Training. That's today. I climb out of bed and yank up the covers. I open the small closet to find an outfit laid out for me. Simple, flexible. Perfect for training. I slip it on and pull on the boots. They fit perfectly.
Saria knocks on my door and leads me to the dining room, every bit as fancy as the train. The entire floor is. Breakfast is quiet, only Saria and Claudia eat with Rift and I. The stylists and prep teams we met last night haven't made an appearance since we came to the floor. Not that we did well in the chariot rides, silver sparkles were never much of a crowd pleaser anyway. Amber is nowhere to be seen.
After breakfast, Rift and I walk to the Training Center without a word to each other. The head trainer, Atala, discusses the rules of training, and releases us. I go for the more practical stations first, such as knot tying and first aid. Then I head for the plants, letting myself show a single skill.
Click! Click! Click! I quickly hit the buttons on the silver keyboard, selecting which plants and insects are safe to eat. Meal-worms, yes, katniss, yes, water hemlock, no. Not nightlock. Never nightlock. I finish the machine's test in record timing. Apparently the old record was set by someone from District 11 a few years back, a girl named Mirabella. I remember that she died in the bloodbath. That doesn't really give me hope. What's the point of practicing these skills if I won't have a chance to use them?
During every lunch, I eat alone, just as Claudia told me to.
I spend some time on the weapons, but only enough to get a feel of which ones I might be good at. I prefer the smaller weapons as opposed to sword or spears. I'm rather good at throwing a knife, but the instructor thinks I'm terrible. Shame she doesn't know that I'm not aiming for the center of the target. Dejection is easy to fake.
I use a dagger, too, and I'm decent with that. Again, I pretend to misaim to trick anyone watching me. A fan with blades hidden in the tip is a useful weapon, considering anyone in the arena might mistake it for only a token.
I'm actually rather good at using the fan, but I make sure that no one is around when I practice. Melee weapons isn't always a crowded station.
I get through the agility exercises as quickly as possible. I'm not the fastest one, but I do well. Climbing walls, rope ladders, and obstacle courses are new to me, but only in the sense of the actual equipment. I was fairly good at climbing to the roof back in 5, and dodging through the crowded market.
When it's time for my private session, I go back to the plant quizzing area. I go through a several times, getting high scores with a small range. Should that be enough? I want to get a mediocre score.
I'm dismissed as soon as I stand, and I return to the elevator.
"Rift, Fenna, you're next!" Saria exclaims. I nod, contemplating the other scores. High ones so far, all for the Careers. Three is fairly low, as usual.
"Rift Wire, with a score of six," Claudius Templesmith says, and our team applauds him.
"Well done!" Layla says. The rest of the groups nods approval, but Claudia gives me a nervous look. I told her what happened. She thought that it would hurt my score, mark me as a weak target. I'm about to find out.
"Fenna Whicks, with a score of five," Claudius continues. Saria gives me a nod, and Claudia a small smile. I have done well. Distracted the other tributes, even Rift. And he's right next to me. I grin despite my secret, but I can't help myself. I've done it. This is half of the games, completed.
I watch for a little while longer. The Careers had gotten the usual high scores, and everyone else fairly low. But a few stand out. Little Rue managed a seven, and Thresh a ten. Katniss got an eleven. That probably put her on the Careers' hit list. She outscored them.
"Fenna, Rift, go to bed," Saria orders. "You'll need lots of sleep for tomorrow. Coaching is an all day thing."
I agree. Although Claudia and I have already planned out my strategy, we'll still have to discuss the interviews.