Hey guys! I hope everyone is okay with what their tribute does in their private session. The training scores will be revealed in the next chapter. This one will be told in Bellona's perspective. Thanks for reading!
Bellona Presque (25)- Head Gamemaker
"Miss Presque, what would you like to order?" Aelia asks me. Her enhanced long eyelashes brush over her cheeks, casting shadows on her face and making her look like a spider.
"No food for me, thanks." I wave her away. "My drink will do."
Seneca had given me lots of advice before handing the Games down to me, and one of them was to avoid alcohol altogether during the season, and not to eat while working. Apparently it was a mistake he made during his first Games that he didn't want me to repeat.
I clasp my ice-filled glass of peach tea between my hands as my Gamemakers chatter around me. I've been in this seating box plenty of times before this, but never in this particular seat. The seat for the Head Gamemaker. Front and center with a wide view of the entire Training Center, the weapons on my right, survival stations on the left with the obstacle course and climbing exercises in the middle. A couple of Avoxes are positioned around the room to help put everything back in place after each session.
I review my notes one last time before he sessions start. The Careers are promising as usual, aside from the blind one. It's a shame, but the disability will certainly cause some drama in the Capitol. He'll be the talk of the town after his interview. As for the rest of the tributes, there are some sponsor-worthy ones as well as bloodbath fodder. But today will really show us who is capable of what.
The pair from Eleven will cause some racket as well. Marcelle says there are already sponsors wondering about the girl. Is she Capitolite? Did she volunteer to win or because she felt bad for the poor Eleven girl? Either will make her popular. Someone like her has never fought in the Games before. The mission that sent her parents from the Capitol to the districts is a fairly new one, and most of the missionaries aren't couples. Children born from them are rare.
As for the boy, he is also light-skinned, which is a great disappointment. Most of the time we can count on Eleven to give us some diversity in the tributes, but now our only ones are the girl from Eight, who is obviously of some Native origin, and the girl from Two, who is Oriental. It will surely draw more attention to them, as well as more to the Eleven pair, but it's still a shame.
We also have two Andersons in these Games, the girl from Four and the boy from Nine. It's not unusual for tributes to have a common name, but it makes sponsoring more difficult. Sometimes the sponsors get confused, and refunds are one hell of a process.
I hear a loud eruption of laughter from the other Gamemakers, already gossiping and joking around. Usually this is a time for feasting and drinking together while facing our tributes face-to-face for the first time. I think for some of them it's too difficult to look a child in the eye instead of on a screen before sending them off to their death, so they choose to make light of it and fool around. I understand the sentiment, but it only means that they aren't developed enough to understand the Games. Those are the Gamemakers that won't last long in this line of work.
I stand and clear my throat, letting my long dark hair hand over one shoulder, curling over my leaf-patterned dress. The others quiet and give me their attention, though some are still giggling in the background.
"I know this isn't the most riveting day at work," I say. "but even as a lesser Gamemaker I always made the effort to pay attention and give accurate judgements of the tributes. I expect the same from all of you." I raise my chin up slightly. "Take notes and give your suggested scores. At the end of the day, I will take them and average them out to find their score. And of course, enjoy yourselves. We have front-row seats to a show with the nation's most beloved celebrities. Don't squander this opportunity."
I nod to Aelia in the back of the booth, signaling to her that she should leave and start letting the tributes in. She won't be able to witness the sessions, since she isn't a Gamemaker, but always makes herself useful to me.
"Well said, Miss Presque," a man says, his face split into a smile.
"Thank you, Livianus." He does good work, but I'm starting to get tired of his constant praise. "Let's begin."
...
"Tiger Emerald, District One!" The automated voice rings around the Training Center, notifying us as to who is about to perform. The Career certainly looks promising, as most of them usually do. His muscular body and broad shoulders will give him an advantage over the other tributes. If the other trainees at the Academy were intimidated enough by him not to volunteer in his place at the Reaping, then he must be the real deal.
Tiger walks straight to the axes, spending quite a bit of time throwing them with near-perfect accuracy into the targets. Any tribute facing him when he has an axe will certainly come out worse for wear, or not at all. After that he spars with a trainer for a few minutes, managing to get him down the ground with Tiger's blade against his neck. Grinning to himself, but not sparing us a glance, he turns to the swords, spears, and combat knives. Then he takes a turn in the obstacle course as a finale. The obstacle course changed each day of training as well as today, but he speeds through it in no time. Before leaving, he bows deeply to us and sends a wink our way.
I write cocky into my notes, alongside each of his activities and his level of success in them. He's capable, certainly. But his range of abilities seem to be contingent on close-combat weapons, with his only long-distance choice being a throwing axe, which isn't exactly easy to carry around. Plus, we don't have anything about his survival skills.
"Tiffany Silk, District One!"
Tiffany waves at us and gives us a smile before beginning her session. She works with the swords at first, sparring with the broadsword, short swords, curved ones, and longswords. After that, she displays her proficiency with knives, also in close combat before throwing them at moving targets. Her aim is impeccable. Then she moves onto the survival stations for the last couple minutes, showing her fire-making, trap-making, and medical skills. She's halfway through plant identification when her time runs out. She makes sure to dip her head respectively and wave again before leaving.
She's quite impressive, but I can't help but feel underwhelmed by her weaponry skills. Swords and knives are usually the most plentiful weapons in the arena, but only showing those two seems like a risky choice. On the other hand, she does seem well-rounded and confident without any arrogance.
"Hadrian Cato, District Two!"
Hadrian is our tallest tribute by far, and one of the most promising. His brother Cassius was a worthy victor and a fan favorite, and Hadrian will surely receive plenty of sponsors based on that fact alone.
He begins with sword-sparring as well, even asking two trainers to take him on at the same time. Though they are obviously some of the best swordsmen in the Capitol, Hadrian has no problem with using a combination of brute strength and instinctive swings to take them both down within minutes. He hasn't even broken a sweat by the time he's finished. He does it again with different trainers, our attention fixed solely on him. Afterward, he grabs a spear and shows off his throws, though they aren't as accurate as they could be due to his large arms. Then he moves to the maces and clubs, which are definitely another one of his strengths. He beats several dummies until they're nothing but rubble underneath his feet.
He runs through the obstacle course with another great time, though not as fast as Tiger's, then shows his trap-making skills. It's an impressive session. His weapon skills are rounded, though long-distance weapons seem to be his weakness. Physical strength is clearly his biggest strength, and certainly comes in handy in the arena.
"Rufina Fastolf, District Two!"
Rufina is short in stature but not in talent. She shows us her spear skills first, probably the best throws we've seen so far. Her sparring is superb as well. She tries with a few other weapons as well, the broadsword and the knives. She's clearly skilled, but the spear is more polished than anything else. After finishing with the weapons, she does some weight-lifting for us, showing that despite her size she's anything but weak. Then she runs through the obstacle course, again with a great time.
She's a tough one, and not without confidence. She waves casually to us before leaving, carrying herself with aplomb. Her skills meet the standard for Careers, but she seems dependant her spears, and her size will be a drawback in the arena. Tributes like Hadrian will bowl her over like a cat catching a mouse.
"Pixel Mackaby, District Three!"
Our first non-Career tribute is the usual disappointment. Three never does have very strong tributes, but it seems even worse after watching four Careers. His spear and knife skills are obviously amateur, but he's learned some in past three days. Some of his throws hit the target, and he shows his slashing skills against some dummies, but doesn't ask to spar. After that, he heads to the plant identification, fire-making, and knot-tying stations. He's clearly not confident in his weapon training, but he seems to have a few survival skills. He gives us a short bow before leaving, his face red as a tomato.
"Tesla Sherman, District Three!"
Tesla is the opposite of Pixel. She has a cool, calm look on her face that she keeps throughout the session, not looking at us once. She changes things up and starts with the survival stations, going through them one by one. She isn't exactly an expert in most of them, but it's obvious what she's trying to show us: she knows the basics of survival and is capable of living in the wilderness. After every station has been tried, she finishes with the knives. She throws them a couple of times, and though her aim isn't very good, each throw sticks. Then she slashes at several dummies, showing off her hand-to-hand combat skills.
Very well-rounded, though her weapon skills are obviously rusty. Each Gamemaker is hastily scribbling onto their notes as we await the next tribute.
"Andrew de Luce, District Four!"
The Gamemakers shift uncomfortably. It was my decision not to restore his vision, though we could have without anyone knowing. I prefer to adhere to the rules of the Games down to the letter. They were written for a reason… and I can't deny that a blind Career will boost our ratings up quite a bit.
Andrew stumbles into the room, feeling ahead of himself with his hands. It takes him a couple of minutes to find the weapons, and Rowan, who is sitting beside me, yawns in boredom. Once Andrew finally finds the throwing knives, he grabs one and steadies himself, feeling the weight of the handle in his palm. Then he draws his arm back, waits a few seconds, and throws. His aim is way off and the knife clatters to the floor. This doesn't deter him; he grabs another and throws again, this one hitting the humanoid target, but not sticking into the rubber. It hits the floor as well and he lets out a huff. He throws again and again, some of them managing to stick (one of them in a target that's meant for the bow and arrow station), and some of them way off. One almost hits an Avox in the corner of the room, and she skirts away as fast as she can.
After seemingly had enough of that, Andrew turns to the swords and lifts a heavy one, again getting a good grip on it before starting to swing. Although he doesn't hit any dummies due to his blindness, the movements are precise and polished. For a moment it almost seems that he isn't blind at all. Then the timer goes off and he drops the sword to the ground, starting to storm off in the wrong direction until an Avox shows him the right way.
Interesting. His training is apparent, but will that really make up for lack of sight in the arena?
"Nicolette Anderson, District Four!"
Whereas Tiffany fills the "pretty" Career spot, Nicolette is definitely the "sexy" Career. Her long brown hair spills down her long, tan body as she walks straight to the weapons section. She begins with a trident, a specialty for District Four. Her skills are impeccable, managing to spear her targets through the throat and stomach nearly every time. Then she moves on to the knives, throwing them and slashing with great aim and precision. She spends just a little time on the swords, asking a trainer to spar with her for a couple minutes. Then she heads to the survival section, where she makes a fire, a couple different traps, bandages, and identifies several plants. She finishes by running through the obstacle course, giving us the quickest time we've seen yet.
It's a very impressive session, and she looks like she knows it when she waves goodbye to us with a smirk.
"Caleb Odalric, District Five!"
Caleb begins with survival skills, showing us his fire-making, plant identification, and camouflage skills. He does fairly well, though it obvious his training is rudimentary. He then switches to the bow and arrow, where he shoots a couple of arrows, most of them hitting the target, though usually not near the bull's eye. After that, he throws some spears, with which he is clearly more skilled. Each spear-point hits the target, many of them in the range of the bull's eye. Seeming pleased with himself, Caleb finishes with sparring against a trainer with a combat knife. He does well at this too, managing to hit the trainer several times with the dull sparring knife. His time runs out soon after and he gives us a friendly wave before leaving.
I hastily finish writing my notes before the girl arrives. He has a wide range of skills, and he is certainly old enough to go far. He's large in stature and well-versed in weaponry for a non-Career.
"Amelia Waltraud, District Five!"
Amelia scurries into the room, her face covered by his long blonde hair. She heads straight to the throwing knives, showing off everything she's learned. Her skills are rusty, but her aim isn't too off and her focus is admirable. Most of the knives stick into the target, only two clattering to the floor. She then shows her combat skills with the knives, also asking a trainer to spar. She surprises me with her speed; the trainer can hardly touch her with his blade before hers is already at his neck. After sparring, she shoots some arrows like her district partner, with about the same level of accuracy.
Then she seems to be done with the weapons and heads to the survival section. She shows the same skills Caleb did: fire-making, plant identification, and camouflage. As she moves from station to station, she's light on her feet and completely focused on the task at hand. When the timer runs out, she glances up at us with something like fear before leaving, not offering a goodbye.
"Jason Sparks, District Six!"
The Peacekeeper. I wouldn't be surprised if Jason gave the Careers a run for their money in the arena. I lean forward to watch as he heads for the plant identification station. He does fairly well, then moves on to fire-making, trap-making, and medical knowledge. They're all mediocre, but still worth presenting. Then he arrives at the weapons. He begins with the spears, all of them landing with the range of the target and most of them in the bull's eye. Then he graduates to the swords, trying his hand at both broadswords and short swords. He's able to knock both sparring partners to the floor in no time. Then he finishes with a weight-lifting session, showing his incredible strength that only comes with intense training.
He's another one of our tallest, more powerful tributes for sure. As he leaves with a grim smile, I jot down the different weights that he lifted and how much he struggled through each one.
"Antonia Montgomery, District Six!"
Antonia doesn't spare us a glance during her session, heading straight for the survival stations and doing her best at each one. She makes fires, traps, nets, and identifies plants. Then she paints some camouflage onto herself and wraps her limbs in bandages with correct medicines before moving on to the weapons. She tries the spears first, but her aim isn't very good. She spends a long time aiming each spear before finally throwing it, and although a few hit the target, that time could mean life or death in the arena. It's the same with the bow and arrow that she tries. Too long is spent stringing her bow and aiming, time that could be spent elsewhere.
As she leaves, I collect my thoughts. Her survival skills are impressive and will help keep her alive for a while, but her weapon experience is limited. If she had to protect herself from an oncoming enemy, she would be dead in no time.
"Sebastian Cassara, District Seven!"
Sebastian waltzes into the room slowly, taking his time on the way to the weapons section. He looks around at the available options, almost as if he didn't plan what he was going to do. Eventually, he retreats back to the knot-tying station, where he grabs some twine and, inexplicably, starts prying some nails out of the wooden frame surrounding the plant identification station. Several Gamemakers lean forward quickly, trying to see if he's attempting to destroy the Training Center, which sometimes happens in these sessions.
But it seems destruction isn't his goal; he wraps the twine around the nails and his hand, one nail for each knuckle, then ties it tight and flexes his fingers. I'm starting to realize what he's planning as he struts back to the weapons, clenching and unclenching his fist. He motions to a trainer at the sword section to spar with him, which he hesitantly does. Though the trainer has a short sword, Sebastian is quick on his feet and manages to dodge nearly every swing, only a few nicking his shoulders. But this hardly seem to matter when he uses his strength and speed to strike the trainer's stomach with his makeshift nail-knuckles, throwing him off course and leaving his neck open and exposed. Sebastian grabs him by the hair and puts his nails to his throat, smirking.
"That's enough." My voice rings out, bouncing off the far walls. Sebastian lets go of the trainer, who is bleeding slightly through his shirt and breathing heavily. The tributes aren't supposed to cause actual harm to anyone, but the trainer isn't seriously hurt. He leaves with an Avox at his side, holding his stomach. Sebastian doesn't seem too concerned, taking off his homemade weapon and throwing it on the ground. He asks another trainer to wrestle empty-handed, which ends in Sebastian coming out on top. Then he retires to the obstacle course, which he runs through with an admirable time.
His session is certainly one of a kind. He doesn't show us any real weapons or survival skills, but something tells me it was on purpose. He has guts, something that many tributes, even some Careers, don't have. And his strength and speed and admirable, to say the least. What's more is that he's incredible attractive. Sponsors will be lining up to see him crowned.
"Willow Whitebeam, District Seven!"
Willow comes into the room with a smile, waving at his amicably. She begins with the knives, showing the throwing skills first before hand-to-hand. She's clearly better at throwing; hitting the target nearly every time with several in the bull's eye. As for sparring, her trainer beats her the first time, but she comes out on top easily the second time. It seems she thrives under pressure, because after that she takes another trainer down as well.
Then she heads to the survival stations, where she shows several strengths. Her fire-making, trap-making, medical skills, and plant identification are all satisfactory. Then to finish up, she runs the obstacle course with an admirable time, though she does fall once. She's just as friendly when she leaves as when she came in, waving cheerily. I gather my notes before Eight starts. Her survival skills are up to par, but she only seems comfortable using knives, which could be a problem. Though, unlike most tributes who panic in the face of danger, she rises to meet the occasion. It's certainly a useful trait.
"Tag Nylon, District Eight!"
Ah, poor District Eight. Stuck with the only two twelve-year olds in the Games. Statistically speaking, they don't have any worse chances then thirteen-year olds, but it still sounds worse. Tag doesn't seem perturbed by this face, however, heading straight to plant identification with no problems. He clearly knows what he's doing, identifying edible plants, poisons, and everything in between. Then he moves to the medical station followed by the trap-making station. He's fairly good in those as well.
After this he goes to the weapons, where he shows his skills with a short sword. He even asks a trainer to spar with him, holding him back pretty well, though eventually the battle ends in a stalemate. Then he moves to the archery section, where he shows some decent skills with a bow and arrow. After that he finishes everything up with an obstacle course run.
I can tell it will take everyone a long time to score Tag. He's small and young, which leaves him without much of a chance against the older tributes. But he has a well-rounded skill set and can hold his own in a fight.
"Sock Northsilk, District Eight!"
Sock isn't nervous at all, either. These twelve-year olds certainly have some guts. She heads straight for the weapons and tries her hand at many of them, namely the spears. Unlike most tributes, she shows not only her throwing abilities but also her hand-to-hand fighting with them. These are clearly her best weapon, though her skills elsewhere are also somewhat satisfactory. She shows her capability with knives and axes, both in ranged ability as well as hand-to-hand, and then tries to wield a mace. Despite his weight, she holds it up easily and batters a dummy into the ground. By the time she's finished, she's out of breath and sweaty, but still holding herself together. She finishes with some plant-identification before her time runs out, most of it spent using weapons.
Her strategy is indeed very rare for a young tribute; most of them don't even touch the weapons or maybe just one, but they seemed to be her main focus. But that will only come in handy if she knows how to take care of herself in the wilderness, which we can't be sure of.
"Albert Anderson, District Nine!"
Our second Anderson starts with some plant identification, which is nearly perfect. Either he has prior experience with such activities, or he is simply a quick learner. It takes almost no time before he's heading to the knives. He throws them with impressive speed, most of the them sticking into the target. He then shows some close combat skills against a dummy, both with knives and a short sword. He seems to have prior experience with blades as well, which is very interesting. He might have learned most of these skills through illegal activities, which is off-putting, but it's not like it matters now. Anything will help in the arena.
He finishes his session with an average run through the obstacle course, though it's still impressive considering his age. Overall, his skills are well-rounded and he seems capable of taking care of himself.
"Grizelda Weaver, District Nine!"
Grizelda walks in with her gaze fixed on the plant identification station. She spends a great deal of time there, during which she is mostly successful, before heading to the fire-making, medical, and camouflage stations. To finish things up, she slashes some dummies with a knife, then throws a few with mediocre success. She doesn't try to draw attention to the fact that she's pregnant, which is good. I hate it when the tributes try to start pity parties for themselves. However, her survival skills are fairly average and her weapon-wielding is less than satisfactory. But she is one of the older tributes, and seems determined.
"Denver O'Casey, District Ten!"
Denver is a nervous one; it's easy to tell. He tries to avoid our eyes, but keeps glancing up at us as if he can't help it. He sticks to the survival stations, not even glancing at the weapons. His fire-making is sub-par, but he does know how to tie a knot and therefore how to make traps. His plant identification skills are rusty but passable. He treats a few hypothetical wounds in the medical station, then moves to the camouflage. None of his skills particularly stand out, and his nervousness doesn't help. He seems like he might faint at any minute, but he manages to finish his session.
"Filly Marcoffe, District Ten!"
Filly is the opposite of Denver; she comes in with a light smile and heads right to the swords. She starts with a machete, which is an interesting choice. However, she can clearly hold her own against a sparring partner and is clearly comfortable with the weapon. She also shows some skill with a broadsword, though her movements aren't as precise. She tries several other weapons as well, including the bow and arrow, knives, an axe, and spears. She isn't afraid to take risks while fighting, She clearly doesn't have prior experience with them, but she's muscular and fearless, making her a formidable opponent.
After she finishes with the weapons, she heads to the survival section and shows some plant identification and trap-making. She's learned a lot in training, for sure, but her skills aren't the most polished out of the ones we've seen.
"Tomas Fields, District Eleven!"
Tomas, the boy who knocked the Reaping ball off the stage. It was a risky move, and one that might land him in trouble in the arena if President Snow decides he's too rebellious. But so far the sponsors seem to like his feistiness, taking his action more as a showcase of guts than a defiance of the Hunger Games.
Tomas avoids our eyes like many outer-district tributes do, heading straight for the fire-making station and showing us his astounding skill. He either has been making fires his whole life or he's spent a lot of time there in training. After making quite a few fires using different strategies, he makes a few traps, which he is average at, and identifies some plants correctly. Then he heads over to the weapons section, choosing a curved sword. He doesn't ask to spar, but he is clearly comfortable with the weapon in his hand, slicing open several dummies before putting it away and choosing a short sword. This one he is less skilled with, but he has learned some over the last three days. Before leaving, he throws the sword down on the ground rather than putting it back and doesn't spare us a glance.
As an Avox carefully places the sword back on its shelf, I can't help but feel disappointed by his session. A feisty boy like Tomas would receive many sponsors if he performed well in his private session, but it seems he either didn't learn a lot or just doesn't care that much.
"Marjoram Paella, District Eleven!"
Marjoram gives us a grin and a smile as she walks into the room, her dark brown hair pulled into a Capitol-style ponytail. I can feel some of the Gamemakers beside me shifting uncomfortably. It's strange to think that if Marjoram had been born in the Capitol before her family moved to Eleven, she wouldn't be eligible for the Reaping. But these thoughts are pointless to pursue; her parents chose to give birth to her there, and now she has a chance to prove her worth to the entire nation. It's an honor.
Marjoram begins with plant identification, which she is very good at, like most Eleven tributes. After finishing the exercise in its entirety, she makes some fires, traps, and medicines. She is less adept with these, though that is to be expected. After finishing with the survival section, she heads to the knives, throwing them and sparring with a partner. Her aim is alright, and she seems slightly afraid to do anything other than defend herself in the fight, but she does fairly well. Then she graduates on to the swords, showing her average skills with a short sword before finishing with a satisfactory obstacle course run. She leaves with another friendly smile and wave, like we've known each other all our lives.
She has a wide range of strengths, but is mostly average at nearly all of them. The only activity that stands out is her plant identification, but that by itself won't keep her alive.
"Rooker Holm, District Twelve!"
Rooker is shaking when he walks into the room, his hands trembling as he attempts to make a fire for the first couple of minutes. He succeeds eventually and moves on to plant identification, which he does fairly well. Then he goes to the weapons section, where he chooses a spear and shows us some throwing. His aim isn't the best, but some of the throws stick into the target, and he gets better as time goes on. Then he moves to the archery station, which is worse than the spears but still passable. He doesn't seem to have much experience with combat weapons and only ranged ones, but at least he learned something and could probably injure a tribute that was running toward him. He finishes with a run through the obstacle course, receiving an average time. As he exits the room, he's no longer shaking and even looks a little pleased with himself.
"Eryn Winters, District Twelve!"
Eryn is shy as well, but more focused. She only shows us survival skills and no weapons, a risky choice. Her plant identification and trap-making are superb, however, and she has clearly learned quite a bit. She then shows every other survival skill, which she is average at. But even if we don't know if she can use a weapon, I'm sure she will have no problem surviving in the wilderness. After she finishes at the camouflage station, she leaves with her head bowed.
The lights in the Training Center slowly dim as the Avoxes and trainers start to pack up the weaponry and close down the survival stations. They won't be used again until this time next year, and will likely undergo some renovations in the meantime.
"An interesting batch," Rowan says beside me. "The viewers are going to love them."
"Yes, but don't base your scores off of popularity," I remind everyone as they stand up and stretch their muscles. They mumble in agreement under their breath, obviously ready to leave. "Let's head to the Gamemaking Center to average our scores and send them to the network."
I turn to Marcelle, whose dyed pink eyes are filled with boredom. "Once the scores are announced, the sponsors will be clambering over one another to send in their money. Your team will need to be ready for that."
"I know, Bellona," Marcelle says with a yawn. "I'm the head of sponsorships. I now my duties."
"Just make sure everything's ready. Let's go."
Hey everyone! This chapter might be a little boring, but I think it's useful for you as sponsors to see exactly what each tribute can do, and what goes into the process of choosing a Training Score. What do you think your tributes or your favorites will get? Who surprised you and/or impressed you? Until next chapter~