Dead in the Water | An Odesta Fanfic

Chapter Seven

​The final day of training offered one last morning for learning skills and combat exercises. In the afternoon, the tributes would have chance to show off their talents to the gamemakers and receive a training score in return. They were scored on a scale of 1 to 12, with higher scores attracting more sponsors during the games.

Annie and Kai had once again taken Bay's advice and learned all that they could from their new allies, beginning by offering instruction in knot-tying to the tributes that followed them around the stations at the training center, as they had the day before. By the time they had finished, the other had seemed eager to demonstrate their own skills.

Juniper gave them all a lesson in axe throwing. She was from the lumber district, where she claimed the children were taught to wield an axe as young as five years old. Whether or not it was exaggeration, Juniper proved to have deadly aim with the axes. Fern was a natural in plant identification, Mazie displayed her skills in camouflage, and Basil, the boy from District 12, showed them how to start fires without matches. Tilly offered to show them how to make shelters, and credited her skill to making blanket forts with her sisters back at home. "Who knew that would come in handy here!" she said, laughing, and Kai laughed with her.

At first, the instructors at each station found the tribute-led lessons strange, and tried to interrupt. But the tributes had techniques and insights unique to their districts that even the trainers couldn't have taught them. Besides, it seemed that the tributes learned best from each other, rather than sitting through the instructors' lectures. Eventually, they stopped butting in and sat back watching the lessons, only chiming in when there was something necessary to add.

Finally, Annie had offered them all a lesson in throwing spears. Although the spears were even taller than some of the kids that crowded around eagerly to hear her instructions, she guided them through the proper throwing stances. So much for hiding her best skills from the other tributes. But then again, the Careers had already seen her precision with a spear, and Annie didn't find any of these tributes particularly threatening.

It was after lunch now and they were sitting outside the training room, waiting to be called inside for their evaluations. Kai and his friends were crowded together on a few benches, exchanging stories and voicing their fears about the future that they hadn't dared to speak aloud.

"Hearing my name called at the reaping was the worst moment of my life." said Chip, shuddering at the memory.

Walker, the boy from district 6, agreed. "My parents wouldn't stop crying when they came to see me afterwards. I think it might have been easier if I had just left without saying goodbye."

"I hardly remember it." said Juniper. For once, she wasn't being so talkative. "It feels like a dream when I think about it."

Kai had been quiet too. "What was it like for you, Kai?" Mazie asked him.

He took a moment to think. "I wasn't so scared when they called my name. It was worse hearing Annie's." He glanced over at her. "I guess walking up on stage wasn't so awful when she was up there waiting for me."

"I miss my sisters." said Tilly. She had talked of little else besides them all day. "You're lucky you have yours here with you."

"Is he?" said Basil, rather darkly, and they all seemed to remember suddenly what was coming in just a few days. The conversation went quiet.

"Do they really expect us to kill each other?" asked Walker. "I can't imagine it, somehow. I mean, I've been watching the games my whole life, but –"

"It's different this year." Mazie agreed. "It's different, seeing the faces of the other tributes. Getting to know them."