Fragile

Chapter 1

Chapter One

The alarm's shrill sounds cut through the dreary room, but Clove is already up. Her thoughts swirl with anticipation; It's her first day of training.

She has been training for as long as she can remember, but this is different. Now she'll be trained by the victors, the best of the best.

She runs her finger over the blade of one of her knives, one of the ones she had stolen, some from shops and some from the training center itself.

The knife slits her finger, but she hardly notices. She has been cut countless times and has the scars to prove it, that's just what happens when you play with blades.

She ties her hair in a loose ponytail and hides two of her knives in it. Placing some in her boots and the rest into the arm straps and knife vest she heads out of the door.

It is about five miles from her house in the poorer part of the district to the training center near Victors Village. The slowly, but surely rising sun indicates that she'll have to hurry if she wants to make it to the training center on time. She arrives slightly early, her cheeks flushed and hair still wet from the morning drizzle.

She sits on one of the benches outside and takes a knife out of her jacket to play with as she observes the others. All of the older trainees are already inside so only the ten or so new kids were still waiting. Although many of them look like they have never picked up a blade, they are all taller and bigger than her. She knows she is small for her twelve years, but especially so when compared to some of the older trainees in her district, who can easily pass for six feet.

Her thoughts drift to her sister Clara. Clara was the one who had encouraged her to learn to throw knives. Not to go into the games, but for self defense. District two is a rough place.

Clove's thoughts are interrupted by a stern and official sounding voice, "New trainees! Follow me to-",

Then another voice interrupts, "You kids! Get over here!" Clove turns and sees the two people who had spoken.

The first is a woman in her late twenties with bronze tan skin and long brown hair pulled back tightly and held in place by a piece of twine. She is not very tall or big, but it is clear she is respected and feared.

The second person is a man who towers over everyone. He holds a spear in his hand and brandishes it at the kids.

Clove recognizes them as Enobaria Forrest and Brutus Gunn, former hunger games victors. Clove sits up, puts her knife back in her jacket and walks over to them.

The rest of the new trainees look scared, like they are afraid the trainers will bite, which Enobaria could. She had won her hunger games by ripping out the throat of her opponent. As she flashes a menacing smile Clove sees that her teeth end in gold inlaid points.

Enobaria leads the group into the center where the older trainees were practicing. "This is the main gym," Enobaria says. The gym is huge. Clove sees at least two hundred kids from ages thirteen to eighteen attempting all sorts of activities, with varying degrees of success.

A group of thirteen and fourteen-year-old kids are scaling the climbing wall and cheering on their teams, while across the gym the sixteen-year-old trainees are being evaluated with their use of daggers in hand to hand combat.

She sees a fifteen year old stumble around a ring with virtual reality goggles on, slashing at invisible opponents while two eighteen year old girls duel with swords and shields in the ring to the left.

On the far wall lines of targets are set up and trainees stand there, throwing knives and spears, or shooting bows and arrows.

Rows upon rows of weapons stand in racks, just itching to be used.

The center of the gym consists of fighting areas for combat. Two boys are rolling around on the mat, slashing at one another with swords. Clove watches as one of them pins the other down, holds the sword above the loser's stomach and declares them "dead". The winner stands up and shakes out his messy blond hair. A group of kids run over to congratulate him.

The boy who won smirks at the people congratulating him and tosses up his sword before expertly catching it. He projects an air of brutality and arrogance.

Clove scoffs.

The twelve-year-olds are staring in awe, drinking in the scene, but they are not able to look for long before Enobaria hustles them along saying, "We have to show you the whole center. When the tour is done you can come back to the main gym."

The training center has the main gym, a large outside forest area, and series of rooms for combat exercises.

Clove grins. She feels at home already.