WINGS - Coriolanus Snow

EIGHTEEN

"YOU WON'T BE RECIEVING MENTORS THIS YEAR," Dr. Gauls all-too-familiar voice rang out, echoing off the walls, "but you will be given the luxury of training before The Games start." All of the tributes had been gathered in a mini arena, surrounded by an array of weapons. The fact that they were given the ability to train shouldn't be misconstrued as an act of kindness from the Capitol, Coriolanus knew through first hand experience with the Capitol that they were only doing this so the show would be more entertaining. In the past, tributes would usually all die off in a matter of hours, but the Capitol wanted a better show. They wanted to see the rebels slowly suffer, they wanted to send a message that these were the consequences for going against the Capitol. Rebellion would not be tolerated.

Coriolanus and Aria were both stood at the station of knives, testing them out. They were messing around, and although they both knew they should be taking it more seriously, they just wanted to get as many moments of peace and normality as they could.

"Aria, don't hit me with that!" Coriolanus laughed as Aria threw a small dagger at the target on the wall, too close to Coriolanus for his liking. Aria missed the target by at least a few inches, getting closer to hitting Coriolanus than anything else.

"Why are you standing there, then?" Aria giggled, pushing him gently. Coriolanus pried the knife from Aria's grip, getting ready to throw it himself.

"Here, watch how it's done," Coriolanus said. He threw the knife at the same target that Aria had, but the knife didn't even embed itself into the wall, instead dropping onto the floor pitifully.

Aria slowly turned towards Coriolanus, and bursted out laughing once their eyes met.

"You're hopeless!" she exclaimed. It seemed to be true, as Coriolanus couldn't really figure out how to use any of the weapons. For the past hour he'd been trying out all the different weapons, but when he realised he couldn't do something, he'd move onto the next thing straight away, without even trying to learn. This time, though, Coriolanus was determined to prove that he wasn't 'hopeless' like Aria had said.

"No I'm not! Just you watch, by the end of today, I'll learn how throw knives around like a professional," Coriolanus vowed. He spent the next hour throwing the knife back and forth, and as it turned out, he didn't even need a full day, as he picked up the skill quite quickly. After just two hours, he successfully scored a bullseye. Coriolanus had lived a somewhat sheltered life after the war, so he didn't have any need to pick up these survival skills, but he was quick to learn when he had to. If he really put his mind to something, he could get it done with ease.

Aria tried many different weapons, and although she wasn't terrible with them, she wasn't exceptional either. After going through knives, axes, swords and maces, she eventually reached the final weapon that she hadn't tried yet; a bow and arrow. It took her a couple minutes to figure out how to use it properly, but once she did, everything else came naturally to her. She shot at a few targets, hitting them perfectly in the middle each time. She was pleased with herself for finding a weapon that worked for her, something that would give her a chance at winning. Her joy was somewhat short lived, as she came to a realisation. Did she really want to win these Hunger Games? If she did, it would mean Coriolanus had to die. She couldn't stomach the thought of him not being by her side, she could never live like that. She decided to use her newfound skill to protect Coriolanus in case he needed it.

Coriolanus knew that Aria felt this way. He knew she thought it was her responsibility to keep him safe, just as he had done for her previously, but he didn't want this. He wanted her to be selfish and save herself instead of him.

"What're you thinking 'bout?" Smiley said, placing a hand on Coriolanus's shoulder, causing him to jump. "Woah, steady there," Smiley laughed.

"It's not funny," Coriolanus snapped.