The Silent Revolution: a Hunger Games Fanfic

Chapter 3: The Academy

Sam

    The tributes and I enter the Academy, marched in by stoic peacekeepers who loosely surround us. There doesn't seem to be many, but why bother? We can't escape. Even if we could get past the high tech security and cameras watching our every move, where would we escape to? We are completely trapped. We were always completely trapped, I just didn't see it till now.
    We are told to sit in our assigned and labeled seats to wait for our mentors.
    I haven't been getting much sleep, so my mind is completely muddled. I rub my puffy eyes and look around.
    The others seem to be glancing about in wonder or staring menacingly at the other tributes and refusing to look at the building they probably deemed too Capital for their liking. Surprisingly, the girl from Two, Athena, wasn't in the second group. She sat as if in deep thought, unlike the other Careers who are trying to intimidate everyone. I have eaten lunch in this room many times, so I wasn't as apprehensive as the others.
    I snap back to attention as Clemintine comes over.
    "Hi, Sam," She greets. "Ready to answer some pointless questions?"
    I look at the packet she's holding and sigh. This is going to be a long day.

Leo

    As I enter the Academy, I can't help but feel nervous about meeting Athena. She's bound to ask questions about why I showed up at the station. Questions I don't have answers to. The other mentors and I walk to the classroom where the Head Gamemaker will give us instructions. Everyone looks a little scared to meet the tributes who they will have to try to keep alive.
    "Welcome, students," says the Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane. "You are about to meet your tributes. Some won't be very cooperative, but you should try to get to know them and gain their trust. Do your best to fill out this worksheet with some basic information about them." He starts to hand out a worksheet with questions like "When's your birthday?" and "Who's your family?" I internally sigh as I enter the room.
    The icebreaker session is taking place in the cafeteria, where they set up tables with two seats and a placard with the district and gender of the tribute already sitting there. My eyes meet Athena's and I walk over to my seat. She regards me with her stormy quicksilver eyes. I nervously grip the paper and look at what I already filled in.
    All I have filled out so far is our names and her district, because the rest are personal questions. It was a little confusing. Why does the Capitol want to know the tributes' close family and hobbies? It must be to test if we can get our tributes to trust us. The program is to test us, this is to see if we're capable of getting the tributes to talk, I think to myself.
    As soon as I sit down, her mouth immediately opens. Most of the other groups are sitting in awkward silence, but my tribute is a little more vocal.
    "Why were you at the station?" she immediately asks.
    "Umm..." I say, trying not to be too awkward. "I, er, wanted to meet you."
    Well, that was the worst excuse I've ever made.
    "Mmhm. Then why not wait until now?" She said, voicing the question I keep asking myself.
    "I, um, wanted to meet you without the Academy hovering over our shoulder."
    "Why?"
    "I really want you to win this," I say and, for a second, I believed it was true. Then I remembered that, if she wins, Sam will die.
    She smiles, temporarily satisfied, as I start to read from the questionnaire.
    "So, what's your favorite class in school?"

Clementine

    Head held high and back straight, I confidently enter the Academy. Eyes linger on me as I walk through the halls and whispers follow in my wake, but I pay them no mind. I'll have to control the rumors later, but for now I have to get to the icebreaker session on time.
    I walk into the classroom and the Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane, starts to speak. "Welcome, students. You are about to meet your tributes. Some won't be very cooperative, but you should try to get to know them and gain their trust. Do your best to fill out this worksheet with some basic information about them." I look at the paper, which asks about everything from extracurriculars to friends. I see the spot asking about the people closest to the tribute. They are having us figure out who to harm to control the tributes, I instantly think. This "harmless" information will force the victor to obey the Capital's every demand.
    I walk over to Sam, who seems tired, which is entirely understandable, given the circumstances. He doesn't deserve to be here. Of course, none of the other kids deserve to be here either.
    I glance over at the girl from District Twelve. She looks tiny and terrified, not talking to her mentor, who stares helplessly at the little girl. I briefly think of my family's secret, but turn away. I can't worry about this stuff now, not when I have Sam to worry about. Tonight is the parade and I'll have to make sure Sam seems as Capital as possible. I'll have to find him an outfit that clashes with the other tribute from Two, Athena, so they seem separate.
    "Hi, Sam," I say as I sit. "Ready to answer some pointless questions?" We begin.

Athena

    I am ushered into the Academy by peacekeepers, who mostly seem bored, but I don't pay much attention to them. They're just here for show and I have other things on my mind. Like why the Capitol boy was waiting at the station. He didn't seem that bad, but he regularly watches kids like me fight to the death and views it as a holiday, so we're not exactly cut out to be friends. Still though, he seemed kind of nice, in a messy, awkward way.
    I sit down at my seat, still wondering why he bothered showing up at the station when there's a preplanned, approved gathering for us to get to know each other before dying a horrid bloody death, when I noticed the other Capital boy watching me. True to my training, I didn't show that I noticed him looking my way and continued to appear deep in thought.
    My new mentor finally arrives, looking nervous. Probably because of the questions I'm about to ask. "Why were you at the station?" I ask as soon as he sits down.
    "Umm..." He stammers. "I, er, wanted to meet you."
    Great excuse, I think sarcastically.
    "Mmhm. Then why not wait until now?" I respond, since he didn't really answer.
    "I, um, wanted to meet you without the Academy hovering over our shoulder." He mumbles.
    "Why?" I point out.
    "I really want you to win this," He says. Maybe my mentor isn't so bad after all. Willing to break the rules for the Games shows he's not like the other Capitol boys.
    "So, what's your favorite class in school?" he reads. I smile and answer.