The Real Threat- The Story of Foxface

The Training

Today I have to train. I don't want to get up, but I do. I sift through my suitcase to find a hairbrush and toothbrush. I take it and go to the bathroom. I brush my hair out and put it into a ponytail. I have my huge breakfast of pancakes and brush my teeth. I take a shower and dress in the training outfit Cell has left out for me. There's a letter on top.

Sorry we had to 'abuse' you Finch. But you really did look stunning, didn't you? Anyway, wear this hideous thing for the next three days.

Sincerely,

Cell

Stunning? He thinks that horrid outfit was "stunning"? The training outfit that lies before me looks more stunning than the outfit I had in the parade. I put it on and toss Cell's note into the trash. That's where it belonged. I walk out the door and into the glass elevator without a word. I plan to be the sly one. I press a button that's marked TRAINING ROOM, and watch through the glass doors what's going on in the lobby. I find myself in the basement of the building. I see the girl from 2, Clove, throwing knives. She then joins Cato, Glimmer, Marvel, the two from 4 and one from 6. Those are the Careers. I know their names because I sometimes sneak and listen through the walls and look through the windows of the main careers apartment. I need to know who they are before I kill them. How ruthless, how sweet, how bloodthirsty.

Cato and Clove seem to talk to each other a lot, and they're very bloodthirsty, very ruthless. Whenever they talk, they talk about the life they're leaving behind, but it quickly changes to strategy and how they're going to kill so many people together. So they aren't that sweet.

Glimmer is half bloodthirsty, half ruthless. She isn't sweet at all. I hear her watching the past Hunger Games, laughing and shouting, "Nice one!" And, "I can kill people like that!" She's mostly alone in her room, saying that people are good for nothing, and that she'll kill Cato and Clove and Marvel, and whoever she can.

Marvel is... Hmm. Well, he isn't that bloodthirsty, he isn't that ruthless, and kind of sweet. He calls his parents a lot. He reassures them. He tells them it's going to be okay, and it melts your heart when he gets off the phone and sob, "It's not! It's not!" He mostly just sits on the couch, staring at nothing. He asks himself how he's going to kill everybody, especially the little ones.

I take one look at the identifying machine. I know that is something I'm good at. Ammosia comes up. It's a red, plump kind of fruit and the name is not there. I type in, "Ammosia" and a green checkmark appears in the small box. I mark, "edible" on it. The box turns blue, which means I was right and done with this berry. Next is Ammodia. It's the exact opposite of Ammosia. It's black, thin, and one bite will have you dead in an hour. I type in it's name and that it's poison, and the small box turns blue. Then nightlock comes up. It's plump, only a little lighter than a blueberry. I, again, type in it's name and that it's poison. Again, the box turns blue. After I'm done, I pick up a knife. I throw it at the target, missing the bullseye by a little bit. I'm not as good as Clove, but I'm good enough. "Hah! You call that a throw, 5?" Clove approaches me. Cato behind her. Glimmer looks at me with an icy stare. Marvel just stands behind, looking the other way. The two from four follow behind Clove, and the one from 6 follows behind the two from 4. "Yes." I whisper. "Yes." I say, a little louder. "Yes! I do, Clove! It's not perfect, but I'm not the one who's been training her whole life to kill others without thinking!" I yell at her. "I'm not the one who has no heart." I say a little lower. She looks angry and turns away. Marvel smiles, glad that somebody has finally told her off. I continue throwing knives. Marvel turns around. "Thanks for putting her in her place." He whispers. I nod. "Marvel! Come on!" Clove yells. I continue throwing knives for an hour, when I'm interrupted by Cato's voice.

"Who stole my knife?" He's shouting at the boy from District 6.

"I swear I didn't, Cato! I swear!" He says.

"I know you took it!"

"I swear I didn't!"

"You're going to die first thing in that arena!"

I look up and see the District 11 girl up on the ceiling. She has the knife in her hand. Only the District 11 boy, the District 12 girl and I see it. The others don't look up. They look straight ahead. People don't look up enough. They don't know that up is an important direction to look in. They don't know what threats could come from just above them. They always look behind them, in front of them, beside them. They need to look up.

I spend the rest of the day spying on the others in a dark corner. I find out that the girl that was on fire is named Katniss Everdeen. She volunteered for her sister, and she's skilled with a bow and arrow. The boy from her district is named Peeta Mellark. He's skilled at camouflaging himself. That could come in handy any day. I learn that the District 11 girl is named Rue Tastet. The boy from her district is named Thresh Makome.

Maybe this is how I'll win the games.

Spying.