The Hunger Games Tribute Guide (7 page)
Read The Hunger Games Tribute Guide Online
Authors: Emily Seife
Tags: #Juvenile Fiction, #Media Tie-In
H
ere’s the heart of the complex — the Training Center itself. We’re happy to offer our readers an exclusive look at the stations of the Training Center and the weapons the tributes train with.
The Training Center is a massive, open gym. Bright lights illuminate the area from above. The cavernous space echoes with the sound of grunts and clashing weapons. In the corner, a few tributes engage in hand-to-hand combat with a trainer in body armor. They roar as they hurtle their bodies toward each other. In another corner there’s the flash of metal, as blades fly through the air. Knives stab . . . spears are hurled . . . an ax lodges itself in a soft target. A closer look reveals that the targets are life-sized human shapes.
The Careers, the tributes from Districts 1 and 2, are eager to show off. They project an aura of arrogance in order to intimidate their competition. Once in the gym, they head straight for the sharpest weapons.
To keep everyone safe, Peacekeepers with stun guns are placed around the room. They stay out of the training, but are quick to step in if a fight breaks out.
In a special area, perched above the gym, is the Gamemakers’ balcony. From the balcony, the Gamemakers have a clear view of all the tributes in the room. Sometimes they take notes, sometimes they help themselves to a lavish buffet, but they are always paying close attention to the action below them. They are studying the tributes: how they move, how they interact, how they jump, and how they fall. All this knowledge will come into play once the Games begin.
Meet Atala, the head trainer. She can whip even the weakest tribute into shape. When they first enter the Center, she gathers them in a circle in the center of the space so that she can explain the rules. “No fighting with other tributes,” she says. “You’ll have plenty of time for that in the arena.” Atala starts to point out the various training stations. “My advice is don’t ignore the survival skills. Twenty-three of you will die. One will not. Who that is depends on your ability to anticipate. Everyone wants to grab a sword but lots of you will die of natural causes. Ten percent from infection. Twenty percent from dehydration. One year the arena was a frozen tundra. Five years ago it was a burning desert. Exposure can kill you as easily as a knife.”
She blows her whistle. The training has begun.
T
he gauntlet is a daunting obstacle course. It consists of ascending platforms that rise up to a landing. The tributes must jump from platform to platform to reach the finish in the fastest time possible. To make it even more challenging, they must do it while trainers swing at them with padded clubs. What skills will help with the gauntlet? Speed, of course. Agility. You want to be able to duck and dodge your way around those swinging clubs. But strength and balance help, too. If you do get hit, can you keep yourself steady?
A
large net stretches to the ceiling of the gym. Again, a test of many things, including strength and balance and agility. Be warned: This climbing net is harder than it looks.
Ropes stretch across the ceiling, too. But only the very nimble can leap around up there.
Could you pull yourself up a hanging rope using sheer muscle? We suspect this tribute can.
I
f you’re in the arena, you want to be able to catch your own food. You could gather it . . . shoot it . . . fish for it . . . or catch it with a snare. Katniss Everdeen seems quite at home in this station. It’s hard to see through the tall grass, but it looks like she’s figured out an intricate rope snare.
Y
ou may think this station looks more “arts and crafts” than arena, but there is some benefit to knowing how to camouflage yourself. Look here at Peeta’s arm pressed up against the tree trunk. The arm is painted with a bark pattern, with light green moss.
H
ere you can find regular weights . . . and also iron balls with studs and spikes. Can you throw one like a shot put? Can you even pick one up?