Willow Birch, 7

Training is fun. Although I never wanted to go into the Hunger Games, I have to admit that I love training. And what's even better is that I know one or two people are considering me as allies because I can remember things well. There's one alliance that I really would like to team up with. It's the duo from Nine. The boy, Roland, is very good with scythes and long swords, and Hydrangea, well, I think she'll get a lot of sponsors. She's beautiful.

Some other people I want to team up with? Jack Marko, from my district. He's just a year older than me and wildly mysterious. I don't think he's spoken a word to me during our time in the Capitol, but once on the train we briefly talked. I was standing in front of his cabin, sipping some sweet brown drink. He muttered "Scuse me" and opened the door of his cabin.

I'd also like Lily from Ten. She's smart, like me, and we seem to have a lot in common.

But the only thing is, well, I'm too shy to ask anybody to form an alliance with me. I want them to make the first move. I'm terrified that they will reject me.

So in training I memorized all the edible plants and bugs, some poisons and trap schematics, and a handful of useful food recipes made out of simple plants and things easily found in an arena.

Other than that, nothing much happened.

But even after all of this, I'm terrified for the arena. First comes interviews. What will my strategy be?

And before all of THAT happens, I have private training and training scores. Man, how much work IS this stuff?

Jacques Frost, 5

Heck, yes, is my only thought when I see the training area.

There's a staff station, which nobody is at. Much to my surprise, the trainer is fast asleep. I peer inside a pale blue coffee mug to his side. Some thick, purple, syrupy stuff lies beyond my range of vision.

"PRONTO!" Atala's voice booms from behind me. Atala's sort of the supervisor person, I presume, and she's apparently in love with taking charge at this joint.

"Yes!" the trainer bursts awake and his eyelids fly open. He shakes his head a good two, three times. He's obviously very disoriented.

Atala sighs. "Pronto, ya gotta stop dozin' off like dat. Snow's bound ta find out soona or lata, and you know he's gonna turn ya into one of those Avoxies."

"Sorry, Atala," mutters Pronto.

Atala ruffles his short white and golden hair and turns to me. "Pronto here is my brotha," she says with a small grin, the sides of her plump lips curled up. "Always dozin' off at da worst times, ya know? Nobody can stop him, and nobody tries. He's always like dis."

It's all I can say when I pronounce carefully, "I'm sure that that is very hard on your, uh, famila or however you say it."

Atala's eyebrows meet in the middle for a death glare. "Family," she snaps at me. "Not my fault my motha was a stupid woman who had a fling with Snow hi-yum-self at he messed up her vo-cab-boo-larry before she had Pronto and me-yuh."

"Wow!" I look at her intently. "They had an affair?"

Atala gives me a sharp blow to the forehead with the palm of her hand. "No, ya ditzy boy," she growls. "Just a one time thi-yung. Or maybe it was a two time thi-yung. Anyways, kid, I got work ta do. Godspeed, man." And with that, she's off to the spear station.

I stare after her, dazed.

"Kid!" Pronto barked. "Ya gonna hit something with a sta-yuff or what?"

"I'm going, I'm going," I muttered.

David Brown, 8

The Training Center? Please. For the Capitol, you think that they could replace this ugly bronze and silver floor with platinum. Or even stoned iron. Anyways, they could at the very LEAST swap the podiums the trainers stand at for little curtained booths. I don't want to see ugly adults when I'm swinging a mace or chopping away at a dummy with an axe. I want to see the bloodshed. GOD.

If you want to know about my training, go check your TV. I'm sure they televised it. Why else would the dust speck sized cameras be floating around, following you? GOD.

And for this last thing? Let's just say that I was EXCELLENT at axes. EXCELLENT.

Elijah Bruno, 10

Whenever my parents watch the televised training on television, I ALWAYS watch with them. Who knows when they'll show a snippet of Elijah?

The first time they showed him, it was just before midnight here in Ten. He was hacking away at a pig with a short, straight sword, and the camera gave a close-up of his face. Tiny bits of pig carnage splattered his tanned skin, and his teeth were gritted in determination.

The second time they showed him, it was around sixteen minutes and twelve seconds past four in the morning, and he was attempting to wrestle a trainer. But alas, the trainer was heavier and he pinned him easily. I think I wept for an hour. I don't know.

The third time was exactly six in the morning, and he was being introduced to the dagger station. They showed him for about twenty seconds before they flipped over to that STUPID Eve Glory from One, who was yawning dramatically as she chopped off a dummy's head with a sword. That girl makes me so mad! I hope Elijah offs her first.

The fourth, and last, time that they showed Elijah, he was sprinting around a racetrack. Can you believe that he ran a mile in just six minutes two seconds? No kidding! When we get married and have three children, all girls, named Sarah, Trudy, and Ruth, I hope that they be the best runners they can be, just like their father.

Now it's one in the afternoon and my eyes are still peeled to the TV. I haven't eaten, gone to school, slept, or went to the bathroom for about sixteen hours and I'm sure that I am a mess. But it's all worth it to see my beau Elijah.

A/N: I'm thinking of giving that last girl, the one that writes about Elijah, a name. These are my top three- Ella, Jamie, or Savannah. Hmm, nice.

Oh, and it's time for a little voting on your favorite tributes! : ) Just type in the numbers of the three tributes you like the best. The most voted-for tribute gets a free parachute under 100 points, so get your friends to start voting!

1. Diamond Star (1)

2. Eve Glory (2)

3. Justice Wright (2)

4. Kenji Jummers (3)

5. Lilicon Jummers (3)

6. Kristine Murray (4)

7. Lance Finn (4)

8. Sparkella Munez (5)

9. Jacques Frost (5)

10. Jacqueline Edwards (6)

11. Aiden Birch (6)

12. Willow Birch (7)

13. Jack Marko (7)

14. Caty Lianne Peterson (8)

15. David Brown (8)

16. Hydrangea Samson (9)

17. Roland Sanders (9)

18. Lily Hoff (10)

19. Elijah Bruno (10)

20. Saffron North (11)

21. Cloe Berry (12)

OMIGOSH I did this by memory. I'm so proud! :D Remember to be a sponsor today and vote for your three favorite tributes. : )