Training's been relatively boring today. Once again, we're just destroying dummies faster than the trainers can grab them and scaring the shit out of the other tributes. It's basically a repeat of yesterday. Well, not quite…I haven't talked to Katniss at all.
It's not that I don't want to, but her district partner, who I find myself starting to dislike for some reason, hasn't left her alone. Maybe I'm imagining it, but it seems like he keeps throwing the suspicious glances my way, but he turns his head so fast I can't confirm it. Just a feeling.
Cato and Glimmer are at the sword station again. Well actually Cato's at the sword station and Glimmer is just there to compliment him. Maybe she's hoping that if Cato likes her, he'll protect her in the arena. I highly doubt that, but it's her funeral.
District Four is busy dominating the fishing station while the trainers lavish them with praise. The other tributes are just milling around without purpose, all but Thresh too nervous to pick up weapons with the careers around. I can't blame them.
I find myself at the throwing knife station, where Clove is the unchallenged queen.
She smirks as I pick up a throwing knife. Asshole. I spot my target downrange and let the knife fly. It's a decent throw, sticking in the dummy's torso. It's not one of Clove's perfect heart-shots but it's good.
"I thought you were completely useless without a spear," chuckles Clove without looking over, "You'll be glad to know I'll be revising my assessment of you."
"Great," I answer dryly, throwing another knife that sticks, "Maybe that'll teach you not to underestimate anyone."
Clove scoffs. "My assessments are usually spot-on. Take you district partner, for example. I can tell she's a rich brat coasting on her looks. All she's done is follow Cato around without actually touching a weapon. What'd she say her weapon was?" asks Clove.
"Bow," I answer, throwing again.
"Ah right. Bows. She hasn't even touched one yet. I wouldn't count on her to be much use in the bloodbath," says Clove.
"So why keep her around?" I ask.
"Sponsors. They love a pretty little tribute like her. Pity her looks won't save her when the time comes," answers Clove with that wicked smile that no longer surprises me.
Damn she's cold. I don't even like Glimmer and I'm certainly not going to put myself at risk to help her, but it sounds like Clove's already plotting her death. Hell, she's probably already plotting mine too. I need to watch my ass around this girl.
"You sure are a good time, Clove. You know that?" I say sarcastically.
Clove doesn't miss it and sends a blade into a dummy's forehead. "I'm here to win by any means necessary. Anyone who doesn't have that attitude doesn't stand a chance in the arena," she says before pausing, "Do you have that attitude, Marvel, or are just a pawn?"
What a bitch. Trust me Clove, I won't have a problem dealing with you when the time comes.
"Don't you worry about me. I plan on seeing my family again," I say, matching Clove's cold tone.
Let's just hope I'm not in a coffin when that happens.
Once again, I find myself cruising the survival stations. There's been a few interesting sights, like the little girl from Eleven flying through the rope course with ease and Katniss' district partner hurling one of the heavier weights after eating shit in the agility course. There hasn't been much else, though.
I end up giving the fishing station a try and find that do have some ability. I get to use a spear and a fish really is just another target. The trainer looked surprised to see me, a career, but took it in stride, praising me when I succeeded but correcting me when I did something wrong. Hopefully, this'll help keep me alive when the cornucopia is no longer an option.
Katniss and the blonde dude are hanging out at the camouflage station. Thresh is messing around with the heavier weights. I notice some ginger girl by the edible plants station. I think she's from Five…or is it Six? Aside from the major players, everyone else just gets lost in the shuffle.
I watch with mild curiosity as the ginger girl, who I can now see is from Five by the patches on her shoulders, takes the edible plant test. Wow, she got every single one right. Judging by her size, she's probably planning on hiding out and hoping we all kill each other off. As she turns, I briefly catch her gaze. She looks sly, like she knows something we all don't. I make a mental note keep my eye on her before taking her spot at the station.
Once again, the trainer looks surprised but proceeds anyway, holding up dozens of plants and informing me which ones are safe to eat and how to tell. You have to check for all kinds of things, flower color, leaf shape, lateral or vertical veins. Christ, it feels like I'm back in school, yearning to get a spear back in my hands. I force myself to pay attention anyway. Extra food never hurt anyone in the arena.
After about an hour of the trainer lecturing, I take the test, getting 83% correct. Not bad, but it could still get me killed. I suppose I'll avoid eating plants until it's absolutely necessary. I consider taking it again, only to be distracted by the sound of Cato's angry voice.
"Hey! Where's my knife?!" he asks sharply.
He's not talking to me, fortunately. I can see him squaring up with the boy from Six, one of the larger non-careers.
"What knife?" the boy asks.
This kid's about to get his ass kicked.
"My knife! I know you took it!" barks Cato, getting angrier and shoving the boy.
"I didn't take shit!" yells the boy, returning the shove.
In seconds, they're all over each other. Peacekeepers rush in to break up the fight, while all the other tributes quickly circle around them. It reminds me of the fights in school, nobody intervening but everybody interested.
The peacekeepers manage to pry the two apart, although it takes two to restrain Cato.
"Fine! I'll wait 'til the arena! You'll be one of the first ones I get!" he barks as Glimmer and Clove try to calm him.
I look over and spot Katniss smirking, her eyes fixed above us. I follow her gaze and see the little girl from Eleven, laying in the suspended nets and holding Cato's knife. She flashes a mischievous grin and I notice Thresh let out a deep, rumbling chuckle.
Huh. This girl just might make it beyond the bloodbath
"So how'd it go?" asks Gloss as Glimmer and I return from training for the day.
He's sprawled out on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table like a king.
"It went fine, although Cato nearly started the games early," I say with a slight chuckle.
"What happened?" asks Gloss.
"He thought the kid might've taken the knife he was practicing with. Y'know, the stuff that usually warrants a death threat," I answer dryly.
Glimmer makes a face. "Don't act like that loser didn't deserve it. If he wasn't in deep shit before, he is now. He doesn't stand a chance against Cato," she says with some misplaced pride.
"You think Cato's that formidable do you?" asks Gloss.
"Well sure! He's the best and I haven't seen anyone who can challenge him," she says, glancing at me smugly at the word "anyone".
"That's too bad because he'll probably be able to kill you once the numbers are down," says Gloss as he tosses back a drink.
Glimmer noticeably stiffens.
"What? You didn't forget about that part did you?" asks Gloss, smiling ear to ear.
"Whatever. Where's Cashmere?" asks Glimmer, her voice exposing her annoyance.
"Downstairs I think. Talkin' to Prue about something," says Gloss nonchalantly, turning his attention back to the television.
Glimmer leaves with a huff, not even bothering to change out of her tribute clothes and casting an angry stare over her shoulder as she goes.
Gloss just chuckles. "Ah women. You got any sisters, Marvel?" he asks.
"Can't say that I do. I've got a little brother, though," I answer.
Gloss nods. "Well, growing up it was just me and Cashmere. We both ended up in the games, but we did it differently," he says.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"We played differently. There wasn't much bullshit when it came to me. I came, I saw, I conquered. Cash was a different story through," says Gloss.
"She didn't dominate?" I ask. There's no way she didn't, right? Gloss and Cashmere are two of the most famous victors in Hunger Games history. Anytime they visited the academy, everybody reacted like gods had descended from heaven to mingle with us mortals.
"Oh she did…but she played people and the games. I watched her on TV that year, charming every male she came across, from Caesar to the sponsors to the other careers. And she fooled 'em. Each one thought she genuinely cared for them…right up to the point when she slit their throats," says Gloss.
Sounds like a weird mixture of Clove and Glimmer.
"Jesus," I say.
"Pretty cold shit, right? Do you know why I'm telling you all this, Marvel?" asks Gloss.
I shrug. "Because you enjoy talking about it?" I guess.
"No doofus, I'm trying to make a point. The point is that the girls, especially the good lookin' ones, are probably playing a much deeper game than you realize. Take Glimmer, for example," he says.
"What about her?" I ask.
"She's sucking up to Cato, right?" asks Gloss.
I'm not sure where he's going with this. It seems pretty cut and dry.
"Yeah," I confirm.
"Well, why do you think she's doing that?" asks Gloss, looking increasingly serious.
"I assumed it was a combination of attraction and Cato's ability to protect her," I say.
What else is there?
Gloss rubs his chin. "Maybe. Maybe not. It could be any number of things. Glimmer could be just lookin' for a good time or she could be planning something. Maybe she's trying to charm Cato into killing the rest of you in your sleep. Or maybe she's trying to get his guard down so she can take him out. Or maybe she's working with someone else and trying to lead y'all into a trap," says Gloss.
I certainly never thought of it like that. But there's no way. Glimmer's just screwing around…right?
"That's an…interesting way of looking at things," I say, suddenly doubting my way forward.
"Do with the advice what you will, but since you're my tribute, I just thought I'd give you a warning. You can work with people in that arena, but never let your guard down and never trust them completely because I promise you they are thinking about your death. It's just how the games are," says Gloss, before picking up his drink from the coffee table and walking out, patting me on the back as he goes by.
I lie awake that night, turning one way and then the other, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep, an impossibility given the state of my thoughts. Is Glimmer just playing dumb, getting us all to dismiss her as idiotic flirt, so that she can take us all out? Maybe I'm reading way too much into this. It actually makes me appreciate Cato and Clove, who've been openly hostile and haven't even made an attempt to conceal their intentions to win by any means necessary. At least with them, I know where I stand.
And what about District Four? Brooke isn't a problem because we don't talk and I have no inclination to trust her right now, but what about Lewis? We've gotten along well and I actually enjoy his company, more than I can say for any of my other allies. But once again, is there a reason he's been nice or is he just being nice? Is Lewis planning on taking me out by acting like he's my friend and then putting a spear in my back? Then again, he needed my support to get into the alliance and has been aiming to please since then, not exactly indications of an evil mastermind. Still, the possibility can't be ignored.
Christ, I'm becoming paranoid. I look over at my clock. It reads 2:16 a.m.I groan, remembering I'm going to have to be up at 7:00 a.m. for the last day of training, which includes my private session with the gamemakers.
I completely forgot about that, my private session, the fifteen minutes that will determine my score, which can make or break a tribute. No pressure. Okay, obviously I need to throw spears, but should I diversify and show some other skills or just put all my focus in my best one? I suppose I could hit a few survival stations, probably fishing, throw some knives and then save the spears for my big final, but I could also run out of time and not get to show off my greatest skill.
I continue lying there, trying to will myself to sleep. No luck. I guess I've just got too much on my mind to sleep. Maybe I can get some extra practice in. Technically, we're only supposed to train during the designated training hours, but I highly doubt they've got guards posted, especially at this time of night.
Once again, I sneak out, slinking through the apartment like a snake, careful not to wake anyone. To my relief, the elevator's unguarded. I slip in and press the button down to the training level.
Once down, I check again for guards. None in sight, but then I notice something: the door to the training room is open ever so slightly Odd. It's hard to imagine the trainers and peacekeepers leaving it like that. As I walk closer, I hear the distinctive sound of something hitting a target. Someone's in there.
Probably one of my fellow careers getting some late-night practice in. If I had to guess, I'd say Clove. Cato doesn't use projectiles much and I don't think the others have the tenacity to sneak in some highly illegal practice like this. If it is Clove, I may want to see what she's doing. Maybe she's practicing another skill she's been hiding and I'd rather find out now than in the arena.
I crack the door open a bit wider and peek inside. It's dark, minus one section. The archery section is lit up and occupied by a lone tribute. Looks like a girl…a girl that's really damn good with a bow. With finely tuned precision, the mystery tribute quickly draws arrow after arrow from her quiver and sends them into the hearts and heads of the unfortunate dummies downrange. Damn, is that Clove? Looks like a brunette, but with her back to me I can't confirm. That's the last thing I need, Clove being extremely deadly with another weapon. As if she wasn't deadly enough already.
Then the tribute turns to the side and my jaw hits the floor. It's not Clove's face I see, but it's a face I know. The owl-like grey eyes that stand out in the darkness, the mouth tightly drawn into a frown and the long dark hair out of its usual braid. Katniss.
I fucking knew it! Just as I suspected, there's more to the girl on fire than she let on. There it was, hidden right under everyone's nose, a game-changing, deadly skill nobody suspected thanks to District Twelve's crappy Hunger Games record. And with this late-night practice, I bet I'm the only one who knows.
I close the door and silently slip back into the elevator. I head to the roof, where I can think. The grotto is waiting for me, unoccupied as usual, yet another thing I am the sole beneficiary of. Which brings me back to what I came up for: what to do with the information about Katniss.
I flop down into one of the chairs. Hmm. I could report what I know to my fellow careers and ensure that she doesn't get armed, effectively eliminating one threat from the games. But that doesn't really help me and screws Katniss over, which bothers me for some reason, so I rule it out. I could try to blackmail her with it and get her to take people out for me, but I doubt Katniss would go along with something like that…especially in the arena where there are no rules.
Then it hits me, the solution to all my problems. I can't help but smile now. I've got a plan.
A/N: Oh shit. The cat's out of the bag and our hero is doing some scheming of his own. Will it be enough or is the opposition just too strong? As always, all reviews, favorites and follows are greatly appreciated.