Raven Bell's POV – District 8 Female
Today was my birthday.
A girl's fourteenth birthday was considered nothing too special. I assumed it would be just like my last one. My mother would most likely bake a cake, my father would actually take off from work, my brother would not be too annoying, and Caroline, Gracie, and Rose would come over and simply hang out with me. It wouldn't the most exciting day ever, but it would be a very fun day with my friends and family. I wasn't the type of person to expect or want much: I just wanted an enjoyable day with everyone that I cared about.
Today, however, I was not with my family or friends. I was away in the living quarters of District Eight, having an awkwardly quiet breakfast of omelets with Xander, the District Eight mentors, and our escort, Destiny. No one was happy to be here, especially me. Some birthday…
"So, how's your training going?" Ray, one of our mentors, asked us as he took a bite into his eggs. "Any noticeable improvements?"
"I'm getting pretty good at traps I think…" Xander mumbled in response as he poked at his omelet with his forks. He never seemed to eat much at any meals. It was like he was never hungry.
"I finally picked up on how to use a slingshot. I think I'm not too bad with it." I answered with a small, polite smile on my face. "I also went through one of the obstacle courses yesterday and I did it at a good speed."
"That's all, um, good to hear. It sounds like you all are making improvements." Ray commented with an uneasy smile. He then turned to his fellow mentor. "What do you think Tonya?"
Ray was rather awkward with his advice. He was the victor of the one hundred forty-eighth Hunger Games, so this was only his second year mentoring tributes. The guy, only eighteen years old, never seemed certain how to talk to us about the Games or what advice he should give us. He seemed almost dependent on both Destiny and Tonya in order to give us proper advice.
Tonya was different from him, however. She was a victor from over twenty years ago, so she had a much firmer understanding of how to do the job. On paper, she would be the ideal mentor…
"It's still not enough. You two are still in trouble." She answered bluntly as she took a sip of coffee. "You only have one more day of training left. You all need to make it count, or you both will die in the bloodbath."
… If only she actually believed in me. Every time I tried to talk to her and ask her about the arena and any advice she had, she would simply shake her head and roll her eyes, saying something about 'bloodbath fodder'. She assumed I was going to die, so she was never going to try and help me.
Xander and I shrunk in our seats, focusing our attention solely on our food. A remark came to my head immediately about how likely Tonya appeared when she was reaped as a thirteen year old girl years ago. Another comment also came to my mind about how I stood a better chance in the Hunger Games than she did to successfully mentor someone out of the Hunger Games arena. However, I stayed quiet and said neither of my comebacks. I wasn't in the mood to argue with her or anyone really. Instead, I chose to quickly finish my breakfast.
It was hard to have both a mentor who had no idea what he was doing and another mentor who was quick to dismiss our chances. This already put both me and Xander at a disadvantage. We weren't really getting advice on what to do in the arena. If it wasn't for the survival stations and from watching previous years of Hunger Games, I'd probably have no idea what to do in the arena.
Breakfast ended shortly after, as both Xander and I finished early. I walked back to my room and took a shower. Once I finished, I got dressed and tied my hair into a ponytail before I walked out of the room.
When I walked out into the main room, only Xander was there. Neither Destiny nor the mentors were there.
"They aren't here. Destiny went out with one of the other escorts for a few drinks while Ray and Tonya simply don't care. They're in their rooms or something." Xander told me bitterly before I said a word.
"Typical." I replied with an eye roll. "It's not like they think we are going to die, so it's not like they could do something to help us survive."
Xander laughed humorlessly at my sarcasm. "We're just a couple of walking corpses to everyone, aren't we? The two of us, the tributes from District Eleven and District Seven, the boy from District Three, the girl from District Five… we're all the ones who've been underestimated. Everyone knows what will happen to us. We're going to die in the bloodbath, aren't we?"
"No, we aren't." I shook my head immediately. "The two of us won't at least!"
"How are you so certain about that?" He questioned me. His bitterness seemed to change form. He now sounded more depressed than anything else.
"Call it a gut feeling or something else, but I just know that I can win. Nothing is going to tell me otherwise." I answered, tightening my fists to show my determination.
No matter how little faith our mentors, our escort, and anyone watching had in me, I was sure I could win. I had to win. I was learning everything I could in the survival stations and I picked up how to use a slingshot fast. My father taught me a little about hand-to-hand combat and I was a dancer, so I was definitely agile on my feet. I realized that, on paper, I probably don't stand as much of a chance as the careers or a few of the older tributes, but I definitely stood a chance! That was enough to make me feel at least slightly confident in myself.
I'm a headstrong and stubborn girl and I was not going to give up just because some people here doubted me. My best friend's life was at risk too, so I was going to make sure I was able to come back to her!
"… Wish I felt as confident as you did." Xander mumbled in response with a sigh.
A frown crept on to my face as I looked at the boy in front of me. I never knew Xander before, but I felt we had become decently close over the past few days. He may be overly quiet at some times, but he was always sweet and polite to me whenever we did talk. I also respected his lack of a filter. He was just so honest about everything. I knew he didn't believe in himself, which was just a shame.
"You just need to look at yourself objectively. Stop thinking about what everyone else says. Think about yourself." I told him, attempting to give him a reassuring smile.
"Kinda hard to do that when everyone keeps talking to us about how little of a chance we have." He mumbled angrily.
I shook my head in response. "Again, just ignore it. I saw you at the knot-tying area yesterday and I saw some of the traps you can do. You're getting pretty impressive."
Xander's eyes immediately lit up. "You think so?"
"I know so!" I replied, giggling slightly at his excitement.
I wasn't even lying. Xander's traps were much better than anything I could hope to do. I tried to do some experimenting with wires and things like that, but I just couldn't make anything very strong. It seemed to come naturally to Xander. It was something I was almost jealous of!
"I hope I am." Xander commented with a light blush. "I've, um, been tinkering with a couple of different things back home in District Eight. I'm good with my hands and making things. Things about traps seem to come naturally to me."
"Believe me, I can tell." I informed him as I lightly jabbed his shoulder teasingly. "Good with your hands indeed!"
Xander's blush seemed to grow even further, which caused me to giggle a little louder. A few seconds passed before his blush started to die and he looked towards the elevator.
"We should probably be heading to the training hall now, right? I mean… it is the last day." He stated. "We can't afford to waste any time today."
"Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's go then." I told him.
The two of us walked over to the elevator doors. We entered it when they opened and began our descent towards the training hall for our last day of training. Every second was going to count.
Xander and I stood in silence as we waited for the elevator to arrive at our destination. He eventually decided to break the silence and he turned to face me.
"Happy birthday by the way Raven…" He mumbled.
I blinked in response and my mouth dropped.
"How did you even know about that?" I questioned in surprise.
"You mentioned it on the train once when talking to Destiny. Obviously she didn't remember when it was." Xander replied with a frown, his fists tightening as he thought about our escort.
"I'm impressed you remembered that!" I stated still in surprise. "That was the only time I ever talked about it with anyone here!"
"Don't think too much about it. I just remember things like that easily." He dismissed my praise with a shrug.
"Well, your memory is great then." I told him. Surprise started to leave my body and I felt happy: happy that somebody cared to remember something that small about me here. It meant a lot to me know that my district partner cared about me, even if it was just a little. A smile graced my lips as I walked over to Xander and gave him a hug. I noticed his body stiffen and his cheeks start to redden slightly, which caused me to giggle lightly. "Thank you so much though. I really appreciate it."
"N-No problem. Um, well, er, enjoy being fourteen." He stuttered in response, his cheeks becoming more-and-more red with each word.
I giggled lightly and let the boy go from my hug. He still looked red and stiff from my hug, which only caused my laughter to grow.
He's reacting that way all just because of a hug? Boys were so weird sometimes.
A few more moments passed before the elevator doors opened. Xander and I quickly said goodbye to each other as we started to walk into the training hall. Unlike the previous two days, we were one of the last districts to arrive. Only District Seven and District Twelve seemed to not be here yet. All of the other tributes were already at the training sessions, continuing to learn from where they last were.
I wasn't one to dawdle and do nothing, so I started to walk towards the fire-making station. After there, I would go quickly review the information at the edible plants. When I leave there, I would move to knot-tying, then camouflage, and then any other survival stations I could go to. After lunch, I would then review how to use a slingshot.
My main focus today was to review all of my information. I needed to make sure I was really ready. I wasn't going to another chance. This was it and I had to make every moment today count. This really could be the difference in whether I, and Caroline, lived or not!
I didn't need any advice from Tonya or Ray. If they weren't going to help, then I could look after myself. I did know the people who did believe in me – my mother, father, my brother, Caroline and the rest of my friends, and even Jason. That was all the support I needed!
With that thought in my head, I reached the fire-making station and took a seat next to the quiet, nervous-looking boy from District Three and the tough-looking girl from District Ten and started to review the proper ways to make a fire. Today was going to be a very busy day and I need to make sure every second was used properly!
Jason Icarus's POV – District 9 Male
After spending the first hour reviewing survival information, I started to wander the training hall aimlessly. My eyes wandered over the different weapon stations, trying to figure out which one I should go to.
As a pacifist, weapons bothered me. The idea of tools being used for the sole purpose of killing was a disturbing one to me. Originally, I had no intentions of using them. I knew that I did have the capability to kill another person. On the train ride, I became comfortable with the idea of dying in the arena. As long as I died as myself, maybe protecting some allies or even in some way as an act of rebellion, I would have been pleased with myself. Now, I knew I couldn't simply accept death, so I needed to figure out how to use a weapon of some sorts, or else Lacy would be executed…
I shook my head vigorously, making sure I didn't cry. I had already cried enough after I found out about the Quarter Quell twist. This whole experience was almost too ironic to me. I volunteered to save the life of a little boy, knowing that I would most likely die in the process. In exchange, I put the life of one of my best friend's at risk. All because I didn't want to see another kid die. All because I was just so sick of the injustices of the Hunger Games…
Was there some message in all of this? Was this just some way to promote more violence in the Hunger Games and encourage the people of the districts to be more and more self-focused?
Again, I shook my head. In addition to not crying, I had to make sure my thoughts didn't become too cynical. Thinking that negatively about society wasn't going to help me and it was especially no help to Lacy. To get my mind off those thoughts, I proceeded to walk over to the nearest training station and decided to learn whatever weapon was there. After arriving, I quickly looked at the equipment stands and noticed a lot of shields. Was this a station to train on defense?
Realizing that this wasn't a weapons station, I was about to walk over towards another station. Before I could though, the Capitol trainer at the station spotted me and smiled.
"Hey, you're the first tribute to stop by my station. Want to learn how to properly defend yourself, huh?" She asked me happily.
… Well how can I leave her now if I was the first person to stop by?
"Uh, yeah…" I mumbled in response with a nervous chuckle.
"Come on over then!" She exclaimed as she led me towards the equipment.
The station attendant gestured towards the different shields for me to use. I looked at all them intently before I grabbed a large, black shield in my hands. Holding it against me, it went down from my hand holding it towards my waist, covering a good portion of my body. When I grabbed it, I was expecting it to be too heavy for me to even reach, but the shield didn't feel overly heavy compared to what it looked like. I was pretty lucky to be a guy with a lot of muscle. It made lifting it a ton easier!
"Now, let's get you holding that shield properly." The station attendant told me as she walked over to me and grabbed my hands, adjusting my grip on the shield.
"Like this?" I questioned, my hands exactly where she put them.
"Yeah, that looks right to me." She noted with a smile on her face. She then proceeded to walk back over to the stand. "Now that you have the proper grip, let's test out how good you are at blocking attacks."
The station attendant then started to chuck different objects at me from her own stand: from bouncy balls to plastic knives. I was tasked to block them all with my shield. I moved, both my body and the shield, to block everything. She finished tossing things at me after about thirty different objects. Overall, I blocked twenty of her projectiles.
"Now, let's work on how you deal with some direct combat!" She exclaimed as she grabbed a plastic bat and charged after me.
For the next hour, I spent my time blocking the attacks of the Capitol trainer. She rotated back and forth from attacking me head-on with random melee weapons and attacking me from a distance with a bunch of throwing objects. Over the course of the hour, I got better with the shield and being able to withstand the attacks. Before I left after the hour, I was able to block all of her thrown weapons and I was able to withstand all of her melee attacks.
There was something about the shield that just appealed to me. I didn't know exactly what it was about it, but I really liked using it. If there was one lying in the cornucopia, I'd definitely rush for it.
Still, after the hour, I left the station and began to look for a weapons station to go to. A shield would help keep me safe, but it wouldn't be enough to be able to fight someone off…
"Hey Jason!"
I turned my head towards the source of the voice and saw Demi approaching me with a smile. She was walking towards me in a slightly zigzag manner. She was not walking straight, which gave me the impression that she may have been slightly drunk. At the very least, she was tipsy.
Oh, Demi. She had been drinking more-and-more ever since the Quarter Quell twist was announced. If she wasn't an alcoholic before then, she definitely was one now. I had sneaking suspicions that she was struggling with depression before getting reaped and that she was drinking to forget about things, but now she was even worse. The girl seemed to be absolutely miserable whenever she was completely sober: all because she has to fight to keep her best friend alive as well.
This is just not right…
Nevertheless, I ignored my thoughts and looked at the girl in front of me with a smile. Her mind was still very sharp and aware whenever she was drunk, so I didn't want her knowing that I pitied her. I'd assume that would offend her.
"Hey. How are you doing?" I asked her quietly. Talking to Demi still felt odd to me. I wasn't much of a talker in general and I didn't want to upset her or anything.
"Doing okay I guess." She replied. One of the things that I noticed that was unusual about Demi was that her speech was not really slurred when she was drunk. "Been spending most of my time at the camouflage station."
"And how is that going?" I questioned.
"Again, okay I guess. The only other tribute there when I got there was the little girl from District Seven and she was clearly better at it." Demi noted with a sigh. "I think she must have had some skill before she came here. Even the station attendant thinks she was godly at it. I tried to ask her for some tips and maybe make some loose alliance with her, but she wasn't interested in the slightest. She simply kept to herself and ignored me."
"I see." I noted. I rubbed the back of my head in a slightly awkward manner as I continued. "The girl from Seven doesn't seem the most open of people."
I didn't want to be too rude about her, but the girl from District Seven was a real loner. I, also, tried to talk to her yesterday when we were both at the edible plants station. She ignored me and eventually walked away after I tried to communicate with her another time. I assumed that she just didn't like other people.
"That's putting it mildly." Demi commented with a shrug.
"So what are you going to do now?" I asked her.
"Well, I was probably going to do the axe training station and practice there and maybe learn a thing or two about the weapon." She answered.
"The axe? Not a scythe?" I gave her a look of confusion. Demi knew how to use a scythe from working in the grain fields. She had mentioned to Einkorn and Flora that she was planning on using it as her preferred weapon, so why would she not go over there?
"I'm still going to want to use a scythe, but I want to learn another weapon. I'm not the only scythe user here, so I want to make sure that if there was only one in the cornucopia, I would have a weapon I could use." She answered. I noticed that she shivered slightly at the mention of another 'scythe user'.
Not that I could blame her. The boy from District Ten was an absolute creep. Even before yesterday, he seemed very intimidating and dangerous. Then, he attacked the girl from District Eleven and tried to kill her before the actual Hunger Games. That was when we all realized that he was a legitimate psychopath who should be avoided at all costs.
Instinctively, my eyes scanned the area to find him. A few seconds was all it took: the boy was, once again, alone at the scythe training station. He was slaughtering his mannequins without a care in the world about anything around him. I did notice that there were peacekeepers present around the station. All of them were studying the District Ten boy intently. I assumed that they were watching him to make sure he didn't try and go after someone else again…
A few seconds of silence passed by before I turned away from the boy and focused my attention on Demi again.
"Well, if you are going to the axe station, do you care if I go with you?" I asked.
Demi's eyes widened slightly in response. She looked at me in a way that made me almost want to shrink into my own shadow.
"… Well, if you want, go ahead. I can't stop you." The girl shrugged in response.
"Well, um, okay." I mumbled in response, not sure exactly what to say back.
The two of us walked together in the direction of the axe station. There was a silence that floated over us that made me uncomfortable. I had absolutely no clue what to say to her or if I should talk to her. Demi had this effect on me. She would give me these strange looks and seemed to be judging everything I say and do. She didn't seem to understand me at all, and I had no understanding of her. We were district partners: shouldn't we at least know a little bit about each other?
"Hey… Jason?" Demi spoke my name.
"Yeah?" I asked quickly, eager for some conversation to break this silence.
"Well, I don't know if anyone's approached you with an alliance yet, but no one has tried to make one with me… other than the boy from District Seven, but I don't trust him at all. So, well, do you want to work with me in the arena?" She asked me quietly.
My eyes widened at her offer. She wants to work with me?
Demi noticed my eyes and she quickly shook her head. "You don't have to if you don't want to. It was just an offer-"
"No, I'd love to." I stated, interrupting her.
Demi blinked in response at my interruption. I blushed in response, rubbing the back of my head nervously. I probably looked like an idiot for responding so abruptly like that. I didn't want her thinking I was a creep or anything.
My fears of being seen as a 'creep' disappeared though when Demi actually smiled in response. My eyes widened again. This was the first time I saw a legitimate smile from the girl and it suited her face well. She looked beautiful…
"Awesome. I'm glad that we won't have to face the arena alone." She stated happily.
"Er, yeah…" I mumbled in reply with a nervous chuckle, trying to hide a blush in my face.
We walked the rest of the way to the axe station again in silence. This time, though, it felt a little more comfortable to me for some reason.
I still had doubts about whether or not I would be able to truly fight in the Hunger Games. I definitely did not think I could kill someone. But one thing I did know was that Demi and I were working together and I would work my hardest to make that we both survived!
Victoire McBlock's POV – District 2 Female
"Very impressive Victoire!" The Capitol trainer commented as he watched me practice.
"Thank you." I replied politely before I turned my attention to some wooden targets. I proceeded to crack the whip in my hand before striking them. I hit each of them with the whip before I cracked the whip on the ground to indicate that I finished.
I made sure to devote extensive time to every weapon I had trained with in preparation for the Hunger Games. Although I still considered myself better with the boomerang, I was good with a whip. If it was the first thing I could get my hands on in the cornucopia, I would definitely be able to use and fight with it.
Perhaps it was because of my childhood dream to win the Hunger Games, or perhaps it was because of the added pressure of the Quarter Quell twist and that Cameron's life was at risk as well, but I felt more motivated to work on my training. I didn't waste a single second in all of my time in the training halls. I needed to be ready for anything and ready to use anything before I entered the Hunger Games arena!
"You're a natural. I guess that should be expected from a District Two tribute, but I'm still impressed." The station attendant complimented me with a smile, one that I was quick to return. His eyes then wandered to his left and the smile disappeared. It was replaced with a frown. "God, Raegae are you even trying?"
I turned my head to face the boy from District Seven, the only guy to ever come to the station. I noticed that the boy, Raegae, had been wandering to each station trying to practice with as many weapons as he could. Here, he was grumbling to himself as he held the whip improperly. A frown crept onto my face as I looked at the boy trying to use the weapon. Did the boy listen at all to the Capitol instructor teaching him?
A few seconds passed by before the station attendant and sighed and went back to the stand in front of the station. Raegae mumbled more words to himself before he turned his eyes towards me.
"Hey girl, you get this shit, don't you? Care to help me out?" He asked.
"Um…" I looked downward, feeling uncomfortable. It wasn't in my nature to deny people help and the District Seven boy clearly needed the help if he actually wanted to use a whip, but I was going to go into the Hunger Games with him. It would be stupid for me to help him with a weapon, in case if we end up fighting against each other in the arena.
"Don't want to help me out, do you? Figured." Raegae grumbled, shaking his head in frustration.
For a moment, I felt bad for the boy. I even, against my better judgment, started to debate in my head whether I should help him out with the whip. Before I made a decision in my debate, though, I noticed a change in his demeanor. The boy proceeded to stop shaking his head and looked at me with a grin on his face and a look in his eyes that disturbed me. It felt… perverted.
"Well, if you don't want to help out with that, then you could probably help me relieve some stress, if you know what I mean. I'm sure you know how to use that whip in another way, right?" He commented slyly.
My eyes widened immediately. Did he just…?
"Excuse me?" I asked him, both in shock and disgust.
I understood the innuendo, but Raegae didn't catch on to that. Instead, his grin seemed to develop further and his eyes started to lower from my face to the rest of my body. His eyes were now focused almost exclusively on my chest.
"So I take it you don't know that, huh? Well, you're in luck that I know a thing or two about that. Maybe during the lunch break I can be the one to teach you on how to actually use a whip." Raegae commented with the same 'sly' tone-of-voice.
My grip on the whip in my hands tightened. I could feel the anger run through my veins as I glared at him.
"… If I were you, I'd leave." I spoke in a quiet tone-of-voice.
"Huh? Why?" He questioned as he started to walk closer to me. "Trust me, you'll like-"
I immediately cracked the whip on the ground. Raegae backed away immediately in surprise. His eyes wandered to the whip. Then, they turned back to me. He was now returning my glare with one of his own.
"You think you're too good for me, I take it. Of course you do. Not a damn person here respects me. Well, you can go fuck yourself too. I'll be looking forward to seeing you die!" He hissed at me.
Raegae proceeded to toss his whip towards the Capitol attendant before he stormed away in some random direction.
I really hated guys like him. He seemed to have no respect for any of the people around him – especially women, based on the way he was looking and talking to me. I was starting to regret even considering helping him!
I watched the boy leave for a few seconds before I huffed in anger and returned to the training station. I then started to try and attack more targets with the whip.
Normally when I was angry or irritated, I would do yoga. I practiced it every day and it was very therapeutic. It kept me calm and my emotions in balance whenever I was feeling overly frustrated about something. Perhaps I would do another session at the end of the day back in the District Two living quarters, but I couldn't do a session now. Instead, I used my whip to beat out my anger. It was not nearly as effective as yoga was to calm me down, but it did help release some of my negative emotions and calm me down.
Thirty minutes passed before a loud bell rang through the training hall. It was now time for the lunch break. Feeling calmer, both from time and from releasing my anger, I returned the whip to the Capitol trainer and started to walk towards the dining area.
After I grabbed my tray of food, a plate of some weird Capitol-style soup, I started to look for a place to sit. I really did enjoy talking to people and making new friends, so I wanted to sit with someone. The only problem was that I didn't really know who I was supposed to actually sit with, since the Careers never sat with each other during the lunch breaks.
Ariail, Alaska, Kendra, and Lepolio were all aloof. Ariail and Alaska were, in particular, very anti-social. The career leader usually spent his lunch break smoking at his table and glared at anyone that dared to look at him. Alaska, for her part, simply moved her tray any time someone tried to sit next to her.
I tried to sit next to Kendra on the first day of training. I quickly found out that trying to talk with her would always be a disaster, as she started to talk about strategies for the arena and my opinions of the other tributes. While I did attempt to participate in the conversation, it was very draining. It also bothered me that the one time I tried to talk to her about her personal life, she stopped talking and simply glared at me in response. Obviously, she had no desire to get to know me or for me to get to know her…
Yesterday, I tried to sit and talk with Lepolio. When I put my tray next to his, he immediately informed me that he was not in the mood to talk. He hasn't been since the Quarter Quell twist. Understandable. He was still upset about his son. I completely understood and, to some degree, agreed with his thoughts. I was still really, really upset about the twist and the fact that Cameron's life was in my hands. He was my little brother and the person I probably got along with the most back home. I couldn't imagine him dying.
It may sound weird to some, but I wasn't worried about me possibly dying – I was more worried about my brother's life.
I shook my head, pushing the thoughts of my brother out of my head. I already cried the night of the Quarter Quell twist announcement in my bedroom, and that was enough. It was pointless to cry and worry about it any longer. It would only negatively affect my performance, and I needed to make sure that I performed perfectly to keep Cameron alive!
Instead, I looked over the remaining tables and spotted the final remaining member of the Career Pack – Cascade. He was a relatively quiet boy, but he didn't seem like he truly hated talking to people. Perhaps I could sit next to him?
With that in mind, I walked over to his table and placed my tray of food down.
"Hey Cascade." I greeted him.
Cascade looked up from his own food and stared at me with surprised eyes. A moment passed before the surprise faded and he gave me a slightly uneasy smile back. "Hey Victoire. What's up?"
"Not much. Just finished a good training session and now I could use some lunch before continuing." I told him with a smile as I put a spoon into my soup. "How about you? How's your training been going?"
"Well, not too bad actually." He answered with an indifferent shrug. "Just another basic day at the spear stand. I also went over to the survival area and practiced how to make a fire."
"Good to know that we have one career that knows how to make a fire. That's probably the hardest thing for me!" I mumbled in disappointment. It was sort of embarrassing, but it was the truth. Fire-making just did not come naturally to me. I was going to have to spend more time at the station once lunch was over and work on it. It was going to be bad if I can't make a fire before the Hunger Games started. Once the Career Pack was over and I was off on my own, I would definitely need to know how to make a fire for myself.
"You can't make a fire?" Cascade questioned in surprise. I nodded my head again. A small grin developed on his face. "Well, what can I say? You just need more practice. It takes some time for someone to warm up to the art of fire-making."
I was about to eat a spoonful of my soup, but I stopped myself. I proceeded to laugh slightly loudly in response to Cascade's joke.
"Wow, that was cheesy!" I told him between my laughter.
"I've got a couple of jokes just like that. My older brother, Dylan, told me that I can be funny from time to time." Cascade informed me with a chuckle of his own.
"Well, I have to say he's right about that." I stated as my laughter finally started to stop. "What's your brother like?"
"My brother?" Cascade repeated in surprise. I nodded my head, which caused the boy to scratch his head uneasily. "Well, he's nineteen years old and he works at a fish-packing factory. We get along really well and he's a cool guy. He can be really annoying at times, but he's been there in my life and I miss him…"
"I completely understood. I miss my siblings too." I mumbled in response as I thought of my own family.
I missed all of my siblings. I missed Malia and Tatia, my three-year old twin sisters, and there adorable shenanigans. I missed my other younger sister, Alexis, despite the fact that she could be kinda bratty when she didn't get way. I even missed my anti-social older brother, Trent, who I haven't heard from even before I left for the Hunger Games. And, of course, I missed Cameron…
I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I volunteered. It's not going to affect me at all to be away from them. I knew I just had to win and come back home, and then I could give each of my siblings and our parents a better life! Still, it felt so weird to be apart from them for so long.
"What are your siblings like?" Cascade asked me out of curiosity.
A grin developed on my face. Finally, I had someone I could make some legitimate conversation with!
With that thought in mind, Cascade and I continued to talk over our lunch, slowly learning more and more about each other. Maybe the rest of the Career Pack didn't care to learn about each other, but Cascade and I certainly were interested in making a friend or two. It was nice to just have someone to have a relaxed conversation with.
Although, I had to push the image of a deceased Cascade out of my head. I knew that it was going to have to happen at some point, but I tried my best to ignore it and focus on simply making a new friend and learning about his life.
Booker Comston's POV – District 6 Male
Like every day so far in the training sessions, I ate lunch alone. I really had no interest in communicating with the other tributes. Time went by slowly, giving me plenty of time to think about the current situation and my future plans for the arena.
These training days have been odd. As a vigilante-figure of sorts in District Six, I am familiar with using weapons. I'm also comfortable with fighting and, in some cases, killing criminals. Having said that, my fighting style utilized different tools and weapons than the weapons provided here. My primary weapons were brass knuckles and guns – not swords, bows, and whatever weaponry they had here.
After trying my hand at nearly every weapon station here, I resolved myself to perfecting my hand-to-hand combat. My fighting style with just my bare hands was very similar to my style with brass knuckles. I just needed to be careful with my fists. Perhaps if I proved myself adept enough, I could actually get one of my preferred weapons from a sponsor or something. It wasn't unprecedented for a sponsor to give tributes great weapons and, if I could get enough sponsors, I could maybe even get a gun to use.
Whichever weapon I was able to get, I needed to make sure I earned in fast. Thanks to the Quarter Quell twist, I had to fight in my father's stead here… and I also had a few criminals to personally execute.
My eyes wandered the dining area immediately, looking for these criminals. It didn't take long for me to find them: Alexandra Varas and Logan Faber were sitting at separate tables away from everyone else. Both of them were devouring their soup vigorously without a care in the world….
I knew exactly what types of crimes Alexandra committed back in District Six. She was a thief who stole from the good people of the district, and she was going to be dealt with accordingly. Logan, on the other hand, was someone I was uncertain about. Perhaps I was being hasty with the 'criminal' label, but I was rather certain that he must have been a murderer. I've dealt with enough murderous scum like him that had the same twisted look in their eyes and faces. Logan had a lot of similarities with a variety of murders in District Six. Furthermore, he attempted to kill the girl from District Eleven, Miss Florina Everett, unprovoked despite the regulations forbidding us from fighting the other tributes. Even if I was somehow incorrect in my suspicions about previous murderers, he was definitely guilty of attempted murder and I was going to make sure he received his proper punishment.
They'll both be executed by my hand. I promised myself I would remove the world of all criminals, and those two are no exceptions to that rule!
"Hey, um, Booker Comston right? Excuse me!" A voice called out to me.
I turned away from my thoughts and faced the source of the voice. There, standing in front of me, was Ms. Florina Everett. How odd. I was just thinking about her and the situation with Logan.
"Yes, that is my name." I nodded in acknowledgment. "How are you doing Miss Everett?"
"'Ms. Everett?'" She repeated the name with a frown on her face before shaking her head. "Um, don't take this too personally, but don't call me that. That makes me sound a lot older than I am! I mean, if I was like maybe four or five years older than I am now, you could call me that. But no, just call me Florina! That's who I am to everyone else!"
"I was just trying to be polite, but if you'd prefer me to call you Florina, then so be it." I responded, chuckling slightly at her response. "How are you feeling today?"
"I'm doing great, thank you. Feeling much better than I have been in a while!" She answered cheerfully. "Mind if I sit down? I know we only have a few more minutes until the lunch break ends, so hopefully I won't be too much of a bother!"
I shrugged in response. "I was just thinking. If you want to sit down, go ahead. It's not much of a bother."
"Thanks!" Florina stated as she sat down.
As she sat down, I took a good look at the girl. For someone who was nearly killed yesterday, she appeared to be in good spirits. It was surprising to me, but also relieving. It was good to know that she was doing okay. She seemed to be a good person and didn't deserve any of the crap that she got yesterday.
Besides, her good mood was certainly contagious. I felt myself smile a little at just how happy she seemed.
"So, well…" Florina mumbled as she started to poke her fingers together. "Okay, this may sound a little weird, but I was wondering if you'd like to maybe ally together in the arena… if that'd be okay with you that is!"
"Hmm?" I looked at her in surprise. "You want to work with me? And not someone else?"
To be completely honest, I worked better solo. Back in District Six, I worked by myself hunting down criminals – I didn't want anyone else risking their life with me. I knew that I would be able to take care of myself in the arena. Besides, I was entering the Games with a very specific agenda. While I did need to win in order to ensure that my father would remain alive, I also needed to personally kill the criminals Alexandra and Logan. I had a very specific reason to fight in the Hunger Games and I doubted any of the other tributes would care to assist me in my mission.
"Of course I'd want to work with you! Do you want a list of reasons?" Florina told me as she pulled out a piece of paper from the pocket in her pants.
My eyes widened in shock. She cared that much to make a list?
"You wrote a list of reasons why you want to ally with me?"
"Well, it's more of a list of your characteristics I observed. I did one for all of the tributes here!" She replied with a little uneasy laugh. "It's, um, something I like to do. I like making lists and keeping track of my observations."
"Oh. I see." The surprise left my face and I simply nodded in response. She was just a very observant girl who liked to keep track of the people around her. Curiosity soon developed though as I gave the girl with glasses a strange a look. "Then what characteristics make you so interested in working with me?"
"Well, you're very strong. Besides the muscles, I saw you at the weight-lifting station and the hand-to-hand combat station and you were doing VERY good. You seem proficient with a lot of the weapons you tried and just seem like you can handle yourself well in a fight." Florina answered cheerfully. "But more than that, you just seem like a dependable guy. I'd like to think I can read people well, and you seem really nice. You're very polite and respectful when you talk and you seem very passionate in what matters to you. I also think you're very sweet and brave."
Once again, my eyes widened. I openly gaped in surprise as she went on-and-on. I didn't think of myself nearly this special. Did she really see me like this me? Me? I wasn't anything too special. Not in my eyes at least.
Florina looked downward, blushing slightly in embarrassment before she continued. "Um… and I also need to thank you properly for yesterday. I never did and I felt about it, but… really, thank you for stepping in with the whole situation with Logan."
I quickly shook my head in response. So that's why she was interested.
"Florina, I didn't interfere yesterday to make you feel indebted to me. You don't have to make up some observations and become my ally just because of that. I was doing that because it was the right thing to do." I told her sincerely.
"I know you didn't. That's not what I'm trying to say. Don't think that's what I mean!" The girl replied hastily, a frown developing on her face. "All I'm trying to do is thank you for all that you did yesterday. I thought you were really brave and it showed your character, and honestly, I would want to work with a guy like you. It's not because you saved me: it's because of the type of guy that you are. I couldn't think of a better person to ally with!"
Silence filled the table. I looked at her intently, studying her.
Was she being serious? She saw that much in my character? I didn't think much of my involvement in the affair between her and Logan. It was instinctual. I always reacted first whenever I saw some injustice occur. It felt so foreign to hear someone say such things about me.
It actually made me happy.
"Florina, I'm more than willing to work with you if you want, but you should be aware that I'm not going to be going into the Games just to play passively. I'm going in after two tributes in particular, one of which being Logan." I told her bluntly. "Are you okay with that?"
Florina said nothing in response. She looked downward a little for a few seconds before she looked back up to me with a conflicted look in her eyes.
"The other target is your district partner, isn't it? The one you think is a thief." She questioned.
I nodded in response. "I know she is a thief."
"Well… I'm not really comfortable with hunting and killing, but I guess it is the Hunger Games. And I really do want to work with you. I think we could do very well together…" She answered. The conflicted emotion remained in her eyes, but the girl gave me a look that showed me that she was determined and confident. "I'm okay with that. I'm still willing to work with you."
Heh. This girl…
I had not expected to find someone willing to work with me in my mission. Yet, here she was. Florina seemed most upset about having to kill anyone, but I would make sure she wouldn't to. I was going to be the one to take down Alexandra and Logan.
The idea of an alliance with her now seemed very appealing. I really liked the idea of working with her. It would be nice to actually have someone to talk to and work with. I didn't have that luxury back in District Six, so I was very excited about having a friend in the arena to watch my back.
"Well, if you're willing to work with that, then I can't say no. We'll make a good team." I responded with a smile.
The reaction was instantaneous. Florina smiled brightly at me and proceeded to give me a hug.
"You're right about that!" She giggled happily. "Thank you so much again Booker. I promise, you won't regret it!"
"Er, yeah. No problem… I won't regret it." I mumbled out a response uneasily as I returned her hug. I mentally cursed at how awkward I most likely seemed. Her hug took me by surprise. I was not used to physical contact with many of the people around me – let alone a girl around my age. It felt so foreign to me, yet it also felt nice…
A few seconds after we broke the hug, the bell rang throughout the training hall, signaling the end of the lunch break. Florina and I both stood up in unison as we started to look at the other training stations.
"We should probably go back to training. I'm probably going to go learn a few more things about edible plants, in case we need to find food." Florina told me.
"That's not a bad idea at all." I commented with a shudder. I was actually slightly concerned about the survival aspect of the Hunger Games, such as finding food that wouldn't kill me from poison. "I may come with you."
"Go right ahead. Just follow me!" She declared happily as she stared to walk away.
With a light chuckle, I followed her behind. It was still odd to think that I actually was an alliance. I really thought I would be going into the Hunger Games alone. It was comforting to know, though, that I had one ally with me during the fight of my life, and I'm sure she felt similarly to me.
Bane Darnell's POV – District 11 Male
"No, no, no Bane. You are still holding the knives the wrong way!" The capitol attendant scolded me with a loud groan that did little to hide his frustration. "Are you even trying?"
"I-I'm sorry… is this better?" I stuttered in response, making a slight adjustment to my grip.
"Not really kid. Honestly, I'd advise you go look for a different weapon to learn." The trainer stated coldly. "To put it as politely as possible, the knife just doesn't seem like the ideal weapon for you."
I said nothing, making an effort to look as if I was stunned at the proclamation. A few seconds passed before I shook my head in defiance, tightening my grip on the knives as tears ran down my face. "I can do it. Y-You'll see!"
The station attendant rolled his eyes in response. He didn't believe I had any chance, and neither did the other tributes at the station: Alaska Dayte, Yaro Hailstien, Kaylee Harper, and Winnie Goldstein all gave me a look that showed me what they thought my fate was going to be.
Everything was still going according to plan.
To be completely honest, I was surprised at how easy it was to fool everyone. I thought when it came time to actually interact and function around the tributes, I would do something subtle that would blow my cover. Nevertheless, no one seemed to catch on. It was almost too perfect. I finally could control my image to the people around me. The more they underestimated me, the better. It gave me time to fly under the radar of everyone's target-list and sit back and observe everyone through my 'tear-filled' eyes.
I had honestly never felt as powerful in my life as I did now. The feeling was almost an addicting one.
"You've been improving a lot Kaylee. Quite the skill you've developed in just a few days!" The station attendant praised Kaylee as he watched her throw a knife at a target.
"That's what I've been telling her these past few days. She's getting too good if you ask me." Yaro commented with a shake of his head in mock-jealousy. "Can't have her constantly outperform me!"
"I'm only better at throwing them and you know me. Stop with the constant praise: it's embarrassing." Kaylee grumbled quietly, concentrating on the knives in her hand solely and trying to ignore the boy from District Twelve.
"Why? Everyone needs a little praise from time to time." The boy responded with a chuckle.
"Yeah, but not constantly. Focus on yourself for once." She replied with a slight eye roll.
I chuckled inwardly at their banter. I had observed the two of them interact with each other and the girl from District Twelve, Emery Aspen, and they were all, admittedly, very entertaining. They had an interesting dynamic that benefitted from their differing personalities. In some ways, I was surprised that they didn't outright hate each other. Nevertheless, it appeared as if for the arena, they were willing to overcome these personality differences to team up. I was quick to catch on to their alliance and I knew they would be dangerous later in the Games. All three of them were certainly capable, with Kaylee being the most deadly in my opinion. She definitely had a certain ruthlessness in her demeanor that made me think she would be willing to kill.
If I ever engaged against them, she would be the one I would be most cautious around. She would also be the one I would definitely prioritize to kill.
For another hour, I faked a lack of skill with the knife while I continued to observe the other tributes there. Yaro and Kaylee were both improving at a rather good pace. Alaska was superior to them however with her knives: it was expected from a girl from one of the Career districts. Even Winnie was impressive. She was actually pretty decent with her stance with the knives for a girl her age. There was definitely a chance she could make it out of the bloodbath and I would be very interested in seeing how she would handle the actual Hunger Games. Not that I would ever make it too far. Sooner or later, she would have to die.
I wasn't completely comfortable with killing the other tributes. Growing up in an apothecary shop with my mother and my grandparents taught me the importance of the human life. I suppose some of their teachings rubbed off on me and I knew I was going to feel guilty when I cut someone down. None of the other tributes deserved this fate: we were all here due to a grudge the Capitol had with the districts. Nevertheless, I knew I was going to have to kill. Besides the fact that I had no interest in dying myself, I had to fight for my father.
With a sigh, I put away my knife and walked away to a survival station on poisons to brush on my knowledge. Along the way, I spent my time thinking about my father.
Growing up, I always had some sort of resentment towards him. He was the one who made me a bastard and it was his horrible status in District Eleven that strained people's opinion of me. I was also just simply angry with his behavior. He was a philanderer and I was sick of it. Couldn't he just stick with one woman for fuck's safe? Couldn't he have stayed with my mother and we could have all lived a normal, functional life?
Despite this, he was my father and he did do his part to be in my life, albeit in a strange way. He made sure to keep me trained in case I was ever reaped. I knew he cared for me and he did do his part to provide for me in whatever way he could. I had a lot of resentment towards him, but I could never hate him and I never wished him to die. That was the last thing I wanted to happen! Therefore, I had to fight. I had to make sure I got out of the arena so that he can continue to live.
A few seconds passed before I arrived at the poison survival station. I shook my head, brushing the thoughts of my father away. Instead, I focused on my memories at the apothecary shop with my mother and grandparents as I started to review poisons side-by-side with the girl from District Five, Stephanie Volk.
"'Starplant Root: only a minor poison. Not lethal, but it can certainly cause a variety of symptoms, such as diarrhea and vomiting.'" Stephanie read aloud to herself the information of one poison. She quickly moved on to another one. "'Marluxia Flowers: very lethal in high-doses. High concentration of the roots of the flower in the bloodstream can lead to an increase in blood pressure and can lead to heart failure if not treated.'"
I shook my head in response, but made no outward comment. While the roots were indeed poisonous, the petals of the flower were actually rather harmless. In fact, they were a common ingredient in a few of the potions and remedies my grandfather used with patients. If anything, the Marluxia Flower was a natural medication and a potential life-saver. However, I was going to hold on to that information for myself.
The rest of the training period was spent reviewing my knowledge of poisons and natural medicines. A few more hours passed by before the bell rang loudly, ending the training day. Stephanie and I eventually stopped our review and said farewell to the station attendant. We then walked away, heading in the direction towards our district partners.
It didn't take long for me to find Florina. She was busy chatting with the District Six boy, Booker Comston. I saw that they sat at lunch together and went to a few training stations together afterwards. It was most likely safe to say that they were aligning with each other.
As I studied them, I noticed a bright red blush on Florina's face. She and Booker may not be aware of it, but I was starting to suspect that she was developing feelings for the boy from District Six. It would make sense if she did. He was probably considered a handsome guy to anyone interested in men and Florina's first interaction with him involved him saving her life from Logan. In a situation as dramatic as that, strong feelings and emotions were most definitely going to be established in her unconscious mind. For her sake, though, I hope was overlooking that. Any relationship that she established with him would only end badly for the two of them.
I continued my approach towards her. After a few more seconds, Florina finally noticed me. She said goodbye to Booker before she quickly walked over to me with a bright smile on her face.
"Hey Bane! How are you doing?" She greeted me cheerfully. "How was training? Was it a good day for you?"
"Hi…" I mumbled in response, keeping my mask on. "Um, training was okay I guess. I spent most of my time reviewing survival stuff."
"Yeah, I did the same. That's the most important aspect of the Hunger Games, after all. As dangerous as the other tributes are, the arena itself is just as dangerous, if not more so. I mean, we at least know what to expect from the other tributes! We have no idea what's going to be waiting for us in the arena!" Florina exclaimed in her usual dramatic, verbose manner. "Therefore, survival knowledge is the most important thing of all! We need to have some foundation to fight against the arena!"
"Yeah, I agree." I replied with a smile. She was indeed right, although I would have made a similar statement in fewer words.
The two of us walked over to the elevator doors and quickly got in our elevator. We then made our ascent towards the District Eleven living quarters.
"It's weird to think that this was our last day to train. That's all of the preparations we are going to have. We're gonna get dumped into the arena soon, aren't we? All we have left is the gamemaker session and the interview, and then it'll be time for the Hunger Games." Florina commented with a sigh.
"Yeah. It's weird." I replied with a sigh. "I'm really nervous."
"Me too." She nodded in agreement.
That wasn't me trying to come across as weak. I really was worried. As confident as I was in my mask, I couldn't help but be worried about the Games. There were just so many variables that I couldn't account for yet. What if the Careers want to target a weak tribute first and they perceive me as the weakest? What if I actually didn't learn enough in the training sessions and I'm not able to survive? What if I can't handle one of the arena's traps or mutts and I die fighting it? Then all of this effort would have been for nothing and I would have died a humiliating death, and my father would be promptly executed.
Immediately, I shook my head in response, rejecting the thoughts.
"What are you thinking about?" Florina questioned quietly as she looked at me behind her glasses.
"Well, just about the Hunger Games." I sighed in response. "They're going to be impossible. But we can't give up. We have to try and fight. It's important to try and come home and keep our family alive."
"… Mmm." She hummed in agreement. A small, sad smile appeared on her face. "You're brave Bane. I know I have to fight and I'm scared just like you, but I'm still trying to get my mind wrapped around this. I think I'm still too afraid about dying and… my Dad dying with me…"
A frown developed on my face. Florina's father, and our mentor, was chosen as the person closest to her. Although it was probably nice that she got to see her loved one before going into the arena, it probably did bother her seeing him every day. He was most likely a constant reminder about what the cost would be if she died.
Whoever thought of this twist was fucked up. One of these days, the Capitol would burn. All I could hope for right now was that I will win these Games so that my father and I could be alive to watch the president's government die.
The elevator eventually stopped at our living quarters and the door opened. We were both greeted by the sight of Onyx Everett.
"Hi Dad…" Florina mumbled quietly. I felt a little bad as I looked at her. Bringing up the situation with her dad probably put her in a bad mood. The girl looked as if she was going to cry at any second.
"Are you okay Florina? Did something bad happen during training?" Onyx asked in concern.
Florina gave no verbal response. Instead, she simply rushed to him and started to cry into his shoulder. He quickly gave her a hug, holding him tightly against his body.
The two seemingly forgot I was there. I decided to leave the room and head to my bedroom to give them some alone time. The two most likely needed it.
I don't know what I would do if I was in Florina's shoes and I had my father here. What would I even say to him? I had so many things that I really, really wanted to talk to him about. I wanted to tell him how much I appreciated him for training me and giving me what was most likely a fighting chance in the arena. I wanted to question him about his other 'lovers' and try and figure out for the umpteenth time why he never wanted to settle down with my mother.
More than anything else, though, I just wanted to give him a hug and tell him that I was sorry for putting his life at risk this year in the Hunger Games…
A few tears ran down my face: real tears. I quickly rubbed them away as I laid on my bed.
Tomorrow was going to be the day where we had our meeting with the gamemakers. I was still undecided with how I was going to approach it. Should I reveal some of my skills and try for a high score in an attempt to get some sponsors? Or should I continue with my 'weak' mask and make sure the other tributes didn't suspect anything about me? There was a lot of thinking I needed to do about tomorrow. I couldn't afford to be crying about my father and some hypothetical meeting with him. I had to do my best and fight with him so I could actually have a conversation with him back in the District Eleven.
With that in my mind, I closed my eyes in thought as I began to debate about what I should do for the gamemaker meeting tomorrow.
Author's Note: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter. And this concludes the training chapters :) What did you think of them all? I tried to write them in different ways and make the points-of-view during them as unique as I could to make sure they all felt fresh to each of you. Hopefully that worked as I planned!
The next chapter will be the meeting with the Gamemakers and the training scores. We are actually getting closer and closer to the actual arena, and I'm getting more and more nervous. And excited! :D
I don't have too much too say right now. Just that I'm really excited to get working on the next chapter! Let me know what you all thought of this chapter and any opinions you had on the tributes here. The next chapter will begin soon and will be up as soon as I finish! I'll see you guys then :)