I could sleep well that night. This is good, maybe my body is aware that rest will be a rare commodity soon. I was the last to wake up and made my way to the breakfast. No one spoke at the table. Lark seemed like had lost all traces of hope and was just waiting for the sword or knife to end his life. My mentors don't help. Lyanna is still looking at the newspaper and Noah decide that vodka is a great complement to coffee.

I do not know any of them really well to say if they do not want to get attach to us because is going to hurt more when we die or if they are awful people that do not offer comfort to a child that is about to be murder. Right now, it does not matter, they seem competent enough to try to help me if I survive the initial bloodbath, but I need to show that the odds are on my favor if I want the sponsors to look at me.

Aster rushed us to the training center soon after we finish eating. Half of the tributes were already there. And the other half soon joined. All of them towering over me. And even though I knew I was the oldest mentally due to my past life most of them looked more mature than me. The careers that were trained for this all their life and ready to do whatever it takes, the ones from 11 and 12 that seemed like already gave up, but have an old look in their eyes that way pass their age. Life must be harder on those districts than I believed.

After the trainer finish her speech stating the multiple ways, we could die that does not actually involve another tribute we were free to go to the stations. I ran to the plants, maybe it could give me some tip about which type of arena we are going. If we are going to a freezing one, I would need to go to the cornucopia. It is better to die quickly from a weapon than slowly from the cold. Same if it's a desert. It is rare for any of this two appear. The tributes die to fast and normally from weather related things instead of a bloody battle that the capitolians prefer.

At second school in my district they teach us what we can do to fatten the cattle, techniques and all. But they also tell us the worst scenarios, how long can a single cow pass without eating. How long can a human being live without food? Information that I though as morbid facts shouted by my teacher so she could grab the attention of the most rebellious kids. But now… One month. The Games normally last for two weeks. I could spend the whole time without eating. But I doubt that that the final confront is going to be against someone else than a career, and they would be well feed and decently rested, if I showed myself starving than is going to be over.

More so, I don't know how to hunt. It was not necessary in my past life, when I could go to a grocery store to buy anything I wanted and certainly it was not need in this life when all my family deal with livestock. I will try to learn in the next three days, but I am realistic. I doubt I could manage to get anything. And after I get it, skinning? Took out the organs? Cooking without giving up my location? No, I would probably be too paranoid in the arena to do this. Even if I ended up craving for meat.

So that is why I spent the whole morning in the plant station. Doing quiz after quiz until the plants are memorized. No one bothers me, 1 and 2 are going to survive based on the cornucopia, as they always do, and the other districts are sorry because of my age. After lunch I go to the other surviving stations, learn how to make a knot, a shelter, a fire, anything that is empty. And meanwhile I observe. Aurelian seem to prefer sword, Silver, a bow, Augusta, a pair of daggers that are as long as my forearm and the boy from two is rather fond of throwing knives. The four of them speak loudly, and move as a team, while making comments on how they are going to kill and already making bets on who is going to end up having the bigger body count. Is disgusting and worrisome. They are kids that think is normal to kill each other, that it brings glory. How deep is the brainwash in the upper districts? Other than weapons they don't touch anything else.

The pair from 4 is trying the trident section. And they may be good, but they are not great. I see other tributes in various stations and various degrees of success. But is clear that we are not fighters. The ones from 3 and 5 are more interested in the electrical behind some of the machines than actually using them, the boy from 6 is clear on its way to become a morphine addict and the girl is to shy to even try the stations.

Maybe some of them are trying the same technique Johanna Mason is going to be known for, but I doubt.

At night Lyanna teach me how to throw knives. I can do it decently. Not hitting the bullseye, but managing to get the target. I can see that she thinks this extra training is a waste of time and that I should spend the rest of my days crying or eating chocolate or whatever a twelve-year-old was supposed to do in this situation.

Between the knives and the surviving skills, I think I can manage a 6, maybe even a 7, high enough to grab the sponsors attentions, but not high or low enough to grab the other tributes. Mediocre. That is what I am going for.

At the arena I just need to keep myself out of sight. Let them kill each other, and deal with whoever is left, preferably if they are already hurt from another battle. I am fast. I just need to hit and run, let them bleed to death. Yes, this is the plan. It is not good. But it is all I have.

Or at least that was the plan. Until I notice something important in the last day of my training. I don't have strength. Not enough for swords, spears and all, but most relevant: not for my knives. I can hit the target, but they do not pierce the mannequins like the boy from 2, comparing to him, the wounds I could inflict look shallow and definitely not lethal.

I am going to die. If I cannot kill someone I am going to be killed. That's how the Games work. And I am not strong enough to murder someone from a distance, it is too late to learn another weapon and even if I had the time what would it be? Most of the weapons are going to be way too heavy for me to swing it, maybe I could use the whip like we do back home, but a whip is not deadly, at least not in one blow and the girl from one is going to pick the bow. I am not going to kill myself in the bloodbath for a weapon I don't really know how to use.

My eminent death finally became a reality for me.

What is going to happen then? Am I going to reincarnate again? In another universe? Am I going to keep my memories? I doubt it. And even so, I can no longer remember my first mother face, how my father used to laugh, I cannot forget about this family too.

Mom, Dad, James, Will, Charlie, Chris, Harper, Chloe, Hunter.

I love them. More than I imagine I could when I first ended up here.

I am tired.

I want to go home.