Bored and Rich

Seeing the boy from my home District with his back to me I decided to have a little fun with him. I nodded at the trainer as he left at Trypton’s command and lingered behind him while he picked up a blade, “I can ask you the same thing.” I said as I wrapped an arm around his midsection, pinning one arm to his body while my other hand grabbed the one holding the dagger, forcing the blade closer to his throat.

There was a faint glimmer of recognition before I realized I was looking at District Six’s very own Gattin, victor turned game maker when he realized he was above the rest of us from Six. “Bulky in comparison to what, a sewing needle?” I snatched the blade from his hand a little too hastily, telling myself I didn’t need to explode on someone so important the first day of training. We could save that for the third day, that sounded more reasonable.

I sat there and watched him improvise my flawed technique. Whoever he was, I took note that he knew a little something about fire. I wondered where he learned it.  “So you’re used to lighting stuff aflame, I assume?” It was a question out of curiosity, but also an opportunity to get some background information out of him.

Almost absentmindedly I kept rearranging and reshaping his fire set-up. “You could say that I’ve had some practice before. Nothing so formal as this mind you.” This was the part I wasn’t really looking forward to, when tributes started to get nosy. 

My eyes gazed at the number 6 on his shoulder. A part of me wished I watched the Reapings. It would have given me a better impression on the Tributes. But from what I got from his joke, he wasn’t such a bad person. I laughed softly in response. “I kind of want to keep struggling,” I joked back. “I might burn down the entire Training Center should I succeed in learning how to make a fire.”

He was trying to light a small pile of twigs on fire but didn’t have any real kindling. “Well Five, in Six we usually use matches and gasoline but sometimes we need to improvise.” Grabbing a bundle of hay I put a small bundle underneath his already made twig structure. “But we still need something for the fire to catch.”

Stepping inside the Training Centre, I let my gaze fall upon all the different stations that the Glows and I didn’t have back home. Their equipment was far more advanced. Of course, it was a typical thing for the Capitol to prove their superiority over everyone. They had swords and blades I have never even seen before. There was obviously no possible way of telling what weapons were going to be in the Arena, so it was best to get used to everything as much as possible before the time comes.

Knowing my strengths in weaknesses, I begrudgingly chose to improve my survival skills, rather than train with weapons. I made my way to the Fire Making Station and crouched down. I grabbed a twig myself as the Trainer showed me how it’s done before I began to get to work myself.

That being said I wanted to do a little scoping of the competition, so when I spotted someone sitting at the fire making station I knew it would be a perfect opportunity considering I’d set fired a hundred times.

I too follow his cue and ignore Beatrix who appears to be trying to power up the hologram to watch the Reapings. Poor thing can’t find the power button. I’m slightly relieved in her stupidity because I’m not sure I want to see their faces, especially the Careers.

Leaning in a little closer to Trypton I seductively wipe my hair out of my face, biting my lip to bring some attention to them. “Ok no for real now, what’s the craziest thing you’ve done lately?”

Fucking clumsy bitch can’t even turn on a remote let alone preform basic human functions. For probably the tenth time today I found myself wondering who the hell allowed her to have this job. It’s the fucking big red button you twit.

“The craziest thing?” I drain the rest of my drink and turn my body to face Casey. She’s showing some signs alright but it’s too early. This feels to easy. I like to play with my food. “What are we talking here? Like physically, breaking the law, sexually?” I pause after the last one, looking straight in her eyes. 

Just as I top myself off with a bigger glass of brown liquor I see Dash, a previous Victor, enter the cab slightly intoxicated. I knew my mothers absence would mean shit to the Capitol, they have plenty of mentors to fuck us up.

Moving to the couch to avoid Dash, I look to Trypton in a friendly manner, “So. We should make this less awkward… We are going to be spending time together might as well do something while were doing nothing right?.” 

CC takes her seat beside me seeming a little put off by our newly arrived escort. Maybe it wasn’t just her mother but the victor breed in general? “Awkward? Who says this is awkward?” I can see Beatrix trying to get our attention out of the corner of my eye but chose to ignore her. “Something while nothing sounds nice.”

I don’t think anyone quite understands the level of my mother’s psychosis, not even me. Her time in the Games destroyed her through and through, it’s just gotten progressively worse as I got older. Am I missing something here… Isn’t it just a tad ironic that her only daughter gets Reaped on her 18th year and she’s missing? The world once again makes perfect sense. 

“Trypton,” I say reassuring myself that was indeed his name. “Thats your name, I’ve seen you… around… I think.” Could that sound anymore stupid?

I let out a laugh before he could react, “Sorry that was too broad of a statement wasn’t it, Six has loads of people but I’d remember a face like yours.”

The only victor I can recall Six having is the one who turned his back on us and who’s now busy orchestrating our deaths. Though the games tended to mess people up, CC’s Mom couldn’t have suffered too much if she still managed to have a family.

With a wink and a smile I make my way over to the couch. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, though you have seen me before. I’ve been around, seen you running with the boys.” Taking another sip of my drink. 

I make my way into the train car first, followed by Beatrix and my new partner not far behind. From the corner of my eye I can see children running along side the train waving and tapping at the glass, desperately seeking an up close glimpse of us. I just don’t think the younger ones quite understand what really happens in the arena. Not sure I do either. 

I hear words fall from Trypton’s mouth forcing me to snap my attention away from the food and over to him. He was absolutely stunning closer up, I don’t know why I never noticed that because I’ve seen him around before. Just never had the chance to talk being from rival groups and all.

Dina Carmen || District 6 Mentor || FC: Michelle Yeoh

At just 16 years of age, the fresh and full of spunk Dina Carmen was tossed in the 52nd Games where madness quickly diminished her shine. Her father was a mechanic and her was mother a pilot, a quite normal, border lining dull upbringing. Like most of the kids in the outlying districts, she grew up fearing everything the Games represented, hating the Capitol more than anything else in the world. Unfortunately fate oppressed that fear because her name was pulled on Reaping Day, making her face what seemed to be a certain death.

Upon reaching Capitol grounds a plan started to naturally develop despite an absent minded mentor. She thought that if she could go so unnoticed no one would want to come after her. With the Careers showing so much violence just maybe they would rather kill each other first before ever thinking about her. The idea was based on just pure nerves but it luckily evolved into something that got her to be the Victor. Never one to believe in advantages, Dina finally caught a slight break in the arena because it just so happened to be the year where it was a series of abandoned underground train stations with many passages and tunnels. Dina spent years in the tunnels beneath six, it was like second nature to travel amongst the tracks.