Back to Normal: The 35th Hunger Games

Chapter 17

Careers have stories, too, so here's some stuff about them.

As soon as I know who Lanie is allied with I'll add her to the previous chapter.

Luxen Linderman POV

The Careers had every skill they could possibly need to win the Games. Anything that could be taught, they had learned. I saw them staring at me from the Career table and knew exactly what they were thinking.

He's not one of us.

Can't tell a sword from a shield.

Disgrace to One.

Fortunately for me, I had two weapons training couldn't instill: money and brains. I plastered on a fake smile and carried my tray to their table.

"This is the Career table, right? I guess that's me, since I'm from One and all. How's it going?" I asked. Troy looked the other way and Marley stifled a laugh as I sat down. The table fell quiet as five Careers silently judged me.

"So what's the plan? I was thinking I'd get used to using a bow so I could kill people from far away. Most of you guys have close-up weapons, so that should work," I said. I could sense Marley was about to deliver some cutting remark, so I went in for the kill.

"And it won't even matter if the Cornucopia doesn't have one," I said. "Glosses can send us anything we need. I'm so rich we can have anything we want, no matter how long the Games take." Marley settled back into her seat and Troy glanced back at me. The room seemed to grow warmer.

"All right, here's the plan..." Cierra said.

Olivine Martinez POV

I always thought of the Career pack as a band of stalwart warriors of mythical proportions. Now that I was in one, I saw that they were actually real people. Luxen- well, Luxen wasn't really a Career. Cierra was the most friendly person I'd ever met. Troy was the closest to a basic Career, and he was my stiffest competition. Marley seemed like she'd throw the coolest parties ever, and I wished I'd met Elver outside of the Games. When we crossed paths in the Victor's Hall, I stopped to chat.

"Hey, that was so cool what you did during the parade," I said. It seemed even a Career wasn't above grandstanding.

"Thanks. Shelle wasn't so impressed," he said with a sheepish smile.

"You really need to win this, don't you?" I said. I was surprised how abrupt I was.

"Most of all I don't want to be like everyone else, but winning would do that for me. And also I don't want to die," he said, and he looked at the rows of faces. "There are no statues for the losers."

"I get it," I said. Of course we all wanted to win, but I needed it. I needed to prove that I wasn't a second-stringer or a runner-up. I wasn't here for fame or glory. I was here to make something of myself.

"I'm worried about Troy. He seems so solid," I said.

"Yeah. I have my eye on him," Elver said. That gave me an idea.

"I'll watch your back if you'll watch mine," I said. "Until Troy is out. If it takes both of us to di it, that's the Games."

"I thought you'd say something like that. It's a good idea, too. I know the Careers always ally, but five's a crowd," he said. He left soon after that, and I stayed to look at the statues. Only thirty-four faces looked back at me. They were the elite of Panem, and I was going to join them. I was going to be the best of the best, and my name was going down in history.

Cierra Daline POV

Volunteering was the biggest mistake of my life. I finally realized I shouldn't care so much about people's opinions, and what did I do? I volunteered so people would be impressed. You know what else impresses people? Watching someone die. They were going to think of me, all right. They were going to think about what an i***t I was when one of the other Careers ran me through.

That was another problem. I liked my allies. Olivine was friendly and it was really cool how devoted and strong Troy was. Marley was so funny I could stay up all night talking to her, and Elver was just larger than life. They didn't know about my past and about how insecure I was. They treated me like a real Career and like an equal. If they thought so, it was easier to believe it myself.

In my heart, no matter how nice they were to me, I always felt like the younger sister who got in the way. I worried that they were only putting up with me because they had to. The idea found its way into my strategy and I started underperforming. I didn't want to seem arrogant or proud, so I held back when training started. Maybe if I did a bad job, they wouldn't see me as a threat, and we could just be allies. I wanted that to last forever.

When I first got to the Capitol, I wanted to stay with my allies as long as possible. I didn't to, but I had to let that go. Before, I'd had a fantasy that we'd all be friends and kill the others together. That wasn't going to happen. To all of them, I was the other. After the Bloodbath, I wasn't going to stick around. I planned to run away the first night and spend the rest of the Games alone. I couldn't kill my friends, and any ally would quickly become one. If I ran away quickly, I wouldn't be there when the pack broke up. I wouldn't have to see them turn on each other and I could pretend that they wouldn't have turned on me. I hoped I wouldn't run across any of them after that. Then, in my heart, we could be friends forever.

Troy Cahill POV

The Training Room wasn't open for another day. I felt like a caged tiger until I remembered my vow. None of us could train until tomorrow, so I really wasn't losing any time. What I could do with the time I had left was have a little fun. It seemed weird at first, like I was playing hooky. I tried to warm up to the idea, and I went to the others to get some support. Of course I started with Marley. I knew she'd be down for some shenanigans, and she didn't disappoint.

"Hey Marley, since we can't train until tomorrow, I was thinking the pack could party a little tonight. You in?" I asked. She smiled like it was Christmas day and waved her hand.

"You want to party? Mr. "I'm such a cool strong Career"? Yeah I'm in! This is gonna be great!" she said. Her enthusiasm was infectious and I started to look forward to the whole deal. Gathering the others was easy with her help. We even let Luxen come- he could pick up the tab.

Unfortunately, there were actual bouncers in the Capitol bars, so that was out. Wouldn't want the kids who are all about to die to drink alcohol. What was legal, however, was the hookah lounge. We piled in to a room lit with artificial candles and filled with curvy blown glass and sat down on a pile of pillows. Weird foreign music was playing as a waiter walked over to us.

"What do you got?" I asked.

"We have the finest selection of merrywan, elsdee, peyshrooms..." he saw the lack of recognition on our faces and continued. "Might I suggest the house blend?"

"Sounds great," I said. An Avox returned shortly with a tray of vials. We picked them up and looked them over.

"Uh... do you know how to do this?" Olivine asked. For once, I decided to wing it.

"Yeah, you just pour this stuff into this thing," I said. I turned a dial on the hookah and it started to warm up. "See, just like that."

We must have done something right, or else that stuff was just that strong. Soon everything seemed funny, and I started to wonder why I wasted so much time training.

"Hey. You guys ever notice that like, the sky is blue and so is water? Because like, water is in the sky," Elver said. Cierra tittered and I realized how mind-blowing that was.

"You're like a genius," I said. I could train later- and I would- but for that moment, nothing seemed better.

Marley Xander POV

Before we started training, we all met together to plan. I noticed everyone looking at me and realized we didn't have a leader. Most of us probably expected Troy to fill that role, but he wasn't what we expected. Sure, he was strong and well-trained, but he wasn't just a robot. He knew how to have some fun. I wasn't entirely sure of all that happened last night, but it was sure a good time. But enough goofing off. I always did like leading, so I could go with that.

"At least one of us should learn survival skills. I know it's boring, but we don't want a repeat of the twenty-third Games," I said. "You want to do it?" I asked Cierra. She looked up in surprise.

"Me? Yeah, I can do that," she said.

"Great! Thanks. We don't have to worry about food, since Luxen took care of that. The rest of us can just practice our weapons like normal, even though we hardly need it. If anyone wants to pick up a new skill, now's the time," I said. We dispersed and started training.

I could barely contain my excitement as I visited the net and spear station. Soon the actual Games would start and things would get moving. First there would be the glorious chaos of the Bloodbath and all the fights it would contain. It would be like a giant game of tag, and I was ready to win. After that I'd get to explore an entire Arena. Maybe it would be something I'd never seen before, like a rainforest or a mountain. I hoped it wasn't a beach. That would be boring. Then, once I won, I could see all of Panem and do anything I wanted. The Games were the best thing that ever happened to me.

Elver Darlin POV

Most of the Careers were training with their weapons. I saw Marley throw a few knives and silently judged her. Everyone uses knives. One year so many people used them, the Gamemakers left them out of the Cornucopia just to make things exciting. Since I was from Four, everyone expected me to use a trident. Tridents were cool and all, but I wanted to try something new. After I started throwing some small axes, I realized I was onto something. The axes were heavier than the knives, so they went farther and hit harder. I liked hefting them and knowing that no matter where I hit my target, I would do serious damage.

I also tried to pick up some defensive skills. It wouldn't hurt to have those in my bag of tricks. I practiced sprinting and the attendant taught me how to run intervals for maximum gain in minimum time. Just in case, I studied a few edible plants. We all knew Luxen wasn't going to last long, though none of us wanted to be the one to kill the cash cow.

Normally I would have discussed strategy with Shelle after training, but she was still pretty mad at me from the parade. Then again, if she wouldn't talk to me, she wouldn't try to tell me I should be normal for my interview. I could cook up something new and exciting to set me apart. The Careers in general had a hard time standing out. We were all frontrunners, of course, and we always had sponsors, but it was more or less a crapshoot which one of us would win. People tended to either support a single outlying Tribute or just generally "the Careers". I didn't want that, and I set my mind to think up something no one would forget.