We've been training for a few days now, and the air is still thick with the sound of my fellow tributes preparing themselves. Grunts of exertion speak of penalties that must be assessed before the judgement is made. The time spent in the training center is supposed to prepare us to be warriors, but few of us are anything close to that. We are the sons of daughters of miners and farmers. of ranchers and lumberjacks. We work with needles and electronics. We are kids. We want to laugh and play, discover romance and figure out the world for ourselves. Not this. Some of the younger tributes lost their innocence as soon as they were reaped and found out that the world can be a dark place. Others among us have not been children in a very long time.

I glance over at where the career tributes have perched. There's five of them, laughing at and taunting the rest of us. The two boys are sparring each other as the girls cheer them on. Cato and Marvel from two and one. The former is a musclebound meathead that appears to enjoy inflicting pain. I've caught him staring at me a few times with a look that is somewhere between disdain and anger. Most of the higher districts look down on us, considering us to be less than worthy of their "honor." And to be quite blunt, 12 has the worst track record out of any of the districts. Haymitch was our first and so far only Victor. And that's over a course of seventy-four years. Guys like Cato are bred for winning like prized dogs. As if to illustrate my point he knocks Marvel off of his feet with a snarl. Behind them, the ones named Glitter and Clove alternate between watching their partners go at it and practicing their skills at ranged attacks. The shorter girl with the dark hair is clearly the more dangerous of the two, hitting her targets with throwing knives, displaying incredible accuracy.

The blonde on the other hand is trying her hand at the bow and arrow and failing. She's a terrible shot. I could outshoot her any day of the week, but I'm not in the training center to show and I agreed that it'd be best to keep such things hidden; to not tip my hand and surprise them all when we make it into the arena. No, the time in the training center in better spent learning as much as I can about my enemies. The last of the career pack is a plain lanky girl from four. The others haven't really paid her much mind,so she seems more like a tag a long, the eager to prove herself type. I've spent most of my own time in the survival stations, brushing up on how to make fires, set traps for small game; things like that. My ears catch a giggle coming from the first aid station to my right and I look. As I do, my face is graced with a small grin. On the first day of training Prim had found a friend. The dark skinned girls name is Rue, a twelve year old from neighboring district eleven. The two of them have some things in common, and although I haven't really listened to their conversations, I've watched them.

Rue is quick. Agile. And a really good climber. I guess seeing as how her home is the center of agriculture, she's used to trees. I agreed to ally with her without hesitation. It wouldn't be right to let a another twelve year old wander the arena alone. I realize that this makes things harder on me, but I think I can handle it. I've avoided openly engaging in conversation with her though. I can't let myself get attached to anyone that isn't Prim. Not when I might have to..

I don't want to think about that. There are plenty of tributes that pose more of a threat than Rue. Like her district partner. Thresh is mountain of an eighteen year old, At least six feet tall if not more, and strong. He's over by the practice dummies hefting a sword. The instructor explains in a bored tone that the weapon is meant as more of a slashing blade than anything else. Thresh ignores them and brings it down on the dummies head in one swift movement. The attack cleaves the head in half, the blade getting stuck in the neck. He grunts and stalks back to the rack of weapons with a fierce grimace on his face. Even the careers stop what they are doing for a minute to give him an appraising look. I decide it might be worth my time to try talking to Thresh. If his district partner was willing to ally, maybe he would be too? And given his size, it would be in my and Primrose's best interests not to have him as an enemy.

I leave the station I'm at and cross the center to where he has selected an axe and is trying to dismember one of the dummies. He sees me approach but says nothing, concentrating on his attacks. When I've gotten close enough he puts the axe down and looks at me. I stick out a hand for a shake and try for a smile. " right? I'm Gale." The huge tribute looks at my hand, but makes no move to shake it before looking back to my face. "What do you want Twelve?" His voice is a low rumble of menace. Almost like thunder. I put my hand up to my neck and rub at it awkwardly. "Uh well, I was wondering if you'd like to ally. I could use another hand to protect the young ones..." Thresh looks over to where Prim and Rue are using bandages and shakes his head. "That is foolish. They will only slow you down. And you cannot protect them forever. Only one tribute can win. One." I feel my jaw tighten as he says this. I was hoping that since he was from a lower district he might feel the same way as I do. But he sounds more like a career. I feel like I should be going, and so I turn to leave.

" I see that I've misjudged you Thresh. I'll just be on my way." Quicker than a snake his hand reaches out and grabs my shoulder, spinning me around so that I have to look at him. He's a few inches taller than me, but while I have to look up, I do my best not to seem intimidated. "You say you are trying to protect them Twelve. Why?" The look in his eyes is one of intense scrutiny. " Because," I say, "Its the right thing to do. I won't let the Capitol use them like this." I feel its better to leave out the part where Prim is the sister of the girl that I happen to... care for. Thresh seems to approve of my answer and slowly nods. "I am on my own Twelve. Allies complicate things. However, if you stay out of my way, I will stay out of yours. Go. Protect them. But I wonder, when the time comes, will you be able to protect them from yourself?" He lets go of my shoulder and turns back to the weapons. His words are so matter of fact. Chilling even. I shake my head and walk away from him. At least our conversation didn't make him an enemy.

I think.

There's another survival station I want to check out, the one that helps tributes to identify which plants are edible and which ones are toxic. I know my way around several types of mushrooms are roots, but I have no idea of what is going to be in the arena. It could be a desert, a frozen wasteland or an active volcano. No one ever knows until the day the fighting starts. There's a redheaded girl at the station, fingers flying over the buttons with record speed. She for sure knows what she is doing. While she's another one whose name I don't know, I believe she is from district five. I can never remember what they do there. "Hello." I say quietly. She stops immediately and slowly turns to face me. She's very pale, with a smattering of freckles in a couple of places. "Mind if I join you?" She utters not a word, but gives me a catlike smirk before slinking away without a backwards glance.

Who knew it'd be so hard to make friends?.