A Crafted Kind of Games: A Hunger Games Fanfic

Chapter Ten

I woke up the next morning, hearing Anna slamming her fist on the door.

"GET UP! I've been calling you for ten minutes!"

Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed, and went to get dressed.

I grabbed a silvery top that matched my parade costume, dark jeans, and black boots. I ran a brush through my hair, slid my bracelet onto my wrist, and headed out the door before Anna exploded.

I was two steps into the dining room when Anna turned to me from her spot at the table.

I braced myself for a full-on screaming rant, but I didn't get it. "Wake up on time tomorrow." She growled angrily, making me wish that I had gotten the screaming rant.

Adam was sitting opposite Anna, looking insanely frightened by her, and for once, I couldn't tease him for it.

I took a seat, grabbed my plate, and heaped a ton of food onto it. I wanted to eat as much as I could before the Games, because once I was in them, the odds of me not being hungry are not in my favor.

Anna turned to us again, but she seemed to have calmed herself down.

"Ok, you two. Here's the strategy for training. You're going to hit every station you can in the next three days. That includes your weapon of skill."

I try to see how this will help us, but I can't.

"We're not going for intimidating, all I want you guys to do I'd to learn new things and sharpen the skills you already have. Today, you're going to focus on survival skills. Building a fire, tying a knot, I don't care, as long as it has nothing to do with weapons. Weapons are for tomorrow."

She finishes explaining and I finally get it. This is going to give us a slight advantage. Hopefully, we'll know about anything the Gamemakers could throw at us by the time we're in the Games.

"Do you understand me?" She asks. I nod my head and Adam does the same.

"Good." She mutters, and leaves.

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"In a few weeks, twenty-three of you will be dead. One of you will be alive. Who that is depends on how well you pay attention in here, particularly to what I'm about to say."

Atla, the women who runs training, pauses from her speech to make sure that we're all paying attention, then continues.

"Rule number one: No fighting with the other tributes. You'll have plenty of time for that in the arena. Also, don't ignore the survival skills. Everyone wants to grab a sword-"

I sure don't.

"-but most of you will die from natural causes. Ten percent from infection, thirty percent from dehydration, to name a few. Exposure can kill as easily as a knife. On that note, you're dismissed."

She turns and walks away, and all the Career tributes head straight for the most dangerous of all the weapons, and handle them with ease.

Others, who have no experience with anything, like Eleven and Twelve, linger a bit before slowly making their way toward different stations.

I spot the fire making station, and head in that direction. I have no idea how to make a fire. They weren't allowed in District Ten, where barns could burn too easily, and the towering wooden fence that outlines the whole district could go up in flames.

While I'm at the fire starting station, I can't help but turn my attention away from my small piece of flint to watch the other tributes.

At one point, I see the boy from District One, Mitch, grab a freshly sharpened sword from the racks, and easily decapitates three dummies at the same time.

He turns, and before I avert my eyes, he catches me staring at him and smirks, probably thinking that he's scared me.

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I'm just finishing up at the edible plants section when they call the bell for lunch. In that time, I've also gone through fire starting and knot tying.

I've also seen the District Three boy, Jerome, behead a dummy with an axe from twelve yards, the District Two boy, Ty, shoot about twenty different targets, all moving, with a shot in the bullseye every time, and the District Two and One girls, Dawn and Ashlee, impale dummies with spears from fifteen yards.

I grab a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and bag of these awesome crunchy things called salt and vinegar chips, a chocolate chip cookie, and a glass of water. (These are some of my favorite foods :D)

I found Adam sitting at a corner table, with the tributes from Eight.

I sit down next to him, and wave to the two tributes. "Hey, Adam." I said.The girl waved back at me.

"Hey, Skylar." Adam greeted. "These are the tributes from Eight, Preston Simmons and Tiffany Garcia."

"Hi, nice to meet you." I wave at them. "I'm Skylar."

"Oh, we know. You two have been all the Capitol is talking about! Those costumes were so amazing!" Tiffany squeals.

"Cool!" I don't have much else to say.

"So, what's your weapons of choice?" Adam asks.

They both think for a second. "I'm good with a spear, I guess, but I'm not amazing." Tiffany says.

Preston's shoulders slump forward. "I'm not good at anything." He whispers. "I'll bet money that I'm the first one dead. I always sucked at player versus player."

Tiffany pats him on the shoulder. "It's ok, Preston."

"I haven't tried any weapons, so I don't know what I'm good at." I say, hoping to make him feel better.

We eat the rest of lunch, and I get to know Tiffany Garcia. She's 15, has an older brother named Anthony, and a boyfriend, whose name is Mario, or as she calls him, Red.

I spot the Careers, all circled around one table, occasionally glancing at one of the tributes. More than once, I look up to find one of them looking straight at me.

After lunch, we head back to the Training Arena. Tiffany and I pair up for some activities, and I spot Adam helping out Preston at the fire-building station.

A few hours later, I'm in line for the Gauntlet, which is a mandatory obstacle course, right behind Adam and in front of Tiffany.

That's when we here the yelling coming from the other side of the room.

"You bumped into me, you friggen idiot!" (Keepin it PG, folks :D)

"I didn't, I swear!"

"Yes, you did! You just messed me up!"

Mitch is yelling at the boy from Seven, Ian. Peacekeepers are holding him back. Suddenly, he stands still.

"You know what? I'll wait for the arena. You're the first one I'll get, so watch your back."

I can't see his face, but I can hear the smirk in his voice.

The rest of the Careers lead him away, but not until he turns and shouts. "You don't know who you're messing with!"

My eyes find Ian, who's literally shaking at the edible plants station.

Adam quietly whistles. "God, he's got a temper." He quietly jokes, and I want to laugh.

But I don't. That Mitch seems to be easily unhinged. He's also got some amazing skills with a sword.

He's dangerous. And dangerous people can't be allowed to live long in the Games if someone else wants to live.

I don't want to be the one up against him, but there's twenty-three of us. The odds that someone kills him before I are in my favor.

Of course, the odds haven't really been in my favor all that much.

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So yeah, Mitch is the equivalent to Cato! Umad?

The song on the right is "Native" by Soulero.