A.N.: Sorry I haven't updated. I've been working on other stories. Plus, I've been busy otherwise. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

TARDISRose: Your reviews make my day! I'm glad you're liking it so far! Keep the reviews coming!

Chapter 5: Individual Training

The next morning, I head to the Training Center. The cool morning air feels so nice, especially in my lungs. It's crisp and clean, a rarity because of the urban setting. It's the beginning of summer, and it shows. Birds chirp and flowers bloom from planters on the streets. My calmness ends when I open the doors to the Training Center. I make my way to the balcony of the Gamemakers' box. All of us get refreshments and settle down to watch the first tribute's Individual Training. A tall, thin boy enters.

"Marvel Silver, District 1," he announces. He's a Career. He throws spears, daggers, and swords with deadly accuracy. The Gamemakers murmur their approval. I stay silent, of course. We determine their scores by marking what we think they deserve, and all of us will average our scores together. Marvel's pretty good, but he's a Career, so I submit a seven for him. He leaves, and a tall blonde girl enters. She'll definitely use her looks to her advantage.

"Glimmer Gold, District 1," she says seductively. She fiddles around with a bow and arrow, but she's not that great. She's better with knives and swords. I'm not too impressed, so I give her a five. It goes on like this until Rue shows up.

The dark-skinned little girl enters and says in a small voice, "Rue Clavern, District 11." She shows her agility, using the gauntlet and the rafters. She shows her knowledge of plant life. She also works with a slingshot. Of course, I give her a twelve, the highest training score one can get.

When Rue leaves, Peeta enters. "Peeta Mellark, District 12." He climbs that net, and again, he falls. The Gamemakers laugh like his embarrassment is some sort of joke. I get his attention. His eyes are on me.

Throw that weight, I mouth, diverting my eyes to the weights that he threw the other day.

What? he mouths back, not understanding.

Throw that weight! I mouth again, diverting my eyes twice to the weights. He finally understands, and he heaves some weights at a rack of maces. The Gamemakers mutter, impressed. Truth is we're all bored, having to sit through all of these training sessions. The rest of them aren't paying much attention to the later tributes, but I am.

Finally, Peeta shows us his camouflage skills, which I'd be impressed with even if I wasn't biased. He leaves as I mark a large "12" in my notepad. Katniss enters.

The Gamemakers chatter while she is silent. She cuts them off. "Katniss Everdeen, District 12."

She goes for a bow and arrow, which she never touched in Group Training. She shoots, but misses the bullseye by a long shot. The Gamemakers laugh and turn back to their mindless chatter. I am the only one watching when she gets a perfect bullseye. She looks at us, but no one is watching except me. I can see the anger in her eyes. Meanwhile, everyone is obsessing over a pig just brought in. They're all getting plates. I'm the only one sitting down. I give a small, sympathetic smile to Katniss. What she does next shocks us all. She grabs another arrow and sends it flying toward the crowd. It catches the apple in the pig's mouth and pins it to the wall. Everyone stares in shock. She takes a sweeping bow.

"Thank you," she says. "For your consideration." She sets the bow and arrow down and sashays out. I mark a big "12" in my notes. We then meet to discuss scores. Katniss's performance is controversial, to say the least. Most liked it, though. She ends up with an 11, because one person didn't like it. Peeta gets an 8. Rue receives a 7. We are dismissed. Instead of going out the front doors, I follow the tributes. I hear Peeta saying that he didn't get a tribute token at home. I think that's horrible. As I hold my head in distress, my eyes fall on my charm bracelet. I get an idea as I rush home.

In the safety of my room, I remove the District 12 charm from my bracelet and find an old gold bracelet chain. I put the charm on the new chain that I found. I write a note.

Peeta,

I overheard you don't have a tribute token. I think that's horrible. I want you to use this for that purpose. It doesn't matter who I am, I just have been watching you and I think you're incredibly talented. Don't worry about returning this to me when you win. I will get another. I'm sorry this happened to you. May the odds be ever in your favor.

P.S. Please do not show anyone this note.

I sneak out to the Training Center with the note and bracelet in hand. I sneak to the 12th floor. I go into Peeta's room and set down the note and bracelet. I rush out and head to the store where Uncle Seneca bought my bracelet. I buy a replacement charm and go home. The interviews are tonight, and I definitely will be there.