Here we go! The Private Sessions are up next. I think I ended up writing 14 tributes a session and honestly it was so fun getting to write their specific point of view again and not focusing on a larger group. However, as each section was around 600 words each, I decided to split it into two chapters, of around 4000 words each, because that would have made a long ass chapter otherwise. Hope you enjoy!

Private Sessions

Clem's eyes scanned over the document in front of him. He still couldn't believe this was real, that they had come so far already. All that was left was the interviews and the Quell party, and then the Games would be starting. Selfishly, Clem wasn't exactly sure how he was going to cope with it. Now, he could work out what was best for his tributes on the outside, make the arena as simple as possible for them, but once they were in there, they were alone and Clem would no longer be the one in sole control. He had no idea how the technology worked to make things run smoothly, that was entirely in someone else's control, they could do what they wanted to the tributes when they wanted, and Clem had no way of stopping it.

Still, this was how life worked, he always knew this was how it ended, with everyone dead, but that didn't make the parting any easier. Clem had fallen in love with the gentle but stern nature of D'ante, the innocence of Vivian, the feisty character of Lana. He had fallen in love with the ideas of lives they could lead. He had fallen in love with the idea of 24 victors, but instead they would only get the one.

Clem pulled out his trusty pink highlighter and settled down at his desk, making sure the door to his office was locked, and set about reviewing the outcomes of the Private Sessions. It was written by Mox, that was clear from the offset, it was straight to the point and blunt, yet it still had that personal touch. Clem smiled, running his hands over the typed words, imagining Mox sitting there for hours typing it out.

Name: Lustor Ardor

Age: 72

District: One

Gender: Male

Skills Shown: Luster demonstrated his rather limited bow and arrow skills, most of which completely missed the target, before reciting off a list of almost every edible plant to be found within the arena. Although Luster may not be a conventional tribute and his lack of physical skills is clear, he is intelligent and has the potential to go far with the right allies.

Name: Hypatia Mayfair

Age: 27

District: One

Gender: Female

Skills Shown: One of the more athletic tributes, Hypatia showed great promise, especially when working with a machete. She quickly sliced a plethora of dummies, inflicting wounds that in the arena would be lethal. Additionally, her abilities to run and climb demonstrated her ability to escape danger, even if she has no weapon to protect her.

Name: Locke Leveau

Age: 33

District: Two

Gender: Male

Skills Shown:

Locke wasn't nervous. This was usual for him, having to show off his skills. Sometimes it had been to potential clients, to prove that he was a good trainer, and that he would fair their children well, but more importantly it was also to the Capitol, to prove that he still had the talent to continue in his job. Locke was trusted with creating careers, something crucial to the very operation of the games, if one day he wasn't up to the standard of what the Capitol wanted, he feared greatly what would happen to him. As he entered the training room, however, a different kind of fear over took him, one he wasn't sure he was able to control. Locke had to be the best. The training scores were his chance to prove to the rest of the tributes that he had power, that he was the one to look out for. Locke was so used to being the best when it came to physical training and the games, he knew how humiliated he would be should anyone beat him and achieve a higher score. He didn't think that would be a problem really, though, most of the other tributes were frantic and unprepared. What worried him more, however, was his daughter. He needed her to get a great score too, that way they would be the pair to be feared.

"Good luck, Salome." He kissed his daughter lightly on the head, reassuring her, or more himself, that things would be okay. Locke allowed one final glance at her, before he pushed his way through the door, and into the hall.
The Gamemakers were so high up, shielded by a glass screen, that Locke wasn't sure they could see anything that was happening on the ground below. He wasn't sure they cared very much anyway, watching a bunch of random people show off skills they had barely any practise in couldn't have been the most exciting, and Locke was speaking from experience.

"Hi, I'm Locke form District Two." He strode confidently to the centre of the room, drawn immediately to a metal pole lying on the table. He picked it up, the cold material against his skin making him feel at home. It took him a few moments to fall into a comfortable rhythm, but within seconds, Locke was twirling around the room, swinging the pole and taking dummies out left, right and centre. He allowed himself to pause briefly, taking a look at the Gamemakers. Most of them were still focused on him, a benefit of being in District Two, he supposed.
Locke snapped his attention back to the task in front of him, dropping the pole. He charged forward, running around the room, crashing straight into dummies and sending them tumbling to the ground as he went, with an impossible ease. He scaled the climbing frame within seconds, reaching the top before leaping off, and rolling across the floor, laning on his feet a few inches away from the weapon table.

At this point, Locke knew he had mere seconds left, and so, he took hold of the nearest weapon, which happened to be a spear, and launched it into a dummy, without really considering his aim. Much to his surprise, not only did it hit the target, but it send the thing flying backwards, before the spear lodged into the wall, the dummy impaled on its spike.

"Thank you for your time." He concluded, bluntly, turning his back and exiting.

Name: Salome Leveau

Age: 15

District: Two

Gender: Female

Skills Shown:

When Salome realised there was an opportunity to fight with an actual trainer in the Private Sessions, she had jumped at the chance. She had been working for years to perfect her combat, but she always had little opportunity to put it to practise against a real person, especially someone that matched her skill. This was her chance, and what better timing than in front of a team of people that were going to score her talents. What she hadn't anticipated, however, was for the trainer to be almost double her size, and in full body armour.

"Well, that's really fair, isn't it." She muttered under her breath, surveying the array of weapons in front of her. They were mostly blunt objects, for obvious reasons, having a Peacekeeper killed by a tribute would hardly be high on the Capitol's agenda. In the end, she opted reluctantly for a wooden stick, smooth, with the end rounded instead of sharpened, as Salome would have prefered. "This will do." She hummed to herself, giving the thing a few practise swings. It was a lot of work, and Salome was thankful she had spent the last few days improving her upper body strength.

Slowly at first, the girl advanced on the trainer, jumping from foot to foot, and jabbing outwards with her stick. The helmet on the Peacekeeper hid everything, apart from the smug smile on his face. He was so sure he was going to win, and that fact only succeeded in making Salome more determined. Her small size worked to her advantage, and she ran forwards as the man charged at her, ducking under his arms and ending up behind him. Swiftly, she brought the stick back as far as her body would allow, smashing it down on the back of the Peacekeepers knees. He let out a cry, but the armour had shielded him from most of the blow, and he stumbled forward a few paces. It wasn't exactly the outcome Salome was hoping for, but for a second, he was weaker than her, and so she leapt forward, jumping onto his back. The already unstead trainer began to tribute forward even more, the added weight of Salome on his back tipping him forward. Just as the girl knew he was about to smack to floor, she threw herself off of the man, completing a somersault before regaining balance, something she owed to her mother's insistence on gymnastic training.

Finally, Salome allowed herself to breath, but only for a moment, as the Peacekeeper began to stir on the ground. Without missing a beat, she grabbed the stick and whacked the Peacekeeper round the head, his helmet having flown off in the fall, with only enough force to knock him out. Salome never wanted to use her strength to kill or even harm people, but a weird sense of pride fell over her as she viewed the damage she had caused, and Salome realised she was more like her father than she ever dared think.

Salome heard the smashing of glass, and her attention was drawn upwards to the Capitolites watching her. The noise had come from a man sitting in the centre, who she assumed to be the Head Gamemaker, dropping his wine glass, the red liquid spilling in a stain across the carpet. All faces and eyes were on her and for a second Salome felt nervous, panicked that she had done something wrong. And then, the Gamemaker rose to his feet applauding her, something that was followed by the rest of the room. Not knowing what to do, Salome turned and ran from the room, bursting into a fit of laughter.

Name: Alfred Goddard

Age: 18

District: Three

Gender: Male

Skills Shown:

"Hey, Alfred." Diva grabbed onto the boy's elbow as he approached the door to the Private Sessions. He was nervous, putting on a show in front of people was never his thing. Unless it was something he could prepare every little thing about. Not this though, he had no idea what to expect when he entered that room. Part of him was ready to bolt, not show up and just get a zero, it wasn't like the scores really mattered. And besides, if he got such a low mark, he might receive some sympathy. But it was too late now, if he turned back so close to the start, he would look weak, become a target for the other tributes. So this was it. "Whatever happens in there, I've got your back." Diva reassured him, before leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Alfed blushed, which probably wasn't the best look for entering the training room, but he didn't have much time to straighten himself out. The centre had changed appearance since they had been there the previous day. There was now only one long table, instead of the many stations, equipped with everything a tribute would ever need. The climbing frame still stood, but this time mats were laid out beneath it. Alfred gave the weapons a quick look over before turning his attention to the people watching them, giving them a small nervous wave, which received a few laughs. It hadn't exactly been a joke, but okay.

He had had a plan when he entered the room, but that suddenly went out the window, he had an idea for something a lot riskier, but that might just help him more. Steadily, as he hadn't trained much, Alfred climbed up the furthermost side of the frame. When he reached the top, he shakily reached out his arm, letting go off the rung, and instead, holding on to the small camera in the wall. He yanked it down, serving only to fuel a few panicked shouts from those observing him.

"Hold on." Clem spoke, silencing the group. "I want to see where this is going."

Alfred took that as permission to continue, so with a nod towards the Head Gamemaker, he slowly climbed down, going backwards was harder than the initial ascent. By the time Alfred had reached the table, the camera was barely recognisable, separated into many different pieces, which he placed in front of him. First he picked up the wiring, attaching it to a small battery left on the table, and the other end to a piece of wood, creating a small circuit. Slowly, the wood began to glow, and Alfred dropped it onto the table as the heat became too much. As it erupted into flames, he continued to add more and more pieces, creating a small bonfire in the centre of the room.

"If I had a stronger power source, and left the wood out, it could electrocute a person." Alfred concluded, as a selection of Peacekeepers walked over to dull the fire. He gave a small bow, before leaving without another word.

Name: Diva DeBellarose

Age: 21

District: Three

Gender: Female

Skills Shown: Unlike many of the other tributes, Diva has impeccable aim, especially when working with a bow and arrow, and in most cases, she hit the intend target. Such a talent, however, is overshadowed by the fact that she is generally not a well-rounded tribute. Her knowledge of plants and knots was relatively low, and her stamina needs great improvement.

Name: Nautilus Cog

Age: 71

District: Four

Gender: Male

Skills Shown:

Nautilus watched as the waiting room slowly became emptier. He sat with his alliance, clutching onto Dory's hand, more for his own sake than her's. He knew he was hardly going to get a shockingly good score and change their odds in the games completely, but Nautilus still hoped that the training he had received in the past hadn't been forgotten altogether, and that he could pull at least something off. Before he had time to consider just exactly what that could be, it was his turn, his name was being called, and Dory's hand was falling from his grip as he stood.

"Wish me luck." He muttered, but was shocked when all the breath was knocked out of him. The little girl Dory had wrapped herself around his midsection, giving Nautilus the warmest hug he thought he had ever received. He placed a light kiss on the top of her head, having to physically pry the girl's arms off of him in order to enter the training room.

His breath was taken away at the state of it already. There were more plastic limbs than he could count, and a selection of burnt wood to one side. But what shocked Nautilus the most was the small pool of crimson blood that had started to dry next to the crash mat on the ground. He was surprised the Capitol hadn't cleaned up between tributes, but he doubted their comfort was of top priority. Shakily, Nautilus announced his name, and he was sure he heard a laugh from one of the people observing. It made him sick the thought that they got enjoyment out of this, that if he failed, it would humiliate him, but only succeed in serving them with a bit of light afternoon entertainment. At first, Nautilus let the fear of failure take over him. If he turned back now and left, he may get an awful score, but then he would escape the laughter that would inevitably occur the second he attempted anything. But then, wouldn't they just laugh at him behind his back? He would become a Capitol legacy, a laughing stock even after his death, and that thought alone was enough to make anything that happened in this room seem worth it.

He reached for a set of knives. Back in his training days, which may have been over fifty years ago, Nautilus had an immediate talent in aim. He could throw a knife with such accuracy and power that it would kill within seconds. Despite knowing that he no longer had the strength to make the throw lethal, he just prayed that his ability to aim hadn't completely faded.
The target sat about twenty feet in front of him, and Nautilus could feel his eyes squinting to get a better look at it. It was no use, it was just too far away. He could take a step or two forwards, but he knew that would alert the Gamemakers to the fact that he couldn't see very well, and if the other tributes found that out, he was sure they would use it against him. So he just went for it. He threw knife after knife, not really aiming, just hoping that it would be okay. The first few missed completely, and either hit the wall or landed short, but soon, as Nautilus perfected the exact power and direction he should focus on, things became a lot easier. Nearly every shot landed within inches of the centre. After about thirty knives, when his arm was getting tired and he could feel the attention of the Gamemakers slipping, Nautilus cleared his throat, and did something he hadn't been expecting. He spun round and round in circles, about fifteen times, before angling his body once more between the target and collecting three final knives. The first missed completely, and he heard the laugh from the Gamemakers once more. He second hit the target but failed to lodge in. nautilus was sure he heard the gallery take a sharp breath in as he prepared to throw the final knife. This time, he tried his luck, he closed his eyes and launched it forwards, crossing the fingers of his other hand behind his back.

When he didn't hear a laugh, he opened his eyes a peek, to see the knife embedded just a few inches to the right of the bullseye. It wasn't exactly perfect, but it was a whole lot better than Nautilus had been expecting.

Name: Dory Krillgood

Age: 13

District: Four

Gender: Female

Skills Shown: Dory was one of the most surprising tributes seen and has clearly benefited from the Private Training Session she was selected for. The girl demonstrated promise with a spear and axe throwing, and has very precise aim, with a hidden strength. When attempting to fight hand-to-hand, the girl was quickly overpowered and needs to focus on this area to reach the standard of the other tributes.

Name: Newton Bowers

Age: 19

District: Five

Gender: Male

Skills Shown: Initially, Newton appeared to be a promising tribute. He handled a spear with expertise and appeared to hit the intended target 9/10 times. However, when he attempted to move onto a trident, the boy became a bit flustered, and the session ended with him tripping and knocking over the paint table. Although he left behind a lovely colourful array of spilt paint on the floor, the Gamemakers are not entirely sure how this will benefit him in the arena.

Name: Dina Issacs

Age: 39

District: Five

Gender: Female

Skills Shown: Dina was written off early in the session, due to her inability to separate edible plants from the poisonous. However, when moving on to the physicals display, there is no doubt that Dina is skilled. When working with a sword, Dina has great accuracy and strength, as well as the stamina and climbing skills to match. She ended the session by throwing the sword at a dummy, once again with great aim.

Name: Ezra Ginsberg

Age: 28

District: Six

Gender: Male

Skills Shown:

Hypatia was long gone before Ezra's name was called, but still he sat with Ronin, thinking over and over again what exactly he was going to do in there. He had barely any weapon training, and he may have been smart and had the ability to survive, but there was no way that would impress the Gamemakers enough to give him a good score. He had stayed up late the night before, with the rest of his alliance, and Ronin had successfully convinced him that the score he got didn't matter. That had been then. But now, as the real thing was so close, Ezra couldn't help thinking that if the results he received were any less than perfect, that was the final nail in his coffin.

All the calming talk Ronin had given him, which Ezra knew for a fact was fake, and that the young boy was equally as scared as he was, had worn off as he approached the steel doors leading in. he gave his teammate one final nod of solidarity as he reluctantly pushed his way forward, more nervous than he had been for anything that they had done here thus far.

Ezra knew that his best bet was to demonstrate his medical talent. That was easier said than done as the medical supplies laid out on the table were very limited.. That and he lacked an actual patient… What he did have, however, was a load of plastic limbs. Now that was something he could work with. Ezra rushed between the body parts forming as full bodies as he could, attaching them together with bandages and plasters, fixing them as if he were a real human. He knew it was messy, but the quick glance he took up to the Gamemakers allowed him to realise that they were paying close attention to him. At first Ezra thought it might be his skill, but it was probably because he was saving them a job, and money. Now they wouldn't have to pay anyone to come and clean the mess up, he had done it for them.

No, maybe he was being too harsh on himself. He was talented and good at this, and he was sure a display like this was something the Capitol didn't see all that often. So he paused, holding a right leg and a left arm in his hands, half a torso clenched under his armpit. Ezra was aware he looked insane.
"This game and this room is so filled with hate and anger and aggression, I just thought I would do something a little bit brighter." Ezra smiled, meeting the gaze of a few of the Gamemakers.

"That or you're too pussy to pick up a weapon." One of them remarked.

Before Ezra had a chance to defend himself, the man at the centre, who he assumed to be the Head Gamemaker, spoke up. "I think it's great. It's inventive and fresh and new. You have a skill, sir, one I'm sure your alliance will thank you for."

Ezra nodded back, sending a smile to the man. He wasn't entirely sure if it was sincere or mocking, but it shut his inferiors up, and Ezra took that as a small victory for himself.

Name: Lya Chapman

Age: 21

District: Six

Gender: Female

Skills Shown:

All she had to do was not full flat on her face. That wasn't that hard, was it? A show for lya wasn't unusual. She tested cars for a living, she raced and was often the centre of attention in her small little town. So that part was fine. What was less fine was that now she had no car to hide behind. The car did all the work, the engine made it move and it's decorated exterior was what everyone was really interested in, all she had to do was stop it from crashing, which was easier said than done sometimes. But now, these people wanted to see her, just her.

Her prosthetic arm felt heavier than usual and out of place on her body. That always happened when she became nervous. She appreciated it though, it gave Lya something other to focus on than the anxiety bubbling inside her.

"It's only three minutes. Not long at all." Lya reminded herself as the faces of some of the most powerful people in the Capitol turned to her. "Not long at all." What would really help now though, was the soft hum of a car engine, or the cheer of the crowd. It was a noise she was used to and that grounded her, but more importantly, it would drown out the thudding of her heart, something she was sure even the tributes outside the doors to the training hall could hear. Hell, she thought even those that had already returned to the hotel would be able to pick it up. What was worse was that she was the first in her alliance to go through. She had no one trusted that had already gone through it and could have told her what it was like. She was in it alone.

Lya knew time was ticking and that she had to start soon. For some reason, she was drawn towards the bow and arrow. She knew she didn't have a particular talent for it, but her aim was accurate enough, and the strength that her metal arm gave her was enough to pull the string back time and time again with ease. It started off shaky, but more often than not, the girl's aim was spot on, and she could tell that the Gamemakers were at least in part impressed. When that became tedious, she moved onto the track, hoping the speed she had in a car would somehow translate into actual running. Much to her surprise it did, and Lya thanked her past self for keeping up with the gym even when every part of her body had told her it was useless. Finally, and in her last half a minute, Lya decided to show her hidden talent. She had a metal arm, it would have been stupid to not use that to her advantage. The extra strength she had gained was something she knew others would not be able to contend with, so she began to lift weights, gradually increasing the load. At the end, she was holding over 250 pounds above her head, barely breaking a sweat. She was unsure of how it would help her in the games, Lya would be able to carry vast quantities of water for her alliance, but in terms of fighting, the success was limited. But it was enough to impress the Gamemakers and, she hoped, gain a good score.

Bam. There they are, Districts 1-6. You may have noticed that the scores are missing, and that's because I've decided to do the score reveals in a different, shorter, chapter to spice it up. And also because I wanted to do a tributes reaction and had no way to make it work here...

As always, thank you for your support, and stay safe!

Until next time,

Alice xxx