In Our Favor

Ch.5

📍 Training Center
10:00am

I walk away from Finnick to see Katniss still on the floor with the District 3 tributes. As a last resort, I go over. I cautiously walk up behind them, causing all 3 of them to turn around.

"Have room for one more?" I ask, trying to seem approachable.

I see the man and woman look up at me warily, as if they didn't want to invite me. It makes sense, careers like us aren't usually the first choice to people like them. I wish it wasn't that way. I genuinely want to learn, but this creates a sort of barrier between me and other tributes.

Katniss notices their energy, and comes to my defense.

"She's with me." She reassured them.

The man slowly nods before turning back to what they were doing. I sit criss cross between the woman and Katniss.

"This is Wiress and Beetee. They were just teaching me how to spot force fields." She informs.

"You see that fluorescent square up there." He turns back and points up.

We all look in the direction that he's pointing, Plutarch is standing there, staring at us.

"It's a force field. And that's a weak spot." He says.
"You don't wanna hit one of those in the arena." He informs.

"Why would they have a force field all the way up there?" I ask.

"Probably because of my stunt last year." Katniss says, not breaking eye contact with Plutarch, almost as if it's a competition.

I slightly elbow her, signaling that we should turn around. Just as we do, I hear Finnick calling me. I turn around to see him at the hologram station. He tilts his head in it's direction, saying I should go do it.

"Hey, I'm gonna be at the holograms." I tell them, standing up.

I walk over to Finnick and he passes me three of his spears. I put them in a holster on my back before picking up a trident as well.

I walk into the cube and pick spears as my weapon. I choose 'all' when it asks what weapons I want the holograms to have.

The glass around me frosts and I stand alone in the middle of the tank. I stay still while intersecting orange rays scan my body. I wait for a second, then it starts.

I hear soft artificial footsteps running up close behind me. I whip around and slash the orange figure with one swift motion. I turn to my left to see another one with a spear in its hand, immediately launching it at me. I dodge instinctively, before throwing mine at it, making it disintegrate.

I see two orange figures with knives on the platform. I pull a spear from behind me, but I hold my shoot. The figures run as they prepare to throw their knives at me. But just as they cross each other, I throw my spear; hitting both figures simultaneously. Feeling cocky, I nonchalantly throw my last spear at the figure with a machete behind me.

Now I'm all out of spears.

I twirl my trident around and slash 3 incoming holograms like it's nothing. Lastly, I see this slightly bigger orange figure with spears. It throws 2 at me, one with each hand. I dodge the first one, but the second one is too close for comfort. I roll under it before getting back on my feet, running toward it, and stabbing it. The figure suddenly turns into air.

I hold my trident up, ready for more. But none come. The glass un-foggs and I see all of the tributes standing outside. Dare I say I got more attention than Katniss?

All of the careers who think I betrayed them by training with District 12 have annoyed looks on their faces. But everyone else has a smirk. The feeling of being one of the most wanted allies feels good. But unsurprisingly, my brother has the widest smile of them all. At the end of the day, what can we say? We like to win.