The Ninety-First Hunger Games

Chapter Nineteen

Cleave

It's the third and final day of training, but at this point, I'm not sure I'll be able to figure out my difficulty with the knives. I don't want to admit it but I think I might as well go try the bow and arrows.

"I think you're right," I say to Phoenix, during breakfast.

"What?" Phoenix looks up from his eggs.

"I should probably try the bow and arrow again," I acknowledge grudgingly "I mean, it's not like I have any other options if today is Gamemaker day. And I want a high score, right? So I think I'll just go and try the bow and arrow again. I'm good at it, at least."

"Well then. That's good for you. Finally," Phoenix smiles, shaking his head.

"And how about you?" Danyan asks Phoenix.

"I tried a variety. I think I'm the best at long distance aim weapons but, like, I'm not sure," Phoenix says, going back to his food. He glumly picks at the eggs with his fork.

It's almost 10 now, so we leave the table and head to the elevator. The last thing I see before the doors close is the Avoxes cleaning up the table.

Rayel

My palms are sweaty and my heart is racing. Today is the last day, and I still haven't mastered a weapon. I can't eat anything.

On the other side of the table, Ash is snarfing down her breakfast.

"You should eat something," Katniss says to me. "It's the last day, yes, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't starve yourself." She puts a roll with jam on my plate.

I nod, and idly scrape my fork on the jam and raise the fork to my mouth, but I can't. There isn't even anything on my fork, just berry jam. I decide to drink water instead. Then maybe I won't throw up in front of the Gamemakers.

"You look terrible," Lizzie says. "The Games haven't even started and yet you're pale and grey and, ewww, sweaty."

I don't think I can eat without throwing up later, so I just say, "Can I just go down early? It's almost ten anyways."

"When you eat that bread roll and finish it, you can," Haymitch orders.

The bread sticks in my throat and I almost choke, but I finish. I can feel it making its way down my throat.

"Aaand now he looks worse," Lizzie says, nauseated. "But now that you've eaten, you should go down anyways."

I stand and shuffle to the elevator. Ash gets up and follows me. Her face is expressionless, like stone. It mirrors her mother's face.

The elevator door closes.

Finnick

Alice and I are first to arrive. My mind is everywhere. I go to the camouflage station and Alice follows me. I can't focus on what the instructor is saying, so I just swirl around the different colours.

"Finnick." I hear my name. Looking up, I see Alice looking at me, resigned.

"Yeah, what?" I ask, my hands drumming on the table.

Alice catches my hands. "Come on, do something real."

"Real?" I repeat. "What real? Can we go to another station?"

There are more tributes arriving. District 2. District 5. District 7. I see Braylin and try to catch his eye. Obviously, he doesn't notice. More tributes are filing in, and then Ash comes in with Rayel. We make eye contact and then I look away.

I leave Alice at the camouflage station for the sword fighting one. Picking up a longsword, I swing it through the air a couple of times as the instructor approaches me holding his own sword. He swings the sword at my chest and instinctively, I block it, countering with my own thrust, which he dodges. We go about it for a while before I manage to twist the sword out of his hand, clanging onto the floor. Then I am on top of him, the tip of my sword under his chin.