The Overlooked

Chapter 9: Training day 3/Private

"Wake up Rue! You have a very, very, very big day ahead of you!"

I moan, it can't be morning yet! What time is it? I look over to the clock on the wall, it tells me its 7:30 am. I get up anyway knowing if I don't that Verta will come back and start yelling at me for being lazy. As far as escorts goes she's very good at escorting and well...she could work on being a little nicer! As I make the bed I think about the nightmares I had last night, with one in particular standing out.

I'm running through a desert with the District 2 girl Clove hot on my trail. She's taunting me, and slowly gaining on me. I'm panting so hard that I feel like my lungs are on fire. This goes on and on and on until suddenly a root pops out of the ground just steps ahead of me. I try to dodge it, but I trip anyway falling on my stomach. Clove comes running up behind me and grabs me by the hair. She yanks me onto my feet. I try to run but her grip on me is to strong. She then starts to morph into something else, darker hair, shorter body, brown skin............she''s Clover! Not Clove the tribute but Clover my nine year old sister! I gasp, scared and worried.

"Clover are you ok did they hurt you?"

She caresses my cheek "I'm fine, but your not......"

I realise what she's doing, but I'm to late. I feel the knife jab into my stomach. The pain is so real that I can feel the blood pour down my belly and onto my legs. She stares

"Rue, how could you?" pausing for a moment only to kick me to the ground "You left me, you left us all!" I try to back away but she grabs my shirt " And now, your going to pay."

A new wave of anger washes over her. Then Clover is gone and Clove is standing there instead. She smiles evilly and laughs

"No where to go, no where to hide! Have fun, it's a special moment. Its the moment that you.... leave.....this.....world."

Over the next minutes she cuts off my fingers, rips of my hair, anything she thinks she would like to try she does. By the time she's done I'm a bloody pulp. I know I'm going to die, and I know It won't be long. She realises this too, so she raps up my torture and ends just before I go just to say a sentence

"By Rue. . . ."

Then all the sudden Clover is standing next to Clove screaming. The last thing I see is Clove stabbing my sister right in the gut.

 

I cringe. I want to start sobbing, I fall to my knee's. I can still remember her scream, filled with pain. And her eyes, longing for me to save her. But I was stuck in a hazy world ready for the pain to be over. I sit on my knee's until I hear the sound of heels.

I'm possitive my eyes are blotchy but I try not to give any recognition to it. I get up and put my training outfit on and run to the door. Right as I open it Verta is standing right outside ready to turn the handle.  I fake a happy voice and say  "Hey Verta". it's enough for her to believe it's genuine. I walk right down the hall not waiting for a response.

When I get there the ritual begins. Say hello, get your food, eat, have a pleasant conversation, laugh at Chaff, follow Verta into the elevator, sit in uncomfortable silence until we get to the training center, locate Fern, and begin to train. This time though when we get there, we don't have to wait for Altala. I look at all the other tributes, the careers are still trying showing off, and the other tributes are attempting to show off what they've learned. I walk over to Fern. She's working on hand to hand combat. She's ok but not amazing. I'm the first to speak

"Hey Fern, can I join?"

The trainer and Fern tell me that they'd love the extra company. Over the next forty-five minutes the trainer has gotten me to the point where I can get out of a head lock. . . . .almost. Fern isn't doing well either, so we decide to leave. We walk over to the knife throwing station, we are the only ones here. All the careers are at the bow station. We both fail miserably. So we go to the spear station. Fern can hit her target within five inches of the center from about fifteen feet away, and I'm still working on finding one I can pick up and throw.