w w w. shotinthedarkhg. blogspot. c o m
w w w. halloffamethg. blogspot. c o m
Alamar Seward
District Four Male, 18 Years Old
"Welcome, tributes."
The man is perched on the ledge looking down at us, his shoulders broadened as he holds onto the railing in front of him. He pauses for a moment, giving each of us a good look up and down. As he scans over me and Carina, I stand a little taller, wanting to come across as I should.
Strong and prepared; like a victor should be.
"You are now in the Training Center, where you will spend the next few days in. We have everything you will possibly need – from ropes, to spears, to fire. We have it all. Now, the only question is, how will you use your time here?"
He leaves the question open-ended. I smirk, knowing that most people here will waste their time. They'll go to the petty stations; the canopy-making or the climbing. Me, I'll go right to the weaponry; that's what matters here. You win based on strength and competence.
"Enjoy, tributes," he finishes up his little speech, waving his hand. "And don't waste your time; you'll end up regretting it."
Before waiting for the man to even go back from the ledge, Carina is already talking. I give her some of my attention, knowing that she'll be my ally in there. I don't need to form a relationship with her; I just have to acquaintance myself with her. That's all we need.
"Honestly, we're already wasting our time here as it is," she says, her words coming out quickly. "If you don't know what you're doing already, what are the chances this will help? If anything, this whole training process only makes it worse."
"That's an interesting point you make, Carina," I say, nodding curtly at her.
"Don't annoy me, Seward," she snaps, narrowing her eyes at me. "I'll kill you, you do get that? I'm not like the other tributes. You don't scare me; this whole angry macho-boy façade doesn't trick me."
"You're pretty scary yourself, Carina," I reply back, not letting her get away with speaking to me like that. "With your nonsensical rambling and all. All you might be good for is the interviews, but I'll keep you alongside me for a little bit."
Carina makes a face at me, mumbling something to herself. She stands next to me, both of our arms crossed over our chests. We scan over the tributes, just wanting to get a first impression of them all. Whenever we see an interesting one – whether seriously or not – we point at them, making a face in response. Carina points at the girl from Eight, and she chuckles, and when I point at the boy from Ten, we both chuckle.
"See anyone you like, Carina?" I ask, wanting to see what type of people she has her eye on.
"That girl from Seven. I don't like her."
"Is it because her hair drapes on her shoulder more precisely than yours?" I joke, leaning into Carina a little. "Don't be jealous. Just imagine how pretty she'll be with an axe in her head."
"You aren't too good looking yourself, either," she retorts, nearly growling at me. "Anyway, Careers, yes? Can we just deal with the pair from Two first?"
"What about One?" I ask, not giving either of them too much thought just yet.
"The girl seems annoying. She's been giving me death glares whenever we make eye-contact, and I want to her know that I'm not interested. Do you think she'd understand?"
I laugh out loud, making Carina a little infuriated. She shakes her head, beginning to walk off towards the two from Two already. They're at the sword station, just balancing the grips on their hands, trying to find the right one. As we approach them, they stop what they're doing, and the boy is who comes up first.
"Kace, at your service," he says, leaning in to kiss Carina. Of course, Carina kisses him back, right on the lips, making the boy smile and step back. The girl, however, just stands there, not introducing herself.
"And what about you, girl?" Carina asks, trying to get a response from her. The girl just still stands there, not busting a smile or anything. I like her, if this is anything of what she's really like.
Seriousness – that's another victor-like attribute.
"Ceres from District Two," she finally says, directing it right at me, seeming to disregard Carina. "It's nice to meet you two, Alamar and Carina. We've been waiting to discuss the Career alliance."
"She just couldn't stop talking about it last night, if you couldn't tell," Kace says, leaning in towards Ceres, clearly making a joke about it. "You just can't get her to stop talking once she starts!"
"Amusing," Carina says, rolling her eyes. "A blabber-mouth and a brick wall. Okay, moving on."
Carina trails off towards the swords, Kace quickly following her. He follows her wherever he goes, going right up behind her once she stops. Carina's probably enjoying it, but I'm sure he'll get on her nerves after a while. It's good for her, though, since now he seems like a lost puppy. One who will follow Carina around in the arena and probably protect her.
Carina's at an advantage already.
"Have you discussed anything with District One yet?" Ceres asks, and I'm taken back at how quickly she got to the point. She doesn't waste any time, which is always a good thing. If I plan on leading this Career Pack, she'll be my second-in-command.
"I have not," I answer, glancing over towards them. "If they want to join, they'll come to us. The Careers are an exclusive group, one that will not outreach towards others."
"Were we the exception, then?" She replies, her question actually having a point.
"No," I state, keeping it short. "You were the exception. Kace just came along with the deal."
For the first time, she smirks. It's a quick smirk, one that quickly disappears back once she looks over her shoulder at Kace and Carina. Kace is wielding a sword, slashing at a dummy that is next to Carina's. Carina is already slashing at it, her hair wildly flowing behind her with every forceful gesture. Carina leaps forward at the dummy, completely tearing the head off of it. Kace, however, is still working on the arms of the dummy.
"Shall we?" I ask, gesturing towards the sword station where our other allies are at. "We'll worry about District One later."
Ceres spins around on her heel, walking in a stride towards the station. She has good form, no doubt, and she must have been trained at a top academy. Someone who walks like that knows what they're doing.
You don't walk with such swagger if you're unprepared.
But, this won't stop me. People like won't intimidate me, no. I know what I'm doing and what I can do, and even from these first impressions, I don't feel any different about my competition.
They're still inferior.
And they always will be.
Inger Melville
District Six Female, 17 Years Old
"I won't stop following you around until you at least look at me."
Looking up from the knot in my hand, I see Evan standing there, his hands on his hips. He's tapping his foot, the expression on his face making me chuckle a little bit. Ever since we started training, he's been trailing me, asking me to ally with him. It's not that I don't want to, but I might as well make a game out of it.
It's not a lot of fun anymore, though. He's made himself clear that he wants to ally with me.
At first, I wasn't sure how to act. With men, I never what to do. Back in District Six, I didn't have the best experiences with them, but after I watched Evan some more, he doesn't seem too bad. That doesn't mean I can trust him, though; not yet, anyway. It's not just men who can't be trusted, but anyone. You never know what people are really like.
"What will I get out of it?" I ask, going back to the knot on the table. Lacing the rope through the already made whole, I tighten it, but still leave a little slot in it.
"Well, I won't kill you in the Bloodbath and I won't talk about you behind your back," he replies, which makes me laugh again. He's funny, but in the grating way. He isn't so bad once you get passed the annoying boy part of him.
"Hm, I might have to think about this," I reply, nodding my head. "I'm not sure."
"Oh, please. As if you have any other offers."
"For all you know," I retort, getting a little offended by what he just said. I'm sure someone would ally with me, but I haven't really introduced myself with anyone just yet. "Maybe my District partner wants to."
Evan scoffs, making a face. "Yeah, Nerva, I'm sure he does. So, that's a yes, then?"
Nodding my head, I finish up the knot, raising it in front of my face. He stares at it, and he makes another face, probably thinking that this isn't too productive or impressive. I'd rather play with ropes than work with weapons, especially when all of the Careers are already there. Besides, it's still the first day and I'm warming up to the center.
It's all new to me. The sights, the sounds… the people.
But, that's what I've been used to all my life. Change, whether I liked it or not.
Evan goes off by himself, finally leaving me alone. I do enjoy his company, but after a while, it was too much. I know he meant well, but still, he shouldn't stalk someone like that. I watch him go over towards the boy from Three, his name being Chet. I saw his reaping back on the train.
Maybe he'll ally with us.
Lennon made it clear that in numbers you do better in the Games. And if my survival relies on me having allies, so be it. I'll have some allies; how bad could they be, anyway? Most of the people here don't seem like the type to betray me so soon.
With Evan, I feel welcome. I feel that he actually enjoys my presence, and if he didn't, he wouldn't want to ally with me. That says something, doesn't it? That he's so serious about allying with me? With him, I could maybe find a friend, but at the same time, an ally.
And, in the Hunger Games, an ally is more important. Friends only distract you, but that won't stop me.
Setting the knot down on the table, I try to figure out where I should go next. The Careers are still at the heavy weapons – swords and maces – but the knives station is open. The only person there is the girl from Ten, Halley. I made sure to remember everyone's name here; who knows, it might come in handy.
I approach the station slowly, letting her do what she wants and to make sure that she won't feel uncomfortable if I come near her. I just want to practice with a weapon, really, since now that I think about it, knots can't do much. At the station, I grab the first small knife I see, and in my hands, it's light.
"Hi!" Halley exclaims, turning around completely to look at me. "I'm Halley! You're Inger, right?"
"Yes," I say, smiling at her. At the mention of my name, I tense up a little. "That's my name."
"That's such a pretty name," she says back, and even though I say it's my name, it still doesn't feel right. She says it's a pretty name, but even then, it doesn't feel mine.
Inger doesn't feel right… I still don't own the name yet.
I don't know if I'll ever be comfortable with the name Inger.
Apparently, she saw how I just reacted, and as she drops the knife on the table, she holds her arms out. "No, no! Did I say something wrong? I'm so sorry… I talk too much some times."
I try to smile back at her, but I can't bring myself to do it, so I just go back to looking at the knife. Unintentionally, I ignore whatever else she says to me, but that doesn't stop her. She still talks and talks, and all I have to do is glance at her occasionally for her to be happy.
With the knife in my hand, I look at the target in front of me.
It's somewhat far away, but as I look at Halley throw her knife, I think that I can do it. I can throw a knife too, can't I? It can't be that hard. If I learned one thing from growing up in the brothel, it was how to throw darts. It was always a game they used to play, asking me to play along with them.
They played when they weren't on the job, that is. They rarely left the brothel, so they resorted to playing with darts and such. It was fun, and in retrospect, it might help me here.
With the knife raised in the air, I arch my arm, getting ready to bring it down. As I throw the knife, I watch it glide through the air, the metal reflecting the light from above the target. Just as it hits the target, I look more closely as to where it landed, and I'm satisfied once I see it.
It's just a smudge off from bulls-eye.
From besides me, Halley claps her hands, staring at me with wide eyes. Her expression makes me feel good about myself for a moment, and I smile, finally doing something right. I got the knife right near bulls-eye.
I can do this, I tell myself. I can do this.
I can do this.
Kapera Silliah
District Three Female, 17 Years Old
"That's definitely not how you shoot an arrow."
The girl from Eleven looks over at me, placing the bow back on the table immediately. She rolls her eyes, not saying anything back to me before she walks off. I reenact the way she rolled her eyes, mocking her. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings or anything, I just wanted to let her know that by doing that, you won't kill a thing.
I probably don't even know how to shoot an arrow, but still, I know that she was doing it incorrectly.
Leaning back against the fake tree behind me, I play with the fire set-up in front of me, not really wanting to attempt to do it. I probably don't know how to start a fire, either. I'm not sure I can do anything here, but still, I'm not useless.
I'm the girl you didn't see coming in the night.
The girl that stole your pocket watch before you could even realize that it was gone.
I'm that quick, let me tell you. It's why I got the job in the first place, isn't it? Because I showed potential? Because I was quick on my feet? Because I was stealthy? Yeah, okay. That's why I got the job; not because I could start a fire or shoot an arrow.
All of those skills are useless if you live in District Three.
With my foot, I roll the stick around, the sound of crushing leaves under it making me smile. You know, by setting up this whole backdrop, it makes you really feel like you're in the wilderness. Maybe in the forests of District Seven, or the mountains of District Twelve. District Three didn't have much technology… it was mostly buildings. And pollution.
It wasn't all that bad, though. It kept me entertained and occupied. Sure, my enjoyment was only fulfilled by doing illegal jobs, but what does that matter? I'm in the Hunger Games now, so… maybe this will entertain me now.
Chet, my District partner, walks in front of me, and I call after him. He stops in his place, looking at me from the corner of his eye. For some reason, he's been choosing to ignore me, yet I'm not sure why.
"Hi, Chet!" I call, and he seems to be embarrassed that I'm talking to him. "Chet, come on. Don't ignore me too."
Once I say that, though, he seems to feel bad for me. He sulks, walking right over towards me, putting a smile on his face. It doesn't convince me, so I just choose not to look too much into it. He's probably only smiling so I feel better about myself. Does he not know that I'm kidding? I don't care if these people ignore me.
They won't be ignoring me once we hit that arena, and that's all that matters. They'll be trying to kill me then.
"Hi, Kapera," he says, his voice soft. "Are you enjoying training, with, er, this fire?"
"Of course I am," I say, leaning in a little closer to him. "Can't you tell that it got a little warmer once you walked over here? I bet you had something to do with that."
He seems to get uncomfortable with my joke. Oh, please, calm down. Do people not understand a joke anymore? People are too uptight nowadays. Now would be the time to joke around, while in the arena, that will change. Even for me it will.
I can crack jokes all I want now, but once that gong goes off, it's game time – literally.
"Is there something you wanted?" He asks, choking on his words a little. "I was going to go to a different station…"
I wave my hand, looking away dramatically. "Go, go. You can just leave me here alone. It's not like I care."
Chet stands up, but stops as he's just about to walk away. "I can stay if you want, but…"
"Go, Chet. Please, go do something," I say, and this time, I'm serious. I don't need him feeling bad about every little thing I say; it's only a joke. I have to teach him what a joke is.
I watch him go off towards the boy from Five and the girl from Six. I saw them talking before, but I didn't think much of it. I bet they're allying. Why wouldn't they ask me to ally?
It's because they don't know me.
I don't expect them to know me, either. If they did, the whole job would be found it. That's the point of it – to be lucrative. To do the job under the table and to not get caught. Perhaps that could be my strategy in the Games; to do everything slyly and not get caught.
That's only if I had to kill, though. I don't really have any qualms about it, yet at the same time, I feel like when it really came down to it, I'd probably just pack and run. There's no point in killing carelessly, is there?
I mean, for some, it's inevitable. At least some tributes have a chance fighting me. Like the Careers, they'll survive. I'll survive, for sure. Maybe some others will, but what do I know?
I'm only the misfit girl from Three who no one wants to ally with.
It doesn't seem that bad, anyway. To go into the Games alone, that is. It'd make for an easier ending, one where I don't have to watch an ally die or have to kill them to win. I am definitely not one for betrayal; with my job, you have trust others and they have to be able to trust you.
We work together.
We don't let one another down.
We get the job done, splitting the profit between whoever participated in it. It's like an alliance, in a way. Where we work together, keep together alive, and help each other out. Maybe an alliance would be good in that aspect, then.
But, now, I just have to find someone who will ally with me.
How hard could it be?
I have a bunch of options.
There has to be someone who would ally with me.
I'm not that weird.
Author's Note:
Okay, two updates in the matter of two days. This week, though, there won't be any. I have Spring Break next week and I don't do anything, so, that's when there will be a lot of updates. Get ready for that week!
Well, there you have it; Training Day One!
What tributes stood out to you?
And that personal question.
If you were a tribute in training, what would you work with the most?