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Ranger Saladin
District 2, They/Them, 18
(Training Centre)
[6.02 AM]
...
The elevator door opens on our floor with a ding, it's almost full with the pairs from Five, Eight and Eleven crammed in. Felix and I manage to squeeze inside, the reasonable option would probably be to wait for the next elevator but I decided with Violet, my mentor, last night that it would be best to get to the Training Centre as early as possible to establish myself as a part of The Careers. She heard talk that Scylla and Quincy have not been getting along and I believe it's in my best interest to resolve that, a united Career alliance is ideal after all.
We come to a stop at Floor One and the doors open to Aisling and Robert, Felix moves back slightly - pushing against the pair from Eleven - and I follow his lead to make space for them. Aisling smiles in thanks and the two of them pack themselves in. Robert is pushed up against me and the uncomfortableness I feel makes me regret making room for the two of them. Luckily, it's over fairly quickly with the elevator flying down and landing at the Training Centre. The ten of us file out and begin to go our separate ways, besides Felix, Aisling, Robert and I who stick together as a group.
"Great, you're here," Scylla says with a clap, walking toward us.
"Where's Quincy?" Felix asks and Scylla rolls her eyes.
"Right here." A gruff voice says, causing Aisling to jump in surprise. We turn to see Quincy behind us, glaring at Scylla with an unnerving hatred. Solving this is going to be a lot harder than I thought, especially as I notice Quincy's black eye. A physical fight, that's not good. If they're giving each other black eyes on the train, they're most certainly going to be attempting to murder each other in the Arena.
"So..." Felix says, also noticing the black eye. "I guess we need a leader?" He asks, attempting to draw their attention away from each other.
"I'll do it." Scylla and Quincy say at the same time, Scylla's fists clenching at her sides.
"We could vote?" I propose, wanting to diffuse the attention with a reasonable conclusion.
"I'm okay with that," Scylla says and Quincy nods in agreement. I almost sigh in relief but contain it, remembering what Mother would say. Emotions are weakness. If you show them, people will use them. Nobody will be using my emotions because I refuse to let them see that I have any, in reality, this is the most nervous I've ever been in my entire life and the pressure that weighs on me dampens my mood every second.
"Well, I vote for Quincy. He seems most capable." Felix shrugs and Scylla scoffs.
"Because he's a man? Great thinking, why don't we just let the men run the alliance?" I'm tempted to agree with her (how does Quincy seem any more capable?) but I need to see where Aisling and Robert stand first to not rock the boat too much. Felix attempts to deny the accusations but he's cut off.
"I'll vote for Scylla," Aisling says, walking to stand next to her. A smug smile takes over Scylla's face.
"I guess I'll go for Scylla too," Robert mumbles, following Aisling. Then, everyone is looking at me. Ah, shit, this probably wasn't a great idea. I don't want to have to make the deciding vote, to be honest, I could care less who leads this damn alliance.
"What happens if we tie?" Quincy asks.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Scylla retorts, smiling proudly.
"We split up, I suppose." Aisling mutters.
"Sounds good to me." Quincy spits at Scylla.
"Same here." She snaps back, spinning around and storming off. Quincy does the same. Well, I guess my great idea of voting wasn't going to work. I can't blame myself, though, this alliance was never going to happen with this group of people and now I must adapt to the new reality. Aisling and Robert trail behind Scylla, looking back at me helplessly. We've all trained to be a part of a Career Pack, we've all dreamed of it. Now that dream is crushed. Not for me, though, my only dream is to win these Games and finally escape from the grip it has held on me for so many years.
"You coming with us, then?" Felix asks, referring to himself and Quincy. "We can always find more allies, there are a couple of strong outliers." He's right and it's not a bad idea, Felix and Quincy are both strong and well-trained but so are the other Careers. I know I can't make this choice now, it's not smart to create enemies by picking a side and I need to wait for all this rivalry bullshit to calm down before I get into an alliance. If I even want that, an alliance can be useful but it's by no means a necessity.
I respond to Felix with a shrug and walk toward the sparring ring, one of the only places where I can think without everyone around me just talking all the time. Just me and the sword in my hand, slashing at holographic figures that will soon be my fellow tributes.
Sky Mastroianni
District 6, She/Her, 18
(Training Centre)
[7.30 AM]
...
Ephron and I watch from afar as The Careers split up, sitting at the fire-making area. Ephron is stacking sticks while I attempt to create sparks by striking steel against flint, it's not going very successfully and I'm worried others will watch and label us as weak. The two of us decided to align last night after The Parade, he asked me and I couldn't see why not. I mean, sure, he's young and probably a little weak but I didn't come into this expecting Careers as allies.
"Maybe the rest of us will have a chance," Ephron mutters. "Since they've split up."
"Mhm. Easier to beat if they're in smaller groups." I say. "Speaking of which, we'll probably want to make this alliance bigger." Sleeping wasn't much of an option last night and instead, I put my brain to work by studying the tributes and potential allies for us. A bigger alliance will fit better with how I want to play the Games, avoid killing as much as possible but do what is necessary to get home to Maria - my sister. She's one of the reasons I decided to align with Ephron, they're hardly alike with Maria being more reserved and quiet and Ephron humorous and outspoken. However, he's so small and young and I know if Maria was in my place then I would want someone to protect her.
"How about her?" Ephron asks, nodding toward the girl from Eight. She's punching a dummy repeatedly, her curls tied into a ponytail and sweat running down her dark skin. She was one of the people I selected last night, she was confident at The Reaping and she isn't malnourished like many of the other outlier tributes.
"Great minds think alike." I smile, winking at him. "How do you want to ask her?"
"Uh, let's just both go and ask." He shrugs, standing up. We leave behind our failed attempt at a fire and begin to walk toward her, she's still punching the dummy and her face is starting to go pink with effort. The two of us stand awkwardly behind her, watching as she throws fist after fist at every place on the dummy's body. I'm starting to think we should turn around and ask another time when she's less...aggressive but she finishes up and turns around to look at us.
"I thought I felt eyes on me." She snickers, picking up a bottle on the floor and taking a sip of water.
"I'm Sky," I say, stepping forward and outstretching my hand to her. She takes it with a firm grip and we shake.
"Saxony, and this is?" She says, raising an eyebrow at Ephron.
"Oh! Ephron, I'm Ephron." He answers, also shaking her hand. "We were wondering if you wanted to like..." He looks up at me for help, clearly nervous about asking her.
"Do you want to align with us?" She grins maniacally at that, tilting her head to the side mischievously.
"And why would I want to do that?" She asks and Ephron looks at me in alarm, my heart beats a little faster as I try to think of how we could convince her when she begins to laugh. "Oh God, you should've seen your faces just now. I'm just messing with you, I'd be down for an alliance." Ephron and I laugh along, though mine is more in relief than anything else. Once she's done laughing, she takes a seat on the floor and crosses her legs. Ephron and I join her, it's almost as if she can order us around without even saying a word - a natural leader in my eyes.
"So, where are you two from?" She asks, releasing the elastic band from her hair and letting it flow freely.
"We're both from Six," I respond, either she hasn't studied as hard as me or she's just trying to make conversation. Looking around the room, I could recite the name and district of every single person.
"Ah, that's like trains and shit, yeah?" She says with a yawn and I nod. "Is it any good living over there?" I almost laugh at this, not only is District Six one of the poorest after Eleven and Twelve but we're the morphling capital of Panem. It's anything but good, except, Saxony's question seems genuine.
"Not great, for me at least. It's just me and my sister in a cramped house that doesn't even bother to lock." I say and the thoughts that have haunted me the last couple of nights come racing back. Is Maria still under the stairs, waiting for me to come home? Has she come out and is starving to death or has she tried to get food and gotten robbed or worse? Tears start to fill my eyes and I quickly wipe them away, I can't seem weak. "Sorry, it's just my sister...she can't look after herself and I have no idea what she could be doing right now." I sniff and Saxony nods, her eyebrows furrowed as if in confusion.
"Do you guys want to try shelter building?" Ephron asks in an attempt to change the subject, I'm glad for it and note that I'll have to thank him later.
"Sure, let's do it," Saxony says, picking up her water bottle and standing up.
Cybill Kaminski
District 3, She/Her, 14
(Training Centre)
[11.05 AM]
...
I scribbled down my plan using a pencil and paper that Kathryn gave to me this morning. It's the same one that I have at home, copied from memory.
1. Volunteer
2. Join the careers
3. Plant traps
4. Win The Hunger Games and make all my dreams come true!
Using the pencil, I draw a neat line through the first stage. Now, I'm onto the second. I watched closely as The Careers split up earlier, Robert, Aisling and Scylla going one way and Felix and Quincy going the other. It was an annoyance at first, the strongest Career alliance would be one with all of its members intact, but I have slowly come to realise that they are much more likely to accept me if they're desperate for allies.
Robert, Aisling and Scylla are my first choice. They have the most members meaning more of them to protect me and more of them to kill when necessary. I stride confidently toward them, my plan and pencil in hand. They're in a circle, discussing something in hushed tones when I approach. "Hello!" I say cheerily, pushing Aisling and Robert slightly to squeeze into the circle. "I'm Cybill."
"That's nice, now get lost," Scylla says with a sarcastic smile. Very rude, she'll be the first of them to go.
"I see you're a little short on allies," I whisper.
"We're working on it," Robert replies, trying to push me out of the circle but I stand my ground.
"I can help you!" I cry as Aisling helps Robert shove me away. "I'm good with traps and I've been practising!"
"Look, kid, you'll be dead before you can even make one of your lousy traps." Scylla snaps.
"But I'm a volunteer, like you guys," I mutter, looking down at the floor.
"You're nothing like us." Aisling scoffs, shaking their head. "The smart thing to do right now would be to walk away." Anger bubbles up inside of me. How dare they speak to me as if I'm some child? I'm here to prove myself just like all of them! I storm away, muttering obscenities. I guess I'm going to have to settle for my second option, I make my way toward Quincy and Felix who are sparring together.
When Quincy catches sight of me he snorts. "No chance in Hell." This time, I don't bother fighting and rush off - seething with rage. I make my way to the dining area and sit down at a bench table, crumpling my plan and snapping my pencil in half. The entire reason that I volunteered for these Games was so people would stop treating me as if I am some stupid kid and yet nobody even takes me seriously here. Tears of anger and frustration stream down my cheeks and my hair hangs in front of my face, trying to shut myself away from everyone else around me.
This is already so much harder than I expected and we haven't even entered the Arena, how am I going to survive in there? Especially if I'm by myself. "Hey, you good?" I look up to find my District partner, Rowan. He's looking at me with pity in his eyes and a sad smile that does nothing but make me even more angry. He thinks that I'm weak because I'm crying? That I'm nothing but a scared, weak, incapable, little girl?
"Fuck off." I snap. "I don't need your help." I wish everyone would stop seeing me as someone to do their charity work for, I am not helpless and I am so very capable. Rowan backs away, hurt and confusion shining in his eyes.
"Jesus, I didn't mean to upset you." He says. "I saw the Careers reject you and was wondering if you wanted to work with me instead?" I stand up abruptly.
"I would rather stab myself to death," I say, furiously wiping the tears from my eyes. Everyone seems to think that I'm weak and I can't help but wonder if maybe, I truly am.
Wells "Weft" Bobbin
District 8, He/Him, 17
(Training Centre)
[1.15 PM]
...
I turn away from the knife-throwing station, wiping away the sweat that drips down my face. It's 1 p.m. and everyone has been training for the last few hours, my stomach was starting to rumble when they finally called us to the canteen for food. That's where I head now, glad that half of the day has already passed and looking forward to being able to crawl into bed and pretend none of this is happening.
The day has been very unsuccessful so far and I haven't managed to accomplish anything that I discussed (or rather passed notes with, she doesn't seem to speak) with Wendy last night. She's sweet enough and, as the first victor, has been doing this for the past couple of decades so she has provided me with a small sense of comfort with her ideas and tips. Unfortunately, I haven't been very good at any of the weaponry she suggested I try and have had no luck with securing an alliance. It's fair to say that I've fought back tears more than a couple of times today.
I join the queue behind Saxony who is chattering away with her new allies - the pair from Six. Until a couple of hours ago, I had managed to build up the courage to ask her to align with me but, of course, as soon as I started walking toward her she was approached by the pair from Six and I chickened out. It's one thing asking a singular person to align with you but three people? Would I even fit in with them? And that's if they even want me, I'm not sure I could handle the rejection if it occurred.
Shaking away the thoughts, I pick up a tray and start sliding it down the buffet. There's a large assortment of food from meat covered with an orange sauce to red cupcakes coupled with vanilla frosting. This much variety is overwhelming and nothing compared to the bland food my family received from me taking out tesserae, Warp would almost certainly kill someone to eat one of the cupcakes I pick up and place on my tray. The thought is funny at first but I quickly realise that the previously impossible thought of killing someone might turn into my reality during the week ahead. I remind myself of Warp's final words to me, "Do whatever you can. We balance each other out, losing you would mean losing part of myself." It's those words that have been pushing me forward, the thought that if I can't win for myself then I must win for Warp and that has to be enough.
The dining area is filled with eight or so picnic tables that fill up very quickly, leaving one empty in the bottom left corner. I walk toward it, avoiding eye contact with the rest of the tributes. I place the tray on the table and slip onto the bench, beginning to eat a ham sandwich. It's nothing special, Mom and Dad would occasionally make them for Warp and me when they had some spare money for meat and bread. It's comforting and I allow the frustration and anger that today has caused to dissipate as I savour the familiar taste.
I'm only slightly aware that my eyes are closed and they blink open in surprise as someone slides onto the bench opposite me. He is tall and the muscles in his arms are clear as he places his elbows on the table, however, these tough characteristics are coupled with blemish-free skin and soft eyes that make him strangely attractive. "Hey, I'm Felix." He says, clearing his throat and reaching out a hand. I take it with hesitance, caught up in the fact that a Career is sitting with me.
"Wells, or Weft if you want," I mumble, shaking his hand with a loose grip.
"Nice to meet you, Weft. This is Quincy." He smiles, nodding toward a stocky boy who stands even taller than Felix and bulges with more muscle. He's the image of frightening with furrowed eyebrows, his eyes narrowed and his lips downturned. Now, my heart starts beating and my face grows pink as the two Careers stare at me. What could they want? Have I already done something to piss them off, are they planning on killing me? I shudder at the thought of Quincy tackling me to the ground as I run from the cornucopia and beating me to death with his bare hands.
"The two of us seem to be short of allies and were wondering if you wanted to join us," Quincy states, sounding more like a demand than a question. I sit silently for a couple of minutes, mulling it over in my head. Although, I know it's not a hard decision. Nobody else has approached me and options are going to start running out soon, plus, I have a feeling that Quincy won't be taking no for an answer.
"Yeah, I suppose," I mutter, not looking either of them in the eye.
"Brilliant," Felix says excitedly. "Any skills, Weft? Anything that could help us in that Arena?" I can feel Quincy's eyes on the back of my head and rub it uncomfortably, something tells me that Quincy wasn't a big fan of the idea of asking me to join them. I have to prove him wrong somehow but what can I do? It's not like I've been training my whole life for this, most of my days have been spent in a factory moving heavy machinery. That's when it comes to me.
"I guess I'm strong, I can lift things." I shrug and the two of them seem satisfied enough with that answer. What would Warp think if he knew I'm aligned with Careers? He'd probably tell me to get away from them as soon as possible. But Warp isn't here and, for me, this seems like the best option out of a bad bunch.
Ossian Rasmus
District 10, He/Him, 14
(Training Centre)
[1.56 PM]
...
Once I finish lunch with a chocolate chip cookie, I get up and leave Dahlia and the girl from Seven. It was a pretty silent meal with the three of us picking at our food and hardly looking up at each other. Despite Dahlia and I coming from the same District, the two of us haven't hit it off. She's withdrawn and spends most of her time in her room where I can hear her talking to herself, in all honesty, she gives me the creeps and I've been avoiding her as much as possible.
I head toward the obstacle course where I've spent the last few hours, using the climbing wall and hanging from ropes. While the other tributes feel like they're running out of time to prepare, my main concern is curing the boredom that courses through me because I'm acutely aware that there is too little time to prepare myself for the Games physically. Instead, I need to do so mentally.
Once I reach the top of the ten-foot climbing wall, I jump to one of the ropes that hang from the ceiling and clutch on. It took me a couple of hours of practice to pull myself up, landing on the net below more times than I'd like to admit, but I'm finally able to do it without much struggle and take a seat on the rope. It feels like the best way to think, away from everybody else but still being able to look out at everyone and keep up with everything going on. Occasionally, I hang upside down from my legs and swing side to side. It's the most free I have felt in a long time, maybe even since my parents died.
Maybe I'm lucky, in a strange way, that I don't have to think about my parents missing me back home. That I didn't have to say my last goodbye to them only a couple of days ago. At the same time, I would hardly call losing your parents at the age of 13 lucky. At least the rest of these people probably have something or someone to spur them on, to give them something to fight for in this Arena. I can't help but feel a sense of hopelessness, that whether I live or die nobody will care either way. This is something I've already shared with my mentor, Miguel, he was practically unconscious when I told him but it was nice to feel that somebody was listening, that somebody saw me even if that somebody was shit-faced drunk.
He did give a little advice this morning after Ocean, my escort, practically forced him to. "Find your person, someone you can cling to when times get rough. Because they will get rough, that Arena will destroy you and the one thing you need is someone to build you back up." I watched the entirety of his Games last night and understand why he said it, Miguel had a person who helped him get out of his Arena alive. However, I also understand that that person's death caused him to lose himself in the process and I don't think I'm ready for that. As much as everyone seems to think allies are so important, the thought of befriending someone just for them to die in the next couple of weeks terrifies me. I know how loss feels and I'm not prepared to go through it again.
Plus, as I've been looking out at the rest of the tributes I can't imagine myself aligning with them. The pair from Seven still wonder about aimlessly, looking as if they want allies but aren't sure who to ask. The boy seemed a little too enthusiastic for me, there was an awkward interaction between him and three of the Careers at lunch when he attempted to sit with them. Didn't work out too well for him and his typical smile seemed to fade. However, as I look down on him from the ropes his lips stretch up across his face as he paints himself. The boy from Three is also an option but I can't see him making it past the bloodbath with his frail body and sensitive nature.
All in all, I've decided to just stay by myself for now at least. Maybe if an opportunity arises, I'll jump on it, but I'm content with swinging from my rope at this point in time.
Smithsonian "Smith" Caldera
District 12, He/Him, 18
(Training Centre)
[4.30 PM]
...
Having a discussion with Marya is like talking to a child. She seems to have an opinion on everything and actively speaks her mind without thinking before she does, in some ways I find it rather endearing. However, the type of person that I would go out of my way to avoid conning, although she comes off as an easily susceptible tender soul, that characteristic of speaking her mind is one that could ruin my entire operation if it finds its way into my tent.
"Wanna try sword fighting?" I ask her, standing up and sweeping dust off of my training uniform. We've spent the last hour shelter building without much luck and, as much as I see it as a waste of time, I need to prove to Marya that I'm someone she wants in the Games. No, not wants. Needs. As much as I wouldn't risk manipulating someone like her at home, the Games are a whole different story. She can speak her mind and potentially cause my future sheep to question my leadership but I can just as easily slit her throat in the middle of the night and stop her from speaking ever again.
"Yeah, sure." She says, standing up and following me toward the sparring ring. We haven't tried any weaponry yet, Marya thinks it's unimportant because she doesn't want to kill anybody. I almost snorted when she told me. How could anyone win The Hunger Games without killing people? Was what I was desperate to retort but I held back, she is useful to me and I don't want to waste that use by insulting her. The two of us reach the sparring ring and pick up a sword each, a Peacekeeper allowing us to enter.
"I suppose I stand over here and you over there?" I point to the top left corner and position myself at the bottom right. As most can probably imagine, I've never picked up a sword in my life and therefore my technique is likely laughable to the Careers. However, I can hardly imagine that technique will matter when it comes down to it. It's simply whoever can knock down their opponent first and that is something I'm fairly skilled in, from there slitting their throat with the sword will be easy enough. This is what I plan to do as the Peacekeeper begins the countdown, the sword shakes in Marya's hand as we stare each other down.
"Go easy on me." She smiles, although it doesn't seem like a joke.
"May the best swordsman win," I respond with a wink, then the Peacekeeper signals the start of the match and I charge toward her. She stumbles back in shock as I dive at her waist and pull her to the ground, her sword drops with a clang and I place my own on her neck. She lays there for a couple of minutes, eyes wide with shock and breathing heavily. After helping her up, we exit the ring and place our swords back on the rack.
"What the hell was that?" Marya mutters under her breath, shaking her head. "You trying to kill me before the Games begin?"
"Look to your left," I whisper back, she does and notices the group of three who stand in a circle - the pair from Six and the girl from Eight. I'd noticed them before we started sparring, observing from a distance. They seemed the perfect group, susceptible but somewhat powerful. Marya sighs and shoves me slightly from the side.
"You should've told me." She says and, it's true, maybe I should've. But something tells me that Marya lacks the theatric skills that I have been blessed with and what a shame it would be for her to have ruined my performance. Although, of course, I tell her what she wants to hear.
"I know, I should've. I didn't realise they were watching until we began." False. Marya believes it, though, and nods her head in understanding. Before we can decide on the next station to try out, a bell rings throughout the centre and a voice booms out of speakers spread across the ceiling.
"Training is over. Please, make your way back to your floor." It repeats for the next five minutes as everybody begins to gather around the elevator, Marya and I are two of the last to make it so we are forced to wait a few minutes for the elevator to make its rounds.
"Should we ask them now?" Marya whispers, nodding at the group of three in front of us. It's something I've already thought about, however, it's better for them to approach us. That way, it's them who think they are in control. I tell Marya as much, although leaving out the true reason as to why, and we continue to wait for the elevator. Finally, the last group of us file in.
Not a bad first day if I do say so myself.
A/N: I feel better about some POVs than others but, oh well, nothing is ever going to be perfect. I hope you enjoy the first chapter nonetheless, we'll be seeing what a couple of our tributes are up to after training in our next chapter!
Alliances:
Robert, Aisling and Scylla
Marcus and Nicole
Malory and Odalis
Sky, Ephron and Saxony
Quincy, Felix and Wells
Marya and Smith
- Neb