It's Only the Beginning {GreenBeads}

Stumbling into the training center, pulling at a cowlick even the fancy Capitol showers couldn't tame, Zack Detroff met his opponents. Worthy foes indeed. The District Eight male had arrived late, which is unusual for him but there had been just to many things to explore this morning.

First of all he had one of the "rough nights." The kind when you stare at the wall and your mind refuses to shut off. He hadn't been thinking of anything really, just of how sweet sleep would have been in those moments. After managing to drift off for a few hours he woke up to a clock with little red numbers that blared "9:45" into his eyes. Launching up out of the still crisp Capitol sheets, Zack slid into the bathroom and was stopped by the large screen for showering options. Despite the time limit he insisted on studying all the options, testing some out before finally settling on a mixture of what the screen stated to be "Earthy Aroma" and "Manly Musk."

After his shower another glance at the clock sent him in a frenzy to get dressed. Pulling on the first clothes he got his hands on, Detroff flung open his door, leaped down the hallway and threw himself into the elevator. After smashing his palm into the correct button to lower him to the gym, Zack realized he should have waited for his District partner- well that was a stupid idea since she was probably already down there, but Zack's chivalry ate at his middle.

Zack stood up from his position leaning against the back wall of the lift just as the doors slid open. His first impression of the enormous, spotless gym of the training center was a well oiled machine. Not any of the ones back in District Eight, but the shiny ones the Capitol people like to stare at. Beautiful, jaw-dropping but pretty much useless. Taking a step out onto the clean floor, Zack got a good look at what clothes he had pulled on. Brown pants, a purple shirt with some kind of golden emblem on the left breast, a brown boot on his right foot, and a black one of the left. Shrugging, Zack decided to wasn't that bad.

He shuffled around the gym, suddenly overtaken by shyness that was usually a stranger to him. However, he figured since he was about to be killed he could get in touch with all these foreign emotions. Walking past a table decorated with sharp fancy blades, Zack stopped at the station next to it. He wasn't sure what the instructor there wanted to teach him but he divided his attention between the man and the knives not that far from him.

Could he throw them? Could he kill someone with them? More importantly, could he dodge or deflect one? A shudder curled itself up his spine thinking about the blade piercing his flesh when someone broke his concentration on the weapons.

"Hello."

Zack turned and took in the person in front of him. Enigma Lane. Female. District partner. Really tall. That was what her file in Zack's mind held. He had always been good add remembering people, maybe that could be an advantage.

"Hi. Enigma, right?" holding out his hand, Zachary knew he was correct when he called her Enigma but some people prefer a friendly distance. Oh manners, Zack was hoped he'd lose them in the Arena.

"And you're...Um, Detroff, right?"

Zack resisted the urge to sigh as he realized his own District partner didn't know his name. He remained gentlemanly and corrected her politely.

"Zack. Zack Detroff," he followed her gaze which was now pointed at the curved blades. She turned back to him saying "So...knives, huh? You know how to use one of these things yet?"

Zack took a good look at her, not one of those scans when the only thing that registers is her height- a full look. Her nose was rather narrow, but her hair was so full, curly, and... perfect he had to admire it. She was older than him. She was taller than him. All the requirements most of the guys in District demanded of their girls didn't apply here.

He was still examining her, the faintest etch of pink still on her cheeks from an earlier blush made her pale skin even more radiant.

"Eh, not really my thing. Knives, that is," Zack wanted to slap himself. She was an ugly giant that had to business being next to him. Turning his gaze to the knives, Zack reached out and ran his thumb down the flat side of one. They'd both die anyways. No need to develop some schoolboy crush on her. His mind brought him the memory of last year, two girls in the Games- Nash and Topaz. They had been a big hit with the Capitol. They had to kill each other.

Zack kept his gaze down, hating his hormones but incapable of being rude to her. It was't in his blood to be cruel to someone. Especially for something they had no control over.

"What about you? his face was still pointed down, staring at the light reflecting off the weapons. Don't pull this shit now.

Was she talking to herself? Zack decided that he was just hearing things and that Enigma Lane was a perfectly sane person who did not mutter to herself. Hopefully. However, even if she did Zack couldn't help but point out the positives in it, like how he thought it was kind of cute- no. Bringing his focus back to the knives, Zack moved his thumb on to the next blade, taking in its surface.

"Oh, I've never really used them before. It would be useful, though, don't you think? It seems as if there's always so many kinds of blades in the arena."

Miss Enigma Lane became awfully talkative since she came up. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Detroff saw a fresh wave of pink blanketing her cheeks. Instead of blushing himself and turning away he pulled on the ol' "funny guy" mask. He felt that he was a different person, someone who could tell a joke and get a laugh, or flirt a little and not get completely turned down like he would he if he was just plain Zack Detroff. So, with this other boy fueling his movements and words, Zack pulled away from the table, looking Enigma straight on (well, up) and flashing her the "Big Man" smile.

"I know of one blade that I can use very well," the words dripped off his tongue like the syrup they seem to drizzle on everything in the Capitol. The fake flirting Zack does, it is a very useful tool. The over-the-top dramatics of it easily concealed the sincerity from which it bloomed. That's how Zack talked to girls, underneath layers of armor because no one can hurt him once hidden behind this persona and he liked it that way.

To complete this impenetrable suit that protected the deepest depths of his mind, Zack wiggled his eyebrows at her.

You can dance with danger when you're guarded well enough.

He couldn't help it, Zack just had to smile. The cheesy line wasn't even that funny but Enigma was dying with laughter. He caught himself watching her, taking pleasure in the lines that formed on her face as she made a noise that echoed around the gym. He had made her laugh. That meant something, right? His melodramatic actor's mask slid away for a second and allowed himself to be unexposed at the same moment she was. Something told Zack that Enigma didn't laugh out loud a lot back in Eight. He made her laugh and that made him smile like nothing else, until she looked up. Her eyes caught his and caught him off guard, unprotected and naked.

"Well I don't think it will be of much use to you in the arena. But I've been wrong before..."

He broke the gaze, comfortable sliding back into his armor and fishing for a smart ass comment to shoot back at her.

"Do not underestimate the power of Mr. Johnson! How about we team up and you can see all the things he can do," winking, Zack hoped Enigma realized he was serious about an alliance. He might have just met her but Enigma was the only piece of home in this entire city and Zack liked having a little piece of District eight with him. That and she might be the only tribute out of all twenty three that thinks he's funny.