Training Day II:

Cathodette Lyte, District Three

''Come on, hold it closer to your abdomen!'' the trainer abets, encouraging me to get this right. ''No, no, you're messing it up! Go back to step one!''

Staring down, I shake my head in disappointment. She abnegates the piece of rope away from me, and stretches it out, showing signs of frustration because I'm not getting this right. Growling, she begins speaking again, starting all over from the beginning.

''How many times do I have to explain this to you?'' she says, biting down on her cheeks to stop the rage of failure. ''First, you have to— wait, do you even know the name of the type of knot that I'm trying to teach you?''

''Yes,'' I nod my head. ''It's a Bowline Knot, that I know.''

''Good to know that you have a proper memory when it comes to names,'' she rolls her eyes. ''Anyway, first off, you gotta look at the sides: on one side of the rope, you'll have a short end – also known as the 'working' end – and a longer piece on the other side – the 'standing' end. Depending on how large you want your loop to be, the working end needs to be about a foot long, but it can be more.''

I nod my head, remaining undaunted on the outside but trying to remain calm on the inside by keeping my breathing slow and steady. ''You don't talk much, do you?''

I shake my head, refocusing my eyes on the knot in her hands. ''Great, I got one of those tributes,'' she whispers. My eyes remain fixed on the loop that she's forming, although I don't have much of a clue on what she's doing.

My mind is honestly somewhere off, despite how observant I seem to be. I'm just happy that I'm away from my Dad, away from the abuse, away from the alcohol and my crazy mother – I just hope she's doing fine and isn't being replaced in my absence.

But what haunts me the most is the baby and the abortion, and everything else that I had to go through. How he fucked me up, and how much I was pained from it. But... I'm gone now, I can finally be free. Away from him, away from the life I had back in Three. I can say that I've finally won.

''Are you even listening to me?!'' she yells. ''You're always in some type of thought process that's away from the matter at hand. What's wrong with you, are you mentally impaired and can't focus properly?''

''Don't you dare call me retarded!'' I groan.

''I was just asking you a question, to know if you were messed up or something, because it seems to me that you're always drifting off into space whenever I'm trying to use my valuable time to help you out!''

Clenching my fists, I hold myself together. Don't let your guard down, don't let your guard down, don't let your guard down. You can't let her burst through that walls that it took you so long to build!

''Valuable time?! This is your valuable time, and you're accusing me of wasting it?! You're supposed to be helping tributes out so that they're prepared to go in and win, not complain whenever they don't get something right!''

''Calm down, you're so defensive,'' she states.

Drawing a breath, I force it between my gritted teeth and remain still. I gotta be strong, that much I know. Soon, there won't be time to remain calm and I'll have to fight for my life, so I have to make the most out of my time here. ''Okay, can you just continue, please?''

Before she conjoins the two pieces of rope together, I hear a voice ring out from right behind me. ''Hey, you!'' Turning around, I spot a pretty girl walking towards me, a warm, gleaming smile on her clear face. ''Yeah, you.''

Kneeling once she nears me, she glares up at the trainer, who looks surprised by her sudden reaction, and then looks down at me. She rests her hand on my left shoulder, then smiles at me. There's a bit of tension in me, because I don't know who she is or why she's decided to come talk to me, so I shrug her hand away.

''Just wanted to say that... I've been watching you ever since the Chariot Rides – hopefully that doesn't sound weird, though – and I just wanted to get to know you. Mind if I sit and chill with you?''

''You can stay if you'd like, but with this one, things will get complicated,'' the trainer speaks up for me.

''Great, but did I ask for your opinion?'' the fearless girls stands up, showing bravery and confidence in her slur. ''No, I don't think so, she can tell me herself. When I do ask something that's directly stated to you, then I'd like to hear the irrelevant thoughts that are flowing through your mind.''

''Someone's got a tongue, don't they? Keep talking like that and the continuation of your life won't last very long in the Arena, deciding that someone actually wants to spare your life. Though, with that mouth of yours, I doubt anyone would want to.''

''Say what you want about me, but you won't get the reaction that you're looking for,'' she smiles. ''I don't care what you think, nor will your words change the choice of my actions.''

A laugh escapes my thin lips, causing the sight of focus to be pointed to me. I spot an Eleven on the girl's outfit, and I smile to myself inwardly. ''Ceres Morrisey,'' she says, turning and holding out her hand for me to shake.

I look down at her hand skeptically, pondering over if I should get to know her or not. My mind is telling me no, because of how distant I've been from everyone, but my heart... there's a different feeling to it, like I've met someone that I can actually trust. Like she could be my friend. Maybe.

My heart's telling me yes, take her hand and shake it, get to know her. Staring up now, the both of our eyes meet and we narrow our eyebrows, but her lips are curled into a friendly smirk. ''I see that you're from District Three?''

''Yes, but she isn't as smart as you'd expec—''

''Yeah, I'm from Three,'' I say, smiling. ''You said you wanted to get to know me, but... I'm not very open, you see – pertaining to anyone, actually. But if you want to talk, that's fine by me. I'm currently in the middle of learning how to tie a Bowline Knot, so you can join in, if you'd like?''

''I'd love that.''

She sits on her knees and pays attention to the trainer, who's now talking about her prior experience with ties, and her stories are actually quite credible. I have no doubt that she does have an abundant amount of knowledge when it comes to this type of stuff.

''Here,'' the trainer says, smiling at us. This is a different turn of events, not gonna lie. She hands both Ceres and I an extra piece of rope each. ''Just follow what I do. I guess it's much easier like that, with a visual representation instead of a verbal one.''

We both nod our heads. I nodded with appreciation, but Ceres... I have no idea, because the look on her face shows everything except for appreciation. From what I can see, she most likely holds a grudge against the Capitol for something. It's none of my business, though.

''Once you make sure that your measurements are correct, you now create a small circle in the standing end of the rope by pinching the rope and folding it down about three inches.'' Ceres and I both follow the instructions, and I get the hang of mine more quickly. Unlike earlier, I'm completely focused on this and have nothing to set me back. ''Look at you, getting a grip on the rope.''

Staring at Ceres, I notice that she's got the hang of it as well. She catches my eye and smiles at me; I smile back, but I'm completely unsure of if I should be trusting her or not. Like I said before, I'm getting two different answers from myself, but I suppose trusting the most important part of your body rather than your mind is the right thing to do?

''Now run the working end of the rope through the loop from the back to the front, and then around the standing end.'' We both get the instructions down properly, me finishing a little bit quicker than Ceres, and stare up at the trainer. ''And the last step is to run the working end through the loop like this... and from the front to the back, pull the knot tightly.''

''I never introduced myself, did I?'' I whisper to Ceres. Finally, but a little bit too late, I grab her hand involuntarily and shake it. ''I'm Cathodette.''

''Nice to meet you, Cathodette,'' Ceres says. ''I know we just met and it might be a bit early, but do you want to, by any chance, ally with me? You don't have to, but I thought you would be the best fit for me. Nothing against the other tributes and all, but, in my opinion, you just look like the only one who knows what they're doing – besides the Careers – and seem put-together.''

Thinking it over, I sit there quietly. Sighing, I come to a decision. Somewhat... ''Well, it depends... How much do you want from me?''

Laughing, Ceres says, ''Not much. I'd just like some company.''

''Then I'm fine with that,'' I say, nodding my head.

''And that's how you make a Bowline Knot! You can do so much with this, but the most effective thing,'' the trainer states, tying the rope around her neck and mocking a choking tribute, ''is strangling someone to death with it.''

There's a meticulous look in Ceres' eyes, and I shiver on the inside. Knowing that that knot could kill me makes me scared, but I gotta stay strong – I gotta keep myself standing high and mighty, to show that I'm not weak and that I can handle myself, too, just like everyone else.

But that comment about me seeming put-together...

She couldn't be anymore wrong.

Sigrid Lapierre, District Two

''Since you're ever-so-confused on something that's self-explanatory, we'll explain,'' one of the trainers sighs, directing their tone of voice towards the Seven male. ''You five will be entering the holographic chamber, where an Arena view point will be projected in front of you. All of you will have ten minutes to complete the obstacle course. This will be a practice test to see how quickly you can make it into the Cornucopia, grab your equipment, defend yourself, and get out. You'll all have ten minutes to complete the course; and if you take any longer, you'll be presumed dead. Do you understand?''

Everyone – including me – turns their head to observe the reaction of Seven. He holds his arms up and laces his fingers together behind his head, laughing in a form of incredible confidence. Looking around, he tries to identify which tribute is which, and then he finally rests his gaze upon me, and winks.

I smile back at him genuinely, giving off a polite demeanor. After all, first impressions are always big. ''Oh, you're from Two!'' he exclaims, pretending as if he didn't see the number on my shoulder when we first got here. ''That's so cool!'' I giggle, falsely, though. ''Maybe after this, we can talk..?''

I incline my head, watching as a couple of trainers pick up wooden batons and clubs from the weapons rack and some go over to a control point to begin the course. ''Sure,'' I respond, turning my head back to Seven.

The other tributes in this course are the boys from Five and Eight, and Clarice. She catches my eye, but I look away from her and discern the slothful look in the boy from Eight's eyes. Maybe he's tired? That would explain the somnolent composure that he maintains.

Finally, a robotic voice begins speaking, counting down the numbers until we're allowed to move. Three.. Two.. One... A small blow horn sound effect emits from the top of the chamber, and the room quickly transforms into something different.

Everyone jumps off of their plate except for me, only because I'm lost in my thoughts. All around, there are futuristic artifacts that confuse me. There's just a really big light that leaves a streak high up in the air, and I think it's an airplane, but that would make no sense.

But with the speed that it's traveling at, there's no way it could be a plane, because it disappears within seconds. Snapping myself out of my thoughts, I jump off and sprint forward, passing the boy from Five as he's ambushed by two trainers who appear from thin air.

In front of me, Clarice dodges a trainer swinging a baton at her head. She drops to the floor and hops back up quickly, pacing herself straight into the tent that's supposed to represent a Cornucopia. There's a faint noise coming from behind me, and I look back just in time to catch a trainer sprinting toward me.

She dives to the side and right behind her is that Seven boy again, and now he's spectating. I roll my eyes and sigh, but I don't let him see that. Refocusing myself, I charge forward, ignoring the emphatic sound of stomping feet.

As soon as I reach the inside of the, uh, Cornucopia, I spot wooden weapons on the walls – and Clarice, as well, who picks up a wooden staff and turns around. ''Three minutes,'' she grins. I nod my head and grab a knife and a holographic backpack that I swing over my shoulder, and sprint out of there.

''Give me that!'' I hear behind me. Trying to ignore the noise, I soon give up and take a quick peak when I hear, ''I'm gonna gut you like a fish!''

Clarice is on the floor, struggling with the Five boy as they both try to hold onto a holographic backpack. It's ridiculous, how serious she's acting over an object that's not even substantive – but I guess she's one of those girls who fights for what she wants, and doesn't cease until she gets it.

It's a pity. She's so much lower than me, and it's honestly sad to even look at her. She's like one of those abandoned puppies who are picked up on the streets by random strangers; the ugly and dirty ones that nobody wants to touch or feed or show any sign of sympathy towards – just like all the rest of these tributes.

''Hey, grab him for me,'' she calls out, her voice directed to me. There's a bubbly feeling in my stomach that makes me snicker and turn away from her. She wants my help. Oh, how sad. That, in my opinion, is something that deteriorates your skill. Wanting help is the easy way out, while independence is something to prize and be proud of.

Judging by the grunting from behind and the growl that comes from Clarice's mouth, I'm guessing that the Five boy succumbed to how stubborn she appeared. I don't blame him – I have no sufferance for her, either.

I continue sprinting forward, reaching my destination as soon as a trainer tries to tackle me to the floor. Stepping to the side, I dodge his attack and reach my platform. ''Good job,'' I hear one of the trainers say. ''Only took you four minutes to finish. Head to the back, you'll be let through, unless you want to try again to beat your initial score. If that's the case, just say so.''

''Thank you,'' I say, shaking my head as I walk forward and place both of my hands on my hips. A trainer waits at the door of the chamber and lets me out as soon as I approach him. He smiles at me and pats me on the back, an act of friendliness that I return by nodding my head in appreciation.

I look around the Training Center, trying to see if I can spot anyone who I find formidable. But unfortunately, I do not. Everyone is sauntering the room, searching for an ally. It must be hard for all of them, not being able to take care of themselves and having to be dependent on others to survive.

What a shame.

Taking this time to catch my breathe and cool down the sweating by standing still in the cool air conditioning, I close my eyes and think to myself. Who's gonna lead us? What's our Arena strategy? Are you committed to this alliance?

With the first two questions, I have no idea. But the last question, I know for a fact that my answer is a no. There's no loyalty in this alliance, anyone can clearly see that. None of us have the Career-type relationship that would allow us all to last long in the Arena.

So far, I've seen none of us get along besides the Ones, who only make fun of other tributes and openly share their disgust for them. Most likely, they'll be the ones to end the alliance and screw us over, the ones to betray us as quickly as they possibly can – and I know for a fact that I'm not falling for that, not after all that's happened.

A couple of minutes go by after I remove myself from the Training Center to go get a sip of water by the water fountains out in the halls. A tap places itself on my shoulder, and I turn to see the sweaty form of that boy from Seven, again. ''Hey,'' he says.

''Hey, how are you?'' I ask.

''Good, I guess, but it's not about me right now,'' he states. I want to roll my eyes, but I also want to be nice to him. He's so much lower than I am, and his confidence is underwhelming. I don't get why he has that smile on his face, or why he thinks he can grin like that and cross his arms as if he's superior to anyone, because he sure as hell isn't superior to me. He's like a cockroach that I would stomp on and kill in the matter of seconds.

''It's about you.'' He leans in closer, in a dramatic fashion, and supports himself up by holding his arm against the edge of the water fountain, his dirty, sweaty hands smearing the thing. ''Right now, I think it's about you. Seriously, what you did out there was amazing. How did you manage to pull that off in four minutes? It was incredible!''

Waving my hand, I throw him off. ''Oh, it was nothing, really.''

He laughs and now tries to greet himself. Holding out his hand, he says, ''The name's Fitz, and I was wondering if you'd be willing to spend some time together?'' Oh, wow, what charm. Not sure what he means by that, because that can mean multiple things, but he should go into more detail to clear up all the ambiguity.

''Actually, she's quite busy right now, Fidan, so I'd suggest you—''

Clarice appears from nowhere. Yay, now she's here... ''I'd suggest you don't call me Fidan.'' Fitz, er— Fidan, doesn't let her finish? Nah, Fitz. It's Fitz.

''Oh, and what are you gonna do about it, Fidan?'' I don't know what he was thinking, but Fitz throws a punch at Clarice, and I swear it's gonna hit with the motion of his arm, but he completely trips over himself by stumbling forward and ends up crashing against the wall.

Tilting my head to the right, I cover my eyes with my hand in the form of a face palm and look away. All I hear is the noise of Fitz's feet as he crawls away from Clarice in what I can only imagine to be embarrassment. Clarice is just killing herself right now, laughing her ass off with slight tears in her eyes.

''What is it?'' I ask, interrupting her laughter. She holds her hand out to tell me to hold on, but I don't have time for this. ''Seriously, I have no time to be waiting on you to stop laughing.''

I don't know why, but Fitz peers back at me like I'm supposed to help him or back him up or something. These tributes really are too dependent. Sure, I may have been nice to him and someway agreed to socialize with him, but I could care less about him.

At the end of the day, he's gonna be one of those faces in the sky that lets me know that I'm one more death closer to winning the Games when we officially start them. Right now, this is just child's play.

She finally manages to pull herself together. ''Alright, so I saw your skill, and I must say that you're talented.'' I give her a look, gesturing my arms forward to silently tell her that I want her to get on with it already. ''And, well, nobody in our alliance are really friends, you see? You and me, though, I think we could work together and maybe be the power houses of the alliance.''

She's lying, I think to myself. ''No, I'm good,'' I deny her request. ''I like working on my own.''

''What?!'' she shouts. ''Why the hell not? I'm personally asking you to have a secret truce with me because I WANT you and me to go far. How dare you say no? Do you know how much we could do together?!

''Because you're lying,'' I deadpan, giving her a death glare. ''For a girl from Four, you're more intelligent than I thought you would be.''

''Excuse me? What type of backhanded compliment is that?!''

''See, most of them would approach others head on and try to say something stupid, but you at least tried to be slick about it,'' I sigh. ''You think I don't know that you're after me because you think I'm the easiest target? Why would you be interested in me when you could easily choose Adonis to pick off, or even Atlas? It just doesn't make sense, and I know that I can't trust you. Your loyalty is about as thick as the overall I.Q. of your District citizens.''

She grits her teeth. ''Your generalization isn't even a bit veiled, like I thought you'd want it to be, but I understand your point.''

''Just like I understand that—''

''I wish you would shut up, because you know you've already fucked up, right?'' Clarice growls.

''I wish I could be as confident as you and wear my training outfit like that,'' I chuckle, eyeing her up and down. She clenches her fists but holds herself back as she brings them up to her hair and ties it in a quick bun. ''You should really keep your hair like that, it makes you look smart, and it might even allow you to make better decisions. Your approach wasn't that bad, but maybe it'll be better next time – with someone else, of course.''

''You're dead,'' Clarice stomps.

''Last time I checked, I was still alive and kickin'.''

''Nah, as soon as we hit that Arena, you're getting what's coming to you,'' she smiles sickly-sweet. ''I want you dead, and I'll make sure that you end up that way. You think you can talk to anyone like that and get away with it? This isn't a game anymore, sweetie.''

Shrugging, I flip my hair over my shoulder to brush it away from my moist face and smile. ''A little bit of banter is never a bad thing. Maybe that's why you decided to come talk to me. Everyone else was a failed option because you're easily butt hurt and couldn't take it, isn't that right?''

''Bite me, bitch.''

Adonis DiMae, District One

Blush and I sit at the huge mahogany table that takes up most of the vast space that the dark end of the Training Center offers. There's tablecloth left out, basically daring others to ruin the perfectly varnished shine with their own unworthy fingerprints.

I yawn, showing my tiredness as I sit back and watch the other tributes saunter around the area, carefully searching for activities to take part of and other tributes to ally with. I'd sit back and do this all day if I had the chance to, but sadly, there's only a limited amount of time before I must go.

There's this one specific tribute, though, who I've had my eye on the entire time. He's revitalized the entire area of the Training Center, making it interesting instead of boring and dull. I don't know what his plan is, but he's obviously up to no good, judging by the way he walks and looks around.

''What do you think of him?'' I ask Blush, turning my head to her and pointing at the direction of the tribute. She looks up, a smug and mean look on her face as she lets out an exasperated sigh that displays a look of annoyance and disinterest. ''I don't know what to think about him. I haven't figured out his entire story yet, or what he's plotting, but he looks interesting, don't you think? Maybe someone who could provide for us?''

''Him? You're kidding, right? He's the type of tribute that we'd all devour in the matter of seconds in the Games,'' she advocates. Flipping her hair to the side, she adds, ''Plus, when were you the scouting type? I thought you were different, Adonis DiMae. You really aren't just an ignorant pretty boy, but you're not the most favorable, either.''

I let out a small chuckle. ''You're one to talk. Are you saying that you're a definite favorite of most people around here, including your own Mentor?''

''Of course!'' She looks offended. ''Have you not seen me? The body, the hair, the face, the teeth, the attitude, and the body. Who wouldn't see me as a favorite? I'm someone that will go far, and you know why?''

''Please inform me why,'' I roll my eyes.

''Because I'm fucking fabulous,'' she cheers. ''F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S – fabulous! Something you'll never be, because you don't know how to stop relaxing.''

''Yes, maybe so, but you also forgot that not being such a serious bitch like you has gotten me where I am today; the top District One trainee, and a proud Volunteer who has his eyes set out for a special prize.''

''Wow, so you're District One's best trainee, good for you,'' she says sarcastically. ''You're forgetting that hundreds of top Volunteers from One have lost their lives the same exact way you will. And yeah, it got you here, but where's it gonna take you?''

''Back home.''

''No,'' she corrects. ''Dead. You're gonna be dead soon.''

''You're just a ray of sunshine, aren't you, honey?'' I drawl. This girl, I swear... She's something else, probably the only person who I could be so tolerable towards. I don't know, but I feel something for her, and it's kinda awkward and nice at the same time. Maybe this is how she feels with Gari, I don't know, but we'll see where this takes me.

It's definitely a fault, though. I swore to Aphro that I would kill Blush in the Arena for taking her undeserved spot, but now, I'm not sure if I can do that. We haven't known each other for long, but I can say with all the confidence in the world that the two of us have the strongest relationship, connection, and bond in this entire facility.

''Of course I am,'' she breathes. Just when I think I'm gonna get a break from her, she leans in closer to me and slams her fists onto the table in the most commanding way possible and says, ''Feed me my lunch.''

I tilt my head to the side, looking at her as if she was crazy, and say, ''Quit playing.'' She puts on a playful smirk and brings her hands up to her mouth and says the same line again. ''How demanding could you possibly get?''

''Not very commanding, but I'll show you how to do it,'' she snaps. She grabs my hand forcefully and makes me hold the silver platter towards her. There's a piece of warm bread with a slab of melting yellow butter and a thick, hearty slice of roasted pork on the plate, and with no pretentious manners, she stabs the pork with a fork, places it in my hand, and opens her mouth wide and points.

I should shove the fork into her mouth and smile gracefully as she almost chokes on her own food, but I guess that's just not the type of person I am. She loses patience and takes a bite herself, ripping a chunk of the pork off with her teeth. ''How eloquent,'' I say. ''Thought you were raised by only the most wealthiest people in our District?''

''Yeah, well, who says you can't let loose and have a little bit of fun every once in a while?'' She shrugs her shoulders, laughing as I carry out her commands, only to drop the fork on ''accident'' and have the butter splash all over her face.

''Oops.''

''You're pathetic!'' She wipes her face off with a napkin and tosses it at me. We sit still for a couple of minutes, but then something interesting seems to catch her eyes. She points towards the direction of the... Five girl, who's trying her hand at using a simple knife.

Just by the way she's holding it irks me. She swings it forward, trying to attack a trainer, but she misses wildly only because of her posture and form – and when I say she misses, she almost slices her own cheek open.

''What the fuck is that idiot doing?!''

''I don't know, but it's ridiculous. If she ever gets into a fight – which is likely, because, duh – she's either gonna end up stabbing herself or completely fucking up.''

''Yeah, obviously. Just look at the way she's holding the knife. It's supposed to be held one-handed, but she has both gripped around it, and one of them is on the blade! From her poise, you can tell that she's right handed, so her left foot should be held forward instead of her right. The most simple way to hold the knife would be for her to have her thumb pressed against the back of the blade to support a cut, and when practicing, it looks like she'd be giving a thumbs up.''

Blush nods her head. I continue, though. ''Or, if she was having trouble with that, she could hold it in a more comfortable and effective way. Like, by using the ice pick grip position and holding the blade ninety degrees to the forearm so that she could have a cutting edge-in or edge-out position.''

''I know, but don't be such a prick about it,'' Blush decides. ''If she doesn't understand how to use the knife, then what problem does that create for us? We're Careers, we know how to use a knife, and if she doesn't, that just means it'll be easier to pick her off and smile once her face lights up in the sky at night.''

''Yeah, but that's the thing,'' I shake my head. ''Being Careers, it's such an annoying feeling when some idiot does something so simple incorrectly and expects the maximum results. I know how to use a knife like that and it took me five minutes before I got the hang of it, so why should it take her two days? That's embarrassing.''

''Yes, I suppose so, but forget about her,'' Blush hoists herself up from the table, leaving her unfinished plate of food there. ''Anyway, it was a good chat, but I'm going back to our District Floor. Gotta piss off Gari just for the fun of it, y'know? Don't bother coming up to the floor, this is kinda personal and private, okay?''

''Whatever,'' I look away, pretending as if I don't care.

''What's wrong with you? Are you jealous that I'm spending more time annoying the living shit out of Gari rather than chilling and relaxing and being so close to you?''

She tiptoes closer to me, until she's standing right in between my elevated legs on the table counter and our noses are inches from touching. I feel warm on the inside, kind of intimidated, but liking this all at the same time, but I don't let her see that.

''No,'' I spit. ''I could care less who you spend time with. It's just nice having company.''

''Yeah? Well, I guess I'll be spending more time with you from now on since you only want 'company','' she winks. ''I'll see you around, kid. Don't miss me too much.''

She blows a kiss and goes on her way.

''Wait,'' I call out. She turns around, an eyebrow raised in confusion. ''When are you gonna tell me about the beef that you and Gari have? I won't be alive forever, so I wouldn't mind knowing the deepest secrets of my own District Partner.''

She laughs out loud, not even minding how high her voice is raised. ''I'll tell you sometime soon. Maybe later today, maybe tomorrow, maybe even after my session with Gari, I don't know. But you'll understand soon enough. But you gotta promise to tell me about that pendant that you're holding and what it's for.''

''Fine by me.''

Smiling to myself, I stare at the area that three of the Careers are stationed at. Atlas is chatting with Clarice, who looks grumpy – no surprise there – and Zeppelin is observing the District Three boy who drags a sword on the floor, approaching them.

He picks it up swiftly, despite his inane sense of actions that indicate that he's idiotic, though I feel that there's something different about him. When he finally reaches all three of them, he looks around and asks where the other Careers are, but gets no answer. The boy from Ten creeps up right behind him, resting his chin on the boy's shoulder.

The Three boy looks uncomfortable but he says, in a loud enough tone for me to hear, ''Can I join the Careers?'' I lean in, now interested in what's going to happen. He then proceeds to list multiple reasons why he's the perfect fit to be in the alliance, including his intelligence – which is honestly quite debatable – and the things that he could provide.

The Ten boy then interrupts and starts cackling. Clarice questions him, which is never a surprise, and asks when he was ever part of the alliance and why he sticks around. Everyone is just quarreling, and it's noisy as fuck but fun. Zeppelin finally steps in and sets his foot down, staring at Clarice in a positive but assertive way.

''I'm the leader of this alliance, I need all of you to understand that,'' he cracks his neck. ''We do not have time worth wasting, and someone has to take charge, and I've put it upon myself to be your leader. No, I'm not bossy; no, I'm not demanding; no, I will not give you everything that you want. What I will give you is strategy to discuss and new talent to acquire into the alliance, so I've decided that Avery here will now be part of the Careers.''

Clarice looks dumbfounded, but she stands up high, like she's holding respect for Zepp. They are District Partners after all, and sometimes, I do question their relationship. They look like close friends, but they don't act like it, and that's very, very disturbing.

''But, if Avery isn't able to keep up with our expectations, there will be no mercy to eradicate him from the alliance,'' Zeppelin says. Now he turns the the Three boy. ''Give him a chance to show us what he's got. Just one warning, though: don't waste our time.''

With that, Zeppelin sits down on one of the benches and Clarice takes a seat next to him. They both keep whispering to each other, not allowing anyone else to enter their state of mind besides each other.

I just have a feeling that they're up to something. I know that they'll definitely help us out in the long run, but those two have never been the most comfortable people to be around. For all we know, she could be brainwashing Zeppelin right now; I doubt it, but it's always a possibility.

But one thing is for sure – we have our leader. I'm not sure how Sigrid will feel about this, but Blush won't like it.

''Sigrid! Adonis!'' I hear our names called out. I look across the room to see Sigrid at the athletic station, and she stares back at me. Ha, funny, isn't it? Maybe that's just us Careers, always knowing where one another are. ''Come here!''

Well, I guess we found what we were looking for all along. Nothing bad could come from this, right? We all do trust each other enough to support this decision and not make it complicated...

Right?

Ocelot Harrien, District Twelve

I feel at home.

Being in the same room as all these Capitolites is amazing itself – even with the company of the rest of these cockroaches in here – but being able to speak to them is something that I want to relish upon sometime soon.

I want to be just like these people and live an incredibly lavish lifestyle. How do they do it? How are they so fabulous? Maybe it's a secret, but what I know for sure is that I feel right at home, like I'm surrounded by the people who I was born to be with.

''First thing's first, you have to have a proper stance,'' the Capitolite says. ''Your stance is very important in combat; it is the foundation of which you are able to maneuver and engage. To have a proper stance, your weight should be more even between your feet. Rest your weight on the balls of your foot with your front knee slightly bent and your elbows at the side.''

Following the instructions, I do exactly as I'm told and clutch the dagger close to me. ''Good, good, you're getting a hold of this,'' the Capitolite states. She walks behind me and wraps her hands around my arms. ''But when you're holding the knife, keep it away from your body. Remember, when using a dagger, you should have a mobile stance, meaning that you're always moving, and if you're always moving, mistakes can be made and you could accidentally puncture yourself. You don't want that to happen, do you?''

''No, Ma'am, I do not,'' I respond kindly. ''So, I should only hold the dagger with one hand and have my assisting hand at my side for any dangerous problems, right? Like, in case my opponent is attacking me, I should be able to grab their arm with my opposite hand and then go in for an attack, is that correct?''

''Yeah!'' she cheers, amused by my intelligence. ''You're from Twelve, aren't you? Have you done this before? I've never met a tribute from Twelve who knew so much.''

''No, I haven't done this before,'' I answer. If we were back in Twelve, I would keep my mouth shut and never say another word again because I know I'd get beaten to a pulp. I'd just nod my head and turn away, but I'm finally home and able to open up. ''In fact, nobody in Twelve has. Those indigent fools only know how to use their fists for attacks, and it's not even proper as well. It's just swing, swing, swing until you hit something for them, and they believe that they know everything.''

''Oh?'' She lets go of her hold on me and places a hand on her waist. ''Once again, I've never met anyone from Twelve like you before. Most tributes who come in here from your District are always grumpy, vengeful, and full of spite. You're unique; I like you, kid.''

''Thank you, Ma'am. I enjoy being in your presence and in such a beautiful place. Home, is what I like to call the Capitol,'' I smile. ''You guys are just the best, and I hate how those onerous pigs continue to oppose you guys.''

''You're forgetting something, though: they may oppose us, but when everything's said and done, who's losing their lives in their pitiful attempts to stop us?'' she grins, puckering her lips.

We share a long-lasting moment of laughter. I've never been more happy in my life – and yeah, I'm going into the Hunger Games, but right now, my focus is on the Capitolites that are around me. I'm learning from her and the rest of these wonderful people.

''I never caught your name. I'm Ocelot. Ocelot Harrien,'' I hold my hand out, introducing myself.

''It's nice to meet you, Ocelot,'' she says. ''I'm Armani Castenada. If I'm being honest, it's nice to get to meet a tribute like you every once in a while. It takes away from all the patriotic Careers who always come in here with the same old excuse, and from all the other stereotypical tributes who are always upset.''

''I can relate to that; everyone in Twelve is either someone trying to smuggle bread and sell some useless item, or it's either bullies who are looking to cause trouble because they have nothing else better to do with their time, unfortunately.''

She snickers. ''You know, Ocelot, you could fit extremely well with us Capitolites.'' My heart thumps and the pulse rate exceeds what's normal.

''R-Really?! You mean that?!''

''Of course I mean it,'' she grins. ''It's not every day that I find a tribute who I know I could be friends with, despite their age. You may be one of the youngest tributes here, but you sure are much more mature than I could have ever possibly imagined. I wonder how you deal with those slobs back in Twelve.''

''I tend to just ignore those ignorant little runts. I keep my opinions to myself because the beatings just aren't worth it. They're all basic, boring, and annoying. Sometimes I want to curse them out, to snap at them and let them know a couple of things before they pound my face in, but it's never worth it.''

''Well, I can certainly tell that you've been holding back quite a bit.'' I nod my head. ''What about your District Partner, is she tolerable?''

''I... I don't know, she seems alright,'' I shrug. ''She's nice, maybe a little bit too nice, but she's caring and friendly. I used to think differently about her before I got to know her, but now she's alright.''

''Ocelot!'' I hear Ceres's voice shout. Turning around, I spot her approaching me, a smile plastered on her childish face.

When she finally arrives to my area, I turn to Armani and shake my head slowly, only wanting to have a conversation with her. ''Not now, Ceres,'' I say, making sure not to groan. Complaining is for the faulty, not for the proper.

''Come on, don't be so bitter, Ocelot, let's allow her to join the conversation,'' Armani nudges my shoulder. ''I'm sure it'd be nice. Let's just see where this goes.''

''Fine...''

''So, as we continue, how do you feel about your status in the District, with all the bullies and other people around?''

''I'm superior to them,'' I say, crossing my arms and puffing out my chest. Armani laughs, and Ceres stares at me in confusion. Raising my eyebrows, I speak up again. ''See, maybe not in physical strength or in District status, but all of that should be disregarded, in my opinion. What they lack in intelligence, I surpass them in, so when the going gets rough and an opportunity rises for us to leave District Twelve, I'll be the one to take it, not them.''

''That's sorta rude,'' Ceres says, sighing. ''You shouldn't say things like that, even if they are true.''

''What does it matter to you what I say?'' I snarl, being just a bit crude. Armani looks pleased by our interaction, but I don't know why.

''Because I'd like my ally to be someone who's polite and doesn't speak rudely about others, like the boy I know you can be.''

''Oh, my God, you two are adorable!'' Armani says. ''Aw, this is so cute!''

I stop for a couple of seconds, and my brain overflows with thoughts. Allies? Since when were we allies? I mean, having allies in the Games would be a good idea, and the probability of us lasting longer together is quite higher than us being alone, so why not? But with Ceres? Can I afford to be with her? She's the only one who's likely going to take me, and—

''I know what you're thinking: 'When were we ever allies?' But, just hear me out for a second, please,'' she smiles shyly. ''Calieh and Joydin pulled me aside when we got down here, and they encouraged me to speak to you and ask that we be partners.'' Why would they do that? ''They said that we needed to be realistic. It's not that other people wouldn't take us as allies, but with the groups of tributes this year, it's unlikely, and we – as District Partners – would have much better chemistry being together than with others.''

Gotta hand it to them, their reasoning is legit. I've had the same thoughts at times, whenever I scoped out the Training Center to see if anyone here could be a potential ally. Most of them would probably shun me away and tell me that I'd be no use for them.

But with Ceres, I guess I'd have a chance, maybe? Gulping the dry spit on the roof of my mouth, I hesitantly open up my mouth, not sure if I'm going to agree with the logic or not – even if it is accurate – but then a trainer yells something out.

''HEY, YOU!'' We all turn around simultaneously, only to spot the District Three guy running away from a couple of trainers with a sword in his hand.

It's a weird sight, and I'm not quite sure why they're chasing after him until it hits me that the sword he's holding is on fire. There's a huge grin on his face, showing just how much he's enjoying this, and the Careers, who are watching him, are laughing and spectating from far away.

They probably sent him to do this as part of initiation or something. I don't think they'd be having this reaction if they didn't.

How he got the sword on fire, I will never know. But he's not an idiot. Not like how everyone thought he was back during the Chariot Rides. But if these are the tributes that I'm gonna be around, maybe allying with Ceres isn't even a bad idea...

He pushes through other tributes and trainers, and then makes his way in front of the upset District Eight boy. Throwing his hands up as a reaction, he lets out a high-pitched shriek and drops to the floor, as the Three boy just makes his way to hover over him.

Finally, he gets tackled after minutes of running around and causing trouble. He's being scolded at, and everyone's staring at him. Literally, not a single pair of eyes isn't looking at this guy, and he's enjoying the attention.

Through the corner of my eye, though, I spot the District Eleven girl approaching the Eight boy and saying something to him. Great time to recruit an ally, I suppose... He looks up at her, a look of fear in his eyes, but he quickly shakes it off and gets up.

She grabs his hand but he slaps it away, so she says something. I don't know what it was, but it got him to shut up and now he's following her.

The power that a girl has over a guy never ceases to amaze me. The two of them approach the District Three girl, and now they're introducing each other. I guess you can call that the formation of an alliance, including the Three boy being with the Careers now. If he's not with them, then I don't know what to say. But it's a clear picture to paint out that the Three and Eleven girls are allied with the Eight boy.

Everyone is already making progress, and I'm still here, weighing out my options. But in the end, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to ally with Ceres.

''Fine, fine, I'll be your ally,'' I agree.

Her face lights up with joy, and I want to roll my eyes, but I know better not to. Because who knows what could happen?

Maybe these two children can brew up a storm.

A/N: Ayee! Long time no see, yeah, almost been a month since this story last updated? I don't know, don't really care, as long as this chapter's out, I'm fine with it. Yeah, been really lazy but also busy at the same time, and even when I did get the chance to write, I would play it off and convince myself that I had a headache and just didn't wanna write. But yeah, that doesn't matter rn. Anyway, I got super lazy towards the end when writing this. That's a common theme for me, getting lazy towards the end of every chapter, so excuse my... whatever you call it. Anyway, I'm kinda doing writing these long ass chapters. Ya boy gets tired af and not only do these take too much time to write, but proofreading them also gets annoying and very irritating when you gotta do it twice because you know you fucked up the first time, so I'm definitely gonna cut down the word lengths. Hopefully none of you mind that. I doubt you will, because these probably take a while to read for y'all as well, idk.

But, I think with that, chapters will be coming out quicker now because, y'know, less words, so yeah. :D Uh, not really much else to say, besides; If you're looking for a SYOT to submit to, you should DEFINITELY check out jakey121 and Jalen Kun's new collab SYOT story: Friendly Fire. It's on Jake's account, and Jalen's got a really good feeling about this story, and I think a lot of others do, too, me included, so yeah, check it out, submit, let em know who sent you there. Or not, doesn't matter, but yeah, go read it and submit, you'll love it, trust me. Also, both of them are like, 100% amazing authors, so together, just imagine. Go enjoy yourselves over in their story. That's really about all that I have to say, so questions.

Opinions on each POV?

Favorite POV? Least favorite?

Who do you think might be in an alliance together? (If you don't know who's together, go check out the blog.)

Yeah, not proofreading this A/N, excuse my mistakes, as usual, but that's all for now. Hope you all have a wonderful day, night, whatever time it is over there for you. And I'll see y'all next time, bye! ^-^