Chapter 18

Amelia Pond's POV (District 5)

"Listen up tributes!" Donna calls, catching our immediate attention. It's day two of training, and we've all arrived in the training room for yet another day. Jack is stood next to me, and the be honest, I'm feeling better about this alliance. Donna, gathers around. "Today your individual training begins. Same rules apply, but this time you can choose a station to work on. The Gamemakers will be watching today as well to assess your skills and attributes. Show them this. It could save your life" She tells us, sounding sterner than usual. We nod, and she claps her hands. "Let training commence." She calls and I smile.

Jack looks down at me.

"Where do you wanna start?" He asks and I shrug.

"No idea. What do reckon is more important; defence or offence?" I ask him and he thinks about it.

"Defence first?" He offer and I nod.

"Sounds good."

We head over to the edible plants test, and the instructor looks pleased.

"Hello you two." He smiles and catches a look at the district numbers sewn into our shirts. "Odd pairing, I have to say. But you're very welcome to have a go at this." He invites and we take a seat. I get the feeling it isn't the station most people go to, or at the very least, not the first station people go to.

He shows us a few diagrams of some edible plants, some I recognise which is surprising. District 5 is concrete, but there are dandelions and nettles that grow sometimes, and according to this guy, they're edible. Who knew?

After we look at a bunch we take a test with the real things to see if we've learnt anything. I do better than Jack, which is good, but only by a slim margin. We thank the rather enthusiastic instructor and then move onto the next, which is about how to start fires. We manage this well with matches, and Jack can get a spark with the flint and steel. Neither of us manage to get a flame with the sticks alone, and to be honest, I doubt it can be done.

I look up as the instructor talk to Jack and watch the other tributes. The district One pair, Cedric and Alice, are working at the archery section, which I expected. The Doctor and Clara are working with swords, and Percy and Annabeth are using tridents. They careers are really getting straight to it.

But I'm most surprised at Ron's group. He's walking around with Teresa from 12 and Molly from 3. And those three are occasionally exchanging words with Hermione and Same from 8, who are also going around with Luffy from 11. It's an odd group, but I thought the alliances would be different this year. I'm also slightly jealous that Ron's managed to snag such a big group.

It surprises me to see John Watson from 9 and Sherlock Holmes from 3 together, and they seem to actually be getting along. I wonder what on earth sparked that…

That seems to be it as far as the alliances are concerned. Dekka from 11, the big scary one, is working at the same station, snares, as Guinevere from 9. The Districts have mixed up this year, and whilst it's unusual, I kind of like it.

Jack and I then move on to an offensive station; Spears. I'm a little nervous about this, having used a spear on the Jabberjays from yesterday. We have to throw at these dummy-target-board things, which feels a little weird. I don't want to. I know all too well that I have too, because if you're going to win the games, you have to kill. But there's something very barbaric about it all.

Jack's not very good at it; his aim is off, but I can hit the target surprisingly well. Even accurately. I don't think I could hit anything moving, but this is a definite advantage. And I can see Cedric watching me from the archery range. Maybe this is a good thing; the careers think I'm worth something, so maybe they'll leave me alone for a bit. On the other hand this means they know what I can do, and I'm a target. I decide to ignore this. I have to focus.

We break for lunch and I head to canteen with Jack, before sitting down with some pasta.

"So… Thoughts on the other tributes?" I ask him, stabbing at the food. He thinks.

"Well… The careers are really getting down to it aren't they? All those weapons…" He replies, sounding serious, but then a grin breaks out on his face. "You have to admit though… everyone is very attractive this year." He adds and I laugh.

"Too true. What about the outlying districts?" I ask again and he shrugs.

"Remember district 10 is one of those outlying districts, so be careful." He smirks and I blush, hoping I haven't insulted him. "12 is an odd one this year. Teresa seems to be very cheerful bout all this. I don't know what to make of the boy…"

"He's terrifying." I reply, staring across the canteen at James Moriarty, who's staring into the distance, his dark eyes wide and deep. He notices me and looks straight at me, smiling slightly. I shake myself and look away. Jack is nodding.

"I thought so too. But he's not really done anything other than look disinterested. I can't see him being a very good runner." He says, thinking. I try not to look back at Moriarty.

"What's the girl from your District like? Tally, wasn't it?" I ask and he nods.

"Yeah. She was at the same school in the year below, so I don't know her that well. But I think she's hiding her talents for now. As far as I can remember, she's survived in the wild before, so I can't say the arena will be totally new to her. What about Ron?" He asks and I look down.

"I don't know… We don't know each other." I lie, feeling bad. He stares at me for a moment, clearly trying to figure it out.

"You look alike."

"So does everyone in 5. It's the hair." I dismiss and he grins.

"We'll have to camouflage that in the arena. They could spot you a mile off." He teases and I laugh, fiddling with my ponytail.

"Right." I smirk. "And what about the twins from 6?"

"Not people I wanna cross anytime soon. They'll stick together. I doubt they'll include anyone else."

"They're quite fast." I point out and he shrugs.

"Indeed. But then, so are we." He adds and I smile. Allying with Jack was a good thing. I'd hate to be sat here alone.

We eat our pasta quickly, discussing the other tribute in between, and eventually it's time to head back into the training room. I'm worried. The career table were looking around too, and I happened to catch their eyes at one point. I don't want them to approach me.

I have to focus. I have to stick with Jack, and I have to train and learn new things. I can't worry myself with the careers. Not yet, anyway.

We're sat at the snare making station when we're approached. It's Tally from Jack's district, to my immense relief. I don't think I can actually talk to the careers at the moment; they've been showing off all day, and I'm growing increasingly terrified.

"Hi Jack." She smiles timidly and he looks up, grinning.

"Hey Tally." He replies.

"Can I join you?" She asks, sounding braver. Jack looks at me first and I nod once to indicate it's ok.

"Go ahead." He smiles and Tally sits down gratefully.

"Thanks. I tried talking to the bigger group, you know, with the district 8 kids in it, but they didn't wanna let me tag around with them." She tells us. This surprises me. Ron is in that group, and he's never been one to turn people away. But then again, I know nothing whatsoever about the other tributes, so there's a good chance he had no say in the matter.

"That was rude." Jack mutters, looking over at them, frowning. Oh dear. The last thing we need right now is disagreements, before the games even start. It makes it more personal.

Tally holds out her hand to me.

"Tally Youngblood. District 10." She introduces, smiling. I smile right back and shake her hand, thinking only of how by the end of the games, she will probably be dead. No disrespect to her at all, but she's not exactly games material. Neither am I, but I wouldn't let myself get put off if another group didn't let me hang around.

"Amy Pond. District 5." I reply, going for the friendly approach. I wonder if including her now means she immediately assumes she's in on the alliance. Although I don't know whether she is or not. I'll have to ask Jack later.

"So how does this work?" Tally asks and the instructor shows her how the knot works, and how it is deployed as a snare. Jack and I are far ahead of her, but she has quick fingers, which is surprising. She manages to complete the snare at the same speed as me and Jack.

Maybe including her isn't such a bad idea…

The instructor shows us a few more, and (as a three) we then decide to practice with more weapons. Jack eagerly suggests axes, and we move onto that station. Unsurprisingly, Jack is very good at using them, both throwing and short range. He's very well built, whereas Tally is slight. I like to think I'm somewhere in the middle, but I'm not what you would call strong. By the time we leave the station my arms are aching from using the axe. It's Tally who suggests archery. Mu muscles groan, but it's a good idea, so we move over there.

Annabeth and Percy are next to us on the range, and she keeps correcting him, sounding irritated. Percy really isn't any good at it; although I saw him use the tridents earlier, and I don't think archery was ever going to be his strong point. Annabeth is good at it anyway, so I doubt they'll need him for it anyway.

We continue to train throughout the day, and it's surprisingly exhausting. I do, however, feel like I've learnt from it. I can throw spears, and my archery isn't too bad. I can set a few basic snares and I know my Nightlock from my Blueberries. It hasn't been a great success, but it hasn't been a disaster.

For the first time in days, I actually feel prepared.

I UPDATED AGAIN AND I'M PROUD OF MYSELF! WOO! So what do we think about this chapter? What do we think in general about the tributes? Does anyone have any suggestions for things to come? Let me know in the reviews! I'll get straight onto it! :D

Thanks for reading, stay excellent,

Lucy XXX