The 23 Cannons Trilogy

Evaluations

Osiris had woken early; the anticipation had made all sleep last night a near-impossible task. But really, it was to be expected, considering what today was. Finally, the private sessions were upon the tributes. And boy, was Osiris ready.

He currently was sat on the end of his bed, tying up the boots of his training outfit securely. He had deliberately made the morning routine drag on for as long as possible, since the sessions weren't due to begin until ten. Currently, it had just turned half nine: Osiris had been stalling everything since around six. But now, he supposed it would be ideal to leave his room, and go wait for the others in the dining room: the growl of his stomach also confirmed that this would be the best course of action to take.

Osiris climbed off of his bed, standing on the plush carpeted floor beneath him. A confident grin was plastered across his face: he knew it was stupidly dangerous to be cocky in this situation, but he was more than prepared for the private session. He had a plan, and had the skill to back it up. This was all going to go just perfectly.

He walked across his room, and to the door, which he pushed open. As soon as the door was open, the rich aroma of breakfast hit him all at once. It smelled delightful; perfect for today. He followed the scent down the hallway, and to the dining area, where Topaz, Cris, and Allure were sat. It was the same as every other day in the Capitol, but this time, there was a definite atmosphere of anticipation in the air.

"Morning, Osiris," Cris said with a cheerful smile. This wasn't unusual; Cris had been as happy as possible with the tributes. Perhaps it was to make up for the loss of his brother last year, or perhaps it was simply because he saw a lot of promise in this year's tributes. But it wasn't much of Osiris' concern: as supporting as Cris was, in reality, he was a pretty bad mentor. He sort of just fell behind-backwards into winning; his victory was entirely a fluke. Allure, however, was much better. Her victory had been much more entertaining: she didn't join the Careers, but instead joined a large band of outliers, nicknamed the Anti-Careers, and helped them take down the trained tributes, before murdering every last member of this alliance in their sleep. Allure was ruthless, intelligent, and a perfect mentor in every way. However, at the end of the day, Osiris was going to be the one winning, so being independent was the key to true victory here.

"Good morning," Osiris replied, sitting at the table. He grabbed a bowl filled with a various assortment of delicious food: he wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it gave him energy, and didn't seem to have any ill effects, so he was fine with it.

"Are you both ready for the training sessions today?" Allure inquired, idly playing with her auburn hair. She was eating an orange, and seeming to enjoy the flavour.

"I think so," Topaz said, giving a confident grin. "I've been preparing for as long as possible, and I'm confident that I'll breeze through it."

"That's good to know," Allure replied. "Just remember to leave room for error. It's all well and good having a well-rehearsed plan, but be prepared to improvise if need be."

"I'll keep that in mind," Topaz said, nodding.

"You should too, Osiris," Allure added, looking at Osiris. He nodded between mouthfuls. "Since I don't want either of you coming away with god awful scores." Osiris finished his breakfast, and looked at Allure.

"Yeah," he said. "That would be quite the awful outcome indeed."

"But really," Allure said. "It's up to you to come away with the best score possible, so do not screw up."

"Got it."

They all sat at the table, eating in silence for the next few minutes, until a clock chimed out. Osiris glanced over at the clock: it was about to turn ten.