shall we rise? - the hunger games

(024) this is the start of the end

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SHALL WE RISE?

act two. 

(chapter twenty-four, this is the start of the end)

town square / train, 2313.

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THE GAMES WERE IN a few months and after Valencia got over her shock and hysterical cries, she started to get determined. Every morning, Nova forced Commie and her out of their house and made them jog around the entirety of Nine. Nova knew that they weren't the fittest people of Panem and she was dedicated to changing that. After a while, Valencia saw reason in her decision to start training and so she helped her try drag Commie out of his house.

Surprisingly, Commie was a good runner. When Valencia questioned him about his limp, he said that it only effects him during winter. Valencia silently prayed that the arena would not be a winter scenario. 

The three went through different exercises to strengthen their bodies. They jogged every morning, lifted weights that Commie had in his basement from when he was younger, they stretched. This happened in the morning. In the afternoon, combat practice started. Valencia, Nova, and Commie practiced their hand-to-hand combat and the two older Victors' spent nearly the entire day with their throwing knives whilst Nova trained with her spear that she had created. That was what they excelled at. 

Valencia had brought a tin of paint at the market and they used the back wall of a vacant Victors' house. With as much artistic skill as she could, Valencia managed to paint three human figures on the back wall. Commie and Nova had made fun of her painting skills, but Valencia soon shushed them when she flung three knives at the painted people: one in the head, one in the heart, one in the chest. Commie had furrowed his eyebrows before copying her exact movements, the knife lodging right into the same places. Valencia always kept forgetting he was a knife thrower. And Nova would chuckle as she watched the two overdo themselves, simply throwing her makeshift spear into the chest of the painted person.

Along with their combat and exercise routines, Nova placed them all on a special diet to gain more weight and muscles. They all had dinner together every night. Valencia had spent most of her nine years with Commie, but now with the training, she spent every second with him. With Nova, she spent nearly every minute with her anyway.

The three had asked if Anita and Daniel wanted to participate. They were met with a slammed door to their faces. When Commie and Nova came back to Valencia's house one time after asking if Antares wanted to join them, all they did was shake their heads and Valencia sighed. 

The withdrawal of the alcohol and morphling was a massive obstacle for the older Victors'. The duo felt tired because of the constant exercise, but with their withdrawal, Valencia and Commie both felt like they were going to collapse on the floor there and then. They constantly felt like they were on fire, their body in so much pain that jogging to the end of Victors' Village was too hard sometimes. Nova always had a massive smirk on her face whenever she watched them, a 'I told you so' on the tip of her tongue.

"The Reaping is in a month," Commie announced at dinner. "We need to start focusing on the other tributes."

"Comm, we all ready know the other tributes," Valencia reminded. "They're our friends, remember?"