𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 ☘︎ 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞

𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 ☘︎ 6

I finish lunch early and head into the training room. I'm not surprised to see that it's dead silent with nobody in it but the Gamemakers, who are way to drunk on wine to see me.

I go straight to the axes, running my fingers along their handles and their blades before picking them up. I turned to the target, willing myself to turn away, to forget this, because the careers were going to be back in a moment-

But it was too late. I had already outstretched my hand and thrown. The axe spiraled through the air for a minute before landing the right way up, in the centre of the target.

I throw a couple more and they land either side of the first one. This is when I hear a commotion in the lunch room, which means that if I throw another, my greatest skill would be revealed.

I run to the target to collect the axes and quickly put them back on their stand, hurrying to do something else so no one would know I was at the shooting range.

No one does. For the next hour, I tie knots, suss out edible plants and try not to be jealous of the careers. Suddenly, I get the urge to apologise to Austin, and see him over at the camouflage station.

I see him with one of the fake trees that are used for climbing. Painting his arm, looking at the colours very carefully. When I get closer I see the whole lower half of his arm is covered in paint, matching the tree exactly.

"Hi," I say awkwardly.

He looks up. "Hey."

"How did you do that?" I ask in wonder, pointing to his arm.

"Oh, I... I used to decorate the cakes down at the bakery," he tells me, walking over to the tree and sticking his arm against it. It blends in perfectly. Suddenly he isn't looking at me, and he looks past my shoulder. "I think you have a shadow."

I turn around and see the girl from Eleven, the little twelve year old, standing, half concealed by another fake tree. I smile warmly and turn to go.

"Hey, uh... Willow?" Austin grabs my arm.

I look at him carefully, seeing confusion in his eyes, and feeling confusion in my head.

"What?" I ask, taking my arm out his strong grip.

"I'm sorry," he tells me. "I'm sorry for bullying you at school. I didn't really believe half the things I said. I just- I'm just-"

I sigh and cross my arms. "Listen, some of those things you said had me hurting in my bed at night-"

"Willow, I just, I don't know-"

"Forget it," I walk away, feeling much worse than I did when I started to talk to him.

☘︎☘︎☘︎

At dinner, Austin and I were, at best, civilised to each other. We sat in silence with each other as Haymitch told us about the next stage of torture the Gamemakers had initiated. The private sessions.

"So, tomorrow, they'll bring you in and evaluate you, one by one. Now, this is important because higher ratings will mean sponsors. This is the time to show them everything," he nods to me. "There'll be axes, make sure you use them, and Austin, make sure to show your strength. They'll start with District One, so the two of you will go last. Well... I don't know how else to put this, but make sure they remember you."

Remember me.

❀❀❀

We wait in a small room with benches that, at the start, all the tributes are sitting in. Towards the end, it's just Austin and me.