This is extremely rushed…warning!
"Just remember, when you go in there, you have two options: show your skills or don't." I have to coach Annie and Kayne before they go into the training room.
"Consequences?" Annie asks.
"If you show your skills, more people will want to be your ally or you could be seen as a threat. If you don't you could surprise people with your high scores." They both nod. I wave as they get in the elevator to go down to the training room. The doors close and I realize I only have a few more days with them.
I go back to my room, which I'm not supposed to be in. No one stops me on the way. I sit down on the bed, with my hands on my knees and realize I'm in a serious predicament. I don't know who to tell. My family is back at home, Johanna wouldn't understand anything. I decide on my "grandmother." I go find Mags.
I knock on the door to her room and she lets me in.
"What's the trouble?" She asks. I've always been told my face lets no lies through, that my expressions are clearly read.
"Annie, I like Annie. But I like, like her. And she's going off to her death." I can't sit down so I and I finally stand still when she gets ready to speak, which seems like forever.
"You need to tell…" I need to tell her. I've always heard the saying, "there are always more fish in the sea," but never used to describe this situation. Normally, it is heard when we are struggling to catch fish.
"What if it messes up the arena?" She shakes her head.
"That won't happen because of three words."
"Thanks, Mags." I leave and make my way downstairs to the holding cell, as Johanna has recently renamed it. I open the door and step in to find I am one of the last people here.
"Ah, look who's here! Mr. Party Person Odair!" Johanna exclaims. She is the back of the room like always but she comes up to the front to lead me to the back.
"Have you ever thought of being like Cecelia?" I ask Johanna. I doubt she has.
"You mean, married with kids? No, no way, not ever, not even before the terror that is the Hunger Games." I got the exact response I thought I would. Johanna is different. Her family is poorer than ours is and her district is too. She looks at me like she knows something that I don't.
"But I think you do." She says; quiet enough for no one else to hear but loud enough so I can hear.
"How'd you know?" I ask, because I cannot be that easy to read.
"I'm smart like that." Seriously, that's all you're going to give me here? She laughs.
"Come on, that question didn't just come out of the blue. Plus, it's all over your face." She says as she sweeps her hand in a circular motion.
"Just don't ask me any relationship questions or anything because I will not, and I repeat, I will not, help you. Not because I'm mean but because I don't think that you would anyway." That is true, that I wouldn't talk to her.
The rest of the day passes by quite uneventfully except I teach Johanna how to draw a fish and she teaches me how to draw a tree. We are allowed to leave when our tributes do and I am one of the last ones to be dismissed. I walk out of the room and meet my tributes in the elevator like everyone does.
"How'd it go?" I ask. Kayne fills me up with all kinds of stories about how terrible he was at many of the stations and how he was good at others. Annie just tells me that she didn't do anything too flashy, but just stuck mainly to the survival skills. I wish she wouldn't have because I think she needs more weapons training. I will address that at dinner.
The doors of the elevator open and I let Kayne walk out first. He runs to the dining hall while Annie and I hang back.
"Annie, I need to tell you something. Over the past few days, I have really gotten to know you. And before you leave, I want you to know, I like you… more than a friend. But, I mean you're still my friend." She just stares at the floor, trying to hold back a laugh.
"I kinda messed up the end, didn't I?" She nods.
"Well, I am happy to hear that because I like you too and you can still be my friend." I feel like a huge weight as just been lifted off my shoulders. We head down to the dining hall, not really talking.
"Oh, I told the chefs to make more seafood, so the selection should be better today." I open the door and let her in first. We head to the table and I can tell she is pleased with the selection of fish. Today, we have shrimp which is a cheap food from home that we are accustomed to eating.
"So, Finnick, any requests for the last day of training and the scoring tomorrow?" Tabia asks.
"For both of you, get on more weapon stations unless you are sure you can handle at least one weapon very well. Even though survival skills are sometimes the difference between winning and losing, the gamemakers can only judge you on weaponry." They both nod and I can tell that both will do very well in the scoring.
The next morning, we wake up and they go to the training and then scoring. We sit down that night to see the scores. Our tributes will be one of the first ones because we are 4.
Most of the Careers are getting 8-10s. Annie gets a 10 and Kayne gets an 8. I assure them that these are great scores and that once the audience sees them in their interviews; I will have many sponsors lining up for a chance to bid on them.
Since they are being trained separately, I will be taking one at a time as will Tabia. I get Annie first and Kayne second. Annie walks into the dining hall where I am waiting. She sits next to me at the dining table.
"What do want your angle to be?" I ask Annie. I hope she has the same idea I do. She shrugs.
"I was thinking very nice, sweet and very wanting to go home, not because of winning but see your family." I think that she likes that idea and we continue with training I ask her questions and she answers them truthfully. I tell her to keep her image in mind and she will do fine.
"I'm scared to go up there and too show who I am." I take her hand and look at her right in the eyes.
"You will do awesome." Then our time is up and Kayne comes in. I have no idea how to play him. He wants to be a huge scary person but that doesn't fit him. I break the news to him lightly and we decide that he should be who he really is. I feel really bad for Claudius Templesmith, who has to bring out the good in him. I can't do it in his answers and I'm his mentor. The day of the interviews approaches, quickly, more quickly than I would prefer.
They do good at interviews but in no way are they stand outs.
"Good luck, Kayne."
"See you soon, Finnick."
"Good luck, Annie." Annie stays quiet for a moment then kisses me on the check.
"In case I never see you again." She goes into her room quietly and shuts the door.
The next day is the Games. I see them being raised up into the arena. Then, time slows down.
I know this chapter was rushed because I just wanted to get them into the arena. I didn't want to break it up but this is just one, long chapter.
~MiKayla