Into The Waves // Book I

Chapter seven

CHAPTER SEVEN
-Hit The Target-

On the afternoon of the third day of training, during the lunch break, the tributes were called in for their private sessions.

"I'm glad we don't have to wait for long." Laneya remarked as she examined the laces of her boots. Currently, Vanessa was gymnasium. After her, it would be Alesso's turn, and then Laneya's.

The more she thought about it, the more her hands began to shake, so she tried not to think about it. When Alesso walked through the sliding doors and out of sight, Laneya tried to appear relaxed in the face of the other tributes. She leaned back in her chair and surveryed the rest of the room, taking little comfort in the fact that most of them looked as nervous as she felt.

After about a period of three minutes, a sweet, mechanical voice spoke "Laneya Byrne."

Willing her hands to keep still, heartbeat pounding in her ears, she walked into the gymnasium with her chin held high.

Always hold your head high. The Capitol likes confidence. Crystal had instructed.

There was pressure on her shoulders as she glanced up to the Gamemakers whose eyes were trained on her every move. They had been supplied with notepads for the intention of jotting down their thoughts.
She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

The first thing she did was head towards the knot-typing station. She chose a long, thin piece of rope and headed off to the knife-throwing plaza. There, she tied the rope around the hilts of the knives with slightly unsteady hands. Hopefully it wasn't anything the Gamemakers could pick up on.

Fastening the makeshift belt around her waist, she headed from the knife station to the spear station to the sword station to the axe, pushing down on the buttons so the dummies began to move.

Laneya took a brief moment to glance around, making sure all of it was working correctly, before heading towards the rope course that stretched across the ceiling. It moved fluidly in her grip but she hung on, tangling herself in it's grasp, hauling herself to the top. When it became clear that the belt idea was not going to work, she pulled it over her shoulder until she was up as high as she dared to go.

Deeming herself comfortable in the unsteady net of rope, she narrowed her focus on the closest station, the sword dummies.

Sweat formed in the palms of her hands as she reached for the first knife.

Don't mess this up. The chorus of words echoed in her brain as she raised her hand back, fighting to keep her balance.

The dummies did not light up at the sword throwing station which made it easier to keep her focus.

Laneya blew out a slow breath, the rest of the world fading away. It was as though someone had slowed down time as she threw, the knife leaving her grip, piercing the gym air, and striking the target.

It hadn't hit bullseye but it had hit the lines, which had been more than she hoped for.
"No time to waste," She muttered to herself, precariously shifting to the next station. The axe dummies didn't light up, thankfully, so she took that advantage knowing that the last two did.

The knife left her grip and, yet again, hit the target.

Halfway done, Len, you've got this.

The knife throwing dummies were next.

Taking a chance of looking at the Gamemakers, she was pleased to still have their attention. A few of them even looked impressed.

That fueled her confidence as she prepared for the longer throw. During practice, she had memorized the pattern of the lights. Far right, close left, in the back, up in the front.