Gage Powers, District 3 Male: Training day 2

"You sure you want to do this?" Jocylin questions as I step into the sparring ring. I glance back at her and give two thumbs up in her direction. Today we planned to focus on weapons, having spent all day yesterday at the survival ones. Except we did take a bit of a break to try and attempt sword handling, which is why I feel confident enough to walk into the ring.

"Ready?" the trainer asks holding up her wooden stick in a defensive position. The trainers weren't allowed to use real weapons for fear of hurting a tribute before they make their debut into the arena.

"As I'll ever be." I sigh holding out my sword awkwardly. I hadn't had that much practice with the weapon but decided that it'd be good to start the day off right at the ring.

"Go!" she shouts and I do a basic lunge at her only to have a riposte come straight at my stomach. It knocks me to the cold wooden floor and takes the breath out of my lungs. It hurts but I get back on my feet, I need to get better at this and lying on the floor isn't going to do anything.

I hear Jocylin saying something but I can't exactly make out the words. My head spins but I thrust the sword towards the trainer. She quickly perries my attack which pushes me backwards and on to the ground again.

Sweat drips down my face but I wipe it away with my forearm. "Come at me." I grunt getting back up on my feet.

"You've got determination, most tributes would have given up now." She says lunging again at my side. This time, however, I'm able to block her wooden stick and thrust it away from my body. She holds her ground and doesn't fall backwards like I had done.

I quickly whip around to try and attack her from behind but she sees me coming and spins her body around. I stop and stare at her for a second before charging at her with my sword out in front. It nicks her side before she twists around and pushes me to the ground. My glasses fall off my face but I'm too busy to pick them up.

The trainer jabs at me again with her wooden stick and I fall to my knees. I fumble for my glasses hoping I could find them before she was able to to launch another attack. I feel a swift thud on my back and a small bell goes off.

I feel someone tapping me on the shoulder and turn to look up at them. Of course I'm still missing my glasses and can't see who it is. "Here." The person says and I instantly recognise the voice of my district partner and only ally. Neither of us had been too keen on meeting other people so we just plan to stick with each other.

She puts something in my hand and I can tell she's trying not to laugh. I quickly take my glasses from her and shove them on to my face. The world clears and I'm able to see the bright blue walls of the training center again.

"Why don't you wear contacts?" Jocylin asks, extending a hand to help me up. I gladly take it and wipe the dust off my shorts.

"I could never afford them."

"What do you mean your parents had the most money in all of District Three?"

"Umm. I. Nevermind."

"What's wrong, I feel like I've been talking to a wall for the past few days."

"Mhm." I sigh wishing I could be more social than I am. I've always detached myself from others because I don't want to get hurt. Or make them hurt.

"Come on, what's up." Jocylin asks as we walk out of the sparring ring and over to the spear station that was littered with broken dummies.

"The careers have been here." I sigh.

"That's not an answer." She says crossing her arms over her chest. "I may not be the smartest but I can pick up on body signals."

"Nothing." I shrug grabbing a spear off the rack hung on the wall next to us. It's heavier than I had expected and I almost drop it. I see that Jocylin wants to push farther on the subject but holds herself back.

"Fine." She sighs as a new trainer heads over to help us.

"Thank you." I murmur under my breath. I could tell Jocylin wants answers but I don't have any to give.

"Do you guys need help?" the trainer asks, but he's shot back by a glare from Jocylin.

"Um, I think I'll go help, um, the tribute from twelve over there." He says motioning over to a dark-skinned boy that was ruthlessly stabbing dummies and pushing them out of the way.

"He doesn't look like he needs help but alright." I sigh turning to face Jocylin. "What was that for? You know these people are here to help, right?"

"Yes but I-"

"Do not finish that sentence." I interrupt. "We need to focus on this."

"Whatever. Controlling much?"

"No." I counter just as the boy from five approaches us.

"Hello-o." He stammers.

"Hey."

"Um, I, um, wanted to know if I could join you guys." He says.

"What about your district partner?" I ask, that girl had seemed strong but a little scary.

"She's-s being weird lately."

"I'm sorry kid but I don't think so." I say and Jocylin nudges me with her elbow.

"Give us a second." She sighs and turns back to me.

"Please give us some privacy." I say and turn to face her. "What are you doing?" I whisper.

"Strength in numbers." She whispers back.

"But he's a kid."

"Only fourteen."

"He still doesn't stand a chance."

"But-"

"No buts." I interrupt.

"How come you get to be in charge?"

"If you don't like it then you can leave!" I whisper harshly.

"I thought you said strength in numbers!"

"Not when they keep buting heads!" I yell.

"Maybe I will then!"

"Fine, maybe I want you too! Maybe the boy from Five will be better company anyway!"

"See you in the arena!" she shouts back and walks away.

"Go. See if I care!"

Abram Butcher, District 10 Male: Training day 2

"Come on Lily, you're taking so long." I laugh as Lily fumbles with her arrow.

"Just give me a second." She says punching my in the arm and almost dropping her bow and quiver.

"Be careful."

"Like you are yourself."

"Well, this isn't about me. I've set my bow down."

"Ha. The turtle always wins the race… or at least something like that."

"Just fire the arrow already." I say pretending to fire an arrow towards the dummy. It already had an arrow in it's head from my shot but it's not a real person. I couldn't kill a real person. Especially Lily.

We had grown close over the past few days and spent every night talking late into the night. I knew she had come from a rough household and cared about her friends more than her family. I knew she tried to save her best friend but had failed. I knew her token was a brown braided bracelet that was left with her friend's suicide note.

The death of Ashley had affected Lily, it made her almost bull-headed. She would not stand for bullies like the one that made her friend kill herself. Like the boy she had come here with. Damn, Abram would kill James any chance he got in the arena for the things he's done to poor and innocent girls, like the red-head from eleven.

"Earth to Abram." Her words bring me back to reality and back to the tight training center. It was pale blue and gave off almost depressing vibes rather than happy ones. But it's not like anyone really should be happy when we're going into the arena in a few days.

"Huh?" I ask.

"I asked if you saw my shot. Right next to yours." She says and starts walking toward the dummy to retrieve her arrow. I quickly shake my head as if to clear my thoughts, and follow her.

"Nice." I say as we both reach the dummy.

"Thank you." She says grabbing her arrow with two hands and yanking it out of the foam dummy.

"I mean both would have killed." I sigh doing the same with my arrow and heading back over to our bows.

"A dummy. No one would stand still for that long." Lily says, loading her bow up again. She wastes no time this round and sends the arrow flying through the air. It lands straight in it's arm and she sighs.

"Hey, you're doing fine."

"No, I'm not. Abram, I'm really not." She says and turns away from me. I quickly pull my arm back and release the arrow. I had shifted the arrow in the arrow shaft so it wobbled a bit but found it's mark in the dummy's other arm.

"See. I'm not that good either." I reply.

"You messed that up on purpose. Last shot was the only good shot I've had all day."

"Alright maybe I did mess it on purpose but you still have other strengths. Let's try a new station."

"I'd like that." She sighs, setting down her bow.

"Go get your arrows out of the dummy!" A trainer shouts from over at the edible plant station.

"Whatever." I sigh as we turn and walk over to the dummy in complete and utter silence. The only sound that could be heard between us was the squeaking of our sneakers on the wooden floor.

The Capital had provided us each with a set of training clothes and a pair of training sneakers. The teal theme looked even better than the nicest pair of clothes anyone in my house had. Money had become no joke to us after our parents died from a plague.

Plague. It had ripped through all of District Ten and we lost over five thousand people, my parents included. Bo, Buck and I were lucky to still be together and not out on the streets like most of the kids orphaned by the plague.

"Where do you want to go?" Lily asks as we reach the table we had set out bows on. I load the quiver and set it down next to my bow and Lily does the same.

"Where ever you want to, the bow and arrow station was my idea."

"Nice. Well, I want to go to the climbing station."

"Lead the way." I say letting her grab my hand and pull me over to the giant rock wall that ran up with the left wall of the center.

"You again." Kinnk says as we reach the wall. He turns the other way and stalks off towards the knot tying station.

Yesterday Lily and I had approached Kinnik hoping to gain an alliance member. Insead we got a rude couple of comments and a death threat. All we did is ask him if he wanted to join us and he had to go and get all angry about it.

I guess other people handle their grief different ways but I certainly didn't expect that reaction out of a boy like that. He's only a year younger than us but I thought we could make a good team, I guess he didn't think so.

"So you need to place your hand here and hoist your foot up onto one of these rocks." I hear someone behind me say. I quickly spin around expecting another tribute but all I find is a trainer helping Lily make it up the first round of rocks. "You gonna join, or just stand there?" the trainer says turning away from Lily and towards me.

"Why not." I say grabbing a harness and quickly bucking myself in.

"So place your hand here." The trainer says motioning to the first little ledge in the first level.

"Alright," I say hoisting myself up toward the ceiling and onto the ledge.

Liz Starr, District 2 Female: Training day 2

"Just leave me alone." I say walking faster so Allegro couldn't catch up with me.

"Liz… just hear me out!" he shouts.

"I don't want to be your ally!"

"Come on. At least think about it." He sighs jogging to reach me at the knife throwing station.

"Done. I've made up my mind." I reply without even looking at him. "I don't want to."

"Liz…"

"What?" I ask realling my arm back and releasing the thin knife.

"You're the only thing I have from home. Please."

"I said no! What about that do you not understand?" I ask picking up another knife and throwing it forwards toward the foam dummy. The knife sinks deep into it's chest cavity and I try not to smirk.

"Fine." Allegro says, taking a few steps backwards as if I scared him.

"Wow Liz can't even get herself an ally." I hear a voice mock from behind me. Quickly I turn around and come face-to-face with the stupid girl from Four.

"Maybe I don't want one." I smirk crossing my arms over my body.

"Misty... "

"What? Angel shut your fat mouth and go back to spear practice. This isn't your business."

"It's not yours either." I say still smirking.

"I think it is." Kai says joining the mocking with his district partner. It's sad, I always thought of Kai as the peacemaker, the one who didn't really want to fight. He was always the one who tried to stop Misty, now he's joining her. She must have brainwashed him last night, told him something terrible about me.

"Kai?" I ask, dropping my smirk for a second before placing it right back on my face. "What the hell?"

"What? You got a problem?" he asks turning to his district parner giving her a weird smile-like thing.

"What has she done?"

"None of your business." He quickly counters.

"But my allies are yours?"

"Yes, glad you're picking this up." Misty says nodding slowly.

"Whatever." I sigh turning back to my knife throwing.

"What is wrong with the careers?" I hear someone whisper. I turn around and look at the boy from Three.

"I'm not a career." I say crossing my arms back over my chest.

"Sure sounds like it." He says stepping forward from his place next to the skinny boy from Five.

"What? They're the careers." I reason motioning to Kai and Misty.

"Us too." Angel says stepping into the half circle that the other tributes had created around us.

"Whatever." I sigh turning back to Gage, the boy from Three. He sighs as well and motions for the other tributes to leave.

"That was a little weird." I mutter to myself. The other tributes had quickly created a circle around us to watch the drama unfold, they weren't any better than the Capital.

"It was nice to take a break from training." Gage says joining his friend at the edible plant section.

"Sure." I mumble turning back to Misty and Kai. They wore matching expressions of disapproval but had moved along like the rest of the tributes. They had retreated back to their base, the spear practicing section, and joined Angel and Onyx.

I quickly brush my hair out of my face and pick up another knife. It sails through the air and into the dummy's head, sticking in deep. I shutter at the fact that that dummy could be a real person. A real person I'd have to kill.

Suddenly I feel a tap on my shoulder and see Allegro again. "Liz." He croaks. "Please."

"I've already told you, no." I sigh.

"Come on, please. I'm begging you, for the sponsors."

"No." I say shrugging his hand off my shoulder. He was three years older than me, he could handle himself out there.

"Liz, for the sponsors."

"You know what?" I say turning to face him.

"What?"

"I've got to go to the bathroom."

"Fine, talk afterwards."

"No." I promptly say setting down my knife, thankful for an excuse to get away from him.

"Please."

"Leave me alone." I replied walking off in the direction I hoped the bathroom was. I remember seeing a door on the right side of the training center that led out to somewhere, hopefully a bathroom was somewhere in that direction.

I pushed open the door and into a fancy hallway. It was almost as if it wasn't made for the tributes so much as a Capitiate. Luckily to my right was a bathroom and I rushed in through the heavy wooden doors.

"What are you going here?" I gasp as I almost run straight into someone else. She turns around to look at me and I recognize her as the girl from Three.

"I could ask you the same question." She counters quickly wiping away the tears that seem plastered to her face.

"You alright?" I ask, grabbing her hand.

"I'm fine. Just hurry up and leave."

"I actually don't need to use the bathroom." I admit.

"Then why are you-"

"Same as you. The training center felt a little too crowded."

"It's not that…"

"Then what is it?" I ask as Jocylin sinks to her knees, her back up against the concrete wall.

"My ally left me."

"I mean, same but they didn't really leave me, I left them." I say trying to cheer the girl up. Normal I'd tell a girl like her to toughen up but something about this girl stopped me. Maybe it was because she's in here crying on the bathroom floor just like I used to do. She reminds me of my past self, one that had no worries in the world.

Crying was once a habit of mine but one day my father came home and pulled me to my feet and told me to toughen up. He told me nothing in life is easy so there's no use crying. Both him and mom grew distant after that, but I told myself it wasn't happening, like I was watching a movie.

Harry was the only person in my life I cared about, with mom always forcing me to be the perfect expectation of a daughter and dad working long and tiring shifts at the coal mine, which left him no time to be at home. The main source of coal for the Capital came from District Twelve but there was a small mine found in the heart of Two, so now coal can be found from there as well.

"You left your allies? Why?" Her quiet words bring me back to reality.

"Because they were jerks."

"The careers, never." She says sarcastically.

"True. Mostly just the two from Four."

"They seem pretty lethal."

"I guess." I sigh, "well, why did you ally leave you?"

"He was also being a jerk and wanted to ally with the boy from Five. We got into a fight and now let's just say I have no more allies."

There was silence for a few minutes before I sat down next to her, "I didn't really want allies coming into these games but I think we could make a pretty good team."

"What? Wow, I mean." Jocylin thinks for a second before getting to her feet and wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "Sure."

"Alright but I have to warn you, I can be a hot head sometimes."

"I think I can handle that, besides, I'm smart and you're strong. We'll be the unstoppable duo." She says, as her mood almost instantly changes.

"That's right!" I say leading her out of the bathroom. "Wait do you hear that?"

"Crying?" Jocylin asks as we peer around the corner.

Thea Daxton, Assistant Gamemaker: Training day 2

"Thea…"

"How could you do this to me!" I scream as tears fall down my hot cheeks. "I trusted you!"

"I already told you, it wasn't me." Miss Sliver tries to comfort.

"Don't lie. I know it was you!" I scream falling to my knees. "He was the only person in my life that mattered."

"Thea, I'm so sorry this had to happen to you."

"You took my whole world from me!" I cry as another round of tears washed over my face. I look up at her, not even bothering to wipe them away. "How could you!"

"I didn't do it Thea."

"Yes you did! Don't lie! I'm only seventeen, some of those tributes in there are older than me, I'm too young to lose the last person that actually mattered in my life."

"Thea don't say that." She says placing a delicate yet cold hand on my shoulder but I shove it away.

"You monster!" I cry getting to my feet and quickly opening the door out of her office. "How could you! He didn't do anything to you!"

"Thea…"

"No!" I cry pushing the door open, tears falling fast down my face.

"Thea come back!"

"He was the only person that mattered!"

"The world's not that perfect Thea, grow up."

"Easy for you to say!" I shout running my hands through my long hair, tears falling onto the fancy carpet in the hallway.

"He's my world!"

"Thea. Calm down. Things happen!"

"You monster!" I cry crumpling to my knees.

"I didn't kill him!" She shouts, slamming her office door as I sat there crying in the hallway.

"How could you?" I whisper, even though she can't hear me. "I didn't do anything to you!" this time I scream louder. "You did this!"

How could he just kill him like that?

He was my everything.

Mom died when I was three, and no one else even wanted to get close to me.

Through all the bullying and torments, he was there.

He was there.

"I hate you!" I scream at the top of my lungs. "Everyone last one of you!" Tears fall down

my face in heavy streams but I didn't bother to wipe them away. "Why didn't you take me?! I'm

worthless without him."

I could join him.

"No, that's not what he would have wanted. He would have told me to go on living my

life. For him." I scold myself, "dad, why? How could you do this to me. How could you leave me in the dark like this?"

I got to my feet and picked up the closest thing, a doorstop, and threw it as far as I could. "Ahhhhhhhh." I scream as I turn and punch the wall next to me. "Dad!" I cry, sinking to my knees again. "I can't do this." I run my hands through my dark hair as another round of tears well up in my eyes. I let them fall to the ground. "Why me?"

He had been my everything, how could he just disappear? He was the only person that mattered and the President could just kill him like that. How could she? "She's a monster." I sob into my hands. "She just killed him! He was the only person that kept me alive. When I wanted to kill myself he was there. He was the only one there!" I lean my back up against the wall and cry into my arms. How could he leave me like this? I'm not even old enough to buy my own house! Not old enough to do this on my own.

"Hey." I hear a soft voice say and I look up towards the two girls standing before me. One had darker hair and tan skin and a smaller frame. Her eyes were puffy and red but I couldn't tell what from.

The other girl seemed emotionless and blank. She was a bit taller and blocker than the other one and her blonde hair was tied up in a tight ponytail. She looked as if she wasn't even here and somewhere else.

"Hey." I croak, hoping they would just leave.

"I'm sorry whatever happened to you." The dark-haired girl says holding out a few sunflowers.

"It's not that much, I wish we could give you more." The other one croaks.

"They're beautiful." I say gently taking the flowers from the girl, that couldn't be older than myself. Both of them look familiar but I could place their names to their faces. Probably just a couple of Capital girls that look up to the monster of the President.

"Who are you two?" I ask, wiping away my tears.

"Nobody important." The blonde one says looking over to the dark-haired one.

"Well…" I start, not exactly sure how to finish the sentence. "Why are you sad?"

"My. My friend betrayed me for someone else, but he was too controlling, so it might have been a good thing… but I'm alone now." The Asian girl said looking back towards the other, younger girl. Obviously these girls know eachother but don't seem that close.

"I'm sorry," I say, reaching up and wiping her hot tears away with the sleeve of my sweater, trying not to let my own fall.

"I'm not that sad but I've burned all my bridges." The blonde one admits. "Well, except this one." She wraps her arm around the small girl and turns to face me, "why were you crying?" The dark-haired one let's go of her friend and sits down next to me wrapping her arms around me. The other girl quickly does the same and I feel a little better.

"My dad." I croak, "Miss Sliver murdered my dad."

"What?" The older girl asks, quickly getting to her feet. "What?" she repeats.

"My dad is gone-e."

"Wait, then who are you?" her sad expression turned to a terrified one.

"My name is Thea Daxton."

"Liz what have we done?" The older girl says pulling on the other girl's sleeve. "Daxton…" she seems to mull the word on her tongue as if it didn't sound quite right.

"Wait, before you go, tell you your names." I reply as the blonde girl jumps to her feet.

"We're so sorry to bother you. We're going to get going now." The blonde one says as her and the other girl quickly run off in the way they had came. Leaving me with only the two sunflowers and the sweet memories about two girls who had come to cheer me up, not knowing who I was. Their kind hearts made my thoughts spin and sputter. "Why did they leave after I told my name? Why did that seem to matter so much?" I mutter to myself before I get to my feet. Their visit may have been brief but it had made me feel a little better.

Man, alliances got really crazy here…

The cazs: Sunna, Ciara, Zach and Anne

Together or not at all: Vienna and Tyree

Who run the world? Careers. Who run the world?: Angel, Onyx, Misty and Kai

The smart and the strong: Jocylin and Liz

The kiddos that will rule: Sage, Elizabeth, Sydney and Celosia

Friends 'till the end: Lily and Abram

Not in an alliance (yet): Kinnik, Sasha, James, and Allegro

Zee smart boys: Gage and Keir

A/N: I really hope you guys like the chapter! It took forever and for that I'm sorry… I feel like I'm saying sorry too much in these Author Notes, but that's alright. For everyone reading along with my weird and crazy story I want to thank you guys. I really thought a lot of you guys stopped reading but the check-in made me realize that I really do have readers.

Honestly, my mental state hasn't been very good but when I had six people tell me they were still reading made my heart sore. You guys made my day… actually my week. I love you guys and I hope I'm doing your tribute justice. If I'm not, PM me, I'm always looking for constructive criticism.

Now the fun part… a contest. If you haven't noticed, I'm terrible at naming my alliances so whoever can create the best (funniest) alliance name for any of the alliances will give their tribute(s) a special prize at the bloodbath. I can't wait to see what you guys come up with and yes there will be second and third placement to. Even if your name doesn't make it into the top three, I still appreciate you taking the time to create something awesome. The winners will be announced in the next chapter, Training day Three/ Test announcement.

Bye for now,

Marie