The Hunger Games: On the 70th ©

Chapter 19

Thain Byrns POV

                That night my sleep was filled with disturbed dreams. I struggled to push them to the back recesses of my head but still, they reappeared again and again. The face of the girl from district three, Sealia, intertwined with images of Quinn, the boys, my mother, my father, the Boss, everyone dying. I’d awakened each time drenched in a cold sweat, fists clenched, eyes frantically searching for any source of comfort; anything that could tell me that my worries were unwarranted.

                Light seeped through the curtains and I sighed; a sense of relief flowing through me as the darkness gradually receded. Slow and deliberately, I stumbled out of bed and into the shower.

What’s wrong with me?

What’s wrong with me?

What’s wrong with me!

Concentrate.

 

                In an attempt to distract myself from the disturbing thoughts that plagued me, I angrily scrubbed at my arms and body with a rough bristled brush until all my skin felt raw and tender. Still, I felt a strange unease. Even as I dressed in the clothes that had been left at the foot of my bed I couldn’t stop myself from returning to my agitated state of mind. My thoughts wandered aimlessly and I made the effort to pinpoint my source of discomfort

                “Hello? Earth to Thain, come in Thain.” Finnick laughed as he snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Could you wipe that grimace off your face for at least two seconds while we talk?”

                I rolled my eyes and gave a huff of impatience. “Well, what then?” I snapped.

                “I was saying that we should get down to business. Training starts today and we have to start coming up with plans and strategies. My first question was if you’d like to be coached separately or together?” he asked, looking from Annie’s face to my own.

                “Together?” I repeated with a hint of disbelief.

                “Yes, together. Really Thain, I know that you feel like going at it alone will improve your chances but think, be smart about it. The winners of these games all usually have one thing in common. Now, what is it?”

                I understood the point he was trying to make but I stubbornly refused to acknowledge it aloud. Sure, it made sense; most of the Hunger Games were usually won by Career tributes. The odds were constantly in their favor; they always had proper nutrition growing up, were trained since birth to wield weapons of war, and attracted sponsors like magnets. Their true power, however, was inside the arena. They fought with numbers, easily overpowering lone tributes.

               They hunted like a pack of deadly predators; always searching for a weak victim to surround and subdue. After the chariot rides, as I’d headed to the elevator, I couldn’t help but notice the hungry looks the district one and two tributes had in their eyes as they surveyed the crowd of tributes with superiority. Their eagerness to begin the massacre was nearly tangible.

                            “They’re all a bunch of arrogant assholes?” I quipped, smiling darkly at Finnick.

                       “Hah! Well if it were just that I wouldn’t be worried at all. You certainly outshine them in that aspect.” said Finnick with a grin; not giving the slightest hint of discomfort at my sarcasm. “They always work in a large group; the Career Pack. Even other tributes that have managed to win, they haven’t done it alone, they make alliances.”