^Wade
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Chapter 7
POV: Lacie (District 4)
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Soren and I wave farewell to Cressa and Griff. Wade joins us wordlessly. Today's a very important day - it's our first day of Training. Today is when all our possible allies are up for grabs. My strategy begins today; I'll be observing all my fellow tributes for the best possible allies. Luckily for me, Cressa convinced Soren to ally with me, so that's one step out of the way. I'm unclear on if Wade wants to stick with us or not yet.
"How did you guys sleep?" I ask the boys as we walk to the elevators.
Wade glances up at me for a moment before staring back at the floor. He's walking so slowly that we're almost leaving him behind.
"Fine," he says.
Soren and I share a look. Wade seems to have given up completely. I feel bad for him.
I stop walking, and the boys stop as well, looking back at me. I'm not usually one to do emotional favors for others, but I feel bad for the kid. "Wade, this might seem random, but you were really brave at the Reaping. I just wanted to tell you that. You're a hero."
Wade grimaces, offering Soren and me a small, pained smile. "Thank you," he says genuinely. "I did what I had to do. I couldn't live with myself if I had let Taylor die in the Arena. It was her or me, and I couldn't let that happen to her. She's only 12."
He pauses for a moment, almost forcing his words out. "But let me make one thing clear. You two have a good chance at going far. I obviously don't. It sounds harsh, but you have to stay away from me. I'm going to die as soon as the Games start. I don't want to put myself through the Arena if I don't stand a chance. Don't feel like you have to drag me with you."
Soren looks torn by Wade's words, but I'm not. If Wade has given up, I can't spend the energy to give him motivation. I have to find good allies and prepare for the Arena if I want to come out of there alive.
"If that's what you want," I tell him quietly. I know Soren wants to take care of Wade, but it's Wade's decision, and he's right - he'll just drag us down in the Arena.
The two elevator doors open into the spacious elevator. Persephone, Carlo, and Velia, the three District 5 tributes, are already inside the space, and they move to the back to let us in. When the tributes split, Persephone and Carlo move one way together, while Velia moves away from them. Persephone and Carlo seem to know each other already, or they've gotten close in the last few days.
The elevator passes Floor 3, but it stops at District 2's suite. I see Velia offering the District 2 tributes a small smile, but I'm not sure if it's out of friendliness or out of fear. The two boys, Orion and Murray, step into the elevator with us as we move to make room for them. They're both only slightly taller than I am, and they barely look like Careers. I definitely think they weren't their District's first choices, or even their tenth, but all tributes had to be related to past tributes, so I guess they were the best within that pool this year.
Ada, on the other hand, is one to watch out for. I think there's something psychologically wrong with her but I'm not sure what. The boys look at Ada expectantly, but she gives Velia, Carlo, and Persephone looks of scorn. I shudder at the feeling of her gaze. She makes me feel filthy, and I'm not one to be put down easily.
"I'll take the stairs..." she says slowly and carefully before turning on her heels and walking away.
The others stand in shocked silence at Ada's rudeness. Velia angrily mashes the button to close the elevator doors.
"Sorry about Ada," Murray says sheepishly. "She's very traditionalist."
"And very stubborn," Orion adds.
I roll my eyes. I'm sure one of us in this elevator will be the one to kill her. Fate has a way of working that way. She won't be turning on her heels then.
"No worries," Velia assures them. "Hopefully she'll stay away from us in the Arena, too."
The others laugh a bit as the doors open, letting us into the Training Center.
This is the first time I'm able to see all the tributes. I didn't get a very good look at the Parade. We join the larger group, who surrounds someone who looks to be the Head Trainer. Wade separates from our group immediately, standing with the District 12 tributes.
"Welcome, tributes, to the Training Center," the Head Trainer says when we've all arrived. "I'm your Head Trainer, Sebastian. Before we begin, we need to go over some ground rules."
As Sebastian talks, I watch the other tributes. I've memorized the Training Center Safety Protocols already, so I don't have to listen to Sebastian's speech. Across from me, Amethyst, Felix, and Victoria, the District 1 tributes, stand in a cluster, all smirking up at Sebastian. They already look cocky before we've even begun.
"Our first rule is, of course, no violence among tributes. There is plenty of time for that in the Arena. Any violence will be met with sufficient punishments, whether this be before or during the Games at the hands of the Gamemakers."
Jomilee, one of the District 6 tributes, glances to her feet. Next to her, Ada looks like she wants to punch someone.
"The other rule is no stealing equipment from other tributes. There will be three days of Training before your Individual Assessments, so there is plenty of time to get to everything. Other than that, just know us trainers are here to assist you if you wish."
And we're off. Soren leads me to a plant station, where he digs into a plant manual. I opt to observe the other tributes. Lena and Rex, two District 10 tributes, try to build a fire together, failing miserably. I itch to go show them how to do it properly, but that would be helping the enemy. A clanging sound catches my attention, and I spot Ada throwing knives at faraway targets. She hits the bullseye almost every time.
Nearby, Tanner, the other District 10 tribute, is weaving through a difficult obstacle course expertly. He completes a tricky roll over a moving bar, continuing through the course.
I shift my gaze, spotting two girls at the spear station. It takes me a moment, but I finally recognize them. It's Nia and Dalia from District 11. Nia is sitting on the ground, reading a plant manual like Soren. Next to her, Dalia is throwing spears. I watch as she launches one at a target, throwing it fairly accurately. Nia glances up at me for a moment, catching my gaze, before glancing back down shyly.
I watch the two girls over the morning. Dalia looks quite skilled in combat, while Nia seems to be quiet but intelligent. They seem pretty close, almost like Soren and I, and with them on my side, I know we can go far in the Arena.
~
When lunch finally comes around, Soren catches up to me, his tray piled high with food.
"Where are we sitting?" he asks me.
"I saw two girls who are good alliance options," I tell him. "Let's head over there."
Soren follows me without complaint. He knows how much I've been studying the other tributes, so I'm sure it doesn't even cross his mind to question my judgment.
We join Nia and Dalia at their table, which happens to be right behind the Career table. I glance at the Careers, noticing that Ada is mysteriously absent, her seat being filled by Tanner, the skilled District 10 tribute.
"Mind if we join you?" Soren asks kindly. He was always the charming one.
Dalia nods energetically. "Of course!"
Being the girl I am, I listen in on the Careers' conversations while Soren makes small talk with our new friends. Soren notices what I'm doing, and I can hear him explaining my strategy to the District 11 girls.
"Where's Ada?" I hear one of the girls ask. I think it's Amethyst based on the voice. "She should be here."
"She's not very mentally stable," Murray says with a sigh. "She's probably in the bathroom killing rats for fun."
"Who knows if she'll even ally with us," Orion adds.
"Or if it'll be safe if she does," Felix, the boy from 1, says.
"Please talk to your mentors about including her." That's the other girl from 1. From what I can tell, it's Victoria.
After lunch, Dalia, Nia, Soren, and I train together. I show Nia how to extract water from a few different plant samples, while Dalia and Soren practice throwing spears and tridents respectively.
~
We're treated to a feast with Georgina, Griff, Cressa, and Indigo after Training comes to a close. Soren shovels food into his mouth - I swear he could eat the whole feast by himself - while I fill in our mentors on what I've observed.
Wade sits at the end of the table, barely saying a word to any of us. I can tell Georgina, who is Wade's mentor this year, is frustrated, but she's pretty much given up as well, believing that if he wants to die, then she shouldn't get too invested in him.
"From what I saw today, the major players are the Careers and Tanner from District 10," I tell them. "But, they're not viable alliance options. Two of the District 11 girls looked promising, though."
"Yeah - Dalia's very good at fighting and Nia is an expert in foraging and hunting," Soren adds.
Cressa nods and writes something in her notes.
"The District 7 tributes all seem skilled," I continue. "A few of the District 3 and 6 ones as well. Other than that there aren't many other threats."
"Well, on our end things have been looking good," Cressa says. "While you didn't put yourselves out there too much, we still got some requests from the tributes because of Soren's status, so we have options."
Griff nods. "I trust you all. Find kids who are skilled and smart but dependable. Going into the Arena with a killer is only useful until they turn on you," he advises.
Suddenly, a thought pops into my head, and I realize that something has been nagging me ever since the Reaping. "Wait, can I ask - why would they Reap three tributes per District? It didn't make any sense with the twist, and it still makes no sense. Why are there 36 of us and not 24?"
Griff and Cressa look at each other for a moment before Cressa responds. "Well, it's pretty simple. It's a Quarter Quell, and the Capitol needs more excitement. They need more tributes to place their bets on, and more tributes means a longer and more unpredictable Games."
Wade finally speaks up for the first time tonight. "So one of us is here just so the Capitol can be more entertained," he says, tension in his voice. I look at Soren and see that his eyes are dark.
None of us say anything after that. What is there to say?
~
Soren and Lacie have finally met Nia and Dalia! Thoughts? How do we feel about Ada's absence from the Career table? Thoughts on the reasoning for the Quarter Quell twist? Let me know!
Thanks again for reading :)
~S