Chapter 5, Training

Snow's P.O.V.

I felt myself blush as Jason's words. When I looked up I noticed he was staring at me.

No. 

I couldn't let him think I was some petty girl, he couldn't know who I was really was.

"But please, keep your feelings shut inside of you. I don't want to feel guilty after I kill you during the games." 

I hoped that would confuse him enough or at least make him not want to talk to me again. 

I spun on my heel and turned to talk to Kern.

He frowned when he saw me. "Why'd you catch her?"

"Because I believe in fair competition, unlike you, I'm not afraid about getting killed by some weak twelve year old. I don't need to injure my competitors in advance." I snarled.

"How about you just shut up?" he demanded.

I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall.

"You don't control me. You are at mercy of me." I hissed.

Captiol attendants grabbed me. "No physical harm to other tributes."

I gave Kern one last venom filled look before turning away.

***

An on-hand Capitol helper crouched on the mat in front of me.

Hand to hand combat.

"Go!" a voice screamed.

He immediately tried to punch me in the face. I dodged and kicked him in the stomach. While he was doubling over I punched him in the face. Again. Again.

"Done! DONE!" a voice yelled. 

I stopped and another Capitol attendant ran over and helped the boy who lay twisting in pain in front of me.

My eyes glanced at my surroundings. 

Orchid and Jason were watching me again. 

The tributes from 8 and 10 were whispering to each other. Most likely teaming.

"God you cleaned him up." a voice said behind me.

I turned to see Jerome.

My shoulders relaxed and felt my tension ease. 

"He wasn't that good." I said shrugging.

"Definitely not compared to you." Jerome said snorting. I laughed.

"Thanks." 

Jason's eyes focused on us for a second before looking away.

He looked sad.

Disappointed even.

"What else are you good at?" Jerome asked.

"What do you want to do?" I asked back.

"Try the brain simulator game. I want to see how smart you are. Perhaps you're as clever as they say."

"Smart and clever are two very different things." I said smiling.

I walked over to the machine. It was some sort of matching game.

The machine beeped to tell me to go.

I immediately started matching pictures.

Top left, bottom middle, middle right, top right, 

The pictures flashed through my mind.

The machine beeped again to signal that I was done.

36 seconds.

Impressive.

Tributes' eyes were on me again. I pretended not to notice.

Let them look. 

I passed Orchid as I walked away from the simulator game. 

"Good job." she whispered.

I smiled. "Thank you. You should try it, you'd be great too."

She nodded her head slightly.

I passed and Jason. I wanted desperately to say something, anything, to apologize, but I couldn't. In the long run, it would be better for both of us.

His warm blue eyes locked on my dark ones. 

Jason stared at me for a second before turning away.

I'm sorry.

What did the words matter when they were unspoken?

Like a bird with broken wings.

Or a candle without a flame.

A person without a purpose.

Like me.

The training center became a blur in the mix of my tears, I blinked them away. I couldn't be weak. Not over anyone.

Especially not a boy.

Not in the Hunger Games.

***

My hands wrapped around the handles of the cold, sharp knives. I walked in front of the range target simulator and selected my choices.

Knives, wooden targets, more than one target at a time, fifteen targets.

I walked inside and got ready in the center of the room. 

I heard the whir of gears and the first target popped up and started moving.

I immediately whipped out a knife and threw it.

Head shot.

A sound behind me.

Spin and jump. 

The knife spiraled in the air before hitting the target in the heart.

A target appeared near the top of the room.

Hit.

Right behind me.

Stab.

The targets were a blur. My only recognition of knowing my knives had found their mark was the loud thud as they wedged themselves into the wood.

Hit.

Hit.

Hit.

Jason's P.O.V.

"Look at this!" a boy's voice called.

Jerome.

The boy who had made Snow smile and laugh. 

Yeah, I was jealous.

I jogged over to see what they were staring at. 

Snow was standing in the range target simulator room throwing knives at targets unbelievably fast, everything found it's mark.

She couldn't hear us and she was paying too much attention to her targets to notice the large circle of tributes.

"She's amazing!" another Career, a girl, said.

Murmurs of agreement spread through the small crowd. I felt myself agree silently.

A boy shoved his way through the crowd. "Show off." I heard him mutter.

This was the District 2 boy. 

I felt hatred spread through me.

He went in front of the simulator and laughed. "We'll see how good she is with surprises." I hear him snarl.

He adjusted the amount of targets and added four extra.

"We'll see how good she is then."

I felt the hatred burst out of me.

"Come on, leave her alone. Don't be a douche." I said pushing him out of the way.

He glared at me but didn't say a word.

Snow's P.O.V.

14...hit.

15...hit.

I was done.

I started to put my arms down when I heard the sound of the gears turning again. 

No, I was sure I set fifteen and that was the last target.

Yet another target popped up behind me, and another to my left and right. 

One in front of me.

I glanced at the glass door of the room. Someone was standing over the selection panel, adjusting something.

They had messed with the amount of targets to throw me off.

I'll show them.

Grabbing my last knife I sliced to my left, cutting off the head of the target.

I flung the knife backward and saw it spiral through the air and hit the next target so hard the blade went through the one inch wood.

Since I had no more knives, I was left with my hands. I punched the target in front of me twice creating a splintering hole.

Then I jumped in the air and scissor-kicked the last target. The top of the body broke off and flew across the room, hitting the opposite wall.

I heard gasps.

I turned toward the entrance and let my eyes focus on the boy in front of the panel.

Rage went through me.

Jason's P.O.V.

She took a knife that had materialized out of no where and cut off one target's head. Then she flung it. It spun in the air before hitting the target behind her. The point of the target came out of the back of the wood.

She punched in front of her and the sound of wood splintering filled the air. 

She jumped and kicked off the top of the last target. I heard it slam against another wall.

Then Snow turned toward the entrance facing the selection panel and all the tributes around it. 

Her eyes were cold and menacing.

Murderous.

And they were staring straight at me.