Hey! Sorry about not updating in a while, but with my other two stories, school starting soon and everything else, I haven't really had the time. But enough excuses. I got a PM asking for longer chapters. If you guys want it, that's what I'll do ... starting next chapter. This is basically just a filler chapter for inbetween the opening ceremony and the training sessions, so it's not that long. Thanks for the reviews and constructive critisism (did I spell that right?) so far and I'll work on updating sooner. Oh yeah, REVIEW PLEASE! AND I NEEEED TRIBUTES FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!

We arrived at the Training center about an hour or two later.

"You were excellent." Sol smiled warmly at me as he helped me get off the chariot. "The crowd loved you."

Cinna thought that we pulled off the fire nicely with Sol's solar shine. That was good. Maybe I would even be able to get a few sponsors. District 12 rarely got them, though Katniss's year had been an exception. Her star crossed lovers angle attracted sponsors like mockingjays to music.

First step of the Hunger Games done. Unfortunately, that still left training, final scores and interviews before the real trouble even start. I felt my optimism decrease even more as I realized that there was so much more to do. The Opening Ceremony itself had been exhausting. I had no idea what I was getting into.

Back in the changing room, my prep team helped me get out of my dress and into a light blue silk shirt and some dark brown capris. Feeling more comfortable in the clothes I was wearing, I followed Katniss to the Training center.

This building was the largest one yet. It stood dozens of stories high with the most expensive and rich furniture. There, I learned about something amazing.

Elevator rides.

I'd never ridden in an elevator before. The idea that a little room could zoom up stories just by the press of a button seemed impossible, but there I was with Katniss, riding all the way up to the district twelve level.

There were many floors in the building and each one had a button on the elevators. The first floor was where the stylists and prep teams worked after the open ceremonies were done. Sol told me that if I ever needed anything, all I had to do was call him on the phone in my room or just head down to his work place on the first level.

The next floor was mainly a supplies floor. Katniss explaind to me that it was where large shipments of training items were brought, like weapons, dummies and other equipment. It was also where the kitchen was.

The third floor was the training center, but tributes weren't allowed to look at that until tomorrow. Finally, the last 12 floors were for the tributes. Each district had its own level. One was the fourth floor. Twelve was the top. Our floor, like the train, had been layed in the most expensive decor. It probably sounded crazy, but I missed the woods.

Everything was unfamiliar here. The colors, the people, the sounds. There was no scent of trees and forestry, just dozen upon dozen of perumes that coated every square inch of the building.

I tried to go straight to bed right then and there. The capitol wore me out within minutes. Katniss insisted that I at least have dinner. It was the reasonable thing to do. I wouldn't be getting an of this fancy food of my choosing once I was in the arena. That, and the food was delicious. Still, food always tasted better when you personally, had shot, skun, gutted and cooked it with your best friend.

I mentally groaned and gleamed at the same time. Everything really did go back to Ash. That was both pleasant and upsetting. Pleasant, because he was my friend, my partner who I'd done everything with and it was nice to keep him in my mind.

Upsetting, because I couldn't run to him right this moment. Because he was probably worrying himself sick, yet trying to looking strong all at once. And it was completely. My. Fault.

Dinner seemed to go on for what seemed like forever. I'd had as much food as I could hold down, on Katniss's request. One of the many foods I'd come to like was sorbet. It was almost like ice cream, except more fruity. Sorbet came in all sorts of colors and flavors.

If I ever survived the games, I was going to sit on my porch, Willie on one side, Ash on the other and we were all going to have some delicious sorbet together. That was my hope.

After a very uneventful meal (which didn't bother me the least. I loved the missing scream and yells that Effies and Haymitch usually offered), I went up to my room. Taking out a piece of paper, I began to write down what Gale had told me. If he wanted Katniss to hear them, she would.

Katniss,

Gale Hawthorne told me to tell you this:

I'm not your cousin. You need to stop pushing yourself. Peeta died for you to have a better life, not to torture yourself over him. I miss hunting with you. It's not the same. Most importantly, I miss you, every minute of every day.

Although I wasn't quite sure what happened between Katniss and Gale, I knew it was important and emtional. Just to see Gale's eyes soften like I did is enough proof for that case. I don't remember a lot of Katniss's games, I remember that she was the only one in history to be a star crossed loverand a victor from the games. I'd also heard from Rosa that he 'star crossed lover' had been Peeta and he died killing the last career.

So, Katniss wasn't a stranger to death either. Dread filled my chest. To lose someone you cared about hurt, a lot. It had been seven year since Rosa's death and it still stung like it was last week.

"Hey." Speaking of Katniss...

'Hi' I signed to her. My eyes didn't miss the paper and pencils she had in her arms.

"I was wondering if you'd teach me some more of that sign language." she said, staring at her feet. I didn't know why, but whenever she seemed to take an interest in me, I felt happy.

Smiling, I nodded to her and we both sat down. I taught her how to read sign language more that how to sign, but she caught on to both quite well. We went over names, plants and objects mostly. By the time the lesson was up, Katniss recommended I go to bed, as tomorrow was going to be a another day of work.

'Katniss?' I signed. She looked at me, waiting for me to continue. 'What should I do, at the training session?'

"Don't worry about that." she told me, picking up the papers. "Just don't show your strengths. Work on things that you know you're not good at and stay under the radar of the careers. I'll tell you more in the morning. Goodnight." I signed goodnight to her as well and went to bed, suddenly exhausting with everything again.

Tomorrow I would meet the tributes. The kids who I would possibly kill or the kids who would possibly kill me.