Hey, so this is now training! It doesn't cover the whole day but you can see some alliances forming! I hope you like it!

County 13 – Seph Aroda (17)

I feel sorry for those tributes who have no idea what they are going to do for alliances. Thankfully, I am in a career county, automatically giving me a great advantage as I know that I will be accepted into the careers. The one problem is that I don't know how to do that. I assume that we just meet and immediately eliminate those who we know are not nearly good enough for the pack. I can safely say that I can think of several people in the career counties hwo will not be good enough.

The six of us sit at the breakfast table, the morning after the bizarre chariot ride, in silence. We are all looking at each other suspiciously and I am no different. I can already tell that Eve is certainly not career material, how eager she is to join. Aelius seems like a good type of career, but not one of the bloodthirsty types like Cato was last year. those type of tributes disgust me, although I can't wait to get into the arena and I know how to kill people, it isn't as if I have done it.

"Right," Caspian looks confident and smiles at the four of us. "So, today is the first day of training." He is triyng to make out that he knows exactly what is going on but we all know that we are more knowledgable in the area of the Hunger Games as we are actually from Panem. "As a career county, are you planning on sticking together and meeting up with the other career counties?"

Aelius, Eve and I all nod but I have to stifle back a snigger as Eve does so more vigorously than the two of us. Clearly she is eager to get in with the best and yet I can tell she is already a bloodbath tribute, such a shame for a career county. I am surprised that Robin doesn't join us, he just sits there glumly, unsure of what to do.

"I have a feeling that not all of the tributes from all of the career counties will be career material," Jane chooses her words carefully and I swear I see her wink at me, both of us acknowledging that Eve and Robin are not in the category, "so you must be wise in choosing who is in the pack. There may be other tributes from non-career counties who will be good enough to get into the pack, you should always be wary of them."

I nod, it makes sense and so does Aelius, I think I like this guy. Jane checks the time and then nods. "We better be getting down to the training centre." My eyes light up, this is what I have been waiting for a long time for. I jump up and follow her, the others a little behind me. I want and need to get started as soon as possible, I want to show off my abilities, to show that I will win.

County 7 – Archie Cross (15)

Despite Gale's relation to Katniss and Peeta, I have warmed to him. he is my mentor after all and will be responsible partly for keeping me alive in the arena. We're heading down ot the training centre and I don't know whether to be nervous or excited. Nervous because this is the first time I will actually have to face the other tributes and excited because it means that I can find out whether I am any good at some of the things in there. I've heard so much about what we can do there and I am eager to try some out and see how good the others are. We've all agreed to go our separate ways, the possibility of an alliance weak but it is still there.

The lift is silent and as we enter the room, there are about half of the tributes there. It is a little wait before the rest of the tributes arrive and the woman standing at the front starts to talk, explaining what is around us. Does she really think we will try and kill each other this early? I look around at the other tributes, trying to figure out who might be a potential danger. There are your typical Career tributes who look eager and maybe a little too much so. We are dismissed and I stand there a little caught for a moment.

There is a squeal suddenly from my right and I see Lorelei, a quiet but nice looking girl running towards a 12 year old girl who I recognise from county 11. This must be Carlie, the girl that Lorelei had mentioned at one point. She seems sweet but not a total pushover. Recognising my slight loss as to what to do, Lorelei waves me over. "Archie!"

I go over, a smile on my face and extend my hand to Carlie. "Archie Cross, county 7."

She takes it, her dainty hands slightly coarse but still retaining a slight soft feel. "Carlie Mansfield, county 11."

With introductions over, there is a slight impatient air to get started. "Do you want to join us with training?" Lorelei asks me shyly and I nod, I don't want to be alone. "Where shall we start?"

We look around the room. There is a swimming pool, loads of weapons which I can already see many people are at, camouflage, rock climbing and then my eyes rest on where I know I want to go, archery. I've doen a little bit of it before and so I nod towards it and both girls' eyes light up.

We head over and start to try them out. There are only a couple of other people here and so the trainer at the station takes no time in showing us how it is done. I suppose my football training has finally come to something as I find that I shoot with rather good accuracy, the only thing I struggle with is the power with which I shoot. Maybe I have found a start, a good one too.

County 2 – Carter Bloom (17)

We've already got an alliance and for that I am glad. Well, it wasn't as if the alliance hadnt already been planned. Its me with Nikki and Alyss and we were thinking of asking Niko to join us but we know that he is such a wimp that it wouldn't be worth trying to get him to be any good at killing kids and the such like. I can see Alyss' eyes glinting, which scares me slightly, as i know that it means that she is going into one of her phases, the ones that tells me that she is eager to fight, to kill if she gets too far. I am glad that I am not the only one who has noticed this as Nikki is now gently guiding her towards the edible plants section. We both know that this kills so many tributes each year, I can still remember the way Alicia, that District 5 girl tribute the year Katniss and Peeta won, looked after she had eaten the nightlock. I would not like to be in that position, I would rather die fighting. Or perhaps even better, die fighting those that I care about, namely Nikki and Alyss. The edible berries station turns out to be very informative and useful as we discover the different plants that we have seen over the different Games. I immediately identify correctly the Nightlock berries and the trainer at the station seems to be rather impressed with me but ti is from there that I start to fail. Clearly Alyss and Nikki are not relaly interested or good at it, so we leave after an hour so and look around.

But before we can go further, Nikki pulls me to one side. "Carter, we need ot keep an eye on her."

Her tone is not commanding but pleading and desperate and we both know that she is referring to Alyss. We both know what she is like in one of her episodes and there will be no stopping her from killing a tribute in training, to her there would be no difference. I nod. "But we need to still brush up on our fighting skills. At the moment I don't trust Alyss with any of the other tributes, she's a danger to herself as well as us."

Nikki nods. "You're right," of course I am, "shall we try rope tying and stuff? That'll be useful for creating snares and keeping ourselves upright in trees at night."

I gulp and sideways glance at Nikki. "Nikki, remember…" I trail off and she looks at me questioningly, "me and trees? Me and heights generally?"

She bites her lip to show she is sory, she knows I have a phobia of heights and I hate climbing trees. "I want to go and play with the swords." She whines. "That was what Cato was good at. If he was good at it, then I certainly will be, obviously."

I sigh inwardly, Nikki nad her peculiar obsession, but we both know that it would be fatal to try that kind of thing until the last day when she will be better at everything else. It isn't that we want to kill her off, we just don't want her to be a danger to everyone else although they will all die eventually, of course. "how about swimming?"

County 6 – Alycee McDonavan (15)

A fight has already broken out between the careers. There are four counties and it is clear that none of the kids from county 3 are particularly interested in joining the inevitable alliance and, as appealing as it sounds to let the others think that I am totally prepared and trained for the arena when I am so not, I don't think that I will fit in. there are a couple of the kids from the other two districts who are trying to get in, but I can already see a leadership forming in that Seph girl from 13 who seemed nice enough before but I was mistaken. A few angry words are being exchanged and I would hate to be in the middle of them, especially those who are wanting to get inot the group. I know that Sunday, the other female tribute from 6 will get in, she is the most career-esque person in our county, of us who were reaped. I can also spot a couple of other potential careers from those who aren't in the counties. There's that Electron boy who's supposed to be related to President Snow in some form, although he looks nothing like him.

I am glad that I do not seem to be the only person in the room looking around aimlessly, but then something catches my eye, something I certainly like. The small boy from 17, Charizo, has suddenly caght my eye, his token of a belt which has woven beads in it, makes me smile. It is so bright in comparison to our gaudy outfits and I go up to him at the camouflage station.

"Sorry to bother you, but can I join you?" I ask nervously, which is slightly silly as I am a year older than him. I look apologetic, although I don't really know why. "its just, I love your belt so much and I need ot practise my camougflage."

He breaks into a smile as soon as I mention his belt and wipes his hands on a cloth at the table. "Of course, I'm Charizo Tycar and this is my fellow tribute Willow Ravenwood."

The small girl next to him looks only twelve but she smiles confidently, waving from where she is decorating her hand to look like moss. It is so realistic that I gasp in delight. "That is incredible Willow, how do you do it?"

She ducks her head in embaressment but Charizo is ready with an answer. "Willow is an artist, so she's worked with colours a lot."

I laugh lightly. "Well, let's hope that they have an art box in one of those rucksacks at the Cornucopia so you can blend in easily."

They laugh and I find myself enjoying their company. Maybe I won't have to wing it alone.

County 3 – Cornelia Tertia (13)

I honestly have no idea where to start. I have been standing here for a good few minutes and now I seem to eb the only person left, still standing where I was originally. There is so much to choose from and improve on. The one thing that I hope that I might be able to not look like a fool in, is the swimming pool. It is huge, with clear blue water that gently laps at the edge. Already I can see a couple of tributes from county 9 in there, some would say showing off but I think that they are in their element, free to do what almost comes naturally to them. Despite my better judgement, I find a swimming costume that fits me and quickly slip into it before tentatively approaching the water. I don't swim particularly well but it doesn't matter as the whole point is to learn how to.

"Hey county 3!" I turn, startled at the noise and accidently fall into the water, the liquid swarming before me and I don't know how to get myself up. I am quickly rescued by a pair of strong arms which come up under me and push me to the surface.

I come up, gasping for breath to see a pair of very dark brown eyes with a kind aura in them. "Thanks." I splutter.

"Blame Sandy for calling you 3. Maybe you should start at the shallow end nad try to work from there."

He is being serious but I can see the indignation that is bubbling inside of me and he smiles. "I guess you can swim. I'm going to go, but its always worth learning the basics."

He gives me a small smile and pulls himself out of the water easily before a smaller girl with curly blonde hair and blue streaks comes swimming up to me, her eyes shining. "I'm sorry for surprising you. it just looked as if you wanted ot be with someone rather than being on your own." She sticks her hand out. "I'm Sandy, Sandy Beechnut."

With one hand firmly gripping the side of the pool, I take it. "Cornelia Tertia."

She smiles. "Nice name, so how much do you actually know about swimming?"

I start to talk to her and she seems to be really nice. She shows me some basic strokes that I work on and we get out eventually, realising that we could benefit each other. While our hair dries, I show her how much I know about lighting fires without matches which isn't exactly complimentary to water but it is still good fun and she proves to be rather handy. I hope that we can keep this friendship up, it could prove very useful in the arena.

What do you think?!