Grain & Blood | A Hunger Games collection

Training Scores

Robin, Aquafina, Pablo and I are all sitting on the couch, staring at the television. The training scores are just about to come on, and all of us are nervous.
The screen flashes with Rift's face and the score of 10. Then the girl from 1 with a 10 The boy from 2 with a 10 and the girl from 2 also with a 10. The boy from 4 and Kamalyn also get tens. So, in short, all the careers get a 10.
I zone out for the rest of the scores, until it reaches District 9. Robin's face flashes up on the screen, followed by a six. Then my face... and a ten.
The room goes crazy. Everyone is congratulating Robin and I on our scores. This is the first time someone from District 9 has got a score better than 7.
I'm not really sure what to say. Jonen will have seen my score, and will hopefully have been proud.
"What did you do to get that score?" Asks Pablo.
"Robin can go first," I reply
"I built a shelter and I made a fire,"
"What about you Iris?" Asks Aquafina
"I murdered some dummies, committed arson and wrecked a dead body,"
"You did what?!"
"I climbed the ropes and threw some knives, burnt down Robin's shelter, took a dummy head, threw it on the air and hit it down."
"Okay..."
"How about we have a celebration cake!" Squeals Aquafina.
"Good idea!" Says Pablo.
They call and Avox, who disappears and comes back with a chocolate cake like we had at lunch. I cut it into 4 huge slices and we all eat to our heart's content. Even I'm happy, which is rare. 10. 10! A good score. Very good, in fact. I'm not really quite sure what to say.
The party is over and I walk out onto the balcony, staring at the sunset and the mountains that surround the Capitol. Somewhere beyond them is District 9, Jonen, Clementine, home. A place I may never see again, people that I might lose forever.
There's too much pollution here for me to be able to see far enough. Maybe it'll be better on the roof?
I'm pretty sure that there's a way up the stairs, but that's too boring. I'd rather climb.
It doesn't take long for me to reach the roof. The way up was easy, almost like it was built for tributes to climb up it. Well.
I haul myself onto the rooftop. There are other people here, I can hear them talking. Probably the tributes from 12, as their floor is right underneath.
"I'm going to die," I hear one of them say.
"So am I," says the other.
Huh. Just two tributes chatting about their impending fate. No sign of intelligent life, I'm going to have to go somewhere else for that.
There's a raised bit of building sticking up in the middle of the roof, so I sit on top of that. Up here, all the purples, pinks and oranges are so much clearer, so much brighter. Maybe Jonen's watching this, on her roof back at home, in the same place we used to sit together. Or maybe she's up there with Clem. I hope that whatever she's doing, she isn't thinking about me too much.
I wonder if she's training by herself? Or if she just gave up when I left? Jonen isn't the kind of person to stop doing something important. And, maybe, just maybe, she'll volunteer one day, like I did for her.
Eventually the sun disappears behind the mountains and everything is dark. I should go back down, but when the last rays of light drained away, most of my energy did too.
There'll be a forcefield along the side, it's not like I can die. So I bounce across from the forcefield, into the building and back again until I reach the balcony. I'm pretty sure I missed dinner, but I'm also pretty sure I'm not hungry. Instead I walk straight into my room and sit down on the bed. Interviews tomorrow, I should get some sleep.
Yeah, that's not going to happen. I switch on the television in my room and start watching a stupid game show about something stupid. None of my attention is focused on whatever is happening, I'm busy staring at the food machine. I know I shouldn't but...
Temptation takes over and I order fried baby squids in tomato sauce. A few minutes later, an Avox brings it in and I start eating. To my surprise, I like it. But, to be honest, the only reason I was surprised is because they came from Kamalyn's district, and since they produced whatever she is, I had low expectations.
I flick through the other programmes and find one of Hunger Games recaps from previous years. Currently showing is Pablo's, and even though it's supposed to be about the boy hiding in a bush, the producers evidently had a hard time getting enough shots of him, because, you know, he was hiding in a bush.
The programme finishes and I check the time.
1 in the morning. I guess I should get some sleep.

HELLO THERE!! I AM HYPER BECAUSE I AM EATING BLUEBERRIES!! DON'T ASK!! YES THANKS FOR READING AND I AM GOING TO ASK FOR YOU TO MOVE YOUR MOUSE OR FINGER TO THAT LITTLE GRAY STAR AND TURN IT ORANGE BY CLICKING IT THANK YOU GOODBYE

-Katherine