The Arena

Chapter 6 - The Ablaze

Six

The Ablaze

When we arrive, Cascane and Oscilla from District 4 were already there as well as the tributes of District 9, Sherlon and Hadenn. We welcomed by Cascane and Oscilla with their big smiles. Romenik and I respond as well. The gameheads and lead sponsors has been watching us from the elevation of the grounds.

We start at exactly nine. Though we are not complete, the instructor, namely Ceres, already start her discussions and our orientations on how we will be train. I go into the obstacle course first. Since this obstacle has mobile targets, I get my crossbow and my sets of sheaths of arrows. I pass in the rows of huge tubes aligned in the linoleum. I run and shoot the targets directly in head marker. The tally adds my points. So I keep going.

I saw Romenik having his alliance. Gloshierre, Sable, Kindle and Ferrence go from my back. “Nice shooting.” Kindle says in a humble voice. “Hey guys.” I say. Sable holds my arms. “Sable, let’s train?”  Sable didn’t say anything. She just smile at me. Gloshierre gets a glaive. Ferrence held an axe and Kindle with his silver bow. Sable gets the long pole spear. We practice in the target area. Then, I excuse myself to have my time in the hand-to-hand combat. I trained there with Mozka of district six. He said that he has no idea where to go first so he goes with me. Then, I go back again into the obstacle course when I found it empty.

An alarm was ringed to stop the training for lunch. They flashed the official points for first two hours.

But they do not flash the points, only the order of rankings. I ranked first. Second by Korinyes and third by Lancedon. Sable ranked twelfth. Ferrence ranked ninth. Kindle ranked seventh. Gloshierre ranked sixteenth. And Romenik ranked twentieth. Ersatz, Ferrence’s co-district ranked fourth and the siblings from 4, Cascane and Oscilla ranked consecutively at fifth and sixth. Chetnik, from fifteen ranked last.

We have our lunch there. We sat on a table far from those who have their own alliances. Some are need to arrange the tables altogether to accommodate the tributes in one table. Some are like to be separated among us. I sat in my alliance table. Consisting of me, Ferrence, Kindle, Gloshierre, and Sable. Romenik sat with Arrem.

After we took the lunch, Gloshierre ask a question “How your family won in the games? My sister is a tribute. She was reaped five years ago. She is also a good glaive thrower like me. She’s a hunter. She even keeps mystery from us before she was killed.” “Mymom won the games in an old factory. She set the electricity on and uses it as traps.” Kindle said in a soft voice. “My grandfather is a renowned hunter. He hunts using a throwing axe.  Then, it is his advantage when their arena held on a thick jungle. So he won.” Ferrence explain it “I think I don’t tell how my dad won. I tell it to you earlier.” Sable tells us. “My mom is not so strong yet she’s not so wise. She just hid in the Cornucopia when there was a deadly earthquake and she is the only one survived.”

Silence hovers our table while the noise of happy tributes shatters in the training ground. Then, Kindle spoke to break the glassy silence. “Sumner... I think Korinyes was looking at you since you’ve arrived here. Is there something wrong between you and her?” I don’t know what to answer. Even I don’t know what’s between me and her. “Honestly, I don’t have any idea.” Suddenly, the ring alarms everyone of us. We should start training once it rang.

Kindle runs around the obstacle. The remaining tributes are at swimming tub training swimming lessons since i know how, i don’t waste my time there. I am the fastest swimmer there in my school when i am in high school.

I go to the edibility classifying station. It is useful especially if i have no more food left in the arena. A girl from 10, which is around forty, was keep tasting each vegetable she had. She is Screecher, an olericulturist. She teach me which fruits are poisonous according to its color, texture, and leaves.

Then, i ask her a question “did you join Korinyes’ alliance?”

She answers me in a polite way. “The ODDS?” I ask her. “What is ODDS?” “Sweety it is an acronym for Outer Districts’ Defense Syndicate, I joined then because you know... everyone wants to grab a weapon for defense, but having an alliance will save you. She is a strong ally, as well as the others. But remember, your ally may be your worst enemy that you can have.” Her words carry me away out of the nothing. Wilderness. “and so why?” i follow-up. But only a word stabs deeply in my mind and continuously screwing me in my inner soul. Betrayal. “It lets mostly of the victors won the games.”

HER Words ablaze my whole world. Would my assumed allies kill me? I remember a poem about trust. That if you had give it all to others or you’ll lose all what you have.