Author's Note: Hey everyone! Nice to see you again! I'm trying really hard to upload once a week, AT LEAST. I'm aiming for two to three, but it's hard to fit in. Remember to review, it really helps motivate me to write more of this.

Chapter 12 -

The tributes form a sort of circle as the head trainer, Atala, begins her speech. I nearly laugh as this happens, it looks as if we were one group, not every one for themselves. Circles are too inclusive for the Hunger Games.

"Hello, tributes of the 68th Hunger Games! We meet here today to begin your first day of training. You will all be training alongside one another for the next three days, not against one another. Experts are on hand at each station, so there is no need to engage in any combative exercise with any of your fellow tributes. There will plenty of time for that in the arena."

As she says this rule, I can see the difference between the Volunteers and the lower districts easily. The Volunteers smirk, looking around the circle greedily, as if the rest of the people here were a tasty meal instead of human beings. The others shiver away from their cold gazes.

I hate them, the Volunteers. I always have, sort of, but I thought at least that they, the Volunteers of my district would keep me safe. Tears nearly spring into my eyes at this thought. I'm not supposed to be here, I think, furiously. The cowards!

Atala begins to list of the various stations, survival and fighting skills alike. I try to think of what I might need to know. I'm already easily better than probably everyone here in swimming, and I've used knots, water plants, spears, and tridents since I started working on the Samphire years ago. Those won't be a problem. I should really get to some survival stations, like fire building and shelter building and definitely that edible plants section. I only know the water plants, and they don't call it the Hunger Games for no reason.

But, a voice in the back of my mind reminds me. The Careers. You're supposed to train with them.

I sigh. Finnick told me to get in the Careers good books, and I can probably only do that by acting like a Career, which means training in only weapons. I already know that stuff though! I mean, my knife skills could use a little brushing up, considering I've never used a knife in a fight or anything of the sort. Tridents and spears were what I train ever so slightly in gym class, and I have good aim with them, so that will give me a definite edge.

The group breaks up, and the Careers head directly for the weapons area. I sigh. I guess I should follow them, for now. But I really don't like them.

I catch up with them quickly, hoping I can still make a good impression, although the glare Shine sends my way says otherwise. I really don't know what she's got against me, anyway! The other Volunteers, fortunately, seem more undecided. I am from a Volunteer District, after all, they're probably thinking, I might be of some use to them.

As much as Finnick might get mad at me for it though, I'm not going to show them anything to do with spears and tridents. I'll save that for the private sessions, and plus, I really don't need to practice that, and that's what I'm here for isn't it? To practice?

We get to the weapons area, but the Volunteers don't, for some reason, start immediately whipping knives and machetes, and who knows what else around their heads as soon as they possibly can. They stop, turn around, and begin inspecting their competition, which turns out to be just another reason for me to hate them.

I watch quietly as they snicker and each of the tributes' around them mess up on their first lesson in fire building, or knot tying. One tribute, a girl, trips up a bit on the climbing wall, sending her falling in the mats below. Instinctively, I want to run to her and make sure she's alright, but I'm already doing so poorly with the Careers, I don't think there's any way they'd take me if I'd done that. My struggling against going to help the girl was however, covered by their laughs. I haven't heard someone laugh like that since the bullies that used to pick on Brooke at school. My eyes burn, but I stay quietly still, not wanting them to notice, though none of them have even looked at me since we got here.

I glance over again and think, Correction: Most of them haven't noticed me.

Gray, the boy from One who tripped earlier, watches me quietly from the other side of the group. I catch his eye, confused, and raise my eyebrows at him. He immediately smiles back in a way I can only describe as trying to impersonate Finnick poorly. It is all I can do not to throw up.

You're NOT serious. I thought. No way.

I'm saved from Gray's gaze when Demetri points out to us the boy from Six.

"Look at him." Demetri whispered to us, in shock.

The boy he was watching, Six, was battling one-on-one against the wrestling trainer. It was obvious he wasn't really trained, but he was vicious. As we watched, he bit, snarled, and kicked his way to victory in a matter of minutes. Six stood and roared, pumping his fists in the air above his defeated opponent.

"That was so…" Shine starts, surprised.

Horrifying. I offered silently. Awful. Sickening. Hunger Games-ish.

"Amazing!" Gray finished from beside me. Yeah, not exactly the word I would have used.

"We should invite him to join us." says Cassius.

Whoa, hang on. He's not serious, is he?

"He'd never join." I say, quickly. "He seems like more of the lone wolf type. Tearing down anything that gets in his way. We'd better be careful."

"We?" Shine repeats, smirking. "We'll be just fine, Four. Not all of us came here untrained, you know."

That silences me. Why does she hate me so much? Because I was reaped? But how does she know I don't train?

Shines grins, evidently taking my silence as my defeat. "Right then." Shine goes into a plan to talk to Six, easily ignoring my quiet fury. I don't care what Finnick says right now, I'm leaving.

Just as I turn to leave, Shine calls "Leaving so soon, Four? What's the matter?"

I mumble something about doing survival stations and go on my way.

My group and the Careers don't stop giving me looks all day, but I decide to ignore them all, except to look up and snicker as Demetri nearly gets his head bitten off by Six when he goes to talk to him. I guess they won't be getting a new Career anytime soon.

I go back to the knot I'm trying to teach Jayden. It's a pretty tricky one, so I go slowly, showing each step repeatedly.

Going back to my group was a good idea, because I learned more from them than any combat station could teach me. Jayden taught us all the wiring we could possibly understand and had us rewiring explosives in no time. You never know what might happen in the arena, but electronics are a helpful skill. I went next, doing a quick swimming lesson in the pool in the corner of the room and some work with knots. I specifically avoided teaching them about spears and tridents, which they seemed to understand. I don't want to be any closer to the Careers than necessary. I focus on my knot.

Over, around, through, up, twist. I think. down, around, through, and pull. Focus, Alexis. Focus. I push the looks from the Careers, the looks exchanged between Willow and Ash away and focus on my know. Over. Around. Through. Up. Twist. Down. Around. Through. Pull.

After lunch, Willow and Ash take us to the climbing station. I do pretty well, since I've been climbing the Samphire's mast since before I can even remember it. Though climbing trees is quite different, I get through pretty easily. I'm just reaching the top when I hear a scream and crash below me. I whip around to see that Heather has fallen to the ground, probably having lost her grip on the tree. She fell right on her back, knocking the air out of her and causing her to gasp uncontrollably. Capitol people rush over with medics to see that everything's alright.

Meanwhile, the Careers, having noticed Heather moments after me, are howling with laughter. My eyes water and my face burns with anger. I take a step towards them and yell, "Leave her alone, you twits! Like you've never messed up on something before!" I glare at each on of them individually as a gasp of shock fills nearly all of the other tributes' mouths. No one, and I mean no one ever talked back to a Career, never mind all of them.

I'm not surprised by the angry but triumphant look in Shine's eyes. She must think that she now has yet another tool to use to keep me out of the Careers. But, I realize, as I glare at the rest of them, she's mistaken. The other Volunteers look surprised, but with something else. They're…impressed. Ha! I think. Good luck with that Shine.

My anger starts to fade, but it comes roaring back when my gaze meets with Cassius'. How could he do this to an innocent girl, laughing along with the rest of them. I give him my "deluxe-evil-stare" and turn back to Heather. She's sat up and staring at me in awe.

"You didn't have to do that." She whispers, shocked. The others are listening, I can tell, though they pretend not to.

I shook my head, smiling halfheartedly. "I did. They have no right to treat you like that."

Spencer pipes up then. "You'd better be careful, Alexis. They're going to want to kill you in the arena." He thinks for a second, then says. "I mean, more so than before."

I remember the impressed looks the other Careers gave me at my outburst and smile. "We'll see about that."

Author's note bit at the end! Ooooh...an enemy, a friend, and a...well...whatever you'd call Gray among the Careers! dun dun DUN! And finally, the first training chapter with actual training in it! YAAAY! Let me know what you think of the story, the chapter, the characters, anything in a review! If you have an idea you want me to add to the story, I love a good challenge, so leave it there too! See you next time!

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