Time Is Running Out | Lennox & Erah

“Good job, Erah. Perhaps you will make me proud.”

Erah would have smiled at her compliment, but somehow, it felt as if she shouldn’t really be all that proud of her ability to protect herself. It was all adrenaline rushing through her body by this point, and she wasn’t a little puppy wanting and needing Lennox’s approval just because she had managed to get herself out of a sticky situation. She wouldn’t be gloating, as if she had done something absolutely wonderful. Both because she knew that what she had done was mediocre at best, and because she knew that Lennox wouldn’t be coddling her for doing an okay job of it. “We’ll see, maybe,” she said, breathing deeply to calm her rapidly beating heart.

“But next time, please move a little faster.” […] “And now you are dead without a weapon.”

Before Erah really knew what was going on, Lennox had turned, jerking the sword out of her hands, and she took a long step back, raising her chin as she pointed her sword at her, swallowing hard. “Faster. Yeah, I can do that,” she breathed, seeing her own sword fall to the ground. At least, she thought, she had managed to work with a sword as well as with a scythe. Which was more than she could have asked for, really. The sword wasn’t all that different from a scythe, really. “Be honest, if I get my hands on a sword, do you think I even stand a chance of protecting myself?” she asked, and she really did want the complete honest answer. She needed to know if her mentor, who had been through the same thing and come out alive, if she thought she even stood a chance. Erah was hoping that she would be able to go back home to her family.

“Try not to get into a position of combat with the other tributes in the arena. You won’t fare so well. I’m headed to the infirmary. Walk with me.”

It wasn’t until then she realized that Lennox had hurt her hand as she jerked her sword out of her hands, and her mouth fell open. “Shit, are you okay?” she asked quickly, her eyes wide as she looked at her. “I’ll try to avoid combat, I will. Only if it’s necessary for my own survival, but only then,” she said, nodding a little to herself. She didn’t want to have to fight anyone at all, but she knew she couldn’t avoid it forever. If it came down to it, she was going to have to, and that was just the way it was, really. Lennox turned to leave, and she felt like a little puppy having to follow her trainer as she fell into step with her. “So, besides the district 7 girl and the Careers, who else should I stay clear of?” she asked, hoping Lennox knew a bit more about the other tributes than she did.

When Erah questioned her chances in combat with a sword, Lennox wasn’t entirely sure whether she should answer. It wasn’t her right to give her the chances of surviving an attack. It was up to Erah. “Depends on the enemy. And depends what weapon they carry.” She answered vaguely. “But if you find yourself with another tribute, you run.” She squeezed her own hand, placing pressure against the cut. “Don’t forget, don’t expect to find yourself a sword, or any other weapon. And don’t expect me to send you one. They cost more money than you will ever see in a lifetime.” Unless you win, Lennox though to herself. Lennox had more money than she needed or wanted and it didn’t bring her happiness.

“Shit are you okay? So, besides the district 7 girl and the Careers, who else should I stay clear of?”

Lennox waved Erah off and continued to walk down the hallway towards the infirmary. “I’m fine. A sword wound won’t kill me.” She said sardonically. “Let this be a lesson to you.” She assumed that the pain was finally getting to her, the stinging rising up her arm and to her head. She bit her lip as she thought of the tributes she encountered or from the interviews she had listened in on. “The boy from six… Hector was his name, I believe? He may look stupid, but I wouldn’t underestimate him.” There was something that bothered her about him.

They stood in front of the infirmary, but before she entered, she pushed Erah against the wall with her good hand. “And most importantly,” she said, her voice turning to ice, “You are not allowed to kill Ryker.” It was an unspoken rule of tributes, that they were not to kill their own partners. Lennox was fortunate that her partner had been killed earlier in the games. A blessing in disguise, as disgusting as it was. “Unless it comes down to the two of you, which is incredibly unlikely, you are not to attack Ryker. He is the only one you can truly trust in the arena. Remember that.” 

Time Is Running Out | Lennox & Erah

“You don’t understand, Erah. There will never be a time you feel safe in the arena. You will never stop running. This is not a walk in the park. Never should you feel safe in the arena, regardless of how comfortable you find yourself.”

Erah sighed heavily, her nostrils flaring a little as she felt her patience with her mentor slipping further and further away. Of course she knew she wouldn’t be safe in the Arena, she knew that the other tributes would be out to kill her, but she needed something to calm herself down, that little belief that she might be okay in there, that she might not end up dying a cruel and brutal death. Erah just needed to believe that she wouldn’t die screaming out in pain. “I just need to believe that, Lennox. I know I won’t ever be safe, I know I’ll probably end up dying, writhing in pain, but I have to believe that my final breath will be taken while I’m at peace. It’s the only thing keeping me sane right now,” she whispered, turning away from her mentor. She just needed to keep her thoughts calm, or else she would go absolutely insane.

“Good. If you keep it up, perhaps you will make it past the first few days of the games. But watch her. Watch that tribute in the training session and figure out what she can and can’t do. Same goes for the other tributes. Learn and understand them better than you want to.”

Most likely, Erah would be one of the first casualties during the bloodbath, but she was hoping she would make it past that. If she got away, she would be spending her time planning out how to get past another day, hoping to make it to the next. Every day would be like that in the Arena, she knew that. “I have been watching everyone. I already know smaller stuff about people. I know the boy from 4, I know he’s more comfortable with knives, and… I know that the Careers are brutal. I’ve seen them,” she said, shaking her head a little. If she was going to kill someone, she had a better chance of getting out of it alive if she went for the other tributes, those who weren’t Careers. Because she stood no chance against them. At all. “I’m good at observing. I see details in things that other’s don’t. I guess that’s something that comes from my painting,” she said with a shrug. It sounded pathetic, but it might help her in the Arena.

“Good, but can you add a little more strength with the next hit?” […] “What do you do now?”

Yes, she could put more strength to her next hit, but Erah wasn’t familiar enough with the sword, and she didn’t know if she would be able to stop it before impact. It was just basic practice after all. She shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, I can. I will,” she said, before her eyes widened as Lennox swung the sword to her neck. In a rush of adrenaline, she put her leg up and kicked Lennox out of her way, hunching down quickly to avoid the blade, and swung her own sword around to the back of her mentor’s knee, the blade just touching her pants. “Something like that?” she asked, surprised she had even been able to make a move such as that one.

When Erah moved away from her attack, Lennox wasn’t given time to smile before she kicked her. She was too proud to be annoyed at her and quickly got up as Erah had the sword to her leg. She was surprised that Erah had it in her to attack. She swung the sword a few times, thinking about what her next move could be. “Good job, Erah. Perhaps you will make me proud.” She was showing some promise now, but Lennox reminded herself not to keep her hopes up; she was used to disappointment.

“But next time, please move a little faster.” She said before turning around on her heels and on her knees to grab Erah’s sword by the blade and jerking it right out of her hand. She could feel the metal sink into her hand, but the pain was nothing. She stood up and pointed her own sword at Erah, her eyebrows raised. “And now you are dead without a weapon.” She lowered the blade and dropped Erah’s sword to inspect the damage she had done to her own hand. Blood was pooling, but she knew that she could get it fixed easily in the infirmary, though it was one place she hated visiting.

She shook out her hand and rolled her eyes. “Try not to get into a position of combat with the other tributes in the arena. You won’t fare so well.” She said truthfully. It was close to impossible to avoid combat, but perhaps it was the best tactic for Erah to assume. She sighed again, applying pressure to her hand nonchalantly, kicking the swords aside. “I’m headed to the infirmary. Walk with me.” She said rudely, turning towards the door. There was more she wanted to talk to her about than she wanted to train her for. 

Time Is Running Out | Lennox & Erah

“Erah, if you cannot kill anyone in the games, you will die. I was 14 when I went to the games. I killed other tributes without a problem, because I wanted to live. Let me ask you one more time, do you want to live? You won’t think the same once you enter the arena, trust me.”

“That’s not what I meant, I wasn’t saying I won’t be killing, because I’m sure I will,” Erah started quickly, shaking her head a little. Her message hadn’t gotten across properly, and for that she was sorry. No, she wasn’t hoping to get to kill someone, far from it, but she would do it if she needed to. “What I meant was… I’ll need some guidance in how to distance myself from the actual killing. Because I will do it if I have to, I will. But I’ll be destroyed after. I need help distancing myself from the action of taking a life.” She was hoping she was coming across more clearly this time. Even if she didn’t want to kill in the Arena, she was pretty damn sure she was going to have to. Whether she liked it or not. The problem would be her feelings after, how she would feel after ending someone’s life.

“No, it’s a reasonable idea for you, considering what you can do. Don’t forget, that there may be no trees. We have no idea how the arena is built.”

Erah pulled her fingers through her hair and sigh aloud, turning to look into nothing at all. This conversation was just all too intense for her, discussing how she would be able to survive, or how she would die. It wasn’t a pleasant conversation at all. “Surely there will be some sort of… Height I can climb. Whether it be rocks or boulders or something. Or else I’ll just run until I feel I’m… safe,” she said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. She wouldn’t be safe anywhere in that Arena, she knew that. And she also knew that she would be dying. But that wouldn’t stop her from at least trying. She would try. Erah was hoping there would be trees, that way she at least stood a chance.

“Okay, if you ally with him, you don’t tell him anything. Nothing. Absolutely nothing before the start of the games. And if it turns out that he’s allied with his district partner, you sever that alliance immediately. Do you understand? Immediately!”

“I haven’t allied with him, I was just saying he’s the only one I’ve talked to,” Erah said quickly, shaking her head a little. Lennox was getting worked up over nothing. Erah had no allies thus far, and she doubted that she would be getting any either. Maybe it would be best for her to be alone. “I haven’t told anyone of what I can do, not even in my interview with Caesar. I kept talking about my painting,” she said, shrugging her shoulders as Lennox walked away from her. “I won’t even think about anything with the female tribute from 7. I’m not stupid,” she said, her anger apparent in her voice. She didn’t have a death wish after all.

“I can’t tell you whether you’d be better alone or allied, so you’ll have to make that decision on your own.” […] “Attack me. Or at least try.”

Erah watched intently as her mentor grabbed hold of a sword, immediately paying close attention to her movements. The sword coming towards her came at an awkward angle, but she still grabbed it by the hilt, swinging it around a single time. It felt weird, considering she was used to a scythe, but she could learn. She took a deep breath, and stepped towards her mentor, her sword raised in front of her, and quickly swung her sword at her head, but right before she would’ve made an impact, she turned quickly to direct a hit to her side, the area she knew that most people had trouble protecting. Surely Lennox would stop her though, she knew that, but at least she knew which areas people had a tendency to forget to protect.

“Or else I’ll just run until I feel I’m… safe.”

Lennox shook her head, pursing her lips together. “You don’t understand, Erah. There will never be a time you feel safe in the arena. You will never stop running.” This task of informing Erah seemingly became harder and harder with each advice. She couldn’t seem to understand that the games were brutal. “This is not a walk in the park. Never should you feel safe in the arena, regardless of how comfortable you find yourself.” She said rolling her eyes.

“I won’t even think about anything with the female tribute from 7. I’m not stupid.”

She raised her eyebrows at Erah, trying to keep herself from smiling widely at her attitude. She felt this way with all her tributes, a love/hate relationship, only pleased when they appeared to be intelligent and caught in a state of anger and hatred when they proved otherwise, dying in the arena. But her sister was an exception. Only her sister. “Good. If you keep it up, perhaps you will make it past the first few days of the games. But watch her. Watch that tribute in the training session and figure out what she can and can’t do. Same goes for the other tributes. Learn and understand them better than you want to.” It was a tactic that Lennox had used herself, spending more time watching the other tributes and learning their strengths and weaknesses than actual physical training. District 9 had made her strong, the Capitol made her smart.

Lennox watched Erah closely, the movement of her body and the aim of the sword. She smiled as she saw her coming towards her head, knowing what came next. Lennox swiftly moved her sword to the side with one hand, the other raised to hide behind her back. It was a simple game and Lennox was trained immensely in swordplay. “Good, but can you add a little more strength with the next hit?” She pushed her back with the sword, the clanging echoing against the walls. She swung the sword horizontal to her neck, stopping before it touched her. “What do you do now?” she asked her quizzically. 

Time Is Running Out | Lennox & Erah

“Well… that’s good too. That’s a start.”

No, it wasn’t. Erah knew that Lennox was lying, but maybe she was doing it so that she wouldn’t lose hope entirely. She really did appreciate it. Sometimes lying was for the best, for everyone, and this would be one of those moments where a small lie could help build up a little hope. And no one would understand how very much Erah needed her hope now. All she wanted was to go back home to her family, to go back to the people who loved her. She was hoping she would be given the opportunity to do that.

“Only if they’re traps big enough for people, not small animals or game like in District 9. A trap for the other tributes. You won’t be able to kill anyone with a small animal trap. Maybe except for that small tribute from 6. If you’re going to make traps, make sure you’re willing to kill what you catch.”

Erah shrugged her shoulder a little, a small smile turning the corners of her lips. “I’ve made traps for people too. My little brother would always think it hilarious when I caught him and have him lift up into the air. Once I caught my dad,” she said, shaking her head a little as she remembered that one day, when her dad had foolishly wandered into one of her traps. They were good enough to be able to trap the other tributes, that much she was sure of. Her breath caught a little, and she glanced back at Lennox with sad eyes. Erah didn’t like the thought of killing anyone, but she knew that in the Arena it was kill or be killed. She would always choose the first. “I might need some guidance in how to not… Get involved. Killing someone would kill me,” she whispered, her voice smaller than usual. Lennox would surely find her weak for saying such things, but she was only 17 years old. Her thoughts should be about how to kill other kids, but about boys and stupid crushes. Her life had been turned upside down now though.

“I guess it’s good that you’re watching the previous games. It’ll show a lot in the tributes this year, because the mentors are the ones teaching the tributes. But don’t assume that so rashly, okay? You never know what surprises would come.”

Truth was, Erah wasn’t expecting anything from anyone. Surely, each of the tributes had their own tactics planned, something their mentors hadn’t done. No where was safe in the Arena, not even high up in the trees where she would feel the safest. “I won’t assume anything. I thought that… If I can get away from the Cornucopia the first day, I’d spend some time observing. Figuring out how the other tributes work. Do you think that’s a horrible idea, or…?” She swallowed hard as she looked at her mentor. Surely, observing and getting information about the other tributes could only be a good thing.

“Good. Because they’re never good. No alliance with them ever ends well, surely you know that.”

She nodded quickly as Lennox let go of her shoulders, and inhaled deeply. “I wouldn’t be so foolish as to ally with them anyway. Unlike me, they are trained for this. The wouldn’t hesitate to kill me, just to get me out of their way. I wouldn’t risk it,” she told her, shaking her head furiously. Erah might be a girl to think the best of people, but in the Arena she wouldn’t allow for that to happen. She couldn’t. Because that would be the death of her, and she knew that. Maybe it was best to simply keep to herself in there, alone. That way no one would be able to stab her in the back.

“I can’t choose your alliances for you, but I can only give you some insight. I won the games without allies. Other win with allies. It all comes down on you. If you do choose to ally with others, I have to say to avoid the Careers, District 3 tributes, and the District 7 girl. Obvious reasons for the Careers; District 2 was the winner last game and I’m sure she has some tricks up her sleeves for her tributes; and the District 7 girl’s private session score was impossibly high. Those are the ones to look out for.”

“I’ve only really talked to one other tribute. The male tribute from District 7?” Erah said. Rowen didn’t seem like he cared much about anything at all, spending most of his time pissing of Avoxes. Surely he wouldn’t be any good to her in the Arena, unless they got to talking more. “Other than that, I haven’t really spoken to anyone,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “The female from District 7 though, I don’t think anyone should ally with her. I don’t trust her, and I haven’t even talked to her.” Just hearing about her in the training centre had convinced her of that much. “We’ll see what I do about allies. Maybe I’ll just go in there alone. I might be better off alone,” she whispered, her gaze falling down to her shoes.

“I might need some guidance in how to not… Get involved. Killing someone would kill me.”

Lennox inhaled sharply, trying hard not to yell at Erah, for something as silly as that. Perhaps it had been easier for herself, but she assumed that anyone who wanted to live would be able to easily shift their views in order to accommodate the games. “Erah, if you cannot kill anyone in the games, you will die.” She wasn’t trying to scare Erah, but the truth would scare her just as well. She could tell from her voice that she wasn’t thinking like a tribute, she was thinking like a child. “I was 14 when I went to the games. I killed other tributes without a problem, because I wanted to live. Let me ask you one more time, do you want to live?” She hated when tributes expressed their remorse before they entered the arena. “You won’t think the same once you enter the arena, trust me.”

“Do you think that’s a horrible idea… or?”

Her hand went to face, secretly wishing that Erah had the strength to go into Cornucopia and to come out alive, but it was inevitable. She shook her head, “No, it’s a reasonable idea for you, considering what you can do.” But then it came to her, that the arena might not necessarily have trees, or anywhere for her to adequately hide. “Don’t forget, that there may be no trees. We have no idea how the arena is built.” She could only imagine how quickly Erah’s life would end if there were no trees, nowhere for her to hide. Lennox could pack for home now and leave the Capitol within the first week of games.

“The male tribute from District 7?”

She sighed again, trying to keep her temper down at the idiocy of her tribute. She grit her teeth together, trying to keep her vulgarities in her throat and to make sure that she didn’t make an enemy of her tribute. “Okay, if you ally with him, you don’t tell him anything. Nothing. Absolutely nothing before the start of the games.” She crossed her arms and paced away, making sure she didn’t pummel Erah to the ground in anger. “And if it turns out that he’s allied with his district partner, you sever that alliance immediately.” She hated the idea of her weak tribute being paired with the girl from District 7. It was dangerous and simply stupid. “Do you understand? Immediately!”

“Maybe I’ll go in there alone. I might be better off alone.”

Lennox paced towards one of the training tables where the weapons were located. She could hear Erah whispering and she rolled her eyes out of sight. “I can’t tell you whether you’d be better alone or allied, so you’ll have to make that decision on your own.” She picked up a sword, mildly light in weight, the blade sharp as could be. She pulled her arm back and tossed it at Erah, hoping on everything holy that she would catch it by the hilt. Lennox grabbed one for herself and swung it a few times. “Attack me. Or at least try.”

rowen-gallagher replied to your post: rowen-gallagher replied to your post:…

rowen is just being a good guy and making sure the poor girl doesn’t die a virgin. I DON’T HATE HER ANYMORE. I LIKE HER CRAZY. CRAZY IS GOOD. and rowen misses fern and wants to attack her with hugs and kisses.

deep sigh because i don’t think i will every believe you

Lockdown | Regan & Lennox.

regan-dwyer:

“Rivers killed himself.”

That she could believe. Regan wasn’t surprised in the least bit, that Rivers, a fellow victor would have committed suicide. Was it really that easy to do? Regan hadn’t really hard of such victors killing themselves, although it was usually covered up by some sort of medical condition or accident. Whatever, she told herself. Why should she care? None of those people were remotely close to her, let alone anybody. She hated interacting with people; her system of keeping everything down to the automatic system created was the best thing she had ever done. It was easy and simple and she didn’t care for others in the slightest way. The only people she cared about was her brother, Adrian and Helio. There was a certain liking to Mal, and also the man in her dreams, but that was that. They could all look after themselves anyway, and keeping away from her brother allowed to keep him safe too. What could possibly be bad about that? Regan killing herself would only look bad and a waste of a life.

“Everything was a lie. Everything. Every word, every speech, every damn thing is a lie.”

“…Right,” she said with uncertainty. Lennox obviously cared about a certain person a little too much. But Regan had no idea how to reply, seeing as she only had a few pieces to what was going on.

“That was a reminder from Snow himself asking me to keep up his damn show and change the truth because he wanted it that way.”

A reminder? Something struck in her head about that. A reminder, her head repeated. A couple of flashes went by of a pure white box, laced with a beautiful blood red ribbon. All she remembered was it coming to her door and just as soon as she was about to open it, Regan’s mind went blank. She cocked an eyebrow up, still confused and breathed a sigh. Who sends people daggers to keep them at bay? It sounded a little far-fetched, but she supposed this was the Capitol. “Look, Lennox. I get it, Rivers committed suicide, you had to keep the show rolling, etcetera, but I don’t understand what’s this got to do with Felix?” The tone of her voice turned up into a question, clouded by what was really going on. “After all, you stabbed him. You haven’t even mentioned him yet.”

Regan’s uncertain tone made Lennox annoyed, as if she didn’t believe what she was saying. But that was the point, no one was supposed to question Rivers death. It was supposed to be swept under the rug like all the other tragedies of the Capitol. She shook her head, trying to get Regan to believe her. “The games were supposed to end, and I was supposed to marry him. We were going to be together.” She thought back to how Rivers had proposed to abruptly, yet how they had known each other prior to the their own games, how the odds had allowed them to live, yet failed so soon.

She clenched her fists tight, holding herself back from breaking something, anything, to ease her anger she had for the Capitol and Felix. At Regan’s mention of Felix, her temper flared once more, her thoughts only focused on one thing, hurting Felix. She imagined all the ways she could hurt him, to hurt him much worse than he had to her. She didn’t care if it wasn’t in her position to exact such justice, but it was in her eyes. She would not stop until she could gain her revenge on him. Abel didn’t know, and that was better because she was certain that Abel would stop her. He was still her mentor, regardless of her promotion.

“Felix Shea does not deserve to live.” She rasped. “I would give anything to kill him slowly.” Lennox sounded psychotic, her inner thoughts voiced so. It wasn’t like the games, this was completely different. In the games, she was forced to kill, but now, she wanted to kill. She wanted to hurt Felix and she wanted him to feel the pain she did. “Now, give me my knife back, Regan. I’ll be needing it.”

Time Is Running Out | Lennox & Erah

“But I must know, what are your strengths?”

It was a question Erah didn’t quite know how to answer, because truthfully, she had little strengths. She had things she was good at, but nothing she was particularly good at. “Like I said, I’m a fast runner, and I climb… Fast. I can climb up a tree in a matter of seconds. I’ll be safe in the trees, right?” she started, taking a deep breath. “I’m not particularly strong, but everything I do, I do it fast. If I have a sword or something, I would move it quickly, which can cause damage right? But I need more, I need to learn more,” she said, suddenly getting a little eager. She just wanted to learn everything, as it was her only hope of survival. Erah needed to learn more, and build up her strength. “I think my best hope is camouflage, really. I’ll be able to hide,” she whispered, for the first time feeling ashamed that was all she could do.

“Either one will work. You decide for yourself. But always consider this: What would you do without a weapon?”

She thought about it for a long time, her gaze moving down to her feet. “I’d make one,” she said suddenly. She could easily fashion a sort of weapon, if there was any wood in the Arena. Erah could create a weapon, and it could be deadly if she did it well. “I can create traps. I’m pretty good at that,” she said, shrugging a little. The more she thought about it, the less hope she had of ever winning the Games. Not that she had really thought she had a chance of winning, but there was always hope.

“Practice with a sword first. It is the most similar to the scythe in size, though you’ll have to work with the shape. Then knives. If you can dodge a knife, you can gain a knife.”

Nodding eagerly, Erah tried picturing how a sword would be different from working a scythe. The shapes were completely different, which meant the weight would be different. She was going to have to get used to that different, get her training started properly. And she couldn’t be more appreciative to Lennox, helping her out. “Oh, like Katniss Everdeen did two years ago? When she dodged that knife?” she asked, raising her eyebrows at her mentor. During her time in the Capitol, she had been watching the previous Games, the 74th included. She had learnt a lot, but it had also given her less hope about winning. Those who had won had been so strong, both mentally and physically.

“And don’t ignore what seems useless. Learn to tie a knot, set a fire, whatever they offer in the training session. And don’t ally with the Careers. Whatever you do, do not ally with the Careers. They will not hesitate to kill you at any given chance. Trust no one. You have no friends in the arena, remember that. I’m the closest you’ll get to a friend.”

Once again, Erah found herself nodding eagerly, biting her lip a little. “I can tie knots, I know how to set a fire. I know those things,” she said, her eyes opening side as Lennox pulled her closer, only making her words more important. “I haven’t even spoken to the Careers, so that won’t be happening,” she muttered silently, her words sinking in. Erah knew who the Careers were, but she hadn’t even spoken to them. “No friends in the Arena. So… I shouldn’t ally with anyone? Or…?” she asked, looking at her mentor. She had thought that having allies would possibly help her out, but maybe she had been mistaken.

“I think my best hope is camouflage, really. I’ll be able to hide.”

Lennox restrained herself from rolling her eyes and chastising Erah for knowing so little, and what she did know was weak. She had been hoping for something that was more prominent, something more useful to survive the games, but that was unlikely. “Well… that’s good too.” She said softly, forcing herself to pull up a smile that was all to fake. “That’s a start.”

“I’d make one. I can create traps. I’m pretty good at that.”

She nodded thoughtfully; pleased that she was at least good at something that would be more useful. “Only if they’re traps big enough for people, not small animals or game like in District 9.” She clenched her teeth, hating the idea of corrupting children so early in their life like this, “A trap for the other tributes. You won’t be able to kill anyone with a small animal trap. Maybe except that small tribute from 6.” She mused over the idea of a large trap. Lennox wasn’t one skilled in that field, but it wasn’t hard to learn. “If you’re going to make traps, make sure you’re willing to kill what you catch.” It was a word of warning, because judging from her appearance and weakness, Erah didn’t look like one who could stomach violence as easily as herself.

Lennox wanted to suggest to her to watch the previous games, but it seemed as if she had already done so. She hated the thought that her tributes, as well as the rest of Panem, knew how each mentor got where they were, how they became killers in the arena to stay alive. “I guess it’s good that you’re watching the previous games. It’ll show a lot in the tributes this year, because the mentors are the ones teaching the tributes. But don’t assume that so rashly, okay? You never know what surprises would come.” She was thinking of Johanna Mason, the mentor who had won in a similar tactic as Lennox’s own, but she had managed to keep her façade longer than she had. And her tribute’s score was higher than what the typical tributes were. It almost frightened Lennox to know that, but she reminded herself that it wasn’t her in the arena, it was her tributes.

She let her shoulders go when she confirmed that she had not spoken with the Careers yet. “Good. Because they’re never good. No alliance with them ever ends well, surely you know that.” She wasn’t sure whether Erah would keep her word about that, because many tributes broke this rule and partnered with the Careers, thinking that it would give them a better chance at surviving, when it ended the opposite.

“No friends in the Arena. So… I shouldn’t ally with anyone? Or…?”

Lennox sighed, knowing that she couldn’t control this aspect of the games. “I can’t choose your alliances for you, but I can only give you some insight. I won the games without allies. Others win with allies. It all comes down on you.” She smiled weakly with a shrug, hoping that Erah would understand how this could change in the games as quickly as the terrain. “If you do choose to ally with others, I have to say to avoid the Careers, District 3 tributes, and the District 7 girl.” She put her hands on her hips, hoping to convey her reasons better from a stature of authority. “Obvious reasons for the Careers; District 3 was the winner last game and I’m sure she has some tricks up her sleeves for her tributes; and the District 7 girl’s private session score is impossibly high. Those are the ones to look out for.”

Time Is Running Out | Lennox & Erah

“I’m sure you’re fast. But there will be someone faster. Trust me. Instead of thinking about running fast, think about running faster.”

Erah was taking in all the information Lennox was giving her, as if she were a sponge soaking up all the tips and help her mentor was giving her. Yes, Erah was fast, but Lennox was right, of course. There would always be someone faster than her, but she wasn’t ready to give up just yet. Her need and want to live was beyond anything right now. “Running faster. I can do that. I’ll run every single day, every day, and I’ll get faster,” she said, nodding to herself. Lennox’s help was more than she could have ever asked for, because without her mentor, her chance of survival was next to none. But with her help, her guidance, she might stand a chance still.

“They may not see you as an enemy, but they will see you as a target. Don’t let them know your weaknesses. Keep everyone guessing.”

There was no doubt of what was Erah’s greatest weakness. She wasn’t particularly strong, which was something that would come back to bite her when she least expected it. She knew she was going to have to try getting stronger, both mentally and physically. Because surely, what was awaiting her in the Arena would be more foul than she could ever imagine. “Keep them guessing. Okay. I won’t show them my strengths, and I won’t show them my weaknesses.” Surely, it couldn’t be all that bad it she were to show people how much of a talented artist she was, which meant she would be able to camouflage herself well. Really, she had no real strengths, only things she was fairly good at. Her painting skills were her greatest asset.

“No. We’re not going to train you with a scythe. It’s already known to be your strongest skill, whether it is or not. You’re not going to get one in Cornucopia. And the people who do take the scythe will know better than to keep it open for you to take. It’s common sense. Think about it this way: if you found a trident, you wouldn’t leave it for a tribute from District 4 to take it, would you?”

What Lennox was saying was making sense, of course. Everyone would know that Erah would know how to work a scythe, and it was for that reason she was going to have to learn how to work with another weapon. All in the element of surprise. “Yeah, that makes sense. It makes a lot of sense. I’ll have to learn how to work other weapons. Knives, swords, bow and arrow perhaps?” She looked up at her mentor with big eyes, her throat feeling tight. Everything was too much for her to take in. She already knew she wouldn’t be the one coming out of the Arena alive, but there was still that little sliver of hope. It was all she had to hang on to. Maybe she could make it, even if her chances were slim.

“Assuming you can’t get a scythe, what can you do?”

“I figure… A sword couldn’t be too hard to handle, if I’m used to a scythe, I mean. And I think I have a good throwing arm. A spear, maybe?” Erah sighed. The more she talked about her tactics for the Arena, the less she thought she would be able to do it, the less she thought she would be able to come out alive. But she would still try. For her family, she would try. They needed her back home, and Erah, she wasn’t ready to die just yet.

Lennox shrugged, sighing in relief that Erah was listening and understanding her logic easily. The only thing she could do was hope that Erah put her advice to use, not just in one ear and out the other. “But I must know, what are your strengths?” She had a feeling that there would not be too many that proved useful and that was what they would have to work on if they wanted to get her pass the first few days.

“I figure… a sword couldn’t be too hard to handle, if I’m used to a scythe, I mean. And I think I have a good throwing arm. A spear, maybe?”

Lennox shrugged. “Either one will work. You decide for yourself.” That had been Lennox’s short downfall in the arena; she had only been trained with the scythe and when it came down to the countdown, she realized that she was useless without one. It was her desperation that gave her the strength to kill the Careers so easily, as well as the other tributes. “But always consider this: what would you do without a weapon?” Judging from Erah’s stature, it seemed obvious that she wasn’t too strong. That’s where Lennox differed. She had been strong before the games, only stronger after the games. Erah was already physically weak, and it seemed too late to manage to build strength so quickly.

“Practice with a sword first.” She said promptly. “It is the most similar to the scythe in size, though you’ll have to work with the shape.” It was unlikely that she would obtain a sword, but it was just as unlikely that she would get a scythe. “Then knives. If you can dodge a knife, you can gain a knife.” She had studied the 74^th games, remembering how Katniss Everdeen had gained a weapon by merely dodging one, or shielding at least.

“And don’t ignore what seems useless. Learn to tie a knot, set a fire, whatever they offer in the training session.” It was known that it was the downfall of many Careers, and she was banking on them dying of hunger or stupidity. She put her hands on Erah’s shoulders and pulled her close to her face. “And don’t ally with the Careers. Whatever you do, do not ally with the Careers.” She held her own vendetta against them and she was acquainted with their mentors. “They will not hesitate to kill you at any given chance.” Her grip tightened on the tribute’s shoulder. “Trust no one. You have no friends in the arena, remember that. I’m the closest you’ll get to a friend.”