You know what? I don't own the Hunger Games. I thought you might already know that due to the many sarcastic comments about that very thing.
The Waiter
Today is the last day where I can train for the whole day. Tomorrow I will have to showcase my 'talents' to be rated by the gamemakers. Today is uneventful, well, as uneventful as a competition where 24 teenagers fight to the death can be. As usual, the 'teers go around intimidating people, and everyone else is either intimidated or ignored. I fall into the latter category, and I am very glad for that. The only new thing that happens before lunch is that Demeter, Dou's sister, comes down to train. I spend most of my time watching them, especially Dou, as they learn how to throw knives and build fires.
For someone so scared of everything, Demeter is brilliant with snares. Must be something to do with working with animals in District 9. Within 5 minutes of arriving at the snares station, she manages to capture an unaware, wandering sword trainer, where he is currently dangling upside down by his leg. The blood is rushing to his head, making him look like an overripe tomato. I hear Demeter giggle, and I realise that this is the first sound I have heard her make that isn't a sob or a cry. I want to laugh at the trainer too, (who's currently swearing loudly and trying to get Kai to cut him down. Kai refuses to as he is lying on the floor incapacitated with laughter) but I feel that it won't work well with my 'image'. Instead I smile to myself, and make another mental note (my mental notebook's getting pretty full….) to keep an eye on the siblings, in the arena and the training centre.
This probably isn't a good idea, but I tell myself that this is because I need to learn their weaknesses, but this is a lie. Completely. Even with Demeter's snares, she's no match for the 'teers. If I have to pay attention to someone, it should either be them, or the girl from District 5. She has long, mousy hair, and she's no great beauty. She isn't exactly unattractive too. She's just there. She is of average weight and height, and seems to be trying to blend in with the other tributes. It works, and as I try to remember her face from the reaping tapes, I don't recall her at all. I watch her out of the corner of my eye, as I attempt to build a shelter. (Note, by attempt, I mean fail. Badly) when she thinks no-one is watching her, she swing the mace she's been 'struggling' with so hard at the dummy, it leaves a dent where the groin is supposed to be. She looks pleased, but when she sees me watching her, she quickly reverts to being unable to pick up the mace, let alone swing it. Where the hell did she learn to swing a mace in District 5?
Apart from that, she could be easily forgotten; she could just melt into the crowd and disappear. I, unfortunately, do not have that luxury. I have tried to be ignored and forgotten, but it doesn't work. Twice today I have looked up from my work to find tributes staring at me, either with awe or fear. From the way I have acted so far in the competition, I'm guessing the look is probably one of fear. They probably think I wouldn't think twice about beating them to death with my bear hands.
Scowling, and feeling like a horrible person I return to building my pile of sticks which is supposed to be a shelter. I spend the next hour struggling to keep a stick standing upright, while the trainer stands awkwardly behind me, too scared to give me any advice.
When the bell sounds to announce lunch, I kick my 'shelter' and it collapses into the pile of sticks and mud that it actually is. I did that 25% because I am rage girl and 75% because I am pretty peeved right now and could really punch someone right now. Preferably President Snow and I don't mind if I have to kick him, either. Lunch is boring again. I am alone, bored and very moody. People avoid me like the plague. I eat some bread, and watch Dou and Demeter (my new favourite hobby). Dou's trying to convince Demeter to eat some bread, and Demeter is refusing, staring at it like it's made of writhing snakes. I learn from his pleading that she's nicknamed 'Demi'. Cute. I cannot remember for the life of me whether Dou is the oldest child or not. From the way they're acting it certainly seems so. I'm the oldest reap-able child in our family. I stab a potato moodily, I ate all my bread.
We go back to the stations after lunch. I (gladly) leave the shelter station, hoping I'll find a cave or something. I sucked at that, but I have become a master (ish) at weapons, such as swords, knives and even that bow-sticky thing. I learned that it's called a crossbow, why? I do not know. I make another note in my full mental notebook to call it the stickbow from now on. I'm not really an expert in anything except my spear, and was trying to hide that. It seemed stupid to pretend to be completely awful with it, I am supposed to be a 'teer, so I pretended to be slightly worse than I am, aiming a foot wide each time, and pretending to be frustrated with the results. I'm not an idiot like the males from District 1 and 2. Idiots. I look over at them to see Loki try and swallow Nightlock at the edible plants station for the 7th time today. Killing him should be easy; I'd just have to offer him some food! I decide to go to snares, where Dou is sitting. His sister has moved on to climbing. I decide to snares for 2 reasons, 1, there might not be any water in the arena, and that'd be my only source of food at the moment, 2, I want to talk to Dou. I pick up some string and I try to copy a snare which the trainer makes with agile hands. I am not very good, there's no need for snares in District 4. My fingers fumble over knots which the trainer assures me are simple. Eventually, he gets so frustrated with my failing snares that he just leaves, to go and train the hulking girl from 11, who is scarily good with a sword. He mustn't have chosen snares, maybe he did something wrong and got sent here as punishment!
"Need help?" a small whispery voice calls out from my left. Dou. I'm quite surprised he'd talk to me, and I consider replacing my mask when I remember that I smiled at him yesterday. I glance round, but no-one is looking at me, although I do see Kai's moody face. I look back at Dou and nod gratefully.
"I'm awful" I tell him, as he picks up my forlorn looking trap. "You and Demeter are good, I saw you from the shelter station. So you use snares in livestock?"
"No" he whispers "We can't trap our own animals, on pain of death." He goes quiet again, as I struggle with another knot. My fingers are not agile; they're clumsy, like inert sausages. Way too large for intricate work like this. Dou's small hands are a godsend in this area of expertise. My next failure makes me even more frustrated, and I throw the string at the ground. I turn to Dou.
"I'm not really like this. It's a mask for the crowd"
He nods "I'm not wearing one" he tells me, looking sad "I really am weak. I can't do anything, neither can Demi. We have no chance of survival at all. I'll be dead within 2 days."
We lapse into silence again, and I restart my work on a new snare. 10 minutes later Dou bursts out
"Mum and Dad only have Gabli now." He says this like he's answering a question I asked, or continuing a conversation that we were having. I frown at him
"What did your parents do?" I ask him, before hastily correcting myself "I mean, it's pretty obvious you weren't both reaped. It was fixed, right? What happened? Did they do something wrong because they're mayors or…"
"No" he says quietly "It wasn't them. It was my sister, Gabli. She won the games last year" That shocks me. Dou's related to Gabli Ruben? The vicious killer from last year? Then again, she probably wasn't vicious before the games, just like me, she put on a mask. I don't really remember much from that year, I spent too much time watching Marlin. Thinking of Marlin just makes me feel sad again, so I try to forget and ask Dou
"What did she do? If she did do something, that is. Maybe they just wanted some added excitement by adding a victor's relative."
Dou shrugs "My parents wouldn't tell me. All I know is that the Capitol wanted her to do things, and she refused. She told our parents, and they told her to keep refusing. They wouldn't tell us what it was. It was punishment, our reaping" He says, looking angry "at least my parents have Gabli, unless the Capitol kill her, as well as me and Demi." This makes him sad again, and he lapses into silence.
"What about you?" He asks, minutes later
"What?" I ask him, confused.
"You know" he says "why were you reaped?"
I shrug "Common or garden reaping. I'm pretty sure it was just an accident. I hoped someone would volunteer for me, because I'm not a 'teer and…"
"A 'teer?" he says confused
"You don't know what a 'teer is?" I say, bemused "It's someone from District 1, 2 or 4, someone who volunteers to be in the games for the glory or for the riches which you get for winning. Personally I think that they're a load of…"
"Oh!" he exclaims "you mean Career tributes! Or Careers for short!"
"Careers?" I say blankly, the word sounds foreign on my lips.
"Yeah, Careers, they train their whole lives for the games so it's like their 'Career' to play and win the games."
"OK then" I say. The word is ludicrous; at least, that's what I think. Career is one syllable longer than 'teer, so it takes longer to say. Longer means more time wasted and so slower reaction. That means death in the games. Career does make sense though, in a weird way. Dou gives me another sad smile, leaving me clueless again. What's with the creepy smile this time? I find out within a minute when he puts down his snare and says "I don't want an Ally." I open my mouth to reply but no sounds come out "I don't even know your name. I don't think I could help you, and I'd just hold you back. Even if you wanted me, I have to protect Demi, and I don't think she'd want to ally with the rage girl from District 4." This is the largest amount of words I have heard him say. Ever. I think arguing wouldn't work so I sigh and say
"Should we agree to not kill each other then?"
He smiles "Deal." He goes off to help Demi, who's falling off the climbing wall and calling for him. This makes me even sadder. I have no allies; I'm not joining the 'tee… Careers, and Dou and Demi don't want me. I'm going to end up on my own again.
I try to avoid Dou from this point onwards, for his good as well as mine. For the rest of the day I try to avoid his gaze, and go to the stations furthest from him. I move from station to station, learning along the way. I learn that I suck entirely at ropes and snares, after I get tangled up in some snare wire. I ace fishing though, which was pretty predictable from someone from District 4. At the end of the day I am completely pooped, and I try to sit through Gaia's happy talking, and Lyna's growls without falling asleep (Hydrao stays quiet. As usual) it takes all my will-power not to just fall into my mashed potato-and-carrots and sleep. I find myself dozing off too, and am awakened with a jump when Lyna shouts at me to stop staring at my pie. I glower at her, and try to stop myself throwing the damn pie into her face. I will never know how I stopped myself. My self-preservation instincts must be working after all. I go to bed, grumbling and lie there for some time, fingering the bracelet Marlin gave me. I miss him, and Nymph, but mostly him. I never will get a chance to ask him out now. I roll over and fall to sleep just like that. Maybe he won't want me back, but I want him back. I make an oath that I will ask him out if I survive this, and go back to District 4. I don't want to return a murderer though…
I shuffle uncomfortably on the bed, thinking of all the people I cannot kill. Dou and Demi, I made a promise. Kai is someone from home, I couldn't kill him. All the ones who are Career fodder. I don't think I could kill Nyx. She's 15, and she didn't want to be here, she was reaped, just like me. The only ones left are the two males from 1 and 2, Loki and Camulos. I could probably kill Copia, if she was trying to attack me or Kai. Or Dou. Or even a fodder-child. God. 3 people? I could never be a Career.
This thought comforts me as I drift off to sleep.
So. Mandarin exchange, I'm going in like 1 hour! Excited, excited me! That's why this is a day early, so you can read it and enjoys it now, rather than next Tuesday! And you'd better enjoy it :(
I hope you liked it, so R&R! Next chapter will be either the private training sessions, or a short chapter on Aal's dream. It depends how much time I have! It might be late too, so if it is the dream, it might only be 500 words long! Please keep reading though! I'm just busy at the moment, but they will get longer! I have GCSEs in 2 weeks, and I have to revise so the next two chapters will be short. I'm sorry :(