Kindling the Spark

Training and Agreements

9: Training and Agreements

Gale POV

Katniss and I knock on Haymitch's door again. I have a lot more respect for him now that I know what actually happened in his life; now I can see why he drinks and doesn't generally mentor very well. If Katniss and my family were killed then I doubt that hunting would be enough to help me cope. I would be fixated on vengeance like he is. Perhaps before the Quarter Quell, Haymitch was just like I was. The video makes me wonder exactly how much Haymitch knows about a rebellion though. The Capitol wouldn't kill his whole family just for the stunt in the arena, there had to be more to it. Haymitch must have got properly involved with a rebellion.

Haymitch opens the door. He looks better than he did when we came about an hour ago, less drunk. Less angry with the world. "What?" he asks us. He gestures for us to come in. "I don't have a whole load of time ahead of me, do you want to tell me what you're here for?" he asks impatiently. Katniss and I step through the door and follow Haymitch deeper into his house, weaving around the empty liquor bottles. My hand clasps tighter around the tape in my hand and I wonder what abilities he could be hiding from us. He may seem like just an old drunk, but he was lethal with that axe.

"We watched the Games," I tell him. "Your Games." I hold out the tape to him. He snatches it and throws it down at the sofa. "I understand what you meant now," I press him. "About my Games being easier than yours." I pause, wondering if I should stop now. Haymitch is my only hope to get out of the Quarter Quell, can I afford to disagree with him? Pride wins out and a need to be understood. Haymitch won't pay any attention to my opinion if he thinks I'm just a child who doesn't know real hardship. "But my Games weren't easy," I continue. "And I went in sure that I wouldn't come out. You're not the only one who's been through a lot. I know what it's like to be hopeless."

"Of course you do," he mutters. "You're here for advice, I guess. To train. Am I right?" he asks us. "You think that I can teach you how to survive against career victors and people who tear people's throats out with their bloody teeth? If you watched my games then you will realise that I would have died if I hadn't had a stroke of inspiration with the force field. There's not much I can do for you other than to give you advice on what to work on."

"Fine," Katniss says eagerly. "Advise us. Tell me what I can do to stay alive, to come back to Prim and mum. Tell me how I can avoid being killed and don't you dare give me the same advise as you did last year. Telling me to stay alive won't give me any advantage over people who tear out throats with their teeth."

Haymitch shrugs and walks in front of Katniss. He looks her up and down and prods her arms and stomach a bit. "Get more muscle," he tells her. "Right now you'll be next to useless in a hand to hand fight against any tribute. Remember when Clove pinned you back at the cornucopia. If you could run faster and were stronger then that wouldn't have happened." He pauses. "And it's one person. Enobaria. District 2 victor. Before your time, she's around thirty now."

Enobaria. I file the name away in my memory, reminding myself to keep an eye out for her in the Games. It isn't so usual that a career will go insane in the Games as I think they have some sort of psychological training. Then again, the type of person who would volunteer is probably somewhat insane anyway. As a career, that is. I think that most people would volunteer for a sibling that they loved, though perhaps not for a girlfriend to protect her.

"What about me?" I ask. "What do I need to work on?" I have muscle- I can fight hand to hand. Shortly after the Games I started teaching myself to fight without weapons incase somebody tried to attack me. Seeing as I would have money and might have become a person that District 12 would hate it seemed like the logical thing to do at the time. Nobody did attack me, but it seems to have come in useful.