The Ninety-First Hunger Games

Chapter Twelve

Cleave

District 12. Honestly, they aren't so great. My mother told me how the Mockingjay and her boyfriend won the Games. If Cinna hadn't been Katniss's stylist, she would have been dead the first day. And Peeta won with nothing but luck. What if Katniss hadn't found him in time? He's such a loser.

"Cleave, here are your quarters," my mentor, Enobaria says. I walk in and sit on the bed. Then I get up because it makes me feel lazy. I pace around the room thinking about training. I'm itching to get my hands on a knife, since I haven't even touched one since last week. It feels irregular that I haven't handled a knife for a while.

I take my token, a metal tube closed on both ends, with a small carving near the end. I trace the lettering carefully with my pinky: Clove. And my eyes follow the writing to the letters I recently added; - Cleave. Now it says: Clove - Cleave.

I sigh and stare at the ceiling and continuously trace the words. Soon, I become bored and start walking around the room.

Right when I think my feet will leave a permanent mark on the floor, finally, finally, finally Enobaria comes in. I'm almost laughing in relief. 

"Time for dinner," she says, irritated. "I've been waiting forever."

I sigh. Enobaria agrees with me, "Waiting forever is frustrating, don't you think?"

I nod in agreement. "Yeah."

We head down for dinner.

I walk into the room and sit at the head of the table like a queen. Looking around the table, I see Phoenix sitting at the other end of the table, like a king. I roll my eyes. I'm about to say how self-obsessed he is, thinking he's so important. Then I remember that I am also sitting at the head so I keep the words to myself.

Just then, two Avoxes comes in to deliver the drinks. The boy puts a glass of wine in front of me. I push it back to him with a wrinkle of my nose. "I don't drink wine. It interferes with my training. And stability. And consciousness. I am not like that mentor in District Twelve. What's his name? Haymitch? Well, tomorrow is training and I am not going to be late." At the other end of the table, Phoenix asks for an empty wine cup and a glass of water. I sit there in shock. How can he ask for another glass when we have training tomorrow?

I ask him that, and he rolls his eyes. "Just watch," he says as the drinks come. He pours half the wine into the empty glass and fills one cup with water so he has a mix of water and wine in one cup.

I frown and say, "well that's still wine so I'm not drinking it."

Then the meals come. Delicious mushroom soup, strawberries, bitter tomatoes, roast beef, cheese and about twenty other types of food.

After dinner, we go into another room to watch the tributes ride into the City Circle. As the lights grow dim on camera, the more your eyes draw to the flames until you have to remind yourself to look away. The other districts will probably think it's mesmerizing. I think that all that attention will be an even better reason to kill them. They're not that great.

Enobaria leans forward on her seat. "Holding hands was a good idea. We should have thought of that. Actually, why didn't we?"

"Oh great, not you too. Why does everyone think District Twelve is so-" I struggle to think of a word. "So great? Amazing District Twelve and their fiery costumes and their great stylists and strategies and mentors . . ."

"Well you've got to hand it to them," says Meysenne, my stylist. "They've got good taste. And they'll definitely have sponsors. It's the entrance and interviews that count."

"So make the interviews good," Phoenix's mentor, Danyan says. "Because if District Twelve's interview is as good as this-" he points to the TV, which is showing one last picture of all the districts before it ends, "then the whole world is going to sponsor them. Not that sponsors matter. But it's always good to have some for near-death emergencies. And keep in mind for the interviews, District Twelve is going last. We are going second. There is a higher chance that the audience will forget us because of that, with all the other districts going after us. Our only advantage is that we are Careers. So make the interviews count."