PERIWINKLE POV

Chapter Five: PE

PE is the only part of the day where we don't have to wear capes. We have to change in large dressing rooms positioned outside in rows. It's pretty nice, complete with a shower and vanity area, but I quickly change into my uniform: A blue tunic, black slacks, and black sneakers. I emerge into the main row and catch sight of all the tributes heading to a huge amphitheater, so I rush to follow them. A blond boy named Keefe is loudly joking around, causing laughter from all around. Wonderboy, standing next to him, is shaking his head and laughing.

"Whatever," Marella is saying to Sophie as they enter the amphitheater together, "My point is, one of us has been able to take Stina down, not even Princess Prettypants Biana. You're the new variable - something no one expected - so you get to end Stina's reign of terror. Everyone's waiting for it." Sophie looks at Marella, seeming to be completely confused.

"What do you mean 'everyone'?" Sophie asks, looking around and frowning. She looks stunned to notice that several prodigies are watching her. 

"Are you ready for this?" I interrupt, channeling strength to my legs and jumping up and down. I grab Sophie's shoulders, trying to get her to share some of my enthusiasm. She's going to be the one to take Stina down - she should be excited. 

Before she can answer, twelve mentors stride into the room wearing stormy gray capes. Six grade levels, two Mentors for each, one for the boys and one for the girls. Lady Alexine, the Mentor who landed me with a week of lunchtime detention with Stina, and Sir Caton, a muscular Mentor with a strong glare, are ours.

"Attention, prodigies!" Lady Alexine calls, and gradually all the Level Twos turn to look at Lady Alexine and Sir Caton. "We'll be working on channeling today." I pump my arm in celebration - finally something I'm good at. That's what I was just doing, anyways, when I was jumping up and down. It'll be a piece of cake. But when I see Sophie's expression, I decide to help her out.

"It's about focusing your concentration," I explain, taking a rock as example, closing my eyes, and forcing all my mental energy into my hand.  I squeeze my fist, and I feel it break into quarters under my grasp. I open my eyes again, and Sophie is gaping at me. "Mind over matter. Don't worry. It's supereasy."

Sophie shrugs,  but she looks encouraged. She takes another large rock and closes her eyes like I did, gritting her teeth. She squeezes her fist, and for a moment, I think it's going to crack. But it isn't. She just keeps on squeezing until her knuckles turn white. "It's not easy," Sophie exclaims once she finally gives up and drops the rock, then gives it a little kick.

"Maybe you're just starting with something too hard," I suggest, taking a smaller rock and handing it to her. Sophie gives me an Are you serious look, but takes the rock and, squeezes at it. Nothing happens, except for that she lets out a cry when the edge digs into her palm. I take a deep breath. Okay, so what if I got it on my first time? Maybe Sophie is just different. "Maybe you should start with something else."

Sophie gives me a look. "It's no use, Dex. I know I suck at this." She groans, but she tries to jump like I did. She gains probably two feet, then drops. Her channeling probably worked a little, but not nearly as much as I'd want it to. I bite my lip. It doesn't take much to notice that several people are watching her now. And not in the hopeful they were watching before. In an Oh my god she's failing way. I bite my lip.

"It's okay, you probably just need to..." I trail off. I don't know how to explain it. I thought that it was pretty self explanatory. "Practice?" There a question hinted at the end of my voice and we all hear it. It makes me grimace, and Sophie looks at the rock longingly.

"It's okay, Dex. I'll get it on my own."

And then, of course I need to add, "Don't worry, you'll get it eventually. It's mind over matter, after all. Super easy." And I have to watch Sophie's face fall as she tries over and over to do something that, according to me, is 'supereasy'.

"Hey, what happened in the locker area?" I decide to ask Sophie, because she deserves a distraction and I'm curious enough. She's busy trying to jump high, but I think it's just tiring her out because she jumps less and less high each time. "Marella seemed like she was giving you a pep talk."

"Oh, that," Sophie says with a legendary eye roll. She nudges her chin in the direction of Stina and her cronies. "She thought it would be funny to bump me into a wall and talk about how she was sure I won't last six months before they send me off to Exillium. And then Marella came in and snapped at Stina for how her dad lasted less than that long."

"You never thanked me for that, by the way," the blond, pixie-like girl standing near us says, turning to look at us. Marella. She shrugs. "What? You apologized, but I defended you against The Reign of Stina, so..."

Sophie blushes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Marella says brightly, tossing one of her small, twisted braids.

By the time that PE ends, even Stina seems to have lost appeal in snickering at Sophie and instead has started giggling. Marella has engaged us in a lively conversation while we do the activity, but Sophie's face is constantly in an expression of frustration. Lady Alexine has definitely taken note of Sophie's inability to use channeling, but she doesn't call her out or anything. When Sophie finally drops the rock for the last time, she looks utterly defeated and wipes a hand across her forehead.

"I'll get it eventually," she groans. But she doesn't seem too sure about that.