Rose was sitting in the chariot next to William, in her outfit that Cassandra had created. To her credit, it turned out pretty well. She had placed Rose in a dark blue dress, simple yet elegant. A dark blue, oddly familiar, that made her feel of home. She shook the feeling off, and snapped back to reality.
The horses started to move, and Rose could hear the Capitol crowd cheering. Rose took a deep breath, and smiled and waved as she had been instructed to do by Sarah Jane earlier that day.
"If the crowd likes you," she had said, "they will help you in the arena." And since Rose would prefer not to get killed, she decided it might help if they didn't hate her.
"And from District Five," said the announcer, Harold Johnson, "we have William Jackson!" The crowd cheered, "and Rose Tyler!" again the crowd cheered, and and Rose blushed a bit, a little unsure about all this attention.
All the chariots were gathered in a semicircle, facing the cheering crowd. Rose could hear cheers of all different names. But then she heard it. Rose. They were cheering for Rose. But she heard something else. From one person. She wasn't quite sure what he meant, but she was sure what he had said.
Bad Wolf.
Archery was not one of Rose's strong suits. She quickly learned that during training.
"You're doing it wrong, Miss Tyler!" said her instructor.
"Well I'm sorry," she huffed, "but I've never done this before." After a few more tries, she gave up and suggested they move on to something easier.
"How about sword fighting?" suggested Rose. Her instructor sighed, and handed her a sword, then started the lesson.
That day, Rose attempted a plethora of skills to learn, and she failed at all of them. Sword fighting was a disaster. And so was wild plant gathering. And knife throwing. And fire building. Overall, she did not have a great day.
She walked back to the flat, defeated, and started worrying about what she was going to do for her scoring.
"William Jackson?" the voice called over the intercom. It was time for the scoring. Rose sat in the waiting room, patiently waiting for her turn. She would go next.
"Rose, right?" asked the girl sitting next to her. Rose nodded. "I'm Martha. Martha Jones. I'm from District Eight."
"Rose Tyler, District Five," Rose answered back. Martha smiled.
"Pleasure to meet you, Rose."
"And you too, Martha."
"Rose Tyler?" called the intercom. Rose took a deep breath, and stood up. She walked through the doors, to meet the panel who would decide her fate.
The game makers consisted of a group of high-spirited Capitol men. Not bad guys, she supposed. They're just doing their job. They don't see the monstrosities behind this event.
She walked over to the cart of weapons, and she found herself grabbing for a dagger. Her body expertly guided her through the motions, and the poor dummy she had been given was torn to shreds.
She finished, gasping, a little unsure over what had just happened. She looked at the game makers, bowed, and then walked out of the room.
Rose, William, Sarah Jane, and Alonzo were watching the screen. It was time for the revealing of scores.
From District Four, Jack Harkness, who receives a ten.
From District Five, William Jackson, who receives a seven.
They turned to congratulate William for his efforts. A seven wasn't bad. Sarah Jane forlornly looked at Rose.
From District Five, Rose Tyler, who receives a nine.
Rose couldn't believe it. She sat there, dumbstruck as her mentors congratulated her.
She kept watching the screen. And for a just a second, if you blinked you would've missed it, it flashed.
Bad Wolf.