A Blooming Rose (hunger games fan-fic)

Chapter 4 (Training)

Chaff lead Rose and Jonathan to the elevator that would take them to the training center. It was nine thirty in the morning. Chaff wanted them to have an early start even though training didn't officially start until ten.

"Listen," he said to them. "Don't do anything stupid down there. Learn some new things to help you to survive. Learn some new skills, learn how to use some new weapons. Just don't show anyone what you can already do."

He looked at each of them closely, but stared at Rose a few seconds longer. She studied his face. He hadn't told anyone her secret.

"Will do, Chaff," Jonathan said. He looked at Rose as the elevator doors opened. "You ready?"

"Sure," she replied.

The two tributes from District 11 climbed off the elevator and entered the training center. Rose looked around, amazed. There were so many different stations, she wasn't sure where to start. Rose glanced to her side, but Jonathan was already gone. She found him at the knife station. Rose made her way over to snare setting station. The instructor smiled at her and quickly had her learning how to make her own traps. Within an hour, Rose had learned how to make five different kinds of traps. She thanked the instructor and went on to edible plants station, which she easily excelled at since she worked in the fields back home.

After hours of training, the tributes were dismissed for lunch. Rose had learned, along with a few useful snares, how to make an effective shelter and how to climb trees. Back in District 11, the smaller workers were sent up into the trees. Rose was not one of these people, but she quickly caught on.

At lunch, Rose sat at one of the smaller tables. She watched as Districts 1, 2, and 4 - known throughout the Districts as the Career Tributes - moved tables together and talked like they were old friends. Rose shuddered. Careers were trained for most of their lives to prepare them for the Hunger Games, if chosen. Rose looked around the rest of the room as she ate her soup. Jonathan was sitting with the tributes from 7, 9, and 10. The tributes from 5 and 3 talked about the technology in the Capitol and Districts 6 and 8 sat with the boy from 12. Rose watched as the girl from 12 scanned the room for a place to sit. Her eyes landed on Rose, who smiled at her. The girl walked over to her and sat down across from her.

"Didn't feel like sitting with your district, huh?" she asked.

Rose shook her head. "Jonathan's over there with Seven, Nine, and Ten, probably talking about home."

"I'm Loredana."

"Rose."

~

Training went on for three days. During training, Rose went to as many stations as she could, enhancing her knowledge and skills. She learned how to hunt, climb trees, make fires, and camouflage herself; make traps and shelters; went to the ropes course and the gauntlet; lifted weights; enhanced her knowledge on edible plants and insects; and learned how to use a variety of weapons (such as knives, swords, spears, sickles, and even sais, which she enjoyed the most) and hand-to-hand combat.

Over the course of these three days, Rose made a few allies, whom she hoped to keep in the Games. There was Loredana, from 12, and a boy from 3, named Ash. Both were very skillful during training, proving themselves useful in knowledge of plants and animals and weaponry.

Training ended and the tributes were dismissed, each heading up to their floors to rest for the night. The next day would be the private training sessions.