saving grace | {ellexias/lex} blitz

Her hands were raw. Hour after hour of clutching firewood and sparking ignitions with flint left a pink rash across her palms. Her trainers had offered her a special cream to soothe the stinging, but she politely declined. If she were to stumble across poison ivy in the arena, a healing remedy would not come free of charge. A cure for her discomforts would not fall from the sky unless sponsorship favored her, which she sincerely doubted. She needed to prepare herself for realistic circumstances. She would endure the rashes, burns, and aches for as long as possible, even if it slowed her down.

The accuracy station was calling her name, but so were the bowl of carrots in the dining hall. She ended up grabbing a handful along with a bottle of water, and returned to the bustling training center to lounge against the wall and crunch on her snack. She watched some of the other tributes dominate at their stations, whether it be blades, firemaking, or her least favorite – accuracy. That one always left her feeling frustrated and exhausted, as if progress was a hundred miles away. Her trainers encouraged her regardless.

Her carrots were depleted by the time she heard the boy’s voice. She hadn’t bothered to match names to faces but it was impossible to ignore the careers. This was Alexis, the intimidating boy “bombshell” from four, and she immediately stiffened. She had no idea what business he could have with her.

He pushed himself into her bubble of personal space, and started talking about sponsors. It made sense, actually, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t information as much as it was a flirtatious compliment. ”Thank you,” she said, ”But I don’t think I should rely on a golden face.”