I wake up after having a sweet dream about Katniss, me and her at home as if it were a normal day. But it isn't. It's training day. I walk over to the shower and wash my hair using a few buttons and drying doesn't take too long either. When I come out I notice that there is a set of clothes already picked for me. Black pants, a burgundy tunic, leather shoes. I feel like I look different than the normal me. It looks more like...Katniss.
No one calls for me, but I still decide to go down to eat. I'm hungry anyways. I find that the chairs are empty, but the table has plates and silverware. I notice Lavinia coming from the kitchen, bringing me food. I smile. She just gives me a brief nod and a small smile. Who knows what would happen if she get's caught, exchanging smiles and glances with a tribute. I eat the bacon and eggs as I think about Katniss. She would be going to school, mother making remedies for the apothecary.
My thoughts are interrupted by Haymitch and Peeta's entrance. They come into the dining room and fill their plates with food. I notice that Peeta is wearing a similar, no, the same outfit as me. Once everyone's settled in and eating, I go back to my own thoughts. Different thoughts.
I think about the training, that we will be starting very soon. It will go on for three days. That's my chance to learn more survival skills and maybe pick up a few weapons. Oh, and also form alliances.
"So, let's get down to business. Training. First off, if you like, I'll coach you separately. Decide now."
"Um...why?" I ask, a bit confused.
"Maybe you have some secret weapon," Haymitch says, "That you don't want the other to know about."
"I don't have any," I say truthfully. It is true. Although I know how to heal people or find edible plants and berries, I know zero fighting skills.
"Nothing secret," Peeta says.
"Oh well then, I'll coach you together," Haymitch sums up. I notice how sober he is compared to other days.
I look at Peeta and he just nods.
"Oh well then, so...what can you guys do?" Haymitch questions.
I decide to go first, since Peeta is just keeping quiet.
"I can run quickly, I'm fast. I'm small and light so I can hide easily or move without making noises. I can heal people, I can find edible plants and berries. I'm good with animals," I explain.
"Well I'll consider that. But I don't think being good with animals is gonna help you much, sweetheart," Haymitch says. "Now how 'bout you Peeta?"
Peeta thinks.
"I can lift heavy...objects." He finally says.
"That's it?" Haymitch checks with him. He shrugs.
"He frosts cakes, so I bet he can do camouflage," I inform Haymitch.
"You...frost cakes," Haymitch breaths.
"Oh well then, I guess I'll work it out. Prim might stand a chance at this. She'll get enough sponsors. But Peeta, you've got to work on it," pause. "When you go to the training center, don't reveal your best skills. Instead, learn some new skills. Prim, you learn a weapon or two. And Peeta, you've got the strength so just find something that suits you."
And with that, Haymitch is gone. I stand up to leave too. I turn to say bye to Peeta, but he says, "You might actually stand a chance at this thing,"
I don't know what to say.
"You'll try your best too, won't you?" I ask. He shrugs.
"I'm not a killer. I don't want to be someone that I'm not. I want to show them, the Capitol, that...that I'm not just a piece in one of their games," he says.
What is that suppose to mean? I wonder. I just say a quick "bye" and rush to my room. It's almost 10 o'clock anyways, when training is suppose to start.
I wash, brush my teeth, and get ready to meet the other tributes. This is when I can get two more things off the list that I had made earlier.
2. At the training center, form an alliance with those people.
and
3. Pick up a few survival skills, as well as one weapon.
Oh well, I bet it won't be too hard. I think about the people I want to form an alliance with. "District 11 girl," I say to myself. I meet Peeta on the way. We walk together, but we don't really talk with each other. We meet Effie at the elevator, and she escorts us to the training center. Which apparently is underground. When we get there, I notice that we are the last ones to get there. Someone pins the number "12" to my back, no doubt the number of our district. I look around at the other tributes and I notice a few. Both from 2, because they're really intimidating. The boy from 3, because he's cuter than he was on screen. I know I shouldn't really be thinking about that, this is the games. I notice both from 11, the boy because he is gigantic, and the girl just because I had always noticed her. For being the same size and age as me. I wonder if she noticed me too.
Soon, all 24 tributes are called to meet around Atala, our training director. She tells us about the different stations, like where you can learn fighting techniques, or survival skills. She then goes on listing all the stations but I'm not really listening. Instead I take the chance too observe all the other tributes. I seem quiet but I'm usually listening, or observing things around me. Like now I can see that the District 4 boy has curly blond hair, or that the District 11 girl is observing the ceiling, or again, the District 3 boy, cute! I'm hoping to get to know him better. Or maybe not. Since one of us has to be dead anyways. That's a sad thought. In a few weeks, all of us are going to be dead. All except one.
As soon as Atala releases us, the career tributes (that's what we call the tributes from Districts 1,2, and sometimes 4, that illegally train for their whole lives) all head for the fighting technique stations. They're all doing things that are extremely scary, and they are accurate too. The District 2 boy, Cato, is cutting off some dummy heads with a long sword. District 1 girl is doing archery, but she misses terribly. I guess she has other talents, she is a career after all. Her boy counterpart is throwing spears at targets and he is super duper good. But the scariest of them all, at least to me, is the District 2 girl. She's a bit mentally unstable which makes her even more dangerous, because she can kill without any feelings. Her weapon of choice, knives. And she never misses. She can throw them from a distance, which makes her even more dangerous than District 2 boy, since you have to be close to someone to attack them with a sword. She's also small so she can probably climb trees. You see why I'm afraid of her.
I look around to see the different training stations. I decide to go with something simple first. The knot station. I see that one person is already there, the District 4 boy with curly blonde hair. I don't really pay much attention to him and start tying knots. Soon I learn how to make a simple snare. I guess that's all for now. I look around and find District 11 girl at the fire station so I decide to go check it out. When I approach her, I already know that she is sensing me and knows that I am coming. She turns around to see me when I'm about a yard away from her. I smile.
"Hi," she says. Her voice is soft and beautiful.
"Hi," I greet as well.
"I'm Rue, from District 11," she says.
"Primrose, District 12. You can call me Prim."
For a few minutes we don't really talk to each other and we just concentrate on the fire, it is the fire making station after all.
"So, you're 12 years old?" I manage to ask. She nods.
"Me too," I answer.
Another long pause.
"So, you got any...strategies for the arena? Any skills?" I ask
"I can climb trees really well, and I'm hard to catch," she smiles.
"Oh I'm fast too. I can't climb but I'm nimble. I...can also heal people."
"That's cool. I can also heal, but just simple stuff. And also finding edible berries. And plants."
"Me too."
"I guess we're similar, our strategies I mean," Rue says. I give a weak smile then I kinda squirm around. Because I really want to ask, if we want to become allies.
"So..." I start, a bit nervous.
"If you want to be allies, my answer is definitely yes," Rue tells me.
That helps a lot. I give a wide smile, and I notice that she's a bit nervous too.
"Yeah, so...I guess we're allies now," she says.
We've been at the fire station for quite a long time so we decide to go to other stations.
"So, where do you want to go next?" I ask.
"Well, I've always had something I wanted to do," she says with a mysterious smile.
I raise one of my eyebrows, as in to say "what?"
"Just watch," she says. She walks over to the knife station, where Cato is. He's got his knife on a small table while he's talking to the District 1 girl. Then I watch as Rue swipes his knife.
Wow, that girl's got guts, I think to myself. Cato's gonna be furious when he finds out. Rue turns around and searches for me, then winks when our eyes meet. She quickly climbs up some ropes meant for the climbing station. I wonder what she's doing. She's real quick. I watch her scramble from rope to rope to the ceiling, without making any noise. I look up and she puts her index finger in front of her lips, to indicate to be quiet. She is smiling. I smile back. I notice that Rue's male counterpart, District 11 boy is also looking up and chuckling. That's when Cato starts to shout. At first I can't see him but I hear him loud and clear.
"You stole my knife!" He rages. I'm scared, thinking he could have caught Rue. But when I turn around to where I can see him, I see that he's shoving the District 6 boy. I kinda feel bad for him, but Atala soon comes to solve the mess. I watch as Rue climbs down from the net and ropes, as quiet as a mouse. When she reaches me I grin.
"We might actually have a chance at this," I smile. She returns one back. I noticed that I said "we", but I guess it makes sense now. Rue returns the sword to it's place, where she swiped it from Cato.
"Which station should we visit now?" Rue asks.
"Some type of fighting technique, or weapon!" I say enthusiastically. I always thought this would be pretty cool. And Katniss told me to pick up a weapon anyways.
"Sure~!" Rue replies and we look around at the stations. I notice that District 3 boy is at the sling-shot station.
"How about...the sling-shot station?" I ask. Rue grins.
"Sure! I can teach you, I'm an expert," Rue exclaims.
"That's cool," I say as we start walking over.
"Yea, I also taught my younger siblings. I have five, back at home in District 11," she says ruefully. Probably thinking of her family. I think of Mother and Katniss too, which makes me sad as well.
Soon we arrive at the station and Rue picks up a sling-shot starts aiming at different targets. She never misses.
"You're really good!" I compliment. I notice that District 3 boy is watching her too. I'm so close to him, wow. But I mean, I have no time to think about that kind of stuff. But when I start to turn around, I see from the corner of my eye that he is watching me. I try to recall his name, from when we watched the playbacks.
"Noah," I recall, under my breath. His eyes dilate, which makes him look even cuter and I just stare at him like, "Oh...um..."
Rue's already occupied. The chaperone at the station figured out that she's an "expert" as she calls it in using a sling-shot and is teaching her some more techniques and skills.
"Yes, my name's Noah," he says cautiously. His voice is not low or high or anything but has a nice touch to it. It's soft but also strong at the same time. I must have been staring at him for a long time but soon I step out of my trance.
"I'm Prim," I say.
"So, how old are you, 12?" He asks.
"Yeah...and you?"
"I turned 14 just a few weeks ago,"
Long pause.
"So...have you ever used a slingshot?" he asks. I shake my head no.
"Here, let me teach you," he says. He picks up a slingshot and hands it to me. In the process our hands touch and I feel it burn. Well not literally but you know what I mean. I pull away my hand in surprise but take the slingshot.
"So, you hold it like this, and then..." Noah goes on to explain about the proper way to use a sling-shot and everything. I don't really listen to the words but rather to his voice. And I watch his motions. He's about a foot taller than me, not too skinny or fat. His movements are swift and light. When he moves, his shaggy brown hair that kind of falls over his eyebrows shift to the side.
"Are you listening to me?" he demands.
"Oh, oh sorry. Just...got a little...lost. In my own thoughts I mean,"
Pause.
"Ok, so I guess I'll just have to help you a bit more. Instead of words, how about motion?" He doesn't even wait for an answer. He puts a stone into my slingshot then moves over so he is standing behind me. He grabs my arm with the slingshot, soft and gently and pulls it back. I feel a tingle.
"Move your right foot a bit back," he tells me. And so I do. Then he guides my arm with the slingshot in one fast and smooth movement so that he/I shoot the stone at a target. It doesn't hit the middle, but it does hit it somewhere at least.
"Not bad," he compliments. I grin.
"That was your work," I reply. Soon Rue is back and I guess it's time to say bye to Noah for now.
"I'll see you around," he says.
"Definitely," I answer, as Rue and I walk away from the sling-shot station. I get all dreamy and am not really watching where I go, let along listening to Rue. Does Noah like me? Well he shows no signs so I say no. I don't know...but what if he does? Not possible...
"Prim! Earth to Prim~!" Rue exclaims as she waves her hand in front of my face. I wake up from my thoughts and look up to see that I almost walked into the District 2 girl, Clove. She is holding a sharp knife in her hand and her expression is so...fierce. She glares at me and it scares me. I give a quick "sorry" and shift away.
"That was so scary," I tell Rue when we are out of earshot.
"Oh don't worry, you know we aren't allowed to hurt each other before the games," Rue says.
"Before the games," I mutter under my breath.
"How many days do we have?" I question.
"Three days of training, then a few more days and times up," Rue answers. I process the thought in my head.
"I guess we better keep training then," I finally say after a long pause.
On our way to the shelter-making center, we notice Peeta at the camouflage station, painting his arm. He's really good. He's painted leaves, with sunshine shining through them at a particular angle. It's so realistic.
Before we know it, Rue and I are done at the shelter-making station. And for three days, we just keep going, station after station, learning skills that would help us in the arena. And soon it's already the day for our private sessions, where we would meet the gamemakers, who would give us a score.
I observe the room.There is a large gymnasium and around the outside, raised stands where all the gamemakers are in their long purple robes. They alternate from watching us tributes, and eating the endless food that is ready for them, served by Avoxes. I look around and notice Lavinia in the background.
All the tributes are to eat lunch now, at tables. Of course the 4 careers are sitting together, in a tight circle. I look around and everyone else is pretty much eating on their own. Rue and I decide to sit together. Then Peeta joins us. Rue asks if Thresh, her counterpart, can sit at our table, which I agree to. Then I ask if I can bring Noah and of course Rue agrees, so there- we find 5 people at our table, that have met each other for the first time, and are going to be trying to kill each other in a day.
We don't really talk as we eat but acknowledge each other and there are a few occasional glances at each other. My eyes meet with Noah a few times but I know that it cannot mean anything special.
Then came the private sessions, where the males from each district are called first, then the female. Starting from 1 and all way to 12, making me go last. I sit with Rue until it's time to go. I watch as Noah leaves, and time goes by quickly. Soon Rue is summoned and only Peeta and I are left. I lean against his shoulder.
"I can't believe it, the games are tomorrow," I tell him. I wish Katniss was here to comfort me but Peeta is able to comfort me as well.
He rubs my arm as he lets me comfortably lean on him and he calms me down with soothing words. Things about Katniss, home, or how it will all be over in a few days and that we would be okay. But soon Peeta is summoned too and I find myself all alone. I breathe in and out and re-think about what I would be showing them. I guess I could use a slingshot and hit a few targets to grab their attention, then maybe...I don't know. I mean it's not like I can heal people in front of them and sorting berries and plants is not that amusing. I decide I'll just try sprinting from place to place and hiding. Oh I know, So I'll get a sling-shot first then hide. Then run from place to place and hit some targets in the process. Soon I am summoned and that is exactly what I show them. I don't even know if they were watching me but I guess they did manage to write down a score for me. And I'm going to have to wait to find out.
~A/N~ I know I haven't updated for a long time, and I have 2 reasons. 1 my wifi didn't work so I couldn't publish anything and 2, I wrote a lot. I really hope you will enjoy it as much as I had fun writing it. Please give me some feedback, good or bad. Sorry about the irregular uploading schedule, but now I will be uploading chapters every Monday, and maybe one or two extra during the week when I have time. And so, of course, I'll be back in 2 days with a new chapter :)
-Monica