Forgotten Tributes: The Arrow Head

The First Day

"That's who you're up against." District 9's mentor tells his tributes. He has just finished going through the Reapings of the competition. Rhyette is staring at him; watching the other tributes only made her more nervous. She keeps her hands folded into her lap. Newt hasn't looked up from his lap the entire time, he just stares down at his hands and ignores the following conversation.

"It doesn't seem so bad, now does it?" Their escort chimes in. She's still wearing the hideous outfit and heavily applied makeup. "You may actually have a chance this year."

"Dont give them false hope, Ravyn. They don't stand a chance," the female mentor from District 9 cuts in. She has a hideous scar across her face and she's missing an eye. The injuries are the aftermath of her own games.

"How many times must I explain to you that my name is-" Rhyette doesn't allow her escort to formally introduce herself. She interrupts their conversation.

"Okay. Well...then what can we do? What can give us a chance?" Rhyette has thought about this before. She's calculated her odds of survival year after year, especially after taking out the tesserae. Though her survival rate appears to be low...she isn't going to let that stop her. She was going to get herself and her brother home.

"Have you seen yourselves?" The mentor continues. "You're pale, scrawny, hardly any muscle. You have no training. There's no chance that either of you will win." She pours herself a glass and begins to drink it. "There isn't a thing either of you could do to change that."

"She doesn't mean that." The escort cuts in. "I have faith in the two of you. I think this will finally be our year." She exclaims, sighing and clutching a hand over her chest. "I can just...feel it." She winks at Rhyette.

Newt doesn't speak, he just keeps squeezing his hands tightly together. He knows his odds are low. He doesn't even need to see the other tributes to know that he is one of the smallest. He isn't fast like his sister...he's not as brave as she is. He has no qualities to aid him in his survival. He is going to die...and his sister probably will too. It's scary. He's horrified...and to make matters worse...his sister seems to be perfectly fine.

"Well, did your parents say good-bye?" Their escort continues to engage in conversation. "I know it must've been hard." Rhyette opens her mouth to speak, but she's interrupted.

"We don't have parents." Newt finally chimes in. His voice is soft, broken. He doesn't speak loud enough for the others to hear, but Rhyette knows exactly what he said.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"He said we don't have parents." Rhyette pauses for a moment. "Our mother...she died a few months ago. She was sick before that. Our father died a few years ago. He died in what the peacekeepers called a tragic accident." She pauses. "We didn't have anyone to rely on. We raised ourselves. Which is why I must disagree with you." She looks at the female mentor. "We have the same chances as everyone else, given you can provide us with some REAL advice. "

"I like her." The escort smiles. Such a fiery spirit. Does she remind you of anyone?" She looks over at the female mentor, who rolls her one eye.

"What she is trying to say is that if you want a shot of winning, you're going to have to train hard." The male escort pauses. "Many of the tributes you are going to face have been preparing for this moment. You need to work twice as hard to prepare yourself."

"Then we will work twice as hard." Rhyette looks at her twin brother for a moment, then turns back to the mentors. "What do we need to do first?"

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