Field of Innocence

Chapter One

                 

There are more people at the training center today than there usually is. Well of course there is, it's reaping day.

I go into the weapon training room where the physical equipment is set up. The resource training room holds wood and flint to practice making fires, loose rope, fishing rods and books about poisonous plants. These training centers have been illegally set up in the center of district two since The Hunger Games first began. The Capitol doesn't allow training or preparation for the games but they haven't done anything about it.

The training center is well structured and profligate compared to the rest of district two. The walls aren't built with the masonry like all of the houses in the village are. They are built with strong steal provided by the capitol. Compared to most districts, we are considered "privileged". The Capitol seems to favor our district as well as one and four. Most Peacekeepers come from district two, including my father.

I throw my bag next to the doorway and go straight to where the swords and spears hang. I glare at the empty holder; the sword with the leather black handle was gone. Everybody that has ever stepped foot in this building knows it's mine. It's an unspoken ownership but anybody would be foolish if they took it. My eyes glance from person to person but quickly land on a small scrawny boy holding a sword that's massive enough to tip him over.

"Hey kid." My voice echoes across the training room causing it to go completely silent. "You have my sword." The boy's eyes dart down to the weapon in his hands then slowly trail up to meet mine. He stutters over his own words but after a few moments of muttering he manages to get out the words "I'm sorry." The boy appears to be twelve, maybe thirteen. In district two, all kids no matter how weak or frail, are required to start training in the resource room at the age of 8. They move up to the weapon room when they turn twelve. "This must be your first day here, so I'm gonna let this go. But don't touch my sword again. Do we have an understanding?" The boy's hand quakes as he hands over the sword

"Briar!" a cold voice calls from across the room. I don't even need to look up to recognize the voice. I know its Clove, Clove Kentwell. I had never really understood the girl. She started training a year after I did. I have never had an actual conversation with her but for the past seven years that I've known her we have always exchanged a series of heartening looks. "Briar," Clove says again, bitterly to the young boy. Briar's eyes glance to the floor and his hands neatly fold behind his back. Clove approaches him and despite the fact that she is a couple years older she isn't much taller. "What the hell are you doing?" Clove's voice holds certain firmness even though I can tell she has a soft spot for the kid. "You're never going to ever have the smallest chance of winning the games if you don't learn to stop letting people walk all over you." Briar doesn't make eye contact with his sister. Instead he just nods. Clove's eyebrow rises as if she's waiting for something. "Well? Aren't you going to get it back?" Clove crosses her arms. Briar sheepishly steps back. Tears start to form in his eyes. He takes a couple more steps backwards before turning around and running towards the door.

The two siblings look like an identical copy of each other. They have the same built up posture, dark hair, freckles and they both have brown eyes highlighted by a rim of green. Clove, although, was nothing like her brother. She was confident and poised.
Her first year in the weapon room was discouraging. She tried everything from spears and clubs to tridents and axes and could never hit a target. Eventually she wandered over to the table in the back corner and picked up three small daggers. On her first try she hit the outer ring of the bullseye with the knife. I can still recall how her eyes lit up that day. Now, Clove gets a look of arrogance and self-pride when she hits the target. She's never missed a target.

Clove turns to me with her arms crossed. Sheeases up and isn't as intimidating looking like she was with her brother."Listen I know I told him to stand up for himself, but if you ever touch my brother or even think about talking to him like you did today, I will kick your ass, Cato." She glared at me before turning towards the door.  "We'll see about that." I grinned