To be honest, I've never really understood the private training sessions. If each session is around 15 minutes long, then the District 12 female must be waiting for her turn for nearly six hours. I think it's kind of stupid to make her wait that long, but whatever.
Also, some of these POVs may be really short. Sorry if your tribute gets a POV that's only 500 words or so. There's not much drama I can add in a POV where someone is just demonstrating archery.
For those of you who don't know, I'm usually pretty strict with training scores. For me, 5 is considered average, 6 is considered good, and an 8 is very impressive for an outer district tribute to earn. If your tribute scored a 5, don't feel bad. If your tribute scored a 6 or higher, be glad. Don't be disappointed if your tribute scored lower than you expected.
District 2
Glorian Stafford
"Would Glorian Stafford please enter the gym?" a voice says over the intercom. It has been about ten minutes since Cecelia was called in. Every watches as I stand up and head over to the entrance to the gym. I open the doors and step out into the training center. I look up and see all of the Gamemakers gathered on the balcony. Leda Dashlon, the Head Gamemaker, watches me carefully. Her clipboard is propped up in front of her and I am taken aback to see that she's already scribbling something down.
"Name?" one of the Gamemakers, a tall, bald guy asks me. He says it in such a monotone voice that I'm guessing it's only a formality; they probably know my name, they usually know the names of all of the Careers.
"Glorian Stafford," I respond. Nobody writes anything, which confirms my belief that it was unnecessary.
"You may begin," Leda Dashlon says. I look around, hesitantly. I'm not sure what to do to impress them. I want to get a good score, so that I'll be able to get plenty of sponsors in the arena.
It's clear that the sword stations are the only ones that have been used yet. Several dummies have been sliced up and there's a long-bladed sword sticking out of the chest of one of them. Sword's are my weapon of choice, so I decide to follow Cecelia and Trajan's lead and start with them.
I grab a sword off the weapons rack and head over to one of the undemolished dummies. I begin to hack at it with my sword… well, 'hack' isn't the right word. It's much more graceful than that. I'm strong, but I don't rely on my brute strength. I make sure to slice at the most fatal spots. When I feel as though I've demonstrated my skill enough, I end by decapitating the dummy.
The dummy's hard plastic head falls off and rolls across the floor. I glance at the Gamemakers, nervously. They look impressed, but I don't think it's enough to earn the best score I can.
"Is that it?" one of them, a small guy with glasses, ask, disappointedly.
"Shut up, Nestor," one of the other Gamemakers hisses at him.
"No, that's not it," I say, looking around. They clearly want to see more… what could I do that tops my swordplay demonstration?
An idea pops into my head. It's something that I haven't considered showing to the Gamemakers yet, but it seems like it could possibly be a great idea. They may hate it, but it will at least set me apart. I seriously doubt any of the other tributes will show the Gamemakers magic tricks.
"Well, I'm a magician, so I'm going to demonstrate some of my tricks," I announce, scanning the gym. There's obviously not going to be a deck of cards or any other equipment sitting around, so I'll have to make do with what I can find.
I decide to gather some supplies from the camouflage station… a few brushes and small containers of paint. The Gamemakers all look really intrigued. I doubt they see this type of thing a lot.
I pick up one of the paintbrushes and show it to them. I then cover it with both of my hands, so it's hidden. When I pull my hands apart, they're empty. I show the Gamemakers my open palms to prove the brush isn't hidden there or anything. I reach my hand into my mouth and pull out the paintbrush. It obviously wasn't actually in my mouth, but it looks that way.
The Gamemakers 'ooh' and 'ah' but I'm just getting started. I set down the brush and grab four paint containers. I begin juggling them fairly high above my head. The Gamemakers look impressed, but I haven't even done the trick yet. One by one, each of the containers vanishes. At first they don't notice, so I have to point it out.
"If you look carefully, you can see that there are only three containers in the air. You may remember that I started with four." The Gamemakers do notice, and begin watching me closer. Despite their eyes trained on the containers, the number changes to two. They gasp when this happens. Finally, we're down to one.
I stop juggling and toss the finally container in the air. As it comes down, it's somehow joined by three more. I catch all four containers, and take a bow.
"How did you do that?" the Gamemaker with the glasses, Nestor, demands.
"A magician never reveals his secrets," I say, grinning.
Gonzalo and I hide behind the couch as the Victor storms through the living room. Her eyes are bloodshot and wild, her eyes are in disarray. She's holding a sword, and the blade is coated with a red substance. I gulp, knowing it has to be the blood of one of my friends.
The plan to steal from the Victor didn't work. We didn't realize she was insane, and super alert. Ever since her Hunger Games, she's been paranoid that someone wanted to kill her as she slept, so she placed deadly traps around the house. The moment we entered, Astor's head was skewered by an arrow that came shooting at us after he alerted a tripwire. The rest of us attempted to escape, but traps were everywhere and the Victor was already storming down the stairs.
Gonzalo and I immediately dived behind the couch, hoping she wouldn't find us. One by one, she found our friends hiding or attempting to escape and took them out with weapons she has hidden all around the house. Gonzalo looks terrified. His gray eyes are brimmed with tears as the Victor moves around the room, looking for us.
"I know you're in here," she hisses. She's literally insane and holding a sword and I'm terrified. Mason squeaks and darts out from behind the china cabinet. He heads for a window, but she has leaped on him before he reaches it. Not giving him any time to register what's going on, she slices the sword against his throat. He gurgles up blood, then collapses, dying. The Victor stands up, unfazed, as if it's not a big deal she just killed a thirteen-year-old boy.
She looks around, and begins walking over to the couch. I instinctively grab Gonzalo's hand in fear. He turns to me, his eyes wide in fear.
"Run," he whispers. "I'll distract her while you get out of here." It takes me a moment to register what he's suggesting.
"No!" I say. "You have to run, too."
"She'll kill both of us."
"I hear you!" the Victor hisses, and begins walking toward us.
"Go," Gonzalo whispers, and hops out from behind the house. He rushes toward the kitchen, but she's very fast and has already pounced on him. I don't want to leave, but I have no choice. I run to the nearest window and slam into it. The glass shatters and I fall onto the concrete outside, my skin bleeding from the shards of glass. I run away as I hear Gonzalo scream and the Victor shout after me.
My eyes begin to feel misty, and I know I'll break down into tears any moment. I can't cry in front of the Gamemakers; I'll seem weak. I try to hold them back for as long as possible.
"So, that's it," I say, my voice cracking slightly. I don't wait to be dismissed; I drop everything to the ground and rush to the elevator. As soon as the elevator doors slam closed and I'm zooming up to my floor, I begin to sob.
District 6
Axel Woodleigh
"Axel Woodleigh," the voice over the intercom says. I stand nevously, glancing at Hadley for support. None of my allies have had their sessions yet, which means I'll be the first.
"You'll do great," Hadley assures me. I smile, still a little unsure, but more confident. I head toward the gym and slide through the doors. I walk out to the center of the gym, where the Gamemakers will easily be able to see me from the balcony. Being all alone in this giant gym… I've felt smaller than I have the entire Games. And I'm once again reminded that I'm the youngest kid this year.
"Name?" one of the Gamemakers asks.
"Axel Woodleigh," I say, my voice coming out higher than normal.
"You may begin."
I look around the gym for my chosen skill. It was pretty easy to decide what I should demonstrate for the Gamemakers. There's one talent that I think outshines my others, and that's my dart-throwing ability.
The darts are in the back, since not many people bother learning how to use them. I definitely need to, though. I grab the small bowl of darts from the back and bring it over to the knife-throwing range, since it's much closer to the Gamemakers. I carefully select a few darts from the bowl, look behind me to make sure that the Gamemakers are watching, and throw a dart at the target.
The target is a human silhouette, which is slightly off-putting, but the dart manages to land directly in the center of the throat. I turn around to see the Gamemakers reactions. They look less bored now, and are paying more attention to me. A few are furiously scribbling notes. I throw another dart. This one lands where I think the eye would be. I throw the next dart. It lands in the other eye.
Throw the dart.
Lands in the stomach.
Throw the dart.
Lands in the throat.
Throw the dart.
Lands in the heart.
I reach for the next dart, but my fingers scrape the bottom of an empty bowl. I've thrown all of the darts. There are plenty more over in the dart section, or I could go and collect the ones I've already shown, but I think I've done enough. I look at the Gamemakers to make sure, and they are all whispering amongst themselves.
"You may go," Leda Dashlon tells me, then goes back to talking with the rest of her Gamemakers.
I'm proud of myself as I exit the gym. I think I've done enough for a decent score. Hadley will be proud of me.
District 9
Hadley Moreau
Two-thirds of the tributes have exited the room by now. I feel like I've been sitting here for a really long time, which I'm sure I have. At first, our alliance was chatting and the wait was much more bearable, but after Axel went, we kind of stopped talking. So now, the whole room is silent and all I can do is just worry about the upcoming evaluation.
Nobody else is talking either, so the first person to strike up a conversation again would be forced to have everyone else listen in. I definitely don't want anyone eavesdropping when I try to talk about strategy with Savanna.
I think a lot of people are underestimating our alliance. The Careers (or some of them) keep watching us in an amused way when we train together, as if they laughing at what little chance we have. They suspect we have no skills and are just one of the alliances that have the whole mindset of, 'we can survive if we rely on numbers!' But we have much more skills than they suspect. Axel, Linen, and even Savanna have their own strengths with can benefit the group and I'm guessing that when we all get high training scores, they'll finally respect us.
I wasn't filling my allies with false hope when I told them that they could all get a six or higher, as long as they played to their strengths. And Axel will probably get a Career-level score, unless they dock points for youth. I don't know if they do that - they definitely lower the predicted placement because of youth, but it seems weird that the training score would drop.
Linen could probably get a 7 if she's lucky. A 6 is probably more realistic, since Gamemakers aren't always impressed with climbing and speed, but if she has time to show her knife skills she might be able to snag a score of 7.
I'm slightly worried about Savanna. They don't always have all of the weapons out, so her trident might not be there. If that's the case, all she can really do is show plant-identification or something, which won't be that impressive. If her trident is there, she could get a 6 or 7. But if it isn't, her score will definitely be low.
Which leaves me. I have confidence in my allies, but not in myself. I've decided to demonstrate my wrestling for the Gamemakers, but I don't know how impressive that will be. I only got a bit of time to practice wrestling during training; none of my allies were good at it, so we decided to move onto another station pretty fast. I got much more training time with a sword, but I'm sure that will be really popular. I was debating between demonstrating wrestling or swordplay for a while, and then Linen brought up a good point.
Linen reminded me that a lot of tributes use swords, and from what we've seen, it seems like the weapon of choice for most Careers this year. My sword skills will pale in comparison to that of Trajan, Glitter, Glorian, and all of the other skilled swordsman. However, not many tributes are great at wrestling. I'm hoping my wrestling abilities will be enough to set me apart from everyone else.
"Hadley Moreau," comes booming out of the intercom. I pat Savanna on the shoulder reassuringly and enter the gym.
The Gamemakers sit on the balcony, but only half are paying attention to me. I suppose most of them have gotten sick of watching everyone train, but at least the Head Gamemaker, Leda, is paying attention. I think her opinion matters the most.
"I'm Hadley Moreau from District 9," I state, before they can ask what my name is. "I'm going to demonstrate wrestling today, so… is there a trainer or someone I can wrestle with?"
Before they can respond, one of the trainers standing in the corner walks over (I'm assuming they're there for the exact reason I asked for them; to spar against tributes). He's about my build, which is relieving, but he's still a few inches taller than me and seems stronger. I gulp; he may be difficult to wrestle. Hopefully, he'll go easy on me.
We get in the wrestle position, and he counts down. As soon as he says, "1," I move my leg away so he can't pull it out from under me. I stay close to the ground so I'm more steady and begin trying to push him over. He pushes back, and is much stronger than I am. It doesn't take long before he manages to knock me to the ground.
I fall hard and the wind gets knocked out of me. Before I can regain my breath, he's on top of me and holds me down for three seconds. As soon as the time's up, he gets off and I'm able to breathe. I nervously look up at the Gamemakers, who do not look impressed. Luckily, I have some time left.
"Again," I mutter, getting back to my feet. We repeat the process, and this time I last for longer. I've learned that I can't rely on my strength, since he's stronger than me, so I'll have to rely on my size. Being so short and slightly stocky, I'm able to stay grounded. He's slimmer and taller, so his balance will be worse.
He attempts to shove me down, but I side-step him. His weight carries him forward; not to the point where he falls, but his balance is delicate. I tackle him to the ground, and hold him down for three seconds. It's difficult, since he's fighting to get up, but I manage to keep him down.
"One more time?" I ask, when the point has been awarded to me. He doesn't respond, but gets in the starting position. I join him, and we go again. This time, he's a little more careful about keeping his balance.
He manages to grab onto my leg, and pulls it up to the point where my other leg slips and I go crashing to the ground. Before he can hold me down, I roll out of the way and jump back to my feet. He looks a little annoyed that he didn't manage to beat me right then and there, but doesn't hesitate before lunging at me. I move out of the way, and stay crouched on the ground. My eyes briefly flicker up to the Gamemakers, who are watching with mild interest. I suppose that's the best I can hope for.
I almost don't notice the trainer lunging for me. I move aside, and he hits the ground where I was seconds before. I manage to hold him down for three seconds, and the point is awarded to me.
"You may go now," Leda Dashlon says. I stand up, breathing heavily. I wipe sweat from my face and stride over to the elevator. As I pass the rack of tridents, I don't see Savanna's. It may be in there, I only get a quick glance, but I don't think it is. I think my session went pretty well, but that can't bode well for Savanna.
District 10
Arabella Cantros
"I'm Arabella Cantros from District 10," I announce, answering the Gamemakers' question about my name. The Head Gamemaker nods at me to begin, which makes me slightly nervous, since I'm still unsure of what I can do. I don't have a ton of skills, so nothing I do will be very impressive to the Gamemakers. So I need to focus on what will be the most impressive, because I want to get a decent score, even if it isn't amazing.
I guess my speed is my strongest skill, but I don't know how interested the Gamemakers would be after I run around the track a few times. I'm also a pretty good climber, but once again, the Gamemakers probably won't care about that.
Despite doubting that the Gamemakers will find either of those skills interesting, I figure that they're the best I can do. I might as well climb something really fast, so I can get an okay score. I'm hoping for a 6, since I think anything higher than that is unrealistic. Besides, a 6 isn't too bad. Plenty of skilled tributes have gotten 6s in the past.
I head over to the climbing station, which I really like. Not only am I actually good at it, but I really like how the Gamemakers designed the station to look like actual things I'd need to climb in the arena. There are fake trees, a rocky wall that's supposed to represent the side of a mountain, and a single rope hanging from the ceiling. I decide to use the rocky wall, since that's the most difficult to climb.
I can't rush up too fast, or else I'll fall. There are mats in case I do, but the idea still isn't appealing. Besides, it'd basically guarantee that my score will be a 2 or less.
I grab onto a rock protruding from the wall and pull myself up until my other hand can grab a ledge. My feet scramble to find a steady surface, and they eventually manage to reach the tiniest ledges. My size is both an advantage and a disadvantage when it comes to climbing this wall. I'm light, so I can scale the wall quickly, but I'm so short that it's difficult to grab onto the widely-spaced hand-holds. I'm forced to be very creative with where I place my hands.
I climb the wall and am half-way when I reach my first issue. All of the viable hand-holds are just out of my reach. If I want to grab onto it, I have to jump. I take a deep breath and jump as high as I dare. My hand grabs the hold, but almost slips as my weight drags me down. I wince - I'm pretty sure I just got multiple blisters. And I'm currently hanging on by only one hand. My other three limbs don't have any holds.
I glance over at the Gamemakers. The few that are paying attention look skeptical that I won't fall. I'm so annoyed that they have no faith in me, that it motivates me to swing myself up and grab onto the next handhold with my other hand. My feet also find ledges to ut weight on, and I'm confident again.
I scale the rest of the wall without any major difficulties, excluding one time when I grabbed onto a loose rock and almost fell. I manage to reach the top, and pull myself to the top. I sit down, so I can have a quick break before I have to climb back down. I inspect my right hand, which has painful blisters on several of my fingers.
"Is that all?" one of the Gamemakers asks. I shake my head.
"Then get off the wall," another one barks. I'm taken aback at his rudeness, but follows his directions, anyway. I probably don't have a lot of time left and I want to show my speed. I only climb down two thirds of the way before jumping off. My knees buckle at the landing, but the mat's there, so I don't get hurt. I hurry over to the track.
I run around the track once. I would have gone more times, but the Gamemakers alert me that my time's up and I have to leave. I reluctantly do, a little disappointed I didn't get more time.
I don't think my score will be anything impressive, but it won't be horrible.
District 12
Rachel Ivy
I will not show any mercy in these Games. I'm not a bad person, but I'm willing to do anything to survive. If that means poisoning my tributes, then so be it. I'll do it the first chance I get. Then I'll make new allies and do the same thing. I don't care if it makes me unpopular in the Capitol; I just want to survive.
And if I win, I can help my family. I can afford medicine for my mom, I can get my brother out of jail, my dad could go into rehab? Then my family could be back to the way it was before Mom got sick; when my brother, Ryan, was carefree and he didn't have to try to earn money by trading illegal substances, like poison. Dad was sober until Mom got sick; he got all stressed out when we couldn't afford her medicine and things didn't look good. Mom was so caring and supportive before she got diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Now she can't remember my name.
I am determined to win the Hunger Games, no matter.
I'm the only person remaining in the cafeteria. I've been here for several hours, now. I pretended to be nervous, but really I've been scheming. Not planning for the private training session, my mind is far ahead of that. The private sessions are not nearly as important as everyone makes them out to be. Everyone else is stressing out about their score, but I know that it doesn't matter at all. I don't care if my score is good; in fact, it would probably be better if it's average so I can still appear to be a weakling and someone not worth worrying about.
If I don't get sponsors because of my score, it won't matter. I'll just prove that I got a low score on purpose, and then people will sponsor me. And if I don't get the chance to prove it, I'll just use my allies' sponsor gifts. I know Tristana will get a good score and she's super popular in the Capitol already, so she's bound to get amazing gifts. And I know she's not selfish, so if she gets food or medicine or something, she's sure to share it with the rest of us.
I think I probably need to get closer to Tristana, so she'll trust me. She's the strongest person in our alliance, so it would be smartest if I got her on my side. If Yael or Arabella get supicious (which is unlikely, since neither seems too smart) Tristana will have my back and neither of them will want to mess with her.
It's also important that I get Tristana to trust me, because it seems the most necessary. Tristana doesn't seem to suspect anything right now, but I think she's the smartest out of everyone in her group (except me) so I think she'd be the first to doubt me. But hopefully she won't if we become friends. 'Friends', not actual friends. I'll make her think we're actually friends, but obviously, we won't be.
"Rachel Ivy," the intercom finally says. I'm glad I finally get to show my skills; it's been over fifteen minutes since Quinten left, and while I like the silence, I'm ready to go back to the penthouse. I exit the cafeteria and walk to the center of the gym.
"Name?" one of the Gamemakers asks me. Every single Gamemaker except Leda Dashlon look bored and exhausted. I'm glad; they'll think less about what to score me and will automatically give me somewhere around a 5, which is what I'm aiming for.
"Rachel Ivy. District 12," I state.
"Alright, go," one of them says.
I don't hesitate before heading for the fire-building station. If I wanted a good score, I'd use a dagger or show my knowledge of poisons. I'd probably get a 7, possibly an 8 if I was lucky. But I don't want a good score. Fire-making seems like one of the most boring stations for them to watch, and I'm not even really great at making fire.
I decide to use flint. I squat down in front of the logs in the firepit and begin striking the flint with a rock. After about ten minutes, I get a spark, and then my fire gets going.
"Thank you," one of the Gamemakers says. "You can go." He turns to the Gamemakers next to him and mutters, "we can finally get out of here."
I stand up and put out the fire under the heel of boot. I walk over to the elevator proudly, knowing that I've succeeding in appearing fantastically underwhelming. While I wait for the doors to open, I look over at the Gamemakers for one last time. All of the Gamemakers are gathering their stuff, getting ready to leave. Everyone except for Leda. She's looking at me with a knowing smile.
District 4
Noelani King
Lucretius and I are sitting on the couch, nervously waiting for the Training Scores to be shown. Apparently, they're supposed to be shown after the commercial break, which means any second now. Malakai and Riley are also waiting; Riley seems very calm, not scared for the scores at all, but Malakai seems more scared than anyone else. Even Tiernan seems calm and collected.
The commercial for some type of hair product ends, and the screen switches to Cupid and Leandros at a desk, looking very serious.
"Ssh, this is it!" Tiernan says, stating the obvious, and rushes over to watch.
"Welcome back, Panem," Cupid says, pushing his light pink hair out of his eyes. "We're here today to reveal the training scores. Each tribute has been ranked on a scale from one to twelve by the Gamemakers, after demonstrating their talents. These scores will help predict their placements, and is a very important moment for sponsors."
"We'll start with District 1. Cecelia Hart scored a…" Leandros starts.
"10!" announces Cupid. "Her district partner, Trajan Seth earned another 10."
"District 1 seems to be pretty strong this year! Next is Glitter Monique with a score of… 9! Glorian Stafford gets a score of 11!"
My jaw drops open. Nobody has gotten an eleven in a long time, so this is a huge deal. Glorian has been sort of quiet during training, so I don't know what he did to earn an 11. His sword skills are good, but not 11 good, and both Cecelia and Trajan are just as good with swords as him. He must have done something else… it's really unsettling that I don't know what it is. He also managed to beat Cecelia, which means he's the new leader of the group. Unless Lucretius or I manage to get a twelve, which is basically impossible, Glorian's the leader.
"Lennox Porter gets a score of 5. Nikola Allegra gets a score of 4."
Both are expected. Average to low scores are what I expected for District 3, so I'm glad there are no surprises there. I gulp when I see my face appear on the screen. It's Lucretius and my turn.
"Noelani King gets a score of 9! Lucretius Marlo gets a score of 8!"
9 is acceptable, especially since I only have one arm. It's the same score as Glitter, which means that she'll stop looking down on me, as well. Lucretius's score isn't great, but it's still considered acceptable for the Careers. It would have only been an issue if he has gotten a 7.
"Macey and Tracey Aderyn get a score of 3. Dennis Fielder gets a score of 7!"
I don't like that the creepy guy got a score of 7. I was hoping he was all talk and no show, but it isn't looking like that.
"Tristana Rockett gets a score of 7! Axel Woodleigh gets a score of 9!"
Everyone's jaws drop open even wider than they did with Glorian. The youngest tribute this year gets a 9? It's almost unbelievable. What skill could he have? Tristana's score is also good, but Axel's is insane.
"Zaira Quentin with a score of 5! Sprucen Willes gets a score of 8!"
One again, I was hoping Sprucen was all talk and no show. I kind of expected his head to be so swelled that he was greatly exaggerating his skill, but it looks like he wasn't. He was talking about how he'd probably get a 10, so he exaggerated a little bit, but 8 is still a good score.
"Linen Baird with a score of 6! Felix Camacho with a score of 3!"
6 is pretty good for a thirteen-year-old, but it doesn't seem shocking next to Axel's 9.
"Savanna Davison gets a score of 3! Hadley Moreau gets a score of 6!"
No surprises there. It's a relief after all of these suspiciously high scores. 6 is decent, but no match for the Careers.
"Arabella Cantros gets a score of 4! Buck Hayford gets a score of 8!"
I kind of expected Buck to get higher - if Axel could get 9, I would have thought Buck could. Arabella's score is reasonable, I don't think she can do much. It's nice to see that the other twelve-year-old got a believable score.
"Yael Harident earns a 6! Kade Anderson gets a score of 7!"
"No…" I can't help the words leave my mouth. "Kade is part of the Careers now." Lucretius groans. Before we can complain some more, Tiernan shushes us.
"Rachel Ivy gets a score of 4! Quinten Fredericus gets a score of 5!"
Riley clicks the TV off.
I think some people might be bigger threats than I first expected.
District 7
Sprucen Willes
How did I only get an 8? I should have done better than that… I was sure that I would get a score of 10, or at least 9. And the saddest part is that the child from District 6 got a 9. The youngest kid in the arena did better than me when it comes to training scores. Unfortunately, everyone around me seems to accept this and consider my 8 impressive.
"Good job, Sprucen," Chance says, slapping me on the back. He heads off to his room, announcing something about how he wants to be well-rested for tomorrow, when he actually has to start doing stuff and helping me.
"Good job? On what?" I demand, but he's already left the room. Zaira and Dara remain sitting, and Dara looks like she wants to talk to Zaira but it waiting for me to leave. Zaira's score was even worse than mine. A 5? That's not going to impress any sponsors. When Dara gets the hint that I'm not planning on leaving the couch, the go off to Zaira's room to discuss strategy. The only people remaining in the room are me and our escort, Leon Parshener.
Leon likes to stay up late watching soap operas, which is why all night long I hear super cheesy dialogue and music coming from the living room. Leon sits next to me and switches on the TV. He begins flipping through channels, looking for a soap opera he can watch.
"You know, I was really disappointed when Love of a Rivertrance was cancelled," Leon says, shaking his head sadly. "But both of the stars were murdered, so it's not like they could really continue it, could they?"
"They were murdered?" I ask, interested now. Leon looks surprised that I'm actually showing interest in any of his hobbies.
"Yeah. They were found dead last year, and nobody knows who did it, yet."
"There's a murderer on the loose?" I ask, excitedly.
"If that's how you want to put it, then, yes. There is a murderer on the loose," Leon says, rather stiffly.
"That's awesome!" I exclaim.
"No it's not." I frown at him. Then I stand up and trudge over to the elevator. "Where are you going?"
"To the roof. I want some fresh air," I reply, jamming my thumb into the UP button.
"You're just going to walk out in the middle of a conversation?" Leon asks, sounding offended.
"Yes." The doors open and I step inside. I immediately press the button for the rooftop, then repeatedly push the door close button in case Leon wants to lecture me on manners. The doors slide close, shutting out his face, and I feel the elevator begin to zoom upwards.
I reach the top and the doors open. I haven't been out on the roof yet, so it's new for me. It's set up like a garden, except there are more flowers than there is fruit. I see a few berry bushes or food plants, but most of the shrubbery holds lightly-colored flowers. There are lights set sparsely along the ground, but they only shed enough life for me to not run into anything. I can't admire any of the plants, since they all look dark.
I carefully walk over to the balcony, and lean over the edge to look down at the Capitol below. It seems dangerous to just have a small balcony here; tributes could fall or jump off, then what would they do? Would they replace the tribute or would the Games start with only 23 tributes?
The Tribute Center is one of the tallest buildings in the Capitol, which means that I need to look down to watch the Capitol. If I look up, all I see is the dark sky. Unlike in District 7, the stars are blotted out. I suppose I'll be loving here after I win the Hunger Games. I'll miss the stars, but I'll be glad to get rid of everything else. I don't like District 7 very much; the constant smell of sap and sawdust, the sound of trees being cut down during the day and the night, the daily executions. Peacekeepers are very strict in our District and we have a lot of rebellious people.
The Capitol is much more of the style; I could easily picture myself living here. This is where everything happens. Instead of cutting down trees all day, these people have interesting lives. Although, I seriously hate all of the silly outfits they dress up in.
In only a few days, I'll enter the arena. I'm not nervous. I know I'll survive.
District 11
Yael Harident
My heart pounds and I grit my teeth. Stop moving, I tell myself, but it does no good. I can't control my limbs or any part of my body. I'm trapped inside this, and the puppet master is moving me. I can't do anything… I'm trapped. My legs carry me forward just as the elevator doors open. I didn't want to come up to the roof, but the voice told me to. And I can't resist. I don't have control over myself anymore. I'm in someone else's hands.
I try to hold myself back; I know I'm going to do something bad. All of these urges want me to do something bad. I don't want to bad things… I want to be a good person but the voices won't leave me alone and I have to do what they say.
I walk out onto the roof. It's mostly dark, and light only comes from the busy street below. There's a silhouette standing out against the bright lights from below. He's facing away from me, looking down. I can't tell who he is, but my legs carry me toward him. He doesn't hear me because I'm tip-toeing. I want to scream, to warn him to run, but my mouth is glued shut. I'm almost behind him when I abruptly stop. My body turns to a flower pot below. I pick it up robotically, and just have time to admire the pretty tulips in the pot before I smash the pot into the ground.
It explodes in soil, flowers, and shards of brown ceramic. The boy turns around at the noise, I notice it's the boy from District 7. Before I understand what's happening, I reach down, pick up one of the sharp shards of ceramic and face him.
"What the hell?" he asks right before I launch at him. I thrust the sharp point of the shard in his direction, but he attempts to dodge. He doesn't have very quick reflexes, so doesn't completely avoid me. The tip sinks into his arm and he cries out. I remove it and lunge in his direction. He tries to run away, holding onto his injured arm, but I'm quick. I tackle him.
He's stronger than me, but doesn't get a chance to prove it before I lunge the shard into his throat. He yells out, but it sounds like a gurgle as his airway is blocked by the thick blood beginning to flow. I want to stop. I want to. I don't want to kill, I want to be a good person. But I can't stop and I can't be a good person. My arm moves up and down, continuing to stab and stab. I stab him long after he stops moving.
Yep… I just killed Ruce before the Bloodbath. I doubt this is going to ruffle any feathers, because I don't think anyone liked him and his submitter submitted him as a Bloodbath. But I'm sure it's still quite surprising…
I'm going to save eulogies for the chapter after to keep it a surprise.
TRAINING SCORES:
Cecelia - 10
Trajan - 10
Glitter - 9
Glorian - 11
Lennox - 5
Nikola - 4
Macey - 3
Tracey - 3
Dennis - 7
Tristana - 7
Axel - 9
Zaira - 5
Ruce - 8
Linen - 6
Felix - 3
Savanna - 3
Hadley - 6
Arabella - 4
Buck - 8
Yael - 6
Kade - 7
Rachel - 4
Quinten - 5
ALLIANCES:
Cecelia/Trajan/Glitter/Glorian/Noelani/Lucretius/Kade?
Cecelia/Noelani
Macey/Tracey (obviously)
Tristana/Arabella/Yael/Rachel
Axel/Linen/Savanna/Hadley
Zaira/Felix/Quentin
SOLO:
Lennox
Nikola
Dennis
Ruce
Buck
- Lilah