Fashioned for Victory

10 - CAREERS

By morning, Dahlia partially regrets not getting enough sleep, since she knows today will be her last chance to show the board what she can do. She spends the entire day in combat, and shows off everything except the axe. That'll be just for me and the board, she thinks. She sees the Careers keeping a close eye on her, and this fuels her further to put on a good display. They'll see; I'm one of them. Dahlia finishes up with the scythe, gutting her dummy right in the stomach when Gina announces lunchtime.

Dahlia fills up her tray and is following Mason when:

"Hey Nine!" Sapphire from One calls to Dahlia from across the cafeteria for everyone to hear. "Here." She gestures an empty seat across from her. Dahlia tries to look as confident as she can as she walks over, avoiding Mason's gaze.

"Welcome to the big kids table." Sterling tells her with a smirk as she sits down.

"Glad to be here." Dahlia says, trying to convince herself she belongs here.

"Cassia was telling us about her stylist." Syrena tells her, throwing her beautiful dark hair over her shoulder. Up close, she has faint freckles all over her nose and cheeks, reminding Dahlia of Raya.

"He's such a creep. He keeps trying to put me in transparent shit." Cassia complains as she pops a carrot slice in her mouth.

"What does that have to do with your district?" Dahlia asks, since District 2 is known for weaponry.

"Absolutely nothing. He's just taking the chance to be a creep." Cassia rolls her eyes. "He keeps talking about my 'blooming bosom' it's disgusting."

"Do you know what you're going to do with the Game Makers?" Roman asks Sapphire.

"Not yet. I don't really know what would impress them." She shrugs.

"Oh Roman you have to use the longsword!" Syrena bats her eyes at him.

"Yeah," Roman falls for this far too easily, "that and maybe the crossbow to show I can do long range too." He tells her impressively.

"You're terrible with the crossbow though." Sterling smiles.

"Hey, fuck you." Roman points his spoon at Sterling. "What's your big presentation going to be?" he challenges.

"A heartfelt rendition of the national anthem." Sterling puts a hand over his heart, to which Cassia rolls her eyes and Syrena giggles.

"What about you Cassia?" Dahlia asks Cassia, who seems the most approachable.

"Spear probably. Billie said to show off my strength somehow too." Cassia tells her.

"It's a shame they're not airing it anymore." Sapphire says as she picks the olives from her food.

"They were kind of boring, they still air the results, and everyone talks about them in the interviews." Syrena explains, and Dahlia agrees. They've only started doing these scores after the Quarter Quell, but this year they're not going to be aired. To be fair they were so long and anticlimactic, some things are better left to the imagination.

"I heard they want to interview your mom." Kalma speaks for the first time and only now does Dahlia realize she's been watching her the entire time.

"Oh?" Dahlia says, she didn't know but she isn't surprised. "They never interview the mentors though."

"They used to apparently. All throughout the Games too, and they'd get statements from the mentors whose tributes died." Syrena explains, expressing a surprising knowledge for history. "Of course back then the mentors were Capitol-"