Chapter 7

We are instructed to stand in a circle so that we can be given a lecture about what to do and what not to do. When the instructor says that tributes should not attack each other until the arena all eyes go to me and Elle. I wonder if the gamemakers know that she attacked me. I doubt they will care probably gives her advantage. After the lecture is over we are free to go to the stations. I head over to the survival skills station because Mags said it is as important as wielding a weapon.

I get there and the instructor stars by telling me what plants are eatable and what plants are poisonous. I am actually finding this very difficult a lot of the plants look similar and if I mess it up it I could die. While separating plans into two piles one that is poisonous and the other one that is eatable as I put one up to place it in the eatable pile and hand stops me.

"Not that one 4." A girl with short brown hair grabs my hand. She has strong upper body strength and looks around my age.

"That's winereesh if you would eat that you will break out in a rash—

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"I wasn't finished it starts with the rash then in an hour your body starts to swell. You will continue to swell until your tongue is too big to fit in your mouth and you will choke on your own saliva and die."

I look to the instructor for reassurance.

"That is correct very good." The instructor says with an impressed smile.

"How did you know that?" I ask the girl from 7

"We have this stuff in 7 in the grass mostly. It looks like a raspberry so people assume it is safe to eat however it is not."

I have no idea what a raspberry is but if it looks like winereesh I will probably stay away.

"Well thanks. I'm Finnick"

"Amber so what's the deal with you and that girl from your district?"

"You know she just wants to kill me." I say jokingly.

"Well she'll have to get in line. There are 22 other people who want to kill you in this room."

"22?" I realize she didn't count herself in this equation

"I don't want to kill you Finnick not yet anyways. I think you would be useful in the arena. Unless we are identifying plants then you're on your own."

"Why do you think I would be useful?"

"You are from a career district yes?"

"Yes but that doesn't mean I know anything."

"Do you know how to use a weapon?"

"Well yes."

"Okay show me."

"What?"

"I want to see if I'm right or not."

I roll my eyes and start to walk over to the knife station. I'm good at throwing knives but better with a trident. I grab one of the short knives look at a dummy and throw it. A perfect hit right through the heart. I pick up a longer throwing knife and again a direct hit to the heart. I pick up some short of sharp star weapon throw it and hits right in the eye. I realize I probably shouldn't be showing off my skills. I don't want people to know all of my skills and put a bigger target on my back. However, if I need to show Amber I am worth being in an alliance with I have to show them off.

I turn around and see Elle and the tributes from 1 and 2 glaring at me. As if I wasn't already high on their kill

"Told ya you're useful." Amber walks over to me and gloats.

"So… alliance?" I ask

"Obviously it is why I sought you out." Amber winks at me I hope she isn't doing this because she thinks I'm good looking.

"Any other members in your alliance?"

"I'm working on the boy from my district but I think it is a dead end." She chuckles at her pun.

"Are you handy with a weapon?"

She rolls her eys walks over to the station with swords and axes. She grabs a couple axes. She throws one at a dummy and the head falls off. She throws another one and hits right in the heart. She grabs the last one and runs up to the dummy and starts slashing away at. She walks back to me.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"7 is the district of lumber don't you know anything?"

A Bell sounds to signal that it is lunch time. I go over and grab some food they are serving a pink colored soup with blue specks, bread from every district, an assortment of fruit, and milk. I go to a table and Amber follows. I look suspiciously at the pink soup.

"Don't worry it tastes like a vegetable medley but has a sweet after taste." I look up and realize it is the girl from 3 Caeli I think her name is she takes a seat next to me and Amber.

"So you two are pretty handy with some weapons." Caeli says

"We're alright I guess." Amber says

"Better than alright." She beams

"Yes well we are all good at something I guess." I state

Caeli looks me square in the eyes and asks "So what's the deal with you and the careers? Is it true that, that girl really hates you or is it all an act so when we think you are our buddy and the kill us and then go back to your friends and boast about killing us."

That is a smart plan I think to myself. However, it is all false. Wait what did she mean by "we" and "us" she isn't a part of the alliance as far as I know.

"No I don't think they are that smart and I know I'm not. Besides Elle personally said to me earlier that if I'm going to die it will be by her hands."

Caeli looks approved and then Amber asks the question that I have been wondering.

"What do you me "we" and "us" 3?" Amber asks with hope in her voice.

"Well yes I would like to in your... alliance" She looks at us suspiciously.

"Ok that sounds—" I'm about to let her in but then Amber cuts me off.

"What can you do?" Amber asks with a bit of fury in her tone. I think a part of her teamed up with me because she finds me good looking.

"Well I'm good at survival skills, I can start a fire, know how to sanitize water, and I can make traps so we can trap people and then… you know. Besides having more people is better because it means one more pair of eyes looking out for you."

"She does have a point Amber. Her skill set sounds good enough and even if you don't think so another pair of eyes is better."

Amber thinks about this carefully.

"Alright, you have anyone else you want to add?"

"The boy from my district." She motions to a twelve year old boy in sitting at a table by himself. I see nothing wrong with this however I don't think Amber will like it.

"That's fine. Just make sure he knows about the deal."

"I will. The names Caeli and that's Collion ." Caeli walks away and sits next to the scared little boy. I feel sorry for him.

I look to Amber "I'm surprised you let that little boy join us. Since you seem to think only people with great skills can join our little party."

"He reminds me of my younger brother. He was reaped last year… except my older brother took his place. My mother just started getting over his death and now here I am. I will do anything to win Finnick." She looks at me as if she said something wrong. There is only one winner and if she tries to kill me unfortunately I will have to kill her.

"Yes well like you said I will also do whatever it takes to win. I have a family I want to get back to as well. After all there is only one winner."

"Exactly. I don't want to add any more people to this alliance it could get difficult as the games go on." I nod in agreement.

After lunch Amber and I go to the other stations however I do not pick up any useful information. You can't learn how to use a new weapon in the span of 2 days and I already know how to tie knots and make traps. However, I don't tell Amber about this, I don't want her to know all of my skills. I also don't tell her about my trident skills mostly because I know there won't be one in the arena.

A bell sounds for us to go back to our rooms. The escorts are there to us back to our rooms. I wonder why… maybe they think we will try and run away.

"So Elle, Finnick how was training?" Julius asks.

"Fine the careers and I are deciding a pecking order of who should die first." Elle states

"Oh… that's nice it gives a sense of organization."

I can tell Julius is uncomfortable with Elle and I don't think it is just because she yelled at him. I wonder if he has ever had a tribute like her before.

"What about you Finnick? Learn anything useful."

"Yes actually I did. I learned some survival skills and I think I made a few friends as well."

"Survival skills are a waste of time and making friends with the weaklings from 3 and the girl from 7 isn't going to help you in the arena. The boy is on the top of the kill list right underneath you." Elle sneers.

"Survival skills could come in handy Elle you never know what will be in that arena." Julius whispers.

"Even if there is no water or food I can still get stuff from my sponsors."

We get to our floor and she walks out and flips her hair.

"I really don't like her." Julius says quietly.

I wonder if he is allowed to say this. I'm guessing no escorts probably aren't allowed to say who they want to be killed. I'm sure they all think it though.

I walk off the elevator and head toward Mags.

"So how did it go?"

"It went great actually."

"Did you go to the survival skill station?"

"Yes I went there first. That is when I teamed up with the girl from 7 and the tributes from 3 approached us and we let them in the alliance because more eyes are always better."

"I told you, you would be able to make allies Finnick. Just remember these people are not your friends. They are people who might try to kill you."

"I understand I won't forget it Mags."

Everyone gathers into the kitchen area where we eat food. James, Elle, Louise, and Julius all join us. We talk about how are day in training went. Louise smiles at me and mouths I told you. When I talk about making friends

"Now tomorrow you will have to show the game makers you're skill of choice. Have you any ideas of what you will be doing." Julius asks.

"I think that I will try and kill all of the dummies." Elle says with a blood thirsty look in her eyes.

"I haven't thought about it. Mags maybe we could brainstorm after dinner." She nods I know what I am going to do but I don't what Elle to know.

We leave the dinner area and Mags follows me to my room

"So tell me what you are going to do." She smiles at me. I think she knows that I didn't want to let Elle know what I was doing.

"Well I'm good at throwing knives I was going to do that and make some traps. I am good at that I can make a trap that will hang someone and I don't even have to be there when they… die."

"That sounds good. I take it they didn't have any tridents to practice with then?"

"No but like you said work with what you have been presented with and I think that I can manage with the knives."

"Alright Finnick, but you never know what you will find in that arena." Mags smiles

I wonder what she means by that if they don't have a trident in the training center I doubt they are going to have one in the arena. Mags leaves my room and I go to the bathroom to shower mostly to get the gunk out of my hair that Louise put in it. After the shower I look into the mirror and remember Fiona's advice to tell myself I can win. I say My name is Finnick Odair and I can win the 65th hunger games. This time when I say it I have small belief that I can.