The Chamber [Sequel to Silence]

13

"They don't fit!" Riley said in despair. Her black training pants lay in a heap around her ankles having fallen down as she walked. Trying not to snigger, Antonia called for Roberta, who hastily tightened the pants on Riley's skinny waist.

"Why do I have to be so small?" she complained, poking at her ribs moodily.

"It's a virtue," Roberta insisted "It's very fashionable in the Capitol."

"And it makes you a smaller target!" I chipped in, thinking Riley would rather hear that than being told it was "fashionable". With Riley's trousers tightened, we made our way to breakfast. Riley surprised me by picking at her food, her fork sliding a piece of toast around her plate.

"What's wrong, Riley? Scared of the competition?" Otto said as he sat down at the table, late as usual. Riley stuck out her bottom lip, but said nothing. I think Otto was right though. She was scared. When no one was looking, I patted her shoulder and she smiled slightly.

At least she still enjoyed the lift ride to the Training Centre. She tilted her head back and watched the floors disappear above our heads. But when the lift stopped, she walked as slowly as possible to have her number pinned to her. She was clearly procrastinating to get out of training. Antonia gave her a small shove, and Riley stumbled forward, an Avox pinning a number 7 on the back of her black shirt.

"Have fun," I said awkwardly, waving. Riley looked at me as though I was mad, and stalked off to stand near the other tributes.

"Have fun?" Antonia exclaimed, raising her eyebrows. I shrugged uncomfortably.

"I didn't know what else to say."

"You should have told her to get a grip," Otto said, stepping out the lift behind us. He's insisted on taking the lift alone, not wanting to be seen with his mentors. He stalked past us and proudly allowed his number to be pinned to his back. Rather than standing alone like Riley, he headed straight for the Career tributes. My mouth gaped in horror as he seemingly began to flirt with the girl from District 4.

"I don't like him," Antonia commented casually. I didn't reply, but my own thoughts matched hers. I saw Riley watching Otto, hurt filling her eyes. To her, despite their cold relationship, it must have felt like a betrayal on his part. I made a mental note to confront him that evening.

I watched Riley shift from foot to foot nervously. It was a good job it contributed to her act, because she really did look weak at that moment. Otto sneered over at her and said something that I didn't quite hear. The young girl from District 1 approached Riley and started jeering at her, their noses almost touching as they spoke in hushed tones, the girl's smirk sending shivers down my spine. Riley's arms trembled slightly, and I couldn't be certain whether she was faking it or not. I tried to step forward and help her, but Antonia pulled me back.

"The last thing she needs is you stepping in to save her. Otto's right on some level. She needs to deal with this herself," Antonia hissed. Just then, the bulky boy from District 5 stepped into the scene. His face was hard as stone as he confronted the girl. She backed away slightly, moving back to the protection of the other Careers and Otto. Then Marcus, the trainer, was calling them, and they all went into the training rooms, Riley and the boy from 5 side by side.

"That was unexpected," Antonia muttered. "Come on. Let's go and watch the training."

Though the tributes are unaware, their mentors are able to watch their tributes through a secret camera. Having said this, they aren't allowed to watch tributes from other Districts in case they told their own tributes their opponent's strengths. Most mentors have abandoned this privilege in the belief that it can't help them in any way, but Antonia and I agreed that observing Riley might help see what she was capable of. And as we went to the Observing Room, Antonia muttered that it could also be worth watching Otto, using some very inappropriate words to describe him.