I hope you guys had a nice Christmas/Holiday! Sorry this was a little bit late, but I got a new computer for Christmas and am still trying to figure out the features in it. (In other words, I'm a dumbass who couldn't figure out how to turn on the wifi. cx) Alas, the chapter is now here. As usual, I thank all of you for following this story. It doesn't seem like much to others, but I am so happy that I hit over twenty followers! *.* Oh my God, you guys are awesome.
Death surrounds, my heartbeat slowing down.
I won't take this world's abuse. I won't give up, I refuse.
This is how it feels when you're bent and broken. This is how it feels when your dignity is stolen.
When everything you love is leaving, you hold onto what you believe in.
The last thing I heard was you whispering "goodbye", and then I heard you flatline.
...
Don't close your eyes!
The tributes filed over to the room across from the gym, containing a buffet of various kinds of food. I grimaced as I saw some of the people piling food onto their plates like there's no tomorrow (which, in a way, there's not).
A scanned the buffet, looking for something relatively light. I was hungry, but I didn't want to gorge myself on the Capitol's rich fare. It was just too much for me. I found a sandwich with sliced turkey and a whipped goat cheese spread, which I paired with an orange. The orange reminded me of the fruit that grew on some of the trees in District 7, and I wondered that since the Capitol is sent their food from the districts, if a portion of the fruit is sent from my district. The thought brought a sense of comfort about me, calming me as I sat down.
I made sure to stay away from any of the other tributes as I chose my seat. As I ate, I noticed the various cliques that had already developed. Katniss and Peeta sat across from each other on the end of a nearly empty table. Rue was on the other end, staring at Katniss as she ate.
I had various emotion surrounding the gesture. I hated how Katniss got one of the highest chances of earning sponsors, even this early in the games, but I also understood Rue's fascination towards her, considering the action Katniss took to save her sister. I still had some respect for her, but I hated her at the same time. Her partner just seemed like someone who tagged along and couldn't be independent.
I looked over at the Careers, seeing them chuckle at a joke Keane made. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly and easily they accepted Keane, for I had assumed that it would've taken a little bit longer. I regretted not watching him show off; I needed to assess my competition.
Cato quickly glanced my way and smirked when he saw me spying on his group. I removed the emotion from my face and stared straight at him as I ate, never removing my stormy grey eyes from his icy blue ones. Marvel nudged him, causing Cato to break eye contact. I smirked as I felt a surge of pride at "winning" our staredown.
I finished my food, feeling very happy with the fact that I didn't gorge myself. It would have been extremely difficult to train when I'm stuffed to the brim with food. I deposited my dishes into the cart that the avoxes took to the cleaning station to clean. What should I do in the next half hour I have until training begins?
I decided to wander the halls until in was almost time to resume training. I didn't want to go to the roof because I wouldn't have the time to go all the way up there, sit for a few minutes, and then go back down. I went down a white hall, thinking to myself.
I'm already sick of these games. In all honesty, I was slightly envious that Keane was able to join an alliance. I didn't feel superior enough for anyone to want to pair up with me. I may be proficient with an ax, but I'm screwed when it comes to most survival skills. I'll probably die from poisonous berries before anyone can come to kill me. I frowned as I remembered Cato's annoying habit of smirking when he saw me. He acted like a complete prick. As trivial and immature as it is, I felt extremely accomplished from "beating" Cato at our staredown. Sadly, I realized that I didn't technically beat him because Marvel took his attention away from the competition, thus considering it a fluke.
I walked down the hall, glancing at the clock fleetingly. I only had ten minutes left. I was surprised at how quickly the time passed, turning around and moving back to the training center. I moved quickly, not wanting to be late. Right as I stepped through the glass doors separating the training center from the rest of the building the alarm rang, signaling that now was the time to resume training.
I looked around, searching for an activity to try. My eyes lingered on my two most desired activities; the Ropes Course and The Gauntlet. Out of the two, the Ropes Course was the one I was the most experienced in, so I decided to test it out. I stepped towards the course, watching the other tributes as I walked. I saw Cato's partner throwing knives at moving targets, landing exactly in the center of the target. I shuddered mentally, feeling queasy from watching her easily demolish the dummies. I looked at Cato, seeing him slice the arms and legs off of the dummies with a sword similarly to the way I decapitated the dummies with my ax.
Keane stood with Marvel, showing off and throwing spears. Keane was very talented with spears, but Marvel still had more experience and skill than he did. I saw Keane pouting as Marvel hit the mannequin directly in the chest, while Keane hit it's shoulder.
I arrived at the Ropes Course, beginning to climb up the net. It was relatively easy because of my past experiences with climbing trees. Once I reached the top of the net, I steadied my wobbly feet. Where I am I supposed to go once I reach the top of the net? I hesitantly decided between climbing back down or jumping off. I didn't want them to get the impression that I fell, so I quickly shuffled my way back to the bottom of the net.
I glanced at The Gauntlet, seeing the Careers waiting in line to go through the obstacle course. There were moving metal plates that you had to jump to in order to get across, and a swinging metal bar swung between the last two plates. There were hurdles that you had to hop over, leading you to the last obstacle. The last obstacle had yellow pixelated people wielding weapons, requiring you to use a holographic weapon of your choice to kill them.
I watched the Careers go through the course with ease, making a queasy feeling develop in my chest. I didn't know if I would be able to traverse the course as easily as they did, and I was very wary of the swinging bar. I had a feeling that it would bonk me in the head, making me even more crazy than I already was.
I stepped into the line, Keane in front of me. I gently tapped him on the shoulder, catching his attention.
"Nice job." I said plainly behind him. He nodded in thanks, gazing forward as his turn arrived. He went through the course with little difficulty, occasionally stumbling on the plates as he jumped to each one.
Atala led the station, leading me to the beginning. I glanced around me before I began, seeing the Careers, who had all completed the course, grinning at each other with condescending expressions. Marvel caught me watching them and cracked up laughing, catching the groups attention. Before they looked around to see what he was laughing at, I ran onto the plates and jumped across the gaps between them. I stumbled onto my knees at the fourth one, grunting softly. I quickly stumbled up, my scraped and bruised knees stinging like a bitch. The last expanse contained the swinging bar.
I hesitated, unsure of how to traverse the obstacle. I was reminded of home, where I would jump on top of tree branches to get across the area between them. I jumped onto the bar, swinging along with it. I stepped along the length of it, hopping onto the final platform.
A hologram of a person came towards me, making me reflexively grab an ax off of the digital shelf nearby. I swung at it's head, it's pixelated body fading into the air. I grabbed another small digital ax as more people came near me, throwing it straight into it's head. I felt a shove behind me, forcing me to turn around at hit the pixilation behind me with the handle of my ax.
I felt a throbbing pain in my back where it hit me, which I found weird since it was only a hologram shoving me. I didn't think that the Capitol would want it's tributes to have bruises and injuries before the games. I threw the ax at the final figure, hitting it square in the chest.
The lights on the training station returned back to normal, the digital bodies dissipating. I breathed heavily, placing my hand on the sore spot on the small of my back. Damn. I truly didn't understand how it would hurt if it was a computer-produced figure.
I looked at the clock, seeing that it was nearly 5:00, the time in which we were supposed to leave. I turned and walked to the elevator, my legs aching from all of the jumping, climbing, and running I had to do. A hot shower should really soothe my muscles.
I went into the elevator, and I was thankfully alone for the duration of the ride. As I walked into the apartment, I saw a buffet of food against the wall of the room. I was fairly hungry, so I had slightly more food than I did at lunch. There was a wonderful red fish, which I assumed was from District 4, with a white cream sauce and broccoli with unfamiliar seasonings on it. I had a small scoop of some type of pasta in the shape of tiny beads. As I ate, I intensely enjoyed the flavors of the food, and I was very satisfied with the amount of food I consumed.
It may seem weird for someone from a lower district to not shovel the food into themselves, but I was quite comfortable with the amount that I typically ate. We all know that food is sparse in the arena, and stretching your stomach to fit the amount of food given to you in the Capitol will just cause more hunger pain than you normally would have.
I finished my food, slinking into my room and moving to the shower. The water helped release the tension in my muscles, relaxing me. The soap smelled different than in did on the shower in the train, this time smelling minty. I personally preferred the mint over the lemon. I changed into pajamas, brushing my hair and flopping on top of the comforter. I closed my eyes and relished the silky texture of the fabric.
I wondered why I hadn't seen Johanna lately. Anastasia and Blight were the only ones at the table, and I'd forgotten to ask about her whereabouts.
I tossed and turned during the night, unable to block my thoughts of Keane's alliance with the Careers and my mildly mediocre performance during training. I was only good at three things; the ax, camouflage/shelter building, and climbing. I was mildly decent at the Gauntlet and poisonous plants. I felt a rush of hopelessness overflow me as I realized how low my odds are of winning. 1/24. Twenty three children will die, and I'm most likely one of them.
A small voice echoed in my head. Your parents need you. Look at what happened to Bree. They'll be even more crushed than they are now if you die.
I felt a tear run my cheek. I don't know if I can this. You have to.
...
