Disclaimer:

I do not own the Hunger Games book series. It is the property of Suzanne Collins and the publisher Scholastic Press. The movies are owned by Lionsgate and other associated producers and creators. I am simply a humble fan, writing this for the enjoyment of other fans. Please support the official release.

Training Day 2

Finnick Odair

Victor of the Sixty-Fifth Hunger Games

Antonius Blackthorn was the was Minister of Defense, and one of the most powerful people in the country. His position was the head censor. He was the man who controlled Panem's various Peacekeeping forces, higher than any general.

What nobody knew was that he was born in District 2. Like all the citizens of the districts, he sat through the reapings, though he never attended the Career Institute. He had been on track his whole life to join the Peacekeepers and risen to its highest rank. The official history that was told to the Capitol was that Antonius was born in Mayfield, one of the small mountain towns that surrounded the Capitol.. Unless you were born in Two, it was illegal for district citizens to hold any position higher than Mayor. Two's tended to hold the highest positions in the Peacekeepers. If it got out that a district citizen controlled the entity of the Peacekeepers, there was nothing the government would be able to do to avoid a scandal. It was one of the many secrets that Finnick had collected over the years, though the Minister was not aware Finnick knew where he was really born.

As a member of Snow's inner circle, not only was he powerful, but he was incredibly rich. In the Capitol, he was regarded as a respectable family man. Who protected the people from the information they deemed too sensitive to be released. It was also well known that he enjoyed the company of men as much as he did that of women. What the public did not know was that he often bought every knew Victor that came out of the arena, if they were desirable enough to be a part of the presidents Victor trade.

When Finnick had turned sixteen, his very first client was Antonius Blackthorn. And the man had been coming back to him ever since. Finnick hated the Minister born in Two. Being near the man-made his skin crawl. Most of the time he tried to avoid him, and there were a few years he had managed to mentor without being bought by him in particular.

There had only been one time before Finnick had willingly gone to him. The first was five years ago when he was mentoring Annie. He willingly went to the man a second time, this time for his brother Neptune. As a tribute from Four and a Career, Neptune wouldn't be lacking for funds. Add on top of that whose brother he was. But Finnick wasn't about to take any chances with his brother's life. If he had to whore himself out this year, he'd do it. Finnick Odair was going to make sure Neptune had more funds than any other tribute.

Rye Mellark

District 12 Male Tribute

Arriving down to the gym in the morning, he knew the coffee did the trick. Rye had never been a morning person, but the cup of black liquid felt like it hit him with a hammer. He wished his family had it back in Twelve. It would have been so much easier to get his butt out of bed each morning. In Twelve, he had only ever seen the staff in the Justice Building drinking coffee. And Haymitch, on a few occasions.

Today the head trainer didn't even bother to speak, allowing them access to the gym right away. He spotted Rance over by the climbing rope, halfway up already. Nudging Nelly, the two walked right towards her, ready to shout out words of encouragement, when the girl lost her grip and fell. She landed with a thump and Rye ran over to her. Helping her up, she didn't so much as flinch. "Thanks," Rance muttered, glaring at the rope.

"Are you alright?" Nelly asked, peeking around from behind him.

"Fine," she sighed.

"You're not very athletic, are you?" Rye said, a smile flickering on his lips.

"Not everyone is a wrestling champion like you," Nelly said.

Rance looked at him. "You wrestled?"

Rye nodded at the girl from Three. "Yeah. I was the Captain of the school team."

"That's where those muscles must come from, right?" She asked.

Well, that and lifting heavy sacks of flower, but he just nodded.

"So, which station do you think we should go to?" He asked. Peeta had instructed him which ones to stay away from, and after he got passed how annoying it was taking orders from his baby brother, he had started to see the wisdom. It might have only been the year before, but he had already lived through this.

"Knife fighting," Rance said immediately.

"Weapons? I thought you wanted to avoid the Careers?" Nelly asked. Rye looked over to the area where all the weapon stations were bricked together.

"They're not focusing on the knives," Rance said. She was right. They all seemed to be having a competition on who was the most accurate with a spear. When Rye turned back, he noticed Rance seemed more resigned to something, though he didn't think she would be accepting her death. Now she wanted to learn how to use a weapon? What had changed in one night?

"Well, we have a right to use the weapon stations as well. The Careers can't stop us," Rye said. Though he didn't like the idea of making himself a target. If the Careers wanted the station, and they didn't move when demanded, the three of them would be gunned for in the arena. Then again, they would be targets no matter what. "You ever hold a knife before?"

Rance grinned. "Only when cutting tesserae bred."

Temperance Oto

District 6 Citizen

When the Peacekeepers knocked on her door, Temperance didn't know what to think. Six wasn't the safest of districts, and more than once criminals have tried to sneak into the Victors Village. It was why the decision was made to staff an entire cohort of Peacekeeper's around the village at all times. Since being adopted by her aunt Mercedes, she had gotten to know each of the ones who guarded the village. She didn't recognize any of the ones outside her aunt's door.

"Temperance Oto?" The man in the front asked. She nodded slowly. " You'll be coming with us. By order of President Snow."

As soon as his name was mentioned, Temperance felt a shiver go down her spine. Being under the care of her Victor aunt gave her privileges that hardly anyone in all of Six enjoyed. In the face of the president, none of that mattered.

The five Peacekeepers surrounded her and escorted her to a car outside the village. High concrete walls segmented the village off from Upper, another way to discourage criminals from trying to find their way blocked her view of the only home she really knew.

She was loaded into the back of a black car. It was the first time she had ever road in one, the closest experience she had was the small train line that connected Lower and Upper. She wished she could enjoy the ride, but the fact that President Snow himself sent for her made that She was the niece of a Victor, but that wasn't enough to bring her to his attention. Had her aunt done something? Something bad enough for the president to call her?

Temperance tried asking the Peacekeepers around her but remained silent. They drove through Upper, the only wealthy part of Six. Lower was crime and drug-infested, where most of the district lived. On the other side of the river, separated from Upper. In Upper, there was no crime to speak of. No drugs traveled through. It was almost like another world.

When the car stopped in front of the train station, Temperance was told to get out. She climbed out, awkwardly looking around. One of the doors to the train opened, and she was told to get inside. The cramped and dirty trains that moved between Lower and Upper twice a day couldn't even begin to compare to the luxury Temperance found herself in. She was at the point of asking a Peacekeeper again what she was doing here when said Peacekeeper stepped away, and the train door closed. Before she could make heads or tails of what was happening, the train began to move, and she watched as District 6 disappeared behind her.

A man dressed in a strange uniform came up to her. "Miss, please follow."

Temperance still didn't know what was happening, or why she had been put on a train, but she figured following him might get her answers. The man led her to a dining car and told her to go inside. Everything would be explained. Then he disappeared back into the train.

When she opened the door, a high pitched spoke: "Please come in, my dear. Close the door behind you."

Doing as the voice bid, she found herself coming face to face with an old man. He was sitting at a table full of food and deserts, his plate already full, though his eyes focused on her. "Have a seat," he said, indicating the one across from him.

"Who are you?" Temperance asked, reluctantly sitting down. Why would the president go out of his way to put her on this train? The old man was wispy and thin. His dark blue hair curled on top of his head. Up and down his arms, his skin was emblazoned with gold tattoos.

"You may address me as Maximus Eaton. You are a very lucky girl, you know that? Not many born into your position would ever have an opportunity like yours. Going forward, I will be your case officer. Making sure you are adjusting. May I offer you a blueberry and pecan Galette?"

He pointed to a place on the table, filled with a dessert that she had never seen before.

"Opportunity?" Temperance repeated, nodded at the desert.

"Why yes. I assume you are excited," Maximus said, cutting a piece of the desert off and putting it on the plat in front of her.

"What opportunity?" She clarified.

Maximus frowned, staring at her. "Has anyone told you anything?" He asked. Temperance shook her head. The old man sighed.

"Peacekeepers. You would expect them to be able to at least answer questions. I suppose that's what we get when most of them come from Two. My dead Temperance. You have been granted Capitol citizenship. We are en route to the Capitol now, where you will meet the man that is sponsoring your immigration."

Romeo Night

District 6 Male Tribute

Romeo didn't want to go into the arena alone. Just the thought of sleeping at night with no one to watch his back scared him. What if someone snuck up on him, and killed him while he slept? He had seen it happen plenty of times in the games before. Going into the games alone wasn't always the best choice.

Having observed the other tributes for the morning, Romeo decided he'd try the pair from Nine first. The year before last, Chevy from Six had gotten all the way to the final two by pairing up with the tributes from Nine. In the end, he was killed by Odin, the Victor from Two that year, but Romeo wouldn't make the mistake of challenging a Career head-on. He wasn't as big as Chevy had been anyway.

So during lunch, Romeo filled his plate up with mashed potatoes and lamb chops, walking over to the pair from Nine. The boy looked up at him as he approached, glaring daggers. When the girl saw, she turned around, and to his surprise smiled at him. "Hello."

"Hi," he said, returning her smile. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Wallace?" The girl asked, turning to the boy. His glare had turned into a suspicious look, but he nodded.

Romeo took that as his cue and sat down next to the girl. "Romeo Night," he introduced himself.

"Maisie Rosale," the girl said.

"... Wallace Branwell," the boy answered after a moment of awkward silence.

"So, are you two allies?" He asked as nonchalantly as he could.

Wallace nodded. Huh. The boy from Nine didn't seem to be a man of many words.

"Our mentors suggested it," Maisie answered.

"Did you say anything about allying from someone outside Nine?" He finally asked. At first, Romeo had considering allying with Kia, but she was a morphling addict. She was a niece of Tamora, and Romeo had to wonder if his district partner had picked up the habit from her Victor family member. Or if the girl was just unlucky enough to be raised in Lower. Either way, he doubted she would survive long once the withdrawals kicked in. As cruel as it was to admit, she would only drag him down.

Maisie seemed to be considering it before she looked at her district partner. "What do you think, Wallace?"

The boy's eyes met his and held them only for a moment. Then he shrugged. "I'm okay with him if you are."

"I'm okay with it. Looks like you're in," Maisie said.

He hoped they didn't think he was like Sixes, other Victors. Other than Router, each one of Sixes Victors had all been fighters on the streets of Lower before they were reaped. Either as an Enforcer like Mercedes or street smart kids like his grandfather and Tamora. They had braved the harsh reality of Lower. Lived through the constant, never-ending gang wars. Though Romeo attending school in the poorer part of the district, he never lived there. The closest he got was fights in school. It was why he carried a knife with him whenever he went to Lower.

"So, what can you do?" Wallace asked, swallowing a bite of beef.

"I can handle a knife," he offered.

"Can you show me how to use one?" Maisie asked, her eyes lighting up. "Wallace can use a sickle since he works out in the fields, but I'm useless."

District 9 was the district that produced all the grain for Panem. From the pictures he had seen of past Victory Tours, he knew they had at least one field a grain. They showed that one field every year when the tour came through Nine. But Maisie mentioned fields. Plural. More than one. Before he had left Six, the only plants he had seen were the ones that grew through the crackles in the sidewalks. And those were cut as soon as they came through. About all Romeo knew of Nine was that it was more rural, and had at least a single grain field. A world of difference from Six.

"Sure," he answered Maisie. "I can try. But you might be better off learning from a trainer."

Ryker Bedford

District 2 Male Tribute

He brought his sword up, blocking the trainer's blade as it was brought down on top of him. Ryker lunged up, pushing the trainer's blade away, swinging his own blunted sword against the trainer's neck.

The Capitol woman smiled. "That's your win, Ryker."

At the sword station, they had three trainers. She was the only woman, and Ryker had to admit she knew her way around a sword.

"Not bad, Two," Gleam called. Ryker turned around, noticing the same cocky smile was once again plastered across his lips. Ryker couldn't say he actually hated a lot of things, but that smile was really started to grate on his nerves. "Bet I could do better."

Ryker grunted. "Then go ahead."

Stepping away from the trainer, he offered Gleam his sword. The boy from One gladly took it, walking up to the trainer.

"Is he like that all the time?" Ryker asked Helene. The girl from One shrugged.

"We both attended ABE, but I was never friends with him," she offered. "He climbed his way up to Duke quicker than a lot of other kids though. He might be an ass, but he's dangerous. Don't underestimate him."

Ryker frowned. "Duke?" He said, testing the unfamiliar word on his tongue.

"It's a rank at the Academy. Only Duke's are allowed to volunteer," she explained.

In a way, One's academy seemed to be similar to Two's Institute of Peace and Prosperity. Stone, Bronze, Silver, and Gold were the classes at the Institute. Though unlike One, only two cadets were allowed to volunteer as a tribute. The two mentors assigned those for the year chose the tribute they wanted from the Gold class. It was because of that system that he almost hadn't been allowed to volunteer. Before the quell had been announced, Ryker had only been a Silver class. The institute had wanted to go another way and wasn't going to promote him. Of course, that changed when he was one of the very people who could volunteer, but the memory of the Head Master explaining to him he wouldn't be able to become Gold still made him angry.

Ryker wondered how Four's school functioned.

"I won," Neptune bragged, coming to stop next to him. Speak of Four and he shall appear. Cassandra walked up next to him, a frown on her face.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Challenged her to see who had better aim with a spear," Neptune said, his perfect grin on his face. "I won."

"You better hope they have a spear or trident in the arena," Cassandra growled. "You aren't very good with a sword."

Neptune laughed. "Yeah, that's true."

"Where's your partner, Neptune?" Helene asked.

Neptune pointed across the gym. "Over at the climbing station. The record for the wall is a minute and a half. Set during the Sixty-Sixth games. She wanted to see if she could beat it."

Ryker didn't understand why the girl from Four would even bother. They weren't here to break records set by dead tributes. They had volunteered to kill people for a shot at fame and glory. Then again, it wasn't like either of the tributes from Four volunteered. In a normal year, Ryker wouldn't have accepted them in the pack. But given the quell twist, they might have been the best Four had to offer. Neptune was easily the best aim with his trident. Ryker still believed he had a better grasp with a spear.

"I bet I could beat you here," Helene said, a smile twisting its way onto her face. "Want to see who's the fastest?"

Ryker looked back Gleam, still fighting the trainer. He was obviously skilled, but in terms of a sword, Casandra and he were better. For a moment Ryker wondered what weapon Gleam was best with. Whatever it was, it seemed the boy from One was avoiding it.

"I'm game," Ryker decided. "Let's wait for Gleam to finish."

He was the leader of the pack, so Ryker would stay. The Institute had drilled into him how important it was to let the leader take charge. He could deal with Gleam until the pack broke up. Then he'd be free to cut Gleam's head clear off his body.

Author's Note:

Hello! I hope you have enjoyed the seventh chapter!