Part III

9.01 AM

Symonn was the first in to the training centre, not that anybody noticed or cared. He hadn't opened his mouth to speak since the reaping and that was only to scream at his mother. Not that she heard much of the things he had said to over the wailing lump in her arms, another one-night stand. By the time the hour had ended, he was drained of all strength. A door opened and a cold wind swirled from behind, as he walked towards it, he turned to take one last look at her. He had hoped to find at least a glint of guilt in the cold, dead sea of her eyes looking on as her beloved, little accident walked out of her life and perhaps out of this world, alas she looked with hope. Hope that he would not humiliate all of District 11 by dying a loser's death.

Cat walked into the training centre, nervous about her agreement with Faith.

What would Faith try to train her on? If it was one of Cat's strengths, she would have to pretend to be a novice. Not for the first time, she wondered if the dangerous game she was playing with the careerer's was one that would result in her death. She was so absorbed in her thoughts; she nearly bumped into a tall brown haired boy. "Oops! Sorry!" she managed to stammer shyly.

Symonn stared blankly at the girl and nodded in a distorted manor at her apology. She frowned in surprise at the boy's lack of social skills

Cat frowned at the boy, surprised by his rudeness. The games hadn't even started yet! She walked away, waiting for Faith to arrive. She shot a covert look back at him, trying to sum him up. He didn't look as strong as some of the other boys, but maybe he was good at something long distance. She shrugged and turned back to the entrance, looking for Faith.

He could see without looking her sneak a look at him with a sense of significance. Nobody had ever looked twice at him; they usually looked away in disgust the first time. Did this mean she liked him?

Faith arrived, her hair in a high ponytail with curls spilling down her neck, dressed in a fitted blouse and skinny jeans. Her eyes flickered to the other careers in the room, meeting there gaze for a second with an unspoken agreement. Cat smiled at Faith hopefully, glancing towards the other careers nervously. She hadn't wanted to go over until Faith had introduced her.

Symonn tried not to look at the newcomer too often, but his awe was difficult to contain. She was beautiful, that was undeniable. But it was her air of confidence that he found most appealing. He looked on with admiration and guilt, knowing that he may eventually have to kill this girl he was so mesmerised by.

Faith noted some paranoia and turned to see a boy staring at her. She arched an eyebrow, studying him for a second before beckoning all the careers. She spoke to them quietly before nodding to Cat. Cat trotted over the faith like a little spaniel, wide eyed and nervous. She knew she looked like Faiths little pet, and disliked the feeling, but didn't let her distaste show, instead smiling hesitantly at the careerers. Faith immediately took place as leader glaring at anyone who dared say otherwise. "This is our pack. Anybody object, speak now." She said icily, seeing a few careers frown in distaste. Before anyone had a chance to say otherwise Faith tilted her chin. "Good. Anybody else capable of joining?" She asked.

Symonn looked eager at the offer, but stayed quiet knowing his district would go against him.

Cat stood quietly, watching Faith take charge. She was a good leader, and no one seemed to externally object to her. However, she was pretty sure that a few of them were seething inside.

Faith's eyes travelled over the clusters of tributes, seeking any strong ones that could help their powerful alliance. Cat remained in the background, avoiding the surprised looks of the careerers when the noticed how small she was. She looked around the room, which was set up for the training.

Symonn sat in the corner of the room eyeballing Faith and her many devoted followers. He wondered about the small, silent girl. Was she a weaker competitor? She didn't seem as externally ambitious as the others. However she blurred into the background next to the mysterious girl.

Faith, deciding there was no one else to join the careers turned back to the alliance. "Then we're set." Her lips curled into a grin.

Cat looked up at Faith with large blue eyes full of innocence, wondering what Faith was going to decide teach her.

After getting a speech from the head trainer Faith tapped her foot impatiently. After everyone had melted off Faith turned to Cat. "So, what would you like to learn first?"

Cat thought about this for a second. "I'm not sure. What do you think?" she asked Faith.

Faith raised an eyebrow. "Well. You must know something." She said blandly, "Can you throw? Run? Climb? Camouflage? Tell poisonous foods? Make fires? Can you shoot an arrow?"

"I...I can tell which foods are poisonous. And I can cook food..." Cat said, looking worried.

"Okay, that's foods basically covered. Can you skin foods? And anything to do with weaponry, at all?" Faith asked herself why she was even helping this girl at all, yet again. As usual Faith's mind didn't respond, making her think she should just give up all together?

"Not really...my brothers never let me near weapons. They was always afraid I'd hurt myself." well, that was almost true, Cat thought as she hung her head dolefully.

Faith sighed. "Come on then." She spun on her heel, something inside saying this girl was lying, she pushed the feelings aside, she was sure Cat wasn't.

Faith picked up a curved basic knife; she passed it to Cat and stood back, nodding to the dummy. "Do your worst."

Cat took the knife, her hand shaking. She threw it feebly at the dummy.

Faith raised an eyebrow, collected the knife, took 10 steps back and threw the dagger into it's heart. "Try again."

Cat stared in awe at Faith, which wasn't entirely false. "You're really good!" she said staring at her. She took the knife, and threw it at the dummy, carefully not putting her entire strength behind it, but making sure to make it look like she was putting in effort. The dagger hit the wall about a meter or two away from the dummy and clattered to the ground. Cat, sighed with apparent frustration.

Faith just raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to give another attempt.

Cat grabbed the dagger, determination in her face. She threw the dagger again, and this time it clattered the ground a little closer to the dummy. "That one was better wasn't it?" she asked Faith, looking at her hopefully.

Faith nodded, her eyes calculating. After about a minute she walked forward grabbed the knife and passed it back to Cat. She stood behind her and took her wrist, drawing it back at a slight different angle but not releasing it. She then, wordlessly again, stepped back and waited.

Cat threw the knife, at the angle Faith had specified. The dagger landed about a foot short of the dummy, but it would have hit it dead on if there had been a bit more power behind it. Cat looked up at Faith, hopeful again.

"More power." She said, tilting her head to the side tapping her fingers on her chin.

Cat threw it again. This time, it clipped the dummies outstretched arm.

"Good. Practice. Repetition. I'll be back in about 10 minutes." Faith nodded quickly before walking over to a selection of axes, she picked one and twirled it around her wrist, testing the weight.

Cat began to practise, like Faith had said, always being careful not to hit anything important, like the chest or the head. However, she was even more careful not to look like she wasn't hitting stuff on purpose. She always managed to retain the façade.

Faith watched her occasionally, not throwing the axe at a dummy but throwing it into the air and catching, testing the weight to the angle as she'd been taught. A bratty, obviously spoilt career came up, sniffing in a posh I'm-stuck-up way.

"Why are you helping her?"She hissed in a voice only Faith would be able to hear.

"My own reasons." Faith said sharply, treating the career with an attitude that showed that she was boss.

Cat sighed with exasperation as she threw the dagger- and missed- for what felt like the hundredth time. She shot a look at Faith to see if she was watching, and saw her talking to another careerer girl. Both were looking at her. She turned back to the dummy and smiled internally, not letting it show on the outside that she was pleased. She'd obviously fooled someone. She just hoped Faith was buying her act.

"And who put you in charge anyway?" The girl spat.

Faith stopped throwing the axe, which she had been throwing absent mindedly, and caught it with two fingers either side of the blade, a second away from being cut. She turned to the girl, and even though they were around the same height she managed to look down on her. "Because" She said simply, taking a step forward with the girl mirroring with a step back. "I said so. And, because, you don't want your pretty little neck getting slit on the first night because you're a rubbish leader." She said firmly. "Now run along, brat."

Cat saw Faith talking to the girl, and saw the girl take a step back. A tingle of fear ran through her, and she shivered. More than ever she appreciated how dangerous an opponent Faith really was.

-x-

Jasper yawned and ran a hand through his sleep mussed hair. Moxin had chewed him out this morning for sleeping in, and he was sure that her unnecessary speech had definitely made him late. He slid inside the centre unnoticed - thank god for him being so invisible all the time - just in time to catch the end of the supervising Trainer's instructions. A little baffled at what was going on, Jasper hung back a little and watched as other tributes began to move about the stations. Jasper frowned as he observed the training. A lot of these people were really good, and it was frightening. He swallowed nervously, before meandering his way to the empty camouflage station.

The trainer was delighted to have someone at his station and promptly proceeded to show him the best ways to camouflage oneself when in the wild.

Jasper noted that he pretty much failed here, seeing as he couldn't get a single pattern right. He shrugged and figured he didn't need it. Thanking the poor trainer for his efforts, Jasper went to the ranged station. He whirled around just as a knife plunged into a dummy, square in the centre. He blinked, before looking at the thrower.

Holy crap she's good. He mused as he watched the two girl tributes he kept seeing walk away to another station. Probably Careers.

After the girl had left Faith took her anger out on throwing the axe, turning and heading off to a mace before she could see how well her throw was.

Cat decided that she really needed to practise other weapons which she knew she had no skill at. So, abandoning the knife station, she joined Faith at the maces.

"Any better?" She asked absently, picking up a mace and swinging it round.

"A bit. I hit the arm..." Cat said, struggling to pick up a mace.

Faith nodded watching the mace as she twirled it. "They're hard to use." She warned.

"I can tell!" Cat put the mace down. "Maybe I'll try the climbing instead..."

"I might try that soon." Faith commented, still swing the mace.

Cat smiled at her before walking over to the climbing wall. She buckled herself into a harness and began to climb, using the grips on the rock. To her surprise, she discovered that she was alright at it, although she couldn't stretch to some of the higher hand holds. She finally made it to the top on her third attempt, and smiled to herself before letting herself drop, floating back to the ground gently, suspended by her harness.

Faith walked up to the climbing wall, not looking hesitant but feeling it as she'd never tried it before. With a shrug she tried climbing, finding that strength helped, but it would be better if she were taller.

Cat was halfway up the wall before she looked down and saw Faith climbing too. She was getting faster at going up the wall, and she didn't try to hide it; she didn't want Faith to think she was entirely useless, just harmless. Faith watched Cat for a moment, before continuing climbing. She didn't care that she wasn't strong at something, weaponry was her ting and she never claimed to be good at something she isn't. Cat reached the top and jumped off the wall, enjoying the slight freefall before the rope attached to her harness pulled her upright with a jerk and started to lower her down slowly. Faith took a bit longer to reach the top, but wasn't entirely bothered.

"Hi Faith" Cat said, smiling at her. "I like this one!"

She raised an eyebrow, smiling faintly. "Weapons are more useful." She said truthfully to her opinion.

Cats face crumpled. "I suppose so." she said, unbuckling her harness. "But at least I actually have found something I can do."

She smiled. "But truthfully, food is most important."

Cats face lit up. "I'm good at fishing! And I can cook fish!"

Faith tapped her fingers on her chin for a second. "Good. Berries? Plants?"

"I'm okay with them! My brothers always caught and gutted most of it, because they didn't want my using knives, but I found the plants to cook it in!" Cat said, smiling at her.

Faith nodded and smiled faintly, walking to the berries. She had learnt to tell most berries apart from her mother. She froze for a second before kneeling down and inspecting a berry.

Cat looked around for something she wasn't good at. She walked over to archery. It was hidden around the corner from everyone else, and no one else was there, except the instructor. She was alright at archery, but need to practise, but she didn't want everyone to see. She grabbed a bow and began experimenting with it, to get the feel of it.

Faith went through the berries, separating the poisonous from the edible, managing to please the instructor that seemed surprised that a career could do anything with berries. She left to the camouflage, leaving that station quickly, and finding no interest in it

Cat yanked the arrows out of the centre of the target. She mentally chided herself for being so reckless. She would blow her cover if anyone had seen.

But the instructor was keeping watch for her. He made her jump by franticly hissing "Someone's coming!" Cat swapped the powerful bow she had been using for a small, easy one, and, flashing the instructor a quick smile, she began shooting the arrows again; but this time purposefully aiming off target, whilst looking like she was concentrating in vain.

Faith grabbed a spear, testing its weight and throwing it. She sighed when it landed in the dummies arm. She repeated for a while, aiming to eventually hit the dummies head.

Cat kept shooting, but never hit the target whilst the District 1 boy was there. He smirked at her, snorting with laughter every time she missed. She felt her temper rising, but shoved it down. Save it for the Games. She gave him a sweet smile, before handing her bow back to the instructor and walking away, twisting around to stick her tongue out at his back. He saw her doing it, and burst out laughing. "Your nothing but a child, are you?" Cat turned and stalked off.

-x-

Symonn's trainer was forced to watch abysmally as his hopeless protégé almost drowned, cut himself and almost devoured a whole tainted platter of food. It was only when the gawky District 11's arrow flung towards him and dismembered one of his tidily wound dreadlocks that he decided to deliver his home truths.

"Look, kid. I'm gonna be honest with you," the trainer said looking at the trembling teenager in the least murderous way he could manage. "You're practically dead." Symonn's turquoise blinkers became as wide as a bug's and his throat dropped to his chest.

"Now, I can help you with your technique." The trainer added after taking a puff of his cigarette (he had given up, but watching Symonn train to commit Televisual suicide had given him a craving for slow death). "But, it'll only keep you on your feet for maybe twenty minutes longer. So, I'm gonna give you a tip. You're gonna need a game plan. You're gonna have to find someone strong, and you're gonna have to trick them. I won't lie to you, it's a shot in the dark, but if you really want to be in it for the long haul, (he said with as little irony as he could) it's the best amount of hope I can offer you." With that he tapped the frozen boy on his bony back and sauntered off exhaling and shaking his head.

Symonn was stuck on the spot for quite a while, the trainer's words weighing heavily on his young brain. He gulped as he thought of the other contestants.

"Which one do I choose? Damn it! Which one do I choose?" his conscience echoed.

-x-

Faith had moved to traps, her eyes narrowed she watched the delicate pattern the instructor was doing. She copied, not as fluently or perfectly however but managed to complete the trap.

Cat saw Faith at the traps, but didn't go over. She knew all about traps. You tend too, when you grow up in the fishing district. She turned instead to the camouflage. After half an hour, she felt sufficiently instructed. But she was beginning to wonder what to do in the private session: what mark did she want to get to secure her reputation as weakling?

Soon, Faith had mastered the human hanging trick and headed to the shelter area, believing Careers should be more advanced this year.

Cat saw Faith heading for the shelter area, and decided to join her. She hadn't done much on shelter yet. "Hey Faith!"

"Hi. How're you doing?" She asked, finishing making her small shelter.

"O.K..." Cat began to weave a grass mat. "But I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the Game Makers..."

"Well, that depends on your approach." She said airily. "I know what I'm going to do."

"Yes, but my problem is I can't do ANYTHING!" Cat wailed. "I'm going to get a 0! I know I am!"

"You can climb." She said. "Tell plants. But... stay innocent, Cat. It will help." She smirked and straightened

Cat felt a jolt of anxiety go through her. Had Faith guessed she wasn't as innocent as she seemed? She'd have to keep a close eye on her...

"Okay. Thanks Faith, you're really helpful!" She gave a tiny frown. "But I may have annoyed the other District 1 guy."

Faith studied her for a moment. "I wouldn't annoy careers." She advised. "Some don't think with they're brains."

"O.K." Cat said nervously, "I'll try not to." The bell rang somewhere, to signify the end of the training session. "Oh, help!" Cat squeaked. Is it the private ones tomorrow?"

Faith nodded. "You'll be fine." She assured.

"Thanks Faith! I don't know what I'd do without you!" Cat said tremulously, before turning away and being led back to her rooms by her mentor.

Faith watched her go before sighing, and walking into the elevator.

Jasper stood at the ranged weapon station for most of the day, throwing knife after knife into various dummies. He was in the middle of working out how to flick a knife the fastest, when he glanced back around. The centre was starting to empty. With a start, Jasper realised that he just wasted his first day of training throwing knives. Chewing on his bottom lip, he made his way back to his rooms. Somehow, he just knew that Moxin would chew him out for this too.

-x-

"Very good!"

Cat grinned at her mentor. "Thanks!"

"Well done for teaming up with the careerer's. With a bit of luck, they won't suspect a thing. Now, show me how good you are with these knives."

Cat looked pensively at the target set up against the wall. She grabbed the knife offered and threw it. It stuck quivering right in the centre.

Faith spent the time after training, training with district one, testing both of their reactions by throwing knives at each other. Faith ducked, her hand shooting up to catch a blade, smirking and throwing it back instantly, District One guy only just dodging from sight.

After catching and dodging a few others knives Faith retreated to her room, taking off her locket for the first time in ages. She looked at the locket before opening it. Nothing. You idiot! You'll always be alone, get used to it! Her father's words to her repeated in her brain and she just stared at the empty locket, swinging it back and forth

-x-

Her mentor stared at her and tried to tug it out. It remained stuck. "We'll have to cut that out..." she said, almost to herself. "So it looks like you're not so innocent after all, little kitten."

-x-

Faith continued swinging the locket. Nobody Faith, will ever care about you, that's the way things are. Y'know, I used to think differently too... but life. isn't. fair. You need to learn that faith, and only help yourself as you're the only one who can do that. His words repeated in her head constantly, each one like a knife cutting her, her eyes hardening at every moment.