The Hunger Games - Through the Fire and Flames - Book 1

Chapter 10

I was standing in an empty room with my mother. It was my private session where I was able to work with my mentor on skills, strategies and the whole nine yards. Around me at different spots, distances, heights and sizes stood robot dummies. They each had their purpose and it was to 'kill' me. On their chest plates were a small timer that activated at random times. If I didn't hit the target properly before the timer ran out I was considered dead.

I held my spear in my hand with two more in a halter at my waist. Slung over my shoulder were my sheeth that held the arrows and my bow. On the other side of my waist was my knife holster, I had three different sizes following my machete.

I stared at the ground trying to focus and listen hard for the first dummy to activate. I had to listen hard because I didn't know which one would be the first to go. Then the ticking started to my left, it sounded distant and high up. I turned my head around to face the direction of the sound and saw it. In half a second I launched the spear at the target and it disabled. Then the next ticking started to my immediate right. I pulled out the machette and sliced a large gash in it before securing it back at my waist.

I took a deep breath as the next target started. I whipped out my small knife and flicked it the 10 foot length hitting the target dead center. Pulling out my bow I secured an arrow and pulled back quickly before I released it. It soared across the room to the dummy that was ticking in the top most north corner of the room. Switching my bow into my other hand I pulled out the second of my three knives and flung it at a dummy before I pulled another bow from my sheeth to hit a dummy that was right above me hanging by a rope. I slung my bow back over my shoulder before I took out the machette and took out the three dummies that were in the 5 foot radius from me and used my last arrow to take out the final.

Panting I turned to look at my mother. She shook her head at me before she walked forward to the dummy I used my smallest knife on.

"Wrong knife. The heavier knives go further and stay on course better then the lighter. One small gust of wind and you've just missed your intended target. You can't afford to miss your targets." My mother said before she threw down the knife at the dummy that had the bigger knife in it. Her knife hit mine and knocked it out. "Again!" She snapped.

I looked at her dumbstruck. I really didn't understand her attitude or why she was treating me like this. I shook my head and crossed my arm before I moved towards the door to leave.

"Where are you going?" My mother asked me.

I stopped and turned around to reveal the pink in my face that was a tell tale sign that I was holding back tears. "I'm going back to my room." I replied.

"You are not done, get back here and finish."

I shook my head. "Why does it matter" I said before I continued on towards the door.

Before I could reach it my mother had beat me there by closing the distance with a run and she was now blocking me. The look on her face stopped me in my tracks. I sighed as I knew I was about to get an ear full. I never had gotten the angry talk from my mother but I watched my brother get it several times a week.

"The smallest amount of training could be the difference between life and death in the arena." She pursed her lips before she stared at something in the distance with a focused expression on her face. I knew that look all too well, she was holding back tears. "It would be nice if atleast one of my children came home to me."

"River..."

My mother shook her head. "You know your brother would never let you die."

My mother was right, he would never kill me. I just didn't like the idea of my brother's child never getting to meet its father. For the first time since I had been become a tribute I broke down into tears. My mother walked forward and wrapped her arms around me before bring me into a hug.

"Mom I don't want to do this. I can't let River sacrafice himself." I cried.

A small bell rang annoucing the lunch hour. It was now time to go and gather with my group of allies and eat. I wasn't in the mood for conversation of any level so once my eyes were dried and I left the training room I headed directly for my room. When I was finally secluded I undressed myself and ran a hot bath. Laying in the tub I closed my eyes and tried my best to hold in the tears that fought to try and break out. This resulted in awkward gasping sounds. After succesfully managing to prune myself I got out of the tub and drained it before I quickly dressed in a pair of silk pajamas and climbed into bed.

I didn't care what my mother thought about me staying in bed for the rest of the day. I wanted nothing more then to crawl up under a rock and sink away into the unknown where everyone I loved was safe. I pulled the blankets tight around myself and closed my eyes. Slowly I began to fade away to the dream land.

I was standing in a field of flowers. Off in the distance was my brother standing beside his girlfriend or maybe wife with their daughter who looked to be a few months old. They were alive that was good. The scene zoomed in and it seemed like they were looking at something a stone? Closer it zoomed in and it came to be that the stone was truely a grave. Inscrawled on the grave was the name Aloe Mellark. River knelt down beside the grave and pointed towards a small picture of myself. That's your aunt, you were named after her. Because of her I am alive with you to this day. A tear fell from his eyes as he stood back up. The small family walked away.

I opened my eyes quickly and looked around the room it was dark and the view from the window showed the same. A small movement from the corner of the room. A tall shadow moved forward and then sat before me. It was my brother.

"Bad dream?" He asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Did I wake you up again?" He shook his head. "It was a good dream."

My brother moved me over a bit so he could lay down and then pulled me into his arms. "Tell me about your good dream"

I took a deep breath unsure as to whether he would see it the same way I did. "I had a dream that you were with your girlfriend and your daughter, her name was Aloe."

I felt my brother tense up. "Her... her name was Aloe? Why did we name her Aloe?" I could hear the shakiness in his voice.

"You named her after me." I replied.

"Why?" He was asking a question that had an obvious answer.

"You named her after me because I died so you could live and be there for your family."

My brother didn't like my dream because I died. He said 5 words to me and then he restored to the silence he fell into whenever he was having a rough time acknowledging the possibility that he may not be able to see his child be born or grow up. After several minutes of an uneasy silence I decided to try and go back to sleep. The dreams didn't change I was still dead and my brother was still alive with his family and his family was still sad.