Too Clever

Chapter 8

     The next two days of training go a bit more smoothly than the first. I improve a little with my knife throwing skills, and considering I've only ever practiced it for three days, I'm actually okay at it for starters, although you couldn't necessarily say I'm good at it.
     I see Clove, the female tribute from District 2, at the knife throwing station a few times, and I decide it's safe to say that if she throws a knife at you, you aren't going to see the next day. Every time I throw a knife at my dummy, she snickers and looks at the other Careers like I'm an idiot as if to say, Who can't throw a knife and perfectly hit the target?
     I also see Katniss and Rue as well at the edible plants section. I never get a word with Katniss, as it seems like she's purposely trying to avoid other tributes—apart from Peeta, her district partner, whom she sticks with the entire time. She's making a mistake. When the gong sounds at the start of the Games, she's probably going to have to team up with Peeta at this point, which isn't going to do her any good. Having allies is dangerous.
     I have a few passing comments with Rue, and she tells me that she's very good at hopping around trees and using a slingshot. I sneak away before she can ask what my skills are; I'm not going to tell anyone that. Not even Alec.
Throughout training, I make my way around to other survival skills stations as well. I learn to set an excellent snare at the knot tying station. At the fire starting section, I learn which plants will give off a small amount of smoke to ensure that other competitors won't be able to see it in the arena.
On the third day of training, we all go directly to a room off to the side of the main Training Center. Here, we will wait our turn to perform our best skills in front of the Gamemakers, including Seneca Crane, Head Gamemaker, so they can assess and score each one of us.
I sit there biting my nails and tapping my foot, just as I did the morning of the reaping. I'm trying to think of what I should do for the Gamemakers, and I decide to take the edible plants test, as I can pass it in less than a few minutes, and make a snare to kill the extra time. If I end up with another minute, I will simply tie a hanging noose, which I learned in training.
I zone out for a moment, thinking about Nora and my family and how they will react to my training score. I'm expecting a pretty decent score; I'm showing the Gamemakers that I have good survival skills and that I will be able to catch my own food, which is very important in the Games.
"Fleta Riverwood, District 5," says a speaker, interrupting my thoughts. I stand up and head towards the door, Alec catching my eye and winking as I pass. I act like I didn't see it. I will not be teaming up with my district partner.
I enter the training room. All the Gamemakers are sitting on a large balcony overseeing the room. A few seem to be a little tipsy, but the majority are watching me attentively.
"You have ten minutes. You may begin," says Seneca Crane, taking a sip of wine.
I walk confidently over to the edible plants test and hit the start button. In a couple of minutes, I end up with a perfect score, causing a ripple of impressed mutters to emanate from the balcony.
Pleased and encouraged, I quickly head over to the rope tying station, not wanting to waste any time. I swiftly create a small snare capable of catching a rabbit or a squirrel, and step back. The Gamemakers nod their approval, so I take a small, two-pound weight nearby and throw it into the snare to show that it works.
I look at the time, and it appears that I have one minute left. I am about to go ahead and tie a noose like I had planned earlier when a knife blade catches my attention. A wild idea surfaces, and I walk over to a dummy and pick up the knife. If I throw it right, it'll show that I can use a weapon as well as survival skills and I will achieve a higher score. And if I miss, I will still have the snare and edible plants test to give me extra points, so I decide to go for it.
Suddenly I realize that the Gamemakers are still watching me, and a sharp jolt occurs in my stomach. I better do this right.
I grip the knife and step back with my left foot, just as the instructor had showed me, and launch the knife with all my strength and power towards the dummy's heart.
But my nerves get the better of me. The knife goes whizzing past the dummy's head and bounces off the wall a full foot away.
I hear snickers from the balcony, making my ears sting and my hair stand on end. I blew my opportunity to attain a high training score.
"You are dismissed," says Seneca Crane. Since asking for another minute to prove that I actually can hit the dummy is against the rules, I simply shuffle out of the Training Room, bowing my head low in defeat.