The 76th Hunger Games

Chapter 9

     I glare at Zanna's back. She's talking with the boy from her District, Ren. She's not facing me and I'm glad she can't see the outraged looks I'm giving her.  Yesterday she shot my ally, Clove, and the stupid Capitol didn't cut out her tongue. Maybe when we get in the arena I'll do it for them. Whoa, there. You're starting to sound a little crazy. Calm down. A pleasant female voice calls the first tribute in. The boy from District 1 disappears into the room and doesn't come back out. The girl tribute is called in about half an hour later. I can't help the shaking of my hands. If I show the Gamemakers something boring, they'll give me a bad score, and if I get a bad score, I don't get any sponsors. I can't mess this up. I need sponsors to survive! Well, maybe I don't NEED NEED them, but still. Mason, the boy from District 2, and my ally,  is called into the room some time later. He murmurs something to the girl tribute, Clove, and goes in. I'm guessing he said, "Wish me luck." Because we all know we'll need it if we are to impress the Gamemakers.

     Time passes. Clove is called in after Mason. She looks at me and smiles nervously before disappearing into the room at the end of the hall the rest of the tributes, including me, are sitting in. The pair from three, Ren and Zanna, Brian, until finally I am called in. I take a deep breath, stand, and walk into the room. The door slides shut behind me and I look up at a balcony. Men and women with bright hair and black robes are sitting on loveseats, chairs, couches, drinking brightly coloured beverages in tall crystal-clear glasses. I clear my throat and they stop chattering. The eyes of a dozen people turn to me. "Jonette Simona. District 8." I say, keeping my back straight and my voice level. I bow stiffly and wait. The head Gamemaker nods at me and I first walk to the obstacle course. I leap around, using agility, speed, and grace. The Gamemakers are silent, which means they are watching my every move. I light a few fires as quickly as possible and approach a dummy. I grab a dagger and start slicing.  Eventually, I realize I haven't shown the Gamemakers my special skill. I should do that before they tell me to stop. I pick up a crossbow and hit a few dummies. They don't seem impressed. Of course! I should make some sort of impression. I take a deep breath, aim the crossbow, and shoot it. The bolt grazes by the chain holding up the large chandelier, but it doesn't fall. I aim again and fire. The enormous light fixture crashes down, sending up shards of coloured glass and gold. I turn to the Gamemakers and stop scowling. The head one nods, his eyes wide,  and the exit door slides open. I walk out of it and down the clean white hall. Eventually, I come to the elevator. My guess is Fifi, Woof, Cecelia, and Brian are waiting for me on floor 8. The doors open and I walk in. My prep team, Melinda, Woof, Cecelia, Brian and his prep team, and Fifi are all eating dinner. "Jonette, my darling! Come join us!" Fifi trills. I sit down and load my plate with food. Roast beef, carrots, peas, and rice. "The scores will be up in half an hour, so you you should eat fast." Melinda suggests. I sigh and do so. Soon enough, my plate is empty.

     "Good evening, Panem!" Caesar Flickerman begins. "As you know, the tributes have been training for three days, and just a few hours ago the Gamemakers scored them from one to twelve on their abilities. As usual, we'll start with District 1 and make our way all the way up to twelve. Let's begin." He says. Mason gets a ten, which is a bit of a shocker to me. He didn't look all that powerful, but no matter. He'll be a helpful ally in the arena. Clove gets a nine, probably because of her skills with throwing knives. Zanna gets a seven, which is pretty good, I guess. Ren gets a seven as well. Brian gets a seven too.  Those Gamemakers sure do like giving sevens to people. "Jonette Simona, with a score of eight." Caesar says. I grin. "Good job, love!" Fifi coos. The girl from District 12, Rose, gets an eight as well. Wilson, the boy tribute, gets a six. Huh. "And that concludes today's scoring for the 76th Hunger Games tributes! Next time you get to see them will be two days from now, when we interview them! Thank you for watching, and good night!" Caesar Flickerman concludes. The television screen goes black and I exhale. I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath. "Good job, you two!" Fifi cries, bouncing in her seat. "Now, go get a good night's sleep! We have a long day of interview training tomorrow!" She trills. I raise my eyebrow. "Interview training?" I ask. What would we need to train for?

"That's what I said." Fifi says, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, what does it mean?" I demand.

"You go over how to present yourself with me, and what your image is with Cecelia." She stamps her foot in frustration, breaking her heel in the process. Fifi huffs and walks off. Cecelia turns to me. "Fifi is right, though. You should be getting some sleep." She says. I don't argue, I simply nod and head to my bedroom. I pull off my boots, flop down on my bed, and fall asleep in mere seconds. My last thought before I close my eyes is: What is going on with Fifi?