The 1st Quarter Quell

Chapter 10 - Results

"So what do you do when you get down there?" Guinevere asks me in the elevator down to the Gymnasium, the time for Private Sessions having finally arrived. 

"I go straight for the knives, practice with simple targets so I have their attention, and then I go use the simulators, show off as much as I can." I nod, hyping myself up for the ensuing testing. I need to prove myself here. I'm just itching to get back at the weapons I'd been so restricted in using for the past few days.

"You already know what you're doing, just make sure you have their attention...They tend to get distracted easily..." Guinevere shrugs, trailing off. 

"And how will I do that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. Guinevere smirks.

"I think you and I both know you can manage that easily." Her eyes show the same sense of pride and hope she had after the Tribute Parade, and this faith gives me confidence that I otherwise would not have whatsoever. The elevator stops at the floor, and the doors slide open smoothly and quietly. 

I take a look back at Guinevere, "Go show them what you're made of Althea." Guinevere smiles at me, and I instantly think back to our talk back home - I need to prove everyone wrong just as she did. I need to show that they voted for the right person. 

I walk into the room full of all the other Tributes. I'm the last to arrive. They all stare at me as I take my seat at the front next to Mason, quiet chatter filling the room. Obviously the Tributes don't mingle with anyone but the other person from their District, and I don't blame them; now's the time to discuss tactics. 

"You nervous?" Mason asks me, staring straight forwards at the door, his eyes focused and distant.

"No, are you?" I ask, my voice quiet and croaking. I had to stop myself from biting my nails if I was going to lie properly.

"No, I'm terrified." He scoffs, his hands  clenched tightly, and I agree with him. "Do you know what you're going to do?" 

"Pretty much what I showed you yesterday." I shrug nonchalantly. District 1 gets called through, and Jasper stands up, his confident air not failing him one bit, and the girl stands up to hug him goodbye. 

"What if that isn't enough?" Mason asks as Jasper walks out of sight and through the doors, not to be seen again.

"Then I beat my gauntlet record. I'll prove myself again and again, it's all I know Mason." I sigh, nervously tugging on my sleeve. It's better than chomping down on my precious nails. "What about you?" 

"I'll shoot some targets, decapitate some models and then use the simulators - if that fails, I also have the Gauntlets." He shrugs, but he looks as if he has a lot more to say than just that. "This is what will get us further than the others. We're sure of ourselves. We know our limits, and we know our strengths and shades. We'll be fine in that Arena, just as long as we don't have to kill each other." He chuckles, and for some reason, the thought sends a cold shiver down my spine. I wouldn't want to have to kill Mason, and I'd avoid it anyway humanly possible, but the thought of what happened to Zachariah for defying the Capitol is enough to keep my thoughts at bay. They just pump more and more fear into our lives, and then we behave. 

Ten minutes pass and Mason is called in, and I stand up to see him off.

"You swing properly." I nod, and he replies with a smile, our blunt comments commonplace for the two of us.

"You throw straight, I don't want any knives on the floor." He chuckles softly. He then leaves me to the judging and presumptuous eyes of the other Tributes, in particular, the angry eyes of the District 4 Tributes. I feel an icy fear sweep through me as I catch his dark demeaning eyes. He really hates me, and I have no idea why.