Deceived: The 500th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 46 - Training: Day 2

FLUX VIPOINTE'S P.O.V

I picked up the sword I was using yesterday. It felt nice in my hand, the rubber grip of the handle comfortable against my skin.

"Two dummies please."

One dummy, with a boomerang, the other dummy with a tomahawk, came racing towards me.

The boomerang flew out of the dummy's hand. It flew towards me, whistling as it sliced the air. I rolled onto my left hand side, avoiding the wooden weapon whirling my way.

As I got back up, I realised the boomerang had to come back. I leaped to the side, dodging it again. I raced along side it, hoping to reach the dummy before the boomerang did.

I sliced my sword along the second dummy's arm, leaving a deep wound around the top of the bicep.

I tightened my grip on the sword and drove it into the dummy's back. The boomerang in it's hand fell to the floor. As I pulled the sword out of the dummy, it launched itself forward, face planting the ground.

Victorious.

"Another round," I yell, panting.

I wiped a trickle of sweat from my forehead. Three dummies this time. One had a dagger, one had throwing knives and the last one had a bow and arrow.

I launched myself for the one with the bow and arrow. As I reached it, I bicycle kicked it in the chest. It fell to the floor, creating a nice loud thud.

I sliced the string on the bow, making the long ranged weapon unusable.

I dived off of my opponent, ready to take on the others. It isn't my priority now it's pretty much weaponless.

The dummy with the throwing knives launched a small knife at me. I dodged it by a few millimetres. It hit the dummy with the bow and arrows. Right in the heart.

I took the time to go for the one with the dagger. It tried to swipe me across the face with its small blade. I dodged the weapon and drove the sword through its head, pinning it to the floor.

The dummy with the knives. It threw two at once at me. One knife hit me on my shoulder, but didn't pierce me. The blade was facing the wrong eat. The handle hit me though, and I'm sure I'll end up with a minor bruise.

I wielded my sword in my right hand as I ran towards the dummy. I swung the sword over my head as if I was about to use a mace. The sword collided with the dummy's skull. The fatal blow killed it instantly.

"Nice going Flux," the instructor said. "You've got real strength."

I placed the sword down with the other ones and headed to where Thalia was sat.

"Dude, watch this," she laughed. She had set something up that contained foul smelling bubbles and fire.

She scooped up a huge pile bubbles in her hands. The instructor threw a match at the bubbles. Her hands erupted into flames. I could feel the heat from here.

"That's amazing!" I said, my mouth wide open in shock. "Does it hurt?"

"Nope, not at all. I can't explain why though." She laughed.

"Why do those bubbles smell foul?" I asked, the stench getting worse.

"It's methane," the instructor said. "You know when certain animals pass gas?"

We both nod, remembering how bad the pigs smelt down at the slaughter house.

"This is basically the gas they pass. It's deadly for other things too."

"Fascinating," I say.

"Let's just say, if a certain someone sponsored you these bubbles, then use them. I know exactly who can sponsor you." He draws us in closer so he can whisper. Maybe he isn't allowed to say things like this. "My brother."

I smile. "We appreciate that. Thanks."

"The Capitol go nuts when someone dies in battle from fire. It's the most feared death. So I'm gonna make the Capitol happy, then maybe I'll get more pay and more recognition and be able to go home and support my family more."

"Thanks for your help," Thalia said.

"No, thank you."


ALBERTO JANGO'S P.O.V

I launched yet another knife into a moving target. Confrey sat there, using a dagger to whittle away at a stone.

"I'm bored," I exclaim. "I've been doing this for hours! How do Careers have the patience to train for twice as long as I have been?"

"They're brutal killers," Confrey replied. "They set their minds to do it. They like the sight of death."

"What are you doing?" I asked. I looked closer. The stone was pointy and had many different curves in it.

"Throw it," he said, holding the stone out to me. "Like a knife."

I launched the stone from the pointed end, seeing as it's lighter there. It soars through the air and hits the target about a centimetre from the centre.

"Not bad. Did you learn to make weapons yesterday?" I asked.

"Nope," he smiled. "My dad whittles and sculpts in his spare time, all of the time. Wood and metal mainly, but rock is softer and denser than many metals."

"Show me," I demanded, eager and intrigued by this skill.

"I'll show you how to build a spear." He grabbed a dagger, a triangular rock, a long branch and some vines. I did the same and followed him to the area where camouflage was. A peaceful, tranquil area where we won't be killed by Indigo running around recklessly with her sword.

"It's better to start with a sharper rock than a blunt one or an odd shaped one," he informed me. He grabbed the dagger and began to drag it along the edges of the rock.

After about an hour of slowly stripping the stone, we both had long, sharp arrowheads.

"This part is tricky," Confrey said. He stood up, balancing the stone on the stick. Once it was lined up well enough, he began to tie the vines around the two objects. The knots were extremely secure and complicated.

He picked up the spear and held it in triumph. He ran to a target, standing quite far away, and launched his weapon at a target. It hit the upper part of the target.

It stayed in perfect form too, not a single knot unravelling itself at any point.

"I'm going to make a few more weapons," Confrey said. "Daggers, arrows, shurikens maybe."

I let him get on with his constructions and went over to the water finding area.

I grabbed a spile and jammed a dagger into a tree. I shoved the spile in place and the water trickled down the tree.

I then weaved a basket out of grass - a skill I had learnt at school - and filled it with river water.

"Purification tablets are the easy way out. What if I don't get any in my pack? What if I'm not sponsored?" I asked the instructor.

"Boil it. Be careful with the grass though, maybe you should use something else," he warned.

"Like what?" I asked.

"Your water bottle maybe. It'll most likely be made from metal."

I poured my water into a metal container and put it over a small fire.

After about five minutes, the bubbling of the water became audible, so I took it off.

I flinched at the heat of the metal. "What do I do?"

"Dip the metal in the water, making sure the too is closed."

I practically threw the bottle into the water. I heard the metal sizzle as the icy water cooled the burning container.

Once I picked it up, it was cool enough and safe enough to drink. I poured it back into my weaved basket and slurped a little as I drank up.

"Beautiful." I licked my lips. "This was really helpful.

Now I can make weapons, build shelters, find water and hunt, why do I need to I to the cornucopia?


VIOLETTA SANTOLINA'S P.O.V

I stood in a room with all of the other tributes.

Lunchtime had passed, and a new test had been set up for us to take part in.

Ogilby was sat down in the corner, holding a book about natural disasters with one hand and lifting a weight with the other. He's crippled but he's still keeping fit.

"Now you lot," the lady said. "This is known as the bleep test. In this test, you must run from one station to the other until only one of you is left. You must reach the goal before the next bleep. The bleeps speed up, so pace yourselves."

I looked around. The room was covered with doors and tape. Lots of tape. It ran all around the floor, most likely stating where the bound areas were.

"This isn't an ordinary bleep test though. There will be dummies trying to slow you. There will be booby traps. There may be mutts, trap doors, weapons on the floor. Good luck."

The 23 of us, minus Ogilby, lined up on the green line, waiting for the bleep to sound. We all know that Arlu, Briar and Indigo will be the final three. Auricula, Flux and Gauis will do well too.

Bleep!

We all began to ran. Some of us, like Shauna and Briar, broke into full on sprints. Some of us, like Arlu and Orchid, were barely jogging. I guess you could call it brisk walking. I was somewhere between jog and run. A slow run.

Pace yourself. I steadied my pace, knowing that I would get tired easily if I run much faster.

I reached the yellow line about three seconds before the next bleep.

I ran back to the green line, keeping the same pace I had done before.

On the seventh bleep, people became tired and slower. I kept the same pace as ever.

I touched the yellow line just in time as the eighth bleep sounded. Confrey, Yasmin and Shauna all screamed as they received some kind of shock. They walked into the red zone, the losers zone.

The zone I won't be in.

"We forgot to tell you," the lady said. "You receive electric shocks if you don't make it."

Bleep!

Mizar and Wyatt had become distracted by the message. I had only just made it too.

Time to pick up the pace a bit.

I strode forward, stretching my legs even longer. Someone behind me screamed as their leg descended into the floor. A trap door.

Bleep!

Vanity screamed at the shock. She pulled herself out of the trap door, carefully. Her fingers hadn't quite healed yet.

I ran again, trying to steady my breathing. I watched Otillie fly past me. Sideways. A dummy had leapt out of nowhere and pinned him too the ground.

Bleep!

Otillie and Alberto grunted as the shocks went off.

I counted on my fingers as I ran. Confrey, Yasmin, Shauna, Mizar, Wyatt, Vanity, Otillie, Alberto. That's eight. Fifteen to go.

Bleep! No one was out this round.

There. I saw a dagger on the floor in my path. Hold on, there's probably a trap to this.

I kicked the dagger nearer the green line. An arrow flew out of a mini door to my right. I knew it. It would've collided with my knee, ensuring I didn't make it.

I'm not stupid.

Bleep!

Vibia, Thalia and Billee had all been victims of the booby traps. I noticed Theta on the floor, clutching her leg. She had actually been wounded.

I scoped the other tributes. I noticed Indigo with a dagger in her hand, dripping with blood.

I ran slightly ahead of Indigo, picking up the dagger I had kicked earlier. I let Indigo catch up to me. She tried to slice me with her knife, but I tripped her over.

I watched her tumblr and crash into a holographic tracker jacker nest. The projected mutts stung her, but it felt like someone prodding you with their pinky. This wasn't designed to hurt us. It was designed to test our strength.

Bleep!

Indigo and Theta both received a shock.

Who's gone out since Otillie and Alberto? Vibia, Thalia, Billee, Theta and Indigo. Thirteen out, ten to go.

That leaves Arlu, Auricula, Briar, Flux, Bramble, Gauis, Skene, Persi, Orchid and I.

Bramble stopped, a holographic mutt attempting to maul him to death. Bramble, not being able to tell that they're fake, started screaming. The poor kid.

Bleep!

Bramble yelled as the shock went off. Gauis looked sad that his buddy had been hurt.

A bunch of doors began to open as I ran past them, my pace dramatically increasing. The bleeps became more frequent, causing a state if panic for the nine of us left.

Bleep!

Flux, Orchid and Skene had all fallen into pits. Flux and Orchid got out in no time. Skene was still recovering when we started our next run. As I ran past his pit, I realised it had water in it.

I leapt over a hole in the floor only to come face to face with a dummy. I drove the dagger into its face. I left the dagger embedded in the dummy's eye.

Bleep!

Arlu and Briar yelped as the shock went off inside of them.

That leaves Gauis, Auricula, Persei and I.

"May the best girl win!" Gauis yelled as he plunged into a hole.

Bleep!

Gauis' yell echoed in the hole he climbed out of.

Dummies blocked our way to the line. I could sense this being the end.

Auricula kicked a dummy in the heart. Two dummies dived on too of her, ensuring she wasn't victorious.

I ran through the gap the District 3 tribute had created. Persei was by my side.

I could see the line. I was sweating and gasping for air. I don't even know we're Gauis found the effort to talk a minute ago. I can't breathe.

I felt something on my back. I fell forward, unable to support myself because something had my arms pinned behind my back.

Bleep!

Auricula and I screamed I frustration as we received shocks. I broke free from the dummy's grasp and pounded my fist against the floor.

"The winner, getting to the line 0.015 seconds before the bleep, was Persei. Well done. Commiserations to you all, especially Violetta, who happened to be about 23 centimetres away from reaching the line."

I slammed my fist down again, even more frustrated. I am not dealing with second place.

Look out Persei. I'm gonna kill you.