The Last Day of Training

Scarlette Blake

Scarlette sat on the edge of the pool, chewing her bottom lip. The night before had been awkward at best, and Cable still hadn't spilled the beans on whatever information he was hiding. It was frustrating, especially because it took time away from getting into Bliss's good graces. Just as she was about to slip back into the water and renew her efforts with the boy, a large hand was placed on her lower back as its owner, Sawyer Coleman from six, sat next to her, wearing nothing but a pair of swimming shorts.

"Hey," he smiled. "I couldn't help noticing how good you look in that swimsuit." Scarlette giggled and punched him playfully on the arm.

"Oh, stop," she laughed superficially, the picture-perfect form of a flirtatious girl.

"I'm Sawyer," he introduced himself, flexing his muscles before jumping into the pool and encircling Scarlette's submerged legs with his arms. "There's a rumor going around that your with the boy from one, is that true?" Scarlette giggled again, keeping the friendly smile stuck on her face. However annoying this situation might be, this boy could be of some use.

"No, that's not true," Scarlette said, dropping her voice to a whisper and adding a conspiratorial wink. "I'm stuck on the guy from my district, Cable Kelvin." Sawyer looked truly stunned.

"Him?" he asked incredulously. "The scrawny little fish bone that can't even tread water?" Scarlette looked over to where Cable was indeed floundering in the middle of the pool. Poor boy.

"Yes," she gushed. "I just don't know what it is about him, but I'm hooked."

"Maybe I could convince you otherwise," Sawyer said. Supporting his body weight with his arms that stood close to Scarlette's hips, Sawyer lifted himself halfway out of the pool, droplets of water cascading down his muscled physique, and kissed her. Too bad, Scarlette thought as his lips touched her's, he's a pretty good kisser. Pulling back from the boy, she quickly arched her back and slapped him in the face as hard as she could, forcing him back into the water.

"I have a boyfriend!" she yelled as soon as he surfaced, the glaring red mark of her hand burning on his cheek. Before she could continue her verbal abuse, peacekeepers lifted her into the air by her arms and pulled her away from the pool and into a small side room, closing the door noisily behind them.

"Aggressive behavior directed at your fellow tributes will result in ten minutes of solitary cool down," one of the peacekeepers said flatly, no emotion registering on his face.

"What?" Scarlette asked sharply, still confused by the rapid turn of events. "You're putting me on timeout because I slapped that creep?"

"Yes."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No."

"Will you let me out early for good behavior?"

"No."

"Do you ever say anything because you want to say it, not just because you have to?"

"No."

Tanita Humbrid

Tanita stood at the weapons range with Rhia, hurling axes at a target. Aden had suggested that the 'muscle' of the new alliance train together for the entirety of the day, as they would need to be familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses. Tanita didn't mind. Though the blonde, emotionless girl from seven had initially put her off, they were getting along surprisingly well, and beside the fact that it was humbling having to practice with someone so far her senior with weaponry, Tanita was having a good time.

"Try releasing a little earlier," Rhia advised, hefting an axe in her right arm and burying it in the middle of a target ten yards away. "That will help your accuracy."

"Does it really matter where you hit someone with one of these?" Tanita said, lifting up one of the axes and raising an eyebrow. "It's not like anyone would be much of a threat with one of these in their leg."

"So you'd think," Rhia answered. "But the adrenaline could carry someone long enough for them to turn on you if you get too close. If you're going to throw a weapon, you want to make sure it's going to kill the target on the first hit."

"Or you could just bring two, and hit them with both," Tanita smirked.

"That would work," Rhia said, chuckling quietly. "Hey, I want to ask you something."

"What?" Tanita asked, brushing her long hair out of her face and picking up a javelin.

"When Aden and Colleen approached you, did they say anything about Andelin?"

"Yes, actually," Tanita answered, puzzled by the question. "They were pretty clear that the careers were more vulnerable now that they didn't have a healer, and that our alliance had an even greater chance of beating them into the dust. Why?"

"Oh, I was just wondering," Rhia said, sitting down and giving her arms a rest. "Who do you think did it? Killed Andelin?"

"Are you saying you think that one of them did it?" Tanita asked quietly, looking over her shoulder to make sure the pair weren't listening in on the conversation. "Aden or Colleen? To get us to join their little group?"

"I think so," Rhia admitted. "It makes sense to me." Tanita sat down next to her newfound ally, stunned by the idea.

"It actually does," Tanita mused. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little impressed."

"Impressed?"

"Yeah, impressed. They obviously came into this whole situation with a plan, and they're willing and able to deal with anything that deviates from that plan."

"Which is impressive, but not exactly encouraging for either of us," Rhia said. Just then a yell came from the station next to theirs, basic survival. It was Athene.

"You don't just leave the most promising alliance in the Games!" Athene screamed, alerting several nearby peacekeepers.

"I'm sorry," Kayn said resolutely. "I don't think this is the most promising alliance anymore."

"Oh, you've found a more promising team then?" Isis asked, stepping forward next to Athene. "Who may I ask recruited you?"

"It doesn't make any difference, goodbye Isis, I wish you the best." Kayn walked away from the group of careers without looking back, leaving all of them staring daggers at him as he went.

"Bravo," Tanita said sarcastically as Kayn made his way over to them. "You were a little too nice though, right seven?" Rhia was still watching the careers, but she turned her attention back to her allies when Tanita addressed her.

"Kayn," Rhia said quietly, her voice filled with dread. "It's great having you as part of the team, but I think you just united the careers in a way that spells trouble for us."

Bandit Highland

Bandit stood in the elevator next to Miles Taylor, staring ahead at the shining streets of the Capitol as they were whisked down to the training gymnasium. He had arrived the night before, silent and stony; dead to the world. She had tried to talk to him then, but he didn't answer her questions or acknowledge her thoughts on the situation, he just sat and stared at nothing in particular.

When the elevator reached the bottom floor Bandit stepped out first, looking back to make sure Miles was following her. "It's okay," she said softly. "It's not as bad as you think." Miles walked past her and she followed him into the large, cavernous room.

"Are you in an alliance?" Miles suddenly asked, speaking for the first time since he had arrived.

"What?" baffled by his sudden change in attitude. "No, I'm not, why?"

"Well, sulking isn't going to get me home," Miles said matter-of-factly. "But teammates might do just that. You want to ally with me?"

"I don't know," Bandit replied, backing up and looking at her new partner for what felt like the first time. "I'll talk to my mentor about it. We can talk tonight." She had heard about the big alliances forming, and she wanted no part in their war. The two groups were going to batter themselves to pieces in their fight against each other, and hopefully that would make it easier for her to get home to her family.

"Okay," Miles said, walking away and directing himself toward Rhia, Kayn, and Tanita. "I'll see you around, Bandit."

Bandit walked over to the natural medicines station where Sawyer Coleman quickly joined her. "Hey," he said sitting down directly to her right. "I never got the chance to talk to you about, you know, a couple of nights ago. Andelin." Bandit drew a deep, shuddering breath and let it out in a long, annoyed sigh.

"Maybe that's because I don't particularly like you, Sawyer," she said stiffly.

"Oh, come on," he grinned. "Don't be like that, I'm just being friendly!"

"Sure you are." Bandit rolled her eyes. While his persistence was flattering, the flirting was getting on her nerves.

"So are you okay?" Sawyer asked. "It must have been hard to accept that he was gone, after getting to know him."

"Actually, it wasn't hard to accept at all," Bandit said, fighting to keep the emotion out of her voice. "I was the one who found him. I saw his eyes still wide open, I saw the bloodstains, and I saw the knife. It wasn't hard to accept that he was dead."

"Oh," Sawyer said, the pleasant smile falling from his face.

"Do you ever think about what it will be like?" Bandit burst out. "Being in the Games? Being surrounded by deaths as brutal as Andelin's every day, and living with the constant fear that you will be next?"

"No, actually," Sawyer said, looking down at the ground. "I try not to."

"Good for you," Bandit huffed.

"Sometimes I think about how terrible it would be to die in the arena," Sawyer continued seriously. "But then I think about how much more terrible it would be to win. To live the rest of your life with all of their blood on your hands." Bandit looked up and saw Sawyer's eyes glistening with unshed tears. She reached out a hand and touched his arm.

"You're not the only one who thinks that," she said. "We're all scared of the same thing."

"The only thing worse that I can think of is getting killed by girl," Sawyer said, trying not to let his mask of sadness break into the wide grin threatening at the corners of his mouth.

"What is wrong with you?" Bandit gasped, exasperated. Sawyer chuckled and was about to answer when they were approached by the tributes from district eight.

"Hey guys," Colleen said, smiling. "How are you?"

"Oh, here it comes." Sawyer whispered dramatically. "They're going to invite us into their little super squad."

"We have six of the best tributes in the Games," Aden said, a little annoyed at Sawyer's mocking comment. "We have a real chance at upsetting the careers, and if we had you guys on board we'd have more than a chance, we'd be certain."

"Are you lumping yourselves in with the 'best tributes in the Games?' Because if you are, I might be a little skeptical," Sawyer smirked, winking at Colleen.

"Look," Bandit interrupted. "It's very flattering that you thought to ask me, but I'm going to have to turn you down. I can't see that situation ending well for you guys."

"Thanks for being honest," Colleen said, placing a calming hand on Aden's shoulder. "If you change your mind, come find us though, okay?" Bandit nodded and turned back to her work.

"What about you, big guy?" Aden asked, nodding at Sawyer. "You in?"

"I don't think so, buddy," Sawyer replied, mocking Aden's condescending tone. "I'm actually sticking with this hot, dangerous, and extremely intelligent girl right here, so I guess I'm spoken for." Bandit's face flushed red, making her glad that she had turned away from the group. She waited for the color to drain from her face before she turned around.

"If you're still looking for members though," she said to the two disappointed looking recruiters. "The new guy from my district, Miles Taylor, wants an alliance. In fact, I think he's trying to recruit your other members as we speak." Bandit gestured over to where Miles was chatting amiably with Kayn, Rhia, and even Tanita, who was miraculously smiling and laughing. Aden and Colleen immediately hurried toward the small group.

"Well that was awkward," Sawyer commented dryly, watching them leave.

Aden Hanran

Aden approached the group and was caught off guard by Tanita's surprisingly loud and infectious laugh, a sound that he hadn't heard before. "This is Miles, he's Andelin's replacement," Rhia said bluntly as soon as the couple arrived, making a space for Aden and Colleen in the tightly knit circle. "He wants in the team."

"Yeah, I do," Miles said, crushing Aden's hand during their brief handshake. "Anti-Careers. I like the idea."

"I'm glad," Aden said, putting an arm around Colleen.

"What's the plan?" Miles asked, staring at the two expectantly.

"The plan?" Aden asked, ill at ease by how frank the new guy was speaking.

"Yeah, the plan," Miles laughed, like he was talking to children. "For taking out the careers. Are we going to turn the tables on them at the bloodbath?"

"No," Colleen said immediately. "We're not taking an aggressive approach. It would only serve to hurt us in the long run."

"Well," Miles said, disappointed. "How very conservative of you. How are you getting rid of them? Are you just going to ask them to kill each other?"

"Look," Aden said defensively. "There's no need to insult anyone. We have a plan, and it will work out, just wait and see."

"Why should we have to wait?" Miles asked, sneering and stepping into Aden's personal space. Miles was at least a head taller than the other boy, and looking down at the group's 'leader' was an insult that nobody in the circle missed. "Why should we just trust you blindly?" Aden took a step back and looked to the other members for help. Tanita had her arms crossed defiantly, mirroring Miles' attitude, and Rhia looked searchingly at the two tributes from eight, obviously awaiting the answers to the stinging questions. It was Kayn that stepped in to help.

"Calm down," Kayn said, stretching an arm out in between the two angry young men and addressing Miles. "If you're going to be part of the team you have to know your place, and you just showed up. Your place is pretty low. Wait until we get to know you a little better, then we'll fill you in on the details, okay?" Miles took a deep breath and blew the air out of his nose in a long, angry puff.

"Fine," he said. "I guess that makes sense."

"I'm glad you see it that way," Aden said, his bravado returning at Kayn's interjection. He drew breath to continue but was spun around by Bliss's heavy hand before he got the chance.

"Hey there, ginger," Bliss smirked, referring to Aden's flaming red hair. The entire career pack stood together in an intimidating phalanx of muscle and confident smiles. "We heard you guys are pulling together a little resistance."

"What's it to you?" Kayn said, stepping forward once again.

"Shut up, traitor," Athene spat furiously. "You forfeited your right to talk when you chose the losing side."

"So what are you here for?" Colleen asked. "If you already knew?"

"We came to make sure you weren't feeling confident," Isis said simply. "And to make sure your little soldiers know how hopeless your cause is." She gestured at Rhia, Kayn, and Tanita.

"You guys are all talk," Aden laughed. "Just wait until we get in the arena, you'll be singing a different tune." Athene stepped forward and put a hand on Aden's chest, shoving him backward and breaking his hold on his fiancée. Clamping a hand around Colleen's neck, Athene dragged her forward off of her feet and dangled her over the hard floor. Rhia looked around alarmed, searching for the peacekeepers who should have been intervening, but the men in white suits couldn't see through the tightly grouped together teenagers.

"District eight," Athene seethed, keeping her eyes locked on Aden as Colleen tried to break the older girl's hold on her neck. "You are dirty, filthy little mutts and I am going to make sure you leave this world as slowly as possible." Aden surged forward, but was stopped by Bliss and Caspian before he could help Colleen. Finally Athene let the girl go and sent her crashing to the floor, gesturing for Bliss and Caspian to step apart and allow Aden to slide to Colleen's aid. "I'd tell you to watch your back," she continued. "But I don't think it will help." The Careers turned and began to walk away, but Athene had one last thing to say.

"By the way, I killed Andelin." Everyone within speaking distance, careers included, froze, paralyzed by her offhand way of admitting her role in the boy's cruel death. "He squealed like a stuck pig," she continued. "But there was no one there to help him. Still think we're 'all talk'?"

Skye Andronicus

Skye sat perfectly still, listening to argument taking place behind her. "Who was the last girl who spoke?" she asked the tall avox woman. "Tap on my shoulder the number of her district." She waited for a moment, and then felt two quick, controlled taps. It had been Athene then. Sawyer had told Skye all about the frightening girl from two, and hearing that she was the murderer among them didn't come as a surprise. Tears cascaded down Skye's cheeks.

It was all so horrible. Why hadn't anyone told her about the Games? Why was she the one picked, out of all the girls in district six, to play this demented game? When she first heard her mentor explain it, she hadn't believed him. Surely, no one would watch that for entertainment. She was wrong. It was real, and it was coming faster and faster every day.

Skye brushed away her tears and went back to her task of finding edible plants in what the trainer had said was a garden filled with various types of vegetation. "This one is fuzzy," Skye said, holding one of the leaves in the air. Hopefully the trainer was still in the same place, and would be able to see it. "It's kind of heavy for a leaf too, so my guess is that I can eat it."

"Yes," the trainer said kindly, though he always seemed on the verge of tears when he spoke to Skye. "It wouldn't do much for your body though, it almost wouldn't be worth eating."

"Oh," Skye said, disappointed. Feeling around in the plot of moist dirt, Skye felt a tall, fibrous plant and dug beneath it, producing several small, rough roots. "What about this one?"

"We've studied that one," the trainer said. "You answer your question, should you eat it?"

"Well," Skye mused, sitting back and pondering the question. "The roots aren't hard, so they wouldn't be hard to eat. They have little hairs growing on them, so they are probably ripe… I'll say yes, I would eat it."

"It's poison," the trainer sighed before she could take a bite. "You forgot to feel all the way along the stalk and inspect the flowers on top. If you had done that you would have known better."

"Well, I guess I'm dead then," Skye laughed bitterly, tossing the offending roots aside.

"You can do it," the trainer urged encouragingly. "You just need to focus. Don't get down on yourself, you could win."
"Thanks," Skye said, though she didn't believe the man at all.

Footsteps approached Skye and she cocked her head to the side so that she could hear. "Hello," the voice said. A young boy, Skye thought, it must be one of the tributes then. "I'm Chase, from district seven."

"Hello, Chase," Skye answered. "I'm Skylar, but you can call me Skye."

"Okay," the boy said happily, flopping down on the ground to Skye's left. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find plants I can eat just by feeling them," Skye answered sadly. "I'm not very good."

"Oh, you'll get better!" Chase encouraged her. "You still have the private training with your mentor this afternoon, I bet they will be able to help you!"

"Thanks," Skye said, smiling at the boy's contagious attitude. "Maybe you could help me, are you in an alliance?" Skye knew she was grasping at straws, who would want to team with her?

"I am," Chase mused. "Wait, I bet the others would let in with our team!" Skye felt the boy jump up in excitement. "I'll be right back!" Skye felt the avox's hand on her shoulder.

"Is that an encouragement?" Skye asked. "Or a warning?" There was no answer. "Tap once if it was the first, and twice if it was the second." There was a moment of pause before Skye felt two taps on her shoulder: a warning.

A/N

Ooooooh! Okay, here's how it's going to go. I'm going to write a quick chapter with the Training Scores, one for the Interviews, and then a Night Before chapter. THEN WE WILL BE IN THE GAMES. I'm getting really excited.

In the mean time, check out a Hunger Games Fanfic called "Riley's Choice" by mangesboy01. I did some beta reading for it, and let me tell you, it's fantastic!

That's all I have for now! Thank you for your time!

-IVV