Haymitch and I are sitting on the train waiting for Effie to tell us when we come and see our tributes. Haymitch starts pouring a drink and I can take it away and pour it down the sink in our train cart. "The hell, Katniss?" I glared and said, "Those kids are in there waiting for us. Were their last hope of making it out alive." He started laughing, "Oh sweetheart, you have so much to learn. I've watched fifty, no wait forty-nine, kids die. No matter how much advice I gave them they always died. Except for you. Which I'm starting to regret because you're becoming very annoying." I rolled my eyes and said, "Where do we start?" Haymitch sighs and says, "Your mentor now Katniss. Not a friend, or some big sister figure. You prepare these kids for the best out of a horrible situation. Even though, you know only one of them will make it out. If any of them. We'll ask them about their skills and see how they would work into the Games. We might have a bit more time since we have more tributes so maybe we can teach them a couple of things, traps and such. After the first night in the arena, if there's any of them left, we must decide who were going to save." I give him a shocked look and started to say something, but then he says, "Don't argue with me about this. I chose to save you instead of Peeta, and you came out as a Victor." He was going to say more but Effie came in.
I swear that woman has a wig and outfit in every color. She was wearing a green, slender dress that fitted her body perfectly. It only went down to her legs and it was almost normal looking. But her wig, eyeshadow, and eyelashes, lips were that same green color and her face was powdered to look even paler. I rolled my eyes and said, "Hello Effie. You're looking green." She gasps and says, "You really think so. Cinna is all over the Capitol saying forest is the new black so everyone in the Capitol is wearing greens and browns!" Cinna overall was a good stylist and I'm sure that's why Effie's dress was perfect. However, I don't think he'd give a thumbs up to a dark green wig. She escorted us to the room with the tributes. She whispered while we walked, "I personally think we have a pretty good group here this year. Even better than last." I grit my teeth, but technically she was right. Our tributes this year looked better than the baker's son and then illegal-hunter-seam-girl. We walked into the room where they were sitting and examined each one. Revia was beautiful, stunning really. She could get sponsors on her good looks if she didn't have any real skills. However, she had slanted hawk eyes, and she wasn't just born with her fitted muscles. Henry, was huger than I expected. He stood up to shake my hand and almost broke it, though it wasn't on purpose. The gentle giant, I thought to myself. Yes, gentle to the Capitol, a killer in the arena. He could really win. Franklin just sat there, glaring into the world. I looked at him up and down and noticed he had some muscle. It was an assumption but if perhaps he really was cold and with the right amount of training he could just kill people without remorse and eventually come up on top. We really did have a decent group. Haymitch sat down and said, "So here's the deal. You're gonna tell us what you can do. We'll work on it for the next couple of weeks while your in training. Everyone has strength even if they don't know it, you just to have find yours. The training center will have plenty of options for you to try out. If all you can do is set up traps that kill people, you can still win. You will stay together as a group, an alliance against the other tributes. The alliance does not have to stay when the Games start, but the six of us", he said circling with his finger himself, me, Effie, and the three of them, "will be an united front. Katniss and I will help you with your physical and mental skills. Effie will help you with your publicity like your interviews and how to act properly. You need a personality that will attract people to sponsor you. Any questions?"
Revia's hand shot up, "Do we share our skills with you guys personally or as a team? Cause I'm not trying to start any drama, but these two are my enemies too.", pointing to Henry and Franklin. "Should they know what I can do?" I said, "That's a good question. We are all sharing our skills at the beginning with each other. You won't be able to share more than the others will. Around the last three or four days, we will all train separately and anything special you want to work with that you didn't say, will be handled on those days. But like Haymitch said, we are a team and we must act like one." Franklin raised his hand and says, "What if I ain't got no skills though?" Effie looked up in shocked and said, "We will have to work on your language!" Haymitch chuckled and said, "Yes Effie the one thing that really kills kids in bad grammar." Looking back at Franklin he said, "You will have to try to talk more civilised though. And everyone can do something. We'll find it out in a couple of days." I wanted to do more but Haymitch said let the kids have their space and try to enjoy their first night. They'll probably spend it crying like I did and probably exploring the different things in their rooms like the showers and clothes and televisions.
That night we all sit down after dinner and watch all the reapings. I'll admit I like the no volunteer rule when it comes to the Career districts because every Games, Districts 1-4 all reap 18-year-old killer machines and almost always win. And it seems no one thought of the rule I did in telling everyone to send people they know who will win. All the districts are sending poor kids that don't have that much money or family. A girl from District 4 captures my eye, she looks strong and could easily be a threat. Her name is Talia. I keep track of all the names of people I might perceive as a threat to my tributes. The entire group of District 7, two girls and one boy look threatening. That district knew what they were doing. Their names were Gavin, Jamel, and Mercy. Two twins, a boy and a girl from District 9 looked threatening too and their alliance would be strongest in the Games and probably will never break until the end. Lastly, a tall muscular tribute from District 11 would definitely be a problem. He reminded me of Thresh, in fact so much they were probably brothers. No expression or emotion just huge. Our district comes last and the commentators talk about Henry and Reiva as pretty decent candidates. They don't say much about Franklin. The show ends and Haymitch and I look at each other in defeat. "We got some real work to do.", I say to Haymitch. He nods and says, "We sure do sweetheart."
It's the first day of Training and Cinna and my old stylist team as well as Portia and her team, Peeta's old team, come to the room. The rules have changed a bit since each district has an odd amount of tributes. Cinna and Portia will work with the tributes equally. And when the tributes are sent to the arena, one will be escorted by Haymitch, one will be escorted by either Cinna or Portia, and the last one will be escorted by me. Haymitch, Effie, and I eat breakfast while Portia, Cinna, and the six stylists work over our tributes. I ask Haymitch what we do while while they train and he says we can hang out around the Capitol or hang out with the other mentors. Our eyes will be glued to screens during the Games so this will be the only time we can actually get to know the other Victors. I'm afraid of meeting new people, but maybe this will be easier, getting to know people just like you. People whose dreams haunt them every time they go to sleep. It might be more comforting to talk to people who understand what I went through. As Henry, Franklin, and Revia go to the Training Center, I go with Haymitch to meet the other mentors.