted to. Her performance in all the mandatory activities was good, much better than a lot of the others at least. She wasn't 'killed' in her sparring match and made it across the platforms in half the time it took the District 5 boy. Not the worst day of her life by a longshot.
"Fine," Aberro says shyly, not looking at either of them. Evi snorts at his response, knowing that it's likely to be an exaggeration. She saw him get shouted away from a lunch table by one of the other girls. Someone like Aberro needs an alliance to have a chance and, so far, Evi doesn't see that happening for him. Who could blame the other tributes for steering clear? Not Evi.
The elevator dings as they reach their floor and Madina motions for them to have a seat in the living room. Evi takes a seat, figuring there is nothing else to do in this place, but Aberro pauses behind the couch. "If it's okay, I'd rather go shower."
"Are you sure?" Madina asks with a weak smile.
Aberro nods, looking much more tired than he had when they got into the elevator. "I'll come out in a bit."
"Okay, no problem," Madina says and she watches Aberro leave until the door shuts behind him. Even though they haven't had a lot of one-on-one sessions, Evi doesn't actually have any issues with her mentor. In a weird way, she kind of respects the Victor. She has an intensity surrounding her that Evi can feel in herself. It's one of the reasons that Evi knows she will be able to handle the arena. Madina might be a whole lot more privileged than Evi, but they're not all that different. Madina is probably spending more time with Aberro because she knows he needs the comforting. Evi is just fine on her own and she's sure her mentor can see this.
"What did you train today?" Madina asks once he's gone.
"I didn't have a lot of time because of those stupid mandatories," Evi admits. "I worked with knives and trapping mostly."
"Don't forget the survival skills tomorrow then," Madina reminds her.
"You sound like the trainers," Evi says, rolling her eyes.
"They're important," Madina says sternly. She's never one to beat around the bush, that's one of the things Evi most appreciates about Madina. She tells them what they need to know and answers any questions Evi asks. She wishes that she had known more people like Madina back in District 8, maybe then she would actually have had friends. "Did you meet any of the other tributes?"
Evi remembers her quick exchange with the District 3 girl, Capri, but decides its not important to mention. She received a few trial smiles from the others but didn't return a single one. Evi isn't interested in meeting any of them. In her mind, there's no point. "Nope."
"You should think more about joining an alliance," Madina says.
"I've thought about it," Evi snorts. "I'm not interested."
Madina gets quiet for a moment and Evi expects that they're dropping the topic. Then, Madina continues though her voice is much softer. "You don't want to be in the arena alone."
"I can handle myself," Evi insists, slightly insulted that Madina doesn't believe she can do this without help.
"I know you can, but you don't want to," Madina says, pausing for a moment as she looks away. She lets out a slow breath and continues. "I was alone. I didn't sleep without panicking that I wouldn't wake up. I took every step expecting to be thrown into a trap. I came face-to-face with groups that could have easily killed me and was lucky to live. I'll respect your decision, but just know that it's not easy."
"You were alone?" Evi asks, her voice cracking for a moment before she catches herself. She's not afraid, just curious. At least that's what she tells herself.
"The whole time," Madina nods.
"If it's so hard, why did you do it?"
Madina stands up for a moment, her eyes drifting up to the ceiling like she might start crying. Evi leans back against the cushions, her heart beating so loudly in her ears that she worries she won't hear her response. "I didn't have a choice, you do. Make the right one."
She walks towards her own bedroom and Evi doesn't bother to call after her. She's never seen Madina look so upset and maybe that's why she feels like it's so hard to breathe. Evi thinks of them as equals, knowing that if Madina was able to get herself out then she can too. Luck wasn't supposed to have anything to do with it. As the door shuts behind her, their escort Helio steps off the elevator with a welcoming smile on his face. Evi runs to her room before he gets the chance to stop her. She feels like she might throw up even though she hasn't eaten since lunch.
Evi isn't sure what part of that conversation has her so worked up, but it takes several minutes before the trembling in her fingers subsides. Madina didn't want to be alone, but does that mean that Evi should be trying to find an alliance? She doesn't know but the warning in her mentor's voice feels too poignant to ignore. For the first time, Evi wonders if she's as prepared as she thinks she is. Her strategy is completely based on not having to depend on anyone else but is that the right idea? She tries to swallow down the feeling, but it refuses to leave her. She might be making a mistake and there's not a lot of time left to fix it.
A/N: I apologize that this chapter was a bit longer than usual, I had some more ground to cover and it got a bit out of hand. Two more chapters of training are left, where we will meet some more of the alliances. Honestly, this is one of my favourite chapters so far because I feel like I'm actually getting a decent hold of how to write training? Little late but like still- growth. Let me know what you think!
Alliances: Ashara/Romello/Aristona/Delias; Capri/Erdan; Emilia/Doran; Verdana/Levi; Ira/Florian
What did you think of these 4 tributes (Doran, Capri, Delias, & Evi)?
Do you have any guesses for alliances that might happen later?
I look forward to hearing all of your thoughts so leave a review if you have the time! Either way, remember that BLM and ACAB; also keep up the donations, petition signing, protesting, etc. We are not done y'all.
~ Olive