Primrose Everdeen

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Today we didn't do much. We learned about the Games. How they work. The rules. Everything that we already knew but they're trying to waste time. They also gave me a watch. It counts down the hours, seconds, till the games come. Until I die, basically.

They like to mock, the Capitol, now don't they?

And I don't want to sleep. Sleep is wasting time. This whole thing, my life, is a show. But the audience have to sleep sometime, and it feels nice to work while they can't see me.

***

Ax- too big. I'm too small to carry that.

I walk on.

Sword- nope.

I move again, and I perk up.

Bow and arrow. Katniss tried to teach me how to use one once, before I chickened out.

I grab a metal bow and multiple arrows, despite Rue's earlier warnings. I'm already gonna die soon. Do I care what the Capitol knows?

I notch the arrow and pull back. I look at the target and squint, imagining one of the Capitol peoples faces on it-

I let go, and the arrow flies, not very fast, and hits the edge of the board weakly.

I sigh. I'll come back to this later.

***

It's been about an hour, and I've done multiple things:

Throwing knives (which I got the hang of, after many, many tries),

bow and arrow (not my strongest),

ax (well, I tried to pick it up...and failed),

spear (nope),

sword (I did this after I threw the knives. It was a strange transition. I resisted the urge to throw the sword at the dummy),

hand-to-hand combat (I mean, I'm small and fast, which would have its advantages),

and other things that didn't allow weapons.

Camouflage was fun. Like art, but easier and blunter. It was easy.

The first-aid section almost made me laugh. I know way much more that this piece of paper, which tells the basics of first-aid. It was a good practice. And since the materials are richer here, the thick bandages and fast-working ointment was strange. I'm use to getting herbs from the forest and making my own stuff, and getting lucky with the bandages by selling some of Katniss's dead animals.

I've been avoiding the whip for the past hour.

I look at it, the expensive leather and metal, and it intrigues me a lot. I've never heard of someone in the games using a whip. Is it a new weapon, or has no one figured out how to use it?

So I walk over to it and pick it up. I brace myself for arm-wrenching weight, but it's actually as light as a feather. I turn around while feeling it in my hand. The leather is new, hardly ever used, and the handle is some kind of metal which seems to mold to my hand.

I move my weight forward and slash out. The leather moves weakly. I try again. And again. And again.

After about an hour I've started to practice on a dummy, and I've gotten some nasty slashes through the fabric.

I set down the whip and practice dodging, which isn't hard at all. I'm light and small, so I dodge the projected human easily. I even get a punch in.

By the time I'm done with the weapons and painting and hand-in-hand combat, I'm breathing heavily and I'm hot. I slide down against the cool metal wall, which leaves a trail of ice down my back.

And I sit there. Thinking about people, mostly. My family, the Capitol, Rue (who I didn't see at all today), myself.

How I'm probably gonna die. Peeta also slips into my mind. He might as well be dead, too. Except he's quite bulky. He could snap my neck right now if he wanted to.

I find myself replaying Katniss' shake of her head, Rue's flick of her hair, Peeta's hand gestures when he talks.

And these three people's faces stay in my mind as I fall asleep.

I feel strong hands pick me up, and I'm suddenly light.

light

as

air.

I HAVENT UPDATE IN SO LONG IM A HORRIBLE PERSON.