Training

3 

CeCe takes a seat in the back of the auditorium, away from everyone else. There's no time to go see what happened, because the screen lights up in front of us, and the video begins. The title appears: "The Games" and then the screen goes straight to a past arena, with all the students still standing on their plates eyeing the Golden Horn, otherwise known as the Cornucopia. It contains supplies and weapons for the students to use in the game, and in a minute they will be allowed to converge on the pile and take what they want. This event is called The Blood Bath. Almost 25% of the students each year die there. 

The video cuts to another arena, and we watch an unnatural creature maul a young seventh grader. The creature has bright pink plumage and long wings, and has a long narrow beak that it uses to stab the boy. It's bloody and disgusting, especially when the bird retrieves an organ from the carcass and gnaws on it. Next we see a large snake, about the length of a football field, slither after a senior girl through a desert. She screams for help. After running about a mile she trips and stumbles down, and the snake unhinges it's jaw and devours her. These creatures can only be recognized by Mutations, government created super killers that appear in the arena when the game slows down or to get students to move. They usually have red eyes.

The video goes on to show more, like learning about how a cannon fires every time a students dies, how the Game Makers usually throw a feast at the  Cornucopia when supplies run low, and other stuff. When the video ends, me and Molly get up and leave. CeCe's bloody face dances in my mind. She had already left when the video ended, so we couldn't get a hold of her. What could have happened? Did someone cut her when she tried to escape? Did she try to escape? I remember   her grin when Mrs.Rivers selected our grade to compete. She is so quiet all the time. What is she always thinking about? 

Next we have to go to training, which is held in a gigantic room on the first floor. When we enter, the strong smell of cleaning supplies enter my nose. The room is huge, with large black mats in the middle, multiple weaponry stations and obstacle courses lining the walls, and ropes and nets hanging from the ceiling. Some students are already busy, but some just linger around and talk. I almost forgot we had training with the whole grade. 

Molly takes to some tree station, where Maddie Drappo swings from a branch. I nervously look around for something. The poplars have infested an obstacle course consisting of narrow balance beams and rope swings, the obnoxious boys have took to the hand to hand combat station, and everyone else just drifts around. I decide to head to a knot tying station with a student named Ella Sheen, who is awfully quiet and shy. She looks up at me and smiles, but continues to work on an intricate knot. I take a rope and try to make a simple snare the instructor told me to. I can't figure it out, and after a half an hour Ella sweeps the rope from my hand and in a minute I have a perfect snare in my hands. She smiles at me and brushes her brown hair back and whispers: "Hey'. I let out a laugh, then say hi back. She leaves and goes to a spear station. I wonder how she will do in the Games. I couldn't ever picture her killing someone. Could she? 

For the next few hours I browse weapon stations, finding no luck with any. I meet with Molly and we try to navigate the beams and rope course. I fail to complete, but she gets to the end in under a minute. We split apart again. I go to a knife station, where the now stitched up CeCe is. She stabs a dummy with such force that even the instructor can't pull it back out. She notices me, narrows her eyes and grins. That's enough to make me move on. 

Finally at 4:00 we get to leave, and me and Molly then go to Preparation with Alana Beams. She is a past Victor from New York, who won five years ago. She is extremely thin and fit with blonde hair and blue eyes. I admit she is beautiful. But I have more to worry about then making an impression on her. We walk into the small room, where a brown love seat sits in front of a glass desk. In front of Alana. 

We sit down and await for something.

 "Hey".

 "Hey" Molly replies. 

 "So you to are in the Bully Games this year huh?"

 "Yeah.."

 "Well, the reason I'm here, why your hear, is so I can answer any of your questions. So ask away".

  We ask a series of questions, and then I get out what I've been waiting for all this time. "Alana, I don't think I can kill any of these people". She simply nods her head and squints her eyes, and then replies: "Neither did I. I couldn't even consider it kiddo. But then I found something that helped me. I amplified my hatred." "You what?" Molly asks. "Well, we all have enemies in our grade. We are angry with some people. What I did, is those few people I hated, I just turned up my emotions with them. I just tried to hate them even more. And it worked. I hated them so much.... that I killed them". 

The room after this, as me and Molly take in what she's saying. Molly wipes a tear from her eye, and then the silence is broke by a bell ringing out indicating our next class. We go to an Edible animal class, where we learn about the edible parts of mutations, and regular animals. Next we go to dinner, where we have to sit alone at a table and are served steak and water. When we finish eating we  receive chocolate cake, drizzled with fudge. I don't eat mine, but Molly devours hers like there's no tomorrow. Everyone else in our grade chatters quietly, and the room feels tense. Probably today, with the classes, and the training, and  preparation from a past victor , has made everyone realize the present situation. We have been gifted these 2 days to ready for the games and plan our strategies. Everyone now realizes that this is the only time to think. And that's exactly what everyone is doing. 

   

Reviews

[***Tori***]

molly does love her fudge...

[Snowbunny]

I. Love. This. Luke, you work so hard on these chapters that you deserve a virtual high-5! I'll try o get a real one to you tomorrow. Yay! I've been intorduced! :D I squealed when I saw my name! Bahahaha! I'm looking forward to the next chapter!

[RachelKim]

Madeline..you have been introduced..she has more book time than I do!!:D

Love this chapter..cant wit for more!!