The Selection in the Hunger Games

Maxon from District 1 - Chapter 5

Our team strategized for days, Silvia and Gavril leading us as we did. Carter didn't pick up strategies as quickly as I did but I tried to help him out whenever I could. Silvia was strict and determined to keep our training separate. She said something about keeping it traditional. The woman was an orderly idiot.

"So your brother won the games?" Carter asked one day when Silvia and Gavril had left us to our own devices. Tomorrow, we were going to meet all the other District tributes in the compound. We had arrived at the Capital earlier that day.

I nodded solemnly. "He did."

"Not something you want to talk about?" Carter questioned, peeking up at me from his drink. We were sitting in our booth again, him drinking hot chocolate while I ate a strawberry tart. The food was to die for, quite literally.

I shook my head and he took it as indication to change the subject. "You know, some people fall in love in the Games. I don't see how that can happen. With the tearing each other's faces off and all," he said with that lopsided smile of him. I laughed before my thoughts immediately fell onto Aspen. I wondered how he was doing. I knew he would be taking care of my family. That was fifty percent of the reason he didn't volunteer for poor Carter.

"It does make it hard," I remarked, shaking my head.

He laughed heartily at my joke before finishing his drink. "I will see you tomorrow, Ms. Singer. Hopefully I would have figured out my skill by then," he said, skill in air quotes. I agreed with him, the whole skill thing was ridiculous. "Maybe eating will be one of them."

I lit up. "Eating," I stated dreamily. He laughed before retiring to his room.

I went to my own quarters and fell asleep to the thoughts of Aspen. He was still with me.

Carter and I walked side by side to the training room.

You got this," I whispered to him as we entered the grey room filled with six of the tributes. Silvia had forced me to try to memorize all of them. I immediately recognized these people as the Careers, people whose whole existence was based on the Games. They trained for it like it was sport instead of getting dragged into like the lower castes. They disgusted me.

First, was Celeste Newsome from District 1. She had jet black hair and an air of arrogance. Next to her was Bariel Pratt from District 2. Fifty percent of her body was her breasts and she was not afraid to show them. There were a couple others that I didn't remember dispersed around the room.

Carter headed towards the weights, leaving me alone. I saw the knives hanging on the wall and decided to give that a shot. I attempted to not think about how I would use this to kill soon. I tried to convince myself that is for the greater good but it wasn't. It was for sick entertainment.

I struggled to pull a long slender knife from its plastic pocket, pulling on it with all my strength.

"Let me help you, dear," a voice said behind me. I turned slightly to see Maxon Schreave, a Career from District 1. He had honey colored hair that complemented his auburn eyes, bright and attentive. He looked fit yet he held his body as if he was uncomfortable in it

"Do not call me dear," I said angrily, using every effort to get it out of its pocket. Luckily, I did and I began my workout.

"Dear, please don't throw it that way. You'll hurt yourself," Maxon said behind me.

"I'll be fine," I shot back, slightly adjusting my form. He was right. I probably would have cut off the tip of my pinky first.

He grabbed a knife, a much larger one, and stood beside me. "What's your name?" We alternated in hitting the board across from us, the knives marking it with a slick sound.

"America," I replied deftly, throwing another knife. I wasn't half bad at it.

"America," he restated. It sounded musical in his mouth. "That's the name of the old country, is it noy?"

"Yes, I would believe so," I mocked, mimicking his tone. Who talked like this? I thought, readjusting my ponytail.

He laughed, an airy sound. "Are you always like this?"

"Yes," I said, moving to look at him. "Is that a problem?"

"No, on the contrary," he began. "I think it's amusing." I don't know why but that caused me to blush. "You're fantastic with knives by the way. How long have you been training with them?"

"About," I said, looking at the clock, "20 minutes ago."

"Really?" Maxon asked, mouth gaping. "Celeste would lose it if she heard you say that."

"If she hasn't already lost it," I commented, both of us looking at her. She was shouting at one of the other tributes, making sure to shame them for the whole room. We both laughed.

"What district are you from?"

"11." I could see his mind trying to figure out how poor I was. He was oddly nice but that didn't not make him a stuck up hopeful murderer.

"Oh," he remarked. "I'm from 1."

"I know."

"Is this your first time in the Capital?"

"No, after planting, I fly my private jet here daily." He chuckled ruefully, running his hand through his hair.

"I thought that was more of a pre-plant kind of thing," he jibed back, smiling. I raised my eyebrows in acknowledgement to his wit.

"How about a tour of the city? Would you be interested?"