Spruce Windstrong, 17
District 11 Male
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the stars of the show!" Chaff cheered as Ruby and I entered the dining room. I twisted my fingers nervously but tried for a smile. Chaff had been overly cheerful ever since we met, and I wasn't sure how to feel. Everybody I knew kept their heads down, worked hard, and never stepped out of line. Nobody had time to joke or laugh or have fun. That's just how it was. But here in the Capitol, there was an abundance of color and life. It just took death for me to see it.
A headache was forming already and I gulped down a glass of water as soon as I sat down. It must have been from not taking my pills. I didn't think I was going to be reaped, so I didn't bring them to the reaping. But I'd taken them every day for several years. Surely there would be side effects.
Scythe strutted into the room in her bathrobe, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. She sat down with a loud groan and turned to Ruby and I.
"Speaking of shows… your private sessions are this afternoon. You'll get to perform for the Gamemakers. Come up with something good. You have to impress them."
I took a bite of my honey-drizzled porridge and thought. I'd been working with spears, but compared to the girl from 4, I was awful. But Jonathan and Jeff didn't want to use weapons. If I did, would I stand out more?
"Want a little more?" Isis asked, gesturing to my plate. I looked down, not having realized I'd finished my bowl.
"Yes, please," I said. The Capitol food was helping me feel stronger already; I was sure of it. Maybe I didn't need the pills like I thought I did.
After breakfast, Isis ushered Ruby and I to the elevator. Ruby had a smile on her face, which I found impressive. She was always so cheerful, and I admired that. But it did make me worry. Why wasn't I like that? Why couldn't I be happy?
I thought I was. I thought providing for my family and keeping them strong made me happy. But after seeing the joy in Ruby's eyes when she chatted with Isis or the smile on Scythe's face as she worked on crossword puzzles, I was second-guessing myself. Was I truly happy?
And could I be? I was in the Hunger Games. It was very likely that I was going to die. But I wanted to die knowing I'd done good. Hopefully my mom would say that I had. She rarely complimented anyone these days, but I hoped she appreciated the work I did. I really wanted her to be okay.
I wanted Pina and Barkus and Resina to be okay. I wanted my dad to be okay; to keep going to his jenga game meetings after work. I wanted Pina to fall in love and I wanted Resina to finally hit her growth spurt. I wanted Barkus to take the protein pills I left behind and start working in my place, to support them all. I wanted them to be happy, even if I was gone.
Bellona "Billie" Silverrock, 17
District 2 Female
Private sessions were in just a few hours and my stomach was fluttering with nerves. At home, I always made an effort to stand out and make myself heard. But I had a reputation to back me up. Here, I was starting from scratch. I had to prove myself to people who didn't believe in what I could do all over again.
When I first started protesting, at the age of 12, a lot of people said I was wasting my time, or being too sensitive. I distinctly telling my elderly neighbors that if I had a voice, I was going to use it. The same principle applied here. I had a lot to offer, and I was going to make the Gamemakers see that.
My concern was more for the Pack as a whole. Adonis and Lumine were solid contenders as well as personable allies, but Mira was coarse and impolite and Marino wasn't trained. And Spartan scared me.
The hulking boy rarely spoke and disregarded pretty much all of Garrison's attempts to mentor him. He ate simple meals, didn't allow the avoxes to serve him, and was constantly looking at me as if I was worth nothing.
I'd gotten looks like that before, but Spartan's seemed to come from a place of true hatred, not disrespect. That was what scared me. Hate, I'd learned, was frighteningly powerful.
'And so is love', my brain reminded me. My love for all the Black girls out there was stronger than Spartan. Than Adonis. Than Mira.
Just then, the girl herself let out a growl of frustration. Shaken from my thoughts, I glanced over at her. The boy from 5 was cowering away from her as a trainer stepped in between them.
"No fighting amongst each other," she lectured. Mira snarled.
"He's the one who whacked me," she snapped.
"I'm sorry," Rain grumbled. "It was an accident."
"Whatever." Mira threw her spear down and stalked towards the water fountains. She met my gaze as she passed and curled her lip.
"What are you staring at?" she spat.
"I got startled by the noise, that's all," I said coolly. Mira watched me for another moment before continuing to the fountains. I let my shoulders relax and let out a breath. One of my main goals going into the arena was to avoid making any enemies. Mira was making that hard. I had nothing against her, but she seemed to have something against everyone.
Walking over to the melee weapon station and picking up a mace, I let the heavy weight of spiked metal settle me. Getting a good grip, I swung up, nearly knocking a dummy's head off. Then I brought the weapon crashing down on its shoulder before moving on to the identical foam figure beside it.
I whacked and slammed my way down the line of dummies, the familiarity of the motions driving all thoughts of hatred and rivalries from my mind. I was ready to dominate.
Ebony Chaste, 18
District 7 Female
"Ugh," I groaned. I'd been working with scythes all morning and I was surprised at how sore I was. I thought I was in good shape, but clearly I wasn't as fit as I'd hoped. The trainer was also being a pain; questioning my choice of weapon and critiquing little details that wouldn't matter all that much. I knew a scythe was an obscure weapon that rarely showed up in the Cornucopia. But it looked super cool, and didn't I deserve to have a little fun?
"Lead with your right foot," the trainer snapped and I rolled my eyes as dramatically as possible. However, he remained unimpressed. I changed my footing and swung the blade at him, catching the side of his knee before he could block the blow. I smirked, but he shook his head disapprovingly.
"You need to keep your arms higher. Guard your chest. That always needs to stay protected."
I was about to bite back with a scathing when the bell rang out, signaling that it was time for lunch. I tossed the trainer a wink and my weapon.
"Protect my heart. Got it."
"That's not what I said!" he called out, exasperated, but I was already walking away.
Lunch seemed to be mashed potatoes and some sort of meat slathered in gravy. My stomach rumbled as I joined the line. An avox served me a heaping plate and I thanked them before joining Winona and the rest of our alliance at a table.
There were seven of us, and the table were designed for six, so some of us were always squished at one side. Today it was poor Victor, squeezed between Jackson and Evelyne.
"So, I hate to be that guy, but do we actually have a plan for the bloodbath?" Jackson asked once everyone was settled. We all looked at Winona.
"We send the fast people in and the strong people out," she said. "Ronald, Kerra and I can hold people off while the rest of you get weapons and keep people from entering the Cornucopia."
"Can you all really hold off a Career?" Evelyne asked, a bite of mashed potatoes halfway to her mouth.
"I can," Ronald bragged, sending a glare in the direction of the Career's table. "No problem at all."
"It's worth trying," Kerra said. "There's more of us than them and if we get to the weapons first, they'll be easier targets."
Using my fork, I traced shapes in the gravy on my plate and nodded along. I felt as if I'd kept up a pretty good facade during these lunch meetings, and throughout training, but the truth was that I was scared. The Hunger Games always felt so distant, even though I'd interact with the victors on occasion. In my mind, they were just rich and lonely, and in some cases, eccentric. They weren't survivors of a death match.
But I also knew that I was ready to become one of them. It might not have been by choice this time, but I'd done plenty of crazy and reckless things, and this was just another one. I could do this. I had solid allies, half-decent skills, and a lot of fans. It would be chaotic as hell, but I was ready to take it on.
Hi everyone! A little bit of a shorter chapter, since I am feeling yucky from my new meds, but I still wanted to write. It's the final training chapter, and plans are being finalized. And people are also coming to terms with the impending Games.
Questions:
1) Whose POV was your favorite?
2) Who's going to cope with the bloodbath best? Worst?
3) Will Winona's alliance be successful?
Alliances
The Careers:
- Adonis
- Lumine
- Billie
- Mira
- Marino
Winona's Bunch:
- Evelyne
- Winona
- Ronald
- Jackson
- Ebony
- Kerra
- Victor
Manipulation Station:
- Hugo
- Zeppelina
- Vasir
- Ruby
The Family Men:
- Jeff
- Spruce
- Jonathan
Loners:
- Spartan
- Rain
- Ada
- Juliana
- Beria
Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!
- Fiona