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Levana Coltello
District Two Female, 16 Years Old
Training

"Just look at her."

I lean up from resting my elbows on the table, standing up straight and crossing my arms over my chest. Mathias runs his hand through his hair, pushing it back so he can actually see. He puts down the sticks and rocks he was working with, and when he doesn't know where I'm looking, I nudge him with my arm.

"At the right angle, she is kind of attractive. You have to admit that."

Mathias bends down, angling his head downwards and tilting it to the side. He watches Leilani talk to the District Four boy, Jonah. They're standing at the spear station, and when Leilani reaches to get another one, Mathias clicks his tongue.

"Do you see what I mean?"

"Stop it," I snap, shaking my head. "I will dispose of you just like I disposed of her."

"Did you really dispose of her, though? She just kind of walked away…"

"Don't test me, Mathias."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Or else you'll dispose of me too."

"You're pushing it," I say snidely. "You'll eventually get to the edge, Mathias. And I will continue to push you off of it."

Mathias laughs, shrugging his shoulders as he rubs the two sticks together. I'm not even too sure why we're wasting our time at this station; Leilani and Jonah might not be interested in this alliance, but what about the girl from yesterday? Otrera. That was her name.

"Where's Otrera?" I ask, Mathias perking up at the mention of her name. Boys will be boys, sure; that's what they always used to say. It was a sad excuse. It still is. "Let's see if she wants to stick up for herself like the rest did."

Giving Mathias a moment to stand up, I begin to walk over towards her before he's standing up straight, and he catches up by jogging to me. He fixes his hair again, wipes his hands on his pants, and then pats down the front of his training suit. In front of us, Otrera is standing at the sword station. She's leaning on the wall, eyeing the boy from District Six up and down.

When she sees us, though, she smiles and waves.

It's directed at Mathias. I can tell.

Good. She shouldn't have to like. She should be afraid, intimidated. I don't need a friend.

I'm here to win, not to make ever-lasting memories with friends. That's exactly what my aunt told me to avoid.

"Don't be so hard on her," Mathias whispers. "We don't want another Leilani-type situation like yesterday."

Otrera smiles brightly as Mathias approaches her, greeting him with a hug. She clings her fingers together behind his back, and as her head pops up over his shoulder, that smile is wiped clean once she sees me. She stares at me, the look not-so amiable as it is towards Mathias.

"Levana."

"Four."

"You know," she says, pushing her hip out to the side and tilting her head. "What is with you and that? We have names." She turns to look at Mathias, holding up a finger so that I don't speak yet. "Does she call you by your name?"

"Mathias," I say, answering her question for her. "Go train. Your sword skill-set is lacking."

Mathias shrugs, walking passed Otrera and winking. She lingers her finger on his shoulder, letting it fall down once he's completely gone. We stand there in silence, letting the sound of Mathias hacking away at the dummy fill the gap. She smiles, not yet saying a word.

"You saw what happened yesterday," I say, referring to Leilani and Jonah. "It was a tragedy. The Career alliance, already down two tributes."

"What will you ever do?" She says, and I disregard her sarcasm. "How will you ever survive now?"

"Speak to me with respect, Four. I'm giving you a second chance."

Otrera ignores my demand, and goes on rambling about the Careers. She rolls her eyes, flips her hair, and talks with her hands. Mathias is still behind her, swinging the sword and slashing at the dummy.

"You might have to recruit the girl from District Three, or better yet, the boy from District Twelve!"

"Hm," I say, letting her continue. Once she stops talking, I nod. "Are you done?"

"Are you?"

"With you?" I ask, seeing her roll her eyes once more. "Yes."

"What will I ever do now?" She asks, her mouth agape, being completely dramatic. I wave Mathias over, and just as we turn around to leave, she has the need to say one more thing. "You're bad attitude is reflecting poorly on Lyme."

I stop abruptly.

Taking a deep breath, I see the concern in Mathias' face. I look over my shoulder, trying my hardest not to fully face her. If I were to, we would have some serious trouble then. But, I'll try to be civil. I can at least try, can't I?

"Don't let me hear you say her name again," I say flatly, snarling my lip. "See what happens, Four. I dare you."

And, just like that, Otrera is knocked down from her high-horse. She sheepishly steps away, turning back around to work at the sword station. She actually picks one up, though, but doesn't do much with it. She just pokes at the dummy with it.

That will teach her.

You don't speak down about me, and especially not about my grandmother.

"Cross her off the list," I say, waving my hand at Mathias. "Should we even bother with Ceylon?"

"Might as well."

Without taking a break, we head towards Ceylon, the boy from District One. He's standing alone at the weight-lifting station, lifting up and down a smaller weight. She tosses it in the air, letting it fall back down in his hands, weighing him down. He repeats the same motion, only making more wary.

You are a Coltello.

You don't get intimidated.

To my surprise, though, he already knows we're coming and what to say.

"Don't start your shit with me," he says, his voice not changing in tone. He sounds like he's talking like he would any other day. "Don't call me 'One' and try to intimidate me. It won't work."

"How do you know I would start with that?"

He ignores my question. "And save your breath. I don't want to join the 'Careers.' Besides, is it even a thing anymore? It's so outdated."

"Apparently not."

"Just as it should be," he says, placing the weight down, but still having his back turned towards me. "They're stupid."

"But-"

"Is that all?" Ceylon asks, cutting me off. "I'm getting bored."

I guess that is all, then.

Mathias and I walk away, and now, I don't know where to go. We've tried everyone, and I would never resort to recruiting outer-District tributes. That's not what Lyme would expect of me.

She would expect more from me.

I expect more from myself.

Wren Maddox
District Twelve Female, 18 Years Old
Training

I can't do it.

Watching my first spear land barely on the edge of the target, I shake my head, unhappy with my performance. I never thought it would be this hard; every other tribute made it seem so easy. So natural to them.

Why can't I do that?

I grab another one off of the wall, and this time, I try something different. I spread my legs out more, raise my arm higher, and lower my head when aiming. I add more force to my throw, and as I watch it soar through the air, it actually hits something now.

It's a few inches away from the center, but it's an improvement.

I go to grab another spear, but the station next to me is now occupied by the girl from District One. The boy from Four is then next to her, and as I watch her through the racks of spears, it doesn't make me feel any better.

I want to be able to do that.

With such natural talent, she tosses the spear, smirking when it hits bulls-eye. She nods her head, going for another one, and doing the same exact thing. Another bulls-eye.

"I'd like to see Levana top that," she says, leaning towards the boy from Four. He chuckles. "The spear might even be taller than her."

Prying myself away from the two of them, I go back to my own station. I look at the girl from One's target, and then the boy from Four's target, and then back at mine.

I have to do better than that.

I grab another spear, seeing that there aren't that many left on my rack. I try to mimic everything the girl from One was doing, but I look down at myself, knowing that I don't look anything like her. It's worth a try, though.

With one throw, the spear goes hurdling towards the target, and I wince as it hits the target. This time, it's right near the center – even closer than before.

I turn around, smiling to myself, trying to see if anyone saw me do it. But, I look around, realizing that I have no one here. It isn't like District Twelve. I don't have my parents or Cheryl and Nadia.

I'm on my own here.

I still look around the room, though, getting distracted by other people at their stations.

After making eye-contact several times with the boy from Six as I shift my gaze throughout the room, he stands up, broadens his shoulders, and begins to stride towards me. I turn back around, knowing that he is the first person to approach me so far. The rest of the tributes just seem to stay away.

I haven't done anything, though.

They have nothing to judge me for.

I hear the boy's approaching foot-steps behind me, and I turn around slowly, seeing that he's already there. He has a wide smile on his face, seemingly enthusiastic to simply meet me.

"I'm Kolter Hendricks," he says, extending his hand. "I'm from District Six."

"Wren Maddox," I reply, grabbing his hand and shaking it. He stares at me, his eyes and smile matching his friendly tone. "And I'm from District Twelve."

"I've heard a lot about District Twelve," he says. I avert my eyes for a moment, reflecting on the Rebellion.

On Katniss. On the awful conditions District Twelve is now enduring.

On my family's safe house. On why I'm even here in the first place.

"Have you now?" I ask, releasing my hand from the handshake. "I hope it's only good things."

"Of course!" He exclaims, his voice reaching a level of peppy I haven't heard before. "I would never try to offend an ally."

Ally?

Are we allies?

Laughing, I turn to the side and grab two spears. I hold one out for him, and he hesitates, grabbing it slowly. I nod my head as he takes it, and with my own spear, I aim it. Closing my left eye, I look straight-ahead, trying to imitate what I saw the other tributes do before.

I throw it, and as it lands in the target, it's nowhere near bulls-eye or the center.

"I'll have to do better than that," I berate, shaking my head. I grab another one, wanting to redo it. I have to get it.

"Are you kidding?" Kolter asks, protruding his head forward as he looks at the target. "That was amazing!"

I smile, and as I throw the next spear, this one lands a little close than my last one. Kolter claps his hands together, the spear tip almost hitting his face. He steps up now, throws the spear, and his doesn't make it. It goes behind the target, landing in the cushioned wall.

Kolter sulks, shaking his head. "That wasn't so amazing."

"I'll help you," I say, patting him on the shoulder. He looks up, a smile now on his face. "Besides, at least you know you can throw it. You just have to aim better."

"You're right," he says. "I just have to aim better."

Kolter grabs another spear, and I latch my hands onto his elbow and arm, pushing them up and down. I make sure he has the right posture and then I push the spear forward. He takes a breath, and as he throws it, I see the harm I might be doing to myself by helping him.

It's ironic.

I'm helping someone that could kill me with what I'm teaching him. Now, he knows how to use a spear.

Kolter grabs another spear, repeating the same posture and motion again. I let Kolter continue on with the spears, letting me have a moment to assess everything that just happened. He gets it closer and closer to the target after each spear, but I can't help but think that maybe allying with him isn't a good idea.

Would I rather go into the arena alone, though?

I have a higher chance of being killed without him as an ally.

Stop thinking like that. It's only self-destructive.

I'll still keep my guard up, though. I'll be alert and wary. I won't let him take advantage, and if that's what his intentions are, he should rethink them now.

I won't let people push me around. I won't let people manipulate me.

I won't let people get one-step ahead of me.

I can never be too careful.

Aella Rafferty
District Three Female, 17 Years Old
Training

"Marlin, don't-"

Before Marlin realizes what's about to happen, he takes the knife off of the wall too quickly. He knocks into the surrounding ones, making them all come tumbling down to the ground. They land, sliding all over the place. He shakes his head, getting red in the face, embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it," I say, patting him on the shoulder, bending down to pick them up. "It was a mistake."

Marlin disregards it now, shrugging his shoulders and going back to doing whatever he was going to do with the knife. Seeing that he isn't interested in it anymore, I drop the knife, letting the trainer at the station clean it up.

Marlin's an odd one. He's not all there.

Yet, I chose him as my ally. As a person to trust that won't backstab or betray me.

I wouldn't trust him with anything, but I don't have much of a choice. Without him, I have no one.

I don't like that feeling.

"So," I say, not catching Marlin's attention. "See anyone else you like?"

"There are a lot of people," Marlin deadpans.

I can always count on Marlin to state the obvious. It never fails with him.

"Is that all you have to say?"

Marlin doesn't answer, so I take it into my own hands to scout out the rest of the tributes. My mentors didn't recommend a large alliance, but I can't survive with Marlin. That's obvious. There might be other people, though.

I usually attract a wide-variety of people.

The tributes from the Career Districts are off-limits. The girl from One is with the boy from Four, while the two from Two are together. The girl from Two has just been walking around, shoving her nose in where it isn't welcomed. The boy from Ten and the girl from Ten don't seem to friendly, either. Neither does the girl from District Six, and besides, she's too young.

But, then I see two people. The boy from District Six and the girl from District Twelve.

They're standing a few inches apart, not standing too closely to one another. There's still some apprehension there, I can tell. I saw them speaking to each other before, and at this point, I assume they're allies.

They seem like good candidates.

"I like the two of them."

"Do you like me?" Marlin says. I roll my eyes.

"Of course I do, Marlin."

The District Six boy turns around, a smile plastered on his face. It's a wide smile, showing all of us his teeth, but his ally, the girl from Twelve, has no expression on her face. The boy's mouth opens and closes quickly, talking to the girl rapidly. He gently pushes the girl in her shoulder, and she just swats his hand away.

I shrug. "Let's see what they're about."

Marlin follows behind me, his feet dragging along the floor. I smile as we approach them, hoping that Marlin is doing the same. We stand there behind the two of them, and I watch what they're doing. They're at some survival skill station, a screen on the table they're looking down at.

"Aella, is this them?"

They turn around.

"Hi!" The boy from Six says, and I press my hand on my forehead, and he looks at Marlin. "Is this who?"

"Hi," I say back, shaking my head, trying not to hold my laughter. Marlin ruins everything. "I'm Aella, and this… This is Marlin. We're from District Three."

"Hi, all," he says back, his eyes widening. "Your hair is so red," he says, poking it with his finger. He makes a noise as if he's hurt, pulling his hand back. "Ouch!"

The girl from Twelve finally decides to join the conversation. She laughs, the blank expression on her face turning into a friendly smile. "Oh, stop, Kolter," she says, holding out her hand. "I'm Wren. District Twelve."

I shake her hand, and Marlin is still wandering around behind me, so I just leave him. They get that he's with me. Kolter is still smiling, while Wren's slowly fades, and she turns back around to the table.

"Do you want to join us?" Kolter steps to the side, holding out his hand. "It's kind of confusing."

Stepping forward, I peer down at the screen, showing an image of some type of maze. It's like a game of sorts, where you have to lead the person – who's supposed to be you – around it, trying to avoid traps and muttations.

"It seems like you're doing well," I say, watching Wren press her finger on the screen. I see from the corner of my eye that Kolter smiles to himself, looking down at his feet. He mumbles something, but I chose to ignore it.

Did I say something?

"It's so much fun! Don't you agree, Wren?" Kolter says, his peppy tone making me laugh. He has the personality out of the two of them. She nods her head, focusing solely on the screen. "Why don't you try, Aella?"

Wren nods her head again, letting me have a turn. I drag my finger along the screen, leading the animated person here and there, trying to avoid muttations. Then, after a few minutes, a fire is lit on the screen. It happens in the top right-hand corner of the screen, but before I can move the animated character away, the screen goes black.

I pout. "Aw. That was fun."

"It is!" Kolter exclaims, looking behind me at Marlin. "What's he doing?"

"Just let him be," I say, shrugging. "Marlin is Marlin. You'll learn that soon."

Kolter laughs, going back to the screen. Him and Wren exchange smiles and laughs, and as I watch them, I realize that these are the two I want to ally with. They'll complement me and Marlin well.

I just hope I'm not too forceful.

Frankly, I don't care. I like being upfront about things I want.

"I have a proposition," I say, and Kolter and Wren look over their shoulders. "An alliance. Marlin and I and the two of you. What do you say?"

Kolter leans in closer to Wren, whispering something in her ear. Wren nods, smirking again, and the two of them turn to face me.

"We accept," Wren says. "The four of us sounds like a plan."

"I would've been disappointed if you declined," I say, waving Marlin over. We stand there for a few seconds, and as Marlin walks over to the screen, I can already tell this will be funny. "Please, someone help him before he embarrasses both me and him."

"That won't be a good first impression," Wren says, laughing. That's the first time she's ever really said much. "Don't worry, Marlin. I'm here to help."

Wren shows Marlin what to do, and as Kolter looks over Marlin's shoulder, I look around the Training Center quickly. I see the Career tributes scattered throughout the space, with some of the outer-District tributes here and there. Then, I see the weapons. The swords. The spears.

I see everything that could kill me. I see everyone that could, too.

I feel out of place here. This is all new to me. It's nothing like District Three, that's for sure. Those are where all my friends, memories, and attachments were. That's when I felt at home.

That's when I'm in my zone.

When drinking. When partying.

When everything was spinning.

When I let loose.

Not any of this… The weapons, the idea that everyone here might kill me. This puts a damper on my mood.

I won't let it get to me, though.

I'll still be the upbeat, peppy Aella everyone knows and loves.

I'll always be that girl.

Ceylon Lanier
District One Male, 17 Years Old
Training

"Did the two from District Two confront you too?"

Swinging at the dummy in front of me, I stab the spear into its stomach. Then, I yank it out, stabbing it again in the head. I then aim for the arm, the bottom legs, and the upper-chest. With one more thrust, I stab the dummy through the neck and forcefully rip the head off.

"Excuse me?"

Holding the spear in my hand, I look down at what I've just done, the dummy all torn apart. The fluffing from inside is spilled all out on the ground, with some of the fabric in large chunks here and there. It's a mess.

I like messes.

"Can you hear me?" She asks, snapping her fingers in front of my face. "Did you hear me?"

"Oh, no," I say, putting my hands on my hips as I look at the target in front of me. "I heard you."

"And?"

"I'll keep you around," I say, cutting her off. I don't need to listen to her attempt to convince me that she's the right one for me. I'll keep it short just for her. "Just tread carefully."

"But, I didn't even ask for an alliance," she says, holding up her hands and tipping her body backwards.

I smile. One of my infamous smiles, the ones where people believe I see them as endearing. That I care about what they're saying and that I'm involved in the conversation.

She smiles back. But, her smiles… They're so genuine. Too genuine.

"That's why you were here, wasn't it?"

"Maybe…"

"Exactly."

Otrera, for the first time in a few minutes, actually grabs a spear. For a second, I think she might actually do something with it, but she doesn't. She just paces around with it, looking at herself in the reflection from the tip.

"I think we'll make a good team."

So, what can she do exactly? Can she do anything?

Either way, I'm stuck with her.

Do I really want her for an ally? No.

Did I ever consider having an ally? Not necessarily.

But, she'll keep me company. She'll babble and I'll pretend to listen. She'll keep things… entertaining.

Apparently, she doesn't value silence as much as I do, though.

"Have you ever watched some past Games?"

"No."

"You should. They're really fun to watch," she says, and just with that one word, I see that I might like her. She thinks watching the Games are fun. "My favorite might be the girl from District Six's Games. The arena was really cool and I just loved her attitude."

I focus on the target in front of me, raising the spear in the air. With a quick toss, it lands just an inch away from the center. I grab another one, focusing one more time, not getting distracted from Otrera's incessant rambling.

"Or what about the twins from District Two? Arick and Ryker?" She asks, and at this point, I've learned that she isn't expecting an answer. She's just talking to hear her own voice. "Was it Arick who won the 96th Games or was it Ryker? I really don't know."

I launch another spear hurdling towards the target, and from the corner of my eye, I can see Otrera leaning against the wall now. She has a spear in her hand and she rolls it between her hands, still talking.

"They were cute, don't you think?" She says, pausing for a moment of reflection. She can answer that for herself. "But, that's not the point. The point is that he didn't have a Career alliance. Well, he did but… I'm pretty sure the District One girl messed it up."

Otrera holds her spear out to me, and I grab it, raising it in the air to throw it again. She takes a deep breath, glancing quickly at Leilani and Jonah, and then continues.

"He killed her, but he wasn't done there. He then went on to kill his own District partner and his other ally; the girl from Four, yeah."

I softly chuckle to myself, and as I throw my last spear, I watch it land in the center of the target. All of the spears are remotely close to one another, with the shafts all skimming one another. Otrera claps her hands, and I finally turn to my side, looking at her.

She's an interesting one. I'm not exactly sure if she's competent or not, but that doesn't really matter. I'm not allying with her for protection or for mutual security. I'm allying with her to do exactly that – ally with her. She's sufficient for that.

She isn't that bad, anyway. She just talks a lot.

It's nothing I can't tune out, though.

"So, what I mean is that if they didn't need the Career alliance, neither do we," I say, and she takes one more deep breath. I wait for her to continue to talk, but apparently, she's done now. All of that wasted breath to tell me that we can do it without the Careers.

I was always capable of doing it on my own.

"Do you have any stories for me?" She says, following me as I walk away from the spear station. I go back to the weight-lifting one, where no one is. No one's really come over this far. "I feel like I'm talking a lot."

"You are," I say, picking up one of the lighter ones. "It's rather distracting."

Otrera giggles. "You're funny, Ceylon."

"I'm a lot of things, Otrera."

"Oh?" She says, smirking as she leans in towards me. "Is that a challenge?"

"No," I say flatly. "I'm just telling you I'm not funny."

Otrera babbles on and on once more, and as I move to the side to pick up a heavier weight, I look down at for a moment. Her voice is in my ear, but I'm not paying much attention to what she's saying to me. It's all useless information, anyway. As I pick up the weight, I hold it in the air, and Otrera looks up at it, raising her eyebrow.

And, as I hold it up in the air, I can't help myself but throw it.

In a quick burst, I throw the weight as far as I can, watching it knock into a rack of spears against the wall. They come falling down, the sound of metal clashing tuning out Otrera's voice. Otrera goes quiet as everyone turns their head to look at me.

This is why I'm here.

To make a mess. To create chaos.

To get everyone's attention.

I'm in it for the thrill.

Author's Note:

I'm back! And, this time, I brought Training Day Two with me.

Before anyone says anything, I know I'm focusing on only a few tributes in each chapter. I'm not doing that intentionally, but it works in my head and whatnot. I have a system, people. Trust me on this one.

So, there you have it. Some more alliances – that's always exciting to read about.

What do you think of the alliances so far? Do you predict any other ones?

General comments are always welcome as well. Soon, I will have a poll up, but first, we must meet all of the tributes.

Next up: Training Day Three. See you then!