"In two weeks, twenty-three of you will be dead. One of you will be alive. Who that is depends on how well you pay attention over the next four days. Particularly to what I am about to say. First, no fighting with the other tributes. You'll have plenty of time for that in the Arena. There will be four compulsory exercises, the rest will be individual training. My advice is don't ignore the survival skills. Everyone wants to grab a sword but most of you will die from natural causes. Ten percent from infection, twenty percent from dehydration. Exposure can kill as easily as a knife,"

Sorry for how late this. I have had so much to do. I am behind on everything at the moment when it comes to fanfiction. PM's, reviews, updating my stories. Please keep in mind that I have nine weeks of college left so everything just bleah. I have to do my work and study for my maths exam and if I fail it this time, I never get to take it again. Been taking them since was about 12/13 hopefully I can pass this time XD

Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on the characters. What placings do you think everyone is going to get? Who do you think is going to be the victor? Who do you think has the best chance out of the tributes shown in this chapter? and who do you think will be the first to die? I honestly love hearing your thoughts.

Logan Grey POV:

I hopped on the spot, awaiting my turn to ace the final compulsive exercise, the monkey bars. Hap flew through the first bit but the final two were proving to be a problem. She would swing her body forward, only to pull it back, clearly not trusting her own judgment of when to let go. I bit my lip and frustration and looked around the room. The pair from One had already moved on to their individual training along with the two from Four. Bellona attacked her trainer with a double knife, showing skill but a slight arrogance as she dodged his blows and delivered her own. Poseidon went straight for the classic Four weapon, the trident. He charged at the dummies, thrusting his silver weapon one of their chests before turning on his heel and throwing the tridents into another one's head. Aurum, on the other hand, was cozying up to Skau as she taught him how to tie a knot. It was an eyebrow-raising scene but before I had time to question it any further, the station manager for the monkey bars congratulated Hap on making it to the end and turned to me with a large smile.

"Logan-"

"Already on it, Princess," I said with a wink, leaping off the platform and swinging from handle to handle with speed that must have put me ahead of other tributes.

"Take it slow-"

"Shut up!" I growled as I swung to the next handle, turning to face the Gamemakers that watched me in awe. I carried on, opening my mouth to speak. I was going to ask them to give me a high score but I guess I should have been paying attention to what I was doing. My hand reached out for the next bar, the final bar, but nothing was there. I swung backward but I had already let go of the bar behind me. I tumbled through the air, for a moment, seeming weightless before my body crashed into the red safety mat. It was meant to soften the blow but it felt like concrete when I came into contact with it. I lay winded on the floor, trying my best to regain my composure.

"Next," the station leader called the girl from Seven about to jump for the first bar.

"Wait, that wasn't my fault...give me another chance you fucker-"

"Move off the mat, kid," she growled, signaling for a small group of Peacekeepers to come over. I was about to charge at her, knocking her to the ground and beat the life out of her. Then I looked up at the Gamemakers who were taking notes. I couldn't anger them, not before I had gained a following anyway.

I grumbled to myself as I paid attention to the sensible side of my brain for once and slunk off, my hands deep in my pockets and a pout on my lips. I walked over to Bellona who had pinned her trainer to the floor with a knife, smiling from ear to ear over her victory. She looked up and pulled herself to her feet, bounding over to me.

"I did it!" she sang with glee, standing next to my like an excited child.

"Oh goodie," I growled, looking around the room at my alliance and frowned. Poseidon was still playing with his trident, leading me to think that might be the only weapon he was skilled with. Hap was still choosing a weapon from the rack but what confused me was Aurum and Skau. The knot tying station was empty and the pair were nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb?" I asked the dark haired girl, rubbing my arm that ached from the fall. She raised an eyebrow in confusion, I rolled my eyes and tried to compose myself. "Aurum and Skau," I sighed, rubbing my temples in frustration. The girl whipped her head around the room, fear in her eyes.

"He was with her last night too...do you-"

"Ah, that sly dog," I laughed, startling Bellona slightly, "hopefully for him, she is better than Hap," I grumbled, glaring at the blonde girl that chose a set of throwing knives from the rack. Bellona's blue eyes widened with happiness as she turned to me, a large smile on her face.

"Are you two together?" she whispered, she was acting like it was some huge gossip.

"Oh my, no...just no, we just slept together," I said with a shrug, I wanted to act like a big man, like I had charmed her into bed but really, she threw herself at me, saying she wanted to fix herself. I guess I didn't help as afterward she started to cry that it didn't help. She freaked me out and a bit so I had decided that allies were the closest we would ever be again. I didn't need some crazy bitch on my ass. I had enough of that with the other tributes.

Lux Hymnoor POV:

I looked at the small, skinny mushroom on my screen and started to panic. I had overestimated myself when it came to plants. I could name a few wild flowers and for some reason assumed that I was good enough to take a test on wild food. It was only the second question and I was already confused. It was just a mushroom. I had never thought they all had different names, why did they have different names? Maybe it was someone who just wanted to mess with people like me. I looked at the timer in the corner, five seconds left to pick an answer. I hovered my hand over Toadstool, being the only mushroom name I had ever heard and got ready to make my choice. A hand came into view, clicking the button next to Toadstool. Enoki. I whipped around to see a short, dark-haired boy with bright green eyes. He flinched away when I rose from my seat.

"What was the big idea kid-" I stopped myself when he scowled and pointed to the screen. I followed his finger to see the screen congratulating me on picking the correct answer. I looked back over to the child that seemed proud of himself.

"I would have been ashamed of myself if I got it wrong, I am named after them after all," he laughed, rocking back and forth on his heels. I checked my brain for any Enoki's and remembered the image of the small the twelve year old being reaped.

"Enoki Smith, District Nine," he said formally, holding out his hand. I took it in mine and gave it the strongest shake I could muster. I was stronger than the child but he still had some strength to him, being able to keep his arm fairly straight.

"You know a lot about plants?" I asked, pointing over to the screen, "I am terrible," I sighed with a shrug, hinting at the boy's help.

"Nah, my mum had a few books on mushrooms, hence my name, and gave them to me and my sister when she passed...It's a book about Asian mushrooms so I doubt any will show up," he said without a care in the world, taking my seat and watching the screen with wonder. I pushed him away and took the seat back, making sure to shoot him a childish grin in the process. He seemed less amused.

"You want an alliance?" he said bluntly, crossing his arms and glaring at me. "I'm twelve, I won't last long in that arena by myself," I knew he was right but I wasn't sure if I could trust him. My whole life had become a web of lies, second guessing everyone that even talked to me. Enoki was a small twelve year old who didn't look like he could kill a fly but his District had voted for him to die in that arena, he had a reason for being here. But so was I and I didn't class myself as a bad person.

"How do I know I can trust you-"

"What would I gain from lying? What would I gain from breaking an alliance that would gain me sponsors and safety?" he raised an eyebrow at me, clearly annoyed by my response. I thought about for a second, then bowed my head in shame.

"Nothing-"

"Bingo!" Enoki shouted, jumping in the air and giving me a small thumbs up. "If you ever think I am lying, think what I would gain from it. If there is something, don't trust me," I wanted to blow his theory out of the water by stating that he could be lying right now and gain an alliance. Then I realized that in the long run, he wouldn't gain anything. I ran my hand through my sandy hair and sighed.

"I already have another alliance offer-"

"The girl from Seven, I watched her talk to you,"

"Well, it was for her District partner but, yeah," I trailed off near the end running through my two options.

"Well," Enoki sighed, walking in front of me with a large grin on his face. "Safety in numbers, right? Ally," I broke into a smile and looked up at him. I thought a child like him would be a terrified mess, crying and weeping but instead, he was clearly one of the strongest tributes here, mentally anyway.

"Ally," I laughed, taking his hand and giving it a shake again. If everything turns out well, with allies, I might have a chance of going home. But did I really want to go back to a place who would never accept me? I guess the arena would decide for me.

DAY TWO

Bellona Scythe POV:

We were waiting for training to start in just under an hour when Aurum and Skau decided to grace us with their presence. They both looked a bit flustered as they sat down at the breakfast table in the cafeteria. Skau's hair was damp, along with Aurum spiky blonde hair and they both smelt of freshly cut roses. Logan gave Aurum and knowing look while Poseidon glared at Skau like a disappointed father.

"Have a shower you two?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at the pair. Aurum gave a nod as he signaled over an Avox with a tray full of large bread rolls. He took two off, thanked the man and threw one to Skau who timidly thanked him. "Together?" I growled. Aurum was mid-bite when I said this. He stopped for a second before tearing a chunk off and chewing it.

"I gave her my shower gel," the speaker around his neck said in a robotic tone. It must have been hard for Skau not to laugh when he was being romantic.

"And then took a shower at the same time?" I growled, leaning over the table. "You missed the meeting this morning-"

"I am sure I can catch up," he said through a mouth full of food, giving a small shrug. I gritted my teeth in anger at the man when a small boy caught my eye. I looked over to see the boy from Nine, Enoki, dragging his plastic knife across his neck before pointing to Aurum and Skau. I shivered and looked away, back towards the pair of scandalous tributes. I didn't trust the boy at all, until now. Aurum did have an ally that he held closer than everyone and was already starting to move away from the group. I felt my breath quicken as my mind started to panic and go into overdrive.

"I think we should banish them both from the alliance, they clearly only care about each other!" I snapped. The table fell silent as they tried to take in what I just said.

"Bellona!" Hap squeaked, placing down the paper she was holding, her mouth opens in shock.

"You can't throw us out for missing one meeting," Aurum's voice box said, the normally cheerful man showing nothing but hurt and anger.

"If Skau goes, I go too," Poseidon said in his deep voice, not even looking up from his plate. I was about to argue with the long haired male when Logan threw down his fork in anger, making everyone jump.

"Yeah!" he screamed, looking at me like I had just burnt his new puppy. "If Aurum goes, I go with him," I looked over to Hap for support but she just shrugged.

"Sorry, Bellona," she sighed, avoiding eye contact. Skau thanked everyone while Aurum leaned in close, finishing his mouthful.

"So, are you willing to leave because we used the same shower gel?" a ghost of a smile on his lips. I shook my head and he chuckled pulling away to face the table. "Then it is settled, I am sorry everyone that we were late but does anyone wish to catch us up?" I looked over to Enoki who shook his head in disappointment and went back to eating his porridge. I was doing it all wrong and I didn't know how to do it right.

Altair Mellark POV:

My shoulders sagged when I saw my score for the deadly plants. Do you want to die? The screen mocking asked me. Turned out the technology that was meant to help me knocked my confidence more than the careers.

"Bit rude isn't it?" Selena said from next to me, her long, dark hair covering her eyes. I looked over to her and smiled.

"You try," I chuckled, stepping away from the machine. She brushed a lock of her hair and positioned herself in front of the touch screen. "Press start," I whispered. Selene looked over her shoulder at me and timidly gave a nod, reaching out for the start button. She flinched when the screen above her sparked to life, lighting up her face.

"You will have ten seconds to name every plant that is shown before you, good luck" the machine said in a robotic tone, much like Aurum's speaker. She looked over to me for reassurance and I gave a small nod. The poor girl had never seen the technology in her life. The cameras were the closest she got. I had seen a little more, the very same man who had taught me to use a weapon taught me about the amazing things The Capitol owned. I never really thought about how he knew what he did, I just accepted it.

One thing was for sure though, the tales didn't do it justice. The Capitol most likely didn't even take notice of it. They woke up, used a machine to make their breakfast, iron their clothes, maybe even put them on, cook their dinner, run their baths and heat their bedrooms. Even being from a wealthy family, by District Twelve standards anyway, I still had to walk to the well every day for our bath water and cooking water. Baths were once a week, people like Selene most likely had them four times a year. We lived like rats but at least the awe The Capitol gave tributes gave them a reason to win and come home. With the money I would earn, I could buy some of the technology for the bakery. We would never have to work again.

I looked over to Selene once more the girl was racking up a higher score than me but she was still getting some wrong. When she was done, she stepped back and looked at her work with pride. She answered just under fifty questions correctly more than my five.

"You sure know a lot-"

"Only what grows around my house," she said defensively her face softening after realizing her tone. "My father is ill so me and my friend, Shaft used to us some of these plants to just easing his pain or when food got low," she forced a weak smile as she turned to walk away from the station, her head held down low.

"What is wrong with him?" I asked, running after her. She stopped and allowed me to stand by her side. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching then turned back to me.

"Respiratory problems, caused by the mines," she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. I gave a small nod, trying to act like I understood what the illness was.

"Can it be cured-"

"No. Not unless I win anyway," I removed my gaze from the girl, slightly embarrassed I didn't know it was deadly. I saw the minors pass my shop every morning. Some would come in for bread but most waited until the evening to get theirs in time for dinner.

Selena turned away and I felt my body panic. I had to say what I had wanted to say since we were both reaped but up until this point, had been too frightened to.

"Selena, do you want to ally?" I asked giving her one of my charming, goofy smiles. She looked me up and down with grey eyes then turned and started walking away.

"Let me think about it, please," she sighed, before vanishing behind the fire making station. I was going to take that as a no then.

Poseidon Wasser POV:

I shuffled over to Aurum, the tall muscular boy towering above me. It took him a few moments to notice my presence but when he did, he gave me a large grin and placed his sword down.

"Poseidon, how are you doing buddy-"

"Are you an Skau dating?" I asked, seeing no reason to tiptoe around the question. Aurum gave a small chuckle as he turned back the dummies in front of him and cut off one of their heads.

"No, why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "You like her or something?" he gave a large, toothy grin when he said this like he was poking fun at me. I straightened my back.

"No, I am just protective of her," I replied, looking past him and to Skau, who was working away at the shelter making station with the girl from Twelve. Aurum followed my gaze and frowned.

"It is just physical, she is hung on that Ezra dude anyway," he shrugged, turning to me with a neutral look. I gave a slow nod and turned to walk away but the blonde male placed his hand on my shoulder and turned me to face him. "Take some advice from me, don't get attached to anyone. It hurts to think about them dying and will lead to your own death. Look at Atlas, he almost died because he let his feeling get in the way," his blue eyes looked almost sad as he pulled away, throwing his sword to the floor and walking over to the bow and arrow station.

I watched in silence before turning towards Skau. I didn't like her, she was just home. She smelt of home, she reminded me of home. She would sell fish to me along with her brother, we were in the same class. We spent most of our childhood together doing group work and she sat next to me in maths. She was all I had left of home and I didn't want to lose her. I didn't want to lose the childhood memories we had together, I didn't want to buy fish again and not see her smile. I just wanted to hang on to her for as long as I could.

She looked up and smiled wide when she saw me, the girl from Twelve slinking away before I arrived. She dropped the sticks she held and slowly rose to her feet.

"Poseidon-"

"Why did you tell them you are a career?" I grumbled, only loud enough for her to hear. Skau's face dropped as she backed away slightly, clearly frightened.

"Did they find out-"

"No, why did you lie?" I said in a stern voice, making the girl look even more nervous.

"I was just frightened-"

"They will kill you if they find out, Skau!" I snapped grabbing her by her collar and pulling her close. "I just don't want to get you hurt," I said, trying to soften out my voice. Skau started to shiver and weep, the tears streaming from her large, blue eyes.

"I don't want to die but I will, I can't fight," she sobbed dropping to her knees. The trainer and Selene watched with a close eye but I knew they couldn't hear us. I pulled her in close and allowed her to cry in my shoulder.

"They won't. I promise. After the bloodbath, we will make an escape plan and we will keep running-"

"Until when?" she whimpered.

"Until we can't run anymore," she settled after that, her thank you's muffled by my muscular shoulder. A few moments later, Aurum appeared at my side, his bow and a single arrow in hand.

"Is everything okay here?" he said, giving me a judging look. I gave a nod and he bit his lip, trying to break down my body language. "Are you sure you are okay, Skau?" he asked turning to look at the crying girl as I pushed her away.

"Yeah, I just got told some bad news...that is all," his face softened as he gave an understanding nod.

"I am sorry for your loss," he said quietly before walking off, looking over his shoulder now and again to glare at me. At least he didn't suspect Skau.