Rue's Song {A Hunger Games Fan Fiction}

Chapter 6: Training

I wake up and glance over at a clock beside my bed.  It glows the time 7:05.  I go in the bathroom and fix my hair and brush my teeth.  Where I roll in my sleep, my bun fell down and I fix it to its standard style.  I walk back in my room and see an outfit laid out for me.

It is a stretchy black shirt and pants with the number 11 on the back and sleeves.  There are also socks and tan combat boots laid out beside the outfit.  I put everything on and leave my room.  Seeder and Thresh greet me in the room.  

Thresh is wearing the same outfit I am.  I notice Chaff isn't here. 

"Where is Chaff?" I ask.

"He hasn't woke up yet." she says.  "Let's go ahead and head down." 

We walk to the elevator and descend down below the ground.  The only tributes there are District 1,2,4, and a girl from 7.  I look around and my jaw drops.  There are several stations with a wide variety of weapons, ropes, targets, and strangly fruits.  I know I will be strong in climbing and whatever the fruits are for.  I need to find a weapon I am best with.

Eventually, the other tributes arrive and the head Trainer Atala.  "Tributes, welcome." she says.  "I know you are excited about training and anxious to pick up a sword but let me go over some quick rules.  Don't fight each other.  You will have plenty of time for that in the arena.  There are several skills you can go over, survival, combat, strength, and agility.  I advise you to try them all.  Most of you will die of infection and diesese.  So also spend your time with survival skills.  You will have two days of training together, the last day of training will be your individual assessments.  So today, find something you are good at, tommorrow, perfect that skill, and the next day, show what skills you do well.  Now get training."

I decided to do some survival skills first.  I went to the fruit station first sop my curiosity wouldn't kill me.  A woman was over it.  She presented different, fruits nuts, and berries and I had to eat the healthy ones.  I got everyone right.  She than gave me a paper to look over that showed every known fruit, nut, and berry that was edible and poisoness.

After that, I went to a fishing station.  I learned how to make a fishing pole and hook and how to use it.  They also taught me how to properly fillet and cook different fishes and how to properly dispose leftovers so I wouldn't attract animals.  That station took an hour, but I am pretty good at fishing.

I decide next to learn how to track a nearby water source.  They put me in a simulated arena at first with a guide to teach me.  After I find water, the simulation changes and I am by myself.  With my skills, I find water within 15 minutes. 

After that, I move to a trapping station until lunch.  They teach me how to make and set simple snares.  Once I perfect those snares, they teach me more complex ones.  I work on snares until lunch.

I sit and eat lunch with Thresh.  They serve us hot ham and cheese sandwiches, potato soup, and a bowl of fruit.  As we eat, me and Thresh talk.

"What did you work on?" he asks me.

"Edible plants, fishing, finding water, and trapping.  What about you?"

"Hand on hand combat, swords, axes, weights, and speed drills."

I looked around and noticed how the Careers were sitting together in a group laughing and my guess, making a game plan.

"So," I say.  "What do you think about the Careers?"

"I think you could out smart them." He says.  "And I could easily break their necks with my hands now."

I giggle.  I love Thresh's sense of humor.