Masked Enemies

Chapter 25

 Katniss

I take off my dress and change into more comfortable apparel. I push open the door of my bedroom and walk out into the dining area.

We are just now eating dinner, which was a stupid idea, since now it is nearly midnight. This year, we had unexpectedly held the tribute parade at night.

I sit down next to Haymitch, who is sober and talking to Rory and Effie.

"Listen, tomorrow, you go into the training center. That's where you'll make allies." He tells them, and looks up as I sit next to him.

"Who do we want as allies?" Rory asks.

"Finnick." I say. "And Cascade."

Haymitch nods. "Finnick is a definite, and Cascade too. Although you might want to get chummy with that girl from eight, Cassia."

"Oh, yes. That girl from eight is good. And Cascade is very pretty." Effie murmurs, picking at her nails, not paying any attention at all to what Haymitch was saying.

"We don't ally with people because they're pretty, Effie." Haymitch says, putting his head in his hands.

I don't realize it, but I am done with my dinner, so I excuse myself from the table and go to sleep.

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I wake up at the crack of dawn, and walk into the bathroom. I stare at my reflection, right now clean and unhurt, but soon to be bruised and scratched up by the games.

Changing into my tribute uniform fast, I go to the dining area. Rory is gone, and only Haymitch sits there, drunk. I grab a piece of bread and leave, eating it along the way.

The inside of the training center is the same as usual. The only thing was, there weren't victors training, they were regular kids. Me and Finnick and Cascade and the other victors stood a much better chance of winning than them, even though I knew at least one of us was dead.

I see Finnick over by the spears. This year, they had mixed the tridents with them. Cascade is over at the knife-throwing station. I move to archery. I grab a bow and arrow and move into the room with the holographic images that were clones of the tributes.

The session begins, and I nock my bow and begin shooting. Diem. Arch. Celosia and Bronek, side by side. Then the ones from three.

The next tributes to come were from four. The taller one held a trident, and the shorter one held a knife. I nock another arrow, but when I pull the bowstring, I cannot let go. I pull it back again, but I still cannot let go, because I knew these two tributes were Finnick and Cascade.

They lunge towards me, and I don't dodge, because I know that they wouldn't ever really hurt me. I stand there, and then they hit me. I scream in pain. Someone stops the simulation, and drags me out, but the pain is blinding.

Another pair of hands is pressing a damp cloth on where I am hurting, my thighs and knees.

"Katniss." The male says. I open my eyes, and Finnick is sitting above me. Cascade was the one pressing the cloth to my thigh.

"Katniss, what were you thinking? Why didn't you shoot?" Cascade asks, her eyebrows knit together with worry.

"I-I don't know. I guess- I guess I thought you guys wouldn't lunge." I say feebly.

"Katniss, this is a simulation. We're made to be as vicious as possible. It's better to be safe than sorry, right?" Finnick says. He is angry. I don't know at who, though.