Your Heart Outside Your Body

The Training

Finn was beginning to wish he hadn't eaten so much at breakfast this morning.  The rich food was sitting in his stomach, and as he waited with the other tributes to be let into the training center, he was pretty sure he was going to puke.  Kurt looked just as bad.  He was pale and he looked like he hadn't slept, and he kept looking at Finn like Finn might explode. 

The training center was a huge gymnasium.  Weapons were lined up on the wall- spears, axes, maces, swords, staffs… it made Finn feel even worse to look at them.  It was like someone was saying, "Pick one!  How do you want to die?"  Or kill the others.  Finn wondered if he really could actually kill someone, and he had to swallow back the gorge rising in his throat.

Sue came up and clapped them both on the shoulders.  "All right, Twinkles and Sprinkles, remember what we talked about.  Each of you pick two weapons- ones that don't involve real skill- and get as proficient as you can.  And make sure you hit the survival stations.  You guys are city rats, so you need those.  Got it?"

"Got it," Finn said, taking a deep breath.  Kurt nodded.

"And keep your heads down.  Don't say anything to any other tribute that might piss them off.  You don't want to get someone after you with a grudge.  Got it?"  They both nodded, and Sue gave them a push.  "Good.  Go get 'em, tigers."  With that, she backed off and walked away, talking with Woof and Grace.

"Well, at least there aren't any cameras for training," Finn said, just trying to make conversation.  The other tributes had been gathering, and looking at them wasn't helping the state of his stomach.

"Oh my god, Finn.  Look."  Kurt pointed his chin in the direction of a boy who was two inches taller than Finn and probably a hundred pounds heavier.  "That's him.  That's the winner.  That's who's going to kill us."

"Kurt!"  Finn grabbed Kurt and clapped his hand over his mouth.  Then he realized how that would look, and dropped his hand again.  "Keep it together, okay?" he whispered.  "This isn't a time for trash talk."  Kurt nodded wordlessly.  Finn's arm was still around Kurt's shoulder, so he gave him a little half-hug.

"Hey, Eight."  A tribute that Finn was pretty sure was from District 2 and named Krev was leering at them.  "Gonna protect your little boyfriend in the arena, too?"

"That would be something, wouldn't it?" the other male tribute laughed.  "Now <I>there's</I> a way to get a sponsor- give them quite a show.  Most sponsors might not go for it, but you'll have a couple tripping over themselves.  Which is stupid, since you're never going to be able to pay them back the way they're thinking, unless they get their hands on you before and-"

"Hey!" Finn lurched forward, ready to punch.  But someone caught him from behind and he jerked back.

"No fighting the other tributes," a woman said in a bored sort of way.  She stepped in between them.  "That goes for both of you," she added, looking at Krev.  Finn frowned, stepping back, and the woman strode to the center of the group.

"You do not fight a tribute," she barked to the whole group.  "If you want to try some of the techniques you will learn, there are people there to assist you."

"What's going to stop us?" Finn whispered to Kurt.

"How much of a chance do you want in the arena?" Kurt whispered back.  He was frowning, and Finn had the feeling that he'd screwed up.  But before he could ask about it, the woman was reading off the stations that they could work at.  Finn knew there was training before the Games, but since it wasn't broadcast, he'd never realized just how many things the tributes could learn.  The woman released them with a sharp clap.