Rue's Games

Chapter 22: Training

            Training starts the next day.

            During breakfast Effie, Haymitch and I talk tactics. First Effie congratulates the two of us for making such an impact. I am sad that we did not look as good as Peeta and Katniss did last year; they looked great with both Cinna’s talent and their own chemistry. Haymitch seems more like a fatherly figure to me, but even that is a stretch. My father is much kinder than Haymitch, and since my father remains sober most of the time he also looks better. Also, I barely know Haymitch. After Effie’s comments on the parade, we begin to discuss how we should act in the training. We don’t have a mentor, so it’s up to us. Effie gives suggestions, but she doesn’t have our experience. She is, however, in charge of getting us sponsors, which is normally the mentor’s job.

            “I want you to make friends with as many people as possible,” Haymitch tells me. “We need a lot of allies. I’ll go for the older ones: Beetee, Wiress, maybe I’ll try to even get Enobaria on our side. You talk to Johanna and Finnick. You could try talking to Cashmere and Gloss, but I’m not sure I trust them.”

            I am not sure I trust Finnick or Johanna, though. Johanna has used up her innocence tactic; I don’t know if she will be a valuable member of our team since everyone knows she is ruthless. Or maybe I’m just kidding myself so I don’t have to talk to her. I am a little confused, though. I would have thought Haymitch would want us to ally with the other rebels, if there are any among us. Maybe that is what he is saying, but he is saying it in a way that Effie will not catch on.

            “Can I try to ally with Seeder and Chaff?” I ask.

            Haymitch nods.

            “They can’t really refuse you.”

            Cinna and Portia come in when we are almost finished eating and hand us training clothes. They are simple; they look very similar to the ones I wore last year. I go into my room and get changed. When I come out again, Haymitch is changed too. Effie has a mockingjay pin in her hand. She pins it onto my shirt.

            “I’m so glad we managed to get this back!” she exclaims.

            “What do you mean?”

            “It’s a shame that that girl last year had to die. At least her badge didn’t go to waste!”

            With the realisation of what she means, I almost feel sick. This was Katniss’s pin. Does it mean nothing to Effie except that it’s pretty?

            The pin would, however, show other rebels that I was one of them.

            Effie rides the elevator down with us to the gym, but Haymitch does not let her come in with us. There are very few people there, and we arrived just as Atala starts to give us a brief description of each station. I can’t use my climbing skills to impress the gamemakers this year, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet. I wonder what some of the older tributes are going to do, like the morphlings. Most of them have no skills, or if they do then the showed them off last time they were in the Games.

            I am not sure what to do, so I go to the archery station first. I wonder how Katniss felt when she picked up her bow and arrows. I try shooting a few targets, but am not very good at it. I give up and move onto another station.

            Seeder and Chaff are not here yet, but Finnick and Johanna are. I see a bit too much of Johanna; each time I see her she is wearing fewer garments. I keep feeling Finnick’s hand on my waist, seeing him wink at me, feeling him knock into me accidently-on-purpose. I don’t feel like talking to naked Johanna or creepy Finnick.