I'm almost done with Training Day 2, but first, we get to check in with Malakai a bit!

District 4

Malakai Mavericks

It feels so weird to be back in the District 4 room without wondering about what lied ahead of me. I remember Kata and I would often spend a lot of our time before going to bed talking and planning strategies for the Hunger Games. Unfortunately, she never got to set any of them into action. She needed me, and we were apart for most of the game. When we finally were in the same place, she was killed.

Being where we were only a year ago is giving me major flashbacks. I keep getting overwhelmed whenever I enter the dining room and see the exact place where Kata sat every day before the Bloodbath. The placement, the table, the chairs… they're all the same, which means it was where she sat a year before. And since no one occupies these rooms between each Hunger Games, nobody had sat in the seat since Kata.

Everybody thought it was a little weird when the moment we entered the District 4 suite, I panicked and began sobbing uncontrollably. They were sympathetic, but a little weirded out. My fellow mentor, Riley, was understanding, but I don't think she ever broke down crying after the Hunger Games. Riley is tougher than most people, though, so maybe I shouldn't be comparing myself to her.

When I saw the dining room and all the chairs arranged around it, I immediately remembered the one Kata sat in. And despite Tiernan's statements about how I was being silly, I removed the chair away from the table and brought it into my room so no one would put it back. I'm not sure what I'm planning on doing with it. I just don't want anyone else sitting exactly where Kata sat only a few days before I lost her.

It's my second night in this room, and I'm still not able to sleep. It's not the same room I was in last year; Luc's currently sleeping in there. This one is for the male mentor, which is me. But the layout's almost exactly the same. Everything is against a different wall and the bedspread is a different color, but those are the only changes. I didn't sleep last night (which probably contributed to the giant headache I had this morning) and I guess tonight will be the same.

I probably will eventually get tired enough to fall asleep, but currently, I'm wide awake. I shift sides, hoping maybe a fresh position might help, but now I'm watching the ever-active city.

The Capitol is less rowdy at night, but it's definitely not inactive. The streets don't have the bustle of people, but a lot of nightclubs and apartments stay up partying all night. The window and walls of my room are sound-proof, so I don't have to listen to their pre-Hunger Games excitement all night long, but the neon lights from the street below shine into my window. They're very bright even from here, so I can't imagine how blinding they are from down on the streets.

I watch as a crowd of people exit a particularly brightly-lit club down below. It's hard to tell from this distance, but from the way they're zig-zagging as they're walking up and down the street, as if they were on a rocky boat, I'm assuming they're quite drunk. One man holds up a shiny object in the air triumphantly. After a moment I realize that it's a sword. I look more closely at the others and realize that at least half of them have similar weapons in hand.

They're celebrating the Hunger Games. The thought infuriates me. How could they celebrate something that caused the deaths of so many innocent children, including my best friend? I know they're entertained by watching them, something which I still don't get, but I've never seen anyone celebrate the Hunger Games with weapons in hand.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. This is the Capitol, after all. Skipping around watching innocent kids slaughter one another is what amuses them, so why should I be surprised they want to wave fake swords and party until one in the morning to show their excitement for the upcoming Hunger Games?

I stand up to close my drapes, but before I can reach the window, I hear a banging at the door. After hours of silence, the sudden noise shocks me. I jump slightly, then walk over to the door. I'm surprised someone's knocking this late at night; Noelania and Luc wouldn't come to me with their problems, Riley doesn't have problems (or solves them by herself), and Tiernan is too concerned with his beauty sleep to wake up at 1 AM.

I open the door and a disheveled woman I've never seen before stands at the door, looking extremely nervous. Before I can ask who she is and what she's doing in the District 4 suite, she grabs me by my pajama shirt and yanks me out into the hallway.

"Wha-?" I sputter, startled, but the woman holds a finger to her lips to tell me to be quiet. I comply but hold my ground. She's not strong enough to pull me toward the elevator, which seems like what she's trying to do, so she stands still as well. She has a pretty bland appearance compared to most of the Capitol's genetic alterations and extravagant outfits; the only alteration I can see on her is the tip of a tattoo on her neck. The rest is hidden by the color of her black shirt.

"We need to talk in private," she says in a voice so low I can barely hear her.

"Who are you and why are you talking like that?" I demand. She holds her finger to her lips again to remind me to be quiet. She's a little more impatient this time.

"I'll explain everything as soon as we get somewhere that isn't bugged," she whispers and tries pulling me toward the elevator again. I reluctantly follow her, but she doesn't release her tight grip on my shirt. When we reach the elevator, she impatiently presses the button. When it doesn't come immediately, she presses it several more times.

"Relax," I mutter under my breath. She pretends not to hear me. The doors open not long after, and she pulls me inside, which was unnecessary since I was already stepping inside. The doors close and she hits the button for the roof. "Okay so why are we going to the roof?" I ask, but am once again met with an impatient finger to the lips. She discreetly nods upwards. I follow her gaze and see nothing. However, after a moment of looking, I notice a very tiny black dot in the corner of the wall. It must be one of the microphones this woman is so paranoid about.

The doors open at the roof, and she pulls me outside.

I've never been up here before. It's open to tributes, but I didn't really see the point before I entered the Hunger Games. The roof holds a garden, which must be mostly for brightening up the building since a lot of the plants seem to be flowers with no use that I know of. The wind is thick up here and must be hiding any words we exchange from microphones; that's why she wanted to come up here. But I still have no idea why she wants to have a private conversation with me. She still seems nervous about cameras, so pulls me between a large shrub and flower bush.

"Listen, this is really important so you can't tell anyone," she says, still whispering, although a little louder than before.

"I kind of got that from the way you were whispering and dragging me up here."

"Alright, be serious right now. My life is in danger, as are many other peoples'. And I believe yours is, as well."

I'll explain the rest of this soon, but for now, you'll have to wait and see what this woman is talking about.

- Lilah