Chapter 10- Arrows, Knives, and an Unforgettable Sight
On the third day of training, they start to call us out of lunch for our private sessions with the Gamemakers. In order of the districts, first the boy, then the girl tribute. As usual, District 11 is second to last. We all linger in the dining room, unsure of where else to go. No one comes back after they have left, and soon it is just Ryder and me, and the boy and girl from 12- Acer and Camryn. When they call Ryder, I'm left alone in the room with them, and now the silence is awkward. I refrain from making eye contact, keeping my head down and low. After about fifteen minutes, my name is called and I leave without looking back at them. I smooth my hair back, cursing my wavy hair that never seems to lie smoothly, even when it is up. I set my shoulders back, and walk into the gymnasium. Once I'm in there, I know it's not going to go well for me. They all are bored, over half are drunk and not one takes notice as I walk through the doors. They've already had to sit through twenty-one other demonstrations, and wanted more than anything to go home.
There is nothing I can do but go forward with the plan, and so I head over to the archery station. The weapons! Ah, made from wood to steal to materials I can't even begin to name, and arrows with feathers lined to perfection. I grab a bow and a quiver of arrows, and notch an arrow to the bow. I pull back, aiming at one of the fake animals in the trees- I have no idea why they were there, I'd never seen anyone aim an arrow or anything at one- and I immediately know something is wrong. The string is much too tight, and I quickly turn to the bull's-eye, firing at it instead. I don't miss it, but I would have only hit a human's shoulder, and I am immediately met with a few snorts of laughter and I feel humiliated. I have lost any attention I might have had, and I am determined to win it back. I fire arrows like mad, skewering the dummy in the sword's station right through the heart, hitting the punching bag right on the 'X', stuffing and sand now coming out of it, and arrows are cleanly delivered to the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling, earning me a shower of sparks.
About half the Gamemakers notice, and even they barely give me a nod of approval or anything. Especially when their next course of steaming food comes parading through the door.
I am furious. I look around at all the weapons, deciding. I can use any of them I want, but only when my eyes fall upon the knives does an idea cross my mind. It isn't a very smart one, but I don't care.
I hold on to my bow and arrows, and jogg over to the knives. I grab four of them and stick them in-between my belt and pants, and climb up the fake tree they had in there for us to practice climbing. I hadn't touched it before now, already being skilled at climbing, and I climb it- thankfully- without any trouble. I stand, poised where the fake branches break so I have a clear view of the Gamemakers, but I don't stand out for them to immediately notice me. Now comes the stupid part.
While they now have their food in front of them, I pick out four that will be the easiest, since this won't be easy in the first place, and I don't need any knives bouncing around stabbing some of the people I am at the mercy of when the Games start. Not that this won't piss them off to that point in the first place, but still.
I take out a knife, twirling around in my hand a few times before taking aim. I throw it, a perfect shot, for it lands right in the middle of the first Gamemakers plate of meat. They barely have time to react before I whip out the next one, aiming and hitting a man's plate a few spaces over, and the last two find their targets just as smoothly. While they are shrieking and trying to locate me, I take my bow and an arrow from the quiver, and shoot it perfectly at the head Gamemakers high-back chair, the arrow piercing the plush material inches above his head. I then jump from the tree, and take a bow.
"Thank you for your consideration." The words are out of my mouth before I've even thought twice about them, and I leave without being dismissed.
I know what I'd done was a big offence, but I can't help but smile at the look on their faces.
***********
As I head toward the elevator, I hang my quiver of arrows and bow on a nearby sword rack, thinking that they were too good just to throw down and possibly break. No, the weapon doesn't deserve the punishment. I push past the gaping Avoxes guarding the elevator, and punch the number eleven button and shoot up towards my floor.
I think about how the scores would be shown in front of all of Panem, and wonder what my family would think of the three I would probably get, if that. Then I think of what Harry and Garrett will think, and I sigh at the thought. I am giving my mentors even less to work with to help try and keep me alive. I feel the tears start to stream from my eyes as I exit the elevator onto my floor, and I run straight to my room, ignoring the calls of everyone else. I drop onto my bed, and really start to sob.
All I can think about is what they will do to me. I know I can handle it if they make my life hell in the Games, if they cut out my tongue and make me an Avox, any physical pain. But what really scared me is if they would take it out on my family. If anything I did today caused their lives to be worse, I wouldn't be able to stand it. What was I thinking?! I wasn't. Obviously I wasn't. But I had. I'd thought it through. I'd known it was stupid, I'd known nothing good would come out of it.
But I'd done it anyway.
Garrett and Harry are knocking at my door. I scream at them to go away, and after a while, they give up and do. It takes over an hour before my eyes are dry, and then I just lie there, lost in my thoughts.
I think about home. I think about Mother, and Father before she died. I think about Marco and Trevor. I think about Xavier, before our other brothers were even born, after Trevor had been born, after Marco had been born, after Mother had died. Xavier and I were two pieces of one puzzle. Most people say that about the love of their life, but I thought otherwise. Functioning without him feels weird, and I always find myself pausing mid-sentence, expecting him to finish it for me, like he always does. I keep waiting for his sarcastic remarks, I miss seeing his wild hair threatening to cover up his eyes, and his never fading smile permanently fixed on his face. I miss the only person in my life that truly understands me.
If I could find someone out there I could love more than like a brother, he had to be something alright.
I calm myself thinking of all this- keeping my mind from wandering to what they might do to my family- and before I know it, I am calm and breathing normally again. I look at the clock, and see that it is nearly supper time. My stomach growls; all this crying has left me feeling kind of hungry. I stand up, brush my hair out, and rinse my face with cold water. I exit my room and make my way to the dining room, where I hear voices coming from. When I enter, every eye is trained on me, but only for a moment, before they all turn back to continue what they were discussing. I smile, grateful.
They continue to talk, and soon run out of things to say. Of course, Ryder has to be the one to ask.
"Just how bad were you?"
I glare at him for a moment, before looking back down at my plate, and I lay my fork down, not hungry anymore.
"Come on, love, things couldn't have gone that bad." Ryder presses.
The comment that suggested we could throw around names like that, that we were more than acquaintances- for I wouldn't even call it a friendship- sets me off.
"I threw knives at and shot an arrow at the Gamemakers." I snap.
All eyes are trained on me, not even trying to hide their shock. "You what?" Felicia shrieks.
"You heard me. I threw knives at a few of their plates of food, and shot an arrow right above the head Gamemaker. If he'd stood right when I let go, he'd be dead right now." I answer, without any emotion.
"Why in Panem would you do such a thing?" Felicia continues to scorn me, her voice really high.
"They weren't paying any attention to me."
"That doesn't make it right!"
"Good for you." Garrett says suddenly.
Now all eyes are on him. "Do what now?" Felicia asks him.
"Good for her. The Gamemakers never give the last tributes a thought. They are always low scored because of it, and sponsors never support them. Even if she is low scored, at least they might think twice about not paying attention to the last few tributes next year." Garrett explains.
"Well... I suppose... What did they say?" Darien asks.
"I don't know. Left before they got the chance."
"You left without being dismissed?!" Felicia shrieks, yet again.
"I dismissed myself." I say, rather dryly. I look over at Harry. "What do you think they'll do with me?"
He shrugs. "Nothing now. Probably make your life hell in the arena, but they won't replace you now or anything. Be too much of a pain."
"What about my family? Will they hurt them?"
"No. Then they would have to explain what happened in the Training Center to do that, and that's against the rules. So there's no point."
"Well, they're already going to do that anyway," Ryder says.
"True that." Garrett agrees, and I realize that they've actually cheered me up. Felicia still looks aghast, but the rest of them look as if nothing important had happened.
Suddenly, Garrett chuckles. "What were their faces like?"
I smile, remembering. "They were all really freaked, and most of them ducked under the table, as if I was actually planning on hurting them."
They all laugh, and after dinner is through, we all head into the living room to watch the scoring. They show a picture of the tribute, and then say their name and score. The Career Tributes naturally get into the eight-to-ten range. Most of the others average a five. I try not to care that Cato gets a ten, and I see little Lucas gets a seven, which surprises me. Whatever he had done must have really impressed the judges.
District 11 comes up, and Ryder manages an eight, so some of the Gamemakers must have been paying attention to him. As my picture comes up, and my name is read, I hold my breath as my score is read.
"Alexandra Cade... An eleven! Wow, I would like to have seen what went on in that session!" Caesar Flickerman cries out, and continues with the final two tributes, who's scores I don't pay attention to.
I'm being pat on the back and congratulated, but I barely notice. I'd managed to gain the Gamemakers attention alright, and was rewarded with an eleven.
The question is, whether it is a good thing or bad.