I'm glad you guys you guys loved the tribute parade chapter! Thank you, to all the readers who submitted such wonderful reviews. This is the first day of training chapter! Will Amethine and Evan make allies? Find out.
"Amethine, get up!" Morraina says. She doesn't even have to tell me twice, because I get up and about. She seems impressed, but surprised at the same time.
"That was easy. Well, good morning! Today is the first day of training!" she says.
"I know, that's why I got up quickly."
"Good. So go take a shower, get dressed, and eat because training starts at ten." she's about to walk out of my room, but she turns around before she walks out the door.
"I almost forgot there is your training outfit." she motions to the suit on the table next to my bed, and walks out.
I take a shower and put on the training suit. It's different than the one I wore back home. Back home, the suits have long sleeves, but this one has regular sleeves like a t-shirt. Majority of it is blue with red and gray stripes on the shoulder and back area. In a little square, 1 is printed on the back.
I tie my hair into a tight and high ponytail and walk outside. I stack my plate with bacon, sausages, eggs, and mini turnovers. I sit at the table next to Morraina and start shoving the food into my mouth. I want to get to the training center early, so I hope Evan doesn't get ready at the speed of a turtle.
"You look like you're in a hurry." Morraina points out.
"I want to get to the training center early."
She hands an Avox her empty plate and walks into the hall. Maybe she's going to wake Evan up. I wonder why she always wakes me up first, probably because she knows I'm the harder one to rouse. To prove my point, Morraina walks back into the dining room with Evan right behind her, already in the training suit. He smiles at me and I smile back.
"Where are our mentors?" asks Evan.
"They still might be sleeping, I'll go wake them up." Morraina says, disappearing into the hall.
"Good morning." I say.
"Good morning."
"Excited for training?" he asks.
"Very."
"I can see that. You're swallowing your food at lightning speed." he says, I let out a light laugh.
"Geez woman, I need my beauty sleep." I turn around and see Axin stumbling into the living room area, still in his pajamas. Morraina looks at him with her arms crossed.
"You have two tributes waiting for some advice. You know why they're waiting for you? Because you're a mentor, and that's what mentors do!" Morraina says. Axin mocks her and tries to sleep on the couch. Morraina stomps back into the hallway and throws a door open. She pounds on another door, and I think I hear yelling.
A few minutes later, she comes back out with Beryl, Gloss, and Cashmere right behind her.
"She has a talent for waking people up." I say and Evan laughs.
Beryl says something to Axin and walks over to us. She sits down on the chair across me and an Avox brings her a plate filled with Capitol delicacies.
"Good morning, guys." she says, Evan and I greet her back.
"Let's just wait for everyone to gather at the table, then we'll talk about what you guys should do in training." she tells us. Gloss and Cashmere are trying to get Axin to get up and eat, and Morraina just yells at him.
Finally, Axin is convinced and sits at the table, next to Evan. Cashmere sits next to Beryl, and Gloss sits across Evan.
"So, what do you guys think we should do in training? Intimidate?" asks Evan.
"Yes, but try to not intimidate the other careers." says Beryl.
"Why?" asks Evan.
"Because they'll deem you as a threat, therefore they'll target you in the arena." I say. He nods, along with my mentors. I notice that Morraina isn't here, probably in her room.
"The other tributes are the ones you can really intimidate, but just tone it down a notch when you notice another fellow career tribute observing you." Axin says, rubbing her eyes.
"So do we approach the other careers and ask if they want to form an alliance, or do we wait for them to approach us?" I ask.
"Doesn't matter." says Cashmere.
Once I empty my plate, an Avox walks up to me and takes my plate gently. I smile at her and a small, but shy smile appears on her face. I finish the water in my glass and wait for Evan to finish his food. I look up at the clock. 9:48. We better leave now. Fortunately, Evan is scooping up the last piece of meat on his plate.
"Can we leave, now?" I ask, once Evan finishes taking a drink from his cup.
"Sure. Remember what we told you." Cashmere says. I nod and stand up.
"Have fun." says Axin.
Evan and I get into the elevator, and I press the button marked T. The ride down to the training center takes less than three minutes, that's how fast it is. The doors slide open and we step out and make our way over to the middle, where a few people are gathered around.
"Do you think we should stick together?" Evan asks.
"No. Divide and conquer." I say and he nods his head.
The only tributes present are the ones from 2, 7 and 10. Vinera and Caiden look at me with grins on their faces. I smirk back, letting them know that I'm not scared of them.
When all of the other tributes arrive we are told to gather around and stand in a circle. Chalice, a middle aged woman with short, pixie cut black hair and ivory skin stands in the middle and tells us all about the different stations.
"Lastly, no fighting with the other tributes. There will plenty time for that in the arena. If you fight with another tribute, points from your score will be deducted." she concludes. I walk over to the spear throwing station and grab a spear with a leaf shaped blade, the trainer presses a button on a remote that makes the dummies move. I get into position and throw, I watch as the spear lands right on the bullseye of the head on one of the dummies.
The trainer hands me another spear. I take it and throw it at a dummy immediately. It hits the center of the heart on one dummy. Three dummies left. The trainer makes the dummies move faster. I grab a spear and focus on one dummy. Since it's moving faster, I should throw ahead of time, so when the dummy moves forward, it will meet the spear. I throw the spear, and it lodges on the heart of the dummy I was targeting.
I take the spear the trainer offers, I throw it and it hits the dummy in the middle of the head. After getting the hang of it, the last dummy was easy to take care of. Lands right on the heart. The trainer tells me I've done a great job.
"Impressive."
I turn my head and see Caiden, the boy from two smirking at me. I roll my eyes and grab a spear and start twirling it.
"So you can throw a spear and do circus tricks, nice."
"What do you want?" I ask.
"To ask if you would like to join the career alliance, what else?"
"What are your skills?" I ask sharply.
"What, you don't think I would be a good asset?" he asks, throwing his hands up in surrender.
"What are your skills?" I repeat.
He takes me to the shuriken station. I watch him throw the shuriken stars with ease and they lands on the dead center of the dummy.
"Is that good enough for you?" he asks when he's done.
"Are you going to ask my district partner to join?" I ask.
"Yeah, don't worry. Why don't you go ask the tributes from four if they want to join." he says. I roll my eyes. I can't believe I'm listening to an arrogant idiot. I make a mental note to remind myself to let him know in the future that he's not the boss of me.
I go to the archery station, where Marina hits all the targets with a bow and arrow. I pick up a decent sized bow and pick up an arrow from the organized rack. I load the bow, focus, and let it fly. It lands three inches above the bullseye. Not a perfect shot, but fatal. I grab another arrow and shoot, this one lands near the bullseye again. I turn to Marina and watch as the arrow she shoots lands right on the dead center.
"You're really good with a bow and arrow." I say. Her head snaps around to look at me, she seems surprised. As if I scared her or something.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." I say.
"No, it's fine. Thank you, though." she says with a shy smile on her face.
"You're welcome. Do you want to join the alliance? The career alliance?" I ask.
"Sure." she says casually.
"Great. I'm going to go and ask your district partner."
"Okay, do you mind if I tag along?" she asks.
"Ofcourse not, he is from your district after all."
We spot Marina's district partner- Sebastian stabbing a dummy with a trident. After three more stabs, he moves back about 6 feet and throws the trident. It buries itself on the chest. He pulls the trident out of the dummy, he turns around and sees us watching him.
"Hi Marina, what does she want?" he asks, eyeing me suspiciously.
Honestly, he's handsome. Muscular body, tan skin from swimming under the sun, he is handsome, but I'm not interested in falling in love with a tribute whose death may be caused by my own hands.
"I'm here to offer you a spot in the alliance."
He looks at Marina for a while, then nods his head.
"Well then, shall we train together?"
We walk over to the spear throwing station and I show off my throw. Marina smiles when I hit the bullseye and Sebastian just nods. Marina isn't really good with a spear, she only manages to get it to stick, but doesn't deliver any fatal shots. Sebastian though, is good, I guess it's from the similarity of throwing a trident.
I try to teach Marina to throw better, but just like Shine, she's unteachable. She insists on trying to get the hang of it on her own, so Sebastian and I just continue to throw spears. I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around quickly.
"Looks like you've carried out orders." Vinera, from district two says, a smirk playing on her lips.
Sebastian and Marina glance at her, then they go back to throwing spears.
"Yeah, I did. What do you want?" I ask harshly. I don't trust Vinera already. There's something in her eyes that screams deception, and the smirk on her face reads mischief.
"What? I can't train with my fellow allies?" she asks innocently. I turn away from her and throw a spear. In the corner of my eye, I see her watching me so I pick up another spear and throw it. Bullseye. Vinera picks up a spear and throws it. It's a good throw, even though it didn't hit the center.
Chalice alerts everyone that it's time for lunch so Vinera, Sebastian, Marina, and I make our way to the cafeteria. I grab a tray and slide it on the metal bars, filling my plate with food. We find a table and sit, Caiden and Evan join us not long after. I watch Mina, the girl from 12 pass our table with her plate piled high with food. She has a big smile on her face, it's like the depressed girl I saw at the reaping has vanished because of this bounty of food.
"Who else should join the alliance?" Evan asks.
"I haven't been watching the others." Caiden says.
"How about the boy from 6?" asks Marina.
"Are you kidding me? He can't even lift a sword." Vinera snorts.
"What about you golden goddess?" Caiden asks. I look around the table to see who he's talking to, when I realize it's me.
"What?" I ask.
"I said-"
"I know what you asked, but why did you call me that?" I ask.
"Because that's the nickname Caesar Flickerman gave you for your chariot costume." he says.
"Which looked really weird, by the way." Vinera says. I glare at her and she shrugs.
"Are you jealous because the costume you wore, made you look like a guy rather than a princess?" I ask. Everyone at the table laughs. She scowls and eats her food in shame.
"After lunch, I'll watch the other tributes." I say.
Lunch ends and we walk out of the cafeteria. The other tributes make way for us, so we were the first ones to exit. We all go to the sword station, the sword was a little heavy but Evan helps me positioned my hands, so it would be easier to hold.
I swing at the dummy and create a deep slash on the abdomen. Evan beheads the dummy easily, Marina can't stab the dummy hard enough, Vinera tries to show off but is doing poorly, and Sebastian is doing okay. Heck, I think he's good at every weapon he touches.
The girl from three, Electra tries to impress us, but she can't even bring the sword over her shoulder. We all laugh at her failed attempt of getting in the alliance.
"Better luck next time." I say.
"If she even lives for a next time." Vinera snorts.
When she walks away, we go back to wielding the sword. I manage to decapitate the head, I hear the thump as it hits the floor and watch as he rolls over to Vinera. She jumps at it, and I laugh. She scowls at me and carries on with whatever she is doing.
"I think the boy from 9 seems alright." Caiden tells me.
I scan the room and find him, Gary the boy from district 9 at one of the survival skills station talking to a trainer. Caiden is right, Gary has a fit body and earlier I saw him conquer the obstacle course. The obstacle course is a station that has a complicated course. It takes up a lot of space, but it's a good thing the capacity of this room is enormous.
First, you have to swing through all the ropes that are attached to the ceiling and if you lose your grip, you'll land in the pool below. After the ropes, you have to scale a forty foot tree to reach the second level. The second level contains a narrow log, and if you fall trying to walk over it you'll splash into water. When you make it across the log, you pick up a metal rod which you need to use to get past three trainers.
The trainers have metal rods as well, and they're preventing you from completing the obstacle. You have to battle all the trainers and pretend to kill them by poking them with the rod in the areas that will cause fatality. The end of the rod isn't sharp, so the trainers and the tributes will be unharmed.
Gary had some trouble climbing the tree, but he was able to regain his footing and get to the top. When he reached the last section, he disarmed the first trainer and 'killed' him. The second trainer had put up a fight, but Gary managed to get past him and handled the third trainer with ease.
I nod. "I'll go over and invite him into the alliance." Caiden nods in response and goes back to sword fighting.
I walk over to Gary just as he finishes his conversation with the trainer. My prediction about him being friendly was correct because when he sees me, he offers a friendly smile. He may be kind, but there's a chance that it's all just a hoax. I've seen this strategy before in other games, when a tribute pretends to be friendly, earning others' trust, then when their back is turned they end up getting a cleaver lodged in the back of their neck.
"I saw how you completed the obstacle course."
"I think everyone saw." he says.
"Yeah, so what else can you do?"
"I'm alright with a slingshot."
We go to the slingshot station, and he was right. Just like me with a bow and arrow, he doesn't deliver perfect shots, but they are fatal. I've worked with slingshots back home and I am not too bad at it. We do a couple more shots until I suggest we go join the others.
I take Gary to sword station and he introduces himself. Marina looks like she has a crush on him, because she blushes whenever he talks to her. Caiden is an ass, making fun of Gary's face and telling him he doesn't trust him, although he's the one that insists we include him in the alliance.
Vinera drags us to the axe station, probably to show off her skills since the axe is her weapon of choice. She picks up a small axe and throws it to the dummy, it lands right on the chest. I see a smile creep up on Evan's face as he scans the axe he is holding. I guess it reminds him of Reina, who loves working with axes. They would throw axes together, and she would tease him about not having a strong arm like she does. He must really miss her.
I throw a few axes and get all the vital points. I grin when the axes lands right on the dummy's head. A sound catches my attention, and my head turns to the center of the room.
"Training is over. Good job on not causing any trouble and following all the rules and procedure. Training will start at the same time tomorrow, so be sure to attend. You may leave and return to your assigned living quarters. Have a good day, and may the odds be ever in your favor." says Chalice.
I pick up one more axe and throw it, it lands right on the gut. I enter the elevator with my allies. Evan and I get off first since we're district one.
"Bye golden goddess." Caiden says. His arm is slung over Vinera's shoulders. I was right, there is something going on between them. I smirk at him and step off with Evan by my side. Training is over, now I have to face my mentors.
I'm sorry for not updating for a really long time. I was suffering from writer's block and didn't really have time. I hope this long chapter will serve as an apology. (: I am going to work on the next chapter and hopefully, it will up by Saturday to make up for the delay. Thank you for reading! Reviews are awesome, so don't hesitate to leave one :D