The next morning I wake up with a surprisingly good night's sleep. I only woke up once after I died once again. This time I was walking with that Glimmer girl and I got a stabbed in the back – literally. After that, I fell back to sleep quickly. I decide to go out to eat breakfast before getting dressed, no matter how much it will displease Katherine.

I sit down at the table next to Riley and notice that we're the only ones in the room so far. He breaks the silence first. "So, what were you doing out so late?" I give him a questioning look and he elaborates more, "I heard the elevator," he shrugs. I know that there's no point in lying, "I went down to the training center," I say.

"With District Two," he says as more of a statement than a question. I just nod and hope that he'll drop the conversation. He does but then changes the topic. Does this boy not see that I just want to eat these delicious pancakes in peace? "What were you screaming about last night?" he asks. Crap. I haven't screamed much in my sleep lately, but I guess that it would make sense for me to start it again considering I'll have to be silent in the arena. Why does everything have to be so complicated?

"Oh, I, uh," I stutter, "I have nightmares," he nods and finally drops all conversation. That's when the rest of the crew walks in. Talia sits down opposite of me and starts a new conversation, "Are you guys ready for the last full day of training?" This causes me to shrug and Riley to look eager as he nods again. Finnick looks at my now empty plate and laughs, "How many pancakes have you eaten?"

"I think 4 - maybe 5? I don't really know. I'm just hungry. Don't judge me," I say and stick my tongue out at him for good measure. "Watch out, Tal, looks like we might just have to roll her into that arena," Finnick responds playfully. I try not to smile and turn it into a glare when I say, "I think I heard judgment in that sentence. What did I say about that?" My glare causes all of us – including Riley – to start a fit of laughter except for Katherine.

"Alright, enough funny business," she says with her eyes glued to her clipboard, "Today you train for as long as you feel like it," she looks at Riley and me, "Tomorrow, you have the opportunity to train until lunch, then you'll be called one by one to be evaluated by the game makers. Are we clear?" I chug the rest of my glass of milk and stand up, "Crystal," I say as I leave the room without being excused.

I go back to my room where I slip into the usual skin tight torture device that is a sorry excuse for clothes. Then I pick up a sock, rip the end open and put my hair up into my favorite kind of bun. The sock bun sits on top of my head and I adjust it until I'm satisfied. Then I grab my shoes and lace them quickly before heading for the door.

I meet with the whole crew outside the elevator. They seem bored, so I'm guessing I made them wait for longer than I should have. I make a point to only apologize to Talia and Finnick which earns me glares from my fellow tribute and our beloved escort. Then I'm being pushed inside and listening to the ding of the doors opening again soon enough. Finnick suggests working on weapons and glances at me. The look in his eyes suggests that he knows something. I know it's true when he holds me back from walking out the doors and whispers, "We'll talk about your night later, okay?"

The training center is much louder than usual. I figure it's because everyone has already started their training. I decide to go talk to Rue who is over in the corner working with what I think is a slingshot. I didn't even know they had that station, but leave it to Rue to find one. "Hey shortie!" I say once I get right behind her. She jumps but starts laughing with a fake glare when she sees me. "Oh my gosh. Don't do that, Lila!" she says between breaths. "I would say I was sorry, but I'm not," I say with a wink before I switch into a serious tone, "Okay, I got some help from Cato last night. If everything works right, our plan should work."

"Are you serious? When did – he – what?" she's confused. "Cato asked me if I needed help so I wouldn't make him look bad. I really don't know what got into him," I shrug. "Unless he likes you," now it's her turn to wink, except she looks completely serious. "Nah. He just has too much of an ego to let the other Careers think he was wrong," I reply

Our conversation about the District Two boy ends there, but I watch Rue with her slingshot. She has amazing precision with such a small weapon – if you'd even call it that. However, I know it'd be no match for a sword or a spear in the arena. I see the boy from Twelve, Rye, walking over past us. I know I shouldn't talk to him, but I ignore myself again when I say, "Hi."

He gives me a slight nod at this but keeps on walking anyway. I awkwardly try to act like I never said anything. People really aren't my forte. When I turn back to Rue, she's still messing with that darn slingshot.

I shake my head and look around the room. Glimmer is over at the bow and arrows. She seems to be doing almost as badly as I did. At least she hit the edge of the target. She seems so stupid. I just don't understand why she would have volunteered. Sure, she's got a pretty face and a body that even I have to admit is to die for, but what happens in the arena when she's separate from all that superficial stuff? I'm curious what makes her tick because for all I know, she could be a vicious killing machine. Something like that worked for a girl from District Seven a few years back. I think her name was Johanna, but she was amazing with an axe.

I look away from the bobble-head blonde to continue scanning the room. I don't make it very far before I have to try hard not to scream from surprise when somebody taps my shoulder.

So sorry for taking forever to update! High School is hell already. This is just an extremely short filler chapter too that ends with a cliffhanger. I'm a terrible person. I have half of the next chapter done already, and I'll probably finish it tonight so make sure to check back sometime this week/weekend! Anyway, thank you guys so much for following/favoriting/reviewing. It means the world to me, so please keep doing it!