Longest chapter yet! Yay! Finally at the training scores! I'm soooo sorry for any spelling or grammer errors the word didn't catch. I know I stink so please don't kill me! PLEASE review! It means the world to me! Now, chapter 9

Chapter 9

Clove

Glimmer surprised me yesterday. How she caught onto using a bow that fast boggled my mind, even I didn't get it that fast. I only got to practice my speed work with a bow yesterday because I was making sure Glimmer didn't hurt anyone, today I planned on going all out with the knives. Just the thought of it brought an evil grin to my face.

"Why are you smiling like that? You only smile like that before you fight," Cato asked. I had completely forgotten we were still at breakfast, nice…

"Because I was thinking about fighting," I replied.

"Well that explains it. Knives today?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

The evil grin that was just on my face passed over Cato's as well. He felt the same way I did about weapons, they were our life. I couldn't even remember a time when I didn't have a knife concealed in my jacket.

"We need to pick who we want in the group today," I told him. "You seem to be the unsaid leader."

He nodded, "I think we should defiantly have Marvel, he's pretty good with spears. We should try to get the boy from 11, the two from 4, and possibly Glimmer."

I rolled my eyes at the mention of her name; she still hadn't made it off my kill list. My kill list was basically everyone except Cato and Marvel, they had to prove themselves worthy of our alliance to make it off.

"You could at least make your discontent with her not as noticeable," Cato suggested.

I laughed, "Sure, when you stop glaring at 12. Don't think I didn't notice."

He rolled his eyes, got up, and motioned for me to get up as well. I smiled again, time for knives.

We went into the hall and got in the elevator. I still thought using one was pointless, as did Cato, but we couldn't find stairs anywhere.

When we got into the training center, we didn't waste a second talking to anyone, today was all about showing off.

The trainer at the knives station asked if we wanted him to show us how to use the knives. We both burst out laughing, us, need to learn how to use any type of weapon? Dang the guy was stupid.

I went to the rack of knives and picked one the looked especially sharp. I tossed it in my hand a couple of times and flipped it over so I could see the bottom. Sure enough, my parent's emblem was on the bottom. Why didn't they tell me they made the weapons for the games? Now I knew that finding the right waited sword or knife wouldn't be a problem.

I asked the trainer if he could make the targets move for me, he pressed a button and they started to move. A familiar calm came over me, one I only experience when I'm fighting. I threw the first knife at the farthest dummies head, and didn't even stop to see if I'd hit. I kept picking up knives and throwing them at the dummies as fast as I could until I ran out, I stepped back to admire my handiwork, I'd hit the bulls-eye each time. I turned and saw Glimmer standing behind me, her mouth hanging open.

I brushed my hands together as if I was trying to get dirt off them. "That's how it's done, thank you very much," I said before I went over to the obstacle course. I watched as other tributes attempted to make it to the end, all of them failing miserably. I pushed the next person in line aside, I was going to show these dummies how it was done.

I saw the trainer holding a timer, so I was getting timed, all the better.

"On your mark," she said. "Get set, go!"

I jumped onto the first obstacle, walking on a tree branch over water was probably what they were going for. I jumped off on the other side and started jumping up the platforms. They were each at least six feet higher than the one before it. I jumped the last one and moved onto the tires. The smack of my feet against the ground was all I could hear, everyone was watching. The last obstacle was climbing a tree then jumping off on the other side. I scaled the thirty foot tree with ease, and jumped off on the other side, landing with out a scratch. I heard clapping and noticed that Marvel, Glimmer, and
Cato had been watching the whole thing. I took a bow and went over to where they were watching me. The trainer was staring at the stop watch, obviously I had gotten the best time of the day, time to have some fun.

"Hey Glimmer, see if you can beat me, or even make it through the course," I told her.

"And if I make it?"

"If you make it we'll put some thought into letting you into the alliance, if you beat me your in," I explained, there was no way she was beating me. She shrugged and pushed the same tribute aside that I had earlier, I think it was the girl from 5.

"Do you think she's gonna make it?" I muttered to Cato.

"I don't know, but if she beats you…"

"If she beats me you're not saying anything."

"I can't promise that."

I shook my head and watched as Glimmer started. She got over the first obstacle with ease, and went onto the five platforms. She also conquered those with ease; she was taller than me by a couple of inches. Next was the tires, those were a bit harder for her because she wasn't as agile as me. Then the tree, my favorite and everyone else's nightmare. She wasted precious time trying to figure out a way up. When she finally did, it took her longer than me to climb to the top. She didn't hesitate to jump down, she must have know she was wasting time.

The trainer stopped the timer and I headed over to see what our compared times were. I beat her, by3 ½ seconds. Maybe she would be a contender.

"Good, but I still beat you," I told her.

She nodded and smiled, "I guess that's as close to a complement as I'm gonna come."

"Don't push it."

The buzzer sounded to tell us it was time for lunch. I motioned for Cato to join me.

"So?" I asked.

"While you were busy showing off, I decided who I want in our group," he told me.

"And?" I asked again, getting impatient with his non strait answers.

"Both from 4," he said, I nodded. "Both from 1," this time he shot me a look as to say don't question me. I rolled my eyes, but nodded anyway. "The boy from 11." I nodded again. "And both from 12."

"12?" I asked, why would he want 12? "Why 12? What have they done to show you they're worthy fighters, other than the fact that they showed us up during the opening ceremony?"

"The girl shoots and I think the boy is strong."

"How do you know?" Then it hit me. I knew how he knew that they were both semi fighters. He knew some of the peacekeepers in 12; they were always keeping him informed about the goings on in 12. I remembered now, they always talked about a girl named Katniss, who hunted in the woods outside 12, and always shot animals in the eye. "Are you sure she's the one? And what about the boy?"

"I figured if I wanted the girl, I had to have the boy. He looks strong. I know she's Katniss because I was listening to them talk."

"We'll take the girl, but not the boy. That's final."

"Clove…"

"Cato, he'll just slow us down, it's enough with the girl."

"Fine, but we let her have the bow."

"No! The bow and knives are mine!"

"Clove…"

I knew I was treading on dangerous waters now. He would never hurt me, but I knew his temper could easily flare, like mine. Then, he could hurt someone else. I guess I wouldn't have minded if he hurt some other tributes, namely the girl from 12. "Fine, now let's go tell them."

We went into the cafeteria and found most of the food already gone, but I cold have cared less. Training doesn't make me hungry, it makes me full.

"Marvel, Glimmer, we've made our decisions. You're both in," Cato told them. Marvel smiled and Glimmer let out a sigh of relief. I guess I could put up with her.

"We have others we need to talk to, so please just wait, we'll be back in a few minutes," I explained to them. They nodded and sat down at the center table. I headed over to where the two from 4 were sitting; I'd seen the girl use a trident and the boy could run like no body's business.

"Hi you two," I said to them. "We were wondering if you'd like to be apart of our career alliance."

A huge smile crossed both of there faces, "Of course," the girl said. "We were wondering if you were watching us. By the way, I'm Odyssey and this is Reese."

"You can go join Glimmer and Marvel at the center table, they're also in," Cato said. They got up and headed over to Marvel and Glimmer. Odyssey waved to them and Glimmer waved back. I nodded to Cato and we headed over to the boy from 11.

"We wanted to know if you wanted to join our career group," Cato said to the boy.

"No," he flatly stated. Wrong answer.

"What do you mean no?" I asked him, harshness in my voice.

"I mean no," he replied. This guy was starting to tick me off as well.

I pulled my knife out and pushed him against the wall. "We don't take no for an answer," I spat at him, holding my knife to his throat. I heard Cato snickering behind me, he wasn't going to try and stop me like he normally would if he noticed I was getting angry. Another evil grin formed on my face, this day kept getting better and better.

I felt the boy trying to push me off, but I held firm. He must have thought I would be easy to push off because I was small, think again loser.

"I'll ask you one time. Do you want to be in our alliance or not?"

"No."

I heard peacekeepers yelling something at me in the background. "Watch you back 11, you never know where I'll be," I hissed before lightly cutting his neck. I felt myself getting pulled off of him and turned to face a peacekeeper, with a gun.

I pulled myself out of his grasp and spat in his face. I nodded to Cato, we were going to 12. She better not turn us down, as much as I hated her. Someone was going to die if one more person rejected us.

"12," Cato called to her. She stood up and pointed to herself, he nodded. I stared her down; she looked scared to death of us.

"What?" she asked, staring back at me. I almost laughed out loud; she was trying to act tough. Good luck Fire Girl. Yeah, I liked that, Fire Girl. 12 had a new nick name.

"We want you to join our career group," he said to her. She stared at him wide eyed. She hadn't been expecting that.

"Why?" she asked.

"We've heard you can shoot. So are you in, or are you prey?" I told her.

She nodded slowly at first, and then she seemed surer and nodded more surely… if that's even a word…

"How?" she asked. She asked too many questions, why would someone question us if we were offering them a chance to be a part of our group?

"I know people in 12." Cato told her, hardness in his voice. He wasn't going to show her the nice side of him; I wasn't showing the nice side of me.

"Hurry up or we might reconsider," I said, she nodded and followed us to the middle table. Marvel shot me a questioning look, I mouthed later. Marvel would probably be the only person, other than Cato, that I'd trust in the arena.

We knew what was after lunch, the individual training sessions with just the gamemakers. I couldn't wait to see what fail score Glimmer got.

They would start with Marvel, then Glimmer. Boy girl, boy girl until they finished with the boy from 12.

"Marvel Menduccee," they called. He got up and headed over to the training center, but not before we told him good luck.

About ten minutes later, they called Glimmer.

All the other chapters were previously written, this one was completly new... I'm really sorry if it stinks becuase I didn't re read it... I know this is completely not like the book, but oh well... PLEASE review! I REALLY appercate it!
THANKS
KATE