I've been at the academy for 3 weeks now. No visits from mom or dad. My sister continues to ignore me. I have no friends and no outstanding skills in anything. I've only gotten to level 3 in swimming, level 2 in running, level 4 in survival training and 2 in weapons. No wonder my parents don't want to visit me, I'm a failure.

I have to go to weapons today. Mostly everything there is too heavy for me to pick up. With a few exceptions, bow and arrows although I suck at them, some small spears and knives. I am actually fairly good with knives. My aim is improving every time. This is one of my favorite classes but also one of my most dreaded. Some of the people there are monsters, swinging those clubs, destroying those dummies, using those swords to slice their heads off. It scares the heck out of me. Imagine going into the arena with those people. I'd be dead i a matter of seconds.

I walk down the hall, towards the room. I shove open one of the doors and walk in. I look around, where should I go first? Swords? No. Bow and arrows? No. Spears? No. Spiked clubs? Defiantly no! Knives? Yes!

I walk over to the station, relieved to see only 3 other people there. I make my way over to knife selection, I choose a light one with a leather handle. I spin it around in my hand a few times before throwing it. I throw the knife forwards, aimed at one of the targets. Only 3 inches away from bulls-eye! That's my best yet. I can't help myself, I start to jump up and down. I realize what I'm doing, and what I'm attracting and stop. I continue to throw more and more knives, getting better with each shot. Eventually training is over and it is time for lunch.

I walk to the cafeteria along with everyone else. When I reach the room I grab a tray and start piling food onto it. For lunch there is sandwiches, juice, milk, salad, energy drinks, soup and crackers. I grab a sandwich, juice and crackers and find a place to sit. There's about 30-35 tables in here and more than 27 are taken. I find a table that no one is sitting at and start eating my lunch. I am almost done when a bunch of boys come and sit down at the table. Wait, they're not just a whole bunch of boys, they're the boys who stampeded me 3 weeks ago. I quickly stand up and leave. I doubt they even realized I was there. I walk to the door still holding my tray and dump it out in a garbage can near the exit. While I'm doing so I look back at my former table where all those boys are now sitting. I whip my head around and make eye contact with a little blonde haired boy sitting there. Although he wasn't that little, he looks pretty tall and muscular, at least I think so. He can't be more than 10 years old though. Almost as soon I look at him he looks away, back at his friends. I turn on my heels and walk out of the room. I have track now so I have to go get changed now.

I walk up to my room and get changed into a dull blue t-shirt and tight black shorts. I start walking down the stairs and eventually outside. Normally we would just go to the track room, but since it's summer we do all types of running activities outside. I dislike track a lot, but I have to do it. I eventually get there, I'm the last one there. Our instructor, Vivian, lines all of us up and starts running. We all trail after her, not nearly keeping up with her pace. We do this every time to warm us up. It's about a 1 mile jog, 1 bloody mile. I start up in the back of the line, as usual. Step after step. Right, left, right, left. I continue quietly whispering that to myself the entire run until I lift my head up. I look forwards and I don't see anyone. Oh god, did run off course? Where are they? I begin to slow down until I see Vivian a little ways ahead of me. What is she doing here? I look behind me and see the whole class trudging along a ways behind me. What? Am I really in first place? Huh.

I continue to stare at the rest of my class. They are running pretty fast now, they're almost reaching me. Wait, that's because I stopped running. Stupid. I start moving my feet again and stop staring at the failing class. I begin to pick up the pace and before I know it I'm almost reaching Vivian.

"How-d you...get so far up?" Vivian slurs as I start to pass her.

"I dunno" I say as I begin to pick up the pace again. The run goes by oddly quickly. I end up waiting for the class at the end.

"Alright class we are going to do 100 foot sprints" Vivian states "First up is Elixa then Marloe"

The sprints go by quickly.

"Sharn, Brundon, Darcy, Ray, Leo. Alright, Clove, you're up" Vivian yells

I sprint faster than I ever have before. I am exhausted afterwards, but it's worth it.

"Okay, class is over" Vivian tells us all. We all begin to depart, going back to all our training sessions.

"Uh, Clove could I speak to you for a moment" Vivian asks

"Sure" I say as I walk over to her.

"You really impressed me today. Being in 1st place in the jog and getting the best time in sprints" She says

"I didn't know you were timing those" I say

"Oh, of course I do. Anyways, I have noticed that you're above this class and decided that you should be moved up to the level 3 class" She smiles.

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much" I say as I hug her. We continue talking after that, but I soon have to go back to my room to shower before I go eat supper.

While I'm showering I begin to think to myself. I'm going to be in the level 3 class for track! Maybe I'm not a failure after all. If I continue running as well as I did today I could get to double digits soon! My legs are small now, but I've been having growing pains so they'll be big soon. I am quite short, even for my age. Somehow I inherit all the bad things from my family. My mother's height, my father's nose, my sister's temper and my brother's shyness. Although, I'm a lot quieter than he ever was.

I make my way down to the cafeteria with $20 in my pocket. On Friday's they have really good food. Like pizza and chicken. One time my sister said there was nachos! I don't know what those are, but apparently they're delicious. I walk to the end of the line, the extremely long line of people waiting for food. The lines on Friday's are always long, I wonder why. I am at the front now and I am choosing some food. I grab a big piece of steak and a smoothie. Yum! Oh my god! It can't be, ICE CREAM! I haven't had ice cream for 3 years. When I was 4 years old my dad had just got a special promotion for work. We were all excited because later for supper we went to a restaurant. At the end of the meal we all got to pick out any kind of ice cream for dessert! I chose caramel. Just my luck, the kind they have is caramel. What a coincidence.

I pay for the food and then look around for a table. Almost all of the tables are filled, but there are still a few left open. I choose one close to the windows. I start walking over there when I catch something in the corner of my eye. It's those boys. I start walking faster to my table. When I reach the table, I sit down on one of the chairs facing the windows. I begin to eat my food. The steak is nice and tender, just the way I like it. I think I have a strawberry smoothie. Or is it Mango? Either way it tastes good! I start eating my ice cream when some people sit down at my table.

"Doesn't the steak taste good?"

"I don't know, I haven't had any yet"

"Hey guys, are you excited for the games?"

"Who wouldn't be? They're exciting"

"When I'm older I'll be in the hunger games, and I'll win!"

"Keep dreaming Cato"

"I will"

I look over and who do I see, that group of boys that keep popping up everywhere. I quickly gobble up my ice cream and scramble out of the cafeteria. I run up the stairs to my room. I lay down on my couch and turn on the tv. Why do I run away every tIme I see them? It's not like they're dangerous or anything.