There might be grammar mistakes this chapter because I was too lazy to fix them.
District 7
Zaira Quentin
I wake to Leon shaking my arm. I automatically yank it away, but he holds on and continues shaking it.
"Zaira, wake up!" he says in a chipper voice. "It's your first day of training. You don't want to be late." I groan and attempt to fall back to sleep. I had a lot of trouble sleeping last night, so I've only been resting for a few hours. I don't get a chance to get back to sleep, though, because Leon continues trying to get me out of bed. He begins pulling harder, until he almost yanks me off the bed.
"Fine, I'll get up!" I finally shout, waving him away. He lets go, and I quickly stretch my back.
"You only have half an hour until training starts. Get ready, quickly," Leon warns, and skips out of my room. When he's out of here, I consider going back to sleep. But he's right, I don't want to be late for training, especially on the first day.
I get out of bed and head over to my en suite bathroom. I'm wearing a nightgown, but it's soaked in sweat. I must have been having some bad dreams last night. I reach the shower, close the door behind me, and start the water. I had my mentor, Dara, help me work the shower last night, because I've been having some trouble ever since I got Reaped. She told me that a lot of tributes have trouble with the showers at first, which made me feel better.
Steam begins to rise, causing condensation to grow on the mirror. I peel off my moist nightgown and throw it on the ground. I could put it in the hamper, but it's all the way back in my bedroom and the avoxes will pick it up here, anyway.
I feel bad for the avoxes, but I might as well use their services. After all, I'm heading to my death in a matter of days, I shouldn't be too worried about them.
I step into the shower and begin cleaning myself off. I've already taken a few showers in the Capitol, so I've used a lot of the soaps they have available. At this point, I'm no longer worried about using as many different soaps as possible and am fine just bathing with two or three. My skin feels weird after the prep team because they rubbed off years of dirt, grime, body hair, and skin. It still stings a bit, but it's very smooth and I can't resist repeatedly rubbing my hand over my new limbs.
I exit the shower after about ten minutes, which was still longer than necessary, but it was very relaxing to stand under the warm water spraying down on my head. There are a bunch of fluffy white towels hanging on a hook near the door, so I grab one and wrap it around my body. There's also this tube I can step inside where it blows warm air on me to dry me off, but I'm not ready for that. It seems unnatural to me. I'd rather be slightly damp for the next hour.
I use one hand to keep my towel in place while I use the other to begin combing my knotted hair. The soap helped it a lot, but I still come across the occasional tough not. I hiss as the teeth of the comb hook into a particularly bad clump of hair. I pull down, trying to separate the knot, but it only yanks the hair down my scalp. Leon decides to choose this moment to bang on the door to my bathroom.
"Zaira, what's taking you so long? You still need to eat!" he cries, slamming his fists against the door.
"I'm drying myself off!" I shout back, still working on the knot. "It will only take another minute!"
"It better!" he sighs. I wait to hear him walk away, but he remains standing next to the door.
"Are you still there?" I ask after a beat.
"Yes. I'm making sure you don't procrastinate."
I groan but return to combing my hair. The knot finally separates, and after that, it's pretty easy to comb the rest of my hair. I hear Leon continue to shout warnings to speed me along, but I just try to tune him out. I'm almost done. I quickly brush my teeth, then finally open the bathroom door. Leon stands in front of the doorway, his hand raised, mid-knock.
"Finally," he mutters, then walks away. "Your training outfit is on the bed." He exits my room, and I'm glad that he's polite enough to shut the door behind him. I go over to my bed, where a simple sleeveless black jumpsuit lies on my comforter. There's a silver '7' stitched on the back.
I pull on the jumpsuit but have a little bit of trouble zipping up the back. I would ask Dara to do it, but I don't want to walk out into the kitchen with my back completely exposed. True, it could and probably will be a lot worse when I go into the Hunger Games, but I'd rather avoid it. I eventually manage to reach behind me and pull up the zipper, though.
I walk out into the kitchen, where everyone else is seated around the table, a bunch of plates and platters stocked with food in the center.
"So, you're finally here?" Ruce asks, seeming slightly agitated. He uses his knife to butter a piece of toast much too violently. When he's satisfied with the amount of butter, he slams the knife back onto the butter dish.
"Careful, Sprucen!" Dara exclaims.
"Ruce," he corrects. I take a seat next to Dara and begin piling my plate with food. Ruce, who sits across from me, watches me pile all of the different breakfast foods onto my plate with disgust. "You're acting like you've never seen food in your life," he says.
"I haven't seen a lot of it," I say casually, and begin eating a bagel.
While I eat, Chance, Dara, and Ruce begin talking about strategies for training while Leon occasionally chimes in with a reminder of the time. I'd rather Ruce and I be prepared separately, but Chance and Dara never offered and I'd feel really rude asking to be mentored separately from Ruce. At least I get to hear his strategy, like this. So far, it seems to be just to threaten and kill as many people as possible.
"Are you planning on joining any alliances?" Chance asks Ruce.
"Yeah. I'd be fine with anyone, but I'd just manipulate them and stuff. Loyalty has no place in the Hunger Games."
Well, I know not to accept an offer of an alliance from Ruce Willes. The bright side of us being mentored together is I get to hear all of his plans. I don't actually mention mine, though. I'll just ask Dara, later, when we're alone.
"What about you, Zaira?" Dara asks. "Are you planning on accepting any alliances?" I point at my full mouth to signal that I can't talk. Dara accepts this and returns to talking to Ruce.
"We only have five minutes left," Leon says nervously.
"All right," Chance says. "Are you guys ready to go?"
"Yeah. I've been ready for a while," says Ruce.
"I'm about done," I promise. I cram one more bite of a jelly-filled doughnut in my mouth, then stand up. "Okay, I'm ready."
"Great, let's go!" Leon cheers, popping out of his chair. He skips over to the elevator and presses the down button. Ruce and I join him over by the elevator. After a moment of waiting, the metal doors slide open. The only people in the elevator car are the two District 12 tributes.
"Hi," the female says, smiling, as we step in.
"Hi," I say, and the door closes. The elevator shoots down, much faster than I'm used to and I grab onto the metal bar on the back wall.
"I'm still not used to how fast this thing goes," the girl laughs. Nobody responds to her. "I'm Rachel Ivy," she says, "and this is Quentin." She gestures to her District partner, a very tall boy with curly brown hair. He waves and forces a small smile.
"I'm Zaira," I say, quietly, not really in the mood to talk. Rachel turns to Ruce, expecting him to introduce himself, but he ignores her. She looks at me, and I think she's expecting me to introduce him, but I pretend I don't know what she's talking about. Rachel quits trying to conversate with the rest of us when the doors open again and the tributes from District 4 step inside.
The tension in here could be cut with a knife. Rachel doesn't try to introduce herself to them, though. We all stay quiet as the elevator makes its way down. The doors finally open after what feels like a long time, even though it was only four floors. We all step out into the training center.
It's time for our first day of training.
District 1
Cecelia Hart
"Is everyone here?" the head training instructor, Danae, asks. We all shrug, and a few people look around to see who could possibly be missing. None of us really know each other yet, so it's hard for us to recognize someone's absence. I look around and see that all of my allies are here, which means none of the Careers are late.
"District 5 is missing," someone finally calls out. I do a quick scan of the group and realize that the Siamese twins are indeed missing.
We're currently gathered in a circle around the head trainer, a woman named Danae. Trajan and I got here early, not wanting to miss a moment of training, which I suppose is one of the only things we have in common. Unfortunately, we only learned when we got down here that we're not allowed to start training until after Danae gives a speech, and she won't speak until everyone arrives.
The elevator bell chimes and everyone turns to see Dennis and the twins exit the elevator.
"Sorry it took so long. They had to have their suit adjusted so it fits both of their necks," Dennis snickers, rushing over to us. I notice that the neckline of their jumpsuit has been widened in order for both of their heads to fit through. They move at a slow but steady pace until they reach us.
"Okay, now we can begin," Danae says when everyone's listening to her. "My name is Danae, and I'm your Head Training Instructor. Over the course of the next three days, you will be able to prepare yourself for the Games with all the supplies you see around you. There will be an instructor at each station to help you. If you would like, we have instructors you can spar with, but it is forbidden to do so with another tribute. The gymnasium will be open from 6 AM to 10 PM, and you are free to go to whatever station you like. Are there any questions?"
There's silence, then the boy from District 8 tentatively raises his hand.
"Um, do we have to train for sixteen hours?" he nervously asks. His eyes dart around cautiously, and I notice that he's mostly glancing at us Careers.
"No, training is only mandatory from 8 AM to 6 PM. After or before then, you may go back to your floor. The extra time is just for anyone who would like to work extra hard. You're also not required to train when down here. You can just stand around unless I call for a mandatory activity," Danae answers. "Are there any other questions?"
No one says anything.
"In that case, you are free to go. However, we will have mandatory stations in an hour. Until then, you may do whatever you please."
The crowd scatters, and everyone wanders off in different directions. I'm slightly overwhelmed to see all of the Careers immediately walk over to me. Trajan looks a little irritated when everyone watches me for instructions.
"Um… for now, let's just warm up. And make sure to keep your eye out in case anyone else might be useful in the alliance. Don't talk to them, yet, though. We'll actually begin talking them after the mandatory activities Danae told us about," I say.
"How should we warm up?" Lucretius asks.
"I was thinking the cardio stations, but you don't really have to do that," I shrug. The Careers scatter, most of them going to one of the cardio stations, with the exception of Trajan, who goes straight toward the swords. I roll my eyes and head over toward the obstacle course. I don't really care if he does what I say, but being straight-up defiant is a bad idea.
I see Noelani has also decided to start on the obstacle course. She's currently off to the side, stretching. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the little girl from Eight watching the course wistfully. She must have been hoping to try it but is too nervous to be at the same station as the District 4 female. Instead, she's tying knots with her District partner.
I take a seat next to Noelani and follow her lead by stretching my hamstrings.
"Hi," I say.
"Hey." Noelani begins stretching her shoulder. "Do you want to race on the obstacle course?"
"Sure," I shrug. "But I have to warn you - I'm pretty fast."
"So am I," Noelani grins. I begin stretching my ankles and wrists. "Hey, you know how the Career alliance is so large? And it will probably split up eventually?"
"Yeah?"
"When it splits up, how about we stick together?"
"Are you proposing an inner alliance?" I ask, smiling.
"I suppose."
"I like that idea," I decide. "Let's do it. Shake hands?"
Noelani smiles and shakes my hand.
District 5
Dennis Fielder
"Alright, everyone, time for the mandatory activities!" Danae announces after the first hour ends. Several people groan in disappointment as they are forced to set down their weapons, but everyone walks over to Danae, who stands next to the ropes' course.
I don't bother placing my short-bladed sword on the display rack, I simply drop it on the ground as I walk over to join the rest of the tributes at the ropes' course. I stand on the outside of the circle, only partially paying attention to the Head Trainer. I focus most of my attention on studying the other tributes; who will be the most fun to torture, who will be the easiest to take down, who has possible mental scars or insecurities to play with, etc.
"The following mandatory activities will last until lunchtime-" Danae begins, but is immediately interrupted by sighs of disappointment from the Careers. She sends them a threatening glare before returning to her speech. "They will last until lunchtime, after then, the rest of the day will be your's to spend however you please. You'll split up into three groups and each group will spend one hour at a different station. The activity will be led by a trainer, and you are forbidden to train separately or wander off at any point.
"You will be divided into groups according to District; Districts 1 through 4, Districts 5 through 8, and Districts 9 through 12. Districts 1 through 4 will start at the weapons stations, Districts 5 through 8 at the survival stations, and Districts 9 through 12 at the cardio station. After an hour, you will switch."
My eyes drift to the small boy from District 3, who gulps and looks terrified at the prospect of training with all of the Careers for the next three hours. I smirk at his obvious fear.
Tributes begin splitting up into the groups and heading toward their designated sections. I reluctantly head over to the clump of tributes lingering near the fire-starting station, which includes my District partners. The entire group looks like weaklings, with the exception of the boy from District 7, who volunteered. However, he doesn't look especially strong and I'm pretty sure he's dumber than a sack of flour.
We're all unsure of what to do, but a peppy instructor quickly dashes over and begins ordering us to create a fire.
The fire-making station is disappointingly small, and the platform resembling a section of a pine forest can barely hold all of us. I sit in the corner, attempting to create a fire with only friction. The instructor, whose name is Phaidra, suggests we try to start with matches, but I want to start with the more difficult techniques because those are the ones I'll most likely have to use in the arena. Everyone else, with the exception of the boy from District 7, is starting off with matches.
I'm trying to make smoke by rubbing two sticks together, but I'm starting to realize it's much more difficult than I initially thought. Phaidra comes over to give me advice, but I wave her off. I don't want help.
After a couple of minutes of furiously rubbing my sticks together, I set them down and give my blistered hands a break. I look around to see how well everyone else is doing. A few people must have been able to use matches, because I see several now attempting to create a spark using flint. The girl from District 6 manages to use the flint to make several sparks, which catch onto a log. Her fire blossoms before my eyes, as she carefully blows on it, then feeds it more sticks. I watch the fire until she begins to get sickly praise from Phaidra, and I look away.
The only people still using matches are the boys from District 8 and 6, and my District partners, who are clearly having some trouble, only having control of one arm each. The boy from District 6 strikes a match against the side of the box, and it catches flame. He cheers triumphantly and grins broadly.
"Great, Axel, now put it out and you can start with flint!" Phaidra says while showing a disgruntled Sprucen how to create friction. Axel seems too proud of his fire to extinguish it, though, and lets it burn down the match. Nobody else is paying any attention to him, just focusing on their own fires, so only I realize what's about to happen.
The flame reaches the bottom of the match and burns Axel's fingers. He yelps and automatically releases it. He winces and waves around his fingers to stop the pain. A few people glance toward him, but nobody cares. It barely burned his fingers. Even Axel moves past it, going to collect his flint for the next level.
I stay locked in place, entranced by the strangely captivating occurrence. Just that smallest incident caused a twinge of pleasure to shoot through me. If something that small was so exciting to me, I can only imagine how I'll feel in the Games - when I can go as far as I want, and no one can say anything.
I return to trying to start my fire, but it remains very difficult. I manage to get smoke, but when I try to blow on it to turn it into an actual fire, I accidentally extinguish it. It's better than anyone else does, though. The only other people using sticks to start a fire are Sprucen and the girl from District 6, and neither are able to get any smoke.
After half an hour, we move on to the edible plants' station, which is arguably the most boring one in the entire gym. Phaidra sticks with us and lectures us about the differences in berries and leaves. Afterward, she has us do a quick sorting game, where she gives each of us ten random cards, and we have to sort them into two piles; edible and poisonous.
When it's my turn, I don't give it much thought. I simply look at the colors of the berries to decide whether I think they're edible or not. Surprisingly, I get seven out of ten correct.
I'm not completely disregarding this station - I know it's important, but I don't focus in group settings. Tomorrow, I'll return when it's empty and completely learn all of the plants.
The only person who gets a perfect score is the girl from District 7, which isn't surprising since she probably spends a lot of her time in a forest. Everyone else gets scores similar to mine, except the girl from District 6 who seems to sort her cards on gut instincts, and ends up with a 3/10 score.
We only have fifteen minutes left for the survival stations, so Phaidra quickly takes us over to shelter-making and lectures us on the basics and what type of materials to use in different climates. We don't have time for actually building any shelters, because Danae tweets a whistle and orders everyone to switch stations before Phaidra is done talking.
My group is pushed over to the cardio stations next, where our trainer is an ironically weak-looking man called Timoteus. Timoteus immediately orders us to do some laps around the track. A few people take off into sprinting around, taking this very seriously, but others, like Sprucen and I, simply stroll.
"Run!" Timoteus shouts at my group of walkers. I break into a light jog, which is clearly not my maximum speed, but Timoteus seems satisfied. I'm not even half-way down the track when I'm out-lapped by the small girl from District 8, who speeds past. Not long after, the pair from District 6 runs past us, side by side.
I do a quick scan of the track to see everyone's location. I want to remember information like this to know how fast people are, and who will be the most difficult to chase. The girl from 8 is extremely quick, but she has slowed to a walk at this point and is panting, which shows that she doesn't have a lot of stamina. The pair from 6 is also fast, but unlike the girl from 8, they have managed to keep a steady pace. The boy from District 8 and Sprucen's District partner both look like they're trying hard, but are traveling at pathetic paces around the track.
Finally, I look around at the people jogging alongside me. I'm guessing that Sprucen, like me, is much faster than the pace he's traveling at, but doesn't care enough to run at his top speed. Macey and Tracey, on the other hand, are running as fast as they can. They're moving at the same speed as Sprucen and I, though, which doesn't bode well for them.
After a few minutes of running, Timoteus calls us back over.
"Now that we're warmed up, we're going to do some more difficult activities. First, the ropes' course." Timoteus leads us over to a high course with a bunch of different rope-themed obstacles on it. It seems to mostly rely on upper body strength since a lot of the obstacles only have handholds. "Line up," Timoteus barks, and gestures toward the ladder. The ladder leads up to a platform several feet high, where we can actually grab on to the first rope.
Nobody seems willing to go first, so there's a quick scuffle where everyone attempts to stand somewhere near the back of the line. The boy from District Eight ends up at the front. He nervously glances up at the high ladder, then back at Timoteus.
"What if I fall?" he asks nervously.
"There are mats," Timoteus responds impatiently. "Now climb the ladder!"
"I could twist an ankle," says the boy, and Timoteus rolls his eye.
"Yes, it's happened many times before."
"It has?" he squeaks.
"Climb the ladder, kid!" Timoteus shouts, but the boy stays planted to the ground.
"You know what?" the girl from Six says from the middle of the line. "I'll go first."
The boy from Eight breathes a sigh of relief and steps back into the line. The girl scurries up the ladder and doesn't hesitate before racing through the course. She doesn't seem that strong, but she's probably pretty light. She also doesn't hesitate on the more dangerous moves, which quickens her time greatly.
She finishes, making Timoteus quite pleased. The rest of us go through the course, although nobody falls, which is disappointing. It would have been very entertaining to see someone break their ankle. Unfortunately, most people make it through without falling. The boy from District 8 and Sprucen both slip once or twice, but just land safely on their backs, and the mats cushion the fall.
Timoteus takes us through some other cardio stations, including something called the Gauntlets, where we have to jump along pedestals of various heights while Timoteus attempts to hit us with a padded club. He seems to have way too much fun chasing and hitting us. However, I have to admit that I always got a kick out of him hitting someone. It was especially funny when the boy from District 6 slipped off a pedestal and chipped his front tooth.
Timoteus refused to let him go to the medics, even though it was bleeding. Which meant that for quite a while, I got to see Axel's mouth bleeding.
Timoteus also had us lift weights (which I was actually good at) until Danae once again tweeted her whistle and we got to move on to the most exciting stations; weaponry.
We leave Timoteus, finally, and move onto Markus, who is a little more sympathetic and lets Axel go off to the medics in order to get his tooth treated. Markus explains that we're not going to fight with anyone else yet, even trainers, so we're just going to practice with dummies and targets.
Markus announces that he'll teach us the basics of each weapon, so we can find what feels natural and practice with it even more after lunch. He has us start with axes, which seems like a questionable choice, considering most of our group is weak and probably won't be able to wield an axe.
Markus teaches us the form and hand-placement for melee fighting, then lets the people who are better with axes (Sprucen, his District partner, and I) to practice throwing the axes at targets. Axel, who can barely hold his axe up, wants to practice throwing the axe, as well, but Markus seems hesitant since Axel can barely use it at all. He explains that it might be dangerous, but when Axel won't stop begging to attempt axe-throwing, Markus announces that we'll move on to swords.
Markus teaches us the basics of swords and daggers, then moves on to the distance weapons. Nobody excels at archery, although the girl from 6 isn't too bad with a crossbow. When we move onto throwing knives, Axel shocks everyone by hitting one of the inner rings on the target every time. Even Markus is impressed and lets him try throwing knives at dummies. He seems a bit worse with a human figure but continues working on it. The rest of us work on throwing at the targets.
I can't speak for everyone else, but I'm a bit ashamed that a twelve-year-old is better at throwing knives than I am.
Markus checks the time and realizes that we only have a bit of time left, so he decides to show us hand-to-hand combat. I was hoping we'd get to fight one another, but Markus only has us practice with punching bags. He teaches us the form for throwing a punch and a kick, which we work on until Danae once again tweets her whistle.
"Time for lunch!" she exclaims and waves us over.
District 2
Glorian Stafford
I'm one of the first to enter the cafeteria, which means that I don't need to wait in line for very long. I grab a tray from the end of the counter and begin to walk along, occasionally picking up a bit of food. I'm not feeling very hungry and I don't want to waste any food, so I decide to keep my choices to a minimum. I scoop a few cups of tomato soup into a bowl, then grab a roll and crisp apple.
I step away from the line, allowing other kids to get food. There are six tables in the cafeteria, each with six seats. All are currently unoccupied, since everyone else is still loading food onto their plates, so I have my pick of the litter. I choose the one closest to me, so the rest of the Careers will definitely notice where I chose to sit.
I begin eating my apple as more tributes come over. Cecelia and Noelani come over, sitting on my right. Shortly after, we're joined by the rest of the group, who sit across from us.
"I know we haven't exactly gotten to roam around yet, but did anyone notice any potential threats or additions to the alliance?" Cecelia asks after we've all sat down. I shrug and stick to myself. I've already decided that my presence in this alliance will barely be there. I'll simply stay in the outskirts and let everyone else do the talking.
"Well, obviously the District 10 boy's a threat," Noelani responds.
"He didn't seem that powerful," Glitter sneers. "I think he's being over-estimated. He's strong, sure, but that doesn't mean he has a lot of experience with weapons. I bet he'll be clueless in the arena."
"I still don't want to face him in a fight," Lucretius reasons. Cecelia nods.
"I'm not saying he's going to be a huge threat, but it would be better to have him on our side," says Cecelia. "Someone should talk to him after lunch and see if he'd like to join our alliance."
"Hold on," Trajan interjects. "You're only a temporary leader. We should be in agreement before adding someone to the group."
"Fine," Cecelia sighs. "Let's vote on it. Who wants the District 10 boy to join our alliance?"
"Buck," Lucretius corrects. "His name is Buck."
"Okay, then who wants Buck to be in our pack?" Cecelia asks, rolling her eyes. I raise my hand, along with Cecelia, Noelani, and Lucretius. "Okay, then I'll talk to him after lunch."
"Shouldn't it be unanimous?" Trajan asks, raising an eyebrow.
"No. Majority wins," Lucretius says with a tone of finality. "Is there anyone else?"
"It's hard to tell," Noelani shrugs. "We should wait until we see people actually practicing. We don't want to be too hasty." Everyone agrees, and any strategic talk dies down. Instead, talk turns to our families or training. I'm kind of interested about life in other Districts, but I know that it won't matter if I don't win. I decide to focus on the interactions between other tributes, in case I find something I could use in the Games.
Most District partners are sitting together, which is not surprising. One table has the pair from 9 and the pair from 6. They seem to be having a conversation, although not a very exciting one. The next table has the pair from 10 on one side of the table and the boy from District 11 on the other. They're not talking, which suggests that they're not in an alliance.
The next table is the most full with the two from District 12, the girl from District 7, the pair from 8, and the girl from District 11. Another table has the tributes from Districts 3 and the boy from District 7. There's also the girls from District 5. Finally, at the last table is only the boy from 5, which seems odd to me. With so many tributes, it seems unlikely that one would have a table to himself.
"Glorian?" Noelani says.
"Huh?"
"What is your home life like?" she asks.
"Um, well…" I pause, unsure of how to proceed. "It's mostly just a lot of training. Pretty unextraordinary," I lie. They continue on with their conversation, not questioning my response. While the training part is true, the latter isn't. Even for District 2, I've had a pretty dramatic life.
District 9
Savanna Davison
"What should we do next?" I ask Hadley as we wander from station to station. We still have a few more hours until dinner, so we have plenty of time to try new stations. We've just learned how to use daggers and throw knives, so Hadley suggested we try something more survival-based.
"How about shelter making?' he suggests. I nod in agreement and we head over to the station. Its only occupant is the boy from District 6, who is even younger than me.
The boy from 6 is currently working on a basic lean-to, piling sticks onto the structural supports. It doesn't look very secure. And sure enough, when he places another handful of sticks on it, the whole thing collapses. Obvious disappointment crosses his face, but he doesn't complain before pushing the sticks aside and trying again.
I glance at Hadley and notice that he is looking at me with a pleading expression. I'm not good at knowing what people want, so I'm slightly confused. He cocks his head, widens his eyes, then pouts his bottom lip. My confusion must show because he then starts attempting to use his hands to mime want he wants.
I don't know if it would make sense to anyone else, but I don't understand how it could. Hadley shakes his hands, begins pointing randomly, and waves his hand. He repeats the actions, which doesn't help.
"What are you trying to say?" I finally ask. Hadley sighs and leans over to whisper in my ear.
"Can we invite Axel into the alliance?" he asks, gesturing to the boy from District 6, who is struggling to keep his sticks to stay in place.
"Is that what you were trying to ask?" I say, shocked. Hadley nods sheepishly.
"Was it really confusing?" he asks. I nod. "Can we?"
"I guess," I say. "We'll need numbers to stand a chance." Hadley grins and walks over to Axel.
"Do you want to make a shelter with Savanna and me?" Hadley asks him. Axel looks surprised at the invitation, but nods.
"We should build a bigger fort than the lean-to," he suggests. "So we can all fit under it." Hadley agrees, and calls me over. I walk over to Axel and Hadley, who have already begun building a new shelter. They both have two forked logs, and are digging them into the dirt to keep them in place.
I rush over to Axel and help him hold the log in place while Hadley covers the bottom with dirt. Despite the fact that I intended on surviving the Games alone, I suppose a trio wouldn't be too bad.
District 8
Felix Camacho
When it finally becomes to 6 PM and training is over, the trainers tweet their whistles and people like me, who have been watching the clock repeatedly the past three hours, immediately head over to the elevators. It's not that I don't care about training - I do want to be prepared for the Hunger Games, but my stomach is rumbling and the presence of the Careers really freaks me out.
A few people continue training, but most stand in line for the elevators. I hope I'm not on an elevator with any Careers, because that would be a very scary and uncomfortable situation. Luckily, that doesn't seem like it will be an issue, because when the first set of doors slide open, all six careers pack inside. No one else seems stupid enough to step inside -
Then the boy from Eleven, who must have a death wish, blocks the doors just before they're about to close and slips inside. He's met with some confused, some angry faces but mostly looks of shock. Why is this kid so stupid?
"Hey," he says, nodding at the girl from District 1. She, along with the rest of the Careers, stare at him in shock. The doors slide closed, blocking us from the rest of that exchange.
A new pair of doors slide open, and I'm one of the people who crowd in. I jump up to look over the shoulders of the boy from District 10 to see which buttons are being pressed.
"Hey, can you press the one for Floor 8 - thanks." I stop jumping, which is good becomes it was earning me some odd looks. The elevator shoots up several floors, occasionally stopping to let people off. We reach what I think is Floor 8, and I squeeze through some people to step off.
The doors shut behind me and I begin to walk toward my room when I realize the girl I stepped off with is not Linen. She's teh girl from District 7, who is staring at me.
"Is this not Floor 8?" I ask. She shakes her head. "Shoot."
I walk back over to the elevator and press the up button, but I know that it will take a while before the elevator returns for me. I sigh and stand still, uncomfortable. I glance over at the girl from District 7, who is still watching me.
"I'm Felix, by the way," I say.
"I'm Zaira," she says. There's a moment of silence when she still doesn't move and the elevator doesn't arrive.
"Do you want something, or…?" I prompt when she doesn't say anything.
"Oh, no, sorry. I didn't mean to just be staring at you," she says, laughing uncomfortably. "I just couldn't think of anything to say."
"Okay," I nod. "Then I'll say something." I pause, trying to think of something to say but nothing seems casual. "Now I'm standing quietly," I laugh, after a few seconds. The elevator dings and opens for me. I reluctantly step inside but hold the door-open button. "Hey, um… does the idea of being in an alliance intrigue you?"
"Yeah," Zaira says after thinking for a moment. "The 'idea of being in an alliance intrigues me'. I'll see you at training tomorrow."
"Cool," I smile, and press the button for Floor 8.
I know this chapter took a long time. I was on a vacation for two weeks (and barely had any time to write) and then for the last week, I don't have any excuse.
I'm not sure if I mentioned this yet, but I will: a lot of the Victors mentioned in Flames no longer exist. I went into too much detail during the Reapings without thinking about the logistics. For Rapids, I decided to make a full list of Victors (after the 160th Hunger Games) for reference, but when I was looking at Flames I realized that it didn't add up. So I cut a lot of Victors. I kept all of the mentors from the 247th Hunger Games, but a lot are gone. So disregard most Victors mentioned last time.
ALLIANCES:
Cecelia/Trajan/Glitter/Glorian/Noelani/Lucretius
Cecelia/Noelani
Macey/Tracey (obviously)
Axel/Savanna/Hadley
Zaira/Felix
SOLO:
Lennox
Nikola
Dennis
Tristana
Ruce
Linen
Arabella
Buck
Yael
Kade
Rachel
Quentin
- Lilah