Hey guys, here´s the next chapter. Thanks for all the nice reviews:D
Training – Day 1
The next morning Twiksi knocks on my door, opens it and says:"Rise and shine! Breakfast is about to start in 30 minutes". Then she leaves me.
Sighing I get up and decide to shower because I am still wearing the make-up from yesterday. Besides it´s nice to feel water, even when it´s not from the ocean. Good, I miss District 4 and my family...
Afterwards I dress and walk to the dining room where only Mags is sitting. When I see her I smile and say: "Good morning". "Morning, come sit", she pats at the chair next to her. As the others aren´t here yet we begin to speak about the training, what I should do and thinks like this. We already talked a bit about this on the train but there are some more things Mags wants me to do.
"Shelter" she says. I nod. And reply: "Of course, I think I´ll spend there pretty much time. It´s very important for surviving."
"Bright boy" she answers pointing at me. I laugh, "Well, I try."
"So what do today?" she asks me. She wants to know if I have everything we just talked about in my mind.
"Today mostly survival: shelter, camouflage, building fire and knowing which plants and berries are poisonous and which aren´t. No tridents as I don´t want to be with the Careers and so don´t want to impress them and don´t want to be a target, but later on I should train a bit with knives as I want to get better."
I think that was it but then there comes something in my mind what we didn´t talk about. "And I think watching the other tributes, what they can do will be very important, so I know who is dangerous."
"Very good", Mags says nodding, "You´re clever". I grin at her and open my mouth to response but then Leanne walks in and gives both of us a nasty look. She sits down across from Mags. We are silent until Byron and Twiksi come in and the breakfast can begin.
I eat as much as I can without getting sick while listening what the others are saying.
"So, do you know what to do in training today?", he asks Leanne.
She scoffs. "Of course, I´ll show the other Careers what I´m capable of."
Byron nods and says: "Good, but you have to go to some of the survival stations, as well. It could be very helpful in the Arena."
Leanne doesn´t say anything. Probably she won´t do what Byron has just said. I bet she´ll ignore the survival station. Maybe a bit knotting but just because she´s good at this.
Leanne looks at me and comments: "Just you know it: I don´t think the Careers want to have anything to do with you. "
"Well then it´s a good thing, I don´t want to have anything to do with them" I response dryly.
She´s about to reply when Twiksi exclaims: "It´s time to get dressed."
She hands both of us our clothes for the training: simple black trunks and a blue T-shirt with the number 4 on the back.
After we´re dressed our mentors and Twiksi accompany us to the elevator and say Goodbye.
Then the elevator takes us down to the Training Centre.
When we get there most of the other tributes are already there and they watch us while we make our way towards them. I give them a charming smile. Some boys roll their eyes, some return the smile. The girls mostly blush or look dreamingly at me.
We wait until 10 o´clock, then a woman who is named Tretara talks about how 23 of us soon we´ll be dead and that we aren´t allowed to fight with other tributes.
After her speech we separate, I decide to go to the shelter station first. I´m the only one there which doesn´t surprise me. The instructor seems to be happy that someone didn´t ignore his station and tells me what shelter is best in which surrounding. It´s really interesting and I learn pretty much, then he shows me how I can build shelter easily with simple things.
While I try to copy the instructor I also watch the other tributes. Onyx, the boy from 1, is pretty good in hand-to-hand combat, hopefully I don´t meet him in the Arena without a weapon. But even then... he´s also pretty good with a sword, typical Career.
The girl from his district isn´t very strong and but pretty good with distant weapons. She aces at throwing knives and isn´t too bad at archery. But I think I could take her down easily when she´s close to me: she isn´t very good with a sword or any weapon you could use to defend yourself with when someone attacks you.
The boy from 2, John, is not like the other Careers, I don´t think he´s trained. He mostly visits survival stations, just like me. The only weapon which he can use is a spear and he isn´t that good with it.
His counterpart is pretty strong but also pretty slow. She´s good with a mace and at hand-to-hand combat like Onyx. But she seems to be pretty dumb.
Then there´s Leanne: she´s good with a sword and not too bad at archery. But I think I could take her out in hand-to-hand combat which she fails.
After I feel like I have learned enough at the shelter station I move on to the berries and plants. Here I take my time as well. There are many things I have never seen before but thank Goodness I have a good memory and after a while I know most of the berries and plants.
While I try to decide if the red berry in front of me is poisonous or not a boy appears next to me.
"That´s poisonous", he says pointing at the berry.
"Thanks", I reply, "I´m Finnick from District 4."
He shakes my hand. "Robert, District 7." We chat around a while and I notice I begin to like him: he´s nice and funny. Damn. I didn´t want to get attached to another tribute.
When there´s nothing more to learn I ask: "Do you want to go to the Camouflage Station?"
He smiles and answers:"Sure, why not."
At this I really suck, I´m not patient enough but Robert is pretty good. He helps me and tells me what to do.
In return I help him at the Firemaking Station. He tells me about District 7, that there are trees anywhere and about his family. I speak about the ocean, how big it is, about the beach and as well about my family.
Then Tretara tells us that we can now eat.
"Do you want to sit with me?" Robert asks me.
"Sure, why not" I say grinning.
I notice that Leanne is sitting with the other Careers.
"Did you see that scrawny kid from 12 trying to throw a knife?" the girl from 2 asks. The others just laugh.
"Yeah, you´re right, Trinity. It´s ridiculous." Onyx says.
They continue to joke around. Then John asks Leanne: "The boy from your district, is he any good?"
Leanne snorts: "Pretty boy? No, he´s noone we have to worry about, he´s just weak." The others laugh.
I should be angry but thanks to Leanne I´m no target and that´s a good thing, so I smirk slightly which Robert notices. But he doesn´t say anything.
After lunch I learn that Robert is pretty good with an axe, which I fail. I mean really fail. The Careers look as I try to throw it and laugh at how miserable my try is. Then they turn around and concentrate on others. Good, I think they wanted to make sure Leanne said the truth and I´m really no problem.
Robert tries to help me and shows how to do it the right way.
"Let´s not waste any time, here. I´m bad at it and I don´t think it´ll get any better." I say.
"Okay, what shall we do next?" he asks.
"We could go to the Knife Throwing Station" I suggest. I want to be allies with Robert and it´s not very good when he thinks I´m bad at everything.
As well the Careers are at the Archery Station right now, so that they can´t see us. At my first try I score 3 out of 5 right in the bulleye and the other 2 just slightly next to it.
Robert looks impressed and I show him the best way to throw it.
After spending there a while I notice that I´m exhausted. Robert looks a bit tired as well.
"Let´s go to the Knotting Station" he says.
I´m thankful for his suggestion, there I can relax a little bit.
The instructor shows us the basics which I can do in my sleep, so I spent most of my time helping Robert.
"How old are you?" I ask him.
"15, and you?" he answers.
"14" I response.
We make a bit small talk.
"You´re pretty good at this", he notices when I make a whole net in half an hour.
"Well, that´s my life", I say shrugging, "I have helped my family with the work- fishing- since I was 7."
"Do you want to be allies?" he asks me straightaway.
"Yeah, that would be cool", I give him a smile which he returns.
We spent the rest of our time at the Knotting Station. While I make another net I see how the girl of 9 looks around to make sure nobody watches her. When she looks at me my head is down so she doesn´t think anything. Then I see how she grabs a few knives, she scores every time in the bulleye.
Not long after this the training ends and Leanne and I go to the 4th floor. From there on Twiksi leads us to the dining room where our mentors are waiting.
After dinner Mags comes to my room.
"How was training?" she asks.
I tell her what I learned, what I found out about the other tributes.
"Very good, boy from 6 ?" she wants to know.
"I don´t know what he´s good at", I response, "I´ll try to find out tomorrow. As well I wanted to tell you that I want to be allies with Robert, the boy from 7."
"He any good?" she asks raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, axe, camouflage and plants." I answer.
She nods. "Good, I´ll speak with mentor. Now try to sleep."
I smile at her, hug her and then she leaves.
The training was exhausting, so after showering, I fall immediately asleep.