The Girl From The Ashes (A The Hunger Games fan fiction)

Every Outcome (Chapter Ten)

"What are they ranking the tributes by anyway? I understand it's one to twelve, but is it- like, how well it seems they'll survive in the games overall?"

"Well duh sunshine."

"Sorry, I thought it had something to do with image and betting odds."

"It probably does, but they like to say scoring is unbiased and unaffected by anything outside of what you do in that room."

"Uh-huh."

The conversation quickly died over another awkward breakfast. No one wanted to speak much, and barely answered Diana's questions.

One thing must've been on all of their minds. That tomorrow was her last day out of the arena, and that tonight a panel of judges would decide her score and just how much of a threat she is.

She'd done as much training as she could.

Learnt as many new things as she could.

Brushed up on as many past skills as she could.

Thought as strategically as she could.

I'm as prepared as I can be. She thought as she slowly stirred her soon to be cold soup with a wistful look on her face- not hearing or seeing anything besides the tiny rapids she was making inside her bowl.

But will I die?

Diana was starting to think she didn't care anymore, that she had enough walls built up around her to have much of an emotional reaction to the games at all.

".......... -llo? Earth to Diana! Where are you right now?"

Very slowly Diana looked up at her mother looming over her, her lips in a stern thin line.

"Leaning over the table is rude, Katniss." Diana responded very slowly, noticing that her mother was almost dipping her shirt into the salad bowl.

With a frustrated sigh her mother sat abruptly back in her chair- the frown on her face lasting until after dinner. Which most of the table spent in silence. Only Haymitch spoke, telling her to aim for a 7 or 9 score.

Too high could just make her a bigger target.

And too low would just make people suspicious.

There was a problem with every outcome. There wasn't really a way to win.

It wasn't just the scoring either, it was wither she won the games or not- wither she died or not. There was no way to win, and definitely no winner.

So why even play then? She thought to herself, again getting lost in her thoughts and in her soup.

And then again her mother snapped at her, this time to go get dressed in uniform and go for her session with the Game Makers. This second time she sounded so angry, and it make Diana pause.

Very suddenly she felt like crying, wondering why her mom was treating her like this- especially just when she was about to go into The Hunger Games and likely die. But she managed to keep her face stony as she rose and left the room swiftly.

While she was changing into another copy of the skin tight training outfit, Diana began wondering out loud if having a parent here was such a blessing.

"Other kids won't have to bother with this. They won't have to sit through lengthy good-byes, or have to live with their emotional parents while they're training, to die!"

The last part Diana nearly screamed, feeling more emotion take over as she suddenly lashed out a kicked the wall. Her foot bounced off the wall harmlessly, more to the wall than Diana though- as her foot erupted in pain.