Lethal Charm - THG [1]

07

The next morning Knox and Enoch made their way down to the training centre to train. Enoch was being his usual cocky self but Knox elected to ignore him completely. It was early and there was barely anyone there yet.

Knox split off from Enoch and walked around the room, surveying the other tributes that were there.

Both halves of the career pack were there as expected and so were Finnick, Mags and Johanna. Blight, Johanna's district partner, was probably around somewhere too but Knox hadn't seen him.

She walked over and joined Finnick and Mags where they stood talking at a table while Mags made a fish hook.

"Everdeen is convinced we're all crazy," said Knox, recalling what the girl had said the day before.

"I mean, you gotta be a little crazy to survive the games," Finnick said.

"I suppose so," Knox nodded, "How are you Mags? I haven't had a chance to see you yet."

Mags placed her hand on Knox's arm and gave her a small smile. Mags could not speak as she had lost the ability due to a medical condition but Knox had learnt how to understand the older woman's way of communicating.

A short while later and more tributes had come down to train. Enoch was trying and failing, to use a bullwhip. Every time he tried the whip would just whack off of the training dummy and do nothing.

"Would you like some help?" Knox asked as she approached. In all honesty, she was enjoying his failure, he needed to be humbled. He had won his games on pure chance and the only person he killed was his twelve-year-old sister and even then she was asleep so he didn't have to put in that much effort. But he still acted like he was the most brilliant person to survive the games.

"No," he snapped as he tried again.

"Ok," Knox stood back and watched him try again... and fail again. "Do you even know how to use that?"

"Yes," Enoch said adamantly, "it's not like you would be much help anyway,"

Knox rolled her eyes, "give it here." Held her hand out and he reluctantly handed her the whip and stepped back.

She stepped further into the training area with the whip in hand. She waited for a second for one of the automated dummies to pop up. She threw the whip out with enough force and it wrapped around a dummy's neck and she yanked it forward making it fall. She then did the same a few more times before growing bored.

Enoch scowled as she handed the whip back to him and patted his chest.

"Stop embarrassing yourself," she said as she walked away.

"Do you know who you remind me of?" Enoch said, making her turn around.

"Enlighten me."

"My sister," he said, "she was a stuck up bitch too."

"Didn't you strangle her to death in her sleep?" Knox asked.

Enoch nodded. "Yep. It was quite liberating."

⚔️

Peeta was standing at a table, practising camouflage on his hand.

"That is incredibly good," Knox said as she stepped up behind him, looking over his shoulder, "how do you know how to do that?"

Peeta jumped slightly, not realising that she was there before. Knox was slightly taller than him and she stood so close that he could feel her breath on his neck as she spoke. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." She said sweetly.

She and a few of the other victors had been taking it in turns to freak out the newbies for a bit of fun. This is why Johanna stripped in the elevator and chaff kissed katniss.

He swallowed thickly, "I used to help my mother decorate the cakes in the bakery,"

"Is it just you and your mother at home then?" She asked, she moved to lean against the table beside him.

"Uh, yeah," Peeta said awkwardly, Knox was very intimidating even when she wasn't doing anything even remotely threatening.

Knox hummed, "I know what that's like, it's just me and my father. But I don't want to talk about me." She said, "I'm really sorry you had to cancel your wedding. You must be devastated." It was clear in her tone that she did not mean a word she said.

Peeta thought back to when Haymitch was telling them about the other tributes. "she does not buy the 'star crossed lovers' act one bit" he had told them. This fact only made Peeta more nervous to be talking to her; he didn't know her so he didn't know how to 'win her over' as Haymitch told them.

"Well as wonderful as this has been, Peeta, I'm off to practice," Knox said, "You're welcome to come and watch." She walked away without another word.

Knox walked over to one of the fighting simulators and swiped through the settings on the screen outside the glass door. She selected her chosen weapon on the screen and changed the level of difficulty. She took the two Katanas from the rack of weapons and a small dagger that she tucked into the small pocket on her thigh before she stepped into the room beside her.

She stepped onto a slightly raised platform that was in the centre of the room and waited silently for it to start. The room went dark and a second later an orange hologram figure materialised on her left brandishing an axe. She swung out her left arm, slashing the figure across the chest making it fall to the floor and disintegrate into a pile of orange blocks.

The following figures came at her a lot faster than the first but she took them down with precision each time. She was glad she had thought to grab both of the swords because sometimes the figures came two at once. In her head she had been counting how many there were so she knew how many were left to 'kill'; there were three left.

Two of the figures ran at her at once, one had a sword and the other a bow and arrow. With all the force she could muster she threw both katanas, impaling them both and they crumbled to the floor. Feeling a shift behind her she quickly pulled the dagger from her thigh and spun around just in time to find the hologram inches away from her stabbing it in the gut, she pulled the dagger out and stabbed it three more times.

It crumbled to the floor and the lights came back on. Knox took a deep breath and walked over to collect the Katanas from where they landed on the floor. She placed them back on the weapons rack outside the door.

Peeta was standing watching her with wide eyes, "How do you know how to do that? I've only seen careers fight like that." he asked.

Knox chuckled, "I'm afraid that's a secret I cannot tell." Noticing someone over the boy's shoulder she nodded at them to acknowledge their presence, "Katniss."

She walked off without another word to either of them.

⚔️

"Good news," Haymitch announced as he walked into the living area of the twelfth floor where Katniss and Peeta were, "At least half the tributes want you as an ally."

"Well, they saw her shoot," Peeta said, while he was watching Knox Katniss had been demonstrating her archery skills for Mags and a few of the other tributes had seen, (those who had not been watching Knox).

"Well, sweetheart you got your pick of the litter," Haymitch told Katniss.

"I want Wiress and Beetee," Katniss said.

"Johanna calls them 'nuts' and 'Volts'," Peeta said.

"Well okay good. Now, who else?" Haymitch asked.

"Mags."

"Anybody else?" Haymitch urged and Katniss knew who he was hinting at.

"No," She shook her head, "not Knox, I don't like her or trust her."

"Katniss she's a good fighter, I saw her today," Peeta said, "You saw her." Katniss shook her head no. Peeta could tell that Haymitch trusted the woman and that they must be friends but Katniss didn't trust her.

Haymitch sighed, "I'll tell them you're still making up your mind."