Chapter Fifteen.
Private Sessions/Training Scores.
Aidan Lainell; 18 years old.
District One Male.
Could it get any worse? Aidan wasn't truly sure.
After the third day of training was over, all twenty-four tributes had been called to a small room, where they were supposed to wait for their name to be called. With every passing second, Aidan grew more nervous. You have it in you, he kept telling himself, but the feeling in the pit of his stomach wouldn't go away. There were so many possibilities, and so many things that could go wrong. He had made it this far, but at this point, the real Game was about to begin.
One bad step, and it would all be over. One bad step and everything that Aidan fought for would be gone in a matter of seconds. Shaking his head, Aidan turned over to his fellow Careers, hoping to distract himself. It wasn't easy, at all. Sadie had taken the role of the leader for herself, and even if he respected her for that, he couldn't agree with the fight that she had started with Jasko, the moment that the two of them had seen each other for the first time.
Back home, Aidan would have laughed, and told them to get a room. But there, it was different. They were in the Hunger Games, and the second that Sadie and Jasko clashed their swords, the Career alliance would be gone. I have to keep them together. I have to keep Sadie and Jasko from killing each other, until the right moment.
A hundred thoughts passed Aidan's mind, and for a moment, he almost shaked them away but he couldn't.. Not there, not when his life was at risk. For the first time in his life, he had to do what was right for him, and not what was right. He was supposed to be Aidan Lainell, the big and strong volunteer from District One, ready to kill and slay whoever was ahead of him. Instead he was Aidan Lainell, the boy from the District One, torn between doing the right thing and what would be right for him.
All the children around him, they would have to die. Either slayed by his hand, or any of his fellow allies, they would die. And in the end, the last one left, would pay the ultimate price. Aidan was willing to pay that price, or at least, part of him was. The part that would gladly do anything to have Idaline back in his arms, or to be able to fight with wooden swords with Daniel, or even kiss Cordelia goodnight.
But it was the Hunger Games, and he would have to use a real sword and not a wooden one.
It was Jasko that finally broke the silence between the Career pack, a few seconds before their names were starting to be called. "You're obviously giving a lot of thought to what you're going to do in your session, man. I wouldn't be suprised if you a better score than the lovely Sadie over there, who's doing nothing but talking." When Aidan only shrugged, Jasko leaned back on the wall behind him, that contente grin on his face.
Sadie didn't even look at him when she answered. "Why should I be giving any thought to it? I already know what I'm going to do, thank you very much, and I also know that I will get the best score." With that, she continued her chat with Alexa and Tiena, not even considering that Aidan and Jasko were also part of the alliance, even if they weren't girls.
"I'll prove her wrong," Jasko whispered, leaning closer to Aidan. "I will get the best score, and then, I'll remind her of it all the way to the arena." Aidan couldn't truly understand Jasko's obsession with proving Sadie wrong, but for all he knew, it could be part of a strategy.
"I think we should all do our best," Aidan replied, shifting closer to the girls, and away from Jasko. But Aidan changed his mind very quickly. What would be the harm of having someone to watch his back? "But hey, it wouldn't hurt to show them who's in charge."
Jasko grinned, but Aidan could see that the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I knew I could count on you, buddy." Aidan smiled back, but everything about that smile was fake. Lying always came easily to Aidan, and right there, it could be his biggest strenght. Jasko opened his mouth to say something, but the speaker got there first.
"District One. Alexa Cadwell, report for individual assessment." Finally. When Alexa was finished, it would be his turn. Aidan grinned to himself, as the feeling in the pit of his stomach finally disappeared. His district partner walked by him a second later, and Aidan only had the time to wish her good luck before the wooden doors closed behind her.
Five minutes passed. Ten, Fifteen, until all that Aidan could do was breath in relief, when the wooden slided back open, and Alexa appeared. She sat down next to Sadie and Tiena, and before Aidan could ask her how it went, the speakers turned back on. "District One. Aidan Lainell, report for individual assessment."
Jasko clapped him in the back, wishing him good luck, while Sadie glared at him. She didn't need to speak, because Aidan already knew what that glare was supposed to say. Do your best. Get a good score. Make the alliance proud.
When the wooden doors closed behind him, Aidan noticed that the training center was different than the one they had trained in, for the last three days. This one was smaller, and while the weapon stations remained intact, some of the smaller survival stations had been removed.
"Aidan Lainell, from District One." The Head Gamemaker, all dressed in purple from head to toe, nodded and waved his hand. "You have fifteen minutes to presente your chosen skill, Mr. Lainell. You may begin."
While he walked over to the archery station, Aidan got an idea. The crossbow was his weapon of choice, and it would always be. But he had been using it for the past three days, more than he should and surely, the Gamemakers had seen it using it. What score would they give him for something that was so expected? An eight or a nine, at least. Choose them something you're not too used to.
After all, the Hunger Games were all about that, for Aidan. About testing his limits, and prove, mostly to himself, that he's capable of greater things. That once he was Aidan Lainell, the Victor, no one would be able to stop him from getting what he wanted.
With the clock ticking down, Aidan picked up a regular bow, and a quiver. He wasn't too used to a normal bow, but surely, it couldn't be that different from his crossbow. In the arena, he would get his crossbow, and do what he did best. But right there, he was stuck with that bow.
Game on. While he attached the arrow to the bow string, Aidan picked his target. A dummy, a few meters away from him, that would be harder to take out than the ones closer to him. Aidan shaked his head. He was a Career, and Careers were meant to be made of iron and steel, not afraid of anything. Aidan raised the bow, aiming for the heart, drew the string back and released the arrow.
A clean shot to the heart. It would be enough to kill someone, if the dummy was a real person, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough because the Gamemakers would always want more. They would want a show, and if Aidan couldn't give it to them, he didn't deserve to be a Victor. He released arrow after arrow, knocking dummy after dummy to the ground, until the clock was a few seconds away from ticking down to zero.
The last dummy went down with an arrow to the head.
When the clock reached zero, the Head Gamemaker turned to Aidan. "Very well, Mr. Lainell, you may go." Aidan placed the bow back on its station, and with a final look at the Gamemakers, marched away. Alexa, Sadie, Tiena and Jasko were all waiting for him, eager looks in their faces. "How did it go?" Sadie asked.
"Pretty well. I used some arrows, and well, they looked happy at the end." Sadie frowned, considered his answer, and nodded.
"District Two. Sadie Ariste, report for individual assessment." Sadie jumped to her feet, her previous frown already gone, a confident smirk in its place. "Here I go."
Jasko grabbed her wrist when she passed by him. "Good luck, doll. I'm sure they'll give you an extra point or two if you take off your clothes while you perform."
Sadie cringed, releasing her wrist from his grasp, and walking away to the training center. "You wish." This time, Aidan couldn't do much but laugh. In less than a week, they would be in the Games. But what was the harm of laughing a little?
Aidan hated to be serious.
But in the Games, if he wanted to win, it was all he would have to be.
It wasn't a time for jokes, not anymore.
Amaryllis Carmellia; 16 years old.
District Twelve Female.
Her life had gone from heaven to hell.
Sitting next to her district partner and fellow ally, Amaryllis was doing everything that she could to stop herself from exploding. The tributes had come and gone, but District Twelve was always last. She had to wait, and Amaryllis Carmellia absolutely loathed when she had to wait for something. Back home, she would have gotten whatever she wanted in the second that she thought of it.
Get over it. You're no one in here, and you have to wait. Simple as that.
Had the Games taken everything from her? They had taken her perfect life, the one that she had build for herself, and destroyed it. But they wouldn't take what little remained of the old Amaryllis Carmellia, no, she wouldn't let that happen. She was still Amaryllis Carmellia, the light of District Twelve. And if she did, what would District Twelve become without its light?
She didn't want to know. Fuck District Twelve, all that mattered was her. Amaryllis had once promised to herself that if she had to kill every single soul in District Twelve, to make sure that she lived, then she would do it. There was a part of her, a very small part for that matter, that didn't want to kill Tyson. He was her district partner, and when she had needed it the most, he had reminded her of who she truly was.
Amy had to ignore that moment. No matter how hard it tried to cling to her memory, she pushed it away, with every bit of strenght that she had. Because, for the first time in her life, it was the other way around. She had needed someone, and Tyson was there for her. He had remained her of the code that Amy had lived for her whole life, and most of all, he had reminded her of the role that she played in there.
She could kill him, when the time came. If it ever came down to the choice between herself and Tyson, Amy's answer would always be herself. But until then, she could use him. People were so easy to manipulate, and Amy had always know that. They were puppets, and the only thing that she needed to do to move their strings, was to figure out what he truly wanted.
After that, he would fall at her feet. All of them did, after a while. The fact that her name was Amaryllis Carmellia was enough to make them fall, but never enough to make them get up. She made it all better for them, though. She raised them up, made them and shaped them up to be whoever they were today, and did what they couldn't do.
She was a good girl. But, being a good girl had gotten her there, in the Hunger Games. Maybe it was finally time to start exploring the other parts of herself, the ones that she didn't knew it. Maybe it was time to become someone else.
"District Ten. Leila Rorie, report for individual assessment." The red-head got to her feet, waved goodbye to her district partner, and soon disappeared behind the wooden doors. Good, that was good. Three more, and it would be her time to go.
None of them mattered to her. Not even her allies, not even Tyson and Niamh mattered anything. All Amy saw when she looked at them were the people of District Twelve. No one but her mattered.
Image was the most important thing around there. It had been like that, since Amy cold remembre, but in here, it was precious. A good training score, a good interview, could mean the difference between life and death. Her life and her death.
That was why she had to control herself. What happened when her name was called... it couldn't happen again, not if she wanted to live. Yes, there was a part of her that deeply scared. For Christ's sake, she was human. When the escort had called her name, Amaryllis' world had crumbled to the ground and that part had taken over.
But that couldn't happen again. Not if she wanted to make it home in one piece, and not in a wooden coffin. If she lost control, then what would she have? The answer was simple. Nothing.
But first, before she had to think of the Games... there was work to be done. "District Ten. Coulter Xenophon, report for individual assessment."
"Two more, yeah? What are you planning on doing?" Tyson's voice broke her train of thoughts, and for a second, Amy was about to roll her eyes at him. But then, she remembered. Play with him, like the way you played every boy back home. This isn't District Twelve anymore, and you don't have to pretend to be good anymore.
Pretend. Somehow, it was always the key word.
"I don't know, maybe throw some knives? I'm awful with those, and I doubt they'll be very awake to see us at this point so." A sympathetic smile crossed Tyson's face, and Amaryllis knew that she was doing the right thing. The right thing for her, like always.
"You're not awful. You have pretty good aim, and I bet that if it came down to it, you could do it. More than I could, anyway." Oh sweetheart, you have no idea.
"Well, District Twelve is already considered awful. I bet we can't make our reputation much worse, but Tyson, we're still here. Image is everything, and I think that if we get a decent score and an amazing interview, we can do it." Amy covered his hand with hers, and a few seconds later, Tyson blushed deep red and leaned away from her.
Oh yes, there was still some of the old Amaryllis left in there. She just had to finally bring it back, no matter what.
"District Eleven. Bastian Steppes, report for individual assessment."
"See?" Tyson laughed, but Amy noticed that the blush hadn't disappeared from his cheeks. God, I even impress myself sometimes. "One more, and then you can go. Use the knives, and make sure they notice you. If they don't, scream or something. You're quite good at making an impression."
Yes, yes, I am.
"District Twelve. Amaryllis Carmellia, report for individual assessment." This was it. The time to introduce them to the real Amaryllis Carmellia, who surely wasn't the scared little girl in the reapings. She was someone that was so much stronger than that.
Someone truly different.
"Good luck, Amy. Kick their ass." She glared at him, but the for the first time, she didn't say anything. If he wanted to call her Amy, then so be it. She had more important things to care about. When the doors closed behind her, Amy smiled.
She couldn't let them see her in any other way. Smiles had gotten her to the very top back home, and with a little bit of help from her lovely district partner, they could do the exact same thing in the Capitol.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Amaryllis Carmellia, from District Twelve. Do me a favor, though? Ignore my district. I can promise you that my name will be the only thing you remember after I'm done here." The Gamemaker waved a hand, but Amy wasn't no fool. She could understand when she was being completely ignored.
"You have ten minutes to present your chosen skill, Miss Carmellia. You may begin." Behind him, the clock start to tick down to zero. Walking over to the knives, Amy decided to work with a large one. Usually, the stiletto would do just fine for her. But today, it was about proving something to herself.
The knife felt natural in her hand. Time to work, Amy. Using all the strenght that she had in her arm, Amaryllis pulled the knife back, and then stabbed the dummy on the head, with every bit of strenght that she had. The blade disappeared into the neck, and came out throught the other side.
That was when she felt it. From her toes to her fingertips, it was surely something new, but it told Amy that she was doing the right thing. That was finally doing something, anything at all, to make it home. She would make it home, as the Victor of the Seventy Second Hunger Games. After that, she saw nothing else ahead of her.
Her vision turned red, and Amy brought down the knife, time after time after time. The face of the dummy morphed into Tyson, her mother, her friends, her fellow tributes. She was the only thing that mattered. She had always been, but right there, Amy was sure of what she truly had to do.
Let them all die, for all I care. I'm the only one that truly matters.
She stabbed the dummy on the chest, on the legs, arms and heart countless times, and it was only when the floor around her was nothing but a mess of red cotton, that she stopped.
The clock was almost ticking down to zero. But no, she wasn't done yet.
Climbing on the dummy's back, Amaryllis brougth her knife down one more time. It wasn't that hard for her anymore. The knife was a part of her hand, just like it would always be in the arena, or even when she made it back home. The head fell down with a loud thump, and it was only then that Amaryllis noticed what she had done.
The dummy was on the ground, the head kicked aside, lying on a mess of cotton and red feathers. It was completely destroyed, save for the red spot that had once marked the heart, because it was there to remind her of something.
God, it felt good, knowing who she truly was. She smirked at the Gamemakers, placed the knife back on the shelf, bowed, and walked out.
Would that be enough to get a good score? Surely.
But finally knowing who she truly was truly amazing. To win, she could still be Amaryllis Carmellia, but she had a whole new one.
The Game was only at the beggining.
Amina Conlan; 17 years old.
District Eleven Female.
They were almost there.
Bastian was lying on the couch, legs occupying nearly half of the couch. Seeder and Chaff had tried to make it get up, but it was helpless. Bastian did whatever he wanted to do, and fuck what anyone else thought. Sometimes, Amina wished that she could be exactly like him. Bold, wild but most of all, not caring about anyone's opinions.
She was always taught that opinions mattered, and if she wanted to be a proper lady, she had to listen to what other people had to say. It was important to know what others thought of you, and with that, you should be able to be a better person. Be a proper lady to her family, and a wife to whoever she ended up marrying.
But right now.. Right there, in the Hunger Games, did it truly matter? Everyone hated her in there, that was for sure. Maybe not hate, because the Hunger Games weren't a place for hate or love, they were a place for survival. Maybe there was a part of her that was wrong all along, by thinking that it was the right thing to do.
Maybe.
When they all sat down on the couch, Amina between Bastian and Seeder, there was silence. Amina tapped her fingers gainst her leg, waiting, doing everything she could to take her mind out of what came next. Maybe, if they were talking, it could be different. It could distract her from thinking about the scores.
"They're not that important, you know." Seeder, as always, seemed to know whatever was going through Amina's mind. Perhaps, she had been mentoring for too long, and the tributes were too predictable. Fear about this, fear about that.
"People won't sponsor us if we don't get a good score," Amina replied. "And sponsor gifts can make the difference between life or death in the arena, isn't it?"
"It's not like they're lining up to sponsor us already. The stupid rich kids from One, Two and Four are all they care about." Amina wondered why her district partner hated Careers so much, but she never got the chance to ask. In training, all that Bastian did was stare at them, and curse his luck for ending up in that place.
"Why do you hate them so much? I mean, I know it's bad that they already have an advantage. But if you try to go after them once we're in, where do you think that will get you?" Bastian only shrugged.
"Home," He replied. "And I would get the world ridden of a few rich white kids. I mean, it's not like anyone would miss them, anyway. There's plenty of white litte shits in the world."
"Killed, boy. Going after the Careers will get you killed, no matter who you are or where you come from." Lifting the stump on his right arm, Chaff drank another bit from his bottle. "Where do you think I got this?"
"The girl from District One," The words were out of Amina's mouth before she could help it. "You faced her in the finale of your Games, and she managed to cut your hand out, but you got her first."
Amina liked Chaff. Seeder was pretty nice too, the kind of person that her mother would get along very well with, but Amina liked Chaff and most of all, she respected him. Even without an hand, he managed to become a Victor. A survivor, most of all. And that was exactly what Amina wanted to be and what she needed to be, if she was ever making it home.
"And you know why?" Chaff inquired. "I was faster than her, and quicker. But I made it to that point, because I stayed away from the Careers. They killed, and people killed them, but I was away from all of that. That's why I won."
"Careers are the worst people to ever walk on this earth. They're pompous, they're arrogant, and they think that everything and everyone belongs to them. I'll tell you this: If I ever get the chance to kill one of them, don't doubt that I'll do it." Chaff looked like he was about to lose his patience with Bastian, and he surely deserve it.
"Listen, boy, if you think I'll-" The television rapidly flashed on, cutting Chaff off. He sighed, and sat back down on the couch, next to Seeder. This year, Caesar Flickerman's hair was dyed pink, in honor of the Seventy-Second Hunger Games.
"Welcome, welcome, beloved citzens and welcome back to the Seventy-Second Hunger Games!" Caesar's smile was anything but genuine, but Amina ignored it. A few seconds later, she would know what she got for a training score. "As you know, the tributes are ranked on a scale from one to twelve, after three days of careful evalution. Without anymore delay, here are the training scores!"
The District One girl appears behind Caesar, arms crossed over her chest. She was pretty beautiful, with dark hair and eyes, and lightly tanned skin. "From District One, Alexa Cadwell with a score of nine." To Amina's left, Bastian cringed. What was he expecting, anyway? They are Careers, of course they are going to get a good score. Idiot.
The girl was quickly replaiced with her district partner, a tall boy with a crooked smile. Amina remembered him, from training. The girls had sticked together, while that boy and the one from Four had trained together. "From District One, Aidan Lainell with a score of nine." Both of them matched, then.
"Both of them are threats. They might not be leading the pack, but I would advice the two of you to stay away from them." Suprisingly enough, Bastian didn't comment on that.
Aidan morphed into the mean-looking girl from District Two. She was the leader, from what Amina had noticed. "From District Two, Sadie Ariste with a score of ten." District Two was always stronger than One or Four, in most Games. Some people said that they played with knives before they could walk.
The older boy replaced his district partner. He was the one that had been kicked out of the Careers, probably. "From District Two, Nikolai Faustus with a score of four."
"He probably didn't train," Seeder observed. "Will be easier to take him him out, but still, he's a threat." When the first non-Career district appeared, Amina watched Bastian relax.
The girl from Three was smiling, but it wasn't a normal smile. It was weird, and also had an haunting part to it. Almost... almost as if she was happy to be there. "From District Three, Nerinea Aravis with a score of four."
Amina would be happy with a five. Of course she wanted more, but a 5 would be good. A decent score.
"From District Three, Blaine Parker with a score of three." A low score, and he looked a lot stronger than Amina. If he could only get a three, why couldn't Amina get more?
When the last Career District appeared, Amina leaned back on the couch. Two more scores, and she could ignore Bastian whining about how much he hated the Careers. It was starting to be annoying. "From District Four, Tiena Pensiere with a score of ten." Yes, the girls were clearly stronger than the boys.
"I bet you and I could take her," Bastian whispered to Amina, leaning in closer to her. "You hold her down, and I rip her pretty little throat out. What do you say?" Amina ignored him. "From District Four, Jasko Quinn with a score of nine."
Three nines, and two tens. Could be worse, but could also be better. "From District Five, Katarina Morellee with a score of five." The average score seemed to be a five, then. I can do it, I can. I'll get a five.
"From District Five, Kaneki Idris with a score of two." The only loner got the lowest score, as it was expected. The little boy from Seven was predicted as a 24th place, but maybe, this boy would end up stealing his prediction.
"District Six, Ryella Duval with a score of six."
"Also from District Six, Preston Hewitt matching his district partner, with a score of six." Both of them looked strong, but a six was a good score. A steady score, that would surely get them sponsors.
"From District Seven, we have Sedna Orwell with a score of three, and Hex Fillian with a matching score of three. Seems like we have another pair matching, folks!" Three more. Eight, Nine, Ten.
"District Eight! We have the lovely Brooke Devoir with a respectable four, and her district partner with a two. Not so great, but it's still a respectable score!"
"From District Nine, we have Niam Gregora with a score of seven, and Oliver Craddocks with a score of five." One more. District Ten, and then Amina would know her score.
"District Ten! Leila Rorie with a score of five, and Coulter Xenophon with a score of three."
Now. "And from District Eleven, we have Amina Conlan with a score of five." A five. She actually managed to get a five. After training so much, she had gotten a five. Seeder patted her in the back. "It's a good score, Amina. We can work with that." "Bastian Steppes, with a score of three." None of them had the time to do anything before Bastian stormed out of the room, cursing to himself.
"Last but not least, from District Twelve, we have Amaryllis Carmellia with a score of five, and Tyson Moretta with a score of five." Ceasar placed the paper that contained the scores down, and winked. "And that's it for today. Tomorrow, we meet our lovely tributes!" The television turned off, and Caesar disappeared.
She had gotten a five. If she had her score, she could do anything.
She could go home.
A/N: Yes... I know. This is fast, but yeah, I'm sorry. I know that it might be hard for people to catch up and I'm truly sorry, but I have a reason for updating so fast. I want to get the Capitol done before September (and before school), so I won't have that much work when school comes. Thank you for all the support, though, all the reviews are very much appreciated. (And make write even faster than this.) xD
The scores are also in the blog. Let me know if any of them suprised you!
Okay, so we're done with the scores and the private sessions. Next up, we have the interviews, the launch and guess what? The Games! xD I can't absolutely wait.
See you soon!