Dustin Proelia – District 9
Day Two of training. Day Five of being away from Ebony. Why I didn't ask her to marry me at the Justice Building is beyond me. I should have, but why didn't I? It's early in the morning and I'm lying in bed. All I can think about is what I didn't do and what I should have done. Is this what most people do before they're sent to their death or about to die?
Halo bounds into my room and taps her heels. She has a new wig on this morning. It's a light red color and very long. The rest of her red outfit is strange. It's not exactly what I'd like to see first thing in the morning.
She flips on the bright lights which gives me an even "better" view of her bizarre outfit. I have to squint to be able to focus on things. My hands reach for my face so I can rub the sleep from my eyes. "Rise and shine, sweetheart!" She rips the covers off of me and begins to pull me out of bed. For such a small lady, she sure has a lot of muscle.
With a groan, I force myself out of bed. Gem struts down the hall and into the bathroom. I enter my bathroom and wash my face. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that all my long hair is gone. It's kind of weird not having hair falling into my eyes. It's bad enough they force us into an arena, now the Capitol has to cut my hair and change my looks. Gem is lucky since they didn't really do anything drastic to her body.
The person in the mirror isn't me. I'm dreading the day we have to go to the arena. Assuming there's a bright side, I have a good ally. Washington seems resourceful. He's good with an axe. He can tie strong knots and make shelters too. Both of us are strong and I can identify plants. That could save our lives.
As I exit the bathroom, Gem comes down the hall, knocking into me. "Watch it," she snaps. I furrow my eyebrows, wondering what I have to watch out for. She's the one that bumped into me. I can't get angry about it though. Ebony wouldn't want me to fight before I even get into the arena.
Breakfast goes by quickly and Halo ushers us into the elevator. We're on level nine since we're from District Nine. It takes less than a minute to reach the Training Center. A few districts are already there. I meet up with Washington, finally separating him from Clara. We barely even listen to the head trainer before heading towards the stations.
"We need to think about who we should look out for," I say. It's already been a day. By now, most of the tributes should be settled in, particularly the Careers. When I glance at them, Gabrielle is conversing with Sorren, flipping her hair flirtatiously. He doesn't seem to be interested in her, but more in the sword she's holding. The Princeps boy also doesn't seem like the type to be blood thirsty. The girl, on the other hand, looks like she could be hiding something. A secret skill.
"Where's your district partner?" Wash asks, peering around a corner at the District Twelve boy. He's using a sword with a trainer. He swings it and attacks the trainer with amazing finesse. He's light on his feet and fast.
"Gem wants to be trained separately," I say. I notice the District Ten girl climbing the fake tree in the center. She's also fast and stealthy. I make a note to watch out for her. She's sly and cunning. She could easily steal food and supplies from under our noses and we could never notice.
"What's she like?"
I shrug. "There's not much to say. I don't want to speak badly about her." We head for the gauntlet. A trainer is there, waiting for some poor tributes to fail. He has a permanent smirk on his face.
"I'm going to try it out," Wash says, approaching the obstacle course. He speaks with the trainer briefly. My eyes wander throughout the gymnasium. Rilly is working with the girl from Five again. Yesterday, the Eight girl gave her a bloody nose. I'm not sure if they're working together or not. Rilly is trying to use a sword, but she's wobbly. It's obvious that weapons and fighting aren't her strong point. She'll have to have good allies and evade.
Tarragon is completely alone as he practices with his sword. He avoids the Careers at that station and Ector from Twelve. Ector occasionally looks around, grinning like a mad man. Everyone seems to be scared of him or at least nervous, even his district partner. The three people that seem completely unafraid are Conrad, Gabrielle, and Lucien. They walk around all high and mighty, heads held up, and shoulders back.
Maxwell and Pietta from Three are at the snare station, talking. Maxwell's ally from Ten is with him as well. They don't look like a team that will be able to do much. The boy from Ten is crippled and Max is definitely not a fighter.
Wash nods to the trainer and begins the course. He jumps from platform to platform. I watch the stopwatch above him. The trainer swings a padded club which Wash ducks as he runs. He's quick, but not as quick as some of the other tributes are.
When he finishes, he does decently. Now, it's my turn. The first time, I am hit with the club. It doesn't hurt, but it knocks me off my feet. The second time around, I'm successful. Wash and I are a good team. We'll be unstoppable. I will win the Games. I'm just hoping that in the end, I won't have to fight Wash to the death.
Bailey Fera – District 11
Maize laughs with Colatia. They've become good friends over the last couple of days. I wonder what would happen if Maize was opposite the person she is now. She would probably hate our bubbly escort. She grins happily, but she really needs to learn the rules of this Game. And in the end, she won't be smiling.
I push the food around on my plate, not feeling too hungry. The Games are a couple of days away. I really should eat, but I can't bring myself to. Fibro scowls at me. "You betta eat somethin', kid," he says gruffly. "Gotta get some meat on them bones."
I frown, eating a piece of colorful food. I don't even know what half the stuff that's in this food, but it tastes delectable. After I finish, it's time for training. Day Two and I haven't figured out what I'm going to do for the Gamemakers. I'll have fifteen minutes with them and end up doing nothing.
"You'll be able to do something," Maize tells me in the elevator.
"What?" I raise an eyebrow, confused about what she meant.
"For the Gamemakers. I know you're nervous, but don't be. You'll do great," she says with a smile.
"How do you know?"
"You talk to yourself."
"Oh." My mouth forms an 'o.' The elevator doors open and we step out. We take our place in the circle of tributes. The head trainer finishes her brief speech. Maize follows me to the slingshot station. Nearly all of yesterday, I worked on using a slingshot. I've used one in District Eleven, but the ones made in the Capitol are very different.
We practice with the slingshots. I hit the target about seven times out of ten. Maize then leaves to go to the edible plants station, leaving me alone. In one of the trees, I spot a girl climbing up to the top. My hand grasps a lower branch as I try to hoist myself up. However, I can't seem to get any higher than that. Unlike my brothers, I don't have any muscle in my arms.
"You having a hard time?" the girl says. The top of the tree shields her face from me, but I can imagine her staring at me in wonder. "My name's Parrow." She slides down a few branches, finally coming into my view. She has long brown hair flowing down her shoulders. She smiles slightly at me with big brown eyes. Yet, she appears to be very serious.
"Um, Bailey. Nice to meet you," I say, holding my hand out to her. My other hand holds onto the branch so I don't fall off.
"I don't think shaking hands is the best idea since you can barely rest on the branch with one hand," she points out.
"Oh, um, well, what can you do?"
"I know plants, insects, and other animals," she tells me as she sits on a branch, letting her feet dangle. "I can use a bow and arrow too, along with snares. You?" She cocks her head to the side curiously.
"Slingshot. And kind of plants." Parrow can do a lot of things. A lot things that could save my life. "Want to be allies?"
"Sure." Her smile grows and she hops down the tree, landing softly on the ground. We also recruit Maize to be in our alliance.
At lunch, we sit together at a table far away from the Careers. The girl from Five sits alone. I'd asked her if she wanted to eat with us, but she said no. The boy from Twelve is near the girl from Five, but has no interest in socializing. No one even goes near him.
Pietta, Sage, Rilly, Trenton, and Max are together at a table. I assume they are an alliance now. Tarragon ends up sitting with the boy from Five and the two are getting along rather well. They both seem to have similar personalities but I can't really tell since I haven't met either of them. Gem also joins them. Her face has a permanent smirk plastered on it. The way she looks at her district partner is like she has something planned for him, something bad.
Dustin and Wash talk and suddenly, a Career approaches them. The red-head. She flips her hair and plants a hand on her hip. A sign of arrogance and leadership. She smiles slyly to the boy from Seven. He shakes his head and her smile immediately fades. Her face darkens as she returns to her table. That can only mean one thing Wash rejected the Career Pack.
Clara and Larkspur both come over to eat with us. Parrow asks Clara to be in our alliance, and she accepts. The thing that gets me though is that she didn't even glance at Larkspur. I think about asking the twelve year old, but it's plain to see that Parrow is our leader in this alliance.
Gabrielle Dictatrix – District 2
Everyone here is weak. Even my Career Pack. Conrad is an arrogant sleeze that doesn't need to be here. Anyone else from Two would have been better than him. Sorren is a softy, especially when it comes down to his sister. But, that's okay because I can use her in case Sorren doesn't do what I want.
Morgan is no Pash Cursor, that's for sure. She joined us this year, which was a smart decision. If she hadn't, she'd be first to die in the Bloodbath. Morgan can use a spear and trident. She's super-fast with her long legs to carry her. Lucien is something else. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing though. He's strong and big and fast. He's annoying though. I'll have to think of a way to shut him up.
Overall, my pack is bad. I asked the boy from Seven to join us because I saw him chucking axes straight into the target. I also noticed him pass the edible plants test. We needed him, but he rejected us. Biggest mistake of his life. He won't live to see the second day of the Hunger Games.
"What did the ocean say to the other ocean?" Lucien asks. It's another one of his jokes. He thinks he's funny, but he isn't.
"What did the ocean say?" Morgan says flatly. She runs a hand through her hair, rolling her eyes. Maybe I do like her. She'll just never be a true Career. Rumor has it she began training at the age of thirteen.
"Nothing! It just waved!" He boomed in laughter, clutching his stomach.
"Wow, too funny," Morgan says, picking at the fish on her plate.
"Do you sea what I did there?" And the terrible joke continues.
"Stop that."
"Oh, come on, Morgan!" Lucien flashes one of his sexy grins. Even though he isn't funny and he is annoying, he's very attractive. "Don't be such a beach."
" ." Morgan looks away and talks with Sapphire. When I glance back at my competition, it turns out I don't really have any competition at all. Everyone has formed weak alliances except for the boy from Twelve, the Layland boy, and the loser girl from Five. I know for a fact that none of them will stand a chance alone.
The girl from Five is the laughingstock of all the tributes. She let a puny girl from Eight hit her in the nose. There was blood everywhere. That girl won't stand a chance in the arena. If she can't handle training, well, she's a goner. Maybe I'll play around with her though and try and push her to her limits.
Finally, lunch is over and we can get back to training. The weapons are in their place and I head over directly to the bow and arrow. I'd seen the girls from Ten and Five look at it, but they'll never get their hands on them. I string the bow and load an arrow. It sails straight for the target, hitting the human silhouette in between where the eyes should be. Dead.
I can already imagine the cannons going off. I can already smell the fresh blood. I can feel it on my hands. The adrenaline is already pumping through my veins. No one knows how much I want it. I want the victory so badly and the glory. People will call my name even fifty years from now. I'll leave my legacy. And when I arrive back home, my legacy will continue. I'll have my children compete so they can carry on the Dictatrix Legacy.
I want to have the line with the most Victors. The Capitol will love me. Praise me. Adore me.
I approach Sorren, who's still at the sword station. He's good with a sword, I'll give him that. However, he still can't beat me. The trainers won't let the two of us spar so I have to settle with a lame trainer. My uncle is better at this than these guys and he's ancient!
Sapphire saunters over to the station. She's better at a spear than a sword. She can throw at a distance and hit her target easily. She may look small, but she's got some muscle. The trainer comes at me, and I jump just in time to dodge the sword. I lunge and easily take the trainer down within a couple minutes.
I'm hardly even sweating. The Games will be a piece of cake when I get a sword. I already know I can use every weapon, but I still go around using them. Each time I hit the target dead on. When I return to the sword station, the boy from Twelve stands there, admiring the sword in the light.
"I like swords. They're easy to use if you have the strength," he says, glancing at me with his stormy gray eyes.
I cross my arms, raising an eyebrow. Where's he going with this?
"Throwing knives are handy when there's a target at a distance. But daggers are my favorite. They're easy to throw and to cut with," the boy says. "Spears are nice, but they just don't do the job that I want them to do." He glances at Sapphire throwing a spear as the girl from Six watches from a distance.
Everyone here is pathetic and weak. Everyone here will die, but me. Even this boy from Twelve, whoever he is.
"A bow and arrow is useful too, but it's like a spear. The spear and bow and arrow may or may not always hit its target." The boy grins at me. A smile like that would make anyone nervous, but not me. He grabs one of the daggers from the rack and twirls it in his fingers. "That red hair of yours makes you a target, Ms. Dictatrix."
Lucien Ritsert – District 4
Morgan doesn't really like me, but I don't really know why. Is it my jokes? I thought they were pretty good, at least that's what my friends tell me. Gabrielle gets on my nerves. Usually I'm pretty laid back, but she just sets my teeth on edge. I talked with Sorren and he's not Dictatrix's biggest fan either. The problem is, we need her. If we didn't have her, we'd have Conrad in charge and he's an arrogant git.
Thwack!
A spear sails through the air and into the target. Morgan stands a few feet from me, staring at her spear. She doesn't talk a lot, mainly keeping to herself or talking to Sapphire. I grin at her. "Nice throw," I compliment. She started training at the age of thirteen, so she's kind of behind on skills. I'd help her, but all she'd do is roll her eyes.
It's my turn now. I back up five feet from Morgan. Thirty feet. The spear flies, slicing through the air. Thwack! Bullseye.
"Can you give me some tips for throwing a spear?" Sorren asks me.
"Sure thing, hombre. Grab one and let's get to work." I clap my hands and rub them together. I pull a spear off the rack and wait for Sorren.
He gets ready to throw one. "Lower your shoulder or you won't hit anything." When he relaxes it and throws the spear, it hits the target, but not in the center. Obviously, spears aren't his thing, unlike his sister.
"Try again. And relax more. You're too rigid. Don't lock your knees," I advise. He does what I say and hits the target, almost in the center. "Congrats, you managed to injure your prey but not yet kill it. Good luck." With a laugh, I give him a slap on the back and then throw a spear. Bullseye again.
"Whoa. Uh, thanks for the tips…" Sorren stares in awe and returns to the sword station, the only thing he really seems to be good at.
It's time for me to move on. Tridents are what I really want to work with. I'm praying there'll be one in the arena. If I get my hands on one, I'll be unstoppable. I feel at home when my fingers curl around the weapon. I used to fish with one back at home. Home will be very different when I go back. A new house. Freedom. No rules. It won't be so bad. I don't know why Pash makes a big deal out of it.
I practice with the trident, getting a feel for its weight. It's silver and heavier than the ones back at home, but I can deal with it. When I turn around, I notice the girl from Five gawking at me. According to Gabrielle, she's the laughingstock of the tributes. Even the girl from Six would last longer than her. I really had my hopes for this girl, but she's a screw-up.
"What do you want?" I ask, trying not to be rude.
She doesn't say anything at first. So, I suppose I'll make the first move. "Lucien Ritsert." Most girls would fall on their knees because of my devilishly good looks as my friends put it, but this girl seems uninterested. "And you?"
"You're from Four, right?" she says, completely ignoring my question.
"You shouldn't answer a question with a question. It sounds like you have something to hide," I tell her, leaning on the trident.
"I have nothing to hide. My name is Nayeli," she says, brushing her black hair back behind her ear. Her eyes are set on me. She's studying me more than admiring me. It's weird the way she's looking at me. "By the looks of the way you're handling that trident, I'll say you're from Four. Part of the Careers?" She already knows the answer to that.
Nayeli picks up a knife. I'd never seen her handle it, but she looks unsteady. When she throws it, it wobbles in the air and misses the target. Like I said, screw up. Maybe she'll be spared a horrible death by a quick one in the Bloodbath. In fact, maybe I'll do the honors. If Dictatrix gets a hold of her, I think her death will be a lot slower.
There'll be a lot of tributes that will fall at Dictatrix's hand. That girl is dangerous. Right now, she's speaking with the boy from Twelve, probably the second most dangerous tribute. Many other tributes seem to have already come up with their alliances. I mark down who's with whom so I can watch out for them in the arena. It's hard to wrap my head around all the groups though.
Nayeli sighs heavily, trying to throw another knife. "Gah, I just can't get it right!" she exclaims. She stomps her foot and runs a hand through her hair.
"Hey, relax," I tell her, putting an arm on her shoulder. She flinches, frowning at me. "You'll get something right. What are you doing for the Gamemakers?"
"Go back to your little posse, Four," she seethes before storming off. I shrug. I was only trying to help and what does she do? She replays me with a snarl. Some girl…
I rejoin my fellow Careers. Most of them have only handled weapons during training. There's one more day. I decide to devote the last hour of training today to edible plants. It's probably a stupid idea since we, Careers, will have all the food supplies from the Cornucopia. At the station, my eyes keep wandering towards Nayeli who seems to be failing at everything.
I turn back to converse with the trainer. Out of my peripheral vision, I spot Nayeli throw a knife. No one's around her and no one's watching her. Why would they? She's a screw-up.
But the knife hits the target, dead center.
