Training day 3 during lunch
District Four's Evaline "Eva" Ellery's POV
"So what are you guys going to show the gamemakers?" I asked my allies. We were at day three of training, the last day to do anything that we missed or wanted to polish up on before the games. Now we were in the lunch room eating and discussing what we were going to show the gamemakers, or how we were going to show them. There was a lot of pressure on us careers to perform well. It was expected of us to be the best, from both sides of the audience.
"I'm going to shoot arrows," Lynsa told us, proud of herself and her ability. "Lots and lots of arrows." Bows and arrows, that was her weapon of choice. She could shoot arrows really fast and very accurately, I wouldn't want to be in front of her if I was an enemy. Or within her sights if she had a bow and arrow in her hands.
"And?" A little girl's voice asked curiously, like she expected something more.
"And? What do you mean and?" Lynsa asked. "I told you what I'm doing, it's not like I can use every weapon that they have to offer." I'd hate to see a tribute be able to use every weapon at their disposal. Even us careers had a weapon that we couldn't use. At least, couldn't use it expertly. Most careers focus on one of two choices, close range, or long range. Most are experts in only one of those sections, though there are some that are good with both.
"Aren't you going to make it interesting?" Howl asked. "I mean, shooting arrows? That's it? Why don't you do a bunch of combat rolls and attack the targets while doing back flips or something?" Great plan, that would certainly make the gamemakers notice you, if you could actually do it.
But I could see her point. The gamemakers would expect more out of us careers other than just something simple. If Lynsa was going to indeed get their attention, then she'd need to do more than just stand around and shoot arrows. As impressive as her skills were, any tribute with practice could compete with her. Even if they weren't as good as her.
"I'll think about it." Lynsa answered, thoughts already going through her head. I then turned to her district partner before asking him the same thing.
"What are you going to do, Griffin?" He was probably going to show off how strong he was with a mace, that seemed to be his best weapon, bludgeoning objects. That and his strength.
"Stuff." Griffin answered simply. Okay, that gave me a clear picture.
"What kind of stuff?" Lucifer asked, also wondering what he was going to do.
"Good stuff." Griffin answered simply again. Well that just made the picture clearer, I thought sarcastically.
Griffin never really talked much. It seemed that he didn't like talking in general, only talking if necessary. He didn't seem the shy type, which I found strange, as it was the first thing that I thought of when he didn't say much. But as I later found out, he wasn't in the least shy about anything else.
Anti-social? Maybe, but he defiantly wasn't shy. He liked to show off, but he didn't brag about it. It was an interesting mix. On one hand, he seemed to want to show that he was great at what he was good at, but on the other hand, he didn't rub it in other people's faces.
Lynsa had said that Griffin was the same way back in District One. Why was that?
"Well I'm doing good stuff too, Griff, but at least I'm still going to say it to the group."
"So what are you doing?" I asked, wondering what Lucifer was going to show.
"I'm going to show them my skills with knives and speed." He answered proudly. Like how Lynsa had.
"Boy," I heard Howl say to Lucifer in a playful, yet arrogant way. "I've got more skills with knives in my pinkie fingernail than you have in your entire body."
"So you throw knives," Lucifer said back not really insulting her, but not exactly being nice either. "Big deal."
"Bet you I can get a higher score than you." Howl challenged with her trademark arrogant smirk.
"You're on." Lucifer quickly accepted. Two knife users, one close range, one long range, both District Two. But one was the youngest you could be while the other was the oldest you could be. Did Howl really have a chance? I think she's too cocky for her own good. Sure she was skilled, but could she beat an eighteen year old who had been practicing for as long as she lived?
"What are you going to do, Shoney?" I asked my district partner, who seemed to have his mind wondering someplace else.
"What do you think would happen if I shoot a dart at a gamemaker?" He asked. The rest of us looked at him like he was crazy. Why would he even think of that? He probably was a little bit crazy.
"You'd die." Lynsa told him bluntly. That seemed to be the truth, attack a gamemaker, pay the price. They'd make your life a living hell in the arena, if not out right kill you.
"Just wondering." Shoney answered like it was nothing. He then turned to us and asked. "So, what were we talking about?" I sighed with some annoyance. He wasn't even paying attention.
"What are you going to show the gamemakers?" I asked before seriously telling him. "Don't even think about shooting something at the gamemakers."
"What's wrong with thinking it?" He asked almost emotionlessly. "It's not like I'm going to do it."
"So in other words, you haven't thought of something good to show them." Lucifer said, reflecting my thoughts.
"Guess not." Shoney answered without even trying to hide it.
"Well anyone that gets a seven or lower gets kicked out of the career pack." Howl announced. "Eight is the minimum to stay in." Eight, the lowest a career could get to stay with the career pack. I had never seen a career get anything lower than an eight on purpose. You'd know if a career was doing it on purpose because they'd get a one or two. Those years were interesting to me, I wondered what had gone through those careers heads. Why didn't they want to join the careers? They had everything they needed, and more. They had food, supplies, protection, everything that you'd need until the end. So why would they compromise it all? Were they like me? They just didn't want to be around people like that? Or was it something else? But that hardly ever happened. And why would they sabotage everything that they had?
I looked at Shoney, who didn't seem worried at all. I saw him talking to another group, the one with the two District Elevens and the orange haired girl, Sami, did he have a plan with them?
"You hear that reaped career?" Lucifer's voice announced to me, interrupting my thoughts of Shoney and the District Eleven alliance. "Eight or higher."
"Yeah yeah, I hear you." I told him, irritated that they were singling me out. They would never let the fact that I was reaped go. "I'll think of something to impress you guys." Though impressing them was the least of my worries.
"See that you do." Lucifer told me before turning to the multi-coloured eyes of Arrowe. "What are you going to do?" He asked.
"Probably show them my agility." Arrowe answered.
"No weapons?"
"I don't know, maybe."
Getting no more answers of Arrowe, I then felt all heads look towards our newest recruit.
"All that leaves is him." I said looking at the biggest, strongest looking, most insane tribute here. He wasn't even looking at us, in fact, he didn't even seem to be paying attention to anything we were saying. Like usual.
"Don't ask him," A young peacekeeper told us. "He isn't listening, he's in that fucked up world of his right now." What world was that? "And a word to all of you, you all made a big mistake bringing him into the group, especially you little girl." I looked back and Howl, she didn't seem to be too happy to be called little girl. She wasn't worried, just annoyed that she had been called a little girl. For whatever reason.
"There's seven of us and one of him." Lucifer told the young peacekeeper. "How much trouble could it be?"
"You have no idea." The young peacekeeper answered.
District Seven's Bo Heatherfield's POV
Sitting alone wasn't that big of a deal to me, in fact, I preferred it that way. I mean, what did people really talk about? How was your day? How are you? I didn't like talking about my day, and people didn't need to know how I was. I mean, I talked to Jimmy sometimes, but that was rarely. Very rare. And when that happened, only a couple of words were exchanged. And the only people that really kind of know me are Luke and Floopy, but that's because they're my cousins or something. I don't say anything because, what do people want to hear? I looked around at all the other tributes, most alone, some in groups. Loners silent, alliances not.
They were probably talking about what to show the gamemakers. How well can you kill? How well can you murder another kid? That was my worst fear, killing someone. And I just couldn't see how kids could kill other kids, or how anyone could kill anyone. I wouldn't let them see that I was a weak kid that they could pick off though, even though I wasn't going to kill them, I was going to scare them. Or at least try too.
District Seven, the home of axe wielders. I was going to show people to be scared of me, so that they would stay away from me, so that I wouldn't have to kill them. I'll hide in the arena and not be spotted by anyone. After all, that's what I'm good at, hiding. I try not to make myself noticed, but then those District Two jerks started to harass me, then that girl from District Ten came into the picture, Life she said she was, and made us the center of attention by picking a fight with District Two. I didn't fight back for a reason, they'd leave eventually. But then you had to help me. When that District Two guy attacked you, and I couldn't just let that happen.
I moved my arms around his neck and pulled him away from you before he could kick you in the face some more. I struggled to hold on to you him, but I held on because I didn't want you to get hurt any more for my sake.
I saw your ally, and was relived that someone was coming to help, because I could see that the little girl from Two was attacking you as well. I was relived, until I got hit across the face so hard I was surprised that I still had all my teeth in my mouth. At the moment, I didn't feel anything, but later, I was happy to still have my teeth.
Your ally came for us, or really, for you. It was okay though, I wasn't important to her, you were.
As she fought the male, you fought the female with as much will as a career. You might have kept on getting hit, but you continued to attack her, not backing off no matter what happened. I found it amazing, but I knew that you couldn't keep it up forever. So I went and helped you, by literally, jumping on the little girl and keeping her down on the floor with my weight.
The struggle didn't end until some mentors broke us up, which thankfully they did before anyone was hurt too badly.
You weren't hurt too badly because of me, and neither was your ally.
Allies, it would be good to have allies. But at the same time, not.
I looked at the bread from my home district and sighed. I missed home, back when life was easier, all I did was hide, work, school, and not draw attention to myself. That's what I planned to do here, hide, work, learn, and not draw attention to myself, but already, things were not going that way. But if I played it right in the arena, I could win without killing a single person.
A/N: Short chapter is still a short chapter.