TRAINING DAY TWO.

Hey! Thanks for all your lovely reviews, much appreciated! I've decided to do another training chapter, seeing as some of you (namely, Muentiger) said they would like to see more training, and you all seemed to like the training chapter quite a lot. Another reason is that the tributes that had a part in the chariot rides didn't have a training chapter, and training is fairly important. So this chapter will have those tributes POV's, but minus the bloodbath's because that is just a bit of a waste of time. And sorry I haven't updated in ages, it's just I have about 10 other ideas for Hunger Games stories bouncing around in my head that I am itching to write and post, but I'm not going to start writing them until I have finished this. Enjoy!

Fry Yeardley's POV, 15, D7.

Celeste and I decided to go down to training early, seeing as we need all the practice we can get. Well, I don't think I do, but I may as well keep her company seeing as she hasn't really been talking to anyone in training, other than the odd exchange between the two of us. I guess I feel sorta sorry for her. I lift a small hatchet before looking towards her. She is flinging throwing stars at dummies, which she seems to have taken a liking to in training. You would have thought she would choose a weapon similar to an axe, like me, seeing as we're from Seven, but I suppose she might not be able to handle it very well with her slight frame. Well I mean, I'm still slender, but I have muscles, and she is tiny, not even five foot.

I pass the hatchet from my left hand to my right, gripping it with tough calloused fingers. I launch it towards a dummy, where it lodges itself into its chest. A kill shot. I may have been living a fairly luxurious life back in Seven, since my sister won the Games, but she made me train, in case I ever did get reaped. Which I'm glad she made me do, because I have about the same skill with an axe that a Career has with a knife right now.

"Celeste?" I ask quietly, disturbing her from her vigorous throwing.

"What, Fry?" She answers bluntly, not looking up from her target.

"I was just wondering," I pause, pondering whether to ask my question, "what are you going to do at the cornucopia?"

"I don't really know. What about you?" She doesn't give me a chance to answer before she asks, "what are you going to go for? What if someone tries to kill you? Will you kill anyone?"

"I don't really know either, Celeste." We smirk at each other before returning to our throwing. Celeste is kinda quirky, once she starts asking questions, it seems that she can't stop. And she asks questions a lot. My thoughts are disturbed when the pair from One walk into the training room, loudly cackling and joking with each other.

Demetrius Knight's POV, 18, D1.

I spent most of yesterday at combat stations, and that's not going to change today. I figure that, seeing as we're Careers, we get all the supplies, all the food, so we don't need to learn how to start a fire or catch a groosling. We don't need to learn camouflage either, seeing as no one would dare attack us. So when I get down to the training centre, I decide I am going to stay at the combat stations, they're fun.

Indigo and I decided to make our way down to training early, like we did yesterday.

"And imagine them crying 'no don't kill me'!" she guffaws as the elevator doors open. My laugh booms around the empty training room, echoing off the cavernous walls. But wait – it's not empty. The two from Seven are here. I pause and watch them at their stations. The boy – I don't know his name – is well muscled and swings and throws an axe like he was born with one in his hands. I mean, he could probably even take me on. And the girl – I think her name's Celeste; a beautiful name. A beautiful girl. Her eyes are different colours; one as green as grass and one as blue as the sky. Her wavy blonde hair swishes behind her as she flings throwing stars with precision and determination. But I don't like her in a romantic way, there's four years difference between us. But she is so small, so innocent looking. I can't kill her, but in order for me to win she must die. Maybe Indigo or one of the other careers will get her.

"Psh. Come on Demi." Indigo snaps, picking up her signature twin short swords and thrusting one of them into a dummies stomach.

Caecillia James' POV, 17, D2.

The elevator makes a ding as we stop at the training room, James and I being the fourth pair here. Already, Demetrius and Indigo are here, as are the pair from Seven and the pair from Eleven. I'm surprised that two of the districts already down here aren't Careers, cause usually we get here first.

"What station are you going to, Julius?" I ask my little brother, and he answers just what I thought he would.

"Knife throwing again." He says with a sly smile, "what about you?"

"I dunno. I spent all yesterday throwing a discus so I might grab a sword." I answer. I'm fairly good with a sword, not as good as I am with a discus but still. Julius goes to a target and stands next to the girl from Seven, then starts hurling knifes towards a dummy. I laugh to myself before picking up a shiny silver sword with a thin bland and an intricately patterned handle.

"Want to practice combat?" the trainer asks me.

I hesitate before answering, of course I want to practice combat, what else would I do with a sword? "Yeah." I say bluntly.

He takes me over to a cluster of fake trees, with wide trunks and few branches at the bottom. There are a few small bushes scattered around the dirt ground.

"Now, stand here," he pushes me by the shoulders in a spot between the trees, before continuing, "And some dummies will jump out at you, you have to kill them. They will fall to the ground if you kill them."

"Okay. Get it started then!"

The adrenaline starts pumping through me as it always does when I train in a situation like this, I just have to wonder how excited I will be in the arena.

The first dummy lunges out from a bush to my left, and I shove my sword into its stomach and pull it out just in time to slash the throat of one that burst out from behind a tree. I continue slashing and weaving for a few minutes, until the dummies abruptly stop. By now my breaths are heavy and I am sweating a lot. I slowly turn in a circle and survey my surroundings. I try to quieten my breathing and listen for any movement, when something harshly slams into my back and sends me crashing to the ground. I quickly turn on my back and shuffle backwards a bit, before I see a flash of silver as the thing that knocked me over brings a blade towards me with tremendous speed.

Shit! No! I can't die! I was meant to win! Not now! The blade smashes into the side of my head but I feel barely anything. Maybe this is what death feels like.

I only remember that I'm not actually in the arena yet when the trainer says, "You were doing very well, but you would be dead by now had this blade been real." He holds a silver sword, but it is made of foam.

"Oops," I giggle girlishly. I am embarrassed. Not only did I somehow think I was actually going to die, but I lost the training session. Shit.

Obaid Jamieson's POV, 17, D5.

Most people have arrived in training now, with the exception of one or two tributes from the low districts. I decide to go to the snare station again, as I had quite a knack for it yesterday. I think being good with snares will come in handy because it means I can catch food and tributes, who will be much easier to kill once they are dangling by their toes four foot off of the ground.

The trainer smiles at me as I sit down and grab a length of rope, and I only scowl in return. I tie a complicated snare and hide it under some leaves and dirt, before dropping a stuffed rabbit in it. The loop on the snare snaps shut around the rabbit's stomach and drags it upwards into the air. I smirk at my success. The trainer comes over and tries to tug the rabbit out, to no avail.

"Congratulations, kid." He says, not bothering to smile at me this time. Only a few people have come to his station in training so far, and I'm not sure that having me as his top student is exactly impressing him. I haven't exactly been friendly.

I continue to make snares out of wire and rope, until we are called to lunch, where I sit alone.

Kelsey Ferguson's POV, 14, D10.

When I get down to training, I see that Casa is already down, so I go over to her. She asked me if I wanted to ally with her yesterday, and I agreed. I don't think I would have asked anyone to ally with me, other than Kaiden, my district partner. But he's a bit weird, I think he's depressed or something. So if Casa hadn't asked me to ally with her, I'd probably be alone. It's sad though, I quite like Casa, it's a shame I have to kill her.

"So, what shall we do today?" I ask when I reach her.

"Hm, how about a race over the obstacle course?" Casa says, her tan lips spreading into a smile.

"Fine then, but don't cry when you lose." I say back, in a sarcastic tone.

We each stop before the assault course and tie our hair back into high ponytails. I tense me legs into a position that gets me ready for running, and wait.

"Okay girls," the trainer mutters, looking at his stopwatch, "Three, two, one… Go!"

I spring forward and run the few metres until I crash into the net in front of me and start climbing. I'm already a few feet up when Casa reaches the net, but she's a fast climber and gets ahead of me fast, which is surprising seeing as she's so scrawny. She quickly flips over the bar at the top and begins her speedy descent down the other side. I increase my speed, and jump off the net when I'm a few feet from the ground. We're both drawing by the time we leap and grasp the monkey bars. I swing across and land with a roll on the other side. It's a quick sprint to the next obstacle, which is a net that we have to crawl under. I rip it off the ground and dive under it, and scramble underneath it as fast as I can, until I get my arm caught in the net. Casa laughs loudly as she shuffles past me on her stomach.

Despite our different bouts of overtaking the other, we end the race at the same time, and each collapse into a heap on the floor, our breathing heavy and laboured.

Lexie Lewis' POV, 14, D6.

My silver spear leaves my hand and whistles through the air before making a dull thud as it goes through a dummies stomach. Satisfied with my spear throwing skills, I decide to go to a survival station.

I look around at them all, and see Carry sat alone at the fire making station, so I decide to go over and sit cross legged next to him. He is quietly rubbing to sticks together, his arms trembling and a look of determination on his face.

"How long have you been doing that?"

"About four minutes. And nothing. Not even a spark. I'm absolutely useless, why can't I throw a spear like you? Or swing a mace like Azula, or shoot an arrow or throw a knife like Madilynn? I'm probably going to die on the first day."

"Carry! Don't say that! You've got Azula, Madilynn and I to look after you. It's gonna be okay." I reassure him. But it's not going to be okay. He is going to die, if I want to win.

I look around the massive room at the twenty three other teenagers that have to die if I want to go home, some younger than me. At the twenty three other teenagers who are yearning for my blood so that they can return home to their families. Some people in here I know I could easily kill, but I'm not sure, if it came down to it, I could do it. Some people in here could easily kill me, with the simple flick of their wrist or swipe of a blade, and I'm so terrified.

Ganymede Leonis' POV, 12, D9.

Yesterday I made an alliance with the boy from Eleven, Andrew. He's about my height, and he's a year older than me. He has large blue-ish eyes and shaggy black hair, sort of like mine. He's quite cute. I mean, he's not as hot as the boy from Four, but there's no way I had a chance with him. I don't think Andrew knows that I'm gay though, and I don't think I'm going to tell him until we're in the arena, because that way, it can't screw up the alliance. He might know though, he's caught me a few times staring at him while he's looking away.

I'm at the spear station, and I guess I'm quite good with a spear, but not as good as that girl from Six. It's weird how good she is, because they don't train in Six like they do for the Career districts. I leave the spear sticking out of the dummy, and begin to idly walk around the room, looking for Andrew.

I find him sat on top of a large climbing frame, and decide to climb up.

"Hey Andy."

"Oh, hey Ganymede. What have you been doing?" Andrew asks me.

"Throwing spears, what about you?" I reply.

"Just sat here. I don't know what to do."

"Well come on! We can identify some plants or something." I say, starting to climb back down.

"No! Ganymede, stay up here, with me." He stares into my brown eyes with a pleading look in his greyish blue ones, and my heart almost stops.

"Okay Andy." I crawl over to him and cross my legs, our knees brushing against the other.

I suddenly feel thankful that my dad is such a bastard and didn't let my brother (who has been training as a career) volunteer for me.

Victoria Hendrick's POV, 16, D4.

Today in training I have been mostly throwing knives. I messed around with a trident for a while but stopped when Caecillia made some joke about people from Four and tridents. I gave her a death glare that put her back in her place, and I so wished I could have hit her but that would have just gotten me in trouble.

Now, at lunch, me and Derek, Indigo and Demetrius, and Caecillia and Julius are all sat around a large table laughing and joking loudly. Most other tributes are sat around either alone or in a small group, scarfing down their food quietly. Rats.

"No but seriously," Indigo says, interrupting the relaxed atmosphere with her serious tone, "we need to decide who to go for at the bloodbath."

"Why don't we just go for anyone?" Demetrius asks.

"Because I want to kill that bitch from Three." Julius intercepts, a little too loudly. I can see the girl from Three over his shoulder, sinking backwards in her chair. Pathetic! Surely she knew that by kicking Julius she would be dead within five minutes of getting in the arena.

"Okay." Julius' sister, Ceacillia, says. "But we also have to eliminate our biggest competiton. Which is who? The girl from Eleven for sure."

"Well," Indigo starts, "I've been watching the other tributes. The girl from Six can throw a spear just as good as you can throw a discus, Caecillia, but I don't know how. Also, the boy from Seven, the one who's sister won a few years ago. He never misses when he throws an axe. And he looks like he could take on Derek or Demetrius in a fight. His district partner is pretty good with them throwing stars too. So we have to kill her too." She finishes. Demetrius shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the mention of the girl from Seven, but I don't know why. "The girl from Eight has been swinging around maces and crowbars with ease, so we have to watch out for her too. Oh, and that girl from Nine. She nearly crushed that Avox yesterday, so she has to die straight away.

I go over the list in my head, and imagine them all lay around the cornucopia cut up into ribbons, with me standing in the centre giggling like a school girl.

Azula Markham's POV, 14, D8.

When we return from lunch, I tell Madilynn, Lexie, and Carry that I'm going over to the weapons station again. I go to grab a mace, when something that I never noticed before catches my eye.

It is lay right at the end of the rack, and I can't believe I never saw it. It is a shining silver baseball bat, with a few spikes sticking out one end. I throw myself towards it, and it feels great in my hands. The metal is colder than my wooden bat back at home, but it still is nice to hold it.

I lift it and walk over to a dummy, feeling a new sense of confidence. With one swift swing, the dummies skull has a huge dent in the side, and the lights in its eyes quickly go out. I am reminded of summertime baseball games back at home, but I was hitting balls, not heads.

I yearn to be back home, playing on my school baseball team again, but maybe if they have this bat in the arena, I may play baseball at home again.

Casablanca Coal's POV, 16, D12.

Kelsey and I split off to train at different areas after lunch, so right now I think she's at a survival station, but I'm at the knife throwing station. I decided to get some practice in, and I'm alright. I throw five knives, one after the other, and each of them sticks in the dummy. One goes in the shoulder, one in the neck, one in the stomach, one in the shin, and one in the upper thigh. Some of them aren't very good shots, but a few, like in the neck and in the stomach, could be deadly.

Proud of myself, I walk forward and pluck the knives out of the dummy with ease, apart from the one in the thigh, which is jammed. Just as I try to yank it out, a voice interrupts me.

"Hey darling." Says the annoying voice of Matt. Does he never give up?

"What do you want, Matthew?" I ask him, plainly annoyed.

"I just came to say hello." He says with a cocky smile, brushing his hand over my thigh. At his touch, the knives in my hands clatter to the floor. I whirl around and punch him square in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Most people in the training room are staring at us by now, but I don't care. In my rage, I manage to tear the knife out of the dummies thigh, and stand over Matthew menacingly.

"Listen, Matthew. I've told you time and time again to leave me alone, but you just don't listen. So here's the deal; you leave me alone, and I won't kill you in the arena. Okay?"

He nods in agreement, and I slink away over to the knot tying station, my face beginning to flush red in realisation of what I have just done. I embarrassed myself, and Matthew, and made him look like easy prey. Never mind damaging his ego hugely. I mean, I don't really care about that, but I do feel a bit bad. I suppose I'll have to apologise later.

So that's it for training! I'm not going to post private training, just the reactions to the scores, then the interviews, then the Games. I'm so so sorry I haven't updated in so long! My only excuse is that I kept getting distracted, but that's no excuse really. Compulsive procrastination I suppose. I'll try to update more often now, I feel really terrible, and I also feel that this chapter was not very good. Sorry again! Review!