Kiss of Death

The first day of training proved to be more exhausting than Scout had thought it would be. Her body felt fine, but it had taken a toll on her mind. Watching the tributes practice with swords and bows sent Scout’s blood running cold. Training was a cruel reminder of the violence that was to come, and based on what Alder had said, the second day was always worse.

The second day of training is each tribute’s last day to practice before their showcase, and one of the last opportunities to intimidate the competition and threaten the weaklings. The second day of training had everyone’s emotions running high.

The conversation at the breakfast table was dull as usual, and it was obvious that everyone just wanted the day to be over with.

When Alder suggested that they leave for training early, both Scout and Reed were happy to oblige.

As they approached the training room for the second and final day of training, Alder motioned for them to step to the side.

“I want you guys to focus on the other tributes,” Alder said, moving his eyes between them. “Learn their strengths and weaknesses. Make allies if you can, but remember to trust no one.”

Scout and Reed nodded, acknowledging his advice, before stepping into the training room. Atala stood in the center of the training room and waved them over to her.

Atala smiled at them as they approached. “Feel free to head to whichever stations you wish. From the looks of it, the poisons station appears to be empty.” Atala winked at Scout, before looking away.

“I guess we could head there,” Reed said, looking over at Scout.

Scout shook her head. “No, you should really practice with the knives. I’ll be fine on my own.”

Reed looked her up and down, a confused look on his face.

“I swear, I’ll be fine,” Scout said, flashing Reed a soft smile.

Reed nodded before stepping away, leaving Scout on her own.

On the far side of the room, a large computer lit up, showing pictures of various plants. Scout moved towards, approaching the computer slowly. Around her, the other tributes were making themselves useful at the other stations.

The girl from District 1 stepped beside Scout, startling her. As Scout flinched, the girl laughed, patting her hand against her side.

“I’m Lyra, District 2’s female tribute, and the future winner of the 56th Annual Hunger Games. You’re from District 7, right?” the girl said, looking Scout up and down.

Scout nodded, folding her arms across her chest.

“So you’re going to be Reed’s ally, then?” the girl asked, a smile on her face. “I’ve been watching him. He’s very good with an axe. But I’m sure you’ll find that out when he places one ever so gently through your back.”

Scout stopped in her tracks, looking over at the girl. The smug smile plastered on Lyra’s face did an excellent job masking the hate her in tone.

“What’s going on over here?” Reed asked, as he approached the two girls. Sweat glistened on his brow, and his blonde hair had turned dark from the water.

Lyra turned to him, smiling. “Oh, nothing. We were just having a chat. I’ll leave you to it.”

Lyra turned on her heels, walking away from the pair and over to her allies. They each looked at Reed and Scout, smiles on their faces.

Reed looked at Scout, his hands ruffling up his hair. “What did she say to you?”

“She was just trying to scare me. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Reed rolled his eyes. “I will never understand them. They’re all so smug.”

Scout nodded, as the two began moving towards the large computer.

“So this shows us which plants are poisonous?” Reed asked, moving his fingers over the computer.

Scout nodded. “Unfortunately, I don’t know too much about plants, but I guess know is the time to learn, right?”

Reed nodded, a small laugh escaping his throat. “Better late than never.”