Survivor | The Hunger Games

ch.7

Today is a big and important day for all tributes. They'll be having their one-on-one session with the game makers who will determine how strong and valuable they'll turn out to be in the games. Their score will also be pivotal to gaining sponsors or losing them. Lana and Tyler were woken up an hour earlier than usual by Finnick so that they could go over what they'd be doing during their private session. Tyler seemed confident in his abilities and combat skills while Lana was more on the worrisome side. Lana was gifted in a few skills like swimming, fishing and now thanks to Finnick combat fighting. "This session is the perfect time to show off yourself. Show them what you can do not just for you but for them."

"For them?" Lana asked.

"At the end of the day all they want is a good show. Their game makers, their job isn't to help you survive, it's to put you through hell and profit off of it." Finnick explained as the three finished up eating breakfast. Lana thought about what she was best at which was the bowie knife in the ocean. Unfortunately, there is no ocean to showcase in and there may not even be one in the arena either. Maybe she could practice on moving targets. There's a station with moving dummies that run and launch at you, you take whatever weapon your best at and fight them off. There's also a speed option slow, medium and fast. Maybe she should try fast to impress them? But then again, she's never tried that level of difficulty. It'd be a nightmare if she failed miserably in front of them trying to exceed her capabilities when she knows she could impress them with what she knows she can do.

By the time the rest of their team was up and ready for breakfast Finnick had gone back to his room to shower while Lana and Tyler made their way to the waiting room outside the training center. Tyler sat next to the tributes from 5 while Lana sat beside the girl and boy from 3. They were siblings. The girl being about 17 and boy 13. Neither of them volunteered, both thrown into the games by chance. Lana took notice that over the three days of them training both tributes had been glued to the hip. The older sister Emery had a cold exterior to her. Lana suspected it was intimidation tactic which worked considering how Darian has made threats to almost every other tribute expect his allies. Then there was her brother Declan he had such a sweet smile. Lana felt terrible that they were both in here and knowing that only one person gets to make it out.

As names began getting call Lana grew anxious. Her fellow allies each walked out of the training room more confident than the last, she felt a bit of jealousy towards 1 and 2 in this moment. It's not fair that they were sculpted by this and put in here by choice while she was thrown in here for the sake of her brother proving himself to people who couldn't care less about him.

"Emery Castrope." The girl hesitantly got off her seat and made her way inside. Lana noticed her brother grow anxious as she left. He then began having difficulty breathing. Declan reached into his pocket for his inhaler but accidentally dropped it on the floor. Lana quickly retrieved it off the floor and handed it to him. As he took puffs out of it, Lana questioned him. "Are you okay?"

Once he was able to calm his breathing, he turned to Lana with a faint smile. "I am now. Thank you." Lana felt even worst with him, not only was he small and fragile but also had asthma. 70 percent of the games is just running from your attacker or fighting them off. How is he suppose to do that when he can't even breathe on his own. "You know what's funny? I expected you to be mean, maybe even kick my inhaler further away from you."

"That is so cruel. Why would you think that?" Lana tilted her head and turned to him more.

"Because you're apart of the career pack and everyone knows the careers don't play nice even before the games." Declan explained. "And because I've had that happen to me before back home."

"Well first of all my parents didn't raise me to be such a nightmare so you got lucky there and second of all the kids who have actually done that to you are—" Lana mouthed the last part. "assholes."

Declan giggled. "You and my sister would get along. Do you have any siblings?"

"Unfortunately, I do not." Lana answered without hesitation. "Am I missing out?"

Declan replies. "Well, I don't know about other people's relationship with their sisters but mine is pretty awesome so yeah you kind of are."

Lana playfully frowned. "Lucky you."

"You really shouldn't be getting friendly with him." Tyler whispered to her. "I give him not even an hour before he's dead."

"I'm sorry, when did I give you permission to talk to me?" Lana's face hardened.

"I'm just saying, you're only making this harder for yourself. I know it's in your nature to be as weak minded to befriend a foe but come on this is life or death. Don't make this harder for yourself." Tyler said. The fact that Lana detected a bit of sincerity behind his words kept her from saying anything in retaliation. She knew he made sense and hated it. She can't see her family or friends, she can't choose her allies, she can't pick what she eats or wears and now she can't even give the bare minimum as a human being and be nice to people.

After the tributes from 3 were done in the training room were done Lana was up next. She walked into the training room still feeling a bit bitter from her lack of freedom and individuality and stood at the center of them room while stating her name and district. "Go on." Seneca Crane said after writing a note in his clipboard. All the game makers watching her made her very uneasy. She walked up to the dummy fighting platform after entering the settings she wanted and grabbing her bowie knife. She decided to play it safe and put the setting on medium. Once the dummies began moving to readied up. With each dummy coming at her she sent the bowie knife down what would be their skull or through the neck sending their heads rolling and if it became too much she'd just swerve away or duck until she was able to strike it down. In the midst of her training the machine began malfunctioning and she quickly noticed how much faster the dummies were moving and how many more began to pop out. The game makers were impressed by her original performance but began to doubt her capabilities once it got harder. Lana moved as fast as she could as her fight or flight instincts kicked in. She desperately wanted to score exceptionally well, everything Finnick had been teaching her she had to use in this very moment. When the game makers grasped the fact that Lana wasn't backing down and just kept fighting, they saw just how much potential she had.

After a few minutes of her getting knocked down by the dummies but also getting right back up to finish them off, the machine gave out as waves of electricity struck from the motherboard. The game makers were taken back furthermore when they realized her performance wasn't planned and only happened cause of a malfunction. She had absolutely no warning of just how drastic her situation was to get and yet she still survived it all while keeping the game makers entertained. Lana's last blow was to the last dummy still moving towards her, she drove the bowie knife through the head and left it there as she wiped her sweat off. She then hoped off the mat and stood back at the middle of the room. Acting as if the machine totally didn't just break and beat her ass, she flashed them her million-dollar smile as she bowed down. "Thank you for your undivided attention and time."