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★★★
I RUN A HAND THROUGH my hair and walk into the gymnasium. Immediately, I feel multiple sets of eyes on me and swallow uncomfortably. I'm the star of the show now.
I look around. There's no way I can use any of the weapons, and I only have a few moments to hold the Gamemakers' attention at the beginning. Then I start to see the various electronics around me with a different eye, the moving dummies, the lights, then the snares, and form a plan.
At first, it's hard to tell what exactly I'm doing. I work fast, knowing I don't have much time. I move to the snares section and grab a few spools of rope, tying them together to form a net large enough to snare a child. I then drag one of the training dummies to the center of the room, listening to the Gamemakers murmur to themselves. Finally, I dash to the weapons section and fix several darts to the underside of the net, hiding them from view with my body.
And for the final touch... This is it, the proof I'm from District Three. I run to the lights on either sides of the doors. Carefully, carefully unscrewing one, I move back to the net and, once again obscuring what I'm doing, coat the blade of a knife with the chemicals inside the light and spread them over each dart on the net.
I noticed the lights on the very first day of training. We learned a bit about explosive chemicals and where they can be found in school, but it was only due to personal research that I discovered that a very common chemical with a small explosion radius is used in Capitol lighting more often than not. The bluish-green tint of the lights told me all I needed to know.
Unfortunately, I can't remember how much pressure it needs to detonate, so I'll just hope that this doesn't quite literally blow up in all our faces. I check the time. Fifteen minutes left. Let's make this count.
It takes me less than five minutes to set the snare. Hoisting the dummy on its wheels, I send it rolling towards the trap and step back, waiting in anticipation. It careens straight into the trigger, and the net falls, ensnaring it. I wait. Five. Four. Three. Two—
Boom!
The net explodes, obliterating the dummy. I breathe a sigh of relief. The explosion didn't harm anything else, only leaving the dummy as a pile of ashes. I creep forward and nudge it with my foot. There's a black mark on the floor, but other than that it's alright.
Turning back to the Gamemakers, worry twists my gut. Will they like it? Are they angry that I've destroyed one of their dummies?
I scan their faces, seeing mostly shock. A pale boy looking around my own age watches me with eerie blue eyes, face unreadable.
I look over at Seneca Crane, Head Gamemaker, who seems deep in thought. Then he nods. "You are dismissed, Miss Rosewood."
"Thank you." I sweep into a small bow and walk out of the room.
