Last chapter before I take off to NY guys!

I had difficulties with deadline but here I am :D

And don't worry, this IS the first day of training this time

Hope you'll enjoy it!

Chapter 7

I'm glad I wake up alone on the training session's morning. No need of alarm clock or jerk waking me up, my body has its own internal clock and I wake up at 9 o'clock.

I select a training outfit and redo my ponytail, concerned about letting no hair out of it. Sleeping on it made it kind of messy, and I don't want any piece of hair to disturb me while practicing. Today it really begins.

When I enter the room, Astra sends me a deadly glance. Was that supposed to be one? I don't really know, and if it had to be one, no need to say it was not very effective.

I calmly eat my bread, disdaining the strange blends on the table.

"Hey lovely" Cato salutes me, ruffling my hair. I growl but stay still. I'll beat him later, in training center.

He is visibly in a very good mood as he is delighted of all the 'delicious dishes' on the table. I know why he's so pleased we finally reached today. It is our first glimpse of our opponents, what they're good at, what we will be easy to trap them with, are they a real threat?

Cato keeps on talking, commenting on everything like he was suddenly afraid of silence. If he goes on like this, he'll probably give me a headache which will make my next target out of him. Karma takes cares of him when he almost spits out his bite of 'marmalade' but Astra forces him to swallow. I snigger and cough. He doesn't seem to like that. I don't care. If a piece of bread is able to defeat him, I won't have a lot to do to get rid of my district partner.

And eventually it's time for the elevator ride down to the training center level. I think about all the little tributes who are literally peeing themselves in anxiety. For them the torture begins today. I feel like the first time I hit bulls eye with an old knife, today is going to be such a great day.

If only I was not stuck with Cato right now.

"Excited?" he asks.

"Of course, who would not be?" You, stupid, I want to go on but change my mind.

"Well, all the little kids we're going to kill soon I guess" he evilly grins.

"Can't wait for it" I smile back.

The training room is like a huge open space. Dark and wide, like a cave. I already spot the knife-throwing station and notice there are some for edible plants, snares, archery and even camouflage.

For all the little ones, afraid of fighting, I think, and I note in a corner of my brain to kill at the Bloodbath those who will spend much time here.

It will be so much fun.

The tributes from One and Four hasn't arrive yet so I'm forced to wait in the area marked on the floor by a thick dark red line. I can see Cato is as impatient as I am; he keeps looking at the sword fighting station like it was calling him. I need to remind to watch how good he is at it, because, even though I don't like admitting it, for volunteering, he must be good.

"You're such a fool"

I guess it is District One Girl's voice coming from behind as long as I didn't open my mouth and it was definitely not Cato or District One Boy speaking. I am proved right when turning back; I see the blonde girl and the tall boy enter the room.

"Marvel" he barks, giving a hand in Cato's direction.

"Cato" he replies. "And this is…"

"No need for you to introduce me" I spit. "Clove"

"And I, am Glimmer" the girl says, flipping one of her side ponytail behind her shoulder.

Ugh, I already hate her. She's showing of, and I bet she will keep on remind us how great she is. She is bleeding self-confidence by all her pores and that makes me want to punch her hard. I analyze the boy quickly as he's scanning our playground. He's not as muscular as Cato, but surely not weak and I can see a little spark in his green eyes telling me he's the brainy one of the two Tributes from one.

Then his eyes catch mine and all I presumed is revealed true. He's not only clever, but also determined and ready to fight. For a second, I can see the workings in his head, judging me, decrypting me like I was doing not a minute ago. And then he opens his mouth and let out

"Well, let's start this meeting."

"Aren't we waiting for Four?" Cato asks.

He sounds so dumb and clumsy I sigh heavily.

"Have you seen them?" Glimmer mocks in a disgusted face.

I clench fists. Who is she to talk like that? Does she really think she is better than everyone here?

Cato's eyes get darker.

"I just thought I would be fairer to wait, but fine" he grumbles.

"We're in the Hunger Games darling" she goes on with a haughty sniff "There's no room for fair"

"They're our allies, and if you don't want someone to stab you in the back, you better be aware of that." I reply.

She stares at me in a superior look. I wish I could cut her doll face right here, right now, and we would see who's the strongest of us two.

"How cute", she mutters.

"You should not say that" Cato says. The tone of his voice is joking but his dark eyes betray him." Cute is one of the words that is likely to make you attacked with Clove"

"I'm not afraid" she rolls her eyes

"You better be" I spit, twisting her wrist I just caught.

An uncomfortable silence settles as I let her go. Marvel only breaks the silence when the little ring of the elevator sounds

"Ok, we'll just see what they're worth today. But for now, they're our allies"

The girl is not shaking this time, but she's close to. I have to say we're all staring at her as she's the first of them two to step in. She tries to put a look of strength on her face but all she manages to do is appear a little more fragile.

The boy, from his 4 feet 8 looks at us like he could really intimidate us. As he turns to me, I can see a look of distress in his eyes, like he was searching for comfort to me. How wrong he was.

"What's our strategy? I mean, for the Bloodbath" he asks. "Cause we are part of it" he adds in front of our silence.

I evilly grin. Ho yes you will be part of it, but not in the side you think of.

"Kill who you can" says Marvel like he was truly including him. But when our eyes meet, I can tell he thought about the same thing I did.

And suddenly, all tributes seem to arrive all at once. I note some of them I already noticed at the Chariot Ride and takes advantage on the crowd to reach Cato as discretely as I can. I catch him arm to get his attention.

"The boy from Four" I begin

"Do you want to kill him or you let me this one?" he cuts me.

"Fine" I nod. "Take him if you want, I don't care about him"

He grins and I make my way to the knife throwing station. The girl from Eight is already there, trying to touch the dummy. She's miserable. I take the first knife I meet by the blade and give it an impulsion so that he spins right into the heart of the target.

When she turns back to see who threw it, I pass next to her and drop like I would have told the lunch's menu:

"Remember my face; I might be the one to kill you"

Before I can see the look on her face, she has already disappeared, probably running to the next station. I grin. How satisfying it is.

Minutes go by and I carry on scaring all the others tributes who dare to come at my station. Each time I touch bull's eye and each time they freak out and escape.

"Maybe try something else" someone suddenly whispers in my ear.

I turn round violently, a knife in my hand to discover Cato, a victorious smile on his lips.

"I almost ripped your stomach open" I threat. "Don't ever do that again"

"You need no training here. Come on" he says, starting to walk away "Let's try something new"

I sight but follow him. My little game was getting tiring anyway, no one would come anymore. He leads us straight to the climbing station, where a little boy prepares to start the climb. Cato coughs and the little boy looks at him with dread.

"Don't you think you're a little…? Disturbing?" he almost shouts his last word and the boy runs away on his short legs.

I laugh and take his harness while it's still flying.

Climbing is not that hard. With my slight build, I don't have much difficulty gripping on irregularities of the wall. Cato, him, hardly gets more than six feet off the ground. In annoyance, he gives up while I'm still practicing.

When I'm over, I allow myself to a little break and sit in a dark corner of the room, where I'm hard to see, but yet have a great view of all the room.

Close to me is the spear throwing station. I can see Marvel and the boy I noticed in the reaping tape, from Seven. And he totally sucks, while it's clearly Marvel's weapon.

I look towards the edible plants station. There is the girl from Five, taping fast on the screen, recognizing almost instantly the plants appearing. Well, impressive, but not so useful. I mean, plants are not going to save her when I decide to kill her.

There are three people at the camouflage station. I wish I could slit their throats open, especially when I notice the Fire Boy is one of those. Brutus was right when he said he had no talent.

But the girl from his district is at archery station, practicing in the same time as Glimmer, and she manages well. But anyway, Glimmer is going to get the bow and arrows first as long as she stays at the Cornucopia while Fire Girl is most likely to run away or be killed.

I also search for our miserable allies from Four. The girl is at the snare station. She's a little far away from me but I can see she's tying knots pretty fast, but she still has to prove she's not worthless. The boy is at the hand to hand combat station and, well, is fate is already sealed, and it's not his combat skills that would have saved him.

But he's not alone at the station. He's fighting with the big boy from Eleven, who broadly overpowers him. I get up and reach them as they end the combat.

"Join us" I say.

He turns round and stares at me in an interrogative look.

"Join the Careers. You would be at your place with us"

"I don't think so" he replies. "But thanks for the invitation."

How dare he? Does he even know what it costs to refuse our invitation? Is he aware he might just have signed his death sentence?

I catch his arm as he begins to walk away.

"You can't decline our invitation like that. Or you might pay it."

"I'm ready to fight. I'm not afraid of you all."

"Fine. But if you're not on our side that means you're an enemy. And you know what Careers do to their enemies. It will be such a shame to kill you" I drop in a faked sadness

"You better not talk too soon, Knives Girl"

How does he know that? I did not even see he was spying on me. I must have a strange look on my face as he adds with a smile.

"Watch out girl, you're not the only observer here"

I hope you liked it!

I only got 2 reviews last chapter. I know it was not very good but I was kind of disappointed though. I wish you had told me what you didn't like

Anyway, I can see people are still following adn adding this story to favorites so I want to thank you so much! I never thought I will go this far.

You know what would really make me happy? Lots of reviews when I come back from my trip! I swear I'll have several new chapters to post next Sunday ;)

Love, Love, Love yoooooooooou