The 23 Cannons Trilogy

First Glimpse of the Enemy

I sit opposite Wiress, before Rory bounces in followed by two people pulling a cart. My jaw practically drops when I see it is filled with food. Even Samuel looks up, taking a moment to see the food, before sinking his head into his hands again. The food is dished out, and we begin eating, silently.

I eventually break the silence, "So, do you have any strategies for us?"
"If you mean for the arena, then you'll have to wait until we reach The Capitol. What we should be focusing on is getting your image just right, since that will be your main way of getting sponsors. Training is all well and good, but unless you're a powerhouse, strength won't get you very far." Beetee says, with an air of experience. Then again, he managed to come out alive, so why shouldn't I listen to him?

Wiress speaks up, " But telling us your strengths wouldn't be bad. It could help us, um..." she trails off, her eyes trained somewhere else.
" Yes, if we knew your strengths, we could quickly devise a training regimen for the two of you. So, what are your strengths?" Beetee finishes off Wiress' sentence.

Oh great. My strengths. Since I got out of the Community Home, I haven't done much of anything, except basic exercise at school. Wait, the Community Home! The amount of time spent sneaking and hiding there for nearly four years had to have taken a lot of skill. Hunger Games level skill.
"Well, I'm actually fairly decent at quickly hiding away, and sneaking around unnoticed, and have the skill to completely shut off an entire building's power supply in a matter of minutes." I say enthusiastically. Both Beetee and Wiress seem impressed, before looking at Samuel, who has come round enough to eat his food, with a look of disappointment. He hasn't told them anything they could work on. What if they ignore him entirely, leave him to die in the arena, whilst only focusing on my meagre talents? A powerful apprehension fills my body. I can't let them leave him.

"Samuel also can hide and move about virtually undetected!" I blurt out. Beetee and Wiress then begin whispering between themselves, and turn to face us, obviously with at least the approach decided. Just before they speak, Rory stands, looks at his watch, and quickly puts our food away. I am about to ask what's going on when he speaks out.
"It's seven. You know what that means? It's time to watch the recap of the Reapings!" he trills, before bounding into the next cart.

We follow him into the room, which consists of a large luxury sofa, a drinks bar, and a massive television. I sit on the sofa, when Beetee hands me a clipboard and pen. Before I can ask why, he quickly tells me it's for taking any notes of the Tributes, including whether or not they seem like they will be ally-worthy. I had completely forgotten about alliances, except for the Career pack of Tributes from 1, 2 and 4. My plan was to stay with Samuel until we both die, but now, I can try to team up with another District. Rory switches on the massive screen, and I sit, prepared to take notes.

First up is District 1's reaping. A large girl with auburn hair makes her way to the stage, whom we quickly learn is called Ruby. The male's name is called, and a small child, obviously only twelve, makes his way to the stage, slowly. He barely reaches the first step when a barrage of male voices all yell out that they'll volunteer. The boy quickly slinks off into the crowd, and after ten minutes, Sheen, a massive boy with spiked brown hair, storms on to the stage, and shakes hands with Ruby. They'll definitely be joining the careers, so I count them out for being an ally.

The screen fades to District two, and the escort, a woman dressed like a rainbow, calls the girl's name, Sara. A fairly small girl with short blonde hair makes her way on to the stage, and snarls at the escort. Then again, I would be disgusted if I was reaped by a technicolour freakshow as well. She then trills out the male's name, Garry, and a big, stocky boy with very short dark hair waltzes on-stage, and flashes a smile at the nearest camera. Oh how the Capitol will be lapping that up. I cross them off the list of potential allies as well.