Highway to hell

02. The Academy

Mara's POV:

"You really need anger management classes." We're on our way to the training center. It's still raining and Clove and I are soaked and if our bags weren't waterproof everything inside them would be wet too.

"I don't need anger management classes, I need people to stop pissing me off" I say. We both start laughing. I remember I have a cut on my left cheek, so I put pressure on it so it will stop bleeding, at least till I get to the training station.

"So, this morning, before class, what happened?" She asks.

"I really don't want to know," I decide. "He asked if I was going to volunteer this year."

"Are you?" she questions.

"Yes, I feel I've got a chance of winning" I admit.

"Well of course you do. You're the best fighter I know, after me of course." She does a dramatic gesture signaling herself. I push her to the ground and when she yells at me I say:

"Race you to the center!" And I run off laughing. I may be fast, like really fast, but Clove is way faster than me and she takes little time to catch up to me. She pushes me to the ground and now it's my turn to fall and yell at her "Hey! That's cheating!"

She just laughs and looks back at me "Paybacks a bitch Black!" I grunt and get on my feet and sprint her way. We run till we get to the training center, by the time we get there I'm exausted and I can tell that Clove is too.

We enter the station and Aymen, our trainer, appears in fron of us with a bunch of other kids figting and wresling and stuff. "You're late." Aymen is a middle aged woman with blonde hair and black eyes, she's the victor of the 51st Hunger Games.

"Are we?" I look at the clock and I know what she means. 17:45 we should have been here at 17:15 "Oh. We are. Uh, sorry?"

"Get dressed" she spats. I'm making my way to the dressing room when she yells: "Black! You're volunteering this year, right?"

"Uh, yes ma'm." This can't mean anything good.

"Go to my office when you're done dressing." I nod at her to confirm that I heard her. "Oh and take this for you cheek!" She yells as she throws at me a roll of bandage.

When I'm dressed in my black training uniform, a bandage covering my left cheek. I head to my triner's office and knock on the door. "Enter."

"Hey, you wanted to see me?" I cautiously get into the room where I see the boy from this morning. I stare at him in confusion and then I turn my face to Aymen. "What's he doing here?" I ask.

"He will be your fellow tribute in the Games this year" she answers my quiestion with determination.

"Right." Great, just perfect.

"Take a seat, please." We both take the closest seat to us and Aymen starts talking again. "As you probably know the reaping is coming soon, next week to be precise, so I will need you to train harder than the rest till the day comes. And you'll teach each other the abilities that you possess, which, as your trainer I know are very different. Mara, you'll teach Cato how to throw your knives and aim with a bow and arrows. And Cato, you'll teach Mara close combat skills and sword fighting techniques. Got it?"

"Yes ma'm" says the boy whose name I understand to be Cato.

"And you Mara?" She turns to my direction.

"Whatever" she looks at me. If looks could kill, I'd be 20 meters under by now. "Yes ma'm."

"That's more like it." She says "Now off you go."

"So... guess we're stuck together." He says. I hate all about this. I let out a small growl. "So your name is?"

"Are you dumb or something?" I ask. "She said it like, four times." He looks at me in confusion. "The name's Mara, Mara Black. I assume you're Cato."

"Yep, Cato Hadley. So, you wanna start at the close combat stuff?" He asks.

"Whatever ." I answer. We get to the combat station, where there are all kinds of weapons, but not the ones I usually use.

"I hear you're pretty deadly, that right sweetheart?" I really don't know why he's trying to make a conversation, we'll have to kill each other in the arena.

"You hear a lot of things, don't you?" I say. "But yes, I am deadly indeed. They also say I'm a psychopath, you heard that too?"

"Well as a matter of fact I have." He replies. I roll my eyes and he throws me a knife that I catch in the air. "Let's see what you got Black." I check the knife and find out that, when I press the point, the blade goes in the handle. So he wants to play fake, ok.

"Oh, you're on." I hiss. He looks away and I take my chance. Of course he's so much bigger than I am, I'm 5,3 feet and he's like, 6,2 feet. It's definitely not a fair fight, but I can win him, I know I can. I charge the knife against his side, but he dodges it so swiftly, I barely have time to react and he has me down to the ground with his knife on my throat.

I let out a small grunt, since his elbow is literally crushing my chest. (Well at least that's how it feels). I tell him to let me go although he's just laughing at me. I'm kicking my legs off when I hear a large thud on the other side of the center.

I look the at where the sound came from, a kid, who must be in his first year in training, has dropped a whole set of spades and is trying to get them all in their place, but I can tell they're too heavy for him.

I find that Cato has looked away too, and his weight on my chest has lightened a bit. This is my chance I think. I lift my legs to his body and trap him under them.

Now that I have him to the ground I lift my body from the floor and position myself on him, putting my knees on his wrists. "Who's laughing now, sweetheart?" I tease. A large grin appears on my face, making the cut on my cheek hurt, but it's totally worth it. Seeing his face of frustration is so satisfying that I don't realize that the bell went out, signaling the end of training. I get up from the floor and see the marks of my knees on his wrists. "Well, it was nice winning you, sweetheart." I say I a mocking tone. I run off towards the exit.

"Hey! Wait!" I can hear him yelling even though I am at the other side of the station. I turn around to face him. "Meet me after?" He catches up to me.

"Hell no." He looks at me. "I just don't wanna get attached." I explain.

"I see, well, you're still coming." He insists.

"To do what, exactly?" I ask.

"To talk strategy." He can tell my clear confusion so he says. "For the games."

"Still no." But he's already run off to his friends

"I'll see you there sweetheart!"

I sigh in desperation. I guess I'm going. Yay!

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