Not Just A Game

Chapter 31

Short Author's Note-

Ahhhhhhhh!

500 reads! I can't breathe right now...!

Thank you so much ( I'm talking to YOU..)

Love y'all (sorry for all the y'all's, I'm from Texas.)

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My shoes echo faintly on the metal floor beneath me as I walk nervously through the big door a peacekeeper has held open for me.

I can feel his eyes trained on me even through his tinted helmet. I wonder if anyone told him about my last evaluation experience.

This time, I'm not planning on doing anything reckless. As much as I wish I could, I can't afford to anymore. Too much is on the line. They'll kill me in the arena, they're waiting to make it look like an accident. I can't let my District down. They have to win, and I want to be a part of it when they do.

The peacekeeper shuts the door behind me and pushes on my back, hurrying me into the training facility. I scoot a little to the side, to get his hand off me, and continue walking down the short hallway, where I open another door and I'm finally facing the Gamemakers.

They sit with a big feast up in the observation room above the facility, their eyes trained on me with watchful expressions.

I stop in the center of the usual meeting circle and say the required introduction.

"Ivy Levella, District Twelve."

Their eyes never leave my face, even while I walk to the knife rack.

I pick out eight lethal-looking blades and secure them in my hands.

I head over to the cleared space for throwing, and take a deep breath. As nervous as I am, terrified actually, the anxiety hasn't reached my hands yet. They are perfectly stable and steady.

I concentrate all of my energy on the little circle on the human-shaped target, right where the nose should be.

I reach my hand back behind me and inhale a sharp breath, then launch the knife forward while stepping forward with the momentum and letting out a big puff of air.

I look to see where the knife landed, and I hit it right where I wanted to.

I continue throwing knives from where I stand, and even do a few turns for show, even throwing them backwards over my shoulder from a run.

I'm all out of knives and I have a split second to notice that they even took the President's portrait down from its hanging spot on the wall.

I'm empty handed with a lot of time left. Hastily, I look around, not quite knowing where to go or what to do.

I really thought just throwing knives would take up my time, but I still have a good five minutes left.

I see the axes, and decide to try three of those. I had gotten much better in training, I even made a few bullseyes. I want to show the Gamemakers that I can use more than one weapon.

Grasping the thick handle of the short axe, I lock my focus on the heart of the human shaped target.

I take in a lot of air, and chuck the axe at the target thirty feet away. The axe spins in the air, glistening off the fluorescent lights.

The blade lodges into the shoulder of the human outline, and I feel somewhat satisfied. I didn't really expect to make the heart on the first attempt, so the shoulder isn't to bad of an alternative.