Tabitha came banging on my door which was how I woke up. She says that waking up about two hours early is the most helpful thing ever. But it doesn't seem like that. I practically look like a zombie as I sit down at breakfast. Which causes Finnick to stare at me in the eye. A huge chunk of laughter was emoted as he sat down.
"Someone's been having nightmares" he said as everyone then looked up at me.
"No I haven't" I shot back at him defensively.
"Victors get nightmares a lot, I can certainly tell when someone has had a nightmare, care to explain" Finnick asked winking at me multiple times.
I then make a stupid excuse and leave the table. The training uniform has been laid out on my bed. It's pretty simple to be quite honest. It has the number 4 on the sides of it. But overall I didn't mind it. After the pants and top were on, I tied the combat boots and put my hair in a nice sleek ponytail. Since Cody and I were ready so quickly, we got there an hour earlier which means we started training. We were the only ones there for around a half hour until Marvel and Glimmer joined us. We exchanged small talk and it seemed like Marvel excelled in spear throwing and Glimmer with the bow and arrows. More and more people started to gather including Cato and Clove. Soon enough, a woman with dark skin spoke up.
"My name is Atala, the head trainer. In 2 weeks 23 of you will be dead and 1 will be alive. Who that person is depends on what I'm about to say. First, there are a variety of different compulsory excersizes. But don't ignore the survival skills. Most of you want to pick up a sword, but exposure can kill as easily as a knife. Most of you will die due to dehydration and lack of survival, so choose wisely.
Atala is really boring to listen to. All I can see is Cato and Clove constantly glaring at Katniss which she displays her discomfort.
"Also, one last thing, no fighting one another during training. You will have plenty of time to do that in the arena" Atala spoke again.
Everyone went there own ways. I went to the knot tying station. And did lots of survival stations. Cody just and I mean only just spent time with weapons. I bet Finnick is going to love hearing that. Currently I mingle with Peeta at the camouflage station and learn about some of his home life.
"How do you do that so well" I ask looking over in interest.
"Well back in District 12, I decorate cakes at a bakery". He said back.
"I'm Carla Cortez by the way" I glance over to Cody as I introduce myself to Peeta.
A lot of thoughts rush into my mind when I left the camouflage station. Could I even consider Peeta as an ally. Now I can't get too comfortable here. Since there is only one victor. But there is a buzzing noise that sounds that signals lunch time. Each tribute lines up one by one with there tray having the choice of many different sandwiches. I choose a peanut butter and jelly one. With a lime seltzer. Then I catch up with Cody who saved me a seat at a lunch table with Glimmer and Marvel. Cato and Clove soon sat down and immediately started a huge conversation with all of us. I already knew that Cody's approach is career style.
" So Carla, we've been hanging out and seen Cody's abilities which are pretty impressive. However, we haven't seen your skills. In order to confirm and to be an official member of the pack, you should show us what you can do with a weapon" Cato said as the whole table looked up at him.
Honestly, this felt like pressure. I mean, at first I was told not to show off any skills yet. But now I feel like I'm almost being thrown into an alliance. Maybe I don't need to be with the careers after all. Or maybe I do. I think I should show off something since me getting into the alliance may last me a few more days. Then when the time is right I can just abandon the pack. Perfect.
"Listen, I will indeed show you some of my skills. But only under one condition. We discuss each other's skills right now like strengths and weaknesses". I demand.
"What is your weapon of choice" Marvel desperately asked.
" My number one choice are the knives. Tridents are my second since I'm from district 4. I don't like spears or bow and arrows since I am really bad at using them. I hope to try a sword since I've never used one" I proudly say to the group.
"Probably not as good at knives as me" Clove sneered giving me a glare.
"You destroy our spirits" Glimmer and Marvel both say in unison since there favorite weapons aren't mine.
Instead of saying something, Cato just stood there smirking at me for a second. Finally he spoke.
"I'd like to know whether you're a natural with a sword".
The bell rung again but signaling everyone to go back to training.
Taking the conversation into account, I decide to go towards weapons. If I want to impress the careers I might as well do it now. So with that in mind I walk over to the knife station taking a spot in line behind the District 7 girl. Up ahead, I see Clove throwing knives right at the targets. It's true, she never misses. I then see her go to join the other careers. A few minutes pass by and it is finally my turn. I walk up proudly since I can sense four other pairs of eyes looking right at me. Including Cody. I threw the first knife as each target lit up. Since I also added a challenge coarse to it, I also had to dodge some things that were thrown at me. So I was doing two things at once. And, luckily, all the knives hit the center. When I finished, every single tribute, including the gamemakers were staring straight at me in awe. For the rest of the day I let low at the survival stations.