104: The Games (A Hunger Games Story)

Chapter Five

I wake up and remember last night and smile. I've never really loved anyone before, and it's just my luck that we're going into the death arena. Clo walks into my room and says "where were you last night?" Oh no, I tell her, and she sits on my bed and says, "I know you like her but, she's our enemy, and you can only have alliances for so long." I sigh, and say "I know." She leaves and I find tight grey sweatpants and a green T-shirt in my closet and change into that. 10 minutes later, after brushing my teeth and such, I step out of my room and walk to the dining room. I see a huge breakfast being laid out by some avoxes, who quickly leave once they are finished. There are some foods I've never seen in my life, and others I could never have dreamed of eating. I take a plate and look for some food my stomach might hold. I settle on an omelette, and as I start to eat, Clo walks in.

Like me, she is dresses for training with black leggings and a tank top. She smiles at me sadly, then sees the breakfast, I mean we ate Capitol food on the train, but every time I eat it I can't help but be shocked. Clo sits down next to me with a muffin and a glass of water, I whisper to her, "in the arena, we'll need all the food we can get, how about we load up on pounds now, just enough for our bodies to burn if we don't have food?" She nods and grabs some cream puffs for us, we smirk at each other as we could never afford such fancy food back in district seven.

Me and Clo eat quickly and then meet with Diamond in the living area. "Good morning you two!" She exclaims and motions for us to take a seat. We sit and she says, "alright, it's 8:30, so you have a little time before training, I would like for you to talk with your mentor about your strategy, not only for the arena, but for training." Johnna walks in and I immediately see that she isn't okay. That's when I realize she's been in two hunger games and all her family was killed by the Capitol, she must have serious PTSD.

"Well you too better kill yourselves now 'cause it's a long painful road from here on out," Johanna says with a shaky voice, oh no, she's messed up. "I'm sorry." She says, recovering herself. "The biggest thing for you will be making sure you don't make yourself a target, don't show everything at training." She says as she starts to pace, "also, don't form any alliances until you're in the arena, or at all, because they'll eventually fall apart. Guys, you're siblings, you'll obviously be a team, but you guys will have to be prepared to fight it alone, so do some practice apart." She says this, and I'm shocked.

1) I didn't even think of what would happen if one of us died and 2) she knows a lot, she may be messed up, but she's the best out of all the mentors. After that Johnna tells us we need to find water first, and other things about previous arenas.

Before I know it, it's 9:45 and Diamond is getting us up to go to the gym. We walk to the elevator and go down below the ground to the gym. When the elevator doors open I see a huge gym filled with a bunch of stations, some with weapons, and some with fake trees. Some of the tributes are already there, standing in a clump, and over the next few minutes all of the tributes arrive.

The head trainer, Katri, starts to tell us about the training. There are experts at each station, which either teach weaponry or survival skills, we aren't allowed to practice fighting with each other, but there are people we can practice with. Katri lists out all of the stations, and then we are free to go, The careers head over the obstacle course, called the gauntlets by everyone, and they will obviously go to weapons next.

Clo and I decide to go to edible plants first, and she does well, while it takes me a little longer to get the basics. We then head over to shelters, which both of us fumble with it in the beginning but the trainer helps us create a sort of okay shelter.

It goes like that for the rest of the day and the next day. Clo and I do most things together, but like Johanna said to, we do some things alone. I look over and see Ivy beating up a punching bag. I look back over at Clo, and she is working on building a fire. While Clo is not looking, I go over to Ivy. "Hi," I say. Ivy looks at me with that same cold, hard look that she gave me the first day I saw her. "Ivy!" Hector calls to her, and she walks away. Suddenly, I feel really depressed. Why did Ivy do that? Does she regret what happened yesterday? Disheartened, I start walking over to Clo to practice building fires. "Rowan," Johanna calls to me from behind. I turn around and see Johanna staring at me. She motions for me to come, and I follow her to a corner of the training area. She looks around to make sure no one is eavesdropping and when she is sure, she turns back to me. "Rowan," she begins. "What just happened?" My heart is pounding in my chest. "What do you mean?" I ask. "Don't play dumb, Rowan. You're fraternizing with the enemy. And last night, what was that dance all about?" she asks. I freeze. We weren't supposed to be in the ballroom last night. I thought no one knew. "W-what are you talking about, Johanna?" I ask shakily. "Rowan. Don't ever think I don't know what's going on. I've been in two Hunger Games, training tributes for years. I know everything, Rowan. Everything," she says. "I- I didn't mean-" I begin, but Johanna cuts me off. "I let it slide yesterday because I thought you would have felt ashamed to have kissed the very same person you would be killing in a few days time. But, apparently not," she continues. My heart is hammering so loudly I think the entire training room can hear. Suddenly, her expression softens. "Look, Rowan. I'm here to help you. And if you want my help, you'll have to listen to me. Forget about that girl. Focus on your training. If you want to survive," she says. I feel anger bubbling up inside of me. Why should I let this crazy woman decide how I live my life. "And Rowan, if not for yourself, then do it for your sister," she finishes as she looks over at Clo. That gets me. I feel my anger melting. Johanna walks away and I go back to my room, feeling guilty. And as I lie in bed after the second day of training, I think about what Johanna and Clo said. I love Ivy, that I know, but what about her, would she turn on me in the arena? I feel my eyes get heavy, and soon I'm falling asleep, ready for my last day of training.