SPERCTRA BREE WONDERMAN POV

TRAINING- DISTRICT 1

I woke up in a hurry as always. I check myself in the mirror and step into the shower. I put on nothing too fancy, a black top and tights and head off to training. I'm really excited, I can't wait, really. Before I know it, I'm there at the training centre. I walk out, hopping, before I remember that I'm a Career, and Careers don't hop, or act so bubbly. They are cold, violent, deadly and lethal. I stop hopping and put on a bored but deadly and fierce expression. I can see some guys gawking at me but what do I care. I glare at everyone, my eyes resting on a boy called Jake for a longer period of time. He's staring at me, probably tauntingly, so I whip out one of my daintiest, smallest, sharpest knives and throw it just a bit left of his face, enough to leave a scar but not really hurt him. I can see that it works; he is startled and moves away. I smirk and throw some more knives, which land spot on, as usual. By the time that I am finished, everyone in the gym has fallen silent. I turn around, annoyed. The head trainers look impressed with me- well, at least, one does, I think. The one called Odessaly looks at me approvingly but the guy trainer called Dakota looks annoyed and scowls at me. "You been training for a lot, Blondie?" Dakota asks me. I don't even turn around to look at him because no one ever talks to me that way, and I won't have it. Odessaly makes a sour face at him, as if to tell him, "I told you." "Shut up, Dakota. Let me speak. Hey there, Spectra Wonderman, have you been training a lot of time? You look advanced." Odessaly tells me and I turn. "Yeah, ever since I was five. If that's advanced, then yeah, I am advanced. So, you're gonna put me in Advanced Combat, or what?" I ask her, coolly but politely. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm thinking. So, off you go. There through the door on the far left. Get in hand to hand combat; we want to see how good you are without those pretty little knives." I nod expressionlessly and go in through the indicated door, only to collide with the guy I'd shot a knife at earlier.

He glares at me coldly. "Watch your step, Blondie, or you might end up dead sooner than you'd like." He snaps at me. That sets me off, because I hate people looking down on me that way, and I block his way. "Maybe you should watch your step, because, I don't give a damn about you and I won't hesitate to kill you, because nothing pisses me off worse than a stupid dumbass like you who thinks he's soo important and marvelous at training. And oh, if you want to get through this door, you have to apologize to me first." I retort angrily and he glares at me even more. "I won't apologize. I'll get through this door, even if it means fighting you." He says and pins me down. Ugh. I gasp in shock for a second, and then recover and squirm, because if I move a little bit more, the knife in my belt will come loose in my hands, then he'll get it from me. "Scared now, are we, Blondie?" he says mockingly, staring at me and smirking. "Scared? Oh, more like trying to get this damn belt out." I spit back at him as the knife comes out in my hand. I push him away and keep my knife at the ready. "Oh, so we're fighting now, Blondie?" he says, doing likewise, but with a sword. "Get ready to die." He snarls at me and I grin slyly, because I've many more knives on me than the one in my hand. He rushes in on me and I duck, and then send a serrated knife flying at hm. I don't want the knife to hit him, but hit his shirt and pin him by the wall, and that's what happens. If he moves or tries to free himself, the serrated edges of the knife will make sure that his skin is sawed off nicely. "I said, APOLOGIZE to me. Need I repeat again?" I glare at him and he sighs, though he's glaring at me with a hostile expression. "All right, Blondie. Just this once. Sorry. But mind, no one insults me and gets away with it, so rest assured, I'm letting you off scot free." He tells me angrily and I pull the knife free in a way that it won't saw his skin off. Suddenly, I hear applause from the door. I turn and see Odessaly and Dakota, who're applauding me, even Dakota, though grudgingly. I give a slight, graceful bow and speak sarcastically, addressing my words to Dakota. "Thank you for your faith in me, sire." Odessaly gives me an approving look and Dakota scowls. "Enough with the pretty knives. Let's see what you can do weaponless. Since you have shown an interest in fighting Jake here, he'll be your opponent today. On the count of three, then." We both nod. He counts to three and we're off. "Don't underestimate me, princess. Watch how I decimate you." He whispers in my ear and catches me tightly. He is choking me off and blocking my windpipe, but I was determined not to show any weakness or falter. I move my hand around, trying to find the area near his ribs and elbow him. I elbow him and he releases me on a reflex. I use this split second's time to break away and I scurry up the ropes up in the gym. I don't think he has seen me climb up, so he won't know where I am. He looks around, confused and I can't help teasing him a little bit. "Hey there, Jake. Come on, climb up and get me if you're so strong. Or can't you climb?" I tease him and slide down. "You are so dead now." He snarls at me and knocks me down, holding me and I know this is one hand lock I can't break out of.

"You lose, princess." He whispers, leaning in and whips out a dagger. He looks back at Dakota for permission, who nods. Odessaly looks resigned and it hits me. I've seen this happen many times in the gym. In a fight, the loser is sometimes killed by the winner. And here, it's legal, because they only want the best. My eyes widen and I make a last desperate struggle to throw him off. By some fluke it works and now I'm on top of him. I look back at Odessaly like Jake had and bring out the knife hidden in my boot, waving it in front of his face mockingly. Then I notice that he still has his dagger beside him and I lean in just like Jake had, before trying to kill me. On an impulse, I lean in toward his face, instead of his hand, as if to kiss him. Well, what I'm really gonna do is make him think I'm kissing him and then grab his dagger before he knows it, and probably kill him too. He stares at me and for the first time I notice how clear and blue his eyes are, like a sparkling lake. He loosens his hold on me, and I know he's fallen into my trap. I lean in just a bit more, swiftly grab his dagger and spring away before he can hurt me. I decide not to kill him; it will be more fun to humiliate him in front of everyone. "Falling for me, Jake?" I ask him, teasing. I stand warily but defensively, because he seems a very aggressive person and might try to fight me again. But he doesn't. He just sits there, staring at me and mutters, "I think I just lost my weapon." I laugh at him and say sweetly, "It looks like you've probably lost your heart as well, Jake, not only your weapon." Then I walk away, feeling the awed gazes on my back.

Jake POV

Wow. That was something. I never lose, not even to Dakota. What's happening to me? I can't be falling for the blonde Ice Princess, no way. But…. What if I am? Falling for her or not, I admit she's extremely pretty. A cold blooded murderer too, going by the attitude she has. For that one second when she was leaning in, I really thought she was going to kiss me. Maybe I'm going crazy. Maybe I do like her. It's impossible to tell. I stay up all night, wondering why I hadn't killed her when I had the chance. And I could have thrown her off, but I didn't. Why was that? Well, that could be pondered later. I decided to hit the sack, because tomorrow was the reaping and I needed to be fresh for that.

Sorry to anyone who's reading this, because I always get writers block when writing from Jake's POV. But, if you're reading this, please review! I welcome all reviews. Sorry for making the chapter short, but the next chapter will be better.