Pretty As a Primrose (A Hunger Games Fanfiction)

Chapter 5

The head trainer named Atala introduces herself and goes over the rules. I look around as she talks at all the training equipment, there are knives, swords, spears, bows and arrows, weights, about every weapon you could think of.

"There will be no fighting, there will be plenty of time for that in the arena." She says. Have people fought here before? Over what? I thought to myself. Atala explains the importance of paying attention to survival skills, not just the fighting skills. She blows her whistle and the training sessions have begun. I look around, deciding what station I should try out first. My first impulse would be to go to the plants station because I've worked with medicinal plants a lot, but I head to the bow and arrow station instead. I pick up a bow and an arrow, pulling the string back just like how Katniss showed me when I was younger. When I was younger Katniss took me into the woods and tried to teach me how to hunt but I couldn't bear watching the poor animal in pain, I ended up begging Katniss to take the animal back home and we could heal it. It should be easier shooting a nonliving target, I couldn't hurt a living thing. I let the string go and it flies through the air, hitting the dummy in the leg. Not a perfect shot, well it's not even close to a perfect shot but I guess it's good enough that I hit the dummy.

"Tilt the arrow up just a bit," a voice says behind me. I turn my head enough to see a girl, also holding a bow and arrow. She had to be around Katniss' age, but obviously she had been from one of the better districts where the people are almost always well fed. She shoots the arrow and it hits the outside of the target.

"Well that wasn't great either but you get the point. Tilt the arrow up and it'll hit higher up." she says. Another tribute, a boy, calls for her. Apparently her name is Glimmer. What kind of a name is that? I laugh at the thought and tilt the next arrow up higher like she said, wondering why one of the careers even bothered to help me. Maybe they know I don't stand a chance in the arena, maybe they pity me. I sigh and shoot another arrow, again missing the target. I set the bow back down on the rack and head to a different station. This one happens to be snares and traps, which I'm no good at. I manage to make a snare, but it doesn't work when I try it out. Frustrated, I stand up and walk off to a different station. I pass the gauntlet, an obstacle course in which the careers are now trying out. I see something move over my head, I look up and see a smaller girl scurrying around in the ropes course. The girl looks about my age with darker skin, she obviously could climb around the ropes course easily. At least I'm not the only 12 year old here, I think as I walk towards the camouflage station. I noticed Peeta there, painting a pattern on his arm.

"That's good." I say and smile. He looks up from his arm, startled.

"Oh thanks. I frosted the cakes back at the bakery," He says, glancing down at his arm again. The pattern looked exactly like the trunk of the tree he was standing by.

"That girl up there, who is she?" I asked, nodding my head up at the ropes course. Peeta looks up quickly at the girl, still hopping around in the rope course.

"Oh I think her name's Rue," he says, then turns back to dabbing the paint onto his arm.

"Rue," I repeat softly. I looked back up at the girl, watching her as she jumped happily. "I think I'm going to go try out some other stations." I say and head off again. I see the knives station looks empty so I head there. If I was going to practice, I didn't want people to be around to see me fail horribly. I pick up one of the knives gently and turn it over a few times in my hand, then watch as one of the dummies lights up. Might as well try, I tell myself. I hold onto the knife tightly in my hand, then throw it forward. I'm afraid to see where it landed, but the trainer at this station gives me a wide smile and hands me another knife.

"Go again!" She says. Again, the dummies go dark and one lights up. I throw the knife, watching it land almost in the black center of the target.

"Have you ever thrown a knife before?" she asks. I shake my head.