𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄
IN WHICH, a certain victor of the 15th Hunger Games catches the attention of a young President Snow.
Pearl Bazin is the female tribute in the 15th Hunger Game...
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DAY ONE OF TRAINING
TRAINING WASN'T SOMETHING Pearl was ever looking forward to. She was dressed in all black, and her hair was loosely slicked back.
As soon as they entered the training area, Hunter furthered himself from Pearl significantly. She wasn't fazed when she saw him with the other Careers.
Mags had mentioned finding a weapon you're skilled with but also practicing survival skills. That was exactly what Pearl was going to do.
Pearl wasn't going to start off extremely difficult. Her eyes landed on a station that appeared to revolve around making fishhooks. She smiled, remembering Mags talking about her expertise on making them.
She grabbed different materials and began to make her own fishhooks from scratch. Mags would be proud of her.
Pearl noticed Hunter eyeing her, and she decided that it was probably time to move to another station.
She followed a theme of practicing survival skills, learning from experts how to tell apart poisonous berries and how to make shelter. Pearl felt more intelligent than ever, but also like she was being hunted. The Careers' eyes followed her wherever she went, and Pearl didn't like it one bit.
DAY TWO OF TRAINING
Pearl was practicing her archery when a girl slightly younger than her approached. She rubbed sweat off her darker skin, her ponytail full of bouncing curls.
"I can show you how to use that," she offered.
Pearl smiled at the gesture, but pulled back on the bow and shot an arrow. It didn't land directly on target, but it was close. "I know how."
She laughed, moving her hands closer to Pearl's. "May I?"
Pearl nodded as the girl took the bow out of her hands. She pulled back and the arrow hit the target directly. "Like that."
She decided to try again, and this time the arrow hit the target directly. The girl looked proud of herself and her ability to teach the skill of archery.
"You're good," Pearl noted.
She smiled, taking a seat on the large box next to the archery station set up. "Thanks. You're Pearl, aren't you?"
Pearl's eyebrows raised in alarm at the sound of her name. People know her. Maybe Tigris's styling really did give her a reputation.
"Yeah."
"I'm Opal, from District 12."
District 12 is the poorest district in Panem. Pearl doesn't judge people based off that, but she knows that the people of other districts and the Capitol do. They often assume District 12 tributes are doomed because of their background.
