Author's Note: I am seriously trying to update faster now, and the Games will have started before we know it. If anybody wants to submit some extra stuff about their character, they better do it soon. We have training, then interviews, then catacombs, and then the Games start. It's getting close. 75th Hunger Games revealed this chapter. Anyway, there will be three Training chapters. Each one will only have one POV. Here's the first.

Atlas Sydai – Training Center

Ugh, good morning and all that crap. It may be a bright new day, but my escort doesn't have to come knocking on my door, "congratulating" me for being so enthusiastic last night. All I remember is threatening Safin, and balancing my weight so Ryder doesn't go flying off of the chariot. It was an okay introduction, but frickin' District 8 got all of the glory. Damn Prophet and his little games…

Speaking of games, training is supposed to start today. Not exactly sure what it's going to be like, but it is a time for making alliances and avoiding Careers and other strong individuals. Like me.

I have to say no to any alliance that is offered to me besides my District. I'm gonna try to stay with Ryder and Heron, maybe leaving later on in the Games so I can beat the shit out of Rupert or Safin. Hell, for all I know both of them will die in the bloodbath. But I'm going to need some help in the beginning, so I should stick with them…

I'm just glad I didn't have to share a room with Ryder. He got his own closet-sized room.

My feet dangle over the medium height edge of the bed, almost touching the light, soft black rug that covers the whole floor. It's like if a cloud was solid, and then you walked on top of it. My feet slide into my slippers, and before I know it, I'm up and ready to shove my fist into someone's face.

Brush my teeth and kill the germs. That's what my mother used to say, before her brutal murder at the hands of my father. Oh well, at least he taught me how to kill.

I managed to test out the so-called 'video game console' last night. Just some virtual reality thing that replicates the Hunger Games. Why doesn't the Capitol do that, I think to myself. Everyone would buy the game, and nobody would get hurt by it. But then that wouldn't go along with the Capitol's punishment for the Dark Days. Plus, there's the Quarter Quells…

Hell, I remember seeing a rerun of the 75th Hunger Games. It was brutal. President Snow had possibly picked the sickest card out of the box – the age is reduced from 12-18 to 6-12. Capitol residents were disgusted but intrigued. For once, the twelve year olds were the masters. But the Districts hated it. Their little angels getting brutally murdered on screen because they were too young to figure things out for themselves.

The revolt that followed did not succeed. It ended in a bloody battle that the Capitol won. So we have to worry about what they will do for next year. Hopefully, it's not too bad.

Heron knocks on my door, telling me that it is time to go down to the Training floor. I agree, and look around for something to wear. There's my stuff from the train, but I don't fancy wearing it. My eyes fall on a simple white t-shirt and blue jeans. Perfect.

I kick open the door to the hallway, almost hitting Ryder in the process. Heron looks impatient, and I follow her and Ryder into the elevator. We are probably late, but I don't care. I'm late for most things, so they had better get used to it. The elevator seems to go down for a long time, and then we arrive.

Some forty-or-so woman stands in front of all of the tributes, waiting for all of the Districts to arrive. Mason and Rain from District 11 are missing. Well, if they miss the frickin' training, then it only gets better for me. Killing them will be easy as pie.

Unfortunately, my "good luck" does not last very long. I hear the elevator ding behind me, and Mason and Rain walk out, ready for training.

"Fuck, everyone's here." I mutter under my breath.

"Hello, welcome all to the 99th Hunger Games Training Center. I will be your supervisor. My name is Isolde. Now, before I start explaining, does anybody have any questions?" Daniella slowly raises her hand.

"We can work in groups, right?"

"Yes, you will be able to talk to anybody you like. Anybody else?" Everyone else is silent. No one bothers to raise their hands.

"Ok, good. You may start." I notice Ruby Todem rush for the climbing rope. I have no idea what she's going to do, but I stay and watch while everyone else goes to the stations. Heron and Ryder seem to forget about me. I guess that they will go on training without me.

Ruby eagerly climbs towards the top of the rope, one hand after another. She grips the rope tightly, pieces of straw and the occasional drop of sweat falling to the ground. I realize that she is going up there to hide from Conan. He must be bothering her. I let out a laugh as he starts to talk to her as he swings up the rope very easily.

I notice the alliances around the room. Rain and Mason walk together, and it is the same with Ryder and Heron. Safin, Swan, Flare, Marcus, and Conan seem to be the career group. Rupert obviously has no desire to team up with the Careers, but instead he seems to be following Penelope around. Prophet and Bea try out archery, Anna looks sullen in the corner, and Ryan beats the crap out of a punching bag.

I should get started with something that I don't know how to do. I decide on camouflage – it should be an easy subject. I've seen my little brother hide in my backyard and cover himself in mud and dirt. He will be really hard to find, especially since he lies down in the dirt and puts leaves and plants over himself. I swear that he even moved an anthill onto his chest once.

He's the master of camouflage, and I guess I have learned a few things from him. If I'm going to sneak up on anyone I am going to need the advantage of camouflage. The instructor, Evan, shows me how to make a mixture of ground berries and mud to create this paste, which you are supposed to spread over your skin and then add green steaks to camouflage yourself into a typical forest region. But we still don't know what type of region this will be.

I wonder if they will ever have an arena that is full of water and you have to find a boat to live. They had something like that once, where the whole arena was in really shallow freshwater. It worked greatly for some tributes, but horribly for others. It was voted most dramatic arena in the Capitol.

I stop mixing the berries and mud just in time to see Conan push Ruby off of the rope. She plummets downward and lands straight on top of Cannan Thrush, but he doesn't seem to mind. He's a nice guy, but that won't fare well for him in the Games.

Some Capitol people come in with these sheets. One comes up to me, and I find out I have to draw my "seal." It will be on my shirt and on my packages, and will represent me and my sponsors in the Game. I think about it for a second, and then come up with a good seal. I draw my brother Aaron's robot toy, standing on its head. It looks stupid, comical even, but the Capitol guy accepts it. As soon as he arrived, he leaves.

Ruby manages to pick herself up off of the ground and sign one of the papers for her seal. I try to look over and see what hers is but she is hiding from everyone else. Conan literally smashes the pencil into the paper. I don't think he has very much drawing skills.

"Ha!" he exclaims, handing the paper to the Capitol resident. The girl looks confused for a second, but then leaves. Conan sticks his tongue out at her.

"Dude, stop being so childish." I say. Conan's glance turns to look at me.

"Mind your own business."

"Why do you gotta be such an asshole?" Conan glares at me.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. Just that your sorry ass is gonna get whooped in the Games." Before I can do anything, Conan rushes forward and grabs hold of my throat. I struggle, and he actually lifts me up in the air, and I still cannot breathe.

"Stop…" I say, and Conan drops me onto the ground.

"You say that. Even if you train here during the night you'll never be able to match me in a fight." Conan spits on the ground next to me. "I'm disgusted with how weak all of the people in here are. Some of them don't even care about the damn Games, all they do is hold hands and giggle!" His eyes shift to look at some of the people standing together in the room.

"Let's train, Careers." Says Conan. Swan and Marcus blindly follow, while Safin and Flare are a bit more cautious.

"Who do you think has the worse attitude?" Safin whispers to me. "You or him?"

"Shut up." I say.

The day goes by quick, but I go around to many stations and learn some stuff in archery, more facts about camouflage, some lifting weights, and building shelter. The shelter station is interesting, like you to carve a small house out of a tree, like some guy did in this book where he decides to go live in the mountains. It's an old book, it was written before Panem was created. It gives us an idea of what life was like back then.

The lunch is absolutely delicious. It consists of this delectable ham and swiss cheese sandwich with this crisp green lettuce and toasted French bread. I can see that all of the tributes in the room are enjoying it. You can get whatever you want to drink, so more than half of the tributes order milkshakes after they read the menu. I get a simple glass of pineapple juice. It must cost a fortune to do this thing every year. But then again, the residents of the Capitol are made of money. It is like their purpose in life is to spend money on useless things.

That's what the Hunger Games is. Useless. There's not point. It is just endless murder that gets old super fast, but somehow everybody is still entertained by it. Not like it's entertaining in the first place, anyway. I wipe some crumbs from my mouth and suddenly get up from my chair, moving to sit with Ryder and Heron.

Heron looks up at me when I sit down.

"How do you guys feel about an alliance? I fell that I will need some help in the beginning, and both of you are the prime candidates. I know that you're not used to me being this formal and nice, but I am begging you to ally with me.

"What do we get in return?" Ryder asks.

"Protection. And I won't tell the Careers where you guys are."

"I can tell you wouldn't tell the Careers anything by the way you look at them. You must seriously hate them. But we accept your offer."

"Thank you. And I know what you mean…that Conan guy really is an asshole. I suggest that you guys wait while I go to the Cornucopia for supplies, because I'm stronger, and then meet back up with you guys and leave."

"That doesn't sound like that bad of an idea. Should we do it?" Heron asks Ryder.

"Yeah. Atlas, it's a deal." I smile. That's the first time I can really consider someone a friend. Usually my friends end up wedged between two cars when they make me angry, but these two seem like genuine helpers. Maybe I should stick with them during the whole Games…

As I pondered this, Heron munched on some French fries. Tributes were beginning to filter out back into the training area.

"Should we get going?" asks Ryder.

"Yeah. There's still a lot to prepare for." I reply, before walking through the door to the training area. Something smacks me in the face, and two people stand over me laughing. I can make out blond hair and black eyes, while the other one is laughing hysterically. The Careers no doubt.

For once, I actually have trouble getting up.

Author's Note: If you can tell me who one of the assailants was, then you get 5 points. Tell me both and you get 10! Like I said, the updating will be more frequent, so review!