Sorry it's short! Please review!
The Training Centre (Part Three)
When I woke up I ordered breakfast to my room, not wanting to do a repeat of yesterday. Theo can just tell me what Alexandria said about the plan. I had woken up slightly early, and ran myself a bath. I asked for a few candles and lit them by the side of the poolside bath. I then soaked in the bubbles with the soft burning aroma of beeswax around me while I tucked into chocolate pancakes.
And I contemplated on my plan for today. I was going to be impressive. I was going to be bold. I was going to make an impression.
So far, I hadn't really shown any skills except for the sword fighting, and Theo was much better when he went after me. I had played my part in being deceiving, not letting on about any abilities I may have or any skills with weaponry, and yet I had worked myself into becoming leader and got four victims under my belt.
Well today that was all going to change.
I walked down to training alone, which was weird because I'm so used to Theo's presence by now. It was Atala again today and she basically told us the same as yesterday, apart from it was all weaponry today and not survival skills. Something I wasn't disappointed about.
I went to the bow and arrow section first, and ignored the training instructor. After a flurry of volleys and all of them hitting the bulls eye the stream of compliments from the instructor wouldn't stop until I snarled and insulted him until he left me alone.
I practiced for just a little bit, knowing my aim was near perfect but getting used to the Capitol issue weaponry.
I then moved easily onto maces and axes. I didn't used to be very skilled at these weapons due to my skinny frame, despite me being so tall, but now with the added strength from my new ability I thought I would give them another go.
I grab a mace and head towards the stimulations. Before I can even prepare myself, animated figures come charging at me. I decided to do a few acrobatic type moves and I slammed the mace in the ground, and flipped over the mace, like a cartwheel, and slammed the mace into one top of the enemies' heads. He dissolved. I barely had time to turn around before one was upon me, and I swing it with such power down his side that he dissolves â something that wouldn't have been a death hit. Without stopping, I leaped to the side and crushed the whole left side of one of the enemies. I then went round and round, flipping my body in all directions, destroying all of the dummies, no stop for breath or hesitation. There was no pattern or correlation with each attack; I just had to be prepared.
By the time I had finished I was exhausted and covered in my new weird sweat. The system shut down and I left the area, surprised to find my allies watching appreciatively. I do a bow to cover up how out of breath I am. That was a work out and a half. Moving figures coming at you was a bit more difficult than dummies in the Training Centre in 2. But I had won the trials, so I was prepared for the games.
I then head over to the station that I know has been calling me since the day we first started training. I stride over towards the rack, and admire the array of knives with a morbid fascination. They were all deadly looking and wicked sharp, with ivory handles made of a tusk or some sort of bone. I gear up, strapping on a knife belt and filling it to the brim. The knives are heavy, and the belt sags off my hips to I have to tighten it around my waist â something I'm not used to as I will have to reach higher in order to get my weapons.
I stride over to a free stimulus and set it to knife throwing. Difficulty â advanced.
The room shuts down and the familiar programme begins.
Except the one with the mace was child's play.
I was a relentless, ruthless killing machine. I let loose knives faster than you could speak; I killed quicker than you could gasp. I was an unstoppable force.
I barely had to think about it, it had become such a second nature to me. Each throw was a kill spot. Heart. Head. Throat. Throat. Head. Head. Head. And when I ran out of knives I didn't stop. I ran to where they all lay, where they had destroyed one computerised enemy after another. Knowing that the stimulation wouldn't stop to let me retrieve my weapons I threw one as I moved onto the next, barely looking up and sensing where the enemies would come. I covered my blind spots; I became a miniature whirlwind of death. My hair twisted around me furiously, but never once got into my eyes or became a nuisance, like it was on my side, working to stay out of my eyes. My body moved faster and more fluidly than ever, when I did risky tricks and moves that may not have a high success rate usually succeeded completely with my new genetic alterations. I was unstoppable.
The stimulation finished and the only sound was the harsh rasp of my breath. I had taken them all down. All the stimulations. The lights came back on and I look with surprise to see most of the tributes staring at me with shock. None of them expected that. I looked down at my arms and saw to my horror that they were covered in the glittery scales that I kept hidden under my clothes.
And then my mind went back to the info pack. "Skin hardens up and becomes converged in scales when in danger, full of adrenaline and is moved against in an aggressive manner." Ah fuck.
I slowly gather up all the discarded knives and lovingly place them back into my belt. I then stride over towards the panel with my score and improvements on.
And it said nothing. Nothing but "100% kill rate" which I was happy to boast about later to a fuming Iowan.
Thankfully the scales had all retreated by the time lunch was served.
After lunch I headed back down towards the private training session, which included much of the same as yesterday. Due to it being our final session together, a fact I wasn't disappointed about, Decimus said he had something special planned afterwards.
We practiced on my ability to control water at first again, alongside with practicing on mastering my mind. I wasn't allowed to let any stay thoughts interfere with the task at hand.
We fought with two dulled swords while I had to keep a steady stream of water swirl around us in a distinct pattern. And if I didn't win both tasks, I would get a punch and we would repeat.
After 5 hours of this I was literally dead on my feet, despite the water rejuvenations. Decimus ignored my protests and marched me back to my floor, ignoring the awed looks from the Capitolites in my team, and threw me into my bedroom.
He let me have a ten minute nap on the floor while he ran my bath. He woke me up by kicking me in the butt.
He then unceremoniously dumped me into my pool/bath and held me under.
Fully awake now, I was panicking. Was he trying to drown me? I thought as water flooded into my mouth and nose as I struggled to scream.
When the breath finally left my lungs I realised something. I wasn't dead.
It was then that I realised that I was breathing. But it wasn't the normal sort of breathing I was used to. This included gills on the side of my neck. The ice cold water, as Decimus hadn't even bothered to run the warm tap, made me shiver uncontrollably. I opened my eyes and found I could see clearly under water, almost as clear as if I wasn't submerged.
I motion for Decimus to stop holding me down and I return to the surface. It takes a few seconds for me to be able to breathe normally again, but I'm awed at what I am able to do, despite it being unnatural and freaky.
I thank Decimus sincerely and he smiles at me, something I had no idea he could do. He promptly leaves, telling me he was betting on my death. But I know he has a soft spot for me. I tell him so on his way out and he just punches me.
I change out of my wet training gear into some shorts and a baggy black tshirt with a logo I don't recognise.
I hear Theo come back so I walk into his room and tell him I have gills. He looks a little repulsed at this.
"Well, now we have someone who can fish for us." He grins at me. I punch him. He then sets out some shot glasses and we take celebratory shots of vodka. Yep, he definitely has a drinking problem. We order hotdogs and doughnuts and ice cream and pie into Theo's room for dinner instead of joining the others.
Once we're drunk enough to talk about our feelings we lay on his bed top to tail with the lights off.
"Theo." I say, my head buzzing from the intoxication.
"Mmm?" He replies.
"Would we have been friends if we met under different circumstances?" I ask, almost fearing his answer.
He seems to ponder it for a while, lost in thought. "No." he says finally. "I think, if we had met at home, in District 2, we would've been much more than friends." And then he turns his body around so he is lying by my side and holds onto my hand tightly. I try to pull my hand away, but he just holds on tighter, tracing comforting spiral patterns on the back of my hand. The touch feels much more sensitive than anything I've ever felt and it sends shivers down my spine. "And I am so sorry I volunteered. If I hadn'tâĤ maybe we would've had a future." he says to me sadly. "But there isn't anything we can do to change what has happened. I am just glad to of met you, Olivia Bellona."
I don't have anything to say to that. Theo gives me a soft kiss on my cheek and we fall asleep in the dark, twisted in the blankets but touching only by holding hands.
That night I dreamt of funerals.