Not Just A Game

Chapter 16

2 Weeks Later

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Today is the day of the individual evaluations.

All week at training, I've worked on perfecting my knife skills. I've tried out different angles to hit the target so I'm not just facing it head on. I've tried every knife they had to offer.

I've worked on the survival skills and finally learned how to build a fire in about fifteen minutes instead of a half hour.

I learned to hunt. I hunted with snares and traps and spear fishing. I've hunted with throwing knives.

I perfected the art of climbing and scaling trees, in the short two weeks of training.

I've revisited the fake cornucopia with Dustin, Griffin, and Harley. We've mastered getting in and out quickly. Some of us even managed to kill a few holo-tributes. It broke my heart, but I just had to remember it wasn't real. And that when the games come, we'll have to kill in order to survive as long as possible.

We've talked at dinner with Dakota about what we plan on showing at evaluations.

"I'll throw knives." I say.

"I'll use the bow and arrow. Then maybe I'll shoot some dummies." says Harley.

That's perfect for her. Although she's not perfect with the bow, she hits the center of the target almost every time.

Griffin says, "I think I'll use the spears, then maybe the flint and steel on the dummies."

Recently, Griffin obtained the knowledge that flint and steel makes a great weapon. It's used for fire starting, but if you aim it toward someone's body, it'll severely burn them, sending hot sparks and ashes at their skin.

He's okay with the spears, he hits the target okay now. But he favors the flint and steel.

Dustin says, "I think I'll use knives on the dummies. Then maybe I'll use a sword."

Dustin has figured out he's a whole lot better with close range weapons, because he honestly doesn't have the best aim.

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Now we sit down in the waiting room. One by one, tributes file out, never coming back. They go through their evaluation and are immediately sent back to their floor.

All that's left now is District 11 and Twelve.

Elphias turns to me and says, "Are you ready for this?"

"I don't really have much of a choice." I say.

"Well you always have a choice", he responds," you sometimes are faced with the decision between what's right and what's easy. Yeah, not a very original saying, but this time, it has a purpose."

He says one last thing, " I'm not saying you have a choice of whether or not to go in that room. I'm telling you that you have a choice of what it is that you do in there."

I process what he's saying.

"You want me to do something... in there." I say pointing to the door that leads to the training facility.

"That's your choice." Elphias replies.

A robotic sounding female voice calls Elphias over the speaker and he nods to me.

He walks through the door without looking back.

I turn to Griffin and ask, "Are you nervous?"

He answers, "I'd be a miserable liar if I said I wasn't."