A Crown's Game|✔︎UNDER MAJOR EDITING

-Chapter Seven-

My private trainer, Marylin, tries to teach me how to use and throw axes, but it's no use. Apparently, she tells me that axes are the most used weapons, and the fact that I'm using throwing knives is strange.

"Hold it with your dominant hand!" She wraps my right hand around the stick of the ax. "Throw!"

I miss, of course. I suck at this. "I can't. Maybe we can try spears."

"We'll come back to this." Marylin smiles. She won't give it up, will she? I know that just in case of an attack by Halo, I can use a knife. I don't need to use the same weapon she uses.

We head over to spears, where Katerina is. She told me that she prefers tridents, but I haven't seen her at that station ever. I guess she's found a soft spot for the spears. They're similar enough, with the long pointed tip and slick handle. She waves hello, and I wave back.

After a few throws and combat training, I find out that I'm not that bad. I make a decision that if I can't reach a knife, I'll use a spear.

"Not bad!" Marylin says, and I smile. "Thanks."

"All selected please come to the podium!" Trainer Marrcus bellows. All of us turn our heads and walk to the middle. Marylin nods and leaves the training room.

"Now, after this meeting, please head over to your mentor, where we will teach you how to scan points from the point boxes." Trainer Marrcus says. Everyone turns to leave, but he stamps his foot. " Did I dismiss you?!" We huddle back around. "Tomorrow is your last day of training, and your fellow trainers and I will choose certain people to sponsor in the area. Alas, we won't tell you."
Halo snickers and I can see the fury on Laura's face. She won't get a sponsor since she's missing the last day of training. The jokes on her, really.

"You are dismissed."
I head over to my station with Onix, and Ali still has a nervous smile on her face. I saw Anastasia and Ali talking earlier, which seems to worry her even more.

"Now, I have an example point box right here." She pushes a matte black box forward. We still have the SPECS on, since we can't take them off. Onix looks at me and then opens the box. Some fake knives are inside, and a slip of paper. I hold the paper and open in. A barcode and a number that reads 600.

"Is this it?" I hold the slip up. Ali nods. "Tap the screen, and you should see a scanner. All you need to do is hold it up to the barcode, and when finished, you will hear a small beep."

I tried it, and it works, of course. "That's all?"

Ali nods and lets us go. I check the time, and it's 3:00. Training ends in ten minutes. I think I should go up to my room.

"Onix?" I tap her shoulder, and she doesn't turn around.

"Yes?" She says quietly.

"I'm heading up, I guess you want to come with me?" I ask. She shakes her head. "No, but I'll let Anastasia know."
"Thanks." I walk to the elevator, where I notice painting lining the hallway. I've never noticed them. My eye catches one where a Black hair woman in a green ball gown and the dress matches her eyes. Under the painting, a gold plate reads:

Queen Marie Smith

Rest in Peace

I remember that night, I was about to go to bed when Mom screamed. I ran downstairs, thinking that she had cut her self or stepped on a shard of glass. She was sitting on the couch, dad comforting her.

I asked what happened, but mom wouldn't tell me. Dad told me that Queen Marie was dead. Apparently, when mom was in the games, they became friends. Best friends. After Marie won the games, she wasn't allowed to invite people to the palace, but they still wrote letters to each other.

The doctors still don't know how she died, after many tests. She just woke up dead.

+++

The two dresses are amazing. The plaid fabric is a base for it, and the sheer overlay is a golden shimmer. A laurel crown decorated with dried corn leaves sits on the table near it.

"This is amazing!" I squeal. Anastasia goes from a frown to a bright smile in less than half a second. She looks so happy that I complimented her dress. Of course, Onix has the same one, and that's something I'm not that happy about.

Onix's face is amazed as well, but she stays silent. What is her problem? Ever since Cassidy arrived she's been acting super weird. I shot her a gross look.

"Can we try them on?" Onix says, some pain her voice.

"Yes!" Anastasia pulls Onix's off the rack, and Lise does mine. I step into the fabulous dress, and when Lise zips me up, I gasp. Why are these dresses so tight? It is part of the fashion? To make us look skinnier?

Once in the dress, I head over to the mirror, and WOW! I feel like Demeter, mixed with Apollo's style. Lise places the laurel on my head, and I take a deep breath. "I look great!"

"That's not all," Lise fetches the cape, and pins it onto the dress, "now you look more amazing." She places her hands on my shoulders. She is honestly the best maid.

"Lise?"

"Yes?" She says.

"Tomorrow is the last time I'm seeing you, correct?"

Lise wipes her nose and sniffs. "No, Aspen. I'll help you get ready for the interviews, and help you get into your outfit for the game."
"Oh." I walk over to my bedside and pick up the fragile necklace. I want to cry. I don't want to lose Lise or Kato. Not Mom, Dad or Liam. They all mean so much to me. And when, and if, I do win, I'll marry Kato.

What if I don't survive? Will Kato end his life to be with me? Or will he get over it and marry another girl?

Is he with another girl now?
I shake my head. No, not possible. He wouldn't do that to me, I trust him. I turn around, holding the necklace by the string. "Lise? Can you put this on me?"

"Yes, Aspen." She pins the necklace on and brings me to the mirror. I look better with the necklace on, a reminder of Kato.

"And, Aspen? Does it feel okay?" Anastasia smirks. I nod.

"It's wonderful." I threw away my arms.

"I'll take you out of it now." Lise giggles. She unzips me, and I put on my robe. I'm so tired, I could sleep anywhere.

"Thank you for the dresses, Anastasia, they are truly amazing." I see that Onix frowns. What is her problem? I mean, these dresses are amazing! How could she hate them?

Anastasia leaves, and Onix follows her. Lise dresses me in my robe, and we head to my room. She pulls the shades up, and the view from up here is absolutely spectacular. It's so much brighter than at home, where the crickets chirp so loudly that we can't even hear our conversation.

Will I ever go home again? I think wistfully.

I shake my head. I have to stop having these stupid thoughts, even though they seem real. "Goodnight, Lise." I shake, slowly taking off my robe and tucking myself into my sheets.

The last memory before my sleep is the cool sheets of the bed.