Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games no matter how much I would like to. So this chapter is the parade and the training so it's gonna have some of the mains like Katniss and Peeta in it. And I know that in the actual book the girl from district 4 is a career but I'm changing it so deal with it.

I woke up in bed with my head pounding and my mouth feeling like I just ate a sock. I opened my eyes and immediately sat bolt upright; I was in a room I had never seen before. It was the same size as my one at home but it was more official looking, nothing out of place. I had no idea what I was doing here until I remembered everything about the reaping and then I realised I was on a train heading to my death. I sank back on the green, silk pillows knowing that Finnick was going to kill me because I didn't take my meds but it wasn't my fault. There was just no time between prep and the reaping and all my goodbyes.

There was a knock on the door as Finnick came into my room carrying a tray. 'Hey, how are you feeling?'
'Like shit... I know, I know don't swear but it's true.'
'Well whose fault is that? If you just did what I said then you wouldn't be in this mess, would you? Now eat up we can watch the reruns of the reaping. There are some good ones in there this year it's gonna be tough but no one can ever beat you.' He put the tray down next to me and shoved me over to make room for himself on the bed before switching on the T.V.

We watched all the victors go by and I saw that Finnick was right there were some good people this year, but there were also people with obvious flaws like the kid with the limp. The one who stood out the most was the girl from 12 she just ran forward to save her sister; she did what Finnick tried to do. What was more unusual though was the fact that she was from one of the lower districts, I don't think that I've ever seen some one from 10, 11 or 12 volunteer for anyone. That girl must really love her sister just like Finnick loves me enough to make a fool of himself in front of the whole world.
The only other one I noticed was from 11, he was huge and built like a mountain with skin as dark as the night sky, he was beautiful. He was also the perfect ally, if I could get someone like that on my team it would make winning so much easier. He didn't look like he would join the careers but they would definitely want someone like him in their alliance. That was precisely why I needed him.

The train ride was pretty uneventful we just ate and talked strategy, I stayed in Finnick's room most nights as neither of us could sleep without having nightmares about the games, what happened to him as well as what could happen to me. We mainly stayed up talking about District 4, Annie, Mags, Toby and what it was like before our parents died.
We arrived after several days travelling and the train was instantly mobbed by people trying to catch a glimpse of us arriving. I stood by the window smiling and waving, all the while dying inside because so many people were looking at me and I couldn't stand it. I had to fight back the tears so I didn't look like a scared little girl even though that's what I was. The boy kind of shied away, I wondered if the careers would let him join them, or if they would kill him on sight.

As soon as we stepped out of the train we were whisked to our stylists, I was lucky because unlike everyone else I had been working with mine for years and knew how to handle them. Finnick made them come every year for the reaping so I could look my best and leave an impression if I was ever drawn. They circled me like vultures before begining the intense beauty treatment, the waxing and the baths of disgusting liquids, I was used to it though. All the while they were cooing about how they knew this year would be my year, how they had waited for this day all there lives, and how the usually got ugly tributes so it was a nice change having someone so beautiful. I tuned out after a while, I just wanted this day to be over with.

When I was ready I sat waiting for Tatiana to come and give me my outfit hoping that I wasn't going to be a fish, or wear nothing but a net like Finnick did his year. She came in and held it out for me to see, I was surprised by how gorgeous it was, no fish, no nudity simple yet beautiful. She helped me into it and touched up my makeup.
It was a blue mesh halter dress with a shell bra attached to the sea through mesh singlet, with a starfish accented scaled skirt netted at the bottom; my hair was curled and was left loose along my shoulders accented with shells and starfish. They had added a pink and a blue streak to my hair running down either side of my face. Tatiana said it was my signature, the thing to help people to remember me by.

I stood by the carriage waiting, the boy from my district was stuck dressed as a fish and I felt so sorry for him. He started sputtering when he saw me like an idiot which made Finnick laugh, he gave me a hug and told me I looked perfect and that I'd make a splash 'Ha, Ha'

I was standing there when I noticed something shining on the ground, I bent down to pick it up and saw it was a crescent shaped necklace, the symbol of District 11. It was probably one of their tokens; I looked around for their carriage which was near the back.
'I'll be right back' I told the boy from my district.
'Where are you going? We're supposed to stay here; it's going to start soon.' He was freaking out.
'I'm not going very far, just over there I found someone's token and I want to give it back to them. I'll be back in a second.' I walked past all the carriages and all the tributes turned to watch, they were all glued to theirs and here I was walking away from mine. I wondered if it was against the rules but nobody stoped me so I kept going. When I got to the carriage for 11 I saw that the girl tribute, who was tiny and small but she was also already wearing a necklace made from grass around her neck, it must have been his. Perfect, I thought to myself smiling.

'Excuse me' He turned around to look at me, he raised his eyebrows when he saw I was a tribute and a half naked tribute at that. He couldn't talk he was dressed as a farmer in gaudy overalls and a wreath on his head, if either of us should be embarrassed it was him.
'What?' His voice was surly and coarse, he was the kind of person who didn't spend time talking just standing around and looking tough but his glare wasn't intimidating me.
'I think you dropped something 11. Is this yours?' I dangled the chain in front of his face, he lunged at it and snatched it out of my hands.
'Yeah'
'Ooh, feisty. And rude, haven't you heard? Snatching isn't nice. Tsk tsk 11 learn some manners.' His face was priceless, I was probably the only person who hadn't run away screaming but had actually teased him but if I wanted him in my alliance I had to act like talking him wasn't scaring the shit out of me right now.
"Umm... sorry. You... you aren't scared of me?'
'What's there to be scared of?' I stood up on my tippy toes bringing my face inches from his and stared straight into his deep, brown eyes his eyes flicked down to my bright pink lips and he was edging closer.
'WHERE THE HELL IS 4, HOW THE HELL DO YOU LOSE A TRIBUTE?' A woman in black with a clipboard was freaking out near my carriage yelling at the boy.
'I guess that's my cue to leave wouldn't want to cause a scene, now would we?' A giggled and twirled in my heels and headed back to my carriage.
'Nice ass!' His comment stopped me dead in my tracks. It was the first honest thing someone in the Capitol had actually said to me.
'Nice hat.' I called and kept walking smiling to myself, I saw his reflection in the back of 9's carriage and he was smiling too.

'Sorry, I had to see a guy about a necklace. I hope I didn't cause to much trouble miss.'
'Just get in your carriage and stay there.' She walked off in a huff to check on the tributes from 5 and I couldn't help but laugh when I looked over at the guy from 11 as he raised his eyebrows and shook his finger at me.
'It's not funny you know. You shouldn't have left you could've been in serious trouble you know.'
'But I'm not am I? Let's just get in the carriage and do this thing ok.'

The parade went by like a blur, so much waving and smiling but none of it mattered we were nothing compared to 12. They rode out in armour made from fire looking fierce and dangerous and the people loved it, no one compared to their brilliance everybody would want to sponsor them. I would have to work really hard to get the Capitol citizens to notice me now.

'Well look who it is, the girl with the ass.' I slid into the car and came face to face with the boy from 11. Another tribute tried to get in the car but he shut the door in his face and told him to get the next one.
'I have a name you know.'
'I know Juniper right? I'm Thresh.'
'It's Jay and I prefer 11.'
'Then I prefer ass girl' He wiggled his eyebrows at me in an attempt of what I can either assume is flirting or to get a laugh.
'Thresh it is then.'

The car stopped in front of the hotel and we didn't get to talk anymore than that as Finnick grabbed my arm and twirled me around.
'That was perfect, they just ate you up.'
'I'm pretty sure that was the fire people that they wanted to eat.'
'They were good but you had presence, they just had a fancy costume, when it comes to training you're going to kick their butts now off to bed so you're ready for tomorrow.'

I pulled the training clothes on, a black tank top and tight fitting tracksuit pants feeling nervous because I knew some of the kids were probably better than I was even though I had trained hard for this those in 1 and 2 wanted this more than anyone and had been training since the moment they were born and I had only started after Finnick won when I was 7.

The tributes stood grouped by District though the careers had already joined together they motioned for me and the boy from my district to join them and he hurried over looking happier than I'd seen him for this whole trip. I stayed where I was but I did edge closer to where the tributes from 11 stood.
'In two weeks 23 of you will be dead, 1 of you will be alive. Who that is depends on how well you pay attention over the next 4 days, particularlly to what I'm about to say. First; no fighting with the other tributes you'll have plenty of time for that in the arena, there are 4 complusary excersises but the rest will be individual training. My advice is don't ignore the survival skills, everybody wants to grab a sword but most of you will die from natural causes. 10% from infection, 20% from dehydration, exposure can kill as easily as a knife.' And with that Alta (the woman in charge of the training) let us loose, of course nobody listened to her and they all began showing off in an attempt to intimidate everyone. All except the two from 12 who went to the knot-tying station and stayed out of the fighting.

I strolled over to the knife station I needed to feel the steel run through my fingers to calm me down and the careers hadn't managed to find there way over yet, they were focusing on spears and swords so I was all by myself. I twirled it round and round caressing the blade with the tips of my fingers.
'You ought to be careful with that you know, everyone thinks it's easy to throw a knife but it takes practice, precision and skill.' I turned to find the instructor standing behind me eying the balde.
'It's not that hard you know.' I turned to face him and threw the knife over my shoulder, the clunk of metal told me I'd hit my mark as well as the look of shock on the instructors face.
'Shit...that was a lucky shot, no way you could do it again.'
'There's no such thing as luck, not if you're in here.' I turned away from the knife station wary that the eyes of many of the tributes were following me, I turned to look at the target, I must have put to much spin on it because it didn't stick it had cut it's head off instead making me seem even more of a good shot. I shrugged at the target and walked past the faces of awe to the fishing station. I didn't want everyone staring at me and at least here I couldn't do anything to impressive.

I stayed there until lunch just wishing that people would stop glacing over at me. The tributes mainly sat by themselves except for the tributes from 12 and the careers. I see Thresh sitting at the back the careers keep glancing at him and nudging eachother, they want him in their alliance but no one wants to ask someone that looks so damn scary. Except me.

'Lookie who it is, hey 11.' He looks up smiling and nods at the seat across from him ignoring the fact that the whole room had gone silent and is staring at us in shock, alliances that aren't careers and are from the same district don't happen until in the games. Stuff like this doesn't usually happen, districts don't talk to eachother.
'Hey blondie,' he says as I slide into the seat.
'What happened to ass girl?' He laughs
'I changed my mind okay, it's allowed you know. You gonna stab me or something' he was looking at my fingers, without realising I had grabbed the butter knife and was spinning it through my fingers. i dropped it on the table and blushed
'Nervous habit.'
Seems like a habit like that can come in handy where we're going.'He leant in forward and lowers his voice. 'People are staring'
'It's because I'm just so damn gorgeous.' It made him laugh and soon we couldn't stop. The harder we laughed the more people stare which just makes us laugh even more.

The boy from four has gotten to his feet and is moving towards us. I guess Thresh doesn't look so scary when he's having fun.
'Shit, I think you're right about the gorgeous thing. The boys are flocking.'
'Hey Juniper, Thresh. I was wondering... I mean we were all wondering.. what I'm trying to say is... umm... you see... In the arena it's good to have an alliance and... like I said we were wondering, if maybe... you wanted... I mean you don't have to... umm... join ours?' He was speaking really fast with huge pauses and he looked like he was going to be sick.
'No thanks, I can't speak for Thresh but I'd rather allign with someone who I know isn't going to try and kill me in my sleep.' I smirked at him and began to shovel down my food praying that I hadn't blown it and that Thresh wouldn't go off with them. I couldn't even look up at him.
'I'll stick with blondie.' That's all he said before glaring at the boy and spending him sprinting back to the careers like a bullet. 'That okay with you?' I nodded and smiled into my lunch.

We stayed together for the next two days, he taught me how to toss a spear and I showed him how to throw a knife. No one else had teamed up, just the careers and the tributes from 12, everyone else stayed by themselves looking scared and avoiding eyesight. No one laughed and smiled bu us and the 12s, but I figured that if you're about to die you might as well have some fun.

We sat in the hard backed chairs waiting for our names to be called. It was dead silent and I was next, Finnick told me to stick to my strengths so that meant knife throwing but I was better with a spear not for throwing but for fighting like a sword. That's what I was good at.
'Juniper Odair.'
The robotic voice was summoning me and I felt like I was going to puke. I rose slowly and looked back at Thresh, he smiled and threw me a thumbs up. The little girl Rue looked at the two of us and giggled and made kissy faces at Thresh who scowled at her and shoved her gently but she didn't stop. I would have smiled if I wasn't so nervous. I walked through the giant, metal doors and stood in front of the judges.

'Juniper Odair, District 4.' They nodded and were ready for me to proceed.
I started by throwing a few knives at the targets getting bullseyes every time and recieving large applause from those watching. But I was only getting started, I walked over to the knife throwing machine and hit the start button and went into survival mode. I dodged every blade that it threw at me no matter how fast they were going, I back flipped over to the spear station and picked up the one closest to me. I spun the spear repeatedly in my hands catching the blades in the wood, they were flying at the speed of light now but it didn't bother me, this is what I was good at, nothing could ever catch me. I ran forward a the machine zigging through the speeding metal shards and at full speed I drove the spear into the head of the machine flipping away just before it exploded and landed in a perfect splits. They just stood there, their jaws at their feet in complete awe.

Finally after what felt like forever one of them nodded and pointed at the door still not taking his eyes off the machine. I curtsied thanked them and walked out the door.

The costume she wears is the first one to come up on google images when you type in mermaid costume, it's really pretty. :)