Ariail Bardineux's POV – District 1 Male
After eating breakfast and getting ready for the day, I walked outside to the balcony of the living quarters. I had a few minutes to kill before Kendra was ready for training. It was the perfect time for a smoke break. With that in mind, I pulled out a cigarette from a case in my pocket, lit it, and then put it in my mouth.
Smoking was, to my surprise, much more controlled in the Capitol than I thought would have been. Maybe it was easier in other places, but it was definitely regulated on the train and in the training facilities. Then again, that might have to do with my idiotic district escort. Royal, always the dumbass, was disgusted by smoking. Once he realized that I was a smoker, he informed me of multiple regulations, allowing me to smoke only outdoors and in environments when I was by myself and away from him.
Originally, I had lashed out at the fool for trying to control me. Now, though, I made a conscious effort to follow his regulations without a complaint, no matter how stupid they seemed to be. Royal had connections and I wanted as many sponsors as I could get. I wanted to make sure that they were my sponsors: not the sponsors for the Career Pack. At some point, the alliance was going to end and I would be by myself, so I needed to make sure I had support for that point of the Hunger Games.
I had to make sure I lived. For Amorette…
A part of me wanted to not care for her. She was the bitch who turned me away after my father kicked me out of the house. However, I knew that I had turned away from her when she announced her pregnancy to me. Her anger was justified and I probably deserved her rejection. It was all a giant shame, actually. We were the only people who truly understood each other, and we parted in such a negative way.
Bah. Going into the Hunger Games was a lot easier to deal with when I was only fighting for myself and the 'excitement' the Games would bring to my life. Now, I had to be concerned about Amorette… and the life of her child…
I continued smoking outside until I heard a loud knock on the balcony door. I quickly breathed out the last bit of smoke from the cigarette before disposing it in an ash tray on the balcony. I then walked back inside and was greeted by Kendra. The girl had a scowl on her face as she stared at me.
"Were you smoking?" She questioned with an eye roll.
"Yeah." I replied with a glare. "What's it to you? I can do whatever I want on my own time!"
"It doesn't mean anything to me. Just I've noticed you smoke at least a few cigarettes each day. It kinda looks like you're addicted." Kendra commented nonchalantly. A devious smirk crossed her face. "I wonder if you'll have any withdrawal symptoms in the arena."
"Hell no." I responded as I quickly pulled out a small, blue pill from a pocket in my pants.
Kendra's eyes nodded in understanding. The pill was a Capitol invention due to the high-amount of smoking. It was designed to alleviate the damages of smoking and help anyone who was struggling with an addiction. Taking one pill a day whenever withdrawal symptoms started to appear relieved the symptoms of withdrawal for that day. The person may develop a dependency to the pills, but it was better them than cigarettes if they were really trying to combat the addiction.
I wasn't going to deny that I was addicted to cigarettes. I probably also had a couple of other addictions to a variety of drugs that I've gotten my hands on back home in District One. However, thanks to Capitol medication, I was not going to have to worry about withdrawal in the arena.
"You're going to be dependent on those pills it seems. It'd be a shame if you didn't receive them in the arena." Kendra commented in the same nonchalant tone-of-voice.
"We're the careers. I'm sure my pills aren't going to be hard to get with all the sponsorships we're going to have." I answered with an eye roll.
"Hmm… I guess." Kendra mumbled in response. "Still, it's funny that the leader of the Career Pack is going to be need some medication in order to survive."
We walked towards the elevator and clicked on a button. While we waited for the elevator, I couldn't help but glare at the girl in front of me. Kendra had absolutely no respect for me. She went out of her way to antagonize. It was as if it was some game to her to try and piss me off.
If that was her goal, then she was definitely succeeding. Kendra bothered me a lot and I hoped that her attitude wasn't going to affect the other members of the Career Pack. I did care a lot about my image and how other people viewed me. I could give a rat's ass if somebody thought I was 'nice' or something like that, but I did want others to look at me with respect and acknowledgment. I was going to be the leader of the Careers and I wanted to be seen and respected as such. I certainly did not want to be looked as somebody unworthy of that respect.
If she doesn't change her attitude, I would make sure I prioritized her during the Career break-up. She was going to die at some point for all of the stupid bullshit she constantly said to me. I already knew I was not going to be upset when she died. If anything, I was looking forward to the day when I could look up into the night sky and know that she was dead. All I hoped for was that I was the one to end her life.
The elevator doors opened up after a brief period of waiting and Kendra and I entered it. The doors closed and we began our descent towards the training hall.
"So, we didn't talk much about this yesterday, but what did you think of the other tributes?" Kendra asked me.
I gave her a small nod of approval at her question. The only thing I could say that I honestly respected about Kendra was that she was analytical. I had no patience for imbeciles and while she was a dumbass in standard conversation, she was at least intelligent outside of conversation. She was always observing the people around her. She was smart, meaning I didn't have to worry about her holding back the careers. She would prioritize strong targets and prove her strength to the audience. Kendra was going to be a very useful tool for the early game…
"Besides our partners in the Career Pack, the main threats appear to be Logan, the boy from District Ten, and Booker and Alexandra, both tributes from District Six." I responded to her question. "Logan appears to be extremely brutal in his fighting style and we'll need to exercise caution around him. Booker seems to be capable at most weapons and hand-to-hand combat and would be a major threat in a fight. And I watched Alexandra run through one of the obstacle courses in the training hall and she is clearly the fastest tribute here. Those are the three that stood out the most to me."
"I would agree with that." Kendra nodded in agreement.
"Did you have any others you noticed?" I questioned out of curiosity.
Kendra stayed quiet for a few seconds before she started to speak up. "… Actually, I have another name to add: Bane."
I closed my eyes in thought as I tried to imagine who 'Bane' was. Quickly, the face of the crying boy from District Eleven entered my mind. I opened my eyes and stared at Kendra in surprise.
"Him? What's so concerning about him?" I immediately demanded.
"It's hard to put into words. There's just something… off-putting about him." She mumbled in explanation. "I saw him a lot yesterday. He was watching everyone and seemed to be studying everybody."
"That's what most tributes do. We all study the other tributes at some point." I countered, my stare turning into a glare. That was what she was basing her concern on? "By that logic, his district partner, an even bigger crybaby than him, should also be in the running as a potential threat. I saw her everywhere, studying all of us."
"Yeah, I know, I know. It's just… there's something about him and his presence that's bothering me." Kendra replied. "For the briefest of moments, the fear and tears disappear from his eyes and I see traces of determination that you don't normally see in a scared kid like him. It's hard to explain, but I really think there's more to him than we see at first glance."
The elevator doors opened up at that point, letting us out into the training hall.
"Well, be concerned about him all you want. I don't really care. If he's worth something, he'll prove it in the gamemaker session and get a good score. Otherwise, don't worry about him." I told her as I walked out of the elevator. "Go and train."
"Yeah, yeah. Gotcha." She replied sarcastically. Even though my back was turned, I could tell she was rolling her eyes at me.
My eyes quickly wandered the training hall, looking for the other tributes. We were one of the first groups to enter the training hall. Only the tributes from District Two, Five, and Eight were here before us.
The boy from District Eight was at the knot-tying area, trying to learn how to make some type of trap. His district partner was at a small stand, practicing her skill with a slingshot. The boy from District Five was currently at a station learning how to make fire.
I noticed Victoire was working at a station with a large crossblade that she swung at a few targets. She threw the blade, which quickly returned to her after slicing a few wooden targets in half. That must have been her 'modern' boomerang.
My eyes went towards the sword training area. The girl from District Five was there, practicing with her sword. Lepolio, on the other hand, was not. I began looking for him immediately and spotted him at a station that focused on medicinal herbs and poisons. He was reading a few books and charts with no visible emotion in his eyes.
There was something that really bothered me about Lepolio. Originally, I was concerned about him, Alaska, and Cascade because they were not volunteers. Now, I was concerned about Lepolio for different reasons. He was the only person I had no true read on. I could look at the other tributes and come up with some brief description of what I thought they were like. I couldn't do with Lepolio, and that intimidated me a lot.
It didn't help that he felt he was already skilled enough to not need to practice his swordsmanship. Perhaps it was arrogance. There was a strong chance it was. However, Lepolio wasn't a volunteer: he was reaped. For him to be that confident in his swordsmanship made me think he was being truthful, and that thought concerned me a lot.
… I'm wasting time. I shouldn't care about Lepolio's strengths now. For now, he would be a tool to help me during the Hunger Games as a member of my Career Pack. It would help, actually, if he was as strong as he thinks he is. If he deflected some attention away from me, then that would be great. For now, though, I wasn't going to concern myself with him. I was going to focus only on me and my training.
With that thought, I rushed over to the sword training area. I quickly received a katana from the station attendant and walked over to the training dummies.
I noticed the girl from District Five panting hard after her constant practice. She was here yesterday and she appeared to be getting stronger. Still, she was too weak. If this was the peak of her strength, then she stood no chance against me.
I walked by her, brushing my shoulder against hers rather roughly. She was knocked over slightly and I heard her gasp in surprise. After making my way past her, I walked towards a machine that was able to produce digital images that represented human targets. I pressed a few buttons on the screen before the machine started to glow. The area immediately around the machine was filled with holographic images of humans. All of them were holding their own swords and they were all poised to attack.
I gripped my sword tightly, waiting for the movement of the holograms. This was how it was going to be in the actual Hunger Games. The other twenty-three tributes were going to try and fight me, but no matter how hard they tried, I was going to win. I was going to kill them all and come back home a victor. Amorette would be safe and I was going to come home to enjoy the life of a victor.
Alaska Dayte's POV – District 4 Female
After the elevator doors opened to the training hall, Cascade and I quickly went our separate ways. There was still a lot of animosity from our first meeting other during the train ride. It seemed as if nothing was going to change that. Cascade was the kind of kid who held grudges, and I wasn't particularly interested in befriending him anyway. The longer we stayed apart, the better in my opinion!
I walked in the direction of the knot-tying station. Yesterday, I had gone there early in the day as a refresher of the art. Back when my father was alive, I had helped him tie his fishing nets and other equipment that he used on the fishing boats. It was now three years since he and mother died, but I still remembered most of the principles of knot tying. At the training station, though, I learned of a lot of different ways to improve on the art. I could make really complicated traps that would be able to catch almost any tribute. With just a little bit more training in the art, I could become the perfect trapper.
The station attendant greeted me immediately, recognizing me from the day before. I then took a seat next to the boy from District Eight, Xander Lugar if I remember correctly from the reaping video. The little chubby boy was working quietly on a few basic traps involving some rope and wire. I made a quick note of his technique before I started my own work.
About an hour passed before the station attendant walked over to us to check our work.
"For a first-timer, you're making some solid progress Xander." The attendant told the boy with a smile on his face.
Xander nodded in response, but didn't seem to fully acknowledge the comment. He remained focused on his trap, trying to improve it. The attendant then looked over at my work. The man's eyes widened as he studied my work: a large net. He grasped the material and made a few efforts to undo the knots with his hands, but they would not budge.
"Oh, Alaska, well done! You're making great progress!" He exclaimed excitedly. "I see you were listening yesterday. You used the knots I showed you to make the net ever stronger and tighter!"
"Of course." I replied with a smirk.
In the corner of my eyes, I noticed Xander finally look away from his traps to study my net. His eyes were filled with curiosity as he studied my knots, making a note of how I made them. He waited until the station attendant left before he decided to speak.
"… Yeah it's good." Xander commented bitterly with a shrug. I also noticed a trace of anger in his voice that reminded me of Cascade's voice. "As expected from a Career."
Immediately, I felt a scowl develop on my face. He was being aggressive, and I did not like it. "And what does that mean?"
"It means exactly what I said. You're a career: of course you'd be good at something like this. You should be able to do anything that could maybe get you a kill." The boy from District Eight replied in the same bitter, angry tone-of-voice. "Aren't you wasting your time here though? Wouldn't you rather get better with a sword or something? Something that would make your kills a little flashier?"
"Don't talk like you know me just because I know how to tie knots!" I hissed at him.
I hated assumptions. Many people judged me as an orphan and my brother as someone who was mentally handicapped and assumed things about us that were simply not true. People had no right to assume things about someone just based on limited knowledge. Initial impressions and stereotypes were usually wrong! Perhaps it was hypocritical of me to feel that strongly about judgment, because I too would make assumptions of others, but I really did try to make a conscious effort to not let them overshadow my feelings toward someone until I got to know them. Xander made no attempt to hide his judgment of me, and I did not appreciate it at all.
Xander gave no verbal response. He looked as if he was mentally debating about whether or not he wanted to continue our 'argument' before he sighed and turned his attention back to his work. Seeing that our brief conversation, I turned my attention back to my net with a huff of anger.
Perhaps the thing that really bothered me about Xander's comments was that he kept calling me a career. I supposed I couldn't blame him for that, as I was the District Four tribute and I did associate with the Career Pack, but I was not a career. I only informed the careers that I was with them in order to ensure that I would not be targeted by them in the bloodbath. In the middle of the bloodbath skirmish after having obtained my supplies and weapons, I'll 'chase after a fleeing tribute' and never return. I was going to be fighting on my own: just the way I would prefer to be.
Storm informed me that I was making a mistake. I really didn't care, though. I simply worked better by myself. Besides, the Career Pack was going to be filled with paranoia about whether or not one of the other members was going to stab you in the back. I didn't want to have to look over my shoulder every second just to make sure if an ally was about to kill me. Alone, I wouldn't have to worry about being betrayed. My focus would solely be on my survival, and that was something I could do!
Another hour passed before I decided to leave the knot tying station. My eyes quickly wandered over the other training stations, looking for something to work on. They stopped on the obstacle course area in the back of the training hall.
The area was filled with a variety of ropes and objects that tributes could climb and run through. I started to walk down the path to the area. It seemed like the perfect area to train at, after all.
Once I arrived, I realized that Maddison, the girl from District Ten, and Alexandra, the girl from District Six, were already there. They were both rushing through the course at fast speeds, climbing ropes and jumping back and forth on the different surfaces. They were both trying to reach a central pedestal at the end of the obstacle course.
… They are good.
I remained still as I watched them complete the obstacle course. A few minutes passed before Alexandra reached the pedestal before Maddison by a few seconds. Neither girl appeared too winded from their training. Alexandra looked at the other girl with a slightly smug grin on her face.
"How many times is that now? Was that three times I've beaten you?" She asked with a light chuckle.
"Ah, shut up." Maddison retorted in response. "Ya know I'm catchin' up on ya. By the time we enter the arena, I should be runnin' circles around ya!"
"'Should' is a rather loose term. You'll never catch up to me." Alexandra replied.
Their banter actually surprised me. The comments were not laced with any anger. They both seemed slightly amused and their comments were more based on competitiveness. It was as if they were motivating each other to work harder.
As the two girls walked back towards the start of the obstacle course, they noticed me. Both of them seemed to be studying me. I could feel myself sweat slightly. I really did not like getting too much attention, even if it was just a couple of girls that were my age. It probably didn't help my nerves though that they weren't just 'a couple of girls my age': they were two people who I was going to have to fight to the death.
A few seconds of silence passed before Maddison spoke up with a light smile on her face.
"If ya were wantin' to use the course, go right ahead. We're probably gonna run it a couple more times if ya wanna compete 'gainst us." She told me.
I immediately nodded in response and I felt a grin develop on my face. All traces of awkwardness and fear disappeared and were replaced with a drive to win. "I'll take you both on."
"… We'll see." Alexandra shrugged in response.
The three of us remained still at the start of the obstacle course. After a verbal three second count, we all started to sprint through it at the same time.
The first part of the course had us run towards a set of ropes. We all then proceeded to climb it. The three of us were moving at roughly the same speed up the ropes. At the top, we were then required to swing from the rope towards an elevated platform a few feet away. Maddison was the first of us to reach the platform, followed by me, then Alexandra. The last stage of the course involved making a series of jumps across multiple platforms spaced far apart from each other until one could reach the center pedestal. Alexandra, despite being the last to start this leg, managed to pass us all here. She jumped effortlessly from each platform at a fast pace until she reached the center pedestal first. Maddison arrived second and I finished last.
A frown crept onto my face as I started to sweat after completing one run-through. Ugh… I really need to improve.
"Second place again. I swear, this is startin' ta piss me off!" Maddison grumbled to herself.
"Maybe you should just get better." Alexandra suggested with a cocky grin.
"Do ya really need ta always be antagonizin' me like that?" The District Ten girl asked with an eye roll.
"Not really, but you're so easy to rile up that it's fun." The girl from District Six replied with a light giggle. She then turned her attention to me. "Alaska, right? You did a good job keeping up with us. You're quick."
"Thanks… but I'm already exhausted." I commented as I breathed heavily. "How are you two not tired… like at all?"
"Just from practicing here. It really helps with your endurance." Alexandra replied with a shrug.
"I see…" I mumbled out. I could feel myself becoming less and less tired and my competitive edge started to return to me. "… Are you both going to continue training here? Ready for another race?"
"I'm always ready." Alexandra replied with a smirk.
"Likewise. I swear, I'm gonna win this time!" Maddison declared passionately.
The three of us continued to train at the obstacle course for the next few hours. We only stopped to occasionally taunt or joke with each other after each race. In the process, we only motivated each other to compete harder to try and beat each other. Competing with Maddison and Alexandra only made me work harder on my training. It was something that I enjoyed and something that I knew I was going to appreciate once I was in the arena!
No promises of alliances were made. It seemed as if we were all willing to go into the Hunger Games by ourselves and fight ourselves. In the back of our heads, we all understood that only one person was going to win. Therefore, we never attempted to align with each other and become friends with each other. It was actually kind of sad. Alexandra had a sarcastic, dry-humor that I really liked and Maddison reminded me a lot of myself. The three of us could have actually become good friends in different circumstances. Unfortunately, we were all going to enter the Hunger Games. Furthermore, we all were put in during the Quarter Quell year where our lives were tied to another person back home…
Alexandra had her mother to look after, Maddison had her younger brother, and I had Oanou. The two of us had been through so much in our life and I was not going to let anything bad happen to him. Even if it meant killing everyone else and their family members, even Alexandra's and Maddison's, I would do it. I would deal with the guilt and the crying later. For now, I was going to fight and do everything I could for Oanou…
Icarus Bolt's POV – District 5 Male
A loud bell rang through the training hall, informing us that it was time for lunch break. I reluctantly put out my fire and let out my spot at the fire-making station. I then started to walk slowly to the dining area. I made sure to review the steps to produce a proper fire in my head as I walked. After devoting so much time to the station, I felt confident in my fire-making and I wanted to make sure I retained the knowledge.
Everything needed to be perfect before I entered the arena.
After arriving at the dining area, I grabbed a tray of chicken and looked for a place to sit. I quickly noticed a spot next to my district partner, Stephanie. I walked over to her table and placed my tray of food down.
"Hey Icarus." She greeted me politely with a wave. "How are you?"
"I'm alright. Can't complain too much I guess." I answered with a small smile. "How are you? How's training going?"
"I'm alright too I guess. And training is going better. I'm really getting better with a sword." She noted as she started to pick at the chicken on her tray of food with a fork. "It's a slow progress, but I can tell there's a little progress."
"Progress is good. I don't want my ally slacking off on me." I informed her with a light chuckle.
"I'm not slacking off, don't worry." Stephanie replied with a giggle.
The two of us made the decision to become allies after training yesterday. Atticus threw out the idea and we decided it was for the best. I was initially opposed to the idea of aligning with someone else in general, but I finally softened up to the idea and agreed. From getting to know Stephanie in our limited time together, I learned that she was a very sweet and analytical girl. To be completely honest, I doubt she had the ability to actively try and kill anyone. She was just too friendly. Perhaps that was a negative for most potential allies, but it was a positive to me: I didn't have to worry about her cutting my throat in my sleep.
Another reason I decided to ally with Stephanie was due to a realization I made recently: Stephanie was very similar to Tallie. They were around the same age and had a similar stature. They were both extremely sweet girls who were very inquisitive. They were both geniuses in two separate fields that I could never hope to understand: machinery and robotics for Stephanie and architecture for Tallie. The two were completely different people, but they had enough similarities that I couldn't stop myself from comparing them. Therefore, I couldn't stop myself from allying with Stephanie. She was going to be a reminder of my little cousin: the girl whose life I tried to save by volunteering… and ironically, the girl whose life was now linked to mine if I die.
I opened my mouth to say something to Stephanie, but I then noticed her eyes widen. A smile graced her lips as she started to wave.
"Hey! This way!" She called out.
I turned my head in the direction she was waving in. Walking awkwardly towards our table was the tall, lanky boy from District Three, Ethan Neurus. He quickly put his tray of food down right next to Stephanie's and sat down at our table.
"Thanks for the invite Stephanie. I really desired not to sit in solitude for two days in a row." Ethan replied with a smile on her face.
"Don't think anything about it. I don't mind some more company." Stephanie stated with a small giggle.
Ethan's smile seemed to grow in response. He then turned his head towards me and he extended a hand towards me. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is-"
"You're Ethan Neurus, the District Three male. You're thirteen years old, but unusually tall for your age. During the first day of training, you spent most of your time working with knives and the survival stations." I stated quietly, interrupting him as I glared at him.
Back in District Five, I could be described as reserved. I was not a particularly outgoing person who initiated conversation unless I knew you well. Here, I felt that I went beyond that basic description. With the exception of Stephanie due to her similarities with Tallie, I really did not want to associate with the other tributes. We were all going into the Hunger Games arena with the intent to kill each other. A friend during the pre-games could become your murderer once the Games started. I wanted to be cautious and detach myself from the other tributes as much as I could.
As such, I was rather suspicious when the District Three boy walked over here without any warning. He was an unknown factor to me. I did not know anything about his personality and I did not know what he had intended on doing here with Stephanie or me.
"That's, well, a rather astute observation of me I suppose." Ethan commented with a gulp as he brought his hand back to his side and looked downward towards his food.
"I like to consider myself observant." I replied with a shrug. "This might come across rude, but what exactly are you doing here? If you really did not want to sit by yourself, you could have just joined someone's table: your district partner, for example."
"Well…" Ethan's eyes trailed downward even further. It looked as if the boy was about to pick up his tray of food and leave the area right then and there.
"I invited him. Did you not see me waving?" Stephanie spoke, a frown on her face. "Don't be too harsh with him Icarus! This was actually something I wanted to talk with you Icarus."
My eyes quickly moved towards Stephanie. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh?"
"Well, I was thinking that Ethan could join our alliance." She told me, her frown developing into a nervous smile.
I could feel my eyes widen after that statement: "… Excuse me?"
This was precisely the type of situation I did not want to get myself into! I had no knowledge of Ethan at all or what type of person he was. Considering that we were meeting each other in the middle of training, I could assume that the boy was going to act fake in all of our interactions. I really did not want to ally with him in the Games: a kid who I had no knowledge of. He could easily stab me in the back – literally, later in the Games.
"It was my suggestion for the alliance, actually." Ethan spoke up, nervousness evident in his tone-of-voice. This nervousness seemed to double as I turned my head to face him again. "You see… Stephanie and I become acquainted earlier today and we began to converse with each other. We realized that we had a similar affinity towards robotics and realized that we could combine our intellect and potentially do some brilliant work together in the arena."
"We actually already began work on a project that could really impact the Games. It would guarantee one of us winning the Games, I think." Stephanie added fervently, nodding her head. "I realize that I already had an alliance with you, Icarus, and I have no intention of leaving it. So, I wanted to know if you would be okay with adding Ethan to ours…"
I remained silent as I continued to study Ethan, looking for any traces of malicious intent. I wanted to believe I was being paranoid about nothing and that he was just an eccentric young boy who would not try and do any harm to me or Stephanie, but I couldn't guarantee it. There were so many uncertainties that had to be taken accounted for. For all we knew, Ethan Neurus could be a child actor from District Three who was trying to con himself into our alliance by faking similar interests with Stephanie and then, after gaining our trust and our supplies from the bloodbath, would kill both of us and run off with everything.
"… What are your plans?" I asked after a brief period of silence.
Ethan's eyes seemed to light up immediately. All nervousness faded away and was replaced with fervent excitement. "As you were aware, I was wearing a fake suit of armor during the tribute parade two nights ago. What I was thinking of doing was designing a individual suits armor to protect us."
"They would essentially be a giant robotic suit." Stephanie added. I noticed she had a similar look in her eyes as Ethan. She had that 'look' that showed she was about to go on a long, passionate discussion. "Ethan and I discussed many of the properties of the suit already. It would be durable and could withstand most physical weaponry, but it would not limit the movement of the user. It would be resistant to temperature changes: both cold and hot. It would also be able to add extra force to our weapons, making our attacks stronger."
I looked at both of them in disbelief as I tried to wrap my mind around this robotic suit idea.
"Would this even be possible to design? That sounds ridiculously convoluted to work with." I questioned.
"It would be very possible." Ethan nodded confidently in affirmation. "I work directly in robot production in District Three. I would be able to design the suit easily with the proper materials."
"I could also work on blueprints to match our ideal suit." Stephanie noted. "I've been working with robotics for a while in my free time. I could design something workable and easy to make."
"What about resources?" I continued to question. "Certainly something like this would need a bunch of materials and tools to make. There isn't going to be enough things in the cornucopia to use to create this suit of armor."
"Trust me; I believe I have an idea that will allow for the creation of these suits. It should not be too difficult. Resources will not be a major concern." Ethan reassured me confidently. His confidence immediately faded though as he looked at me with uncertain eyes. The boy started to fidget with his fingers. "So… um, does that all interest you? Could I maybe join your alliance?"
My eyes closed in thought as I started to judge whether or not Ethan should join the alliance.
Truth be told, I was interested in their plans. Machinery and robotics were not in my expertise and I was curious about what they intended on doing to create this suit of armor. I also noted the practical usage of the suit. It could serve as a valuable tool to further our progress in the arena.
My doubts about Ethan faking his similarities with Stephanie were no longer valid. He appeared way too passionate and knowledgeable about the robotic suit to be merely faking it. His nervousness did also seem sincere.
… Oh what the hell. Why not? I still didn't fully trust the boy, but I was very interested in his ideas for the arena and I realized that he could be a major asset in advancing myself further in the Games. Besides, if he was able to create a massive, over-powered suit of armor, I certainly wanted him on my side rather than against me!
"You and Stephanie already seem to be a team anyway. I can't stop you from joining the alliance now." I answered with a shrug. "You're in."
Ethan's eyes lit up with excitement as he quickly grabbed my hand and started to shake it. "Thank you, thank you! You will not regret this. Rest assured, I will present you with the product of my work once it is completed. I have no doubts that one of the three of us will be winning the Games this year!
I shook his hand awkwardly as I made an effort to smile politely. Whether the boy was being fake or not, he was certainly very eccentric…
"Thank you Icarus." Stephanie spoke up with a smile on her face. "Ethan's right: you won't regret it. We'll begin work immediately!"
I turned my head to face Stephanie. In her place, I noticed the smiling face of Tallie.
Their similarities are starting to bother me. I was actually hoping they would end soon. It was going to be extremely difficult to kill her later in the Games if I couldn't stop imagining her as my cousin…
The rest of the lunch break was a blur to me. Stephanie and Ethan began mapping out the plans for the robotic suit and began discussing necessary materials and the general methods on how they were going to produce it. They talked in technobabble that flew over my head. I had no chance to understand the terminology they were using. Instead, I opted to think inwardly of my own individual plans.
No matter what Ethan and Stephanie designed, I knew my primary weapon was going to be electricity. I made some brief trips to a few training stations and reviewed books to gain more ideas for traps. I was still very confident in my skills as an electrician. They needed to be better before I entered the arena, but I felt confident that I would find some way to improve. One of the benefits of being an overly-cautious perfectionist was that my body seemingly refused to let me half-ass my learning. I was not going to enter the Games unprepared.
Ethan was right. One of the three of us was going to win the Hunger Games this year. What he probably did not know, though, that it was going to be me. I had a cousin's life to save, and I was going to do everything to ensure that she remained alive…
Florina Everett's POV – District 11 Female
When the lunch break ended, Bane and I quickly said goodbye to each other before we wandered off to our own survival stations. Bane walked over to a station to work on his camouflage. I, on the other hand, quickly found the District Six boy, Booker Comston, and started to follow him, hoping that he either didn't notice me or didn't care that I was following him.
I really hoped that he, or anyone else, didn't see me as a stalker. That was the last thing I was trying to be! However, one of the things that my father told me to do during the training days was make sure I studied the other tributes. Outside of learning from the survival stations, that was by far one of the most important things I could do. The other twenty-three tributes were who I would be competing against in the arena. It was absolutely essential that I understood them and knew what type of people I was competing against. I needed to know their strengths and weaknesses if I wanted to stand any chance!
Although I didn't want to doubt the strengths of any of the other tributes, my main focuses of study were the non-Career volunteers. I watched a lot of Hunger Games with my father and one of the things that I quickly learned was that the non-Career volunteers were usually major contenders in the Games. They had to have something special about them if they were willing to risk their lives and enter the Games willingly! Therefore, I made sure to put major emphasis on studying them and learning about them.
Jason Icarus, the boy from District Nine, was a very muscular guy and was able to use his muscles well. While he spent most of his time at survival stations, he did go over to the weightlifting area once and he was able to easily move nearly every object there. The guy was tough and I did NOT want to have to fight him head-on. I would lose, as would most people! He seemed like a really nice, shy guy from what I observed, though. However, he also seemed to be depressed. He was really bothered by something…
In contrast, Icarus Bolt, the boy from District Five, didn't seem to have as many visible emotions at all. He spent all of his time at the survival stations, only occasionally looking at a station on electricity as if he was about to go visit him. There was something very concerning about him. I didn't know exactly how to put it, but Icarus came across as really threatening to me. Call it a gut feeling, but I expected him to become a major player in the arena later.
There was something EXTRMELEY concerning about the boy from District Ten, Logan Faber. He scared me from the second I saw him in the reaping video and nothing has changed my thoughts whatsoever. He has spent all of his time solely at the scythe station. He attacked the mannequins with an aggression that I had never seen in a person. He seemed to have a lot of hate and anger that he was trying to release out all of it. He was somebody that I really hoped to never meet in the arena. He was legitimately scary!
The final non-Career volunteer was an enigma to me, which was why I was following him. Booker Comston seemed to keep mostly to himself and made no attempts to really get to know anyone. He made a few stops at nearly every station: from survival stations to the stations on nearly every weapon. The guy was trying to learn everything it seemed!
What was so strange about Booker was that I could not properly read him. With Booker, I couldn't really tell anything about him. He seemed uneasy with every weapon, as if he was frustrated about with each weapon. It was like as if he was not able to use the weapon that he preferred to use. I also couldn't tell any signs of his character during the training. To me, he was simply a mystery. There were so many things I didn't know about him and I wanted and needed to know more!
Booker continued to walk over to another new weapon station: the scythe training session. The station attendant seemed thrilled to have someone other than Logan approach the stand.
"A new face! Excellent!" He exclaimed happily.
"Yup, I'm a new face. Trying to learn everything I can." Booker mumbled in response.
The station attendant quickly gave him a scythe and the boy was sent off to the training field. He started striking at mannequins immediately, next to Logan.
It was odd that I kept coming back to the scythe station. The scythe was my preferred weapon and I was going to try and get a hold of one at the cornucopia. I didn't really want to train much with it, though. My father had told me many stories of all the tributes he has mentored that made no attempts to hide their strengths in the pre-arena and were immediately targeted in the bloodbath. If you were seen as a threat, you were prioritized and killed early. I didn't think I was going to be too good compared to the other tributes and their preferred weapons, but you never know. The last thing I wanted to do was die in the bloodbath! I had to make it out and survive: both for myself and for my father!
As a result, I stayed just to the side of the training station and watched Booker and Logan practice. Booker was also muscular and his swinging was rather good. He had a lot of power with the weapon. Still, he seemed a little awkward with the weapon: just like all of the other weapons he trained with. The only time I had seen him relaxed was when he was using his fists. I couldn't tell what his preferred weapon was going to be, but I could tell that it wasn't going to be the scythe. He just seemed too uncomfortable with it. He was probably going to switch to a different stand soon.
With that in mind, my eyes wandered towards Logan. I couldn't help but inch a little closer to him as I studied his technique. There were definitely elements of his fighting style that I hoped to emulate in the arena!
Logan had completely destroyed his most recent mannequin. It was lying on the ground in shreds as he started to approach another one. His grip was great. His force was amazing. He was definitely a fighter with it. He would definitely have no problem killing with it. The one thing that I truly noticed about his style, though, was that he was too aggressive.
Somehow, I needed to find a way to outsmart or overpower him. He had no defensive capabilities at all, it seemed. If someone could fend him off and then go on the offensive against him, they could probably take him out. I just hoped that if we ever had to face each other, I would be able to take him on…
A few minutes passed by and Logan continued massacring his mannequins. After a while, though, he stopped and turned his head in my direction. He scowled and glared at me, which caused shivers to start running down my spine.
"District Eleven… You've been watching me for a while." He spoke quietly in a voice that caused me to shiver even more.
I didn't realize that he even knew I was there! Whenever someone spotted me, they would usually approach me and I would apologize for bothering them. He never said anything to me before, so I just assumed that he never noticed. Apparently he did, and judging by the look in his eyes, he was angry about it…
"I'm s-sorry…" I mumbled back as I started to back away. "I'll go now…"
Logan looked forward at me intently, as if he was trying to decide something in his head. Then, his scowl developed into the single-most twisted smile I have ever seen on a person.
"Why go now?" He questioned.
Immediately, Logan sprinted away from his place at the scythe training towards me. I didn't even have time to get away: Logan had reached me within seconds. The boy swept my feet off the ground, causing me to fall to the ground. I gasped in pain. Logan then held the scythe in his hand against my throat.
"You seem so interested in me and what I can do with a scythe. I guess I should show you exactly what I can do with one." He said, his grin growing even further as he pressed the blade of his scythe further against my neck.
Tears filled in my eyes. I could tell that he was actually going to kill me. Was… this is it? Was I going to die here? Before the Games even started? I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the inevitable.
I'm… I'm sorry Dad…
A few seconds passed by until I heard a loud thumping noise. The feeling of the scythe's blade against my neck disappeared. I quickly opened my eyes to see what was happening.
There was a logical voice in the back of my head that told me that Logan wouldn't be able to kill me. The peacekeepers would interfere to make sure I could enter the Games. When I opened my still tear-filled eyes, I expected to see the boy detained by the peacekeepers.
Instead, I saw Logan knocked to the ground, the scythe knocked away. He was slowly getting up from the ground. Standing right by me was Booker. I stared at him with wide eyes. Was he the one who saved me from Logan?
The two boys were glaring at each other.
"Back off. The Games will be starting in a few days. Contain yourself until then!" Booker shouted at him.
"District Six, I'll give you one warning: don't interfere with my hunt." Logan hissed in response back as he stood up.
"Don't try and threaten me. You tried to murder her in cold blood for no good reason." Booker retorted, his glare seemingly intensifying. "Why? Why are you trying to kill her now?"
"Does it matter? I'll kill her in the end. And I'll kill you too." Logan threatened, ignoring Booker's question. He then started to walk over towards his scythe.
Before their argument could continue, a group of peacekeepers rushed forward and grabbed Logan.
"One of the few rules Gamemaker Singed gave you all was not to attack and try to kill any of the tributes before the Games start, and you couldn't follow it." A peacekeeper hissed at him.
The peacekeepers started to drag Logan away from the area. The boy was struggling to get out of their grip, but he couldn't escape. Maybe he could get away from one or two, but not a whole group. Logan, nevertheless, continued to try and proceeded to glare at us during his attempts.
"District Six, District Eleven: you both will die. I will hunt you down in the arena and I will kill you both!" He cursed at us in his quiet, angry voice.
Eventually, the peacekeepers and Logan disappeared from view. They were probably taking the boy away to reprimand him. I knew they weren't going to kill him or anything, because they needed all twenty-four tributes alive before the Hunger Games. Still, I hoped that they would find some way to punish him.
A few seconds passed before I fell to my knees, breathing in-and-out heavily. I had never had something so scary happen to me in my life. I forgot all logic and all I could see was my death. For the briefest of moments, I saw my own death at the end of Logan's scythe.
Was that what the actual Hunger Games were going to be like? Am I going to have to face that feeling every second, never knowing when I could die?
"Hey, are you okay?"
I looked upward and saw Booker was still standing over me with a concerned look on his face. He extended his hand to me, which I took and used to pull myself up from the ground.
"I-I'm okay…" I mumbled in response, stuttering slightly. I was still scared from the near-death experience.
"Good." A light smile appeared on his lips. It looked so foreign on his normally serious face. "I'd feel terrible if something bad happened and I wasn't able to stop it."
"D-Don't worry about it." I quickly shook my head. I felt my cheeks redden slightly in embarrassment, but I did my best to hide it. "I'm fine. Honestly. I can take care of myself. Thank you though…"
"Don't thank me. And I wasn't doubting that you couldn't take care of yourself. I was just making sure because of that guy." Booker commented. He then glared in the direction where Logan was dragged off in. "I'm very familiar with people like him. They're dangerous. No matter how strong you are, you need to exercise caution around people like him. They're a threat to every good man and woman."
I noticed Booker's eyes fill up with more anger. I could tell that he was thinking of something that was really upsetting him: something more than just Logan.
"Uh… are you okay?" I asked cautiously.
Immediately, Booker turned his head towards me and shook away his thoughts.
"I'm fine, Miss. Don't worry about me." He responded with a light chuckle. "Anyway, we both should get back to our own training. I'm glad you are safe."
With those words, Booker walked off. He didn't head back to the scythe station but, instead, walked towards a station with staves. As I predicted, he was going to try out a different weapon.
I remained still, watching him arrive at his station and begin his practice with a staff. I couldn't help myself. The peacekeepers would have most likely intervened in time, but I couldn't ignore the fact that he attempted to save my life from Logan. I just couldn't ignore that fact!
A light smile crept onto my face. For such a serious and occasionally scary guy, Booker definitely had a nice side to him.
A few seconds passed before I shook my head and started to head over to one of the survival stations on edible plants. I couldn't spend all my time trying to observe tributes: I needed to train too and make sure I could survive! In the arena, I was most likely going to be by myself. If someone attacked me, like Logan, I had to be prepared to fight them off. I couldn't hope that some dashing savior would appear to rescue me. I had to fight for myself: both for me and my father! And I was going to do just that!
Although an alliance wouldn't be that bad of an idea. Instinctively, my eyes wandered in the direction of Booker. It would be nice to have someone to work with in the arena. I should probably make one soon…
Kaylee Harper's POV – District 3 Female
"That was intense!" Yaro commented, whistling in surprise.
I nodded in agreement, giving no verbal comment. Every tribute, no matter what station they were at, watched the boy from District Ten, Logan, attempt to kill the girl from District Eleven, Florina. We all saw the boy from District Six, Booker, intervene and stop him from striking her. We all then watched the peacekeepers drag Logan away before he tried again to kill them or anyone else.
From the moment I saw him, I knew there was something off about Logan. I just didn't expect him to be a complete nutter. It really seemed like he was going to kill the girl without any regard for the rules we were told. Either he was completely stupid or completely insane. Most likely, it was a combination of the two.
The idea of being in the arena with Logan was disturbing. No matter how much of a dumbass he may appear to be, he was definitely skilled with a scythe. At this rate, he would definitely be able to kill me in a head-on fight between just the two of us. This meant I needed to keep training to change that fate!
"Well, back to training I guess. Can't focus too much on that for too long." Yaro noted with a sigh.
"Yeah. We have to keep training, keeping in mind that 'that' is our competition." I stated dryly.
Yaro and I began training with each other after the lunch break at the knife station. We had made an agreement to work together in the Hunger Games and we decided that it would be a good idea to train together when we realized we were planning on using the same weapon. The idea was that we could motivate each other to do better.
I wasn't completely certain if his presence would make it easier for me to learn how to use knives, but I was more than welcome to try anything to improve. I was coming into the Hunger Games with zero weapon training whatsoever. I needed to leave the training days feeling comfortable enough with a weapon so I could fight. Anything that could improve my skills were welcome!
Both Yaro and I faced a set of targets in front of our training station. We raised our hands and quickly threw our knives, trying to make contact. We each threw ten knives. Yaro managed to make contact four times, while I made contact five times.
"Damn, you beat me by just one. I really hope that doesn't become a trend." Yaro grumbled in teasing manner. "You're getting better though."
"Tell me about it." I sighed in response as I thought back to my first time at the station. I couldn't land a single knife at any target. It was embarrassing and demoralizing. Thankfully, I was picking up on the art at a rather fast pace. "You're not a slouch either though. You've been improving too."
"I guess, but I'm still not getting much better with the whole 'throwing' aspect of knives though. I think I'm probably just going to keep them close and use them as a melee weapon." Yaro noted. He quickly grabbed another knife from the stand at the station and quickly got into a position to charge. I could tell that he was trying to appear tough. "Heh, I feel like one of those gang members you see in the movies. Don't I look pretty badass?"
"You? In a gang? Badass?" I laughed in response. "Yaro, no matter how hard you try to look tough with that knife, you don't look like you could hurt a fly. You'd make the shittiest gang member. None of the ones in District Three would respect you at least!"
"Eh, yeah…" Yaro chuckled uneasily in response. "Well, I'm sure the gangs in District Twelve would accept me. We don't really have many, so they can't afford to be picky with their members."
"District Twelve must be quite the unthreatening district then." I commented dryly. This earned a more relaxed laugh from my partner.
The more time I spent with him, the more certain I was that Yaro was the right choice for a partner. Although he wasn't intimidating in personality, he was a big guy and he was rather capable. His mind was sharp and he was actually better at me with a knife in close-range. He would not hold me back in the arena and he was definitely going to be an asset to have.
Yaro also reminded me a little of home back in District Three. Back at my job, I had a friend named Genna that Yaro reminded me of. Both of them were polite, good-natured, funny, and above all else, sensible people who followed all of the rules. I couldn't relate in the slightest, but I did really get along with Genna back home. The positive behavior was contagious to an extent and it made being around them a lot easier than being around most people. Yaro was a very similar person to her with a very similar behavior. It made me feel comfortable around him: something I never expected to feel when I was in the Hunger Games.
Having said that, I knew I would never be too comfortable with him. He would never be able to replace Genna. I was going to have to kill him at some point in the future, after all…
The two of us continued to train at the knife station until the bell rang, signaling the end of training for the day. Yaro and I were covered in sweat after working hard at the station.
"Well, we're getting better. I can tell that much." Yaro told me with a smile on his face.
"Yeah… definitely." I nodded in agreement. "Good job."
Yaro's smile seemingly grew. He opened his mouth to respond, but the words died on his throat as he noticed someone. I turned my head to face the same direction and saw that his district partner, Emery, was approaching us.
I could feel my body stiffen. I did not like Emery. She was a disrespectful, overly-aggressive brat who seemed to have no common sense after her rejection of my alliance offer. I really did not want to have to talk to her now.
"What do you want?" I hissed at her as she continued to approach us.
Emery's eyes narrowed into a glare, but she gave no verbal reply. She bit her lip slightly before she sighed and started to speak.
"Look, we got off on the wrong foot. I want to call it truce. Allies?" She mumbled quietly.
My eyes narrowed in suspicion as I stared at her in open disbelief. "And what made you change your mind?"
"Nothing in particular. Just the idea of having a couple of allies actually sounds good to me after I had some time to think it over." Emery answered nonchalantly. She then looked over at me impatiently. "Well? We good or what?"
"It's good for me. I said you'd be joining us eventually anyway." Yaro commented with a light chuckle. "You just can't help but come back to me. There's no escape from the Yaro Magnet of Friendship!"
"Your jokes get worse and worse with each passing day. My god Joker…" Emery grumbled in response, shaking her head slightly both in frustration and amusement. She then turned her attention back to me. "Well, what about you Business? Is it good for you?"
My eyes narrowed at the 'Business' nickname. I really did not like Emery and I doubted that I ever would. Based solely on personality, I wanted to reject her. She was the one who rejected me in the first place earlier yesterday anyway! Besides, I had no reason to trust her. She didn't seem to like me much either and I could easily imagine a scenario where she turned on me.
Nevertheless, I couldn't help but think of possible benefits of working with her. I did take note of her skills with a spear and she was indeed getting rather good at it. She could fight, which meant she would be able to work with my plans for the arena. Besides, there was a chance she could be used as a distraction during the bloodbath that could guarantee that Yaro and I survived.
"Don't call me Business again, and we have a deal." I informed her as I extended my hand towards her.
"I make no promises." Emery smirked in response as she shook my hand, solidifying our alliance.
"I had a feeling the two of you would warm up eventually." Yaro commented with a light chuckle. "Who knows? Maybe the two of you will become great friends."
"Doubt it." I mumbled under my breath quietly. While I could imagine a scenario where Yaro and I became closer, I could not think of any way where Emery and I became 'friends'. I had a pretty crystal clear idea of the type of person Emery was and I had no intentions of getting closer to her as a result. She would be an ally and tool during the Hunger Games: nothing more.
A few seconds passed before Yaro and Emery headed off away back to their living quarters. Once we separated, I walked back to the elevator and ran into Ethan.
"Greetings Kaylee." Ethan stated politely with a smile on his face as I approached him.
My eyebrows raised slightly. Ethan was never the one to initiate conversation with me. Nevertheless, I shrugged before responding. "Hey."
"Is it safe of me to assume that training was satisfactory today?" He questioned.
A smile graced my lips as I resisted the urge to laugh. Ethan's word choices in conversation made everything he said unintentionally funny. I didn't laugh, though, as I realized he was trying to be polite and not funny.
"Eh, I guess. Just improving on everything before the arena." I answered vaguely. "You?"
"Training was successful today. I feel content with everything today." Ethan responded.
I let a small chuckle out. "You're pretty happy today, aren't you?"
"I suppose I am." He replied, his smile growing wider as he started to daze off, focusing on his thoughts.
When I first met Ethan on the train, the boy was quiet. He was very awkward in conversation with me, our mentors, and our escort. It was extremely difficult to even speak to him. Our first real conversation only occurred on the chariots and it was about our costume of all things! He rarely smiled and had this aura or nervousness and depression around him. According to our escort, Levi, it was pretty standard for most boys around the same age of him who are reaped. Today was the first day I've seen him not only initiate conversation but also actually appear happy.
I considered myself a good judge of character, and although I would consider Ethan weird and stereotypically nerdy, I knew he was a good kid. It was nice to see the boy actually happy for once, seeing him as he most likely was back in District Three.
Conversation died there as we entered the elevator. Ethan remained focused on his thoughts while I stood by the elevator door, watching him. I couldn't help but be curious about what was making him so happy, but I resisted the urge to ask. It's his privacy. I hated when people bothered me about my life and my thoughts, so I didn't want to do the same thing to him.
A few seconds passed by before the elevator doors opened. Ethan and I both walked out of the elevator. After greeting Levi and our mentors and after a quick dinner, the two of us went back to our own bedrooms. I lied down in my bed and started to feel relaxed. If there was one thing I could say I liked about being at the Capitol, it was the bed and the other luxuries. I could never afford this stuff back in District Three with my shitty paycheck.
Despite my body being relaxed, my mind was not. Everything still felt unreal to me: I could hardly believe everything that happened. I couldn't believe that I got reaped during my last year being eligible. I couldn't believe that I was forced to start training and getting ready for a fight to the death with twenty-three other kids. More than anything, I couldn't believe that I was put into the Hunger Games the year of the damn quarter quell, where now Harper was in danger of dying with me…
A frown crossed my lips as I thought about him. Levi told me that the Capitol announced the twist and the Head Gamemaker's meeting with us was broadcasted live .That meant Harper knew he was in danger. That also meant my whole family knew about our affair. Renton knew too, then, that I was cheating on him…
As if they all needed another reason to see me as a fuck-up…
I closed my eyes and attempted to fall asleep. Maybe this time, I would be able to wake up back in District Three, away from his hellish nightmare.
Author's Note: And here we are: the second training chapter! :)
I'm gonna keep this author's note brief, because I don't have too much to say at the moment for some reason. Just, I hope you all liked it. Let me know what you all thought and any new opinions you may have on the Games and the tributes! I'd love to hear from you all!
I'll begin working on the next chapter in a little bit. I will see you all then! :)