The next morning, I wake up and feel both perfectly rested and perfectly fine with the events of last night just like expected. I get dressed in my training outfit and head out to breakfast. Cato is already there and shoots me a quick smile. Yep, we're fine. I grab a bowl of cinnamon oatmeal with raspberries in it and take it over to the table. Everyone else except Brutus is already at the table. Brutus is behind us considering what type of wine to drink with his breakfast. I'm not too worried about his drinking habits because he's not my mentor and he isn't overly intoxicated like Haymitch. Oh my gosh, Haymitch's appearance at the reaping this year? Hilarious. I have to bite the inside of my mouth to not start bursting with laughter right here.
After we finish breakfast, which goes by without conversation, Cato and I step into the elevator and take the quick ride down two floors to the training center.
"Ready?" I ask him.
"Day 2; here we go," he replies. I take that as a yes.
We are the second ones to arrive but today we can get straight to work. No lecture about what to do here. We know now. Cato calls Glimmer and Marvel who are already here over and we wait for Kanani and Paul to arrive. They come right after the District 7 people.
"Today's plan is to show that we can do more than with our weapons. I'm talking strength, agility, strategy. Also, keep an eye out for some other recruitment. I want to tell them during lunch tomorrow." Cato explains this all and after we all break up. I decide to follow Glimmer around because that is another part of today. Show that we are together. Marvel and Kanani walk somewhere else and Cato heads with Paul to the Jacob's Ladder.
We both walk the same way, so that's a good sign. The Gaunlet, the huge glorious mountain that sits at the very back of the training center, but it so massive that everyone can see it. No one has attempted it yet. That is about to change.
"Okay, Glimmer, Clove, this is the gauntlet. Your goal will be to make your way all the way up and back without falling off. Some of my fellow gamemakers here will be swinging these foam bats at you, but be warned, they hurt. It also hurts if you fall. Ready?" The gamemakers preps us for the course, showing us the bats. We both nod and Glimmer steps onto the first level. I've been told to start when she is on the third rung. The buzzer starts and she starts jumping her way up. Some of the spaces have huge gaps, some have a large difference in height, and some have Gamemakers ready to whack you with their bat.
She leaps from the third rung to the fourth and I start. My buzzer, next to Glimmer's, starts and I start jumping. The next rung has a gamemaker next to it, so I prepare myself for the blow. I leap, feel a quick slap against my leg, but manage to catch myself. The next one has a huge height difference. I bend my knees and push upwards with all I have and manage to land once again, fine. Glimmer has already reached the end of the course and is heading back.
The next section is the hardest because there are more gamemakers and really weird differences in height, space, and width of the rung. I don't even think my feet would fit on one.
I jump off the super long one onto one really far away and then decide just to go for the rest. I don't even stop to think as I bounce onto rung after rung. I only get hit by a bat once, and because I'm going so fast, the small one doesn't bother me a bit.
I do the same on the way back and meet Glimmer, who has already finished and is standing at the bottom. I turn around to see my time. 1:41, it reads. Pretty good. Glimmer's reads 1:56, a little more than mine, but still pretty good.
"Where do you want to go next?" I ask her. We survey the center, trying to find something good to do.
"That," she says, pointing towards the rope course. Cato and Paul are the last in line and if we make it there before anyone else, we can meet up with them. We jog over and stand behind them. Paul goes first and Cato turns to me.
"That kid is driving me nuts." I don't think he is kidding because from what I've seen, he isn't the kind Cato gets along with that well.
"It's fine, just deal with it. After lunch, switch with Marvel," I propose and he turns around just to see Paul fall off.
"Smooth." Glimmer says from behind me, jokingly. I didn't think that I would like Glimmer that much, but when she isn't being her Capitol self she is actually quite tolerable. We both have the same feistiness. I can definitely see us dominating the arena together. I'm next. I climb up the ladder and pull my hand around the first rope, then the other. It feels so amazing up here and I don't have any problems as I pull myself from rope to rope. I leap off at the end.
Glimmer follows behind me, showing no signs of struggle. The lunch bell sounds as she leaps off and we all walk to lunch together. Today they are serving chicken with potatoes and corn. We take the head table, sitting in the same formation as yesterday, but the atmosphere is more opened.
"Any more suggestions?" Cato asks first.
"D7 girl," Marvel announces. I've seen her walking around, but I don't know why she is so great.
"And why?" Cato asks, not catching on either.
"Well, she seems pretty agile and quick. We need someone like that. It's either her or the 12 year old, which I'm sure we've already marked off." Everyone nods, but I don't think Cato is giving into that suggestion yet.
"I'm still all for Thresh. He was behind us at the Gauntlet and while he wasn't as good as us, he sure did really well. Plus, he's massive," I say. Glimmer nods.
"That all?" Cato asks. We all nod. Conversation then floats away from the games and we start talking about the wackiest Capitol people we've found. Marvel wins with someone who looks exactly like a cat.
Double chapter! Okay, so I read some fanfiction where they said what songs they were listening to when they wrote it, and I kind of did that with Johanna. Not sure if this is going to be every chapter that I tell you this, but for this chapter it was Memories by David Guetta and Live While We're Young by One Direction. Review and thanks for reading!