A/N: Hey! Sorry for the long wait!

Disclaimer:

Katniss: Umm...hello. Look I've got a busy schedule. I have to shoot a movie!

Me: Suck it up and just say the disclaimer. Then you can go.

Katniss: Whatever. Sarahpumpkin doesn't own the Hunger Games.

Me: *sighs*

Chapter 2:

Going to the Capitol

Our Mentors meet us on the train. Sonya, my mentor, has brown hair and freckles. She looks at me with an air of sadness in her green eyes. Coy, Jaynen's mentor, has short, black hair and cold blue eyes.

I look at Jaynen and he smiles at me. I don't return the smile, but keep my face impassive. We look at each other for a whole minute before I divert my eyes away and board the train.

I go to my room and my jaw drops. I can take a proper shower, and demand food by just the touch of a button.

I take my dress off, step into the shower, and press the buttons called 'Aloe Shampoo', 'Pumpkin Conditioner', 'Apricot Face Scrub', and 'Tangerine Body Wash'. The bottles appear and I wash and soak myself for nearly two hours.

When I am done, I step out and dry myself off with something they call a towel, but in District 5 we call rags. I look in the drawers of the room and find fresh clothes. I pick out blue pants and a blue shirt. Once I get them on, I go out of my room and wander around the train to find dinner in one of the other cars.

I find Jaynen, Coy, and Sonya sitting at a table waiting for me. Jaynen has on black pants and a black shirt. He has obviously showered.

"Sorry I took so long," I say in almost a whisper.

"It's ok; I remember when I got my first shower." Sonya says and I nod.

Sonya's Games were probably one of the easiest for our District. The arena was a big field with tall grasses, and the Cornucopia sat in the middle, where there was a clearing. In the tall grasses there were a bunch of muttations, jabberjays, mockingjays, and tracker-jackers. She, coming from District 5, was used to working with all of those, since District 5 makes them for the Capitol. She knew how to keep them away, and use them against the other tributes, and that's how she won.

I study her for a few minutes before I say, "What are we waiting for?"

"Well, we were waiting for you, but now we aren't waiting for anyone, so let's eat." She says.

Immediately people come and bring us food. I stare at the dinner trays a moment, taking in the smells and the beauty of the food, and then I notice Jaynen putting food on his plate, so I do too. I dip food onto my plate until there is no more room left, and out of the corner of my eye I notice our mentors watching us as they eat. They quietly look at each other, come to some sort of agreement, and then continue eating.

"Well, what a lovely meal this is!" Euregaurd says. I look at him and then look at Jaynen, who is staring at Euregaurd as if he's a lunatic. He seems to notice me watching him, then our eyes meet, he gives me a wary smile that I do not return. As I eat, I wonder silently what his plan is in these Games and if I will stand a chance against him.

"Alright, well, as you probably know, you are going to be going to what could be your deaths, so in order to get at least one of you out of there alive, we're going to need to know your strengths," Jaynen's mentor, Coy, says. He is rather quiet- or, should I say, was, ever since his Games he has gotten fairly louder…which is really quite odd. "As they say, lady's first." He says grimly, turning to me.

I look at him, not really wanting to speak, but I also know that if I don't, I don't stand a chance. I think about it for a moment, strategies going through my head. Should I tell them what my strengths are? I certainly won't in front of Jaynen.

I just stare at Coy. "I'm good with throwing knives," I lie smoothly. "Of course, I can also run fast, and steal things rather easily." I tell the truth with this part, but only to get them to know I am capable of coming out alive.

"Well don't underestimate stealing, it can come in handy. Being able to have a weapon and running is really good," Sonya says, impressed. "How about we test your stealing capabilities?"

"How should we do this?" murmurs Coy. "Aha! Alright, are you done eating?" he asks us. Jaynen and I nod our heads. "Could you please take the food away?" Coy asks the people serving us.

Once the table is cleared, he asks them to bring an apple. They bring in the apple and place it on the table. I just stare at it.

"Alright Amber, we're going to start talking about Jaynen now, while we are talking I want you to take the apple off of the table without us knowing. Can you do that?" Coy asks.

I nod my head and listen to their conversation so I can know what Jaynen might be planning, but at the same time, I watch to see if any of them aren't paying attention very well.

"So Jaynen, what are your strengths?" Coy asks him. Jaynen starts telling about his smarts, and how he can use a knife pretty well.

I wait until Coy, Sonya, and Euregaurd are all immersed into him talking before I swipe the apple from the table. None of them notice, which is pretty funny since I did it a little too fast. Coy, Sonya, and Euregaurd start asking him questions and he answers them. It takes the conversation so long that I take a huge chunk out of the apple, which makes a crunching sound. All of them look at me, and then look at the apple in my hands. I glance at them and nonchalantly keep eating the apple.

"Why did you stop talking?" I ask sweetly.

None of them answer, but I can tell Sonya is thinking hard. "How did you do that?" she asks me. "I mean, I didn't even notice you until you started eating it!"

I smile slyly. "Years of practice," I answer. She smiles, and then we are all laughing. Once the laughter subsides she asks how smart I am.

"I get awards all the time for stuff." I answer.

"I got a 592 on the D5-APT." Jaynen says in an 'I-am-smarter-then-she-is-so-pay-attention-to-me' tone. Looks like the nice boy act didn't work out for him.

The D5-APT stands for District 5 Assessment Performance Test; it's an extremely important test that you have to take and get a good grade on in order to get certain jobs. The most possible points you can get on it is a 600. "I got a 576, but at least I don't have the instincts of a slug," I murmur. I stare at my feet, knowing that my comment was harsh but not particularly caring.

"It's good that you're both smart, but that won't help you much in the physical areas. It's good that you both are good with knives. It's also wonderful that you are a good runner. The next time we stop for a break, you'll have to show me how fast you are." Sonya says to break the tension. I nod my head, get up from the table, and silently but swiftly walk towards my room.

A/N: A big thanks to my beta readers Padfootfvd and Sarahhaley! R&R.