A/N: A quick note here to mention that when I was struggling for names for some of the tributes, I took inspiration from other book series. For this reason, I would like to mention that the names (although not their looks or personalities) of the District 2 tributes have been taken from the following books:

Alex Scarrow- TimeRiders: Gates Of Rome (Quintus Licinius Cato)

Philip Reeve- Infernal Devices (Remora)

Also, thanks for following the story so far. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it :)


Chapter Seven

POV: Ludovic Robertson (15), Male Tribute, District 4

Floor 4, The Training Centre, The Capitol

8.30 am, Tuesday 10th July, year of the 66th Hunger Games


I wake in a sweat, breaking free of dreams filled with Avoxes and hangings. Torturous, though at least I've woken well-rested.

It's already seems quite light in my room, a check of my clock tells me that it's half-past eight. Training starts in an hour and a half. By pushing back the curtains, I can see that the weather today is just as bright and clear as yesterday. It'd be a lovely week at home in District 4. But here in the Capitol, good weather doesn't do much to lighten my mood. I still feel the pressure of the Games, and we've barely started. Two days ago, I was skimming stones on the beach with Finnick. Now, we both wake to a Capitol skyline on a warm Tuesday morning.

I realise I'm still in my clothes from last night, and then remember how I rushed to bed after my time on the roof. Although I'm glad Maddie seems to be my friend again, I really need to push any thoughts about the Avoxes from my mind. I have to concentrate on preparing for the Games.

I force myself to get up and shower, remembering this time to get the shower to dry me when I finish. It doesn't go entirely to plan. My hair is still wet. Maybe by the time I leave here in a few days, I'll have managed to get the setting I want from the shower.

I turn to my wardrobe to get dressed, and find there's a note on the door. It's from Julia, telling me to wear the clothes inside the wardrobe for training. I open the door, and find a pair of tight-fitting trousers, a short-sleeved sea blue tunic and some black leather shoes. I slip the clothes on, and take care to dry my hair properly with a towel before heading down the corridor to the dining room for breakfast.

We weren't given an exact time for breakfast, and when I enter the dining room, I find both mentors, Maddie and Flavius all eating, and Finnick beckons for me to join them.

There is a long table filled with all sorts of food down the side of the room, and an Avox stands guard in the corner of the room at the end of the table. I ask the Avox if I can serve myself, and he nods assent.

I grab myself two rounds of toast, butter them, and pour myself a glass of orange juice before sitting down next to Finnick.

The adults are engaged in some sort of conversation about Capitol fashions, and Maddie is eating cereal whilst quietly listening. Now that both tributes are here, Flavius starts up a bright conversation about the next five days before the Games start, a week after the Reaping on July 15th.

"Including today," he begins briskly. "You have five days in the Training Centre. The first three days will be spent training for the Games, as you will improve both your survival skills and your skills with weaponry."

"Where will we be going for training, then?" asks Maddie.

"The gym is in the basement of the Training Centre," says Finnick, leaning across the table to inform her, and Flavius nods in agreement. "All twenty-four tributes will train together."

"What?" I say incredulously. This seems unfair to me. I thought they would be private training sessions. "How will that work?"

"In the gym, there are over twenty separate stations to attend, roughly half for survival skills and half for weapons training," explains Finnick, now directing his explanation at both me and Maddie. "Each station will have an instructor to help you learn the new skills."

"Won't everyone else be able to see our strengths and weaknesses?" complains Maddie, looking more than a little concerned with the training arrangements.

"Yes," says Mags. "But you will gain as much as you lose. Also, if you have any special skills that you don't want the others to see, save it for the third afternoon."

"What happens on the third afternoon?" I ask.

"You have fifteen minutes on your own in the gym with the Gamemakers watching you. Although they will be observing you throughout the three days, this is the one time you will definitely have their attention, and the one time you can show them your special skills without the other tributes seeing," explains Finnick.

"As for strategy in training," continues Mags. "You two should attempt to train together, visiting as many stations as possible, though make sure to cover all the survival stations. You don't want to end up being killed by the arena."
It seems like a lecture from the two mentors, District 4's first and latest Victors, but so far me and Maddie seem to understand their meaning.

"What about the other tributes? asks Maddie. "Should we be considering alliances?"

"One and Two," says Finnick instantly. "We ally with them nearly every year, they'll be more willing to let you in than anyone else."

"In terms of the Career tributes, you've had a lucky year," says Mags, which fills me with optimism. "Neither of the other girls seemed to be much use, from first impressions."

"I agree with Mags," adds Finnick. "Make sure the boys, Robin and Quintus, are on your side before you enter the arena."

"I'll make sure of it," I say. "I've already spoken to Robin, and Quintus seemed amiable from a distance. Why don't I stay with the boys for the first day, and Maddie with the girls? That way we make sure we are all allied, then train as a group of six on days two and three?"

"Now that," starts Finnick. "Is a great idea, Ludo. I'd never thought of that before. Yes, you might as well give it a try."

"Well, it's already quarter to ten," says Flavius. "It's part of my duty to escort you to the gymnasium in the basement. Please follow me."

We follow Flavius to the elevator, which he programs to take us to floor 'B1', which I quickly realise means 'Basement 1'. When we reach the bottom of the lift, we come out at a long corridor. We see the gym doors at the far end, but Flavius stops us by the exit of the elevator.

"You'll be eating lunch down here, so I won't see you again until I pick you up at six this evening," he says, and me and Maddie nod to show we have understood him.

"Good luck," he says finally, before getting back in the elevator. I follow Maddie down the corridor to the gymnasium doors, which open automatically for us.

I find that I'm worried about meeting all the other tributes close up, but I needn't have worried. Only six others are here. Blaine and Isabella from Seven, Robin and his partner, and the two from District 5. They stand in a close circle, which me and Maddie join. All the other tributes have their district numbers pinned to their backs, and an assistant quickly arrives to pin a large number '4' to my back, before doing the same to Maddie.

We watch the others gather slowly over the next ten minutes. Just as I had suspected yesterday, not many of the tributes appear to be serious threats, though I'm still intimidated by the boy, if I can call him that, from District 9. He must be a foot taller than me. No doubt the Career Alliance will try to silence him quickly in the arena. Finally, the last pair, the tributes from District 8, arrive. At this point, the head trainer, who is a young woman called Atala, steps up and begins to explain the training schedule. We can travel freely around the gym to whatever training station we choose, as per our mentor's instructions. There will be experts on hand at each station to give advice. Some stations teach us fighting techniques, others survival skills. The only rule is that there will be no fighting with other tributes. If we wish to practice with a partner, assistants will be available.

Atala then reads out a list of available skill stations. Some of them seem rather pointless to me, such as knot tying and climbing, as they are skills I've known all my life. Others, such as edible plants and archery, take my notice. I have next to no experience in those areas.

My eyes wander away from Atala and towards the other tributes. On a level playing field, I can already pick out the easy targets. The boy from Twelve. The girl from Six. Both tributes from District 3. Everyone seems to be looking around nervously, with the exception of the other Careers. I wonder how I appear to everyone else. Some of the tributes look in really bad shape. They have clearly come from the poor parts of their district, the equivalent of our docklands. Like the boy from Twelve, and both from Districts 3 and 6. Although Maddie may be from the docklands, she's managed to keep her head above water, and whilst she may be thin, she looks strong.

However, I get the opposite impressions of the tributes from One and Two. Although it's illegal to train tributes for the Hunger Games before the Reaping, our district along with Districts 1 and 2 train young adults for the games from the age of twelve, then volunteer when they're eighteen. Unlike the other two districts, ours only volunteer for absolute no-hopers. They're just a safeguard for the very youngest in the Reaping. The last time a Career volunteered in our district was three years ago. They died. Slowly and painfully, pinned to a tree with a knife through their throat. Not a good message for our current crop of trainee Careers. Most years, the Victor is one of these Careers, most commonly from District 2. Although this training is illegal, the Capitol turn a blind eye to it. It doesn't matter to them, as long as the Careers put on a good show.

I notice the other Careers eyeing up some of the smaller tributes hungrily. They have the same idea as me. Aside from District 1 and my district, the only other district that made a distinct impression on the public was District 12. Although the girl looks well fed and decently built, she's a lot shorter than the four Careers standing on my right. Not so much of a threat after all. I wonder if it's worth trying to draft her into the Career Alliance. I guess I should ask the others first.

Atala dismisses us to start our training, and I see many tributes, mainly those from the outlying districts, head straight for survival skills. I can't imagine kids in Eight get much experience of the wild, having grown up with factories all their life. It's no surprise I see both at the fire-lighting station.

I try to make my mind up where to go, but before I can decide I hear someone call my name.

"Robertson!"

I turn to find the voice coming from Quintus, the male tribute from Two. I think he'll be the major threat in this year's games. I'd guess he's over six feet tall, and whilst being on the thin side, he's very muscular. I'm sure there's more to him than his physical threats. He'll be well-trained for sure.

He stands with the other five who make up what I believe will be this year's Career Alliance at the archery station. I head over to him quickly.

"So, Robertson," he begins.

"Please, it's Ludo."

"Ludo?" he replies. We have no time for getting to know each other on a first-name basis in this Alliance, lad." He looks over his shoulder to the small, dark-haired girl that is his District partner. "Isn't that right, Thornby?" The girl nods in agreement.

He turns back towards me. "As for me, the name's Cato. Quintus Licinius Cato." He offers his hand out towards me, and I grasp it quickly.

"Welcome to the Alliance, Robertson," he says, seeming pleased to have me on his side. It's quite clear to me that Quintus (or should I say Cato?) is the one calling the shots in this alliance.

At this point, Robin steps in to take control.

"Can I suggest we get started?" he says jokingly.

"Of course, Hurst," replies Quintus. "Remember our ideas for the morning, girls?" he asks, directed at his and Robin's district partners.

"Yes, Cato," the girl from Two smiles, and she heads off to the axe station, whilst Robin's parter goes to the sword station.

Quintus then turns to me and Maddie.

"This morning, the plan is to intimidate the opposition. Show off everything. Scare the other tributes. Let them believe you mean business," he says with a slightly malicious grin.

Maddie nods and runs off to join the girl from District 1 at the sword station. I stay at the archery station with Quintus and Robin. There are three bows on a bench to our right, and a seemingly endless supply of arrows. The dummies that are our targets are spread out between twenty and sixty yards down the archery range from us. The expert at the station is evidently used to Careers being able to shoot well, and makes no attempt to guide us as we take our places at the range.

Robin grabs a bow, and immediately starts firing arrows down the range. I can tell he's a good shot very quickly. Five of his first ten arrows hit the furthest dummy in the head. Three more hit its chest.

As I grab a bow, Quintus does the same. Whilst we watch Robin continue to fire arrows, I notice that some of the other tributes have taken notice of him, and stand staring from around the gymnasium. How scared of him they must be.

As Robin finishes firing his third batch of arrows down the range, Quintus leans in close to me and speaks to me in hushed tones.

"So Robertson, how much training did you do before the Reaping?"

"A little," I reply, though that's not directly true. Prior to last summer's Games, I had been helping Finnick train, and I might have picked up a few skills along the way myself. But other than that, I've done nothing.

"What weapon do you favour?" asks Quintus.

"The trident," I reply. Yet again, this isn't strictly true. I'm good at using them for fishing. I've never tried using one as a weapon.

"Well, I'm going to be honest here with you," starts Quintus, looking slightly disappointed. "After how well your pal Odair did with a trident last year, I can almost guarantee there won't be one at the cornucopia this year."
I find this slightly demoralising, even though I've never tried using a trident as a weapon. I thought it could have been a strength of mine. After all, it worked for Finnick.

"Are you good with anything else?" Quintus asks hopefully.

"I guess I can cope with knives," I say, yet another half-truth. We had an arts and crafts week at school during the spring, and I did well using crafting knives. Maybe I could use that skill as a weapon.

"Hand-to-hand, or throwing?"

I hadn't even anticipated this question. I know my hand-eye co-ordination is good, so I should do fine with hand-to-hand knife combat. I'm also confident about throwing. No, I've never actually thrown a knife, I'm too conscious about other people's safety to try it. But I know I'm a good stone skimmer. I'm sure the same skills and control can be applied to throwing knives. So when I reply to Quintus, I reply with confidence.

"Both, Cato."

"Good," he replies, smiling. "We'll go to the knife station after lunch. Ever tried archery?"

"No," I reply. At last, something I'm certain I've answered correctly.

"Not to worry, follow my lead. And watch Hurst as an example."

Quintus grabs a bow and stands next to Robin on the range. I take my bow and stand between the other two boys.

With the help of the other two tributes and the expert trainer, I find archery easier than expected. Although the bow feels odd in my hands at first, I quickly adjust to it. The trainer shows me how to hold the bow correctly, how much power to use when drawing the bowstring and how to compensate for the arrow dropping in flight. By the time we break training for lunch, I'm reasonably accurate at distances up to thirty yards.

At lunch, all six Careers sit together, discussing our experiences of the morning, discussing our strengths, working out plans for the arena. Aside from Robin's obvious talent with a bow, neither me nor Quintus have shown much. Quintus is better than I am with a bow, though that's not surprising, given his six years of training compared to my two hours.

Remora, the girl from Two, is strong despite her size, so she is good with spears and axes. Likewise, the girl from One excels in hand-to-hand combat due to her agility. I learn that Maddie is surprisingly good with a sword. I wonder where she picked up that particular skill. Not that it matters now.

In the afternoon, me, Robin and Quintus go straight to the knife station. Although I'm only slightly better than average in hand-to-hand combat, I'm easily the best of us three at throwing the knives. I can hit the furthest dummies in the chest quite consistently after an hour's practice.

After the knife station, we head to weightlifting, Quintus' area of expertise. I don't do terribly, but it's certainly no strong point of mine. I'm the weakest of us three. Although all three of us are slim and rather athletic, Quintus has the edge on me and Robin due to age alone. He's three years older than me, and two older than Robin. Still, his physical power is incredible.

On the second day, we concentrate on survival skills. In these, I simply excel, as do Robin and Quintus. I can build good shelters, my knot-tying skills are good and I can construct decent snares. Lighting fires is second nature to me; I regularly built them with Finnick on the beach in the bay at home in District 4 when we had caught surplus fish from a catch and needed a snack. The only survival skill I struggle with is edible plants. Although I know the plants native to District 4, I doubt many of them will feature in the arena. After two hours at the station, I walk away defeated, still not able to tell nightlock apart from blueberries. I'll just have to hope the rest of the Career Alliance are competent with their plant-recognising skills.

That evening, when eating dinner on the fourth floor with our mentors, Finnick and Mags demand a full review of the strengths and weaknesses of this year's tributes, in as much detail as me and Maddie can explain.
"Now, District 1," starts Finnick. "Robin Hurst. What's he like?"

"Strong, quick and well-trained. I think he could be a threat at one point." I reply, which makes me feel a little upset. I've got on well with the boy from One.

"Is he part of your alliance?" asks Mags.

"Yes, definitely," replies Maddie. "He's brilliant with a bow, too."

Finnick raises an eyebrow having heard this.

"How good?"

"Accurate to over sixty yards," I reply.

"Well then, you two need to stay friends with him for as long as possible," says Finnick. "What about the girl?"

"She's strong in hand-to-hand combat, but she's arrogant," says Maddie.

"Is she ally material?" asks Mags.

"She's in the alliance, though I can't imagine she'll side with us if a dispute occurs."

"You'll have to get rid of her quickly, then," laughs Finnick. "What about the tributes from Two?"

"Cato's great, a really solid all-rounder," I say. "And he's really strong."

"Cato?" asks Mags.

"Quintus," I reply. "He wants our Alliance to be seen as superior to the other tributes, so he insists that we call each other by surnames only." I turn to Maddie. "Isn't that right, Harper?" We all laugh at that.

"Well, this 'Cato' sounds quite arrogant to me," concludes Finnick. "I'd keep close to him. He'll need watching."

"I don't like the girl from Two, though," continues Maddie.

"Ah, Remora Thornby. What's she like?" asks Finnick.

"Twisted," replies Maddie, sounding a bit disgusted. "She's rather sadistic. And she doesn't like Ludo."

I'd be lying if I say I haven't noticed this myself. Whenever I look over at the girls in training, she always seems to be giving me suspicious looks. It's quite unnerving really. Hopefully our eyes won't have to meet much once we're in the arena.

And so the process continues, with our mentors asking about our fellow tributes. To find out who the weaklings are that need to be weeded out early on. To know who our biggest threats are. To know who we're possibly allying with.

"So," says Finnick when we finish our description of Sophia, the girl from District 12. "You're currently allied with the four tributes from One and Two, correct?" We both nod, and he continues. "Aside from the other Careers, your biggest threats are the boys from Seven and Nine, and the girl from District 12."

"Yeah, though I doubt any of them will ally with us. The outlying districts all hate our Alliance too much to consider joining, and Blaine won't leave his younger sister," I say.

"So, what plan does your Alliance have?" asks Mags.

"Storm the cornucopia, gather the best supplies, split up weapons between us and go and finish off the weaklings."
"If the Alliance holds," adds Finnick.

"Well, I thought we'd carry on even if we all hate each other," says Maddie sarcastically.

"I'll be honest, I think the Alliance will split before the field is down to six," I say.

"If the alliance does split, who will side with who?" asks Finnick, looking concerned.

"I'm not sure," starts Maddie. "But I assume Robin will side with me and Ludo. The girls won't, and Quintus could go either way."

Well, I didn't expect that. Maddie seems to assume I'm willing to stick with her. She's right, but her level of trust in me astonishes me. But I shan't complain about it.

With my new-found knowledge that the girls from One and Two dislike me, I spend all of my time on the morning of the third training day with Robin and Quintus. Having got all the serious training out the way in the first two days, we spend our time messing about at the knife station, taking turns throwing knives over our heads or through our legs at the targets. I've always been told not to play with knives, and I never have, but I think I'm permitted to have some fun for once, considering my situation.

I find that I get on even better with the two boys than before. We laugh with each other, we joke about, and through talking, I find we have similar interests. Robin climbs trees. And Quintus is very artistic in his spare time, and I have a good conversation with him concerning my attempts at wood carving.

Although I hadn't expected a Career tribute to be an artistic type, I guess he needs something different to do when he's not training to become a ruthless killer.

After a thoroughly enjoyable morning, I realise that if Robin and Quintus had grown up in Four, we'd probably have become good friends. It's a shame we'll be trying to kill each other in three days.

We start to get called out of lunch for our private session with the Gamemakers. District by district, the boy first, then the girl tribute. We each get roughly fifteen minutes to impress the Gamemakers.

As Quintus heads into the gymnasium alone, I begin to get nervous. All the tributes get given a score by the Gamemakers before the Games begin, to indicate their level of potential from training to possible sponsors. The score goes from zero to twelve, with zero being irredeemably bad, and twelve being unattainably high. Most years, the top score is a ten. Nobody has ever pulled a twelve in sixty-five years. Careers always hit sevens at minimum, so there's already some pressure on me.

Tributes don't come back once they've gone into the gym. Around fifteen minutes after the tiny girl from three left, I'm called into the arena by one of the Gamemakers. As I walk in, pause at the door of the gym.

This is it, I think. This is my first true test of the 66th Annual Hunger Games. I take a deep breath to calm myself and walk inside.