“Yeah, I guess I am,” Annabel smiled. “I have a thing for Capitol fashion, the way it looks is so different from the way we dress back in five. I’m just exited to wear something new for once.”
“Some of the stuff’s beautiful, and some of the stuff’s awful,” he said. He’d seen some breath-taking people in the Capitol, but also people who looked ridiculous.
“Fingers crossed for outfits that flatter us.”
“I wouldn’t be a very good farmer if I couldn’t,” she admitted softly to the boy still unsure of what his intentions were. Though occasionally back home something got mixed in that wasn’t supposed to but that was because the people of District Nine were over worked and sometimes got tired and careless. “Why should I tell you though? I mean you could try to poison me in the arena and aren’t I supposed to want you to accidentally ingest something or whatever?”
“I don’t think I could poison you, if you know what’s poisonous. It’s not like I could make you eat berries that you know will kill you.”
“That’s alright, then. Thanks anyway.”
And there was the question she wasn’t sure how to answer. “If it’s beneficial, I’m open to them.” She didn’t want to turn down the chance at another ally but she didn’t want to obligate herself either if the kid offered and wasn’t worried. Still she was kind of banking on there being a Career Pack. “Isn’t it kind of a tradition that the Careers get the ball rolling in the arena?”
He could feel himself getting more and more tired. Fox couldn’t really hear what she was saying, so he nodded. “Right, right.”
Leaning back against the wall he ignored the stylist talk about a million things. He honestly sure if it was supposed to be for him or if they were talking to themselves at this point. Letting out a huff he grinned when someone walked up to stand next to him. “Can you believe these people? Honestly I think she’s been talking for an hour.”
“I can’t ever focus when they start going off. Just zone right out.”
“What’s the probability that there will even be books in the arena? My point is simply that the possibility is there. It’s always there,” she nodded, agreeing with his assessment of her talents. For a moment, something passed over her face, and she drummed her fingers along the book. “You’re not supposed to kill anyone outside of the arena,” Athena avoided the question, dancing around it. “How are your preparations for the parade?”
Fox thought about what she’d said. Either she was bluffing, and was not actually as skilled as she was saying, or she had killed before.
“I haven’t really had the chance to talk about it with Luxx or Velvet, but I’m thinking that this year, we should just have strategically placed precious stones and be as naked as possible.”
“Just surviving the bloodbath is a good start,” Kendall told him never considering she wouldn’t but a lot of tributes wouldn’t.
“It’s not going to stop me that’s for sure. We’ll make it through the first part.”
“The first ten minutes are the deadliest.”
“Are you forming alliances?”
“You want to help me?” Maizie looked at the kid a little skeptical because he was from District One after all. She didn’t want to upset him either though. “I mean a lot of what is going to be possible depends on the arena. Some are more hospitable than others. The cold kills almost everything and so does the heat of a desert…” She gave him an awkward smile before falling silently realizing she was rambling.
“Yeah, might as well. I could use some valuable information, and you seem to have it. Can you tell poisonous plants apart from safe ones?”
“Would you like to chance it?” she winked, waving the notion away. “No, paper cuts would not kill you, but they could blind you. And then I’d just snap your neck. Like I said, many means to an end.”
Athena smiled at his question, throwing him a teasing glare, “I can’t give you all my secrets at once. You have to give some to get some.”
"You’re presupposing that you could force my eyes open for long enough to slice them. Although I see what you’re saying. You’re resourceful. You see the potential weapon in everything. Have you ever snapped a neck?”
"Fair enough.”
“Thank you,” she said genuinely, believing the term unusual to be a compliment in this scenario. “If I could get you on the ground or against something - a wall or a tree - I could bash your head until your skull cracks. If there was more time, or if you were smaller, a few well placed paper cuts could leave you blind or bleeding out. You’d be a pretty easy kill after that. Sometimes the bindings are metal instead of leather with thread. Either way, I could strangle you with the seam thread or slit your throat with the metal piece they use in the binding.”
Pausing, Athena felt herself blush. That was all very dark and violent, wasn’t it? Pressing a hand to the heat of her cheek, she looked down at her book, “It’s morbid, I know, but there’s always more than one way to get what you want.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I don’t think you could kill me with paper cuts, unless I had hemophilia. It’s unlikely that you could cut deep enough to induce severe bleeding,” he offered a small smile. "All that’s up close, though. What’s your capacity to kill from a distance?”
“Knives,” she repeated, etching it in her mind so she could remember it later on. “I’m my weapon of choice. It’s…hard to explain.”
“I could kill you with this book. Or this pencil. Or, uh, your shirt,” Athena smiled, shrugging bashfully. “It’s sort of a survivalist technique, but I use what’s around me. I like the challenge. If that doesn’t work, I’m pretty good at hand-to-hand.”
“Very unusual.”
“How could you kill me with a book?” Fox asked, genuinely curious.
“I’ll take whatever I can get in the arena.” She told him with a sage nod and a smile.
“Good because it’s true. I’m ready and prepared. I want to do my family and my District proud.” It wasn’t like her family had the best record when it came to the games and everything involved in it. Kendall didn’t want to think about that though. “Besides us Careeers are all kind of the same, right?”
“I think, statistically, it seems that being a Career is only beneficial during the bloodbath,” Fox said. “Afterwards, it’s anyone’s game.”
“But we won’t let that stop us, will we?”
“Like the sly animal,” she added, toying with something that resembled a smile. For someone who hadn’t said much, Fox was actually an enjoyable person to be around. Athena didn’t put much stock in that, though. People always changed in the arena. Still, she offered him her attention, “What’s your talent? Your weapon?”
“Absolutely.”
"I’m decent with knives,” he said. There was no point in lying, as she could see him training, and his score would probably reveal the truth anyway. “What about you?”
“A lot I would hope considering we’ll be in the games soon enough.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you.” She told him with a smile. “I hope you’re still thinking that when you see how prepared I am for the games.”
“Sure, when we’re in the arena, I’ll remember that you respected my wishes.”
Last year’s victor was from District Five. The year before, District Four. The year before, Nine. Velvet was the last from District One to have won. The odds did not seem to be in One’s favor. “Four’s still a Career, so I’ll be thinking it regardless.”
“To some, I suppose,” she cocked her head, not exactly keen to dive into the story. He seemed like the typical Career, caught up in themselves and over-excited. For a moment, Athena wondered what his talent was. He’d have to have a pretty good one to be the Career from One. “I hope it passes soon.”
“Mine,” Athena shrugged, holding it just a bit tighter, though her smile was disarming enough to show there wasn’t any hostility in the word. “What’s your name?”
Me too, he thought. “Thank you.”
Fox wondered what the book was, but he didn’t care enough to pry. “Fox,” he said. “Like the animal.”
Still caught in her amusement, Athena tucked her sketchbook away, eyeing him with consideration, “I’m Red. District Two. You’re from One, right? Do you usually have a hard time sleeping?”
“Red? Interesting. Yeah, I am. And no, I guess I’m just excited” he shrugged.
"What was that book?”
“I think you’re sleep deprived. We’ve been sitting here in silence for the last half an hour,” Athena raised a brow in amusement, not too concerned by the Career’s inability to sleep. This was common, even for those from wealthier districts, who overexcited themselves into insomnia. “What was I saying in this delusion of yours?”
Fox remained silent for several moments, considering what she had said carefully. “I don’t know,” he answered. “But it was loud. Who are you?”
“Good because I don’t want to yell,” she told him with a laugh. “There’s far more useful things to do with my time than be loud and annoy you.”
“Kendall. District Four.”
“You’d be surprised by how much I appreciate that,” Fox replied.
“You look like you could be from District One. I think it’s your hair.”
