One Lucky Winner

Chapter 18 ~ Legolas

I stride through the glass door that leads to the training center. We're the second group to arrive, despite it being 8:55.

We stand amongst the other tributes. Bilbo and Thorin talk quietly from behind me. The situation of being here with them couldn't be worse. I dislike Thorin, and I'm not interested in being companions with Bilbo. He will get in the way. At the moment, I despise this.

I look around again, and see that more people have arrived. I don't need to count, but I think everyone is here.

The head trainer starts speaking and welcoming us to another day of training; the last one at that. She tells us to 'keep training hard', and then lets us go to train.

I stand there and ponder for a moment, my mind suddenly jumping back to Mirkwood. I remember the dwarves, and how they're still locked behind bars. Their quest to get the Lonely Mountain back has failed. The dwarves were invading the forest and we had every right to lock them up, but for an odd reason I feel a bit guilty. I do not know why.

Once I'm done pondering, I turn to Thorin and Bilbo only to find that they are not there. They've already went off training. I spot Thorin trying to use a rifle and Bilbo trying to use a spear.

I start walking, wondering what I will do today. Yesterday I did mostly survival skills, and was very good at them all. I see one station that I'm already a master at.

Archery.

I head straight towards the station. I don't need to practice at all; I just want to do it to show off. I want the other tributes to fear me. I know once they see me at this station they will.

I stride right up to the station; no one is around. I grip the bow, and then notice another hand also has it gripped.

I look beside me, and see a girl. She is a teenager with a braid. She's looking right back at me. It's weird; she seemed to appear out of nowhere. I don't know what to say to her.

"Ladies first," she awkwardly says to me after a long pause. Her voice is raspy. She is a woman, but she wasn't here first. I was. I want to tell her that, but, for some reason, I let go of the bow and back away. She picks it up.

I watch her as she taps on a screen, messing with the settings for the archery game. I observed someone playing it yesterday. All one has to do is just go in this arena where you shoot arrows at imaginary people made of pixels. You shoot 30 people, then you get your time.

I watch her as she enters the arena. She stands there for a moment. Soon, the imaginary people come running up to her with imaginary weapons. She shoots them quickly, dodging their imaginary weapons. She's alright, for a teenager at least. She doesn't impress me too much, though.

I notice a few more people have joined me in watching her. People stand near me, seeming to be marveling at her and her skills. I don't see what they think is so impressive. She looks average and her skills are not impressive.

She finally finishes, and slowly walks back out. She looks at something behind me and a smug look on her face appears. I turn around and look.

There is an electronic board that is flashing a number. At first I'm perplexed, but then I realize it's her time.

18 seconds.

18.

I'm frozen with shock. I take back what I said about her being average. Killing 30 'people' in 18 seconds is impressive, I hate to admit. I continue to stare at her time in shock. She slowly walks up to me, and gives me the bow.