Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Numbers That Define Us
Training Score Reveal
Vincent Wainwright, President of Panem
I've just gotten on the phone with Summer, and we're putting the finishing touches on the scores. Not much needs to be done- there's only one change I'd like to request.
"I'm only requesting one major change: I want to bump the score for the boy from Twelve up a few points."
Summer sounds confused when she responds. "Okay, why? All he did was try to commit suicide!"
"I don't think so, or at the very least he doesn't fall under any of the usual indicators," I reply. "Plus, there's other things we have to consider. One, if we give the kids from Twelve the bottom two scores, it'll look like we're singling them out, which neither the Capitol nor the Districts will like. Two, unlike his District partner, he hasn't really shown any signs of being anti-Capitol or anti-Games, or acted like he did that to spite us. Thus, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was attempting to show us his resistance to poison in a very, very stupid way. I'll score him like he did that."
"Whatever, I approve," Summer replies. "Make the fix and send the scores out."
"Done and done," I say, and then the call ends. I quickly fix the boy's score, and just like that, everything's ready to go.
Nascar Galluci, District One Male
Nine o'clock, right after dessert. Perfect timing, if you ask me, because chances are my score is going to be the cherry on top of my ice-cream sundae.
I'm at the left end of the couch, Clara's on the right. Our mentors and Diamond stand behind us. Everyone, including me, appears fixated on the screen, waiting for the commercials to end.
But when they do, it happens with surprisingly little fanfare. No shouting, no triumphant music, just a woman on screen saying, "The tributes' scores are now in. They are as follows…"
There's a long pause in between that and the next words, the air thick with tension and anticipation. I know we're up first, and even I'm on the edge of my seat waiting. Whoever this lady is, she's an expert at ratcheting things up.
But in an instant, it releases.
"Nascar Galluci, the District One male, has scored a 10."
I breathe out, quick and easy. I was expecting a high score, and I got it. However, I don't say anything yet, since everyone else is still waiting on Clara.
In all honesty, I hope I beat her.
Clara Ridley, District One Female
Nascar getting a ten is not a great start for me. Sure, I'm probably getting one as well, but if my score stood alone at the top, I'd have unopposed control over the pack.
Now, leadership is going to be a messy business. I suppose I'll work fine as a co-leader, but when things are as unstable as they are now, no doubt this is going to lead to arguments.
The woman on the television speaks again, letting out the words I was waiting to hear. "Clara Ridley, the District One female, has scored a 10."
Frosting beams at the two of us. "Great work, you two! We haven't had scores that high in ages!"
"You've already made a wonderful first impression on the sponsors," Polaris said. "With some help from Diamond before interviews, you'll have stuff raining down on you in no time."
I smile as I turn away from the others. Sure, I intend to stand alone at the top, but that sure sounds good.
Godric Runestone, District Two Male
With Nascar and Clara both having scored tens, I need to get one as well.
Sure, the two of them aren't that friendly, but I don't want another District having both their tributes alone at the top. Every time that's happened, they almost inevitably become the product of sponsor favoritism and send one of their number back home. And I need to go back home. I can't leave Dorian and Freya behind.
The announcer sure takes her sweet time, but eventually, she says the words.
"Godric Runestone, the District Two male, has scored a 10."
I sigh in utter relief. At the very least, I'll be seen as equal to the kids from One. Thus, this pack won't be totally one-sided, no pun intended.
Galadia Devinson, District Two Female
I know that all the scores given out so far have been in the double digits, but I could really care less. As far as I'm concerned, the score is just a number.
Part of why I think that might be because I'm a little bitter that there's no way I'm getting the top score. However, I'm not sure how much of me actually feels that way and how much is just buying into this delusion I've created.
Thankfully, the woman talks again, shattering my delusions in a hurry.
"Galadia Devinson, the District Two female, has scored an 8."
I try to act disappointed, but I don't feel much more than plain old relief. The score's high enough that the other Careers have no reason to kick me out of the pack, and that's good enough for me.
It's such a good feeling, I can even ignore Cassidy glaring at me from behind.
Rhaemyr North, District Three Male
Having seen the Careers' scores so far, I'm not getting my hopes up.
Sure, my session might have been innovative, but I'm not sure how practical the Gamemakers found it. They could give me a ridiculously high or pitifully low score, and even if I definitely want the former, I've got no say in it.
I wonder if the rest of the gang are watching this back home. I know if one of them were here, I certainly would be.
As the tension reaches its peak once more, the woman speaks.
"Rhaemyr North, the District Three male, has scored a 6."
I smile, and Gear pats me on the back. A six isn't a stellar score by any means, but at the very least it demonstrates competence. I won't match the Careers in sponsorship, but I'll get a couple who like District Three and want to see what I can do.
Above all else, I hope the others are proud of me.
Sotia Vance, District Three Female
I don't want a very high score.
All I want is to be seen as average. I'm already a target because everyone thinks I'm going to put together some contraption that'll blow up the arena or something equally ridiculous, no need to add to it by getting a high score.
I did some research in between lunch and my session, finding that the average score for a tribute, not including Careers, is slightly above a five. Thus, the best score for me would be somewhere in that general area, preferably either a four or a five.
Thankfully, once my score is read, I appear to have done my work well. "Sotia Vance, the District Three female, has scored a 4."
This will probably kill my sponsors in the short game, but I don't want to play the short game right now. All I need is a day or two to make my angle clear. It's a high-risk, high-reward strategy, and I have reason to believe I'll come out on the top end.
At least, that's what should happen. But in the end, I guess it's not my decision to make.
Vick Even, District Four Male
I'm going to be overshadowed by Sienna when I enter the arena, I knew that going in. I just need a score high enough that I can stand as a threat on my own.
Sienna and Sirena watch from matching chairs right next to each other, while Mako, Turquoise, and I have claimed the couch. It takes a little while to get to District Four, but when it does, I prepare for my hopes to either be fulfilled or shattered.
Thankfully, I get the former. "Vick Even, the District Four male, has scored a 7."
I fist-pump, even though I know I'll be beaten by Sienna in a second. I don't care. If I've gotten a high enough score that stands on its own, that's all I could ever ask for.
Sienna Starboard, District Four Female
At this point, I need a ten just to be competitive with the other Careers.
Will that probably lead to a two, three, or even four-way power struggle for the leader's role? Yes. But considering that I'm pretty confident that Clara and Godric are going to butt heads already, maybe throwing me into the mix won't even make that much of a difference.
I think I did well enough to warrant it. I've got to have it- there's simply no other way around it.
"Sienna Starboard, the District Four female, has scored a 9."
Sirena tries to give me a look of sympathy. "Good job, Sienna. A nine's not a bad score by any means, you should be proud of yourself!"
"I guess, but that's not going to matter. When you entered the Games, you scored a ten and you were two years younger than me. It's not bad, but everyone's just going to see me as the lesser Starboard."
At least I scored higher than Galadia. If nothing else, I can claim I don't have the lowest score in the Career pack.
Spark Emmersen, District Five Male
Catarina and I are on the edge of our seats, waiting for this lady to finally announce what we got.
Who knows? The Gamemakers at least appeared to be paying some attention during my session, so I'm not sure whether they saw some good in what I did or not, but either way, whatever they found in me is coming to the front, and fast.
"Come on," I say under my breath. "Just give me a chance to live…"
I know they didn't hear me (at least, I think) but that doesn't stop them from giving me their score. "Spark Emmersen, the District Five male, has scored a 5."
I don't have much to say about that except, "Well, that's good enough for me."
I just hope Catarina scores a little better than I did so we can at least seem like a bit of a threat.
Catarina Lynn, District Five Female
I don't want a ridiculous score, but I still want to be taken seriously. If our combined scores don't at least add up to double digits, we'll probably be overlooked entirely, or overshadowed by the pair from Nine, or both at the same time.
Spark made his half of the contribution, now it's up to me to have made mine. I think I did okay during my private session but based on some tips Jolt had given me before I went down, the feelings someone had about their score and their score usually didn't match up.
All I can do was hope that I underestimated myself and not the other way around.
"Catarina Lynn, the District Five Female, has scored a 4."
Well, crap. Not only am I now seen as the weaker half of our alliance, our scores didn't even add to ten. No one's going to take us seriously now.
With a sigh, I flop back into my chair, and even though I hate myself for doing this, I start hoping the pair from Nine bombed horrifically so at least we'll be seen as a step above them.
Remi Hamick, District Six Male
Zari and I are taking turns eating cookies out of the biggest cookie jar I've ever seen in my life while we watch the scores come out.
"Come on, hand it over," Zari says. "You've had, like, six in a row."
"Just a second," I choke out through a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie. Quickly as I can, I take two more out before I pass the jar, then pour myself a glass of milk from the gallon we opened right as this whole thing started.
After my suck-tastic attempt at trying to use a slingshot, I know I'm probably doomed to one of the lowest scores of the twenty-four. I'm pretty confident I'll still be able to snag some sponsors once I get rolling during interviews, but this will definitely be a shaky start for me.
As if to confirm that, the lady on the television chimes in. "Remi Hamick, the District Six male, has scored a 3."
Well, I knew that was coming. From this point on, everything's going to be an uphill battle, but I think I can win it.
Zari Morelett, District Six Female
Mom always liked to say that cookies and milk made everything better. I really hope that applies for when I get my score, because I don't feel like I did so well.
Remi's only reaction upon receiving his score was to shovel down more cookies, so I'm going to try to keep the same level of coolness once I know what my score is. Knowing me, I'm going to fail miserably, but hey, they can't blame me for trying.
I take a sip of milk right as I see my name come up, and what the announcer says afterward is a surprise to everyone. "Zari Morelett, the District Six female, has scored a 6."
It takes everything I have not to do a spit take right then and there. A six? Really? To be honest, I was expecting something significantly lower.
It's not like I'm going to complain, however. Thus, I just bite into yet another cookie to hide my expression and hope that score holds up against what's yet to come.
Aryion Hylus, District Seven Male
Ash and Mahogany are watching the scores with us, and surprisingly, Ash is sober enough to understand what's going on.
That doesn't mean he's 100% sober- he had a couple before sitting down with us- but he can still talk to us with no impediments other than a little slurring and he's even made some relevant comments about the scores of other tributes.
I hope he's got something good to say about mine when I came out- I bit off more than I could chew during my session. Hopefully, I won't be penalized too heavily for it.
Without any buildup, exactly what I've been waiting for comes out. "Aryion Hylus, the District Seven male, has scored a 6."
Was I hoping for higher than that? Yes.
Is that score still acceptable? Also yes.
Ash says nothing, so I take that as a sign that I got what he was expecting me to. Whether that's a good thing or a bad one is my opinion, I guess.
Alexa Dobio, District Seven Female
Zari scoring a six is a good start for the three of us, them being her, Lacey, and me.
We're already well on our way to outpacing the one other known alliance besides the Careers, so that's a huge plus. Furthermore, based on the way some of the Gamemakers were looking at me when I finished my session, I have a reason to expect a decent score.
I managed to say, "Good job, Aryion," when his score came up before mine, but even so, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. Even though I'll be able to hear my score no matter what, seeing it will really drill the whole thing into my head.
The time comes, and everything seems to freeze for a second.
"Alexa Dobio, the District Seven female, has scored a 7."
Mahogany actually turns to face me, saying, "Nice job, kiddo. That's higher than what I got."
I'm half expecting Aryion to blow up because he got outscored by a girl three years younger than him and half his size, but he doesn't appear to react.
Things are looking up. Now I've just got to wait for Lacey's score.
Romeo Brady, District Eight Male
I already know I was terrible, I don't need anyone to officially confirm it.
I'm watching the scores anyway because who the hell doesn't, and apparently Lacey's feeling the same way because even though she's in the room with me, she hasn't said a word and has barely looked at the screen.
Whatever. That's her decision to make I guess, just like my being here is mine.
My score comes out, and I'm not at all surprised by it. "Romeo Brady, the District Eight male, has scored a 3."
Well, if I wasn't screwed before, I probably am now. All I can really do at this point is to try to enjoy the days I have left before the Games start.
Lacey Loveless, District Eight Female
Considering that most of the Gamemakers I saw looked some combination of drunk or high during my private session, it wouldn't shock me if my score, as well as that of anyone after the two of us, didn't make any sense whatsoever. (I have no idea how scoring us works, but if it's like most of the other things in the Capitol, it's probably overcomplicated and really stupid.)
I haven't been paying much attention to the scores thus far because I guessed what most of the others were going to score at the end of today's training- pretty accurately, might I say. My only big mistakes were that I significantly overestimated both the girl from Three and the boy from Five.
I'll be the final score out for our alliance. Zari scored a six and Alexa a seven, so even though it's probably not happening, it would be kind of funny if they continued the trend of our alliance getting the same score as their District number.
And surprisingly enough, they do. "Lacey Loveless, the District Eight female, has scored an 8."
"Wow," is all I have to say about that. That's the highest non-Career score so far, and even puts me on the same level as that obnoxious girl from Two- Gabriella or whatever.
It doesn't do anything to change how I feel, but I manage to force a smile anyway.
Marius Coin, District Nine Male
From the way Miller's been watching, you'd think he was waiting for his score and not ours.
Anisa's watching as well, but as usual, she's got those big, clunky headphones on even though they're not even attached to anything this time. Toren's sitting next to her, and I'm sitting by myself.
Just like usual.
I don't exactly have very high expectations for my session, but based on the scores that have come out so far, I can at least assure myself that I won't have the lowest score of the twenty-four. I'm still not counting on a ton of sponsors, especially since the same District winning twice in a row is incredibly rare, but at least I'll probably get someone.
Before I can have any other thoughts, my score comes out. "Marius Coin, the District Nine male, has scored a 4."
Is that anywhere near good? No, but it could have definitely gone worse. I just hope Toren gets a decent score so we can outmatch the pair from Five.
Toren Laris, District Nine Female
I made a point from sitting as far away from Marius as I could when I settled down to watch the scores come out.
Hopefully, he'll get the hint soon enough, but at this rate, I'm going to have to shoot him down personally. Actual, in-Games romance is among one of the worst things you can possibly do, because not only do you have to escalate really fast to keep the sponsors interested, but someone getting killed in the middle of doing something romantic is such a well-used cliche that I'm near certain the Gamemakers would try it on us.
I don't want to keep him hanging that much longer, but at the same time, if he goes into the Games on an emotional low, that's not good for either of us, especially if we plan to stick together past the Bloodbath.
"Good luck, Toren," Marius says, right before my score is made clear to the world.
"Toren Laris, the District Nine female, has scored a 5."
Well, it just so happens we end up exactly matching the duo from Five. Sure, at least we're not worse, but that's not going to look good, especially since the heavy hitters from Ten and Eleven are coming up next.
Faolan Drover, District Ten Male
At the very least, I want to match Lacey's score.
I'm not sure what she did to be able to get her eight, but I have to have done something similar. The only way people get really high scores is to display some kind of affinity for combat, and I'm pretty confident I did that during my private session.
Hopefully Artesia did the same, but for now, I've got to focus on what I can do. Even if someone winds up outsourcing me and leads the anti-Careers, I've got to prove that I'm a valuable member to ensure my position.
"I wouldn't count on it," Tractor tells me. "I beat my trainer in a straight knife fight and it only got me a seven. I'm not sure if they treat those Scenario whatevers differently, but-"
He gets cut off by the lady on the television, who just so happens to contradict what he's saying. "Faolan Drover, the District Ten male, has scored an 8."
"I guess they do treat those differently," Tractor says, either trying to save face or recover from his mistake. I'm not sure which and I don't care, but either way my result is the same.
I resist the urge to shout, saving that for after Artesia's score comes out. Hopefully, she did well too.
Artesia Alexander, District Ten Female
Faolan's eight put me in a precarious position. If I get higher than that, the Careers will probably think I have some hidden trick up my sleeve and will stop at nothing to kill me, considering I'm not that outwardly impressive. However, if I score lower, I could easily be the first one picked off by an opportunistic outlier who needs some sponsors.
Waiting patiently for my big reveal, all I can do is think to myself, "Please be an eight, please be an eight, please be an eight…"
I'm not sure if there's anyone up there who's listening, but when the reveal happens, my wish gets granted. "Artesia Alexander, the District Ten female, has scored an 8."
I pump my fist and shout, and Faolan does the same. Kitty and Tractor both have smiles light up their faces as they congratulate us. Just like that, I'm filled with a warm, fuzzy feeling that I haven't gotten at this magnitude since- since-
Never mind. Can't focus on that. I'll have to deal with it later.
Either way, though, looks like I'll have a lot more stuff to write tonight than usual. And I'm not sure how I'll repay her if I get out, but I have to thank Kitty at least a million times for convincing the Gamemakers to allow my journal in as my Tribute Token.
Thomiah Marshall, District Eleven Male
You'd think Cordelia would have stayed up to watch the scores come out, but nope, she's sound asleep right now. Earlier today, Citrus reassured me that she stayed awake longer during the Games for as long as one of us was alive, but this still feels wrong somehow.
Besides the two of us and Odysea, the room is empty- apparently, Elysium went to some party to both watch the scores separately and try to snag a few new sponsors for us. I'm not sure if he's actually trying to do that or just wants to blow us off, but either way, he's at least committed.
"Faolan and Artesia set a high bar," Odysea says. I'm not sure if we have to clear it or just match it, but either way, we need high scores."
"Thanks, Captain Obvious," I say right as Artesia's score disappears.
Swiftly afterward, mine comes out. And it's- well, let's just say stunning.
"Thomiah Marshall, the District Eleven male, has scored a 9."
Nine. Wow. At that caliber, everyone's probably expecting me to compete with the Careers. Hell, at this rate, they'll be disappointed if I don't. And unless Odysea pulls off a miraculous score, I'll be the unofficial leader of the anti-Careers.
I'm not sure yet whether I find that prospect amazing or terrifying.
Odysea Davos, District Eleven Female
With two eights and a nine already on the table, at this point my score barely matters; we've already outdone every alliance except the Careers.
That doesn't stop me from wanting a high score. I want to prove my place here.
Too bad Cordelia won't be awake to see this.
Then, it's my turn to get my score. "Odysea Davos, the District Eleven female, has scored a 7."
That's not great for me. Now, I'm hands-down the weakest link, and although I don't think either Faolan or Artesia is that kind of person, I could see them getting ticked off that I might be weighing them down if I stick around for too long.
As if he knew what I was thinking, Thomiah immediately says, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you stay in the pack. Based on our conversation earlier today, they should be fine with that."
So, Thomiah's given me a sort of consolation prize. Nice enough, and the score's not bad, but it's still quite a disappointment, especially since Cordelia had said I should expect an eight based on what I'd told her happened in my session.
Never mind what I said earlier; it's a good thing Cordelia wasn't awake to see that.
Maxxer "Max" Bent, District Twelve Male
I'm not sure what to even expect. Have the Gamemakers even had someone do what I did in front of them before?
The room is empty except for me since both our mentors and Ribbon went out sponsor hunting and Fox still hasn't come back from wherever the hell she is right now. Maybe she's on the roof. Maybe she went to a different floor. Maybe she escaped and they're trying to hunt her down as we speak. I don't know, and honestly, I don't care.
All I really care about right now is my score. Chances are, it's going to suck- I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I did that. Just another one of my many failures.
Well, all the scores except the ones from our District have been released, and I'm prepared to be disappointed.
Then my time comes. "Maxxer Bent, the District Twelve male, has scored a 5."
I don't have anything in my mouth, but if I did, I probably would have done a spit take. I got a five for almost getting myself killed?
Maybe I could have just gotten lucky, but probably not- more likely was that the Gamemakers just made a mistake or something. At the very least, it's the first real break I've gotten since I came here.
Hopefully, this is a good sign of things to come.
Fox Angel, District Twelve Female
I really felt like the- whatever the hell this shirt is that restrains my arms is called was unnecessary, but they put it on me anyway before I got thrown in here.
Somehow, there's a level below the training center that's specifically meant to house "unruly" people like me filled with padded rooms, one of which I currently found myself trapped in. I've been here for, based on my best guess (since there's no clock in here) somewhere between twelve and sixteen hours, not including the whole target-practice thing I tried because I didn't have two shits left to give about what the Gamemakers think about me.
The second I decided to kill that girl from Two, I knew I was going to die over it, but I didn't care. That bitch deserved it.
Whoever's been watching over me has been piping the scores into my room through some kind of intercom, so I can very clearly hear when my score comes out. "Fox Angel, the District Twelve female, has scored a 2."
"Like I care," I yell back up, knowing they're not going to hear me (and even if they did, why should they care?)
After all, I don't care if I die in the next few days as long as I'm able to off the bitch from Two before I do.
Tribute Rankings (Using both rounded and unrounded scores)
-NOTE: All "actual" (unrounded) scores are truncated to one decimal point unless more are necessary to break a tie (if two unrounded scores match, whichever tribute is older gets preferential placement)
1: Godric Runestone (18, District 2), (10, 10.3)
2: Clara Ridley (18, District 1), (10, 10.1)
3: Nascar Galluci (18, District 1), (10, 9.7)
4: Sienna Starboard (18, District 4), (9, 9.4)
5: Thomiah Marshall (18, District 11), (9, 9.0)
6: Faolan Drover (17, District 10), (8, 8.20)
7: Lacey Loveless (17, District 8), (8, 8.20) (Approx. 4 months younger than Faolan)
8: Galadia Devinson (17, District 2), (8, 8.0)
9: Artesia Alexander (17, District 10), (8, 7.8)
10: Alexa Dobio (13, District 7), (7, 7.4)
11: Vick Even (17, District 4), (7, 7.3)
12: Odysea Davos (16, District 11), (7, 6.8)
13: Rhaemyr North (17, District 3), (6, 6.2)
14: Zari Morelett (17, District 6), (6, 6.0)
15: Aryion Hylus (16, District 7), (6, 5.8)
16: Toren Laris (16, District 9), (5, 5.4)
17: Spark Emmersen (17, District 5), (5, 4.9)
18: Maxxer "Max" Bent (14, District 12), (5, 1.8) (Remember, his score was changed due to President Wainwright's request)
19: Sotia Vance (15, District 3), (4, 4.4)
20: Catarina Lynn (15, District 5), (4, 4.1)
21: Marius Coin (16, District 9), (4, 3.6)
22: Remi Hamick (13, District 6), (3, 2.9)
23: Romeo Brady (16, District 8), (3, 2.6)
24: Fox Angel (12, District 12), (2, 1.6)
AVG Score: 6.3215
AVG Score, Excluding Careers: 5.4737
(Please note, both averages were made based on unrounded scores)
Author's Notes:
-Wow, that felt like it took forever (even though it wasn't actually that bad). Did any tributes score higher than you thought they would? Lower? Make any odd predictions that happened to come true? Anyway, now that that's over and done with, we're going to launch into interviews next time! (I'm skipping Interview Prep to keep the POVs balanced as well as chop some time off between now and the Bloodbath.)
-Hope you enjoyed this, and I'll see you next chapter!