Training Day 1
JOTHAM VELASQUEZ (14)
DISTRICT TEN MALE
Jotham wasn't quite sure how long he could hide the urge to scream.
His life had already been a ridiculous mess, and now, it was all about to come to a shattering end. The Hunger Games would be the crescendo of all his woes, right before the music died and he was laid in a coffin heading straight back to District Ten.
He was grateful his District partner Evie had distanced herself from him, at least. She'd kept up her rude attitude throughout the train rides, although she was surprisingly pleasant when they were forced together for the Tribute Parade.
But still, he couldn't quite imagine himself getting close to her.
"Oh, what am I doing here? I should be at home, playing chess with Eli, not here training to get killed by that boy from Two!"
He continued to murmur under his breath as the elevator moved its way down to the Training Centre, where the rest of the tributes had already been gathered. No one paid him much attention, thank goodness, although the quiet, shifty-eyed girl from Nine did give him a momentary glance.
Focus, Jotham, he told himself. Stop wallowing in self-pity, you're here now, and you have a chance to come out alive.
John was his mentor, after all, and he'd survived the arena with only one arm in tow.
But then again, he was a capable street fighter.
"Shut up, Jotham," he scolded himself, just quiet enough so no one could hear. Up in the Gamemakers' Loft, where the mentors were all sat, he locked eyes with John, who gave him an encouraging nod and a thumbs-up. He'd told Jotham to focus on survival skills today, particularly first aid and medicine. Any combat skills could wait until tomorrow, survival was the main priority.
Jotham scanned the crowd of tributes, not really paying attention to the trainer's words. John had recited them to him the night before, hoping it would buy him some time to analyse the other tributes, now wearing standard training suits without all the pomp and makeup of the Parade.
The Careers were the usual bunch: loud, big, terrifying. Jotham shuddered as the boy from Two glared in his direction, but unlike a typical Career, didn't sneer. No, he simply gave Jotham a quizzical look, like he was studying Jotham, trying to read his body language. His eyes looked somewhat weary, like he hadn't had much sleep. Well, Draco and Freya were his mentors after all, sleep was definitely hard to come by with those two around.
Jotham quickly looked away and gazed at the other tributes. Once again, he caught the girl from Nine looking at him, although she instantly turned her attention back to the trainer once she'd seen him catch her. Jotham watched as her gaze shifted to a bolas lying at one of the weapons stations, eyeing it with anticipation.
Maybe this girl could be a potential ally?
The pair from Eight were also fourteen, although they looked like polar opposites. The girl was chewing something, probably gum, and had her arms crossed, gazing at the trainer with a bored expression plastered all across her face. The boy, on the other hand, looked intimidated and couldn't stop fidgeting.
He wasn't sure if he could trust the girl, and the boy, well he wasn't sure about allying with him either.
"Alright, tributes, good luck, you may head over to your respective stations," the head trainer announced and in a flash, the Careers bolted towards the weapons stations, effectively claiming it for themselves and glaring menacingly at anyone who dared to approach.
Jotham gulped as they brandished their daggers, the sharp, shiny metal blades glinting under the gently whirring Training Centre lights.
The lights…
They seemed so blindingly bright, Jotham could feel himself getting dizzier just in their presence.
No, that was simply the fear in his stomach engulfing his mind in a dazed fog.
He straightened himself up, then marched over, trying to look as calm and collected as possible, to the medical station. A young man was there and he showed him how to make a simple splint. This was something Jotham had done before, although (thankfully) he hadn't needed to do so in a while, so this was merely a refresher course for him. The next bit, however, was something he was less familiar with.
"I'm going to show you how to make a simple painkiller out of natural herbs you might come across in the arena," the trainer explained, his voice coming out in a rather squeaky tone that was almost comical, yet the hardened look on his face kept Jotham's laughter contained within himself.
The trainer gave a demonstration, then left Jotham to figure things out on his own. Jotham sighed, staring at the model concoction, then averting his gaze back towards the medley of herbs and ingredients that were sprawled across the medical table. There was everything from seemingly harmless green leaves to a weird jar of circular objects that gave off a terrible stench.
That was supposed to be medicinal?
Jotham's hands quivered over the pile of items laid out on the table. He began to add some of them together, whistling a soft tune to himself as he worked. When he was finally finished, however, the potion he'd crafted bore a very different colour to the model concoction.
Jotham sighed. No matter, practice made perfect, he would simply try again, although he wished the trainer would offer more assistance instead of simply glowering at him from a distance.
"I can help you with that," someone's voice piped up from behind him.
Jotham turned around and saw the girl from Nine right behind him, a nervous, shy look on her face as she glanced around awkwardly, fiddling with what looked like a blue glass stone. Her token perhaps?
A smile spread across Jotham's face. Now was his chance to get to know this girl better, perhaps even create an alliance with her. "Sure thing, sorry, I didn't catch your name? Mine's Jotham, by the way."
The corner of the girl's mouth twitched. "Laura. Now, uhm, move aside, let me see what you've made."
Jotham willingly obliged and watched as Laura sniffed and dipped her finger into the disaster potion that Jotham had made. He almost wanted to stop her, just in case he'd accidentally put something toxic into it, but she had an air of confidence around her and bore a concentrated look, so he held back.
"You put too much of this in," Laura explained, her voice sounding bearing an eerie semblance to Jotham's former teacher all of a sudden. She gestured towards a bunch of red pieces of something solid. "And you put this," she gestured towards some brown stuff. "Instead of that," she pointed at a yellow leaf clipping. "Here, try again, I'll guide you this time, okay?" Her tone was very methodical, like she'd spent half her life explaining things to others.
Jotham patted her on the back and the contact seemed to have startled her, because she backed away from him a little. Jotham froze. "Sorry, I-"
"No, it's fine." For the first time that day, Laura pasted a smile, albeit an obviously forced one, on her face. "You wanna be allies?"
Jotham blinked. The suddenness of her offer made him pinch himself, wondering if he'd really heard her clearly.
As if she'd read his mind, she chuckled, a real chuckle this time, and told him, "I did my homework too, you know, saw all the tributes, you seem trustworthy enough."
A burst of gratitude channelled its way through Jotham's veins.
MIA KELLER (18)
DISTRICT TWO FEMALE
Mia wasn't quite sure how her plan would work.
She'd told Freya of her decision to split up from the Career pack the night before. She'd thought long and hard about it and had simply decided that there was no way in hell she was trusting a gaggle of trained serial killers, half of whose sanity she sincerely questioned. Everything from the manic smiles on their faces to the brooding mysterious vibes that spewed out of their blazing glares, it deeply unsettled her to the core and she wanted nothing to do with them.
No, she was going to win this her way.
Freya had, surpsrisingly, taken the news quite well. Far from the hardened trainer who'd borderline abused her in the Career Academy, she'd simply shrugged and had said, "Alright, but I'm worried Draco's going to strangle you."
And Mia knew she wasn't kidding, she was genuinely concerned that Draco would literally murder her.
And so, Freya had concocted a plan in which Draco would be kept busy for most of the pre-Games run. She wasn't technically his tribute anyway, so he paid less attention to her than he did to Maximon, who she honestly pitied after he'd been on the receiving end of quite the meltdown after the Parade, for presumably spilling his beer or something.
Of all the people she'd expected to be helping her out, Freya hadn't exactly been the first name to come to mind.
But she was grateful nonetheless. Freya's first act of kindness towards her after nearly a decade had spurned Mia's lone wolf strategy into fruition.
"Mia?"
She blinked. Fleur was staring at her, arms crossed, an eyebrow raised questioningly.
Damn it.
Less than thirty minutes into training and she'd already blanked out. Now, there were a whole host of tributes who were staring at her quizzically, some even began to murmur about the Career from Two who was just staring into nothingness, lost in her own little world like some weak Outlier.
Fantastic.
She gritted her teeth. "What is it, Fleur? I'm not part of the Career pack, I told you guys."
Fleur shrugged. "Oh, nothing. You were frozen like a statue, so I thought something was wrong. Also, you're kind of in my way." She gestured at the weapons station, which Mia had conveniently had her spacing-out episode right in front of.
Mia bit back a curse. She muttered a quick apology to Fleur then shuffled off to practice her survival skills. With a quick look behind her shoulder, she noticed Fleur give her a concerned frown.
Maybe she's not so bad after all.
Fleur had, during the Parade, tried to convince her to remain in the pack, to be their leader. Quianna had been the second option and they weren't quite sure how Draco would react to a Four leading the Ones and Twos. And Fleur had genuinely seemed friendly enough.
But Mia wasn't so sure. This could all have been a clever trick, the Careers were infamous for those. And not a minute later, Fleur's (admittedly rather corny) jokes at the expense of the trembling girl from Ten confirmed just that. Mia turned away and shuffled off.
Ignoring the baffled look of the pair from Twelve, she plopped herself down at the ropes station. The trainer eyed her carefully, perhaps a little surprised to see a Career girl isolated from the others and doing survival training instead of combat training.
"Well?" she demanded, trying to sound intimidating, although she was highly confident she did not. "Are you going to train me, or should I get those Twelves to do your job?"
The trainer blinked and nodded, quickly showing her how to make a simple trap.
Mia followed his instructions to a tee, and soon enough, was able to make more advanced traps. Every once in a while, she could feel the boy from Twelve's eyes upon her back. She ignored it, it was only natural for him to stare. After all, it wasn't every day a Career strayed from the pack.
"How am I supposed to do this again?"
The boy from Twelve stared at his unfinished trap, his finger draped with loose bits of twigs and string, his brows curling in frustration. He reached out to tug at one of the ropes, only for the whole structure to crumble in a heap of sand, leaves and ropes. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips as he hung his head. His older District partner came over and patted him on the back, but Mia could tell by her narrowed eyes that even she wasn't very sure how to fix the trap.
All of a sudden, Mia felt an urge in her heart, as if someone was tugging her to go help them out.
They're scared, just like you, just like I was.
It was almost as if Alyaa herself had spoken to her, the young girl's voice whispering like a nostalgic breeze in the air, filling Mia with a momentary sensation of warmth, before it quickly evaporated, leaving nothing but that initial strong urge behind.
Wordlessly, Mia walked over and picked up a small red stick, one that the boy had placed on a wrong section of the trap.
She showed them, step by step, how the trap was supposed to be made, then, without further ado, shuffled back to working on her traps. The pair watched her leave, their heads swivelling in unison, their eyes widened, perplexed.
"Hey, thanks!" The boy squeaked, flashing her a radiant smile, one that brought back haunting memories of Alyaa.
Mia forced herself to return it with a weak grin, but alas, the boy never saw it. The girl from Twelve pulled him away, a suspicious glare in her eyes as she whispered something in his ear, something that made him shake his head.
Mia sighed.
So much for helping others.
Fiddling with the ropes, she let out a soft whistle, whistling to the tune of a bird's song that she and Alyaa had often heard back home in Two. A soft, willowy melody that reminded Mia dearly of the pristine woods of the mountains, a home she yearned to return to, where birds roamed and thrived, free of the predators prowling the lower slopes.
Free to sing their song.
"What do you mean, I can't have a go?"
She glanced up from her nearly-finished punji stick trap, a little annoyed by the ear-splitting distraction.
Across the Training Centre, Quianna, twirling her rapier around her fingers flawlessly like a dancer, was glaring at a young trainer. The trainer, to his credit, stood there, arms crossed, lips pursed, a bored, uninterested look in his eyes. He cocked his head to the side, as if challenging her to continue.
"Matt, I've been training for this my whole life! This-" She hoisted the rapier, giving him a steely glare, one that, to Mia's delight, was returned with a slight yawn. "-is my specialty weapon right here, and you're saying I can't handle it?"
Matt rolled his eyes. "Look, that blade is falling apart as we speak, they're getting the better ones tomorrow, so until then go play around with some other pointy stuff." A smirk spread across his face. "Unless you're saying you can't use other weapons?"
Mia had to hold back her laughter. Quianna's face turned beet red, the exact same colour as the night before when Mia had announced her decision to go solo. She stared incredulously at Matt, her mouth agape, the cogwheels in her head no doubt furiously trying to churn a clever comeback.
"Alright then, I'll challenge you to a sword duel. A trained Career versus some dude working as a glorified PE teacher, how does that sound?"
Matt had no response to that, instead, he simply baulked. Mia bit her lip.
Damn, this girl isn't playing.
Just then, Quianna noticed her staring. Mia tried to quickly shift her attention back to her trap, but it was too late.
"Well at least you're better than her."
Mia flashed her an unapologetic stare. Scoffing, she warded Quianna off with a little salute she'd told Alyaa to never use except in emergencies. This wasn't really an emergency, but Mia wanted to show it off nonetheless.
"Hanging out with Outliers, how's that going for you?" Quianna snickered. Right beside her, Alder and Fleur chuckled a little. Maximon gave Mia what she nearly believed to be an apologetic look, then sneered a little, looking a little uncomfortable to be there.
Huh, District loyalty, right?
Mia didn't really want to sit there and let those brats dunk on Outliers like that. A fiery passion began to bubble in her heart, then quickly dissipated, dissolving as soon as it had popped up. WIth a sigh, she realised that she couldn't exactly afford to put a target on her back this soon in the pre-Games period, let alone five very accurate, lethal ones.
She needn't worry, however, as quickly, the Careers' attention shifted from her to the boy from Ten. She curled her lip, looking helplessly on as the Careers picked on the poor, defenceless boy, who, to his credit, tried his best to stare defiantly back at them.
Just like how Mia had taught Alyaa to do in the face of her bullies.
Mia instantly looked away, wrinkling her nose as she tried to concentrate back on her trap.
Memories would only drag her away from focusing on the arena.
CERIDWEN ADAMOS-CARDINAL (15)
DISTRICT EIGHT FEMALE
Ceri wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do.
She'd been training at the edible plants station for half the day, frolicking around the immaculate displays of plants and animals as she studied each of them carefully, trying her best to learn how not to choke on some rotten bug while out in the arena.
Because that would make for a truly glorified death.
"Let's see, you are not poisonous," she murmured, punching a button on the screen. The screen flashed red, indicating a wrong answer.
"Damn you!" she shrieked, aiming a flying kick at the monitor but stopping herself short when she noticed the trainer flashing her a warning glare. With a sigh, she sat down, trying her best to let her emotions and frustrations cool for a while.
Not very easy when the girl from Five was also trying to use the station and had so nearly been in the way of a Ceri-style kung fu kick. She glared at Ceri, giving her an irked look. Ceri didn't care and simply showed her a rude finger, one that she thankfully did not react violently towards.
Every now and then, her gaze trailed to the other stations, trying to figure out which stations to focus on after lunch. Perhaps the fire-making station?
She shook her head. That was one super simple way to basically broadcast your location to any opportunistic tribute within ten square kilometres.
Truly, the epitome of smart ideas.
The trap-making station would be nice, especially once the girls from Two and Twelve had moved on. No offence to either of them, but they didn't exactly look all too cuddly. And Ceri certainly had a track record of making people want to simply cuddle her.
If by cuddling, you meant strangle her to death, of course.
For the time being, she was content to stick around and continue learning all about how Mother Nature seemed hell-bent on killing everyone in gruesome ways.
What a fun experience indeed.
Suddenly, she heard a loud shout not too far away from her.
Noisy bastards.
She glanced over and saw the Careers, moving together as a steady unit in a V-shaped formation, slowly marching ahead, advancing their way past a few trembling tributes towards the girl from Nine and the boy from Ten.
From afar, brandishing their shining weapons, for the first time in her life, Ceri realised just how terrifying those Careers were. They easily towered over both of the younger tributes they'd set their eyes on, and like vultures to their prey, they closed in on the pair, encircling them to shut out any attempts at escape.
Gosh, those guys meant business.
Ceri watched, her heart fluttering a little when the boy from Ten, whose name she somehow suddenly remembered to be Jotham, stood to his feet and clenched his fists in what looked to be a feeble yet brave attempt at fending off the Careers.
That's one way of getting them to chummy up with you.
"Well, well, well," the boy from Four murmured, chuckling to himself. "You two are miserable."
The boy from One nodded in agreement. "Let's face it, they're Bloodbath cannon fodder, no more, no less."
"You know, I used to say Panem's too small for me, well, it's way too small to have useless duos like these guys. Where are you guys even from, anyway? District F for Failure? Or District B for Bloodbath?" The boy from Four added, a smirk crystalising on his face. Opposite him, the girl from Four rolled her eyes a little at his grandiose tone, but said nothing.
Ceri bit her tongue. Drat, those guys really were trying to get into their heads, huh? She watched, shaking her head in dismay as one by one, the Careers continued to have a go at the pair.
This isn't right, she thought to herself. But then again, life was never right.
However, the sight of Jotham retorting to the Careers, now that stirred something strange inside her gut, as though someone had just unlocked a whole new emotional chamber in there.
"Leave us alone, don't you have somewhere better to be?" he murmured quietly yet defiantly. He swept aside his hair, and for a second, Ceri let her mind wander a little.
Damn, he's handsome. And brave. And fucking stupid.
She gave herself a slap on the cheek, loud enough to make the nearby girl from Three momentarily stare at her in confusion.
"You're challenging us?" the boy from Two remarked quietly, although he sounded more amused than offended.
Instantly, the colour drained from Jotham's face and his figure began to shrink, the fire of boldness that Ceri could palpably feel radiating off of him just ten seconds ago being extinguished as easily as a matchstick.
How wonderful, those gosh darned Careers.
She continued to watch them laugh and goad, until, a plan emerged from the inside of her head, and without a second thought, she shot to her feet, ready to execute her mind's rather impromptu strategy.
Because those were obviously the best strategies, of course.
Ceri crept forward, aware that her smaller build would allow her to sneak closer to the Careers easier. Besides, their eyes were so trained on the pair, their focus so tightly glued to goading the living daylights out of them, that they simply couldn't bother to focus on a tiny girl inching closer and closer to them, her back kept low, her fingers outstretched, ready to pounce.
She caught Levi gazing at her. He shook his head and mouthed, 'No'. There was somewhat of a pleading look on her face, which frankly Ceri quite enjoyed. It was as if he was begging her for mercy, not too shabby for little old Ceridwen Adamos Cardinal, eh?
'Fuck off, I'm totally in danger', she mouthed back, turning her head dramatically at 'totally', although she wasn't quite sure he could read her lips. With a sigh, he turned back to his fire-starting station, which wasn't going too well by the looks of it, but oh well, one less competent competitor, it seemed.
At last, she was almost toe-to-toe with the girl from One. Her heart raced, suddenly bursting into panic mode at the mere presence of these cold-blooded killers, ever so infamous for their gruesome ways.
If this doesn't get me killed, I'll buy everyone here a cheeseburger or something.
Reaching out with her calloused fingers, she slowly undid the girl from One's shoelaces, which to begin with, were already quite loosely tied, a clumsy move from a Career. With surprising ease, she had them straightened out, then tied both shoes again, only this time, she tied them to each other, locking the girl in the classic shoelace trap.
Resisting the urge to bust out a snicker, she slowly tiptoed backwards and let her magic do its thing.
"Hey-whoa!"
The girl from One let out a high-pitched shriek as she toppled backwards, having tripped right over herself. Her shoulder crashed into the back of her District partner's head as she flailed about, trying to retain her balance, but only managing to successfully punch the girl from Four square in the face. The boy from One yelped as he backed away, only to crash straight into the boy from Two, sending them tumbling right to the ground before falling with their lips pressed against each others', something that took those dim-witted brats a good three seconds to realise before they howled in disbelief and started furiously dabbing away at their lips.
This time, Ceri couldn't hold in her laughter.
She cackled like a witch, letting out a good, hearty guffaw as the girl from Four screamed for everyone to get their act together, rubbing her sore eye with a furious glower behind a black spot. She stepped forward and tumbled into the girl from One. In a fit of panic, she reached out to grab something instinctively, which happened to be her District partner's shirt, sending the jolly trio crashing into the two boys already on the ground.
Euphoria, bliss, wicked, wicked ecstasy bubbled in Ceri's chest, and for the first time in a long while, she found herself letting go of her usual, spiteful self and laughing into the air, sending out billows of hollers and cheers as the Careers struggled to their feet.
It was a glorious sight, and she was soon joined by a cacophony of laughs from the other tributes.
"Ain't so strong now, huh?" the girl from Five yelled.
"Careers, eh? Time to hit the career fair!" the boy from Five taunted, drawing a giggle from the pair from Three.
"Hey Quianna, you look simply lovely," the soloist girl from Two chirped, smiling sweetly at the girl from Four.
Ceri, on the other hand, said nothing and merely walked away from the scene of her crime. Clapping the dust off her hands, she let a silly, proud grin spread widely across her face.
Ah, sweet, sweet triumph.
"That- was awesome!"
Ceri turned on her heels, and her face almost immediately threatened to go red. The boy from Ten had jogged over by her side, a relieved look plastered all over his face. "Thank you so much, you're a lifesaver!"
Ceri sneered, raising a cunning eyebrow and letting what Maizie often called the 'Ceri look' glint across her eyes in a symbol of ingenious pride. "No problem, Jotham, was worth the front-row ticket to watching the rise of the Careers."
"Hey there, thanks." The girl from Nine had been standing behind him this whole time, quiet as ever, her voice a mere echo compared to Jotham's. "I'm Laura, by the way."
"Hello, Laura," Ceri said, a hint of uninterest in her voice. She figured these two were already together, why on earth would she butt herself in and be a third wheel?
But when Jotham made the offer, let's just say, Ceri made a mental note to curse at herself in the mirror for being way too quick to respond. She was a total natural!
ELRIS CONROY (14)
DISTRICT TWELVE MALE
Elris wasn't quite sure where to start.
Plenty of stations all around the Centre, all of which he could see being important somewhere down the line, yet he could only pick a handful to really master some skills.
So much to do, so little time.
He and Tamsin had agreed to split up after lunch, with Tamsin boldly marching over to the empty throwing knives section amidst a gaggle of smirking Careers in order to practice some fighting skills.
"I promise, I'll keep an eye on you at all times, okay? If you need anything, just call me and I'll be over right away," Tamsin had told him.
So far, no one had shot him any dirty looks, well apart from the girl from Three after he'd accidentally tripped on her leg, but hey, it wasn't his fault she was sprawled on the ground after what looked to be an intense climbing session.
But that had given him an idea.
Maybe I need to be a little more athletic.
He decided a nice running session wouldn't hurt anyone. Tamsin had, after all, advised him to get at least one fitness-related station done each day to keep himself in good shape. Skipping over to the indoor track, he passed by the brooding boy from Seven practising his archery. He was still pale as ever, the dark rings around his eyes and permanent scowl casting a ghoul-like look that seemed to bore right into Elris. Elris couldn't recall seeing or hearing him speak, except during the Reaping Recaps, and there, his voice had been quiet, raspy, full of hatred, emotion and rage,
Not so different from the older kids of Twelve.
Elris flashed him as bright a smile as he could, hoping to bring out a softer side in him that surely had to be in there somewhere.
The boy tilted his head, perplexion written all over his face as he peered at Elris. Elris fiddled with the hem of his shirt. He'd seen this look before, from some of the bullies back home in Twelve.
Yet, he so desperately wanted to believe that there was more to this boy than what met the eye.
The boy, however, suddenly stared down at his feet, and then gazed ahead back at the target board. Loading an arrow into his bow, he resumed his archery training, as if nothing hd ever happened.
Elris sighed. Oh well, he supposed the whole interaction could've gone a whole lot worse, so that was a plus.
The track was empty, apart from the boy from Eight, who was tying his shoelace. His fingers trembled as he did so and he struggled to get the knots right.
Perhaps he could be an ally?
Elris already had Tamsin as a guaranteed ally, but there was no harm in getting a second one before the Games began, so he would have one less tribute to worry about before the tribute count dwindled.
He scratched his head, trying to think of the boy's name. It started with the letter 'L', that much he was sure of. Luke? Leroy? Le-
"Levi!" He cupped his mouth with his hands.
Damn it!
He'd practically shouted Levi's name. Levi jerked backwards, his head swivelling wildly in shock as he stared bewilderedly at Elris.
"I know I'm not good enough, you don't have to- oh." His face slackened at the sight of Elris and his body relaxed.
Elris grinned as he stretched out his hand and helped Levi to his feet.
"Thanks, erm, what's your name again?" Levi asked.
"Elris, District Twelve, at your service!" Elris did a little bow, which prompted a small, feeble smile from Levi.
"Erm, hey there, wh- what do you want from me?" Levi shuffled his feet, and Elris could sense a tinge of harshness in his tone.
"Oh, sorry to bother you, it's fine, I'm just here for a run and wanted to say hi, that's all," Elris told him.
Well, that was a pretty putrid attempt at getting an ally. He'd tried the same thing with Jotham last night, and it had gone pretty well before Haymitch interrupted them. To be fair, Jotham did eventually reject his alliance offer that morning, so Elris figured it wouldn't have worked anyway.
With a sigh, he jogged away from Levi and ran down the track, hoping the exercise and the synthetic wind from the wind machines blowing through his hair would shred the gnawing feeling in his gut.
It was what Tamsin would do, run off and try to forget.
"Wait! Elris, I-" Levi scurried over, nearly tripping over his own shoes as he did so. His face was bright red, his hair suddenly a lot more tousled and messy. "Uhm, sorry if I sounded rude, I didn't mean to."
Elris patted him gently on the back. "Nah, don't worry about it, you didn't come off that way."
Levi shook his head, but didn't say anything else as the pair jogged together through the track. He looked a little shaken by the interaction, as if he was ruing some sort of mistake. "Hey, don't be too hard on yourself," Elris encouraged him.
"I've screwed things up with Ceri too, my District partner, I mean. She was being all sarcastic but I couldn't tell, so I told her off, and now she-" Levi hung his head in shame. "She's stopped talking to me. I saw her with Jotham and Laura just now, they seem to be having a blast. Ugh, I screw things up all the time and I hate it!"
To be fair, Ceri didn't exactly sound all too pleasant to be with so this probably was a blessing in disguise. Not that Elris was going to say that aloud, of course.
"I'm sure Ceri's just as stressed as you are, you know, we're in the Hunger Games, after all!" Elris told Levi.
Levi sighed. "Thank you for the reminder."
"My point is, she doesn't mean any harm, she's just trying to focus on surviving, just like all of us and- ah, I don't quite know where I'm going with this." Elris wrinkled his nose as he tried to think up of something else to say.
Perhaps giving pep talks wasn't his thing, after all.
Levi smiled a little. "It's alright, you tried, thanks for that." He gazed around the enclosed space of the track. They'd just finished their first lap and were starting their second. It wasn't a very long track, much shorter than the one in District Twelve's sports field, but this one was equipped with screens, monitors and all sorts of fancy gizmos that displayed statistics like their heart rates and speeds.
And some of those stats weren't looking too pretty, but he decided to avoid thinking about those.
"So, what do you like to do back home?" Elris asked. This was a common icebreaker he'd often used. In fact, this was exactly how he'd begun his first conversation with Lira back home.
Oh, Lira.
On the train ride here, Tamsin had diagnosed his fluttering heart as 'a serious crush on that sweet girl' and apparently, she and Ellory had known about it for ages.
"We've taken care of it, don't worry about it," she'd reassured him.
Well, if he ever got home, it looked like he'd either have a girlfriend or a broken heart.
Wonderful.
Levi thought for a while, then replied, "I like to go on adventures with my friends. There's plenty of cool places to explore in Eight, so I have plenty of fun there."
Elris's eyes widened.
Did he say 'adventures'?
"No way! That's so cool!" he flushed, his voice quivering with excitement. "I love adventures too!"
A chortle escaped from Levi's lips. "Damn, got any interesting stories?"
Elris nodded fervently. "Yeah! There was this one time, Tamsin and I were exploring this abandoned bit of the coal mines, it's been empty since the Dark Days, and-" He babbled on for a full two laps, rambling about that fateful day. He and Tamsin had ventured into an area barricaded with plenty of loose wooden planks, far from the mainstream mining zones. It was deeper than the current mines and significantly hotter, which resulted in both of them being drenched in bucketfuls of sweat.
"Tamsin's sweat smelled like rotten snake meat!" Elris exclaimed.
Levi raised an amused eyebrow. "And how would you know?"
Elris shrugged. "Oh, I've seen those things before in the mines."
"I've seen them too in an abandoned factory in Eight. There was a whole brood of them just lying there, dead and rotting. Fire killed them off, probably."
Elris continued with his story, describing how there were signs and etching on the walls of the mines and on the wooden support beams, marked with dates, names and a select few rebellious symbols like the mockingjay, all signs pointing to a pre-Dark Days era mine. There'd been a broken picture lying beneath a pile of ashes, one that Tamsin had recognised to be that of old rebel leader Janus Everdeen, a man heralded in Twelve as a District hero, yet shrouded in controversy and infamy due to his connections with various underground mafia gangs across Panem in an effort to stir up rebellious activity amongst them.
"They say his spirit still haunts those mines, yearning for revenge against the Capitol," Elris said, trying to sound as mystical as possible.
Levi leaned in closer, his eyes flashing with intrigue. "And did you come across him?"
Elris shook his head. "Nope. But we did find a mound of bones."
Two seconds of silent pause followed, as Levi's jaw dropped so low, it nearly touched the ground. "What?" he hissed, his voice sputtering and bursting with disbelief.
Elris nodded solemnly. "Capitol executions, probably. The mines were a hotspot for rebels."
"That's so- wow." Levi whistled and shook his head.
"Now your turn," Elris beckoned, nudging Levi.
Levi laughed. "Sure. But let's head over to another station. I think that's enough fitness for one day."
Elris skipped ahead and opened the door for him. "After you, m'lady."
Levi jabbed him in the side. "Oh, shut it."
And that, Elris figured, would be the start of a budding friendship. Or the start of a ten-chapter drama-comedy story worthy of a Capitol audience. Whichever came first.
RONAN AQUARIUS (18)
DISTRICT FOUR MALE
Ronan wasn't sure if the whole Training fiasco had been enough proof that the Careers were losing their edge.
Let the Outliers have their fun, even they knew they would be hacked down by the Career pack at first glance and stood little to no chance in hand-to-hand combat.
He brushed the dust off his training suit. Looking back at the pile of four other disgruntled Careers, he could only simply shrug to himself.
Oh well, there's our reputation gone for the day.
He marched over to the weapons station to return the cutlass he'd been carrying around during the intimidation process. Before he could place it on its rack though, a rough hand swiped it right out of his grip.
"Hey!" Ronan whirled around and saw Matt standing there, a cold glare in his eyes. Ronan sighed. Quianna's altercation with him definitely hadn't earned their District any brownie points.
Great. Thanks a lot, Qui.
He shuffled off, vaguely aware that Quianna had already gone up the elevator with Alder and Fleur long before he'd even finished is final sparring session with Matt. Such was the nature of their relationship, Jolien had tried to convince him to try patch things up with Quianna, but Ronan had simply laughed at the mere suggestion.
There was more chance of District Four repeating the Fishers' streak than them ever being friendly to one another.
Ronan supposed it was partially his fault, after all, whenever Quianna had tried to engage him since the Reaping, he'd simply turned on his heels and walked in the opposite direction.
Oh, and running off to secretly explore the hidden pantries of the Makeover Centre certainly hadn't been a booster.
But she was the arrogant prick who couldn't string two nice sentences together, the rich, snooty brat who felt the need to emphasise her superiority over him every two seconds. Was it really Ronan's fault that he couldn't be bothered to deal with someone like her?
He rolled his eyes as the elevator door swung open again and the pair from Seven walked in. Ronan had been keeping an eye on them, they'd seemed rather strong, but their relationship wasn't exactly the best, to say the least. They were both skilled archers, yet whenever one was at the archery station, the other would be at the farthest possible corner of the Centre, keeping a huge distance between themselves.
Still, the girl had made the effort to stay behind and wait for her District partner, heck, she'd even greeted him with a smile and some light conversation. The boy had simply told her to shut up and to leave him alone, although, as the lifts slowly rose into the upper floors, Ronan noticed that he was talking to her with a much less hardened look.
Progress, it seemed.
That would only increase the threat they posed to the pack, something Quianna had emphasised earlier on that day, although her oh so intelligent deduction had come with plenty of snide remarks and immature name-calling.
Ronan took a sip of water from the water cooler and was about to make his way to the elevator when someone called his name.
"Hey, Ronan, wait up."
Ronan turned and nearly jumped out of his own skin. He'd thought he was the only person left there, except for Matt and a couple of other trainers and avoxes who were quickly making their way out of the room via a back door.
But no, there he was, lurking under the shadows of a tall pillar, his face grim and steely as ever.
"Maximon?" Ronan asked, a little confused that the boy from Two would even bother approaching him. He'd been awfully quiet all day long, barely getting a word in, although him and Quianna's constant bickering and Alder and Fleur's constant flirting probably hadn't helped.
Maximon emerged from the shadows, drifting across the Training Centre like the hardened ghost of a war veteran, his footsteps soft and deathly quiet. In fact, he barely looked like he was even walking at all, he seemed as though he were gliding.
Ronan took a step back involuntarily as Maximon neared him, those seemingly permanently downturned lips of his slowly crackling and glitching into a semblance of a sneer.
This kid was terrifying.
He had a ghostly aura about him that sent shivers down Ronan's spine and something about him, something about those cunning eyes, sent suspicious thoughts cascading into Ronan's mind.
"What do you want, Maximon?" Ronan asked again, his voice a little more assertive this time.
"To offer an alliance," Maximon replied bluntly, his voice soft yet dripping with venom.
Ronan blinked, confusion seeping into his veins. "Alliance? But we're already in the Careers."
This time, Maximon's lips finally curved into a full-brown sneer. "Oh, I meant as a sub-alliance. You aren't enjoying yourself as part of this group, correct?"
Ronan scratched his head. Was he really enjoying being a Career? To put it simply, no. He'd much rather be at home going on adventures with Yukine, Llyr and Nerida than going on a live, televised deathmatch. But in terms of whether he liked the group? Well, he wasn't on good terms with Quianna, sure, and Alder and Fleur did annoy him a little with their more bubbly personalities, but overall, he wasn't sure.
Besides, Maximon wasn't exactly the most likable person around either.
"I don't know…" he began but Maximon cut him off.
"You don't like your District partner, that much I can tell," he told Ronan. "Well, I have a plan."
Ronan perked up. "A plan, huh?"
Maximon nodded slowly, each nod only widening that creepy grin of his. He leaned closer and Ronan felt a sudden urge to push him away. He was too close, way too close for comfort. "We secretly team up and once the tribute count dwindles, eliminate the other Careers and make it straight to the finale together."
Ronan's eyes widened. "E-eliminate?" He didn't like Quianna, sure, but actually killing her? Now that was a whole other kettle of fish that he did not want to open so early in the pre-Games period.
"They're going to turn on you eventually, and you know it, Ronan," Maximon hissed. "Don't lie to yourself, you know full well that Alder and Fleur are teaming up and have their whole lovers arc going for them with the sponsors. They're going to be crowd favourites and once we are of no use to them, they will dispose of us in no time."
Ronan frowned. Maximon did have a point about the Ones, but still, killing Quianna? That was straight-up taboo, although if Maximon made that kill, then it wasn't but still, that hinged on him actually trusting Maximon.
"And Quianna, well, I overheard her talking with Iris the other night, up on the rooftop. She's going to betray us, that's her plan!" Maximon grabbed Ronan's shoulders and shook him roughly, his gaze boring deep into Ronan's.
Ronan flinched. Quianna betraying them? That did sound like something she would do, but then again, Maximon could be making all of this up. All this could just be lies to trick him into becoming his sidekick, one that would be rid of as quickly as possible.
Was that why Mia left the pack? To be free of a manipulative District partner? Now, Ronan's head circled with doubts but Maximon shook him hard once again.
"Think about it Ronan, she's been nasty to you all this while, clearly trying not to grow any sort of emotional attachment to you, so that you'll be an easy picking for her. Alder and Fleur, she's trying to sway them over to her side so she can lure them into her traps and vice versa. You can trust me. I need a trusted ally, I can't just solo all of this. I'm not Mia, I don't have idealistic views of the world that I want to risk my life to fight for, I don't have grandeurs of harmony to chase after, that's why I didn't leave the pack to begin with but I can still leverage my position rather well, and you'll benefit too. Who do you trust more, the lovers fighting for each other, the hostile girl ready to kill you, or the one guy who actually said 'hi' to you on the elevator?" Maximon dished out a whole argument at Ronan, way too much for him to comprehend.
"I-, well, I-"
The offer was so tempting, and Maximon, for all the doubts Ronan had of him, brought up some really good points. Could he trust him, though? Well, better to be on his good side than on his bad one, because as it stood, Maximon was the only pack member who was definitely going to try and betray the pack.
Ronan wanted to be on the right side of such a conflict.
"Alright, fine."
He knew he would probably regret this later on.
ALLIANCES:
Alder (D1M), Fleur (D1F), Maximon (D2M), Ronan (D4M), Quianna (D4F)
Tamsin (D12F), Elris (D12M)
Elris (D12M), Levi (D8M)
Jotham (D10M), Ceri (D8F), Laura (D9F)
Omega (D7F), Esma (D6F)