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olf-whistles and throws a knife at me.

I pluck it out of the air with a finger and inspect him coolly. He's silent, and so is Coralia.I know that they thought I was useless...but I'm not. "G-go!" I snap. "You...are...disgrace!" I'm slightly embarrassed that I can't even form a proper sentence before my throatstarts to hurt.

He casts one last resentful look at me, and stalks out of the room. Coralia looks at mewith a new interest. "Now," she begins, leaning towards me. "Let's talk about you plucking that knife...you know, I think we could whip you up into a..."

But I don't listen to her. What's the point? What's the point of winning the games? What's...forget it. I resume my salad-picking, and focus my attention on the fat, red, juicy tomato in the middle. I raise my knife, and stab it right in the middle. A bubble of red juice explodes in the room, drenching both Coralia and I in something that resembles blood.

I throw my head back, and laugh hysterically. I've never felt this good in years.

"Why was she even picked?" Sean complained, picking at his salad. "She's a useless person! I mean, she doesn't even speak!" Sean glared at Linnith with such anger that sheflinched slightly.

Linnith didn't say anything. She knew it was useless...besides, what was she to try to change his personal opinion? It was useless... Linnith resumed her salad-picking.

"Sean!" Coralia, her mentor, said sharply. "Don't say that. That's rude and undignified."Coralia's eye were slanted in an unusual way that made her look like a snake, so Linnith totally understood when Sean when he shrunk back in his seat and looked away fromher.

"It's true, though!" Sean retorted, after several minutes of sulking. "I mean, she's not even standing up for herself!"

Linnith looked away, and brushed a few strands of stray hairs out of her face. Maybe I should cut it, she mused. Long hair could be dangerous in the games. And it could be. There have been several cases of hair being the cause of death... One year, a girl named Harlot Kippley got her hair stuck in a super-escalator- needless to say, her head wasseparated from her body. That was a weird year, Linnith reflected. The shopping mall theme was interesting.

Linnith was jolted out of my thoughts when a fat and juicy plumb hit her in the face. She looked up, startled. Did he just...throw a plumb at me? Linnith wondered in bemusement. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Nothing had come out of it since...she looked down again, and teared the napkin she had in her hands into pieces. No point in getting angry, she thought- he'll just laugh if I throw a tantrum.

"Sean!" Coralia snapped. "That's enough, get out of here!" Her eyes were wide and furious, and her face was set in a way that looked as if she were a snake baring it's fangs.

Linnith giggled inwardly. On the outside, though, she remained as calm and stoic as ever. No point in laughing aloud- Linnith concluded- it would only make her angry, or embarrassed, which would be much worse.

"Why?" Sean stood up angrily. "I'm the best chance you've got of winning! Why should

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I be the one who gets in trouble?" He raised his finger and pointed it at Coralia. "You should be on my side, not hers!" He threw such a hateful glance at Linnith that she was instantly blown away by the intensity of it. Did he really hate her that much? She wondered.

But- oh well, no point in wondering about it, Linnith thought. She started picking at her

uneaten salad again.

While she did so, she was vaguely aware of Coralia shouting, of Sean shouting, but didn't really pay attention to any of it- until one word caught her attention. "-a disgrace toDistrict 4, her mother stole from a peacekeeper! She got less than what she deserved-I mean, a head-bashing isn't even as painful as they make it out to be."

A bomb of anger exploded in Linnith's chest.

She raised her head and looked at him with a new fury in her gaze. She didn't care if he talked shit about her...but her mother...now that's was a subject that was off-limits. She stood up, her fingers trembling from the rage in her body. She opened her mouth, and tried to speak. It had been years since the last time she had spoke, so she'd kind offorgotten, but- it was like riding a bicycle. It's easy to remember.

Instead of the bright, hyper voice that Linnith used to speak with, it came out as a hoarse, raspy, whisper. "Don't." She gasped out, her fingers clenched into fists. "Don't say..."

"What?" Sean taunted, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "Speak up, babe! C'mon!" Hewolf-whistled and threw a knife at her.

Linnith plucked it out of the air with a finger and inspected him coolly. Both Sean and Coralia were silent. Linnith knew that they thought she was useless...but she really wasnot. "G-go!" Linnith snapped. "You...are...disgrace!" She was slightly embarrassed thatshe couldn't even even form the proper sentence before her throat started to hurt.

Sean casted one last resentful look at her, and then stalked out of the room. Coralia looked at Linnith with a new interest. "Now," she began, leaning towards her. "Let's talk about you plucking that knife...you know, I think we could whip you up into a..."

But Linnith didn't listen to her. What was the point, anyway? What was the point of winning the games? What's...forget it, Linnith thought bitterly. She resumed her salad-picking, and stared at the fat, juicy tomato in the middle. She raised her knife, and stabbedit right in the middle. A bubble of blood-red juice exploded in the room, drenching bothLinnith and Coralia in what looked like blood.

She had never felt so good in years.

AUTHOR's NOTE: Sorry if I made her more normal/unemotional than you wanted to. Se

nd me a suggestion!