Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.

Alix was holding a brand new sword in her hands, admiring the way the blade reflected everything so clearly. She ran her finger across the blade, giving a hiss of satisfaction when it made a small cut on her finger, proof of how sharp it was.

She wasn't masochistic; she was just proud to have it.

She gave it a swing, and then a lunge, her form perfect and her motions graceful, almost as though she was dancing, and she kept on doing so, when the earth began to shake vigorously, making her trip on her feet and stumble, the sword slipping out of her hand, falling into a chasm that just began to open...

"Up, Alix, wake up!"

Alix groaned, batting her hand in a random direction to shoo away the disturber. She pulled her blanket over her head, and said in a muffled voice, "Go away."

"It's Monday, Alix, and it's seven-thirty. Class starts in an hour."

"I'll manage thirty more minutes," Alix said groggily, her fist shooting out in an attempt to punch whoever was speaking. "Just go away."

No response. It was quiet, and she assumed that she'd finally been left alone and given reprieve. Alix sighed in relief, snuggling against her pillows and cocooning herself in her blanket again. She proceeded to close her eyes when she felt the bed dip behind her, a pair of strong, muscular arms wrapping themselves around her waist.

"Dammit!" she yelled, performing a release technique by grabbing the assailant's arm and twisting it, pushing herself against it and jumping out of bed. She whipped around furiously to see Cato lying flat-out on her bed, clutching his arm as though she had injured him but was laughing his guts out. "Dammit, Cato! You know I hate getting woken up like that!"

He couldn't answer her because he was still clutching his stomach and having his laughing spasm.

She gave an indignant growl and tackled him, putting too much pressure on the springs that she ended up tossing both of them off the bed.

He gave a yell as they crashed to the floor, taking her sheets with them. They tumbled into one tangled heap, their voices morphing into laughs, and Alix barely managed to get out, "What is your problem?"

Cato grabbed her arms and switched their positions, so that he was hovering above her. He had her arms pinned down, and he was grinning. "It was the only way I could wake you up."

He was already dressed up in the Academy uniform (well, it wasn't really a uniform, just a convenience everyone in the school seemed to understand) - black sweatpants, his training boots, and a fresh white shirt. His training jacket was still hung against the door of the closet, and she realized he really wasn't going to start class without her.

She, on the other hand, was still in her usual sleepwear - her favorite green flannel shorts and a really big, old shirt of her dad's.

They were both still laughing, still on the floor, when the door flung open unceremoniously and a girl with dark hair already tied up in a ponytail poked her head in the room.

"Good morning, you two, rise and shine, it's an early start for - whoa," Clove's large eyes grew larger at the sight of them on the floor, Cato pinning Alix down. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did - oh my God - were you two - disgusting!"

Cato sighed, and Alix just blushed. They understood Clove's meaning. "No, Clove, we were just - "

"Save it, don't wanna hear it!" Clove said, her tone still disgusted, pinching her nose like they smelled bad and sticking her tongue out at the two of them. "You two, off the floor. Sheesh, all I did was come up and wake you and here I'm greeted by - ugh," she wrinkled her nose.

"We're just friends, Clove," Alix said patiently as Cato pushed himself off of her and held out his hand, helping her up. She snatched her hand immediately away after getting on her feet, looking at Cato in mock annoyance. "If anything, he woke me up, very irritably, might I add."

"Just making sure you weren't planning to sleep in today," Cato smirked, pulling her into a headlock and ruffling the top of her dark hair. Alix pushed him off, hitting his arm and scowling when he only chuckled.

"Like you always do," Clove added dryly, rolling her eyes.

"Are you two done ganging up on me?" Alix asked, irritated. She was rummaging through their closet for her clothes. "I'll be done in a minute, you can leave!"

"You go," Clove told Cato. "You're the dude. She's just embarrassed because she's a girl."

"I did not need to know that, Clove," Cato shook his head, picking his sword up and swinging it over his shoulder. He grabbed his jacket and said, "I'll be waiting outside!"

As soon as Cato shut the door behind him, Clove smiled wryly. She cracked her knuckles, then told Alix, who had already gone into the shower, "If you're not out here in three minutes, I'm barging in there then helping you, regardless of whether you're naked or not!"

"Clove!" Cato and Alix's muffled voices sounded from behind their respective doors. Cato added in an annoyed tone, "We heard you!"

Clove rolled her eyes, but still managed to turn red. "Huh," she told herself. "Guess I do speak a bit too loudly."

"You think?" Alix bit back, hopping on one foot as she tried to pull on her training boots. She took the liberty of dressing up in the bathroom; her towel was hanging over her shoulder, and her hair was oozing wet. She grabbed the towel and ran it quickly through her hair, trying to dry it well enough to keep it from seeping into her shirt. "And I'm not embarrassed, I just don't want to feel like a holdup to you guys!"

"So," Clove grinned snarkily, and Alix tried to resist the urge to smack her across the face, "you do spend some loving times with Cato, being liberated by taking your shirt off, I mean - "

"Clove, you stick a toe out of line and I will cut your foot off," Alix threatened, tying up the final knot on her boots.

"And not even two minutes flat," Clove said cheerfully, resting her hands on her hips. "Well done, that's got to be a new record - "

Alix tuned Clove out by letting out an exasperated groan, grabbed her jacket, hairband and sword and pulled open the door, Clove following closely behind her.

"About time," Cato mock yawned from his position against the opposite wall, and Alix punched his stomach lightly.

"You two are ridiculously sweet," Clove said sarcastically, arranging the knives properly in her training jacket. "So sweet, my teeth are starting to hurt. In fact, maybe a kiss or two and all my teeth would start falling off..." She stopped under the look Alix and Cato were giving her. "What?"

"Way to ruin the morning, Clove," Cato said angrily, looking genuinely pissed off and like he wanted to snap her neck.

Clove gave him that puppy-dog look that Alix would find hilarious, if not for the rising tension. "Aw, I'm sorry," she said, her tone dripping sarcasm.

"Clove, stop," Alix said impatiently, crossing her arms to tower over the girl and stepping in front of Cato to keep him from grabbing Clove. "He's not joking, you know."

Clove sighed, eyeing the two. They were much bigger than her, and one aggravated Cato was virtually unstoppable, even against a rational Alix and her. "Fine, fine," she told them, dropping the sarcasm she was bringing on the floor. "Sorry. Really, Cato."

Cato was glaring, but he merely shrugged. "Can't do anything about it," he muttered grumpily, then tried to smile bleakly at her. "You're Clove. Our oh so c-lovely, sarcastic Clove. Wouldn't be Clove if sarcasm didn't come with you."

Clove beamed at him, more out of nervousness than actually smiling. "Ah, at last, someone who understands," she said, closing her eyes in content, and Cato took the opportunity to roll his eyes at her.

"We heading for class or for breakfast?" Alix asked, halting just before the cafeteria doors.

It was jam-packed with people, a far cry from last Saturday. There were almost a hundred kids in there - okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but really. There were plenty of kids, sitting around tables on stools, on those plastic chairs reserved for extras, on other people's laps. Others were throwing food at each other, older kids dumping soda pop on the younger ones, like some sort of 'initiation'...

In other words, it was chaos.

Clove's mouth scrunched up, obviously repulsed. "Can we just skip?" she asked, looking up at the two older ones.

"Skip," Alix swallowed, furrowing her eyebrows and looking up at Cato wistfully. She didn't want to be inside the cafeteria with so many rowdy, noisy people and end up with potato salad in her hair.

Cato shrugged. "Skip." He shared a look with Alix, and she saw that he was just as repelled as she was.

They turned on their heels and headed straight for class, Clove parting with them to join her own. She was fifteen, and, being three years below them, had a different class to attend.

It was a funny story how they'd all become friends in the first place.

There was the two of them; the seniors, as they were called, because after this year they'd leave the school forever and find a job, as a stonecutter, or maybe a Peacekeeper. They'd been friends for the longest time, and for the longest time too, it was just the two of them. Sure, Cato made other friends along the way, but he ended up getting into too many brawls with them, that he'd also gained plenty of enemies.

Alix was the only one he was absolutely sure was on his side, and always would be.

Then there was Alix's brother, Dyan. He was tall and well-muscled, not in the way Cato was, but rather fit anyways, though he didn't like bringing up that Alix may be heavier and stronger than he was. He had the same straight, blue-black hair, but his eyes were a lighter shade of blue.

Cato liked the kid, and while they weren't very close, tended to look after him in case Alix wasn't there, so they had enough good times together. Besides, Dyan could get himself into as much trouble than it was worth, so not only did he need an older sister, but maybe he could do with an older brother figure, too.

Then there was Clove. That's the fun part.

Clove had just started living in the Academy and as part of the 'initiation', a bunch of older kids, mostly girls, had decided to mess with her by ganging up on her after lunch in a deserted corridor.

Being only thirteen then, Clove was a little nervous when the first girl blocked her way to class, but she had always known her agility and talent with knives would give her an edge. But the girls who surrounded their leader, growling fiercely, cracking knuckles…these girls were much taller, much older, and much bigger than she was.

The girl pulled at Clove's ponytail, and by then, the other girls began tugging at Clove's clothes, and pretty soon, began pinching her skin, punching her, shoving her...

Alix and Cato were returning to their room from class when they saw a crowd of unruly girls cheering and booing in the corner, and when Cato raised his voice to call them off for being noisy, the girls stopped, turning around to face him, allowing Alix a glimpse of a bruised and fuming Clove.

Immediately, Alix shoved through the heavy bodies to get a better look at the girl, who was looking at her both imploringly and apprehensively. Alix wrapped delicate fingers around her arm and helped her up, shooting deadly looks to the girls who'd ganged up on Clove.

"I'll deal with them," Cato had said to Alix with a smile, patting her shoulder, glaring at the now cowering, nervous-looking girls.

Alix stayed with Clove while she was in the infirmary, gathering information about her. Clove wasn't the shy type, and so engaged in conversation almost immediately and by the end of the day, with only a few bruises and a bandaged hand, Alix introduced Clove to Cato, sealing her as part of their group of friends.

"What are you thinking?" Cato asked her, seeing that blank look she had on her face when she was thinking.

She looked up at him, pacing her strides as they rounded the corner and their classroom was at the far end of the hallway, then smiled. "Nothing, really. Just...us. You and me and Clove...us."

He smiled back at her, then wagged his eyebrows playfully, nudging her gently with the butt of his sword. "But you and me, mostly, right?"

She hit him on his shoulder with hers, and he laughed his lovely laugh again, brushing his shoulder as though what she did simply left dust on it and didn't hurt him.

Cato opened the door for her, and they stepped into the room. Most of their class was there, sitting in their chairs, or maybe tossing around airplanes at other people. The trainer wasn't there yet, so they tried looking for two empty seats next to each other.

But there was none. There were two empty chairs, yes, but far away from each other, on different corners of the room.

"Front or back?" Cato asks her, and she just shrugged.

"You choose."

Cato sighed, then, taking her by the elbow, lead her to the space in front. A guy was sitting next to the empty chair, just staring, his chin in his hand and making raspberry noises to no one. Cato cracked his knuckles, startling the boy back into reality.

"Hey, kid," Cato said, his voice slightly edgy and aggressive, like when he was taunting Alix during sparring sessions. "Scram."

The boy looked up with menacing eyes. "Or what?"

"Or I'll beat you to a bloody pulp right here, right now," Cato challenged. "Get out. Now."

The boy looked up at Alix, then he smirked. "Oh, I see," he teased. "Want some room for your girl, huh?"

"I am not his girl," Alix snapped, grabbing the front of the guy's shirt. "Get the hell out of the chair or risk losing your nose."

The boy growled audibly, but stood anyway. He was mumbling a stream of curses as he made his way to the back, defeated.

Cato was still glaring, then he turned to Alix, his expression shifting from annoyance to cheerfulness. "You and I make such a great team."

"I know," Alix shrugged, sitting down on the recently-vacated seat, but Cato stopped her.

"No, you take that one," Cato said, pointing to the other chair. He sat down carelessly, dropping his things around his feet.

"Why?" she asked, but she sat down anyway. She placed her stuff neatly down, not like Cato.

"Because," he told her, but not giving her a definite answer. He just shrugged, and she realized that these were one of those times when Cato was not going to tell her anything.

The moment Alix sat down, the door opened wide with a loud bang, and their trainer walked in, his steps confident and menacing.

That was always the vibe of District 2. Brutal, confident, tense. Always ready for action.

And Alix loved that.

"All right, let's get started," he barked, his voice fierce. Their trainer was a large, broad-shouldered man who was in his late forties. His hair was graying some, but you couldn't really tell, thanks to his military-style buzzcut. Because of this, most of his students nicknamed him 'Buzzcut'. "The Games are nearing, and you guys are eighteen. Either you step up now and be Careers, or jump out the window."

"Can we hang ourselves instead?" a boy at the very back asked. The class laughed, and Buzzcut's lips twitched.

"Only if you know how to to make a noose," he said, narrowing his eyes, a challenging glint reflecting in them, "and noose-making might be essential, if you get Reaped. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about stepping up to the plate."

When no one answered, his cocked his eyebrow. "Volunteering," he sneered. "And when you volunteer, you gotta be sure you're going to win. Otherwise, where would we be?"

"In District Twelve?" Alix muttered, and the people who heard laughed.

"Exactly," the trainer told her, his tone humored and approving. "Now file out! One line for the boys, one for the girls. We're heading to the Training Center for a live demonstration as to what real victors are made of."

"Back of the line," Cato whispered to her as they stood up, following the rest of the class outside.

They hated being in front of the line. Usually it's the frontal people who get picked for stuff like cleaning and fixing up the dummies that were destroyed during the class. They were tall anyway, they could get away with it.

They were ordered to sit down on the matted flooring of the gigantic Training Center. During the weekend, most of the equipment was set aside, and if you wanted to train, you'd have to drag it out in the middle yourself. But during classes, the equipment - different sets of weights and work-out machines, targets for the knife- and axe-throwers, dummies that varied in size - were all decked out, ready for use.

There was a large space in the center of the room made specially for practice combat sessions. The examinations were held in a special, high-tech sort of room, usually with close-to-life settings and moving dummy-slash-puppets to attack.

While everyone was settling down, Buzzcut called, "Cato! Alix! Up, front and center. Now."

They shared a look, then went up to the trainer.

"Okay, now," he said aloud, calling the attention of the class. "Cato, Alix, grab a weapon or two from the Weapons Room. I want to know what you got, and be sure the other knows too."

Cato shrugged, ruffling his blond hair, and Alix nodded.

They went to the Weapons Room and were carefully selecting a weapon to use, when Cato said, "What do you think he's going to make us do?"

"Demonstrate," Alix answered simply, pulling out a small, slim sword from the sword rack. "I've got this and a small knife in my pocket. You?"

Cato pried his favorite sword off the rack, turning it in his hands to examine the blade, before looking at her, his eyes meeting hers. "Just this."

Alix's eyebrows furrowed, confusion plain in the way she scrunched up her lips. "Are you sure?"

He smiled. "Positive."

They made their way back, then showed Buzzcut their weapons. He looked them over, then nodded. "Now," he clapped his hands together, "Cato, to the far left of the combat area. Alix, to the right," he ordered. They followed, looking at each other tensely.

"I said today I was going to make you watch a live demonstration of how real victors are supposed to be," Buzzcut said. "And here they are. Both of you will fight. No deaths, not yet. Wait for the Games if you want to kill each other. But," he smirked, "I want you to show us what you've got."

Alix and Cato knew this was coming. It had happened several times before; it was nothing new. They were used to demonstrating combat, especially when it came to fighting each other.

Cato's shoulders began to heave up and down, and he was jumping slightly. He cracked his neck, and the sword was twitching in his hand.

This was what he looked like when he was eager for a fight. His muscles tense, his eyes concentrated...

Alix's way of preparing was slightly different. She squared her shoulders, her body growing tense. Her jaw clenched and her eyes, just like his, became dark with concentration.

"And...go!"

Alix charged at Cato, her sword ready in her hand. He ducked easily, and she sensed his sword coming at her from behind. She whipped around and deflected, their swords making a screeching sound at the impact.

Alix took two steps backward and swung her sword toward Cato's side, a feral growl escaping her lips. Cato's sword blocked it, and he pushed it away, making Alix slightly unbalanced.

They fought like two forces of nature, and it was hard not to keep your eyes on them.

Cato was like a rampaging tornado, and Alix was like a rushing stream, and the way they slashed and stabbed was amazing to watch.

Cato showed off his superior strength by running at her, carrying her over his shoulder and throwing her down to the ground. She gave a loud 'oof', the wind rushing out of her lungs. Just before Cato could strike, she rolled over, tripping him with her legs.

He pushed her off, but Alix was ready for that. She maneuvered around him, making him trip. Before he could hit her, she rolled behind him, then tackled him from the back.

He made a surprised sound, and his hand tried to pry her arms off. He threw her off his back by elbowing her in the stomach, which sort of hurt.

She clutched at it, wincing in pain, and she stepped back a bit. Cato turned on her, and his sword was, again, coming at her for a strike.

She deflected him, and she tried to stab him in his stomach, but he deflected that, too.

Everything was a blur; one second you think Alix is going to win when her sword comes at Cato at distorted angles, the other you think Cato is going to win by the way he dodges her attacks and comes at her with brute force.

She made the mistake, however, by trying to hit him on the head. He just pushed her hands away, knocking her sword out of her hand.

He began swinging the sword at her, but she ducked reflexively, making him miss. He growled and swung at her again, but she quickly moved away from him.

That's when Cato let out a really angry growl, that almost sounded like he wanted to bite someone.

In her shock, Cato took the opportunity and pinned her to the ground, his sword readily positioned to stab into her stomach.

They were panting, exhausted a bit, but their eyes never left each other's. Alix could still see that darkness, that ferocity in his eyes, but slowly, they lightened. Finally, he grinned at her, and he whispered, "I win."

She gave a small, smug laugh, and said, "You can't say that."

He wondered what she meant, when he felt the tip of a blade press against his throat.

The knife. He'd forgotten all about her knife.

He looked into her eyes again, and she tried not to blush. She loved his blue eyes, the way they sparkled, even when he was angry, but when he looked at her like this...

She swallowed, and Buzzcut finally spoke, much to her relief.

"Excellent," he commended. "Wonderful. Get up, both of you."

He stared at her for one more second, before getting up. He held his hand out to her to help her up, and she gladly took it. He smiled at her, which was his way of telling her that the demonstration a while ago was nothing but a demonstration. No more, no less.

"You see?" Buzzcut told the class. "These two have respectable, and commendable fighting styles. Cato uses his brute strength to overpower Alix. He is strong, but he makes use of his agility and power to defeat her."

"I told you," Cato whispered in her ear, and she flinched a little when his lips accidentally brushed her ear. "Sorry," he added sheepishly, "But I told you. I win."

"Whereas Alix," Buzzcut continued, "uses technique. Take note of this: technique. Her fighting style is graceful in its own way, but it manipulates Cato's style to her own advantage. She twists his style so that instead of being defeated by it, she can use it against him."

Alix gave a smug sigh. "Right," she teased Cato, "You win."

"Which, in the end, gave them a fifty-fifty percent chance of defeating the other. Who wins between them, we cannot determine. Only they can tell us who will win, and who dies."

Buzzcut's eyes scanned the class, then he concluded, "That is what a victor is made of. He is supposed to be strong enough to overpower his opponent, but he has to have wit and technique to assure his victory. That is why he is called a victor."

He clapped suddenly, startling the class. "Now, each of you. Get a partner. I want you to focus on the fighting style of your partner, and attempt to overthrow them. Use their advantage and make it yours."

The class then began getting up, pairing with each other, grabbing swords and axes and knives to practice with. Cato and Alix lingered behind the rest of the class with smug smiles on their faces.

"You and I make a great team," Cato told her thoughtfully, running his finger across the blade of his sword.

"Of course we do," Alix told him, crossing her arms. "We're partners in crime, remember?"

He chuckled, shaking his head, then ruffling his blond hair with his hand. He held out his fist. "You?"

She looked up at him, and their eyes connected. She tried not to stare into them too long, because she hated what those eyes could do to distract her. "And me," she finished, bumping her fist against his.

"Well, then," Cato told her, leaving his place on the wall to shake some feeling into his arms, "Let's go practice."

"Didn't we practice enough?" she complained, but she picked up her sword anyway. "We already did the demonstration."

Cato smiled at her. "Yeah, but we are the top fighters of this class for a reason," he reminded her.

"We're the top fighters," she repeated, raising an eyebrow, "which means we can use that title to get away with anything. Like, I dunno...lounging around?"

He laughed, then took her hand and tossed her over his shoulder. She squealed, and he twirled her around, tickling her. "You are insane!" he told her, but his voice was drowned out by her laughing. "We're not supposed to be lounging around, we're supposed to practice!"

"Cato!" Alix said loudly, beating her fists on his back. "Cato, put me down! Stop! Enough!"

They were both laughing, enjoying the moment together, unaware of how the rest of the class watched them, some with amusement, some with disgust. Even Buzzcut had eyes on them, his one eyebrow raised, but his expression was warm and relieved.

Either way it didn't matter who was watching. When Cato finally put her down and they were both still shaking with laughter, Alix looked up at him, giving him a genuine grin, and somehow, a part of Alix wished that they could be this way forever.

A/N: Sorry this one took a while! While I wish I had all the time to write, I am unfortunately only a student dealing with the pains of a heavy workload and of course, academics should always be the most important and the top priority. Always remember to study and take your studies seriously, kiddos, it's your ticket to a better future!

Please, please leave a review! ^^