"Tomorrow is the day they will evaluate your skills." Alaric explains to Dahlia, Wyatt nowhere to be seen. "This is the time to pick up the sword and show those bastards what you can do."

"So you're saying the first time I'll ever pick up a sword will be in front of the Head Gamemaker?" Dahlia asks incredulously, leaning her forearms on the table. "This is the plan?"

Alaric sighs at Dahlia's outburst of disbelief and clarifies, "We needed to make sure the other tributes were unaware of your skills."

"What skills?" She exclaims, throwing her hands up in exasperation and despair. "I haven't picked up a sword in my life and you're expecting me to be an expert?"

"Dahlia, you are the best tribute I have ever trained." Alaric states, traces of sadness hidden within his voice. "You had all the attributes of a Victor, you just needed some combat skills to back it up. I have never seen anyone take to the training as well as you have." The mentor stands up and heads round the table to kneel in front of the girl, taking her hands in his own. "You are a force to be reckoned with. The Capitol believes it, the tributes believe it... And I believe it. But I need you to believe it too. Having confidence in your own abilities is half the battle." Alaric doesn't know how this young girl managed to worm her way into his heart, but he refuses to let her give up on herself. Not when she's come so far already. "Tomorrow, you will stand tall and proud. You will walk in there with your head held high and pick up a sword like you've been wielding one your whole life. Do you understand?"

Dahlia nods her head with a restored feeling of confidence. "Yes. I'll do my best."

"That's all I ask." Alaric smiles, squeezing Dahlia's hands three times. Dahlia returns the gesture before launching herself into Alaric's arms. The older man is taken aback by the hug. He had not let anyone get close to him in years and now this determined girl had done the impossible in just a few days. She was going to do well tomorrow. He just knew it.

•——————•°•✿•°•——————•

Dahlia sat stiffly on the metal bench, palms pressed tightly to her legs to stop them from visibly shaking. Her legs had been bouncing with nerves so she had placed her feet flat on the floor. All her concentration was spent on making sure her body didn't betray her fearful emotions. The Career Pack are like dogs, smelling fear from a mile away. They looked the smaller tributes up and down, analysing their weaknesses like a predator stalking prey. She was determined not to give them the satisfaction.

Cove was up before her, the two girls exchanging subtle winks of reassurance. They had spent most of the previous day training and learning together. Dahlia was surprised at how friendly the blonde was, acting almost like the big sister she's never had (if that big sister was an expert with knives and spears). They had learned a lot from each other in such a short period of time and now they were both ready to show off their skills today.

"Dahlia Blossom." A robotic voice announced. All eyes snapped up to the girl who seemed unfazed by the daunting task ahead of her. Calmly, she pushed herself off the bench and strolled into the training room.

The men in the observation room perked up as the girl entered, some straining their necks to get a clearer view of the Black Dahlia. What they couldn't see under her confident facade was the increased breathing and erratic heartbeat, the sweating palms and nervous twitches. This was her chance to give the Capitol a sneak peek of what their Black Dahlia would give them during the Games. It had to be perfect.

Plato Gallolock, the Head Gamemaker, was an older gentleman who was notoriously difficult to please. He was reclined in a plush red chair with his chin resting in his palm, boredom evident on his face. This was going to be a difficult feat, but Dahlia is not one to back down from a challenge.

"Dahlia Blossom. District Five." Dahlia states confidently, receiving only a nod of dismissal from Plato. Give them a show.

Dahlia turned her back to the men, taking a deep breath as she approached the display of weapons. An overwhelming choice greeted her. Blades of all different sizes, styles and shapes shined to perfection before her. She could see her reflection staring back at her, a timid girl pretending to be something she's not. Then her eyes catch sight of the perfect weapon, and the smirk returns to her face. A trainer was waiting for her as she returned to the mat, a sword in hand and ready to battle.

A thin black blade was unsheathed with a satisfying slice as Dahlia readied herself. No one had reached for this smaller weapon before, the comfort of their heavy traditional swords bringing them confidence. But Dahlia had never picked up a blade, so why did it matter which one she picked? Besides, the light sword felt remarkably similar to the candlestick she had been practicing with. She swung the dark blade to test the weight of it as her opponent stood waiting. She struck while he wasn't paying attention.

Their swords clashed as he blocked quickly, recovering from the shock of the attack. The man was in the middle of the mat while Dahlia circled around him with watchful eyes. He heaved the heavy sword above his head and smacked it down, missing her entirely as her small frame darted to the side. She stepped on his weapon, securing it to the floor before kicking the man's chest and sending him tumbling away. The obsidian steel was placed against his neck and the victory was hers.

"Best of two?" Dahlia taunted, quirking an eyebrow at the large man sprawled on the floor. She kicked the sword back over to her opponent as he rose to his feet. His eyes are narrowed as he retrieves the weapon. "I'll go easy on you. I'm just a beginner, after all." She folds her arms behind her back, blade pointing up to the ceiling as she smirks. "When you're ready."

The man growls and swings the sword to her right. She swivels casually to avoid it and the blade sails right past. He pulls back and aims for her other side, but she foils his plan again. As he swipes directly at her neck, she ducks and twirls away so she now stands behind him. He grows impatient with her constant dodging and charges for the girl. Dahlia, remembering every single move Alaric taught her, blocks every thrust aimed to harm her with skill that surpassed even her own expectations.

The battle is technical and well-fought until finally, Dahlia decides that she's had enough of the display and chooses to bring it to a victorious end. She forces the man's sword out of his hand and settles the matter with a swift slice to his cheek. Just enough to draw blood. Just enough to show that she means business. Just enough to show that she would kill without hesitation.

But Dahlia doesn't leave it at that. She fishes out a white dahlia from her pocket, freshly picked by Juno specially for this moment. Wiping the droplets of blood from the sword on the perfect petals of the flower, she wanders to the edge of the training area. "A gift from the Black Dahlia." She declares, throwing the tainted dahlia at the feet of Plato Gallolock. "I hope you enjoyed the show." None of the men speak as she strides out of the room with a smirk on her face.

•——————•°•✿•°•——————•

"Now that was a show!" Alaric cheers loudly as he enters the apartment. Dahlia is immediately tackled into a hug and lifted from the ground. She laughs joyfully as Alaric spins them around and her legs flail around behind them. "Who came up with the flower idea?"

"I did." Dahlia replies as Alaric sets her down and she takes a seat next to her stylist. "But it wouldn't have been possible without Juno's help."

"Oh, petal, how could I not help?" Juno declares dramatically, placing her hand on Dahlia's shoulder. "It was such an artistic gesture and I will do anything to encourage creativity."

"I'm not quite sure people will view it as artistically as you have." Alaric comments, plopping down next to Dahlia. "But it was absolute brilliance."

"Let's just hope the gamekeepers agreed with you. Everyone knows that Plato isn't generous with his points. " Dahlia sighs, leaning back as Caesar pops up on the screen.

"As you know, the Tributes were rated on a scale of 1 to 12 after three days of careful evaluation." He explains as Wyatt emerges from the isolation of his room. District One's female tribute scores a respective low 8 while the males and the female from Two score impressive 9's. District Three's male scores 4 while the female scores 5. District Four's overconfident male is taken down a few pegs with a score of 7 while Cove soars above him with a 9. Dahlia silently cheers for the girl who she could potentially call a friend. "From District Five... Wyatt Armstrong." Everyone in the apartment sits up in interest to await the result. "With a score of... 1."

Gasps of horror echo around the group as Dahlia whips round to face the boy. "What the hell did you do?" She seethes through gritted teeth, eyes wide and blazing with rage. If his score had somehow influenced their judgement of her, that boy had better sleep with one eye open. She wasn't going to let him ruin her chances of getting home to her family.

The boy is seemingly unaffected by her fury, his expression remaining impassive as he slowly turns his head to meet the shocked faces of the rest of the team. "Nothing." He replies monotonously with a casual shrug of the shoulders, standing up from the sofa to retreat back into his room. "I did nothing."

Dahlia shakes her head in annoyance, turning back to the screen. "From District Five... Dahlia Blossom..." The girl's hands shake uncontrollably before Alaric and Juno grip them tightly. She feels reassured to know that these people support her, even though she knows she'll be on her own in the arena. "With a score of... 10."

Juno and Alaric squeeze her hands in excitement as everyone gasps out. "That's the highest score Plato has ever awarded." Alaric informs her with a proud grin. "That's my Victor!"

Dahlia heaves a sigh of relief, flopping backwards with her head staring up at the ceiling. The facade of the Black Dahlia is safe and everyone knows that she is a force to be reckoned with. And more importantly, so does she.

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𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐. . .

𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏
↳ 𝑷𝑳𝑨𝑻𝑶 𝑮𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑪𝑲

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