CHAPTER THREE: SILENT THREAT

I am sitting on the train right now with Marvel sitting across from me, staring. We live the closest to the Capital, so it only takes about four hours. The train is decorated in hot pink from the Capital. As I expected...fad as already changed.

"Will you stop staring at me?" I say bitterly

He just chuckles and then looks out the window.

Opal enters into the room by an automatic door. Her hair is assembled in curls rising atop of her head, almost to the ceiling. She is holding a clipboard and wearing some sort of dress, I think. If it is, it is revealing much more than is to be revealed. Definitely Capital made.

"Well, good afternoon! This has been quite a week has it been? Preparing for the Reaping, being chosen for the Reaping, going on a train to-"

"Okay, okay. What'd you come in here for?" Marvel asks, stopping her before she starts talking about some other irrelevant subject.

"I see we have some attitude on this train...I like it!" she looks at Marvel "Very good for the arena,"

He smirks at me then looks down.

"We have some special requests to train today. We have hit an unexpected place, so we will have to go around. The train ride will be an extra day. Due to that fact, there will be some training on this travel. Sign up on this clipboard what you would like to train for."

I grab the clipboard before Marvel can reach and write down bows and arrows then hand the paper to Opal. Marvel writes his on a separate piece of paper.

"Thank you," she says examining the papers. "Ah, finally some different things from last year!"

I think of what Marvel's could possibly be. I have heard he's decent at wrestling, but he only trains by himself. You rent certain rooms in the training center. I suddenly recall a memory of Marvel in the eighth grade. (He is actually a year older than me, but he was held back).

It was the fall of eighth grade-two years ago. Marvel was known as the trainer, next to Indigo, my brother. They used to be friends, training together. Now that I think of it, I wish I had collected some information about Marvel from Indigo while I could.

Anyway, Bleu O'Collins and Marvel were the worst enemies. Bleu was aggravating Marvel in once day in the cafeteria. All of the Peace Keepers were gone to who- knows-where, probably slacking on their job like they always do. Marvel took that chance to do what he had always wanted to do.

Bleu was harassing him and teasing him about his red hair. It has grown to a russet color, but it used to be carrot red. Marvel has a fiery temper and can be a bit outspoken sometimes, so that day, when he had had enough of Bleu, he threw a fork-perfect aim-directly at Bleu's head. Sending Bleu to the ground, bleeding. Peace Keepers arrived and investigated the scene. Everyone has been afraid of Marvel ever since and his display of his knack of throwing things.

Throwing things. That's his specialty. I have seen him place spear heads into his backpack for after school training. How did I forget that? He is definitely going to train for spear-throwing.

"Alright, I will come back and tell you when the training will be ready." Opal giggles as she walks out of our main sitting room.

"What did you sign up for?" Marvel asks.

"None of your business," I answer.

"I signed up for tying knots. A lot of survival stuff," he shrugged. "Now you go."

"Sword fighting," I lied. He lied too, so why can't I?

"Sword fighting, eh? That's not at all different from last year. Both tributes trained in sword fighting." Marvel said, out –smartening me. I should have known he would make me sound stupid.

"Well, m-maybe I don't want to tell you." My eyes hurt from staring him down so I finally blinked and looked out the window, pretending to be interested on what was outside. The train was going fast, so everything was exceedingly blurry, but I still gazed.

"Well, m-maybe we'll be allies," he mimicked my tone and my nervous stutter.

"Allies? You?" I laughed. "You'll be dead in the first hour."

"I'm not scared of you, Glimmer. I'm not scared of anything." After he's done his bold statement, he laughs bitterly and positions his hands behind his head, reclining on the seat.

He will be dead. He will.

And I end my thoughts as he leaves and closes the door behind him.