Chapter 6
I find myself on the awakening on the floor, the sun rising outside of the window in front of me. Something taps on the door, making me jump on my feet.
"Up, up, up it's going to be a big, big, big day!" Effie calls from outside my door.
How many tributes had to go through that? I think, trudging into the bathroom to take a quick shower.
I come out to see a new outfit on my bed. It is a jade green tank top with a black jacket and black cargo pants. A pair of black boots sits on the floor. I put the clothes on and go down to breakfast. Mercury is already at the table asking Peeta questions about the games.
"Find your strength. If you know you have great aim, get a bow. If you know you're strong, try throwing some weights. Don't rush yourself but try to get a hang of one weapon by tonight," Peeta explains.
"Okay, I'll try. I had a sling shot when I was ten. My friend and I used to shoot marshmallows at each other," Mercury says, smiling at his past.
"Marshmallows?" Peeta asks.
"They're edible cylinders of fluff and sugar. They usually put them in hot chocolate."
"I know what that is!" Peeta points out.
Mercury laughs as I sit down. Mercury's wearing pretty much what I'm wearing, but with red instead of green.
Peeta's smiling face gets more serious, like he's thinking of something awful. "How many tributes do you know, personally?"
Mercury looks at me, expecting me to answer first.
"Well," I start, "besides Mercury, I only really know one. Telly Templesmith, she and I hung out when she was over for the Hunger Games."
Peeta nods and gestures to Mercury.
"I know… five or six kids. There's Damien Ferrly, Regina Mashi, Quertly Robinson, Harrison Toro, Tiamy Gergin, and Rom Thread," Mercury says.
"Wow," Peeta says, thinking too much for words. "That must be hard, to know you're gonna kill people you're friends with."
Mercury shrugs, "I mean there's a good chance I could avoid them, maybe not get a chance to kill them. Then again, most of them are really competitive. Plus Tiamy would have any problem hurting me."
I give him a strange look.
"Ex-Girlfriend, I tried to let her down easy, she overreacted. It wasn't pretty. So, anyway, when do we start training?" he says, anxious to get off the subject.
"In a few minutes," Effie squeaks, entering the room in her clicking heels. "I suggest you start making your way down there."
"Remember," Peeta says, "Try to find a strength in a weapon, then focus on survival skills. Good luck."
Mercury and I make our way towards the elevator. We ride down in awkward silence. Eventually, we make it down to the Training center. Most of the Tributes are in the gym by now. There are weapons, obstacle courses, and little training stations. I take a shaky breath, my mind now taking in the full seriousness of this situation. I don't see Telly, so I guess she isn't finished with breakfast yet. Mercury does spot someone.
"Hey, Rom!" He shouts.
A kid around his age runs to him, "Hey, Mercury, what's up?" They give each other a man-hug.
The boy, Rom Thread, I'm guessing, is about a head taller than me, with an upturned nose and an almost bald head. They chat like they aren't going to kill each other in a few days.
Mercury walks over to me, "Rom, this is Esmerelda. Esmerelda, this is-"
"Romulus Thread Jr., son of District 12's last Head Peacekeeper, at your service," he says kissing my hand.
"Oh," I say, blushing, "hi."
"And I assume you're the President's granddaughter?" Romulus asks.
I try to smile and nod, while I take my hand from his grasp.
"Rom refuses to accept the fact that the Rebels truly won. He thinks we still have a chance and should fight back. I think that we've had enough war, and that if we start another one, the human race will cease to exist," Mercury pours out his political standings in front of me.
"Would not," Rom pushes mercury playfully, like a six-year-old child.
"Would so," Mercury says, pushing him back.
They repeat those motions until someone calls for Rom.
"That would be Regina, I have to go. See you later," he says, walking away.
"So you want him to be in an alliance with us?" I ask. I figure we should start planning for this early.
"No way," Mercury cringes, "I wouldn't trust that kid with my life, much less someone else's."
The last two tributes arrive, Telly and her partner. Telly sees me and runs to me. A woman, named Atala (I've seen her on TV!) starts telling us what the training schedule is. She finishes and I start finding a weapon to use.
Author's note: Okay, to be honest, I've been working on a Percy Jackson fan-fic. (If you like that go check it out!) But that's why I haven't really updated that much. But I do have this chapter up! So it's okay! Please review, constructive critisism maybe? If not I like to be complimented. :)