𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬: 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 ✔️

Chapter 7 - Lacie

"Sorry about Ada," Murray says sheepishly. "She's very traditionalist."

"And very stubborn," Orion adds.

I roll my eyes. I'm sure one of us in this elevator will be the one to kill her. Fate has a way of working that way. She won't be turning on her heels then.

"No worries," Velia assures them. "Hopefully she'll stay away from us in the Arena, too."

The others laugh a bit as the doors open, letting us into the Training Center.

This is the first time I'm able to see all the tributes. I didn't get a very good look at the Parade. We join the larger group, who surrounds someone who looks to be the Head Trainer. Wade separates from our group immediately, standing with the District 12 tributes.

"Welcome, tributes, to the Training Center," the Head Trainer says when we've all arrived. "I'm your Head Trainer, Sebastian. Before we begin, we need to go over some ground rules."

As Sebastian talks, I watch the other tributes. I've memorized the Training Center Safety Protocols already, so I don't have to listen to Sebastian's speech. Across from me, Amethyst, Felix, and Victoria, the District 1 tributes, stand in a cluster, all smirking up at Sebastian. They already look cocky before we've even begun.

"Our first rule is, of course, no violence among tributes. There is plenty of time for that in the Arena. Any violence will be met with sufficient punishments, whether this be before or during the Games at the hands of the Gamemakers."

Jomilee, one of the District 6 tributes, glances to her feet. Next to her, Ada looks like she wants to punch someone.

"The other rule is no stealing equipment from other tributes. There will be three days of Training before your Individual Assessments, so there is plenty of time to get to everything. Other than that, just know us trainers are here to assist you if you wish."

And we're off. Soren leads me to a plant station, where he digs into a plant manual. I opt to observe the other tributes. Lena and Rex, two District 10 tributes, try to build a fire together, failing miserably. I itch to go show them how to do it properly, but that would be helping the enemy. A clanging sound catches my attention, and I spot Ada throwing knives at faraway targets. She hits the bullseye almost every time.

Nearby, Tanner, the other District 10 tribute, is weaving through a difficult obstacle course expertly. He completes a tricky roll over a moving bar, continuing through the course.

I shift my gaze, spotting two girls at the spear station. It takes me a moment, but I finally recognize them. It's Nia and Dalia from District 11. Nia is sitting on the ground, reading a plant manual like Soren. Next to her, Dalia is throwing spears. I watch as she launches one at a target, throwing it fairly accurately. Nia glances up at me for a moment, catching my gaze, before glancing back down shyly.

I watch the two girls over the morning. Dalia looks quite skilled in combat, while Nia seems to be quiet but intelligent. They seem pretty close, almost like Soren and I, and with them on my side, I know we can go far in the Arena.

~

When lunch finally comes around, Soren catches up to me, his tray piled high with food.

"Where are we sitting?" he asks me.

"I saw two girls who are good alliance options," I tell him. "Let's head over there."

Soren follows me without complaint. He knows how much I've been studying the other tributes, so I'm sure it doesn't even cross his mind to question my judgment.

We join Nia and Dalia at their table, which happens to be right behind the Career table. I glance at the Careers, noticing that Ada is mysteriously absent, her seat being filled by Tanner, the skilled District 10 tribute.

"Mind if we join you?" Soren asks kindly. He was always the charming one.

Dalia nods energetically. "Of course!"

Being the girl I am, I listen in on the Careers' conversations while Soren makes small talk with our new friends. Soren notices what I'm doing, and I can hear him explaining my strategy to the District 11 girls.

"Where's Ada?" I hear one of the girls ask. I think it's Amethyst based on the voice. "She should be here."

"She's not very mentally stable," Murray says with a sigh. "She's probably in the bathroom killing rats for fun."

"Who knows if she'll even ally with us," Orion adds.

"Or if it'll be safe if she does," Felix, the boy from 1, says.

"Please talk to your mentors about including her." That's the other girl from 1. From what I can tell, it's Victoria.

After lunch, Dalia, Nia, Soren, and I train together. I show Nia how to extract water from a few different plant samples, while Dalia and Soren practice throwing spears and tridents respectively.

~

We're treated to a feast with Georgina, Griff, Cressa, and Indigo after Training comes to a close. Soren shovels food into his mouth - I swear he could eat the whole feast by himself - while I fill in our mentors on what I've observed.

Wade sits at the end of the table, barely saying a word to any of us. I can tell Georgina, who is Wade's mentor this year, is frustrated, but she's pretty much given up as well, believing that if he wants to die, then she shouldn't get too invested in him.

"From what I saw today, the major players are the Careers and Tanner from District 10," I tell them. "But, they're not viable alliance options. Two of the District 11 girls looked promising, though."

"Yeah - Dalia's very good at fighting and Nia is an expert in foraging and hunting," Soren adds.

Cressa nods and writes something in her notes.

"The District 7 tributes all seem skilled," I continue. "A few of the District 3 and 6 ones as well. Other than that there aren't many other threats."

"Well, on our end things have been looking good," Cressa says. "While you didn't put yourselves out there too much, we still got some requests from the tributes because of Soren's status, so we have options."

Griff nods. "I trust you all. Find kids who are skilled and smart but dependable. Going into the Arena with a killer is only useful until they turn on you," he advises.

Suddenly, a thought pops into my head, and I realize that something has been nagging me ever since the Reaping. "Wait, can I ask - why would they Reap three tributes per District? It didn't make any sense with the twist, and it still makes no sense. Why are there 36 of us and not 24?"

Griff and Cressa look at each other for a moment before Cressa responds. "Well, it's pretty simple. It's a Quarter Quell, and the Capitol needs more excitement. They need more tributes to place their bets on, and more tributes means a longer and more unpredictable Games."

Wade finally speaks up for the first time tonight. "So one of us is here just so the Capitol can be more entertained," he says, tension in his voice. I look at Soren and see that his eyes are dark.

None of us say anything after that. What is there to say?

~

Soren and Lacie have finally met Nia and Dalia! Thoughts? How do we feel about Ada's absence from the Career table? Thoughts on the reasoning for the Quarter Quell twist? Let me know!

Thanks again for reading :)

~S