Rini walked around the training center, trying not to look lost. It looked so different from the last time she'd been inside. Her eyes wandered to the spot where the Gamemakers sat and she felt a chill go down her spine when she saw Plutarch. He stood at the edge of the platform, watching all the tributes with that fixed stare that must have been a trademark of that profession. Like they couldn't blink or they'd miss some crucial aspect of their targets. The man didn't give her a second glance, despite her outright staring.
"Looking for your husband?" A man asked her, making her look away from the Gamemakers. "Shame you can't win the same way you won your games. Everyone knows that Seneca bent the rules so you would win."
Renata felt her cheeks burn as she stood beside the giant man from District Two, his bulging muscles making her uncomfortable. And also the fact that he and everyone else seemed to know about her past with Seneca. It had been a national affair, of course, but she had assumed it would just all go away after he'd died. Apparently it was still fresh in everyone's mind.
"You don't think Plutarch is interested?" She answered back casually, picking up one of the spears that stood next to the station.
Brutus snorted and he raised a brow at the weapon in her hands. "Think you can handle that?"
"I could use some pointers if you're offering." She took a step back as he grabbed a spear from the rack and pressed a few buttons on the command pad. The hologram started up and Brutus took his stance, waiting for the perfect moment before launching the spear with impressive force and taking out two of the holograms. He looked back at her and raised a brow, smirking.
"Not bad," She admitted, unable to help grinning. She followed Brutus' gaze over her shoulder and saw that Katniss was watching them as she passed, her eyes narrowed. "You think we intimidated her?"
"What we? I'm the one who threw the damn thing."
"Yeah, but now you don't have a weapon," she pointed out, her brow raised. "Now I come in and give the death blow while your hands are empty." Her eyes widened when he raised his hand and carefully fit his fingers around her neck. He didn't squeeze or anything, but she got the message loud and clear. The station attendant cleared her throat; the tributes were not supposed to harm one another before the arena.
"I don't need a weapon, little girl." He released her and laughed when she put the spear back on the rack, leaving the station with bright red cheeks.
She scanned the room for any promising stations, finding Finnick at the ropes station with Katniss. Damn, he didn't waste any time, did he? She sighed and stepped up to the gauntlet station, smiling at the worker. "Those aren't real clubs you'll be swinging at me, are they?" She asked, stepping up onto the first platform.
He laughed and shook his head, giving her a bop on the shoulder. "Doesn't mean you should let me hit you, though."
Rini nodded and she got ready, watching a couple other attendants take their place on some of the ascending platforms. She began scurrying up the platforms as quick as she could, landing on her knees when she ducked a swinging club. Without any delay, she got up and made it to the top most platform and started back down, dodging more clubs.
"Pretty good time," The attendant nodded. "Do you want to go again?"
"What's the matter, you didn't make friends with Brutus?" Johanna stepped up beside her, a sly smile on her face. "I'd stay away from the Careers if I were you."
"But I'm a Career, aren't I?" Rini asked, grinning and rubbing her arm when Johanna elbowed her. "Think you can beat my time?"
Johanna answered with a smirk, a chilling but playful gleam in her eyes.
By the time lunch came around, Rini felt like she could go right to bed. Muscles she didn't know could ache ached and her stomach was growling, demanding nourishment. She and Johanna had done the gauntlets again and again until finally Johanna elected to move on to wrestling. Renata expressed interest at first and then politely declined when the young woman began to strip off her clothes. She had no desire to parade her naked body around in front of 22 other victors as Johanna seemed to prefer.
She picked up a tray at the beginning of the food line and shuffled behind one of the morphlings, trying to wrinkle her nose at the foul smell that seemed to cling to him.
"You've been busy," Finnick appeared behind her, balancing a tray in each hand.
She smiled at him and ladled some thick soup into a bowl, shrugging. "Not as busy as you. I haven't even tried to talk to them," she murmured, glancing down the line at the tributes from Twelve. "Have you gotten anywhere?"
He smiled, looking proud of himself. "I'm giving Katniss trident lessons in exchange for archery lessons after lunch."
They certainly did have lessons to teach one another. Rini watched from the sideline as the young girl awkwardly gave instructions on how to shoot. And she wasn't the only one struggling; Finnick was absolutely lethal with a trident, but he couldn't quite get the hang of a bow. He pulled back too hard, and she thought for a moment that the whole thing would snap in half. Stifling a laugh, she turned and saw that Peeta was standing at the camouflage station. She gave Finnick one more glance before heading in that direction, giving him a smile when he looked up.
"Renata, right?" He asked, his fingers stained with paint.
"Whoa. You're pretty good at that," Renata nodded and admired the work he'd done on his hand. "I remember what you did last year, I couldn't believe it. It's a wonder that Katniss didn't step on your face when she was looking for you."
"I would've rather had her do it and be there around to fix me up than one of the others," He mused, flexing his fingers and looking at his handiwork. "Thank you."
She nodded again and gingerly dipped her finger in one of the cups of paint and tried to mimic his work, huffing after a few minutes. "If I'm hiding out in a puddle of vomit, I think I'll blend right in. That's it, I'll puke and then Brutus won't be able to find me."
Peeta laughed, raising his brows at her creation. "You mean he wasn't very friendly? That's weird, I didn't get that vibe from looking at him." They looked up, hearing a grunt, and saw the man at the sparing station, his moves so powerful and precise that the attendant helping him was being backed out of the station.
"You can go ahead and ally up with him, I'll pass," she murmured and began to wipe her hand off. "Are you going to ally with anyone?" She blushed a little, not meaning to be so forward. "Just curious."
"We're thinking about it. It's not easy to trust anyone, no offense. You've all known one another longer than us."
"Not really. Not me, anyway. I won the year before you two did. I know Johanna and Finnick, but that's about it. Everyone knows me, apparently," she sighed. She shrugged a little when he looked at her questioningly. "When you're forced into a marriage with a head gamemaker, word tends to get around. I guess you know how that is. Everything I've seen on the television lately has been about you."
He nodded and paused for a minute before reaching out and taking her hand. "Let me show you how it's done," he said with a smile and began to mix a blend of blues on the back of her hand and up her forearm.
The morphlings, who finally returned to their place at the station from lunch showed up and gave the two of them a curious look before moving silently to do their own thing.
"I'm glad they took a break for lunch or I would've never gotten the paint away from them," the blonde murmured, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
Rini watched in fascination as his fingers blended and defined lines on her skin. When he sat back and admired his work, she raised her arm to examine it closer. Her skin was the picture of cool, clear ocean water, with gentle ripples going down to her fingertips. "Amazing," she grinned, looking at him.
He smiled back, wiping his hands on a rag and watching her. He had a thoughtful look on his face, like he was trying to get a read on her. "Haymitch has a lot of things to say about you."
She raised a brow curiously, moving her arm and still appreciating the paint. "Does he? I hope he's not trying to butter you up." She grinned and her eyes twinkled as she reached for a cup of paint. "Now let me try."
"Are you awake?" Finnick asked after they had been in bed for a couple hours. He turned on his side and watched Rini open her eyes, the both of them having trouble sleeping. "I need to tell you something."
She rolled on her side to face him, trying to read his expression. He'd been preoccupied with something since they started training. While she wasn't going to press him on it, she was hoping he would open up to her.
"Marielle's pregnant."
Her eyes widened and then she furrowed her brow. "What? But-"
"She lied to me. She was afraid that I would make her get rid of it." He rolled onto his back and sighed, looking at the ceiling. "She doesn't want anything from me," he said very quietly after a moment. "Just to keep it a secret."
So that's what he had been so worried about. Every moment she caught him with an unguarded expression, he looked like he was about to breakdown. It was amazing that he managed to keep focused during training. Renata suddenly felt like she had had the wind knocked out of her. If she still had any doubts that she was pregnant before, this confirmed it. She was pregnant.
"I'm so tired of secrets," Finnick continued, his voice thick. "I've dealt in them as long as I can remember. I don't want to anymore."
"Well you said that she doesn't want anything from you. So you don't have to worry about it," She said softly, reaching to touch his face.
"It's not that simple!" He exclaimed, making her jump. "It's still mine, how can I not think about it?" He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation.
"I don't know," she admitted, swallowing. She felt guilty for some reason, and hesitated before taking his hand and placing it on her flat stomach. "You can think about this, if you want." She had never given herself or him a chance to fully acknowledge her pregnancy.
Finnick looked at her in surprise and then down at his hand, taking it away. He turned towards her and curled up against her, lifting the front of her shirt and pressing his palm against her skin. "Just for a minute," he promised, his lips tickling her ear.
She nodded and closed her eyes, her heart racing. She didn't want to look at him; she didn't want to watch him interact with her stomach at all. Ever since they'd made it to the Capitol she was second-guessing herself. What if something happened and she ended up dead? Or worse, if she messed something up and Finnick died instead. They had spoken with Haymitch and both promised to protect Katniss in the arena and die for her if they needed to. But was that such an easy decision? Just like that, to agree to die for someone they didn't know? For a revolution that until recently Rini had no idea had existed. She swallowed with some difficulty and felt Finnick move his hand away and prop himself up on his elbow to look at her.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
Rini let out a long breath and she opened her eyes, nodding. "I'll be okay." She turned into him and felt a little better when he drew her close. She knew that she needed to focus on the games, on both of them surviving. But even if they did, what then would they do?
A wild Kelsey appeared! Kelsey used Whirlwind of Apologies!
Hiii there, so funny story, I took a summer class. An awful summer class. A career exploration summer class. Let me tell you, I was bashing my head against the wall because it was so lame. I hope that this chapter is worth the stupidly long wait you had to endure, and I'm very excited for the next coming chapters as Rini goes into the arena. Hope you are looking forward to it as well!
Make my day and leave a review for me, won't you? The more reviews, the quicker the update ;)
As always, thanks for reading!
-Kelsey