"Fear can make you compromise." — Foster the People, Houdini

I wake up at around the same time everyone else does the next morning. I get dressed into the set uniform for training, as we'll be having our first training day today, then head down to breakfast, where Finnegan, Selene and Finnick are already sat.

'Hello,' I groan.

'Someone's not a morning person, hm?' Selene says with a smile.

Not in the Capitol, I'm not. Back in 4, back at home, I'd eagerly rise for mine and Finnick's fishing trips.

'I suppose not,' is what I grumble in reply though.

I take my seat beside Finnick, and opposite Finnegan. The Finns. Their names are extremely similar, which is confusing. No nicknames here, then. Oh well. It's a shame, I'm quite big on nicknames.

Just listen to my thoughts. Am I honestly a bit sad that I won't be able to use a nickname without confusion occurring, a week before I'm due to die?

Honestly, I need to sort out my priorities.

'So. Strategies,' Selene says, banging her fork on the table. 'The alliance.'

'Of course,' Finnick smiles a fake smile. 'Let the Games begin here at the breakfast table.'

This earns him a glare from Selene, but he stands his ground, glaring back.

'Look, Odair, we need to plan this,' she growls.

'Just not now, okay? Absidee's barely awake.'

'Oh,' I begin. 'Feel free to plan without me.'

Finnick sighs, and I can tell exactly what he's thinking. 'Absidee's putting that plan of hers into action then, is she really that intent on dying?' I could basically hear him screaming to me telepathically.

'No, you need to be there too, Absidee. You're a part of this plan, you know,' is what he says though.

'Okay, whatever pleases you,' I grumble and everyone at the table looks at me.

'Don't be like that, Absidee,' Finnick says, so I just stare down at the table instead.

Selene continues her argument. 'Anyway, Finnick, if we don't plan for the Games now, when do we plan?'

He thinks for a few moments before shaking his head and Selene grins, triumphant.

'Exactly. So, anyway, the alliance,' she addresses me and Finnegan. 'You know that District 4 is a Career district, so you should form an alliance with 1 and 2.'

'What if we don't want to conform to the status quo?' I say quickly.

'Then expect a tough time. The rest of the Careers won't like that you've rejected them,' Selene says swiftly.

'So we'll be making an alliance with 1 and 2?' Finnegan asks.

'Well, you decide now whether you wish to,' says Selene.

'I'm in,' Finnegan says, and all eyes avert to me again.

'Absidee?' Finnick says.

Do I have much choice in the matter? I'll be able to protect Finnegan more if I'm with him, obviously. 'Yeah,' I say unwillingly. 'I'm in.'

'Well that's good,' Selene says rather enthusiastically, and Finnick rolls his eyes.

'You'll form the alliance today, preferably,' Finnick says. 'Show them you have skill, for today stick more to your specific skill, then after the alliance has been formed for the other two days of training you have go to survival skills, and maybe, if you have time, learn to handle another weapon,' he pauses to catch his breath. He's speaking quickly, but I catch every word and store it in my mind. 'Do not miss survival skills, no matter what you do, okay?'

Finnegan and I nod.

'You'll regret it if you do.'

We finish breakfast, then we're escorted down to the training centre by Coco. At least we go down in the elevator with her, and then we're alone to walk to the centre.

I can hear Finnick's advice reverberating in my head. Stick to the weapon of my choice today. Show 1 and 2 what I've got. And do not forget the survival skills. Never.

'Nervous?' Finnegan asks me.

It hasn't occurred to me until now what today actually entails. Today means meeting our fellow tributes for the first time, the people whom in less than a week could be attempting to murder us. I am definitely nervous now.

'Of course. You?'

'I'm surprised I can string two words together,' he says and I laugh.

We enter the huge room, where around 20 tributes are gathered.

'When are we due to start?' I whisper to Finnegan.

'Five minutes,' he replies and I nod.

I have time to take a look at our opponents, and at our allies. Everyone has their district number on their backs, so I can tell who's who.

Only 4 districts stick out to me.

1 and 2, of course, and then 7 and 3. The districts of Lumber and Technology.

1 and 2 looked just as you'd expect Careers to. Even the girls were toned and muscly. These must be the obsessed-with-training type. They must've volunteered.
I wonder if these types of obsessed training people are common in 1 and 2, as it certainly seems it. Every year there's at least 1 buff killing machine in either 1 or 2.

With 7, the boy looked particularly strong, the girl, not so much. But who knew what these two could do with an axe? I was just judging on how they all looked, perhaps the girl was epic with an axe, and the boy, strong but dumb?

3, however, didn't look strong. Quite the contrary actually, they seemed to be lacking quite a lot in the muscles department. But I didn't like the way the partners exchanged sly smiles. It seemed they already had a plan. And clever people could be quite a lot more dangerous than the buff but stupid.

The other districts arrive, 12 and 10's tributes, who don't seem like much, and Atala quickly advises us, saying words similar to Finnick's, about not abandoning the survival skills.

Then we're all free to go, and as instructed, me and Finnegan head to our specific skills, him to the knives, and I to the spears.

I pick up the spear from the top of a neatly arranged pyramid, then summon up all my strength to throw a spear across partway of the room at a dummy. It lands just above where a heart would be on the dummy. But I try not to think about what the dummy represents.
Maybe won't kill in the arena?
A Career who never kills? Who am I kidding, sounds like a joke.

I pick up another spear and squint. I'm aiming straight for the... middle of the target this time.
I know I just about have the power (surprisingly), but do I have the aim?
After years of spearing the fish in the shallow waters with my cousin, I should think so.

I put all my focus into this shot, and I can feel eyes on me, no doubt the rest of the Careers, perhaps even a couple of other curious tributes from the outlying districts.

I make my move, knowing this throw matters. The spear seems to hurtle through the air in slow motion, before finally reaching it's target.

And I've done it! I look around myself feeling triumphant and take in the faces of my audience. Faces of jealousy and admiration. I can see Finnegan was watching, and he nods with surprise. I send him a smile, but quickly wipe my face clean of emotion. I shouldn't be doing that.

10 minutes later, as I aim to throw again, I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn to see the Careers behind me, Finnegan with them.

'We all saw your skill earlier,' the dark haired boy from 1 says. 'Impeccable.'

'You could come in handy,' the girl from his district grins at me, and I can't help but feel slightly unsafe around her. It's the look in her eyes, I think.

The girl from 2 begins to speak. 'Plus, you'll be raking in the sponsors. Finnick Odair's cousin...' She says almost dreamily and Nearly shudder. Does she have some kind of huge crush on my cousin or what? Eugh!

'So what do you say?' the boy from 2 says. He has hair a shade slightly darker than sandy blond, which you see so often in my district. His eyes are an extremely dark blue, almost black colour. He's quite good looking, so he's definitely a worthy opponent. Getting sponsors should be no tough job for him.

'Yes,' I say, and they all smile at each other. Of course they knew I'd say yes.

The training day soon draws to a close, and me and Finnegan head up to the fourth floor.