Running - A Hunger Games Fanfiction

Training Day

I catch a rose and blow a kiss in the direction it came from. I look to my left and see Dayta who looks like he is holding on for dear life. The chariot hits a bump and I stumble. Dayta grabs my shoulder to steady himself. I flinch, but continue to smile and wave. 

I notice that our chariot seems to be getting much of the Capitol's roses thrown at it. I look at the other chariots. The District 1 chariot seems to be getting about as many roses as we are receiving. 

Another jolt makes me stumble, but Dayta grabs my hand. I smile at him. He says something, but I can't hear him over the crowd. 

"HUH?" I yell.

He says something but I still can't hear him. I nod and pretend I heard. He appears satisfied and lets go of my hand. 

We make it to the circle and the horses pull our chariot to the left, following the chariot in front of us. In front of us is 2 main sets of doors that the chariots begin to funnel into.

"Hello, tributes." A women stands in front of us. Besides Hera, she is one of the only Capitol people who doesn't appear to have had major surgery. She wears a black jumpsuit with grey stripes lining the sides. "Go to your designated rooms and find an outfit that you can use in training." 

I disembark from my chariot and follow the signs to the correct hallways. I hear a voice behind me. I turn and look. From the look of her outfit she appears to be from District 1. I point at my chest to see if she was talking to me. She nods. I respond with a small and quiet "Hi."

"I was just going to say I like your costume." she says. I look at her, expecting she is going to introduce herself. "I'm Sapphire. District 1."

"Fuse. District 3." I reply solftly. 

"Nice to meet you. See you around Fuse." Sapphire waves goodbye and walks to her door opening. I stare after her in confusion. 

I turn and walk down the hall into my room. Inside the room is a gigantic silver cabinet which I can only assume hold my clothes. The rest of the room appears to have been modeled with District 3 in mind. Even though the room's only purpose appears to be getting dressed there is a couch, several tables, and some chairs. Everything follows the silver, metal theme. It reminds me of a prison. 

I open the cabinet to find multiple pieces of clothing. Mostly consisting of gray leggings and tank tops, just the kind of clothes for athletic activities. I go through the closet considering each piece. I finally decide on a pair of plain black leggings and a silver top. Not to fancy but it fits my feelings today. Drab and dull. 

I pull on the leggings and the tank top. Both are tight, but flexible to move around in. I notice something on the floor. I bend down and pick it up. It is a bright yellow button. I smile remembering Idum and the affection she showed me upon my arrival. I pocket it. 

I exit the room and walk back down the hallway. Most everyone is already done. I curse silently, being late means getting more attention. I slip into the crowd. I notice Sapphire move over to what appears to be her brother. 

"My name is Natalie. I'm a trainer this Hunger Games. Let's go down to the basics." She begins to pace in front of the crowd. "No fighting with others in training since you will be fghting in the arena. Whatever you do, don't ignore survival skills . You need the ability to anticipate. Most will die of natural causes. Ten percent from infection. Twenty percent fro dehydration. One year the arena could be a burning desert. THe next a frozen tundra. The next a poisonous jungle. Exposure can kill you as easily as a knife. Tou can start training... now."

As soon as she finishes speaking the tributes disperse. I head over to the Suvival Skills Station. The only people there were the District 12 Tributes. I head over to a young women who has examples of what I presume to be snares in front of her.

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Once I have learned enough about survival to ensure I won't (hopefully)
die from the elements I head over to the archery range.

A petite women meets me and holds out a now and quiver. "Hello! I'm Persephone!" she then leads me over to the target and instructs me on how to hold it and shoot.

My first arrow falls out before I pull the string back. Persephone, who was watching from a corner, rushes over to correct my grip and stance.

I try again. This time my arrow hits the edge of the target. On about my 20th arrow I start to hit the center of the target. Arrow after arrow I hit the bullseye. It is a rhythm. Nock, pull, aim, shoot. Nock, pull, aim, shoot.

As I watch another arrow fly into the center of the target I hear a deep voice behind me. "You are an awful good shot." Instinctively I whirl around pointing my newly nocked arrow at the person behind me.

"Whoa there sweetheart. You can't kill me until we get into the arena. There is no rush you know." he chuckles. I slowly lower my bow. "I'm Dressal, District 8. You must be District 3."

"Yes, I'm Fuse." I turn back to my target, expecting him to go away, but he doesn't. I pull back the string and shoot. Another bullseye.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dressal nocking his own arrow. He does so with the grace of an experienced archer. His arrow embeds itself next to mine. I shoot one last arrow. It splinters Dressal's in half.

I ignore his grin and head off to the wrestling station. But I smile inwardly. Maybe these tributes weren't so bad after all.
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