Today is Victor's Birthday…
He stirs in bed, just as sunlight makes its first appearance in the windowpane. Victor sits up, rubbing his eyes and stretching. It's early, but he knows that it's never too early to start training. By now, breakfast will have been laid out in the cafeteria. Probably some kind of bran oatmeal and energy bars. But that's okay. By now, Victor has long since gotten used to the taste of these things. His eyes shift to the other beds, arranged neatly and precisely around the corners of the room. In the bed closest to his, Jasper lets out a rumbling snore. Jasper is a perpetual snorer. When was the last time he teased Victor? It would have had to have been years ago.
"Lovebirds, lovebirds!"
"Victor and Pearl, sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g…"
"Hey lover boy! How's the lady?"
Yes, it's been years. Since Pearl's death, there has been no more childish teasing. It's something completely now, as they draw ever closer to the final two being announced. Jasper has been trying his hardest to intimidate Victor. He fights hard with him during practice sessions. Several times this past year, Victor has been rushed to the first aid station because Jasper "inadvertently" used a real move on him. He has turned from an irritating, teasing boy, to an arrogant and sadistic brute. Even Amandine tells him that he's been known to push around the little kids. Everyone, even "brave" Emory, is afraid of him. Next to Jasper's bed is a boy by the name of Jett. Victor doesn't mind Jett terribly. They both keep to themselves, but are known to partner with each other when they are given the choice. But the instructors always pair Victor and Jasper up. A long range weapon, like Jett's knives, and a hand-to-hand one, like Victor's swords, don't usually make for a fantastic battle.
In the other beds are Gloss, Mercury, Flint and Luxor. Gloss, Mercury and Luxor are like lesser versions of Jasper. Victor has come to know them as classic District 1 boys. Unfortunately, it seems to be the normal thing to do here is to exert arrogance and idiocy. Well, Victor has since refused to give in to that. He's above that, and he knows it. Flint Colvin, it seems, is above it as well. If Victor thinks for a long time, he can remember Flint's first two years at the center with him. He was loud, but not like Jasper. He simply always had something to say. He would laugh and smile, not smirk and tease like the others. If they did manage to say something funny, though, he was the first to grin. But he lost his older sister to something called "meningitis" when he was 10 and she was 16. He had adored that girl and followed her like a puppy everywhere she went, even more so then Victor to Ruby when he was that age. The doctor in District 1 had said it was "just the flu" and refused to give her further treatment. But the next day she couldn't move her neck, and the next she was dead. Everyone in the mining side of town had believed it was because Flint's family was diamond miners, and the doctor just didn't give them as much priority. Besides, he could have easily prescribed some sort of fancy Capital medicine, but it would have taken years for Flint's dad to pay him back, so he just didn't. That night, Victor remembers, there was a strike. The miners marched around the doctor's and demanded better treatment. Twelve were killed by Peacekeepers. Including Flint's father. Flint has been silent ever since.
Victor leaves the dull gray colors and metal beds, and goes into the dull, gray hallway. He has always found it somewhat strange that in a place like his district, so colorful and luxurious, that somewhere like this could even exist. But, then again, it makes sense. Because at least 1 child in every year isn't going to come back. He shuffles down the hallway, wearing the same training clothes he has been wearing for the past 7 years. 7 years, he thinks. Is that really how long he's been here? Victor wanders into the cafeteria, where at a table, Champagne Lucian and Virdinia Hart, 2 other girls in his year, are already awake and having a conversation over their oatmeal. As Victor grabs a bowl, Champagne waves him over. "Hey, victor, you can sit here if you'd like. It wouldn't be right if you just sat alone." She gives him one of her dazzling smiles, a classic District 1 blond beauty. Virdinia, who Victor thinks could be pretty, but always, has her air back in an unflattering ponytail, nods in her agreement. Victor doesn't want to appear hostile and rude, like so many boys here are, so he sits down. Besides, he's been working on making himself more likeable for Sponsor Strategy.
As soon as he sits, Champagne and Virdinia begin their conversation again. "A forest would be better."Virdinia begins. "That way we could conceal ourselves in the trees when we go hunting. Element of surprise, you know?" She directs that last part at Victor.
"Ummm hmm." He mumbles, face full of oatmeal. Victor doesn't mind Champagne and Virdinia. Though Champagne gives off the appearance of a typical shallow girl, she is in fact quite the opposite. Virdinia is simply a genius when it comes to strategy. Both girls were friends with Pearl. Now Champagne is saying something about how she wants some place open, so the Games will end more quickly. Although Virdinia seems to have put a lot of thought into it, and her arena does seem more…practical, Victor agrees with Champagne. He would want his Games to end as quickly as possible. But fearing they will ask for his opinion again, he quickly moves to throw the empty bowl of oatmeal away.
The Center is open, as always. And as always, Victor heads straight towards the swords. There are only a few more people. The two 18 year olds are here. They "postponed" their time in the arena another year for practice, so this is their last shot. Actually, they will be competing for a spot in the Games against the 17 year olds, who are also here. Victor knows them well enough to know that the 17 year old, one who possesses extreme arrogance may very well volunteer. So he is here getting last minute training in as well. But there is someone slightly out place other than Victor. Her name is Cornelia Beryl. And she's lethal. Victor watches as she swings her spiked whip in a series of complicated motions. Her face is lit up in a determined grin. As he watches her, Victor is glad that she isn't the one he's going to be sent with. Because it's common knowledge that, though a born killer, Cornelia is unstable. And that doesn't make for a good strategy, or, quite frankly, a good show. Because that's all they want, really. A good show. Just as Victor lays his hand on the hilt of a sword, the doors burst open. Everyone in the Center turns around to see what it might be. A little girl. Tiny, really. Amandine. Wait, Amandine? Victor lets out a sigh of exasperation. Stupid girl! What does she think she's doing here? Amandine is 10, too young to even have a real weapon. But she walks over to the target range right next to Victor. She picks up some sort of fake bow, along with rubber tipped arrows. While getting the arrows ready, or whatever it is archers do, she smiles at Victor. "I got up early, so I can make sure I don't get eliminated. We can train together!" She grins that stupid grin of hers at him. Why is the kid always so happy?
A sharp, cold laugh fills the room. Cornelia is bending over in laughter, still holding her whip. "That's so cute!" She smirks sarcastically. Victor clutches his sword with white knuckles and a red face. But Amandine just frowns, shaking her head slowly at Cornelia as if Cornelia was a tiny child who just said something bad. She lifts her bow. Victor finds, despite himself, that he is watching. Amandine pulls the arrow back. Swoosh. It flies across the room, landing, with a thud that echoes through the room, right in the middle of the target. Victor hears the 18 year old boy let out a whistle. Suddenly, his face is no longer red. That's his sister. His sister, who just shot a bull's-eye from God-knows how many yards. And his sister, who has likely done the same thing many times before. It's just that Victor has never noticed. And so, in that moment, he vows never to underestimate others again. He will begin to notice others. Especially his sister. Victor walks slowly over to her, where Amandine is stringing another arrow. His footsteps echo throughout the gigantic, nearly empty room. One hand finds itself on Mandi's shoulder. "You won't get eliminated, Mandi. Don't you worry about it."
And she doesn't get eliminated. And neither does Victor.