I hope you brought a glass of milk, because this is about to get spicy... (I'm sorry, lockdown is really getting to me... I'm slowly losing it.)

Warning: this chapter is really long, like nearly 5000 words, so buckle up cowboys (I hate myself).

Happy Easter my friends, I didn't intend for this to be up for a few days, but I just got really into it, so here!

This chapter is written a little differently, instead of taking on POV's and delving into the characters thoughts/getting to know them, we are taken a more objective view and looking at the action away from the personal side (if that makes sense...). I've included a majority of tributes, even if only in mention, but some more than others, so if you feel like your person isn't as present, then in future training days, they will have a bigger focus. I've tried to write about those that were less present in the Chariots, so for example Jordan and Dina and Diva aren't here as much. I don't know why I'm rambling this much, you can literally just scroll down and read it for yourself...

It's my first try of writing in this way, because as you can probably tell, I like to focus on one character at a time. Of course, we will still continue to learn about the characters and their thoughts and feelings because I want you to love these guys as much as I do, but I hope you enjoy the more action based side of things! Additionally, in the next couple of days, there will be a second part to this chapter, about he private sessions with Luster, Vivian and Dory.

Without further delay, welcome to Training Day One, where we see allies form and friendships tested. May the Odds be Ever in Your Favour.

Training Day One

Nautilus had made Dory promise to hold his hand. He didn't trust anyone here, and there was no way he was letting anyone get hold of her before he knew who they were. They entered the room, the last pair to arrive and he looked around at all the faces, most of whom he knew would be dead in the next week, him most likely included.

They sat in a pale white room, awaiting instruction. No one was talking, all just staring at one another. Already Nautilus could see alliances forming, he could tell the pairs that would stick together, and those that couldn't wait to get away from one another. He looked down at Dory, and the way she shivered in anticipation. He wasn't sure yet if she would want to stick with him, he was weak and frail after all, but he hoped that whoever she chose would take as good care of her as he would.

"Tributes." The loud female voice echoed around the walls, causing almost every person to jump at the sound. "Throughout the next three days, you will be given the chance to prepare yourselves for the Games, in our training room. At the end, you must demonstrate what you have learnt in front of our Gamemakers, to be scored on your talents." Nautilus could feel himself zoning out, as did most of the others. They knew this, they knew how it worked, all they wanted now was to get in there and start their training. Time was limited and precious; they had none to waste. "However, as this year is a Quarter Quell, all will not be normal. Tributes, you now have the chance to select three of you to take part in the exclusive private training with a selection of the Capitol's top Peacekeepers, for today only. You have three minutes to decide."

Noise broke out as soon as the voice stopped, some tributes fighting for themselves, others for their district partner or a tribute they hadn't even met. Nautilus watched as Locke tried to get his daughter the privileges, and he didn't blame him, he knew that if someone he loved was in the games, he would fight to do exactly the same. The couple from District Eight stayed completely out of it, too focused on staying together to care about what was happening around them. It was complete chaos, and Nautilus couldn't believe that they were using the three minutes they had to decide to argue. Regardless, he did nothing, this wasn't his fight.

"I vote we send three girls, they could probably use some extra help, what about that one?" Jordan's voice broke through the noise first, to no one's surprise, as he pointed at Lana, the girl from District Nine, who had been staying relatively quiet throughout the whole thing. The boy had assumed some sort of lead over the group, and people listened to him, either because he knew what he was talking about, or because they were scared of him, Nautilus hadn't decided yet (that's a lie, he had decided, and it was the second one, he just didn't want to admit that he was terrified of a twenty year old boy).

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Lana pushed her way forward. "We're not living in the past, Jordan, I'm just as good as you, I don't need some extra help." She placed her hands against his chest, sending him backwards. "We're not going to all listen to you because you think you're the next Katniss Everdeen, which spoiler alert, you're not, you're just some backwards boy from District Twelve who wants to believe he's some gift from God because he can shout a few swear words at the Capitol. Newsflash: you're just like the rest of us, a big fat nobody."

Well, maybe not everybody was afraid of Jordan then. This was the first time anyone had disagreed with him, publicly at least, the first fight between a bunch that had seemed so united. Nautilus knew that this was exactly what the Capitol had been gunning for in an act that had seemed to be beneficial to the tributes. They didn't want to give anyone the help, they wanted to show the tributes that at their very base they were too different to cause a successful rebellion.

"Shut up, for a minute, okay?" Nautilus' own voice surprised himself, as he lent on Dory for support to climb on top of a chair. He hadn't expected to speak, but time was running out. "Why don't we deal with this logically? Send the youngest and the oldest, that's the fairest."

"You're only saying that because you're the oldest." Jordan spoke under his breath, still loud enough for Nautilus to hear.

"For God's sake, Jordan, shut up." Locke shouted, ready to lose his temper. "Just let him speak."

"He's right though, isn't he?" Ezra spoke up for the first time. "It makes sense, and it's the fairest way to do it." He was desperate to do something that reminded him of his old life as a doctor. Looking after people and saving them was what he loved, what he craved to do, making sure the vulnerable got a shot here was probably the closest he would ever get to doing it again.

"I'm not actually the oldest, he is." Nautilus pointed at Luster, the pair had met briefly at the Chariot Rides, and of course compared ages, Luster was just under a year older than him. "So we send Vivian, Dory and Luster. They will get the most benefit, and it's the kindest."

Slowly, people began to nod their heads, Nautilus surprised at how many agreed with him. "Any objections?" He called out. There were none, and he felt a swell of pride that he had both managed to to find a solution, and get a place for Dory.

"Alright, Viv." Ronin sat next to the girl, preparing her for going someplace new. "Today, you're going to be going off, with Luster and Dory. Some men are going to train you and get you ready for when we go into the Games. I won't be there, but you don't need to be scared, okay? They're going to look after you." Ronin hated letting her go off alone, but he knew it was for her benefit. She needed this training more than anyone, she needed a shot in the Games and whilst Ronin had vowed to protect her as much as he could, he knew that just him wouldn't be enough.

"You'll be alright, kid, I'll be there with you. Remember me?" Luster walked up behind the pair, and Ronin felt a shiver run through his spine. He didn't trust the older man at all. He didn't seem shaken by anything, and Ronin hated the sudden attention he was paying to Vivian. Still, this girl would need a friend in there, and Luster might just be her best bet.

"See," Ronin stood up, leaving the girl in the debatably secure hands of Luster. "You won't be in there alone, Luster here wil take good care of you. And when you're back, I'll be right here waiting for you." Vivian hugged the older boy, nodding her head. "This will be good for you, trust me." Ronin turned to walk away, but not before focusing his attention to Luster. "If you hurt her or do anything to her, I swear to God I won't rest until you're dead. We clear?"

The tributes had been too busy fussing over those leaving to notice the door to the training room edging open. Locke grasped onto his daughter, pulling her inside.
"We keep to ourselves, Sal. we don't let them know the preparation we have, we train as if this is our first time ever seeing a weapon." Locke folded his arms across his chest, scanning the room. It was his dream, this place, he had never seen so many weapons in one place. Anything you could imagine, was here and he wanted nothing more than to run around, showing off the years and years of practise he had behind him. But that would ruin everything, it would make him and Salome a threat, a target and that was the last thing they needed. Some of their fellow tributes were… unhinged and Locke wasn't ready to get on their bad side just yet. "And allies, Salome, what do we say about allies?"

Trainer mode activated. As long as they were in this room, Salome knew he wasn't her father, he was her instructor, her guardian maybe, but not her parent. The only thing Locke cared about now was keeping them alive, not about how she felt or keeping her calm. She knew she should be thankful that he was with her, that they both had the training to go far, but part of Salome wanted to be in this alone, at least then it would only be the Capitol forcing her to be someone she wasn't and not her father too.
"No allies, dad, I've got it, loud and clear." Salome snapped, knowing she was being harsh, but angry that she had to spend what was probably the remainder of her life being wary of people, instead of talking to them. She turned away from her father, as a majority of the other tributes wandered in, the only one hanging back was Ronin, the boy from Ten, who stayed by the door keeping a close eye on Vivian until the last second.

Salome knew she didn't need to waste time on the weapons, she was more prepared than most of the people in this room. What she needed, however, was to build her stamina, to get good at the physicalities of running, swimming and climbing. Salome knew that even in the gravest of circumstances, she wouldn't be able to kill anyone. It wasn't in her blood or her person, even if she was physically capable of it. And so, she needed to be as prepared as she could be to flee.

As she approached the climbing station, with ladders and bars and ropes laid out, she caught sight of Doug, the boy she had briefly met yesterday, and turning back to check that her father wasn't watching, she approached him, already breaking the rule she had just agreed to. "Hey, Doug. You did good out there last night, the Capitol loved you."

He instantly knew she was lying. He hadn't been loved by the Capitol, in the same way he hadn't been hated by them either. It was the worst case scenario for Doug, they had had no reaction, they hadn't cared enough about him, or Lana for that matter, to have any readable reaction. Maybe it was because they had followed the District Eight pair, so caught up in love and romance, something the Capitol always favoured. He and Lana had been nothing special, something the Capitol had seen hundreds of times before.

"It's okay, you don't have to be so nice to me, I know I was forgettable, average at best." He shrugged his shoulders, smiling sadly. Doug was resigned to the fact that this simply wasn't for him. There was no getting around the fact he had probably no sponsors, no preparation, and no intention to kill, meaning there was absolutely no point in him putting any effort in.

"We still have a week before the games." Salome held out her hand, forgetting every little thing her father had lectured her on. "Want to become unforgettable?"

"You've got balls." Aila looked up at Lana, who stood next to the rope tying station. For the last hour, Aila had been sitting with D'ante and their new friend Nautilus, practising knot formations and identifying plants. She had taken it upon herself to protect the older men, Vivian and Dory already had so many on their side, it was only fair that her district partner was given the same chance. They had little stamina, as was to be expected, and whilst Aila knew she would have to train alone for some part, while she could, she would stick by their side. "Taking on Jordan like that in front of everyone? That was impressive. Aila, District Eleven, not that that matters anymore." She offered her hand out to the girl. "Feel free to join us."

Reluctantly, Lana shook the girls hand, surprising herself by taking a seat. She hadn't had any intention of making alliances, her sole goal was to get home to her family and bring them money, she didn't have the time to make friends that wouldn't last. But, this Aila had shown her kindness, and she was beautiful. And Lana's biggest weakness had always been a pretty girl (a solid mood). "Lana, District Twelve. I didn't think anyone would agree with me challenging our fearless leader, but thanks." She shrugged, pulling a piece of rope from the centre of the table, and attempting to form it into some sort of knot, with little success.

"At first, I thought he was onto something, but I think he just wants to make some noise, there's nothing behind it, no ideals, or passion." It made Aila sad to think about it, that night on the balcony she had had such hope for Jordan but slowly it had been etched away. There really was no plan, just upset the Capitol. If they wanted to pull something like this off, they would have to think carefully, plan it out. That didn't seem to be hot on anyone's mind, she concluded, scanning the room taking in the tributes desperately preparing.

"You might be right. But that doesn't mean he isn't on to something." Lana added, wondering whether this girl could be trusted. "He might be an arrogant son of a bitch with no plan, but he's sadly about all we have." She hadn't come into these games for a rebellion, she wanted things to go smoothly, but even the mere whisper of things changing sent possibilities swirling in her mind, thoughts of a world with equality, not just constant fear. But still, Lana had been the one to shut him down, to tell him he was nothing special, and possibly end the chance that they all had of creating something bigger than themselves. So, whilst it may have been noble and impressive, it was stupid and impulsive, and she was beginning to regret it.

"Here," Aila lent forward, grasping the rope between Lana's hands. "You need to put more pressure there, and then feed it up through, then it'll hold tighter." She lent back smiling as Lana got the hang of it. "See you're a natural."

"Thanks, I would have been here all day if you hadn't have helped me. Can I repay by taking you for lunch during the break? The canteen has really nice pizza, it has real cheese and everything." Lana set the rope down, pushing her chair backwards, preparing to leave the group.

"Sure, that would be lovely." Aila felt her cheeks flush red, she knew it wasn't a date or anything, but it felt nice that even in all of this, someone wanted to spend time with her and get to know her. "I can't say no to real life cheese." She shot Lana a final smile, before she turned back to the males in front of her.

"This is the point where you go after her." D'ante hissed. "You ask her to be your ally, you two have a real shot together. My husband would kill me if he knew I was holding you back."

"I'm not leaving you." Aila set the rope aside, pulling over a book filled with drawings of plants, most of which had had knowledge of already. It was really the only thing she had going for her. She wouldn't necessarily be able to protect them all from danger, but she could keep them fed, and that was better than nothing. "If she wants to join us, then she can. I'm sorry, but you're stuck with me. Now, cleavers? Edible or not?"

"Oi, Flynt." Florence nudged her district partner. They stood together looking over the knives, deciding which one suited them best. It was a waste of their time, both knew that at the end of the day, neither of them could ever use it. Nonetheless, they scanned them over and over again as if their sharp edges would somehow reveal some hidden meaning to life. "She has been staring at you this whole time, and I know you've seen it too. So put the poor girl out of her misery and go talk to her."

Flynt looked round, and sure enough, a few meters away stood Lilac, the District Twelve girl, watching him with an intensity. He had noticed it a few minutes ago, and assumed she would just leave, but she hadn't, and it was getting a bit strange. He sighed, willing Florence to come with him, that the last thing they needed was to make anyone angry, but she just shook her head, leaving the man to wander over alone.

"Wow, cupid." Lya sided up next to Florence, picking up the knife at the edge of the table and turning it over in her hand. "You know you may have just screwed yourself out of a great alliance?" She was trying something completely new here. Talking to people. Too often Lya shied away from conversation, but she knew here that there was no way she could survive these games alone. She was strong and determined and daring, but alone, she had no strength.

"That's very true." Florence admired the girl's sudden confidence, they had only been introduced briefly that day before, and she had taken an instant liking to Lya, a friend like her was something she needed. "Or I might have just formed an alliance way better." Florence liked the thought of that. Her, Lya, Flynt and Lilac would make a great team, the possibility of which made Florence think that they just might have a chance. There were no set careers this year, which she assumed made the games harder. They didn't know who to fear, who was the strongest, but Florence knew that if they stayed together, they stood a much better chance.

"Lilac, right? How's it going?" Flynt spoke, more flustered than he had thought he would be. Lilac was attractive there was no denying that, with her brown hair pulled backwards into a loose bun, curls cascading onto her shoulders. So yeah Flynt could see himself liking her, as much as you could like someone you might have to kill in the next two weeks.

"It's okay. This whole place is confusing me though, I'm not exactly sure where to start." Lilac shuffled nervously from foot to foot, swinging her arms at her side. In front of her, sat a bow bow and arrow, something she was already well trained in. Most of the food her family ate she had acquired one way or another and whilst her aim had always been shaky, it was her best bet in the games. "I'm not really cut out for this, if you couldn't tell. It's a lot different firing at a boar to a dummy shaped like a real person."

"I know," Flynt placed his hand in the small of the girl's back, a calming motion that his mother had always used on him. "It's not going to be easy on any of us, but you have family, right?" Lilac nodded in response. "Right, so think of them, think of their faces and seeing them again. That's what I think I'll do and it might not make it okay, but it'll make things a little easier. You any good with that thing?" Flynt changed the subject quickly, feeling himself get emotional at the thought of his family, and glancing at the bow gripped tight in Lilac's hand.

"I suppose, I used it a lot at home. It's really the only thing I can do, if I don't have this in the arena, I'm in trouble." Lilac shrugged.

"How about this, okay? You teach me how to use that and I'll teach you how to fight. Deal?" Flynt outstretched his hand.

"Deal."

"Are you serious, Arbor?" Cassia folded her arms over her chest, scowling at her boyfriend. "We have skills, we can't just not help them and let them die." Her natural caring instincts were kicking in, no matter how hard she tried to fight it. "Look at them, look how scared they are, we have each other, and they have no one."

"Cassia, we're all we need, we can't trust anyone else." Arbor was beginning to get frustrated. In the past, of course the two had had arguments, but never had the stakes been as high as they were now. Cassia was set on bringing in more people to their small alliance, her training as a doctor convincing her that she had a duty to care over everyone. Arbor, on the other hand, knew that it would be a mistake, they didn't know any of these people, but they knew each other, they knew that they could trust each other, what did they need anyone else for?

"I thought you were better than this Arbor, I thought you cared more." Cassia shook her head, annoyance building within her. The Arbor she had known had needed to help everyone he could, he had more morals than anyone she knew, this sudden change was a shock to her. But, she supposed, it had been months since they had last seen each other, people changed.

"I do care, I care about you and getting you home and making sure you get home, so don't tell me I don't care, okay?" Arbor turned his back, walking away from his last friend. He needed Cass to understand that this wasn't him being heartless or cruel, it was him doing all he could to keep her safe.

"Trouble in paradise?" Hypatia walked up behind Cassia, grasping a spear from the table in front of her. She wrapped her hand around its cold steel, sending the object flying through the air, embedding itself in the chest of a dummy a few meters away. It was easy, piercing the heart of a plastic figure and Hypatia wondered how different it would feel to do the same to a human. She had no doubt that she could do it. Hypatia had a goal, and that goal was going home, nothing would stop her from achieving that. No one would stop her achieving that, she would make alliances, only to let them die, she wouldn't think twice about killing anyone in these games. All she needed was for them to trust her, so she could destroy them in return. "You're lucky you've got each other, though, most of us are alone."

Hypatia wasn't sure lucky was the right word, but she assumed it would invoke the right response. She wasn't sure how she would feel if one of her brother's was in here with her. She loved them fiercely and deeply, and she was sure they would only lead to her downfall, she wouldn't be able to focus on her training or staying alive, all she would do was protect them in any way she could. Hypatia assumed that was the way it was for the pair.

"It's stressful, this whole thing is completely new." Cassia shrugged, picking up a spear and tossing in the same direction that Hypatia had. It missed the mark by a few centimetres, just as the girl had expected. Brains and planning were her strong points, Arbor was the muscles behind the operation. She couldn't deny that they were a good team, they had everything they needed to win the games. Maybe Arbor was right. She looked at Hypatia. If she wanted to, Cassia could form an alliance here, but going behind her boyfriend's back was something she swore she would never do. "We'll work it out, we always do."

"Go talk to him." Diva hissed at Alfred. The boy had saved her from her bossy, manipulative self, and in turn she had vowed to help the boy come out of his shell. The first mission: Newton. The boy was almost as shy and nervous as Alfred, neither of them had anything to be afraid of, it was a simple way forward, and possibly the start of a beautiful friendship. Alfred however, was having none of it. It had taken him almost a full day to warm up properly to Diva, she had no idea how long this would take.

"Wouldn't bother." Dina called from close by. "The kid has spent the morning out there alone, it's been an hour and a half already, he just won't come in." She shook her head. She had tried with Newton she really had, spoken to him, cried with him, even physically tried to drag him into the room, but nothing worked. Eventually and selfishly, she had given up, knowing the more time she spent with him, the less time she had to train.

Alfred had had enough (again, a solid mood). He was being told what to do, and how to train, by people he knew only wanted the best for him, but that made it no better. And so, he walked out. He wasn't sure at first if he was going to stop, he might have just continued and left it all behind, but the face of Newton standing there looking so broken and scared, made him halt.

Newton had spent his life complaining about the constant hum of District Five. Not some poetic hum of life, a literal bloody hum, caused by the constant electricity being produced. The reality was a lot less impressive. He knew that he would have to get used to it, if one day he achieved his dream of being a nuclear scientist, but that didn't mean it wasn't so incredibly annoying. However, as Newton stood at the door to the training room, he knew he would do anything to just hear that hum again.
When things got too much, which they often did, all Newton had to do was focus on the hum. It reminded him of his dreams, what he wanted to achieve and how he could do it. It grounded him, and things felt okay as long as he could hear that hum. There was no equivalent here in the Capitol, everything was so fast and changing here, there was no one constant that he could rely on. The more thought about it, the more panicked he got. It was all too different.

"I'm a tribute. In the Hunger Games. And through that door is a bunch of weapons that could kill people, and a bunch of people that could kill people. How is that real? How is that real life? Science makes sense, connecting one thing to another and getting results makes sense. Killing people and wasting resources to make up for action we didn't commit makes no sense. It makes no goddamn sense." Newton was doing it again. He thought he had managed to free himself from the nervous rambling that haunted him as a child, but no. As soon as Alfred, a boy he had only greeted in passing, stopped next to him, he was off, and there was no telling where he was stopping. "I shouldn't have had to worry about any of this, it was over forever."

"If it made sense," Alfred let out a shaky breath, not used to being the one to take the lead, "If it made sense, they wouldn't still be doing it. The Games would be over, it's the unpredictability that keeps the Capitol engaged, that's the fun of it all." The more Alfred spoke the more confident he became, and he loved the feeling. The feeling of being able to talk and not feeling like he was going to be judged. Was that how it felt for everyone else? "You just have to accept that this is just some things you can't understand, or control. But," He may have been completely making it up as he went along, but as Alfred continued in his speech, it slowly began to ring true. "All you have to do is focus on what you can control. You can control walking into that room." He walked back up to the door, turning to find that Newton had followed him. "You can control what weapon you pick, and how you train and who you talk to. It might not be everything. But it's something, and for now, that's as good as any of us is going to get."

Do I smell some alliances? I think so!

So, to recap, the people that have some sort of alliance/friendship are (this is mainly for my benefit so I can remember where I'm up to, but enjoy nonetheless (that's my favourite word I think)):

1. Salome and Locke (and also kind of Doug as long as Locke doesn't destroy that poor boy)

2. Aila, Nautilus and D'ante (also maybe Lana and Dory, when she gets back from private training)

3. Ronin and Luster are both trying to protect Vivian, so alliance?

4. Florence and Flynt are friends, but Lilac likes Flynt and Lya is trying to find an alliance with them all.

5. Diva and Alfred are besties, and now Alfred and Newton are bonding (Dina is just kind of... there)

6. Cassia and Arbor

7. Hyptia and Ezra are floating the abyss, more on them shortly

8. Jordan. Just Jordan.

Of course, these could all change and more will be developed, it is only day one after all!

As always, thank you for sticking with me, I hope you are safe and well.

Until next time,

Alice xxx

P.S: If you go back and read only the authors notes on these chapters, you can slowly see my descent in to madness, you're welcome. And there's at least another few week of lockdown here in London, so its only going to get worse... once again, you're welcome.