Starr Lynan's POV

Every night, guilt fills my soul, thinking about what I had to do to little Heaven LaFratta. She seems so sweet and like she couldn't hurt a fly, so why was she such a great threat to the careers. When Mace and Marble proposed the deal, I felt trapped, but I couldn't refuse. If I refused their offer, I knew that I would be first on their kill lists. Besides, it could be my only shot at winning. Being in the career pack could be my saving grace. I will have to bare through the guilt and pain in order to have a shot at victory.

Sitting in my cold plastic chair, I think about what was to come of me in the arena. If I don't get a decent score from the Gamemakers, I could be out of the career pack and all of that trouble to get rid of Heaven would be for nothing. I'll am for a six or higher, I guess. Just be in the upper half and everything will work out.

I'm startled as the obese Astar, the District Eight boy, comes clambering out of the Training Centre, his face red and his eyes watering. He looks like a complete wreck. I'm surprised, he's usually so composed, although he can be full of himself. I guess he just needed to be put in his place. I'm glad the Gamemakers have done it for him. He'll be less of a stuck up snob in the arena, not that it matters much since I'm sure he'll die early on.

"Starr Lynan," honestly, that intercom voice is really getting obnoxious. I really don't see why we have to wait here the entire time that the tributes before us are training. There have already been sixteen tributes before me and they all take ten or fifteen minutes in there. I've been staring at the blank wall in the lobby for almost four hours now. I'm so glad it's my turn to train and then I can finally go back up to my floor and eat dinner and take a long hot shower in those weird contraptions that smells like roses.

I slowly get up from my chair, the other seven tributes looking at me some resentfully and some jealously. Heaven is sitting there, not even knowing what would be happening to her in the arena. Not knowing that I have been ordered to kill her in the bloodbath. She just sits there, her curled blond hair pulled back into a ponytail and her large childish hazel eyes gazing into space. Her features make her look not like a fourteen year old, but like a much younger little girl.

When I enter the Training Centre, I am overwhelmed by everything in there. It looks so much bigger than it did when all of the tributes were in there. I just go to the climbing station, the one that I had spent most of my time at, and also the one that I was training at the other day when the careers made that deal.

I hit the timer button and sprint toward the starting point. I launch myself towards the net and begin climbing. Keeping my balance, I frantically grab at the net as I scramble to the the top. Then, I run across the balance beam, which was nearly impossible a few days ago, but my training made the feat effortless. Then, I slide down a metal tree and begin the second climbing task, a rock wall.

As soon as I grab the first rock, I notice that it has been coated with a slimed substance, making it harder to get a grip. However, that didn't stop me. I went through this simulation a million times, climbing is just a second nature for me.

I climb up to the very top, going rapidly, but still focusing on the footholds and handholds. Step by step and grab by grab, I'm soon at the top and I victoriously ring the bronze bell at the top. I slide back down and strut out of the arena with a cool and confident kind of air.

Rye Feilds' POV

Okay, it's been about ten minutes since Starr has gone into the training centre and soon it would be my turn. A good score could make or break my victory and my shot at living a good life. I can't get a score too high or I'd be too much of a target. But if I get something too low, I could be an "easy kill". Maybe I'll shoot for a seven or eight, good enough to be intimidating,but not low enough to be thought of as a joke.

I sit in my cold hard chair, next to Natasha and Alex, who will be going after me. They seem like such a great alliance, I'm surprised I'm being welcomed with such open arms. But I am curious about all of the hushed conversations between Natasha and her brother, which happen randomly at many times throughout the days. I can't help wondering what that's all about, but I'm sure it's nothing. Probably just a sibling thing. Although, I don't really think that they're siblings at all. Natasha has long golden hair and soft features while Alex has dark black hair and stern features. Also, Natasha has a queer way of speaking and almost sounds like the capital escorts. I wonder how a District Ten farm girl got a capital accent. Something strange is going on here, but my mind just skips right over it.

"Rye Feilds."

Finally, it's my turn to go into the dreaded Training Centre and face my fate. I take a deep breath as I meekly wander into the arena. Hastily I make my way to the archery station and grab and emerald bow and five arrow and load them. I draw the bowstring back with all of my might and release. The arrow flies through the air and lands in the dummy's neck. Good enough. I try a second arrow and this one lodges itself in its shoulder. The next two shots land in the stomach and the other shoulder. I take a deep breath and load the final arrow, it flies though the air and lands right in the heart target.

Natasha Trent's POV

I can't believe that the whole group has fallen for my tricks. I got that idiot Phan to do all of the dirty work for me and then I'll have Alex kill him and the two of us will have easily gotten three tributes off our hands. I do admit that I indeed have feelings for Phan, but I won't let that get in the way of victory. Besides, when I win, I'll have my choice if rich capital men instead of some love struck boy with puppy love in his eyes. This is what the rogue life is like, you can't settle for true love, you have to marry for riches and money. So therefore, a romantic lumberjack, just isn't going to cut it.

Rye and Phan have already done their training, leaving just me, Alex, and Hayden along with the other three little kids who's names I never bother to remember. I'm next and I don't even bother worrying. When I go in there, I might do kickboxing or something like that. But I might just wing it and flirt my way through this whole thing. Besides, that's what I do best.

"Natasha Trent," that voice says over the speakers.

I brush my golden hair behind my shoulders and put a winning smile upon my face as I rise up from my chair and strut like a runway model to the Training Centre knowing that I will rock their world.

"Hello! My name is Natasha Trent!" I flirtatiously smile and wink at the Gamemakers, "Just to let you know, I'm currently single, and if I win, boys, I will personally go out on a date with each of you and who knows? Maybe we'll hit it off!" I go out of my to be as flirty and girly as I can.

"Ex-CA-use me, Miss Trent, but flirting your way through this isn't going to get you anywhere, unlike with Mister Reska. Thank you by the way, for making these games interesting. Anyways, show your skills or get out. You have ten minutes," the glaring head Gamemaker, Jayla MacKenzie reprimands me. Crap, this would have been easier if it had been a guy head Gamemaker.

Whatever, I'll just stay with the original plan. Quickly, I rush to the kickboxing station, not wasting my time anymore than I already have. I switch on the dummy and rapidly kick at it and punch with amazingly fast skill. Honestly, I wasn't prepared for this, assuming that the flirting would work. This punch is for Jayla, and each one of these kicks is for all of those stupid Gamemakers. Finally, after exhausting myself, I turn off the dummy's and head back out to the lobby, feeling the embarrassment rise to my cheeks.

A/N

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