Domitia Albernite, 18

District 2 Female

The elevator ride down to the Training Center was silent, but Domitia had already gotten used to Quintus's quietness. The massive boy mostly communicated through nods and grunts. That worked fine for her. He was still up front about his opinions, and Domitia appreciated honesty more than anything else.

Most of her was excited, but a part of her was nervous. First impressions were important, and she didn't know what the other careers would think of her.

The elevator doors opened with a soft ding and the two of them stepped out into a brightly lit gymnasium. A huddle of tributes were gathered around a buff black woman with shaved turquoise hair. She and a thin, reedy man were pinning numbers onto their shirts.

"District 2," Domitia told the skinny man, who nodded and gestured for her to turn around. She did, allowing him to pin her number to her back. While he did, she scanned the room for the other Careers.

District 4 was standing on the other side of the crowd. Lillian was shorter than Oscar, but looked just as strong. She was fiddling with her ponytail while Oscar murmured something to her, making her laugh.

Districts 1 and 6 were the last to arrive. Once they were properly tagged, the woman with the colored hair clapped her hands.

"Alright!" she shouted. "My name is Atalanta McGuinness, and I'm your main trainer. Around this room, you'll find several stations with specialists in survival skills. There is a sparring mat too. Please ask to spar with a trainer. You will not be allowed to fight with each other, under any circumstances. There are also training dummies. You will be supervised at all times. Ask any questions you have. This is your last chance to learn some much-needed skills. Now, go!"

Everyone scattered, except for the Careers. Domitia led Quintus off to the side and waited for the others to gather. Once they did, she put on a smile.

"Hi, I'm Domitia," she said, holding out a hand to Paxton. "I like your hair."

"Paxton," he said, shaking it. He didn't respond to the comment.

"I'm Ozzy," the boy from 4 said. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." And he dropped into a dramatic bow, making the girl from 1 giggle.

"I'm Bliss," she said. "It's nice to meet you all."

"Quintus," her district partner grumbled.

"And I'm Lillian," the freckled girl from 4 said. "So, what are your particular weaponry skills? I like to use a spear, but I can handle pretty much anything."

Everyone went around to share their best weapons, with an occasional goofy comment from Ozzy. No one mentions shurikens, though Domitia wasn't surprised. They weren't the most common of weapons. Rapiers weren't brought up either.

"Does anyone have any first aid knowledge beyond the basics?" she asked. Quintus shyly held up a hand, and Domitia gave him a smile to boost his confidence.

"That's great. I don't know about the rest of you, but the Academy in 2 teaches us the basics in quite a few categories."

"4 does the same," Lillian said, and Bliss shrugged.

"They let us focus on what we'd like to focus on," she said.

After chatting a bit more, they broke off into smaller groups. Lillian and Domitia went to work with the ranged weapons, while Quintus and Paxton both grabbed maces. Ozzy began to slice up dummies with a trident, and Bliss knocked an arrow at the archery range.

"I thought you used spears?" Domitia said with a frown.

"I like throwing knives too," Lillian said. She picked up a small, delicate one and hurled it at the target. Nearly a bullseye.

"They're not my main weapon though," she admitted sheepishly.

Another girl was at the throwing knife station. She was tall and fairly muscular for an outer district tribute, though she was still thin. Domitia was pretty sure she was from District 12.

She let out a deep breath before taking on an awkward stance and throwing the knife. It hit the second ring, and she cursed. A trainer came over and said something to her, but as they began to talk, Domitia turned away. It was time to show off her skills.

She quickly threw two shurikens. Bullseye. Then Domitia moved towards the dummies, tossing shurikens into all the lethal parts.

"Nice work," Lillian said, two spears in her hand. Domitia gave her a smile.

"Thanks."

Summer Enderro, 18

District 11 Female

Summer had to admit it; she was nervous. The girl from 1 had come up to the archery range, and nerves bubbled in Summer's stomach. If one of the careers was an archer, she was less likely to be invited to join. Though she could use a trident fairly well.

The girl from 1, Bliss, seemed cheerful, and gave Summer a polite nod before knocking an arrow. Summer returned it, forcing a smile to her face. Then she blocked Bliss out and forced her focus to the target.

She could almost hear Morrison's voice as she prepared to shoot.

'Focus. Deep breath, and aim for the center. If you don't aim for something, you won't hit anything.'

She released the arrow and hit the center, right on the edge of the black bullseye.

"Beginner's luck?" Bliss asked. She'd approached while Summer wasn't looking.

"No," Summer said. "I trained for years."

"So did I," Bliss said with a giggle. "Want to have a little competition?"

"Alright," Summer said, squaring her shoulders.

"We both get five arrows. If your score is higher, you join the Careers." Summer sucked in a breath.

"And if you lose, we hunt you down in the arena." Bliss was still smiling brightly, but there was a dark undertone to her voice.

Summer briefly weighed her options. She wanted to be a Career. It was the best chance for her success. But Bliss had trained for far longer than Summer had. She could just be luring Summer into a trap. But, was there a chance she could win?

"Deal." Summer held out her hand, and Bliss shook it.

Bliss went first. The first shot was a 9. 10, 8, 9, 10. A total of 46. Then Summer stepped forward. 9. 9. 10. 10. 9. 47 in total. She'd done it. Summer was a Career.

She turned to Bliss with a smirk. The blonde girl looked shocked, but she quickly recovered.

"Nice shooting," she said. "You surprised me."

"Well, I am a Career."

Bliss laughed a little at that.

"Well, it's nice to have you on the team," she said. "And I have to kill my curiosity. Who trained you?"

Summer tensed up a little. Would telling Bliss about Morrison cause a problem? She thought it over for a moment before shaking off the worry.

"An old Hunger Games hopeful," she said casually.

"Well, I'm glad you found them," Bliss said cheerfully. "You'll be a valuable ally."

Summer smiled again, but her mind was whirring. Bliss was a stranger, and yet she was being incredibly nice. It put her on edge. What reason did she have to try to befriend Summer, if not to gain her trust and betray her later?

Well, two could play that game. Summer didn't like the idea of manipulating Bliss, but Bliss did seem a bit naive. It shouldn't be too hard, right? She wasn't sure. But she knew she had to make it home to Priscilla, and to her mom and sisters, and her grandpa.

Nikolai Keane, 16

District 9 Male

Nikolai sat alone for lunch, chipping at his black nail polish. His stylist, a blue-haired woman named Lyssa, had complimented him on them. She seemed like a good stylist, which Nikolai appreciated. She'd put a lot of effort into making sure he was comfortable.

He wasn't comfortable here though. Nikolai had been so close to a happy, peaceful life, and then the damn Hunger Games had to swoop in and ruin it. But if he won, he'd be free from his mom forever. She wouldn't be allowed to hurt him in any way. And that was the biggest incentive he had.

"May I sit here?" someone said. Nikolai looked up to see the beautiful boy from 8 hovering by his table.

"Sure," Nikolai said, gesturing towards the chair across from him. A blinding smile spread across his face.

"Thank you. My name is Zander."

"I'm Nikolai."

"You're from 10, right?" Zander asked, sitting down and taking a small, delicate sip from his soup spoon.

"District 9," Nikolai corrected.

"Ah, yes. Sorry."

"It's okay," he replied, cocking his head. Zander seemed a little strange. Very polite, but slightly dull. Still, Nikolai barely knew him. It wasn't fair to judge him yet.

"So, are you feeling prepared?" he asked. Nikolai looked up in surprise, nearly dropping his fork.

"Absolutely not. Are you?"

Zander was quiet for a few moments. "I guess so," he finally said. Nikolai gaped at him.

"Well, I'm glad you're confident," he finally said. He was so strange, but for some reason, Nikolai liked his company.

People were beginning to filter out of the lunch room, and Nikolai stood to join them. Zander trailed after him like a lost puppy. It made Nikolai smile a little.

Back in the gymnasium, he turned to Zander.

"Want to learn to build a fire with me?"

"Yeah!" Zander said with a grin.

The two boys joined the girl from District 3 by the fire-building station. The instructor showed them different structures and different ways to light them before sending them off on their own.

Nikolai began shaping his kindling into a teepee shape while Zander watched. He added some dry brush in the middle and then lit it with a match. The teepee collapsed.

"Damn it," he growled before closing his eyes and forcing himself to take several deep breaths. This was not the place to lose his temper.

"Can I make a suggestion," the girl from 3 asked softly. Nikolai raised his head to look at her.

"Uh, sure?"

"Try making the kindling a little more even on all sides," she said, kneeling beside him. She began to rearrange the twigs while Nikolai watched closely.

"Now try," she instructed when she was done. Nikolai lit the match and cautiously lit the kindling. It stayed up.

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "You're good at this."

"We make a good team," she replied before her cheeks flushed and she looked away.

"Sorry. That was really sudden."

Nikolai opened his mouth to speak, but didn't get a chance to say anything because Zander interrupted.

"Do you want to ally with us?"

Nikolai and Gamma both turned to look at him. He was still smiling warmly.

"Uh, sure," Gamma stammered. "I'm allied with my district partner though. Can I, um, check with him and then get back to you?"

"Yeah, totally," Nikolai told her with a soft smile. "We're just glad to have you on the team."

Kaz Killaray, 17

District 12 Female

Kaz had spent the majority of the day throwing knives, but she knew it was wise to focus on more than one skill. Her plan for these two and a half days was to spend the mornings on weapons and the afternoons on survival skills. So now it was first aid time.

The tiny girl from District 10 was already there, bent over a fake leg bone. Her hair was escaping its braid and she looked incredibly focused. Kaz sat beside her, trying not to get too close.

"Hey there," a heavily-pierced instructor said. "What are you interested in today? Infections? Stitches? Amputa–?"

"Just basic starter stuff, please," Kaz interrupted. He frowned briefly, but nodded.

"Alright, here you go."

He set a black box on the counter and opened it, revealing a basic first aid kit.

"These are sterile bandages. It's important to change them often and keep any wounds clean." Next, he pointed to a tube. "This is neosporin. Good for small cuts and scrapes. This-" he tapped a small brown bottle. "-is rubbing alcohol. It's antiseptic and antibacterial. And then there's this guy."

He held up a small white tube and took off the cap, revealing a needle.

"This is epinephrine. It's good for infections."

"Actually, it's for severe allergies," the girl from 10 said. "I read about it."

The instructor flushed.

"Well, you know the rest. I have to run to the restroom." He snapped the kit shut and hurried away.

"Good call," Kaz praised, giving the girl a smile. "I'm Kaz."

"Ayala," the girl said, holding out her hand for a handshake. Kaz accepted it.

"You're one of the younger tributes, aren't you?" Kaz asked.

"Yes," Ayala said slowly, holding her chin up. "But that doesn't mean I'm weak."

"Of course not!" Kaz exclaimed. "You just schooled that trainer. I never could have figured that out."

"Well, you throw knives," Ayala said. "I saw you over there. You were great."

"Thanks," Kaz said, suddenly a little shy. She didn't want Ayala to ask about where she learned. It wasn't something she was proud of.

Being in a gang meant Kaz was no stranger to violence. At the age of 10, her dad handed her a knife and told her to throw it. Over the years, she'd gotten better and better, and now considered herself a fairly skilled knife thrower.

"We'd do well together," Ayala said hesitantly. Kaz started a little, but smiled at the younger girl after a moment.

"We definitely would." Ayala grinned.

They got to talking, and Kaz learned that Ayala worked on a farm, was a huge bookworm, and loved her cousin Diana more than anything. Kaz talked about her mom and Krystal, but was careful not to bring up the gang.

"Is your sister the reason you volunteered?" Ayala finally asked. Kaz blinked at her in shock. She hadn't alluded to how ill her sister actually was.

"Yes," she said after a moment. "She's very sick, and I need money to pay for her treatment."

"Oh," Ayala said, looking at her hands. "I hope she gets better."

"Thank you," Kaz murmured. "Me too."

Here it is, the first training chapter! And alliances are already forming. If you have suggestions for alliance names, I would greatly appreciate it, because I'm just numbering them. I am not creative in that way.

Questions!

1. Which alliance is your favorite so far?

2. Do you think Summer's plan to manipulate Bliss will work?

3. Have you voted in the poll yet? (go do it!)

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona