A Crafted Kind of Games: A Hunger Games Fanfic

Chapter Twelve

"You actually found your weapon?"

Adam, Anna, Julio, Effie, Frias and I are talking about the day's training.

I nodded. "Turns out I'm good with a knife."

Anna grinned. "That's great. Now all you have to do is not be stupid, and you both stand a chance at winning the Games."

We ate in silence for a while, until Anna spoke up again.

"Okay, you two. Tomorrow the Gamemakers bring each tribute in, one by one, and score them. You remember that, right?"

I nod, and so does Adam. I've watched previous Games of course; they're mandatory.

Anna points at Adam. "You go after the bow, and maybe the fire station, if you still have time."

She looks over at me. "You go straight for the knives, ok? If you want, try something else to show them you've learned something."

"What score are we aiming for?" Adam asked.

Anna looked at both of us, dead serious. "High enough so the sponsors will like you. They loved the costumes, now they got to love your score."

She gets up from the table and walks away.

"No pressure, then." Adam mutters, and I let out a snort of laughter.

************the next day****************

Adam and I stand in the elevator as it moves downward toward the Training Arena.

My palms are sweating, and Adam's face is pale. We're both nervous. The highest score a tribute from ten has ever gotten was a six. And that's not exactly what we're shooting for.

I look over at Adam, and remember the first encounter we both had with the elevator; when we found out about Jason.

I wonder if he's thinking about the same thing.

The glass doors slide open smoothly, and we step out onto the metal floor, scrubbed so cleanly it sparkles. I know because my eyes never leave the floor.

We're the tenth and eleventh tributes there.

Most of the Careers are sitting on the benches, including Mitch, whose eyes narrow when he sees me, Ashlee from One, Ty from Two, Dawn from Two, Quentin from Four, and from Four, Eliza.

I see Jason, sitting next his partner, Maddie, and I steal a glance at Adam to see his reaction.

He must have become better at hiding his emotions, because he doesn't react to Jason sitting there.

The last two are Preston and Tiffany, who waves us over. I smile and sit next to Tiffany, with Adam on my other side. (Seriously though, if I was sitting next to Adam and Tiffany, that would be awesome)

"So, what are you guys doing for the Gamemakers?" Preston asks. I shrug. "Throw some knives, maybe tie a knot or something."

"I'm gonna shoot some targets, and maybe start a fire." Adam answers. "What about you guys?"

"I'm going to throw a spear around, and that's all I have planned." Tiffany smiles. "If I run out of spears, I'm going to have to wing it."

"I have no clue. Like I said, I'm not good at anything." Preston says.

"Hey, don't worry Preston. Remember that time a tribute who only had a score of three won? Scores don't matter." Adam smiles.

Tiffany grins. "So, we never made it official. Are we allies?"

She extends her hand, and I take it. "Totally, completely allies." I answer, and Adam nods his head.

"From District One, Mitch Hughes." A robotic voice suddenly speaks, almost making me jump out of my skin.

Mitch stands, and a metal door slides open. The second he's through, it slides shut abruptly.

Silence falls over the tributes, as we wait for our name to be called.

Two, Three, Four, Five go by. Jason gulps before he enters.

Six, and Seven pass.

"From District Eight, Preston Simmons." The robotic voice speaks. Preston stands, and moves towards the door in stiff movements.

A few minutes later, the robotic voice speaks again. "From District Eight, Tiffany Garcia."

She stands, and gives me a thumbs-up. "Good luck." I smile. "You too." She gives me a grin, and walks inside. I press my ear to the wall, hoping to hear Tiffany's session, but instead I hear nothing. Soundproof walls.

District Nine passes, and then I hear, "From District Ten, Adam Dahlberg."

I nudge him with my elbow. "You got this."

He gives me a grateful smile, and walks in the door.

All too soon, the voice says, "From District Ten, Skylar Pather."

I take a deep breath and move towards the door.

The doors slide shut behind me, and I feel like this is where the Games are really going to happen; there's no going back.

The Training Arena looks different from the actual training. The Gauntlet has been moved over to one side, so Tributes could still attempt it, but leaving more space for the Tributes to work with.

The Gamemakers all sit in a room that has only three walls. Where the fourth wall should be is a big hole, where they all stare at me.

I feel paralyzed. I don't like people staring at me in general, but the people who will hold my life in their hands is a whole other issue.

I will myself to breathe, and force myself to walk over to the knives.

Instead of the simulation, moving targets have been set up so the Gamemakers can see what's going on.

I slide a few knives into my belt, so I can reach them easily, and grip my fingers around the handles of two others.

I look up at the target, and my grip tightens around the knife handle, turning my knuckles white.

I take a deep breath, and throw the knife.

It hits about a centimeter from the center of the target. Yes!

I throw again and again, until I'm out of knives. I step back, and look at all the targets. Nine out of ten have a knife sticking close to the center or on it.

The last one hit the outer circle, because I slipped and almost fell on a patch of paint from the camouflage station.

I turn to the Gamemakers, fully aware that District Ten tributes never do this well. They'll be surprised, hopefully.

Their mouths are wide open.

I can't resist. "Not so bad for a girl from Ten, huh?" I smirked, and earned a few laughs.

The head Gamemaker, Helios Crane, looks down at me. "You're dismissed, Miss Pather."

I nod, and leave the room, to find Adam waiting outside.

He smiles when he sees me. "How'd it go?"

"I think they liked my skill." I answer with a grin. "What about you?"

"Good enough. Let's go upstairs. I'm sure Anna wants to hear how it went."

We head to the elevator, and fly up to the tenth floor in silence.

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The song on the right is "Sugar Rush" by Pixl. :)