I throw the knife forward, going of target on purpose. I found that knife throwing is similar to axe throwing. I have been here for an hour now, since training started. Alex and I came up with the plan that she would ask 11 and I will ask 3. Alex was a little wary about Oak joining but I told her that he will be a good asset and so she let him join us.
The boy from district 3, who I learnt is called Chip Stronghold, isn't here yet so I have been here waiting. He probably slept in like I did yesterday. I see the girl from 2 watching me closely. I pick up another knife and throw, going of course on purpose again. She scoffs before walking away. That gets her off of my back.
I then see Alex walking over to me with the boy from 11 behind her. "Hey Maple" she says with a smile. "This is Thorn from 11. He said yes" she says with excitement in her voice.
"Cool. Hi" I say as I hold out my hand. He takes it and smiles at me.
"Hi" he says before letting go. Oak joins us next and I smile at him.
"Hey Oak" I say and he smiles. "This is Alex and Thorn. Our other allies" I tell him.
"Hello" he says. I see a small blush on his cheeks as he looks at Alex. Awww, he has a crush on Alex.
"Hi kid" Thorn greets as he pats Oak on the shoulder. I then see the Chip from 3 leave the elevator yawning.
"I will be right back. Chip is here" I tell them before walking towards him. He stops as I stop in front of him. "Hi" I say while holding my hand out.
"Hello" he takes it, seeming confused. "What do you want?" he asks.
"To talk to you…somewhere quiet" I tell him. He scrunches his eyebrows together before nodding.
"OK" he says and se we both walk to the corner of the room.
"Right, I will just get straight to it" I tell him. "I have an alliance with Alex from six, Oak from my district and Thorn from 11. We are the anti-careers" I tell him. A small smile grows on his lips. "We want to take out the careers ealier on in the games" I say.
"And you want me?" he asks and I nod. "Why?"
"Because I have seen you set up snares and traps. You have a talent and we can use that" I reply.
"Ok, so what if I do join and we get to the final eight. What then?" he asks.
"If we get to the final eight, then we split. We will go our separate ways and hope that it won't come down to the five of us" I tell him. I can see him thinking about the idea and then he nods.
"Ok, I'm in. I want the careers out and it will give us outer district a chance for once" he says. I nod and smile. We make out way back to our group and Alex smiles when she sees Chip following me.
"He said yes" I tell her.
"No shit" she replies with a small laugh. "So it is us five. We are all good at something and we all want the careers dead" Alex says. She is a dark person, but if she is on our side then I am fine with it. "Now we need a plan for the bloodbath" she says.
"Get in and get out" Thorn says.
"If you can get out that is" Chip mutters.
"Also, if you see that one of us needs help, then help. We need all five of us to do this" I say. They all nod and we all smile.
At lunch Alex and I sit together as normal, but Oak, Thorn and Chip sit alone. "This could work" Alex says, "Us lower district will have a chance." Her excitement makes me smile. By doing this plan us underdogs have a chance to shine. For as long as can remember, a career has won.
"Glitz Vega, District One" a metallic voice says. I see Glitz get up, a giant grin on her face. That grin will be gone in a few days. I plan on it! The time passes and Chip goes in. He leaves with a smile on his face, and then it is time for Alex. I wish her good luck before she enters. She too leaves with a smile and then the boy from her district enters. When he leaves it is my turn.
"Maple Serena, District Seven" comes the voice. I look to Oak who nods at me and then to Thorn who smiles. I enter the training room and it seems so big without the tributes in it.
"Maple Serena?" the head gamemaker, Racko Gloryfin, asks.
"Yes" I reply. He nods and I make my way over to the axes. I take one and feel alive as it is in my hands. I feel like I am back in the woods again. I look to the target and close my eyes. This is it, I need this to go as good as it possibly can. I picture the woods back home. The sound of the wind blowing through the trees. The sound of the birds chirping above my head. I weigh the axe in my hands before I throw.
I open my eyes as it flies through the air. I smile as it lunges into the head of the dummy. I take another two and run forward. I slice at the dummy and the axe in my right hand takes of the head and the other slices of both of the legs.
I turn and plunge an axe into the chest of another dummy and then turn and cut another dummy in half at the waist level. I feel alive with adrenaline pumping through my veins. I then walk over to the knives and take a handful. I throw and each one strikes the targets in the most vital areas of the body. The eye sockets, the throats, the chest and the artery in the leg that if cut you will bleed to death.
I turn to the peacekeeper's who are looking at me like I am some crazed mental patient. "That would be all" Racko says as he looks at me with a raised eye brow. I know by that look that I have done the best I could. Now to wait for the scores.
I step out of the elevator and see Andre there, "District three and eleven aswel" he almost shouts.
"Yeh, so what" I reply.
"So what? You are playing a dangerous game here Maple" he says.
"I know what I am doing" I reply, starting to get frustrated.
"And what is that?" he asks. I can't tell him the plan because he will talk me out of it.
"None of your business" I shout back at him.
"I am your mentor. How the hell am I supposed to help you and Oak in the arena if I have no idea what is going on?" he shouts back.
"You will see in the arena what our plan is. But until then BACK OFF!" I shout in his face. He seems startled. I am no longer the scared young lady that I was when I stepped on the train. The games have already changed me before they have even begun and I can feel it to.
I charge pass him and go into my room. "EEEUUUURRRGGGHHHH!" I scream, getting more pissed off by the second. I grab the weird looking remote and flick the television on. It has Caesar Flickerman, who is ancient, and Claudius Templesmith, who is also ancient, talking.
"Well Caesar, what do you have to say about alliances this year? Can you see any going on?" Claudius asks.
"Well there are the tributes from one, two and four as always. They have also accepted two others which is very surprising. Also, there is word of another alliance. I am not saying who they are but some of the other tributes better look out" Caesar replies.
"Yes they should" I mutter under my breath. I flip of the television and decide to shower. I change into a green shirt and a pair of black jeans before going into the living area. I see that Andre, Oak, Darius, Verenia and Merinetta sitting around.
"Darling" Darius greets me and he walks over to me and hugs me. He no longer has the effect on me that he did have. He actually makes me feel sick with that capitol accent. His eyes no longer get me lost in them. I hug back for courtesy, but it is nothing more.
"Come and sit. They are about to reveal the scores" Merinetta says. I take and seat and Oak smiles at me which I return. Andre hasn't looked at me once since I came out to sit with them. I cross my arms over my chest before looking at the screen.
The anthem plays and the Capitol seal appears before Caesar shows up. "Good evening Panem and welcome to the revealing of the scores" he says. A crowd can be heard cheering but then they are silenced. "Now to those scores…"
The careers get a ranged between 9-11. Chip gets a 7 and the Micro gets a 3. I feel a pang of pity hit me but push it away. The rest get a range between 3-8. Alex pulls of a 9 and it gets me wondering about what she done to get it. Then it is mine and Oak's turn. "Oak Chambers, seven" Caesar says.
"Well done" Merinetta shouts excitedly. I can see that none of them expected it.
"Maple Serena…TEN!" Caesar says and he even re-checks the score list.
"What!" Darius screeches out with joy. I am gobsmacked. Of course I was hoping for a high score, but a 10?!
"Well done" Merinetta shouts.
"Nice one" Andre actually speaks to me. I am too shocked to talk about it. A 10, a freaking 10. WOW! This is both good and bad. Good becuase tributes will know i am strong. Bad, becuase I will be a main target.
The scores carry on and Thorn gets an 8. While everyone eats I am still in shock. "Very well then. It seems you both have a good score. We now need to talk about tomorrow" Andre says.
"What about it?" I ask, and then I remember that the interviews will be tomorrow. After the interviews will be launch day. It has come round so fast.
"In the morning Oak will spend his time with me, talking about his angle for the interviews. You will spend it with Merinetta, working on your posture and stage presence" he replies. Joy, a whole morning with Merinetta.
After dinner I head straight to bed and fall asleep. Today has been a long day and I can't wait for it to be over. If I could skip the interview and head straight into the games then I would. But it seems very unlikely. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before falling into a deep slumber.
A/N: OMG! Maple has a dark side and it is showing. Do you think Alex has made her like this? Or is it the fact that she is going to have to kill other kids to get home? Only one way to find out...keep reading.
Also, I see that people are reading my fic, but i am not getting many reviews. I am not saying that I wont update every day still. It would just be nice to hear, or shall I say read, your thoughts on my fic. So please send me a small comment.