January '125, 6 Months Before Reaping Day

EIRENE DRAKE, 16 Y.O. Career

District 2

Eirene was stretched out across a mat, her leg pulled tight to her chest. After roughly thirty seconds, she released it and switched to the other leg. She flipped onto her stomach and pulled her protesting body into a smooth plank, which she held for a minute.

Without much else to do, she allowed her eyes to wander around the cramped attic space she called home. The thin walls had been covered in pictures and awards. The most coveted of all was pinned right to her wooden bedframe: MOST PROMISING TWELVE-YEAR-OLD GIRL. The Institute gave her that one after she was able to wrestle a fourteen-year-old twice her size and win.

Idly, she changed positions again, this time standing and then leaning into a deep lunge. As she stood, dust from the mat flew up and clouded the air. She coughed and waved it out of her face. Even if I'm the only one who lives up here, it would be very appreciated if someone would bother to clean up this place. There was only so much she could do with the singular feather duster kept up there. Granted, the attic was far out of use and the Institute had more effective methods of storage now than when she had first moved up there fourteen years ago.

Suddenly, she was aware of unwanted eyes watching her, the hairs on her neck raising slightly as she whipped around. It was just an Avox, a man in his early twenties who usually brought her downstairs when somebody was there to see her. Eirene couldn't imagine that it was an interesting job, but it was probably better than serving as a Peacekeeper training dummy or a servant for the Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games. Even when she just thought of it, she could feel her skin tingling in anticipation. It called her name every year. Which made sense—she had been abandoned at the Virtus Institute as a newborn with the note 'Make sure she wins', after all. This was simply her destiny.

But not yet, she reminded herself. That was the supplementary thought that accompanied her biggest dream. She would have to wait until seventeen, and even then, it would be much easier to prove herself when she was eighteen. Until then, all she could do was try and train to show that she was working hard.

In a swift motion, she hopped off of the mat and rolled it up, tossing it aside to a corner where she left the other boxes of junk that were gathering dust; being the room's original occupants. She turned off the small lamp in her room and then followed the Avox downstairs.

The second floor just below her room was large. It contained wings of meeting rooms, offices, and bedrooms for those who spent enough time there that it didn't make sense to regularly go home. Arguably, the first floor was even larger, having the grand gymnasium, a cafeteria, a locker room, private rooms for one-on-one sessions, and a lobby area. At least, those were the rooms that mattered to her. Eirene was aware of a corridor of classrooms where people learned the history of the Games and how to behave in Interviews. She didn't need either of those things, however.

After reaching the first floor, Eirene expected to see her mentor, Niobe. Instead, she was directed to the lobby, where two girls her age where standing. One of them stood a bit more confidently than the other.

Said girl, Nessa, gave Eirene a winning smile. Her dark curls—common in 2—had been pulled up into a braid. Next to her, Lachesis, a short girl with medium brown skin and pin-straight black hair, nodded respectfully, speaking first. "We heard about you getting into the Magnum Pugnam. Congrats!" She embraced Eirene easily, and Eirene returned the gesture.

"I'm so jealous," grinned Nessa. "I also tried to get in, but you know my parents." She rolled her eyes. "'Oh, Clytemnestra, we could always use more help around the forge, maybe its time to give up the Career life!'"

"You? Give up?" Lachesis raised a brow. "Yeah, right. They have no clue what they're talking about." Eirene nodded in agreement. She turned to Eirene. "Did Niobe really slip you in?"

Eirene flushed. "Uh…maybe just a bit." Technically, the Magnum Pugnam competitors were supposed to be eighteen and seventeen-year-olds. "But so what?"

"So what? I would kill to be in that thing!" Nessa put in, the jealousy clear in her eyes.

Lachesis elbowed the girl sharply—Eirene didn't ignore the gesture. "Anyways, we figured that we would stop by and say hello, maybe even help you prepare." She wiggled her eyebrows in a way that was very uncanny, and Eirene laughed. She should've known—both of them were in athletic clothing, and the sweat on Lachesis's brow suggested that she had gone on a morning run to wake herself up.

"Yeah, okay. You guys can help." Her two friends exchanged a smile. "But you guys take the first round, huh?" On their combined stare, she groaned. "Come on, I just woke up, alright?" With that, Lachesis shrugged, and they all continued into the gymnasium.

The air was filled with the scent of sweat and the slight hint of the air fresheners that did little to help the stink. The ground of it was made from a special, springy sort of material that would prevent injuries, as well as mats. Despite it only being 10:00 AM, there were plenty of people already training. Eirene recognized multiple Trainers who had been hired by the Institute—mostly former Peacekeepers or even Careers—sprinkled with some Victors. The youngest of the Careers were ten, when parents could first start sending them in, while the oldest were eighteen.

As it so happened, most younger Careers started with a Trainer. The most prestigious were picked up by a Victor around fourteen, and in that Victor's name, they would usually use the same weapon as them in the Arena. Lachesis was one of those tributes, under Callan Cervantes, who used javelins in the Arena. For that reason, she instantly picked up a spear. It had a sort of rubber covering on it that would prevent injuries.

Despite that, Nessa still threw on the offered protective padded armor, before lifting a sword, testing its weight. Eirene couldn't understand the appeal of swords herself, finding them far too common and truly boring. Lachesis was already on the mat, drilling some jabs with her spear.

Eirene sat on a nearby bench. The girl who had been wrapping split knuckles gave her a dirty look from where she was perched on its edge. Eirene scoffed in response, sitting down on the opposite side while the girl made a hasty exit, before turning her eyes on her friends.

They were already circling. Eirene knew it was a good chance to exercise her knowledge of combat. Lachesis had the advantage just by the nature of a spear against a sword, but from her hesitation and the way she watched Nessa's blade, she was aware of Nessa's unorthodox fighting style.

Nessa charged first, ducking nimbly under Lachesis's jab. She sliced across Lachesis's midsection—if aimed properly in a real fight, it could be a potentially fatal blow. However, her opponent's face screwed up in concentration, and she took a large step back on the mat, evening out the range again.

Eirene turned her eyes to Nessa—she had a choice to make now. She could allow Lachesis to try and attack from a distance, or she could try and get her closer. From the way she seemed to settle slightly, rebalancing, Eirene knew she decided on the former of the two.

Just as Lachesis was about to strike, there was a buzz in Eirene's back pocket. Her friend's eyes flicked over to where she was getting up to check her mobile. Eirene lifted a hand, go on, before looking down at the screen. NOTUS, it read in large letters with a green phone button beneath it.

Eirene sighed, stepping into an unoccupied private room and shutting the door behind her. "Hi."

The voice on the other line was slightly groggy. Eirene sighed. He was such a late sleeper. "Hey, Ei, what're you up to?" His tone was overly casual.

"I'm at the Institute. Is this important?" Eirene responded, the toe of her sneaker bouncing against the tiled floor impatiently.

"You are? Again?" Eirene could hear the pout in his voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Notus. I literally live here. Where else would I be?"

"...I dunno. With me?" Her boyfriend responded, before a shuffling noise filled his end as he got out of bed. "Anyway, my mentor's shop is closed for the day. I think his wife is sick or something. So I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out later?"

She rubbed her temples. As much as she felt bad for not having as many opportunities to go out with him as she would've liked since they had gotten together five months ago, he had to understand that her priority was the Institute first. "When?"

"Hm…what about like, 3? We can go to that café you like."

Eirene thought of her schedule. Technically, she was supposed to train until dinner, but she simply sighed. "Alright, 3 PM is fine. Don't you have homework?"

"Oh yeah. See you later. I'll walk to the Institute to pick you up. Love you."

She hung up, still vaguely annoyed by the distraction. Notus didn't see the value of Career training, being the apprentice of a beloved stonemason who consistently got commissions from the Capitol. He didn't see that the Games were the best way to earn glory. And even if a Career didn't get into the Games, they could go on to be a Trainer or a Peacekeeper.

She turned on her heel and exited the practice room. Standing outside was a tall and imposing woman, her long brown hair tied into a bun. Her youthful face was curved into a disapproving scowl, her brown eyes narrowed. "What could've been so important that you just gave up an opportunity to see your peers spar?"

Eirene avoided her gaze. "Niobe," she said in greeting. "It was my boyfriend."

"Yes, yes, that big sack of flour. I remember." She grabbed Eirene's wrist and gave it a harsh tug. "I hope you're not being ungrateful for the opportunity I have handed to you. Do you want to show what you're worth in the Pugnam? Hm?"

"I do!" Eirene responded, freeing herself. She knew it was only because Niobe let her do so. "I'm sorry." She rubbed the faint red marks where Niobe grabbed her.

"Sorry fixes nothing," Niobe decided, shrugging it off. She led Eirene back over to the mat, where Lachesis was sporting a satisfied grin against Nessa as she poked her in the chest with her spear.

"Guess spear still beats sword," Lachesis said as Nessa stuck her tongue out. Both of them quieted and went rigid as the imposing woman approached.

"Trainer Niobe," Nessa bowed her head respectfully, Lachesis doing similarly next to her.

"You—" Niobe gestured to Nessa. "Go and towel off in the shower room. Grab some water. You're exhausted." As Niobe pointed it out, Eirene was made aware of Nessa's slightly faltering side, where she was gently resting one of her hands. Her ribs were probably aching. As Nessa's lips opened to protest, Niobe glared at her. "Now."

As Nessa made off to follow the Trainer's instructions, Niobe turned back to Lachesis and Eirene. Eirene cast a sideways glance at Lachesis—there was something dark in her usually easy expression. "I thought of a good exercise to prepare you for the Magnum Pugnam." She swept her gaze across both of them to include Lachesis. "We'll be using blindfolds."

"Blindfolds?" Eirene repeated, her friend having a similarly confused expression. "What's the point?"

Niobe frowned slightly. "Can you remind me of the Arena in the 112th Hunger Games?" She asked, placing her hands behind her back and giving her student an expectant look.

"It was…the tunnels, right? The one with no light at all?" Eirene remember it vaguely. It had been rather horrifying—tributes striking out with no clue what they were doing at all, the only ones with sight being the viewers through nightvision cameras.

"That's correct."

Lachesis piped up. "I don't see the connection. Those Games were highly unpopular and the Capitol is unlikely to repeat an Arena twist like that."

"Yeah, besides, didn't the little twig from District 5 win that year?" Eirene added, nodding in agreement.

"Exactly." Niobe walked over to a waiting Avox, grabbing two blindfolds. She cleared her throat. "With the Capitol, you must expect the unexpected." She handed out the two black fabric pieces. They had some shape to them—padding for protection, no doubt—and a string in the back. Eirene put it over her head but didn't pull the cover over her eyes yet. "Who's to say that a Gamemaker doesn't try to redo the idea, just better? Especially due to the Quell."

Lachesis caught Eirene's gaze and rolled her eyes as Niobe turned away to grab weapons from a wall. Eirene shrugged. Lachesis mouthed, what the hell does she know about the Games anyway? She shook her head in response and turned away, frowning down at the weapon that was given to her. "A dagger?" She said, scowling down at the object. "Why not a bow?"

"No use training for a weapon that you're already proficient in. You picked up the dagger as your close-up…what…a year ago? Less? Safe to say, your skills need work. Especially against a spear." Niobe nodded to them both. "Take your starting positions, and then pull the mask over your eyes. I'll give you tips as you go."

As the two Careers took their spots, Eirene saw Lachesis's distaste. She knew how much the other girl despised being used as a training dummy by Niobe instead of another potential tribute, even if she wasn't participating in the Magnum Pugnam. She smiled apologetically, but Lachesis simply pulled the blindfold over her eyes.

After a deep breath, Eirene did the same. Whatever material the blindfold was made of was no cheap purchase. It nearly filtered out all of the light, leaving her completely in darkness. Safe to say, it gave her a very disorienting feeling. Judging by the sound of Lachesis readjusting her athletic shoes on the mat, she was most likely feeling similarly.

"Ready? You may begin," Niobe's firm voice confirmed from far away.

As they moved, Eirene fought hard to not be carried away by the grunts and shouts of the other trainees in the gymnasium. She gripped her dagger, keeping it close to her chest. "So, are you going to poke me first, or do I have to take you down in a singular move?"

To Lachesis's credit, she didn't fall instantly for the bait. However, she let out a small huff, which was enough for Eirene to guess at her approximate position. She dodged far away from the spear, resulting in Lachesis having to give it a wide swing, before pulling in close.

"I'm not stupid, Eirene." Lachesis grunted. Eirene felt a hard pressure against her abdomen—a leg, maybe—before being forced away. She nearly recovered, but Lachesis harshly bumped the staff of her spear against her ankle. Eirene tumbled backwards.

"Nice move," Niobe sharply added from the side. "Eirene, you should've anticipated that."

In response, Eirene rolled out of the way of Lachesis's mock-killing strike, jutting upwards with her dagger. Lachesis was forced to reorient her weapon, and Eirene took the chance to kick her in the knee for good measure.

"Hey!" Lachesis yelped. "Not fair!"

"Careers don't fight fair," Niobe hissed. "Did Callan not teach you that?" She spit the word like poison from her lips. Even Eirene winced slightly, turning her head towards her mentor to give a hurt stare.

Instead, something hard impacted with her cheek—the rubber butt of Lachesis's spear. Eirene felt the whoosh of air as Lachesis spun her weapon in her grip. In a moment, she was down on the mat, feeling the cool rubber tip against her neck. "Do you yield?" Niobe's sharp bark was directly in her ear.

She just put the blade against my neck. I'm not dead yet. A Career doesn't yield until they're dead. In a smooth motion, Eirene jumped to her feet, ducking under another wild swing of her opponent's spear, before she completely cut noise.

She could hear Lachesis's sharp breathing—in and out, in and out—as her friend tried to track where she was. "Smart thinking, Eirene." Niobe congratulated.

But it wasn't over. Eirene still had to land the killing blow. That's what I'm here for, right? To learn how best to drive my knife into her heart? She danced smoothly around to where she presumed Lachesis's back was. However, as the girl swept her weapon yet again, the back of it hit her side hard. She could practically hear Lachesis's grin as she said "got you!" before gleefully turning around.

Eirene struck out wildly with her dagger in the fashion of a cornered animal. However, Lachesis knocked it aside with her spear, disarming her as it went clattering across the floor. Eirene felt its point dig into the padded armor on her stomach.

"Sloppy," Niobe noted as the two girls pulled off their blindfolds, panting. Of course, she turned to Eirene first to rip apart her confidence. "Not only did you make the mistake of striking out in panic at the end—something which has killed as many Careers as there are people in this Institute—but you also allowed yourself to be distracted. You cannot be distracted in battle. Also, you need to practice more with your dagger." At Eirene's wilted look, she added, "I frankly could care less if you are too self-absorbed to think that other tributes can get past your arrows. Might I add that arrows are a limited resource, unless you somehow find the time to grab every single one from the bodies you drop before they are taken by a hovercraft, and then clean them to a shooting condition if they haven't been broken already?" She narrowed her eyes. "What I'm illustrating for you is that hubris from relying on your best weapon is never a good look. It's a smart way to die, though, and if that's your plan, then be my guest."

Eirene could feel the weight of the words pressing down on her shoulders. She stifled a small gasp as the torrent of criticism poured from the woman's lips. Lachesis gave her an apologetic look, before turning to Niobe. "What about me? How did I do?"

"You were…adequate, for one of Callan's. You need to learn how to stop panicking when a situation gets out of control, though. Not all problems will be solved by swinging around your spear." Niobe said, closing her eyes. This only made Eirene's expression edge closer to pure gawking. Lachesis's mouth was open with shock, too.

They opened again. "Well? What are you waiting for? Do it again."