The Third Tribute

Chapter five: Training

The training tower is huge. Thirteen floors, one per district and the one for actual training. We ride the elevator to the twelfth floor and I'm tempted to ask Effie if we can ride again, but that seems childish. Effie brings Peeta and I to tour our rooms, but Gale is on the other side of the floor. He is stating Haymitch's old room. He's the only one who has ever used it, since it was for the second quarter quell. In his quell, there were double the tributes, so they built an extra room designed for him only.

In the first quell, they elected the tributes within the districts. I think about how horrible it would feel to be elected and betrayed by your own district. And how Haymitch must have felt when he was the second boy chosen in the second quell. If it weren't for the quell he wouldn't be the man he is now. A drunkard with no family. But believe it or not, he used to have a family, his mother, baby brother, and even a sweetheart. They were all murdered after his treason though. In order to survive, he used the force field as a weapon by ducking when the other competitor left threw an axe at his head. Instead it penetrated her skull. My mother told me once about her old friend Maysilee. When I asked what became of her, my mother told me she was in the fiftieth alongside Haymitch. They were even allies for a while before it was just them and the other girl. When she separated from Haymitch she was immediately ambushed by a flock of cute, but deadly pink birds. In those games, everything was appealing but deadly.

I don't have to stay in my room unless it's after curfew, so I can move freely around the training tower. I decide to seek out Haymitch to discuss sponsors, but then I remember he wasn't with us when we arrived. Oh well he probably just passed out somewhere.... Forget about him. I'll just go to the training center with Gale and Peeta. I arrive at Peeta's door besides mine and I knock. He yells through the door to come in. When I finally set my eyes on him, he doesn't stare back at me. Instead he watches a holographic image of the woods like it's another planet. It's like nothing else in the world exists but that fake reality.

"It's fake, you know." I break the silence.
"Certainly, but the woods are common with the game makers. Mind as well get used to them now." He replies.
I think for a moment. "Even if they are common what makes you think you'll make it far enough to see them." I counter. Although the moment I open my mouth I regret it.
"That makes two people who think I'm going to die." He asserts.
"Who said you'd die? I mean, besides me." I ask, guilty for making him feel worse.
"After we were reaped, when my mom came to say goodbye, she told me something. She said this year we might finally have a winner. But she didn't mean me. She meant you. You and Gale. Don't you see? I'm not going to make it out Katniss."
I gather my thoughts and let his words sink in. "Well screw her." I say. He looks confused. "Screw her. It doesn't matter what other people think. That shouldn't make an impact on your life. You are the only one who should have the right to take charge of your future. And you're the only one with the right to say if you live or not." Mere moments pass before he speaks again.
"But sometimes you can't control the future. It's easier said then done. And I don't know what lies ahead, but I know one thing for sure."
"What is it?" I ask him.
"That I don't want to just be a piece in their games. If I'm going to die, I want to still be me. You know?"

"You're not going to have to worry about that if you live. What do you say we better the odds?" I invite him. I reach my hand out for his, but he doesn't take it.
"I'd rather not." He says. "I don't want to get out of here. I want you to." I sit back down and don't dare say a word. "I love you." He tells me. He looks like he's about to cry. He bites his lip and stares at me, waiting for an answer.
"I should go. Gale's waiting." I lie. I get up and walk out of the room.

I hurry to Gale's room across the floor and we head to training. We decided to keep our best skills a secret so no one will see them coming. With my archery and Gale's snares, we make a pretty good team. To play it safe we start at fire building. There we learn how to use what's around us in different terrains to ignite a good sized fire, and what we can use to limit the smoke, therefore decreasing the chance of being discovered. Next we want to go to sword fighting, but the careers have filled up that station already. Cato, a muscular boy with blonde hair and anger issues, excels at the subject quite quickly. So instead we learn what plants are deadly, and which are safe to eat. "Never eat anything unless you know 100% what it is." They inform us.

An hour of learning more skills and strategies passes and the careers have moved to hand to hand combat. "You've got a shadow." Gale says, gesturing toward a dark skinned little girl from eleven, who happens to be watching me with a cute little smile on her face from behind a pole. "It's okay. I don't bite." I laugh and gesture for her to come out from her hiding place.
"Is it true? You and him?" She teases.
"She doesn't love anyone but her family, and she probably never will. Sorry kid." Gale admits to her.
"Oh. I just heard things and wanted to see if they were true." She explains. And she climbs up the pole and onto a rope course on the ceiling. She definitely has an advantage in some ways. I doubt many of the others will be able to be as precise and delicate as she is on that course. She makes her way across the whole room, never making a sound.
"Come on. Running is open. Better go while we can." Gale insists.
I nod and we run for around forty five minutes with minimal breaks before giving in. "I can't feel my legs!" I laugh.
He smiles. "Neither can I."
"Knives?" I ask.
"Knives it is." He agrees.

At the knives station a short girl with brown hair and excellent accuracy is the center of attention. She looks at me like I'm a meal, then she goes on to make a point out of hitting every target perfectly in the center afterwards. Almost like a challenge. I hesitate, but grip a knife tightly in my hand, and release. It barely hits the edge of the target. She rolls her eyes and struts back to her clique of killers. "They look like they want to eat you. That's not concerning at all." Gale jokes. "How about we go back to our rooms." He says.
"Alright." I agree. We ride the elevator back to level twelve and we reach my room. I walk over to my bed and he waits in the doorway. "Mind if I come in?" He asks. I grant him permission.
"I can't believe I'm here. Not to mention who I'm here with." I tell him. "I just didn't expect this. And I don't want to lose you." I tell him. "Things happen for a reason, Catnip. Maybe we weren't meant to lead the life we've been living."
"There's 25 of us Gale. Only one comes out. And I don't think either of us wants to imagine a world without the other." I argue. "If I'm not the one who gets out, I want to make the most of the rest of my time. I want to spend every possible minute of the rest of my life with you." I breathe. "Stay with me?" I plead.
"Always." He reassures me. And by dawn, we've been fast asleep in each other's arms.

Xoxo - Fourtris_Fangirl