Before we begin, an update regarding updates! I have not abandoned this SYOT and I never will, even if it takes me the rest of my life to finish. I have everything planned out and I'm really excited to write it and share it with you all. That being said, it is 'exam' season, and I have six essays from uni due in over the next month and a half... none of which I have started... so that's what is going to be taking up a majority of my time. Lucky me, I know! Updates for the next two months, therefore, will be slow, maybe once a week at most. But please remember I have not forgotten about you and we will get to the games (even if it takes a while...). Anyway, yes, onto the final day of training, and the longest chapter I have posted so far!

Training Day Three

When Cassia awoke that morning, things felt final. This was it, this was their last day of somewhat normality, before the Capitol swooped in and made then tributes. They still had freedom here, they could choose how to train and who to train with, but as soon as the shutters rolled down to close the centre for the final time that year, they would be puppets. They would be told what to show in the private sessions, how to dress for the remainder of their time, who to be in the interviews. She wanted to savour every part of life she had left.
She rolled over, slinging her arm across Arbor's chest, jolting him awake. "Hey baby," Cassia murmured against his lips as she stretched across to kiss him. "Are you ready to face the day?"

"Never." Arbor mumbled back, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and letting out a yawn. "But what choice do I have, Right?" He kissed his girlfriend back before forcing himself to swing his legs over the side of the bed, greeted by the harsh coldness of the spring air. He would have thought that the richest establishment in the world would have been able to afford some heating, but it reminded him of District Eight and of home, so for that at least, he was thankful.
The pair hadn't exactly been making the most of the time and resources of training, more, they had just been spending time with each other, making up for all that they lost when they were apart. Arbor knew he shouldn't be so confident, but in part he knew he was going to be fine. He had worked for almost five years as a lumberjack, he had upper body strength that he doubted any of the other tributes could match and could handle an axe better than any other boy in his District. It was Cassia more he feared for. Of course, Arbor would do everything in his power to protect her, but when it came down to it, and he inevitably gave his life for her, she would be on her own. So far the girl had barely touched a weapon, whether it was for lack of will or skill, Arbor didn't know, but either way, it would not benefit them in the long run. He had to address it.

Now fully clothed, and on their way through to the dining room for breakfast, Cassia slipped her hand into Arbor's pulling him close so that she could snake her arm around his hips.
"This is something I'll never get tired of." She breathed out, inhaling the scent of freshly baked pastries and frying bacon. "I swear if I had to train every day for the rest of my life, but I got breakfast like this, I would do it in an instant." Cassia didn't mean it, of course, this whole thing was her worst nightmare, she was just easily distracted by good food. It wasn't like she had ever been underprivileged, there had always been food on her table, and plenty to go round. There was just something different about eating food that someone else had cooked for you, and she couldn't deny that everything the Capitol had served her throughout her time as a doctor and now had been nothing short of perfect.

Arbor laughed, pulling out a chair for the girl before settling down opposite, his hand immediately gravitating towards a croissant. "That's funny Cass, the first day we here you told me they only served us nice food so we would forget about the Games and fall in love with the Capitol." He took a bite, and couldn't deny that it tasted great. "Seems like it worked on you." It felt like years ago, their first day here, sitting on the date, acting like the time apart had never happened and quickly falling back into the love that never really ended. In reality it had only been a week, but things happened so quickly here that Arbor's mind had to work double speed to catch up. He supposed it was a good thing, the Capitol throwing so much at them, they barely had time to think and dwell on just what was happening. He was thankful for that.

Cassia knew it was meant to be a joke, but still her face fell. He was right, and she hated it when he was right. "Well, Arbor," She reached across the table, taking his hand. "I'm not exactly sure how many meals we have left. So let's just savour every one, okay?" She smiled sadly heartbroken that their days together were so very numbered. Not that heartbroken that she couldn't eat the bacon sandwich that had just been placed on her plate, but heartbroken nonetheless.

"About that…" Arbor knew he had to tread carefully. The last thing he needed right now was to upset Cassia, he couldn't lose her this close to the Games, the thought of her making it home was just about the only thing keeping him going. "You need to train. Even if it's just one weapon for a few hours today, please?" He asked, feeling Cassia's hand flinch from his. "There's only so far I can go with you in the Games before you're on your own."

"No, Arbor, no." Cassia shook her head. They had had this argument before, almost everyday since they had been reaped. "I'm not letting you die for me." It was stupid, Arbor believed she needed protecting, no matter how mich she had tried to convince him otherwise. Part of the girl thought it was sweet, how much he cared for her, but the rest hated it. She couldn't imagine living the rest of her life knowing that the boy she loved more than anything had died so that she could survive.

"Cass, you know you're worth more than me. You're a Goddamn doctor, and I'm some boy from District Eight with a deadend job and no dreams of making anything bigger for myself."

"Arbor, just shut up." She sighed, resigned to the fact that this argument would be one that would continue until the day one of them was dead. "If I promise to train, do you promise to shut up about this whole sacrifice shit?"

"Fine." He agreed reluctantly. "Fine."

"I'm never going to get it. It's too hard. It's too hard." Newton repeated over and over again. He stood alone, his knuckles turned white as he gripped the trident harder. Every time he swung it at the dummy, he missed, sometimes by a mile, and sometimes by a tiny inch. The latter was so much worse, to be so close yet not making it. It perfectly resembled Newton's life though, and he appreciated the irony. He had spent his whole teenage years planning a future, planning a future he convinced himself he was never going to get when the reapings rolled around. He had dreams and ambitions and the intelligence to make them a reality, but never the chance. When he turned nineteen and it was all over, it was the best day of Newton's life. The future he had worked so long on envisioning was in touching distance. He had been so close to making it happen, but he never quite reached it because of the games. He had been so close to being free of the Capitol for life, until the one twist dragged him straight back.

"You'll never get good if you jump straight to the trident, you have to work up to it. You need upper body strength to achieve accuracy with that." Dina walked over, holding her hand out to grasp the weapon. "May I?" She asked and Newton complied, handing it over.
The pair had become close, especially with the help of the District Three tributes, and once Newton set aside the scary revolutionary within Dina, she was actually a sweet person. She helped him stay calm, and not scare people off with his constant stream of thought which he expressed out loud, something he was sure would be helpful in the interviews. "You need to try something like this." Instead, Dina placed a spear into the boy's hand. "It's lighter and you'll have more control, give it a try."

Newton was skeptical that it would make any difference, changing the weapon didn't suddenly give him some magical skill, but sure enough, as he twisted backwards and swung the spear at the dummy, it stuck, and the limb fell off the poor plastic thing. "Thank you." Newton smiled, weirdly proud of himself. It was strange to feel pride in gaining the ability to kill someone, but this was Newton's life now, and he was thankful for any little skill he could gain.

Dina was shocked that her approach had worked,she was hardly trained or even educated in things like this, so to be able to help Newton in such a way was a shock. It pleased her to know, however, that she wasn't as selfish as she had been when she arrived. She had been dominated by the idea of gaining revenge on the Capitol and making the torture of District Thirteen known, and whilst that was still her primary goal, if she could help a few people along the way, that wasn't such a bad thing. And it felt undeniably good to have people on her side, who had her back, understood her problems. They were all in the same boat after all, all wronged by the Capitol, some more than others. Dina had spent her whole life being the odd one out, not having an affinity or talent for anything in the district, but here, she was with a bunch of misfits and people that just wanted to be part of something, even if their time in it was limited. Her allies were all so much younger than her, but they seemed wisened and older than their days, thanks to the Capitol and the situation they were all in. Dina had never allowed herself to trust anyone outside of her family, but her small alliance was all she had now, and trusting them was her best bet. She smiled as Diva and Alfred walked over, applauding Newton for finally hitting the target.

In the outside world, Newton would have taken the slow and sarcastic clapping to heart. He would have run away and hide from the world, and his confidence would have been knocked for days. But here, with these people, it felt different. They gained nothing from him being badly trained, they needed him to be skilled, they wanted him to succeed, so Newton knew that was just a joke, that they cared for him and liked him.

"If you carry on like that, you'll be leaving us for the big leagues within days." Diva laughed, as her small alliance formed into a circle. These were her people, not the stuck up rich kids she surrounded herself with back in District Three, but the awkward boy's and the passionate girl that had for some reason been thrown her way. These people didn't need her to be someone special or different, or someone that wasn't her. They liked Diva for her weird, stupid self, and the thought of that was magical.

"Lucky we don't have days…" Dina interjected, killing the mood.

Alfred had hung back. He wasn't entirely sure he liked having people here that weren't just Diva. But so far, no one had judged him for his reserved nature, and he supposed he should take that as a blessing. But trusting people didn't exactly come easy to the boy and the more he tried to force it, the harder it became. He looked to Diva for reassurance. Now he could trust her. She was so different for Alfred, and although they had been brought up in the same district with a similar background, their personalities couldn't have been any different. It was almost as if separate, they both could easily have failed, but together they weirdly worked. Now they had introduced new people, the fault of which was Alfred's, he was terrified they would fall apart.
"She's right." Alfred allowed himself to speak up. He had no choice now about this alliance. Diva was all in, and to leave now would mean he lost her, something he couldn't deal with this close to the games, or at all for that matter. "So we need to work out how we're going to survive this." Despite knowing he had absolutely no chance, even with the team of people surrounding him, Alfred was desperate to win, not just for himself or his family, but because he felt he had something to prove. How often was it that the awkward introvert came out on top? Sure, in YA novels it was all the time… but this was Alfred's real life. It would make a real statement to all those who told Alfred he would never make it anywhere, that he just blended into the background. So he needed them to be prepared, even if he had to be a bit pushy to make it happen. That's where people had always got Alfred wrong- they assumed that just because he didn't have something to shout about all the time he had nothing to say. But when it really mattered, like right now, or when he encouraged Newton to enter the training room, or when he educated Diva on how not to be a bitch, Alfred could be brave. He could speak his mind and take control. He was like an onion, many layers.

"I guess we just hide?" Newton shrugged his shoulders, gaining the confidence to add his input from Alfred. "There are some really strong tributes, if we cross them, we won't stand a chance."

"That's true, but look around." Diva encouraged her fellow tributes to glance at the other alliances. Most of them stood talking, just like them, not putting any exceptional effort into training. Diva couldn't be sure if it was just because it was nearly lunchtime and they were tired, or because they never had any will in the first place. In normal years, the more periphery tributes were spurred on to train by the careers, they were frightened and knew that it was their only shot. But now, with the exception of Jordan and Locke, there were no careers, every tribute was almost as clueless as the next. "No one is training, they're all planning. We all might just be hiding and then what? Allowing Jordan to go round and pick us off one by one? Because believe me, I don't think he's the fearless rebellion leader he pretended to be."

"So we become Jordan!" Dina exclaimed, clamping a hand on Diva's shoulder. "We're a whole team of people, if we really put some effort in today, we'll be able to take most of them out." Everyone stared back at the woman blankly, it wasn't exactly the plan they had been looking for. "You know I'm right, but none of you wanted to be the first to say it."

"No Dina, actually we don't think you're right." Alfred's own voice frightened him, as he looked to the other two tributes for support. They nodded, giving the boy the confidence boost he needed to proceed. "Are you going to volunteer to be the one to kill the old men? How about a child? If we started agreeing to kill people, where do we draw the line, huh?" He was louder than he had to be, and more passionate too. As much as Alfred wanted to win, if it meant taking a life in the process, he knew it wouldn't be worth it. How could he live his life knowing that in order for him to be there, he had taken the opportunity from someone else? And as much as Alfred knew he needed his alliance, he would be ready to walk the moment killing became an option.

"All I was going to suggest is we move about. We don't set up camp in one place for too long, otherwise we'll become the first target. As cruel as it is, we have to let some of the others get killed, it's the only way any of us stand a chance." Diva's words were strong and clear, exactly what the group needed, and her hand found Alfred's as they stood.

"Okay. That's a great idea. Good one. Then what the hell are we going to do if it gets down to the four of us? Rock, paper, scissors?" Dina's voice was loud, rising above the gentle hum of the rest of the tributes.

"That's actually not a bad shout...!"

"Shut up Newton." Dina sighed, instantly regretting being so harsh on the boy she was beginning to consider a friend. "I don't care if you want to hang around that place like sitting ducks and not take action, but I'm sorry, but I'm out." She spun on her heel, turning away, leaving the remainder of the alliance stunned.

"Mr Luster, why do you keep following me?" Vivian asked, confused by the whole situation. For the last few days, she had barely been apart from the older male and whilst she knew that having him on her side was a good thing, he was helping her get home after all, she missed Ronin. Of course, they still saw each other every night at dinner and for breakfast, but it wasn't the same. Ronin had his new friends now, and Vivian was scared she would be left behind, which is why she was thankful to have Luster by her side. Most of the time she was thankful, but in moments like this when she wanted to be left alone to cry, she was much less appreciative.

Luster had Vivian exactly where he wanted her. She was separate from Ronin, and all the other tributes had fallen into their alliances, Luster and the girl alone. It had all worked out perfectly. Vivian was going to die on the first day, no one would ever know what Luster had done and then he could run off and hide for the duration of the games. It worked out well having no friends here, it meant that people would forget about him, and he could all but disappear in the arena. It was foolproof, and even then, Luster was no fool.
"I'm keeping you safe, pet." He explained, crouching down to her level. "Even with the secret way home you need to look like you're training, otherwise people might find out." Luster raised a finger to his lips as if to silence the girl's protests, not that she would have had time to interject. "And you know no one could find out."

Vivian nodded her head solemnly, the thrill of finding a way home dampened by Luster's constant lectures and controlling manner. The girl should be used to the man's dominating nature, her mother was exactly the same. But the difference was, she loved her mother, and Vivian knew that whatever the older woman did was to protect her daughter. Despite her young age, Vivian could see the alarm bells with Luster, he was aggressive in his control, desperate and possessive, and the girl could tell that what he was doing was for his own benefit, rather than hers. But what choice did he have? Luster was one of the only tributes to show her kindness when everyone else ignored her, he had helped her when she was scared and showed her a way out of it all. And for that reason, Vivian had started to believe that she had a duty to stick with him. At the end of the day, he was just as useless as her, for a different reason, if they were together, maybe they could form a team that wasn't completely destined to fail from the offset.

"Now we've got that sorted." Luster pushed himself to his feet, holding out a hand for the girl to take. She reluctantly accepted, and the odd looking pair set off in search of a last ditch attempt at training. "I'm pretty good with a paintbrush." Luster offered his rather limited expertise to Vivian, opting that letting a five year old near any of the more dangerous weapons would be a mistake. Firstly, no child should ever have to touch one, and more selfishly, Luster wasn't ready to lose an arm so close to the start of the games, or at all… "Before all this, I made clothes. I could sew and draw and paint. I thought I had lost the chance to ever do that again, but I guess not." He settled down at the table, but not before pulling out a seat for Vivian to take.

"My mummy used to sew up all the holes in my trousers, but she never did it very well and they broke again" Vivian giggled, recounting the hours her mother sat hunched over with a needle, sewing by the light of a candle well into the night. "She was never very good at it, but Clea always made it better."

Luster didn't dare ask who Clea was, too scared that the girl would get emotional and he would have to console her. Emotions weren't really his thing, and whilst Luster knew he had done well so far in making the girl feel comfortable, he wasn't sure how well it would go should she break down again. That was why he had initially wanted Ronin on his team. Ronin was gentle and sweet and great with Vivian, and Luster was sure the whole thing had been an act to gain support for himself at the chariot rides, but when the cameras were away and Ronin and Vivian were no longer the focus, his kind exterior had never faltered. Even back at the hotel and during the first morning of training, Ronin had been nothing but caring towards the girl. That's what had made Luster realise that it was all real. Ronin had developed a deep affection towards Vivian, and Luster knew that in order for his plan to work, he needed to operate around and away from Ronin. It had been successful so far, and Luster only had two more days to keep the secret hidden, something that seemed more than doable.
"How about," He spoke up, sliding a paintbrush towards Vivian, having already sketched the outline of shrubbery in charcoal on her arm as he thought. "When we get home, I come visit you and fix all your clothes, that way, your mother will never have to worry about it again?"

"Promise?"

"Of course I promise!" He smiled in response.

"Thank you Mr Luster, thank you!" Vivian let the paintbrush drop as she reached across to hug him. A wave of guilt washed through Luster, one he knew he would never be able to rid himself of. For a second he hesitated, ready to tell Vivian the truth, and back track on the plan. But he had come so far, too far to turn back. He had convinced himself that this was the only way, and executed it so smoothly, there was no other option. Luster had to win, and taking Vivian down was the first step in making it happen.

Flynt was surrounded by three girls. If any of his friends from District Seven were here, he was sure they would be shouting all kinds of questionable comments at him. And, if they weren't in the Capitol, training for the Hunger Games, this was not a situation that Flynt would flee from in a hurry. Well, it wasn't everyday that three beautiful women wanted his company. But no, this wasn't some dream of his that was suddenly coming to life, he really was surrounded.

"Not so big now, big boy!" Florence spat, baring her fists a Flynt and jabbing them forward, making no contact.

"Big boy?" Lya turned to Florence for a second, distracted. "Big boy?" She repeated slower, in confusion. "Nice one, Flo." She commented, turning back to Flynt. But it was too late, the big… boy (?) had lunged forward, grabbing onto Lya's hand and forcing it behind her back. He threw her to the ground, with considerable force, but not enough to cause lasting damage. He sat on her back, pinning her down trapping the girl no matter how much she struggled.

"Big boy!" Flynt nodded with pride, still not giving in to the cries of Lya beneath him. He patted her head. "Rule Number One of combat, don't get distracted." He turned his attention to Florence. "And don't distract people, especially the ones on your side."

Lilac had stayed relatively quiet at the side, watching the charade play out. All of a sudden, she let out a battle cry, charging towards Flynt from the side and knocking him straight off Lya, sending his sprawling across the could gym mats laid out for them. "Rule number two of combat." She pulled herself and Lya to her feet, brushing off her tracksuit and crossing her arms smugly over her chest. "Don't forget about the little one. Especially if she's the one you're supposed to be dating."

Flynt clapped his hands slowly, sitting up on the ground, his ego more bruised than any part of his body. "Nicely played, Lilac, nicely played." He nodded, before being hauled to his feet by Lya and Florence. He walked forwards, wrapping his arms around the girl that had just tackled him and resting his chin atop her head. It felt good to be surrounded by people that he trusted, he could see other alliances had been formed, but he didn't believe the bond they shared was anything as good as the four of them. He and Florence had been fast friends from the start, and Lya had quickly fallen into place, as if he was the part they were missing. As for Lilac, Flynt didn't want to admit it, but in the short time they had spent together, he was starting to fall for her. In the Districts, they never would have crossed paths, their lives separated by vast deserts and the boundaries of Panem. But the Capitol had brought them together, in the most terrible of circumstances, and Flynt couldn't help but be thankful for that.

"It's my birthday tomorrow, you know." Lilac whispered against his chest. "Sweet sixteen." She had never been the type to enjoy lavish parties, or even presents, that wasn't the reason for telling Flynt. She just wanted to hang on to some normality, to have someone wish her a happy birthday the following day, and for a brief second, fool herself that everything wasn't as messed up as it actually was. It was so normal, the very notion of receiving a happy birthday comment, and Lilac knew that if she heard it from at least one person, she wouldn't feel so completely and utterly alone. "Do you think if I tell the Gamemakers they'll give me a free pass in the Private Sessions?" She laughed, stepping backwards, but keeping her hands wrapped around Flynt's waist.

Flynt placed his palm flat against Lilac's cheek, rubbing his thumb over the burn mark. He had always wondered where it came from. Maybe in the Games he would ask, but so far, everything had been going so well, he didn't want to ruin it with memories from the past that she would rather forget. "Babe, you won't need a free pass. You're brilliant and amazing, and better than most of the people in this room. Just show them you, and they'll be sold." He bent down, slowly edging his lips closer to Lilac's frightened that it was too soon and that she would pull away. She didn't, and so Flynt kissed her gently, but passionately, one of his hands resting in the small of her back, the other on her cheek.

"Happy early birthday to me." Lilac giggled, feeling her cheeks flush a dark red as they pulled away. She knew their relationship wasn't for show. For one, the cameras in here were only for the Gamemaker's benefit, to keep control over the tributes. The outside world saw little to none of the training sessions, so almost no one knew about their relationship. If Flynt only really cared about the attention, he would have waited to make a move until the interviews or the party. And secondly, Flynt wasn't with her to keep her in the alliance, she was the weak link here, they could survive just as well, and probably better without her. Yet still he had kissed her and made her feel special, something Lilac had seldom ever experienced.

"Ugh, Ugh." Lilac spun round to face both Lya and Florence doubled over, making fake gagging noises, staring down the pair. "Get a room already." They chorused, and Flynt felt like he was back home, this was exactly the type of thing his friends would have done

"Sorry ladies." Flynt pulled away from Lilac, wanting nothing more than to continue feeling the warmth radiating off her person, but knowing time was limited. "We would, but if I recall, I think you need me to make sure you're not dead by the end of the week, so I think I'll take my chances kissing Lilac here. That okay with you?" Flynt smirked as the girls quieted. Lilac grasped onto his hand, leading in towards the currently empty knife station.

"You know they're going to be completely unbearable, right?" Florence spoke, without being able to hide the smile on her face. It was nice to see two people that had found each other in all of this. It was reminding her that there was still good and hope in the dark world. She may have been separated from her family, but she was forming a new one here, one that she would need more than ever in the coming days.
Florence was bringing out the best in Lya. The usually more introverted pair were forced out of their shells in front of one another, and whilst it had been awkward at first, they had soon fallen into a happy rhythm of bouncing off one another, finding comfort in both their common ground and the aspect of their lives that were so very different. Lya was the daredevil, looking for the next thrill and adventure, but Florence kept her grounded, reminding her that staying alive was more important than living on the edge.

"I like them two." Clem remarked, staring down at the still of Lya and Florence on the screen in front of him. "They are relatively harmless, but they could be exciting." He smiled at the table of fellow Gamemakers, as they reviewed the footage from the last three days of training. "It's a good bunch this year, I can't pick out a winner." There were only a few people of about the dozen staring back at him that Clem knew. Mox, of course, and Chamberlain, a quiet man named Kern who mainly kept himself to himself, the Peacekeeper Maximus, herded in after his private training. Clem mostly avoided the other Gamemakers, and they did the same to him, only approaching when they had a plan they needed him to green light. It was a sweet arrangement, but one Clem knew would change as the Games approached.

"The problem is," Kern spoke up, surprising everyone. "I don't see how we are going to have much of a bloodbath. None of them really want to fight, and those that do will probably just pick off the old ones, who won't have even reached the Cornucopia to get any weapons." Kern was right, it was a problem. The bloodbath was the most explosive moment of the Games, it always got the most viewers and attention. If it failed to happen this year, Clem was sure the ratings would drop.

"Then why don't we rank them?" Clem stood up, an idea coming to him, one that would both allow him to protect the vulnerable tributes and ensure the viewers got the Bloodbath they were hoping for. "At the start," He was talking frantically, waving his arms as things fell into place. "Instead of the circle of podiums like normal, we have a line. The tributes with the lowest private session scores closest to the Cornucopia, and those with the highest furthest away." He was met with a sea of nods, not that anyone would disagree with the head Gamemaker. Would they?

And just like that... its over! Yes, the training is done and dusted, and the tributes are ready for the games (to varying degrees of success...). In terms of chapters we have left until the start of the games, we have the private sessions/scores, the interviews and the tributes party, and then we're in the arena. Gosh I'm excited!

On the topic of the arena, here is what has been revealed so far: tributes will be in a line at the start, according to their training scores, not a circle, the only water source is in the centre, there is a forest, a desert and a mountain range. Also, if you know the movie that I have been stealing quotes from to name my chapters, that's another exciting arena twist!

So now we know a little bit more about the tributes skills, do you see any potential winners, or bloodbath deaths? Who do you want to win? Who is your favourite? There's a lovely poll on my profile to answer the last one if you want to check it out.

As always, thank you for all the love and I hope you are all safe and well!

Until next time,

Alice xxx