Private Sessions

Khara Byron, 16, District 9

They had decided to call us in by a random generator this year instead of by district- if anything, it just added even more stress to the whole thing. As I glanced up, I noticed the first name flashed across the screen- NEMO WARNOCK. The intimidating boy from 4 shuffled out of the holding room already looking prepared to fight. I crossed my fingers hoping I wouldn't have to follow up his act.

The way the seats were situated, district 9 was placed right next to district 3 and while sitting next to my allies should have done something to relax my nerves, I could still feel my heart hammering against my rib cage. Looking over at Winston, my district partner, he offered me a bright smile which did little to slow my racing heart, but brought a slight curve to my lips. Turning to my right, I watched as Pascal, the boy from 3, looked around the holding room, seemingly observing the entire place.

Winston and I had decided to join forces with the pair from 3 on a bit of a whim- the girl, Malikah seemed nice enough and she was the one who proposed the alliance in the first place and what from I gathered, she was pretty perceptive. Pascal, on the other hand, was far more hesitant to join our group. In my opinion, Pascal seemed completely emotionless and distant, but from what I could tell, he was also incredibly intelligent, which made him a good ally.

Between Malikah, Winston, and I, we tried a lot of encouraging and persuasion, but I quickly realized the best way to appeal to Pascal was through logic. Explaining to him how having a solid set of allies would logically advance him further in the games seemed to finally get him on board. For me, I was rather glad to be working with someone that intelligent, instead of against them.

Back home, I lived with my parents and three siblings- two older brothers and a younger brother. We never had much money in our family, so I had to learn to toughen up quick. When I began training here at the Capitol, I realized that working in the fields of district 9 since I was eleven had taught me a lot- but most importantly it had taught me how to endure.

Suddenly, the lights flashed again and the second name appeared on the screen- KHARA BYRON.

It was me.

"You've got this Khara, just relax and don't second guess yourself," Winston advised me, with another smile. His vote of confidence, while no more a small gesture, was much appreciated.

Standing up slowly, I quietly made my way over to the guards who escorted me to the entrance of the training room. I heard a beep and the doors opened. Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside.

"District Nine Female, you may now begin," a pleasant but clearly robotic voice stated as another beep sounded. Yesterday Malikah and I had come up with a plan for each of our training sessions and I did my best to recall what she had said. She had told me to start flashy and grab the Gamemakers' attention.

Doing as she had advised, I headed over to the spear station. In comparison to a scythe, spears were the most similar in weight which is why I had chosen to train with it as a weapon. I could feel Gamemakers' eyes watching my every move and my hands began to shake. I couldn't do this.

No. I quickly said to myself. You have to do this, Khara. Calm down and get yourself together. You did this a million times during training. Relax.

Lining up my shot with the spear, I focused on the target and then launched it with all the might I could muster. I had hit the center of the ring, a little to the left of the bullseye, but a good shot, no less. Looking over at the Gamemakers' reactions, I tried to gauge what they thought of my shot. Their faces betrayed nothing, so I continued.

Grabbing another spear, I aimed for the next target and the pattern continued- the shots beginning to blur together, until another beep sounded.

"Thank you, District Nine Female, your private session is now complete. Please proceed to exit the training center and follow your assigned guard to your next location," the robotic voice instructed.

Looking at my targets I bit my lip nervously- it wasn't perfect, but it was a lot better than I had anticipated. I took one final look at the Gamemakers and left the training center.

I hope you've done good enough, Khara, I hope you've done good enough.

Creed Alfond, 17, District 11

I had assumed that the introduction of the random generator meant that I would have likely gone earlier than I typically would have as the district 11 male, but it was beginning to look like that was not the case. As CASSIE LONG appeared bright on the screen and the girl from district 6 was escorted out of the holding room, I instantly realized I was the last one remaining.

My ally Daryll had been 6th to leave and my district partner, Corinne had been 9th to be called in. I didn't feel guilty about abandoning my district partner, it wasn't like Corinne had much of a chance and getting attached to people like her would only lower my chances of winning. Not to mention, she was doing fine on her own, during out last check in with our mentor, Sirco, she had found herself two solid allies.

I, on the other hand, hadn't expected to ally with anyone, but Daryll was a good person to work with- if anyone besides me deserved to win, other than me, it was him.

As the time passed, I realized I actually didn't mind being alone. In the Capitol it felt like I was constantly being surrounded with people and the moment to myself right before I was about to be called in was actually quite beneficial for me.

I wasn't nervous unlike some of the other tributes who had gone before me- just prepared to show what I had.

I had lost track of time by the time CREED ALFOND flashed on the screen and the guards motioned for me to follow. They locked the holding room behind me and led me to the training room. The doors opened and I was greeted by a pre-recorded audio clip, "District Eleven Male, you may now begin."

"I want a trainer," I announced. The woman in charge of the training center had informed us yesterday we could request a trainer to spar with as a part of our private session to show off our skills.

A minute passed by and a trainer was yet to appear. The Gamemakers had turned their attention towards their tablets and look rather bored.

"I SAID, I WANT A FREAKIN' TRAINER!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. There was a moment of silence and the entire room seemed to freeze until I saw a door open and a trainer walked out.

Not once, throughout all three days of training, had I seen this trainer before, and it wasn't like he had a forgettable face. The man was easily in his early thirties- slick, jet black hair with neon green streaks and dark indigo eyes glared at me as the man stepped into the sparring ring.

The trainer and I eyed each other for the better half of a minute, waiting to see who would make the first move. Clenching my jaw, I threw the first punch, which the trainer easily blocked- this man was definitely a far more worthy opponent than any of the other trainers I had sparred with thus far. Throwing a quick look at the Gamemakers, who's attention had been returned to me, I gave a wicked smile.

This time the trainer decided to play more offensive with punch at my throat, which I quickly blocked out of instinct. Perhaps it was the adrenaline or simply the rush of fighting a new opponent, but it was as if a switch had turned on inside of me, and everything seemed to move in slow motion.

The trainer was no doubt a trained fighter, his moves far more precise and sharp, whereas mine were fiercer and sharper. Everything I knew about fighting I had picked up on the streets of district 11. As a scammer, I had to learn how to defend myself for if and when a deal went sideways.

My closest friend, Jamely and I did business drug house to drug house in the district, offering some deals to the local criminals. When they would least expect it, Jamely and I made a dash for it with the money, leaving the druggies without anything.

The money we made was enough for me to support my family with their basic needs and despite the occasional scuffle, we've yet to be caught once.

As the fighting between the trainer and I intensified, I could already feel the places I would have bruises tomorrow. Two uppercuts followed by a right jab and a knee and the trainer was laying flat on the mat and I stood above victorious. The Gamemakers' mouths were agape and I didn't wait for the robotic voice to finish it's announcement before I marched out of the room, head held high.

My work spoke for itself.

a/n: Yay, for action packed chapters! So this I guess is a little preview of what's to come in a couple more chapters but I hope you enjoyed! I did my best to write the fight scene with the Creed and the trainer. I don't really know any fighting but I've been kickboxing for a year and a half, so all of that is based on my kickboxing experience XD. On that note, the questions!

1. What did you think of Khara?

2. What did you think of Creed?

3. Of the final 4 chapters leading up to the games, which chapter are you most looking forward to (Training Score Reveals, Interviews, Final Thought/Countdown, Arena Reveal)? Why?

Let's keep this thing going! - Cass