Chapter 14

I walk forwards and grab a spear. I have absolutely no experience with them, but hey, a sword wouldn't do me any better. I brave myself uncertainly before starting the course. I have no idea what's going to happen. I just have to react appropriately. I grit my teeth, clench my hands around the sear shaft, and march determinedly forwards.

All of a sudden birds are released overhead. I recognise them as soon as I see them.
Jabberjays. District 5 is home to the last natural strain of them, and they're a nightmare. I have no idea how they've survived this ling, but I expect they're more durable than regular birds.
The first bird calls out and I hear my father's voice. Screaming for my help.

Ignore it. It's a trick. I've heard this all before.

The second bird screeches like my mother. The sounds it making are awful, like she's dying and in pain and I can't do anything to save her and I'm trying my best to resist it but… I spear it. I stab it and stab it and puncture its throat time and time again, cutting off its cries.

The third flies overhead and screams with the voice of Rory. I panic and jab fruitlessly at it, trying to shut it up.

I know it's a trick. I know all too well that it's not real, and yet I'm still terrified for them. I try not to listen to the screams of my loved ones and keep walking; I'm nearly at the end.

Nearly there. It's just a trick. Two more steps. It's not real.

I can't resist stabbing one last bird as I end the course. I let out a long breath I didn't realise I was holding and wipe my sweaty forehead.

I can remember the first time I heard the Jabberjays. I've heard them scream before: the Capitol sometimes recorded the rebels during torture, as a warning, and then sent the birds to the districts.

But I've never heard the screams of the people I hold closest to me. I blink away unshed tears and hand my bloodied spear to an instructor. Jack gives me a questioning look, but I shake my head in return.
I don't want to talk about it.

Clara's POV

The ginger girl has courage, I'll give her that. This is a really odd course to make us try out, but I have to say, I'm sort of enjoying it. I don't think it's designed to challenge us physically, as the climbing course was, but test our reactions. What's-her-face… Clarisse, from 7, was a prime example of this. Hundreds of spiders, absolutely everywhere and she just walked through as if nothing was happening.

Then there's my course. Those tiles slipping out from under me scared me to death, but hopefully it didn't look like it. I reckon that whatever we react to will end up in the arena, which is why I'm slightly worried about those Jabberjays. I've never actually seen them before, and District 2 is barely warm enough for Mockingjays, let alone the capitol's pedigrees.

We ll watch intently as the rest of the tributes battle their way through their unique courses. I watch the boy from 12 with the dark eyes, with particular interest, wondering if he will react.

As he starts walking forwards I notice the first snake spring out of the ground. It wraps it's self around his leg. Where I would have fought to rip it off, the boy simply looks down in mild interest. He squats, and then simply unwraps it from around his leg, even if it's with disguised difficulty. He drops the snake and continues walking, hands in his pockets as if nothing had happened. More snakes start emerging from the tiles , but he doesn't pay them any attention this time, only he keeps walking until he's reached us. Sherlock, whose name I remember because of his outburst earlier, keep eye contact with the boy, seemingly undaunted. They both have… strong personalities.

I turn to the doctor and raise my eyebrows.

"Either of those two… Do you think they're possible allies?" I ask him, whispering, but he shakes his head.

"God no." He mutters. "That guy from 12… Moriarty. He's not someone I want on my side, at all. And that Sherlock guy is far too headstrong to join us." He replies and I laugh softly.

"And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" I reply, grinning. He rolls his eyes. "So you think we should just ally with 1 and 4?" I ask him, but he shakes his head.

"Nah." He grins. "It's boring!" I laugh at his trivial summary of the Hunger Games. "I'm all about individuality me." He winks.

"So who then?" I ask him and he thinks.

"Not sure yet. We'll see tomorrow, eh?"

I nod and turn back s Donna heads towards us.

"Well done, all of you. I apologise for putting you through that ordeal, but it's for your benefit." She smiles at us, but I don't believe her. "We have one last test to do and then you can all bog off to wherever you want." She tells us and there's a collective laugh from most of us. "Right. What we're gonna do now, is an agility course." Donna announces, and presses a button on her watch.

The edges of the training room sink down and when they rise up again, there are all sorts of agility courses, courses, hurdles, tunnels, etc. I groan, agility courses having never been my strong point.

"Well, just to add to the competition, we'll let you all go through this at once, and we'll see who the winner is shall we?" Donna grins. "Line up!" She orders and I grudgingly take my place at the start, along with everyone else. It's going to be a shove, and I'm not particularly keen to get caught under that net with the brutal figures of Hook and Clarisse from 7.

Although I suppose I have no choice but to get on with it.

THANK YOU FOR READING, AND I'M SORRY IT'S TAKEN AGES! I was on holiday, and then I had coursework to do... But I can get back to this now which is great :)

PLEASE REVIEW, because it means a huge mount to me, and I'd love to know that people are reading and enjoying this. It doesn't matter if you've reviewed before; I like knowing what you thought about the individual chapters :)

Lucy xxx