Sunflower Seeds

Chapter Six

    I wake to the sound of a girl screaming. Her screams sound tortured and pained. It isn't until I hear Niall shouting my name that I realize the screaming coming from me. My screams lapse into sobs, and I curl up like a squashed insect. The nightmares are being more vivid, and it's only the first night in the training center. I feel Niall climb into my bed and pull me into him, but I don't open my eyes. I can hear him murmuring comforting words, but they're all empty. There isn't much he can say now that can comfort me.

    "What time is it?" I choke out.

    "About four in the morning." Niall tells me. "Do you think you can fall back asleep for an hour or two? I'll be right here, incase you have another nightmare."

    I shake my head after analyzing myself for a moment. I know today is the first day in the Training Center, and I'll probably need all the strength I can get, but I'd rather stay awake than face more knife-weilding tributes in my dreams. Niall sighs, but continues to hold me.

    I don't know exactly how long we stay this way. It's atleast an hour, because I'm pretty sure dawn is at 5:30 or some time around then. I can feel the room getting lighter around me. My eyes ache and my face itches a little from all my tears.

    "Are you going to be okay if I go get ready?" Niall asks me. I laugh humorlessly.

    "I think I'll survive." I say.

    "Okay..." He replies, still doubting me, and rolls himself out of bed. I hear him hesitate by the door, but when I don't burst into tears at the loss of his presence, he leaves.

    As soon as he shuts the door behind him, I push myself out of bed and drag myself into the bathroom. It takes a while to figure out the shower, but I eventually manage to get it so it cycles out between hot water and strawberry-scented soap. After washing every last tear stain from my cheeks, I step out of the shower, only to find even more gadgets that's sole purposes are to make the last days of my life easier. A machine that dries me completely with warm bursts of air, and a machine that fixes and dries my hair completly. I throw on a robe and go to get dressed. I see someone left an outfit to change into: skin-tight, black pants, a tight, green long-sleeve, and leather slip-on shoes. By the time I'm done dressing and pulling my hair into a ponytail, it's about 7:30.

    I walk out to the dining room to find Niall and Flaurina talking quietly at the end of the table over their breakfast. I notice a spread of food on a seprate table with a waitor standing at attention at the end. I walk over and take in all the food options.

    "This is just a serve yourself, right?" I ask the waitor. He nods quickly, not looking at me. I fill a plate with various breakfast items and take a seat besides Niall.

    "So what's going on?" I ask, trying to catch myself up with the converstaion.

    "Flaurina was informing me on the best stations to hit in the training." Niall informs me.

    Since the last victor we had from Distric Nine died 20-some years ago, the representivive of our distric has had to take the responsibility of mentor.

    "Well, which ones does she recommend?" I ask, directing the question more at Flaurina.

    "I'd say you definatly want to go to the ones that can keep you alive, like snares and edible plants and shelters," Flaurina tells me, sounding more serious than I've ever heard her. Maybe she's not a complete air-head after all, "But do touch on weapons as well. Do you have any special talents?" She looks at Niall and I.

    "I mean... we spent our days cutting grain and stuff. So I guess we're both pretty strong." Niall tells her.

    "Okay, you'd both probably do good with swords and spears," Flaurina says, "So only use those stations for a minute. Make sure you are capable and move on. Save those for the private sessions. And make sure you two stick together throughout the whole training. You may have already guessed but your stylists and I are forming a plan to get you sponsers."