Eridan Keating (D5 M 16)

"Eridan Keating, please report to the training center now for your private training session." I stand up, and walk towards the training room doors. I really hope my session goes well, for sponsorship purposes. It's extremely important to have sponsors in the Games, so I really need to ace my performance.

I start out at the camouflage station. I cover my arm in a display of mud and leaves, and hold it up for the Gamemakers to see. A few of them look mildly impressed. Once they've gotten a good look, I wipe off my arm and head for the trap section. I spend the next five minutes or so tying two different kinds of intricate traps. At last I only have one more thing to do; the berry test. I only have a few minutes left, so I fly through the questions as fast as I can. When I'm done, my score flashes onto the screen; a 92%. I guess that's an okay score. A buzzer rings, signaling the end of my fifteen minutes. The Gamemakers dismiss me, and I walk out.

I sit on the couch, awaiting my score. The career scores have been all over the place this year. One of them got a seven, one of them got an eight, one of them got a nine, two of them got a ten, and one of them got an eleven. I know I didn't get any of those scores, but I think I did well enough to get a five or a six. Finally, Tristan Honeybee announces District Five. "Eridan Keating, with a score of six." My mentor pats me on the back. I'm very happy with my score.

Tadalynn Shipka (D5 F 18)

I sit outside the training room, waiting to be called in. I need to get a good score today. Since I don't have any allies, I only have myself and my sponsors to rely on. Thankfully, I do know what I'm going to do, and I think it will land me a pretty solid score. At last, my name is called. I walk through the double doors into the training center.

I immediately head for the trap station. I grab a few materials, drop them in the center of the room, and search around for the rest of the supplies I'll need. Fiddling around with electricity my whole life has its perks. I know exactly what I need to make my trap. Once I've gathered all of my supplies, I return to the center of the room, and begin building. As I assemble my trap, it reminds me of home, where my brother Hal and I would fiddle around with energy like this all the time.

At last, I finish the trap, and prepare for my grand finale. I jog over to the side of the room and grab a dummy. I jog back to my trap, and stand about ten feet away from it, for safety reasons. I launch my dummy up into the trap. As soon as it makes contact with the wires, the dummy makes a sizzling sound. There's a bright flash of light, and I'm forced to look away. Once the light disappears, the dummy comes back into focus. It's smoking and covered in scorch marks. I look up at the Gamemakers. They're all staring at me, looking pretty impressed. "You can go," one of them says.

I tap my fingers on the coffee table, waiting for my score. I'm hoping the Gamemakers thought my electric trap was impressive and original. That's what I was aiming for. At last, a picture of my face appears on the television. "Tadalynn Shipka, with a score of eight." I smile; something I haven't done in a while. It isn't a big, but it's a smile, nonetheless. I'm happy with an eight.

Peyton Stanley (D6 M 12)

As I wait for my turn with the Gamemakers, I can't help wondering what Kat did when she went into the training center for her session, exactly one year ago. If I remember right, she got a six, so she must have done something really impressive. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be living up to Kat's standard. I'll be lucky if I can scrape a three.

I walk into the training center once my name is called. As soon as I walk through the double doors, I'm hit by an awful smell. It's the scent of something burning. What could have made it smell so strong? When I reach the center of the room, I see it; a giant scorch mark on the ground. That must be the source of the smell. What did the District Five girl do?

One of the Gamemakers clears his throat, and I snap back into reality. I remember that I'm supposed to be showing them something. I jog over to the trap station, trying to make up for my minute of lost time. I notice many of the supplies are low in number, but I try to ignore that. There's enough for my trap, so there's no need for me to worry about that. I spend minute after minute knotting my rope and other materials together until I finally finish. I find a stick at the camouflage station, which I use to poke the trigger point of my trap. As soon as I let go of the stick, it's caught in my trap and hoisted upwards. "You may go," a Gamemaker says.

As I sit in my velvet chair, I can't help but worry that my score will be the lowest of the night; or at least tied for the lowest. What would my sister say if she was here. I'm worried she'd be ashamed that I didn't come up with a better performance. "District Six," Tristan Honeybee says, snapping my focus towards the television. "Peyton Stanley, with a score of four." I sigh. At least four isn't the lowest score.

Nylah Tracks (D6 F 17)

I've been starting to second-guess what I should do during my session. Originally, I planned to just show the Gamemakers my hand-to-hand combat skills. Now, I've been starting to think that I should show a few survival skills too, to show I'm well-rounded. "Nylah Tracks, please report to the training center now for your private training session." I guess I'll just have to improvise.

I walk in, and realize I don't know how I'm going to show my hand-to-hand combat skills. I know that there's sword fighting dummies, but are there hand-to-hand combat ones? To my surprise, I find one; wedged in between two sword-fighting dummies. I drag it to the middle of the room, and realize that I have to set it to a certain level; from one to fifteen. I haven't used one of these before, so I don't know how hard the levels really are. I decide on level seven. It's in the intermediate section, and it is a lucky number. Right now, I need all the luck I can get.

As soon as I pick the level, the dummy springs into life, and swings at me with a right hook. I dodge it, and fight back. As I continue to battle the dummy, my mind keeps flashing back to when I was younger, and learned how to fight by watching the Peacekeepers. After about five minutes of combat, I finally hit the dummy with a fine strike, and it lies on the ground, motionless. Level seven was easier than I expected. Since I still have time to burn, I decide to do a quick run-through of the berry test. I finish right before the time runs out, receiving a score of 94%.

I really hope I get a good score, for myself and my allies. I'm certain there will be at least one point in the Games when we need something from sponsors. Finally, it's time for my score. "Nylah Tracks, with a score of seven." I smile. Maybe seven really is a lucky number.

Rory Cedarby (D7 M 16)

I hope I get called in soon. I kind of want to get this over with. I'm very nervous that I'll mess up. I remind myself that I have a back-up plan. There's a few things I'm going to show the Gamemakers today, so if one fails, oh well. "Rory Cedarby, please report to the training center now for your private training session." I gulp and walk in.

The berry identification test is first on my list of things-to-do. I've been doing a lot of work with berries, so I hope to do well on this test. Once I'm done, my score flashes up; 95%. That's a solid enough score. I move on to the next thing on my list; the medicinal quality of plants. How am I going to show that to the Gamemakers?

An idea forms in my head, and I decide to go for it. I find a stash of berries under the berry station, and grab the three berries I need. I walk over to the spot right in front of the Gamemakers, and hold up one of the berries. "This is a kytoberry," I say. "It's very helpful in soothing bruises." I crush the berry, and rub it over a bruise on one of my arms. I hold up my remaining berries. "These two berries are the cirrioberry and the bennberry. When mixed together, they help heal cuts." I rub the berries over a cut on my leg. Once I'm done, the cut does look better. I just hope the Gamemakers can see that, from up there on the balcony.

Time for my grand finale; axes. I start by just showing some basic axe maneuvers in the air. Then, I set up a few dummies. I use my axe to destroy every one of them. Lastly, I stand in front of the target, behind the line, and throw. The axe third right into the target. "You are dismissed," a Gamemaker says.

I'm super nervous to see my score. I'm hoping it'll be somewhere near the median of all of the scores. "District Seven," Tristan Honeybee announces. "Rory Cedaby with a score of six." I guess a six is an okay score. I was hoping for a score of seven, but I guess my axe performance was too stereotypical for District Seven.

Mapelle Green (D7 F 14)

I hope Rory is doing okay in his session. We're not allies, but I still want him to do well. The room I'm in has started to thin out a bit, since we're halfway through the sessions. Every one looks very anxious. I'm anxious too, but I'm trying not to show it. At last, my name is called, and I walk out of the room.

Firstly, I head for the berry test. This is the least exciting thing I plan to do, so I want to get it over with now. I don't spend too much time on each question, because I know I have other things to show the Gamemakers. I make my way through the test, question by question. I end up getting a 92%. I'm satisfied with that, since still got other things to show the Gamemakers.

Next, I walk over to the agility course. I press the button by the start, and a metallic voice counts me down from five. When I hear "Go," I sprint out, and fly through the course. Once I've reached the end of the course, I hit another button to stop the timer. My time is eighty-four seconds, which is faster than I've ever completed the course. For the last bit of my session, I complete the ropes course. I swing from rope to rope; eventually making it to the end in forty-three seconds. I've done it in forty seconds, but I'm still happy with forty-three. Once I climb down from the platform, the Gamemakers dismiss me.

Rory got an excellent score. I would be extremely happy if I got a six. I expect my score will be at least a point or two lower. "Mapelle Green, with a score of five." I'm very satisfied with a five. It's nothing excellent, but it's about average, which is okay for fourteen-year-old girl.

Lukas Cottingham (D8 M 16)

It's almost my time to preform for the Gamemakers. I'm nervous, and kind of just want to get it over with. I know I have to get a good score if I want sponsors, so I have to do my absolute best. "Lukas Cottingham, please report to the training center now for your private training session." I stand up slowly, wave to Aria, and walk into the training room.

First on my list is the berry identification test. I hit the start button, and work my way through all of the questions. I end up getting a score of 96%, which is the best I've ever done. Next, I do the survival skills test. It doesn't take as long as the berry test. I get a score of 95% on it. I'm pretty satisfied with both of my grades.

The last leg of my performance will be the most interesting part, so I need to do extremely well on it. I walk over to the pile of sword-fighting dummies, and drag one to the center of the room. I set it to level nine, and begin to fight. I'm thankful that I'm such a fast learner, and that I was able to pick up sword fighting as a talent. It will certainly come in handy during the Games. At last, I manage to 'kill' the dummy. It lies motionless on the ground. "You are dismissed," a Gamemaker says, and I walk out.

The scores have been all over the place so far. I'm pretty sure every number between three and eleven has been scored. Tristan Honeybee announces District Eight. "Lukas Cottingham, with a score of seven." Awesome! Seven is a great non-career score. If Aria got a high score too, we'll have plenty of sponsors.

Aria Law (D8 F 17)

Unlike most of tributes waiting out here, I'm not all that nervous for my session. I know that what I plan to show the Gamemakers will be very impressive, so there's no need to worry. Besides, there's no huge consequences if I don't get a good score. Lukas and I will be able to survive on our own without any help.

I nearly jump off my seat when my name is called, and walk through the double doors. I immediately spot the Gamemakers, sitting up in their balcony above the room. I have a lot of respect for the Gamemakers. They do their job well; handing out accurate scores to tributes, creating an awesome arena, and much more. If I survive the Games, I hope to become a Gamemaker. After staring at the Gamemakers for a few seconds, I head for my first destination; the agility course. After hitting the button, I leap off of the platform and whiz through the course. Once I hit the button on the finishing platform, my time appears on a screen above the course: seventy-six seconds. Next, I show the Gamemakers a trick I learned back in District Eight. I stand about thirty feet away from the nearest wall, facing it. I take a deep breath, and sprint at the wall as fast as I can. I speed up, faster and faster, hoping all of the Gamemakers are watching. When I'm about five feet away from the wall, I leap up, kick against the wall, flip over, and land right onto my feet. I look up at the Gamemakers. Most of them look very impressed with my backflip.

I begin to prepare for my grand finale. I jog over to the ropes course, and grab one of the mats under the ropes. I drag it over to a spot right against the wall I did the backflip on. Next, I find five fairly large throwing knives. I launch them up at the wall; all at different intervals. Then, I step back to where I began my sprint for the backflip. A take another deep breath, and run as fast as I can, straight at the wall. Right before I reach the mat, I jump over it, and my left foot lands on the lowest knife stuck in the wall. My right foot lands on the second knife. Next my left foot jumps up to the third knife, and my right foot heads for the fourth knife. Right after my left foot lands on the last knife, I kick off the wall, and go into another backflip. I sail towards the mat, and somehow manage to stick the landing. Proud of myself, I check the clock, and notice I still have a few minutes left. However, I'm done showing the Gamemakers what I need to show them, so I ask to be dismissed. "Yes, you may go," the Head Gamemaker says.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a great score. Lukas got a fairly good score of seven. Hopefully, I did just a little better. "Aria Law, with a score of nine." My mentor, escort, and mentor all pat me on the back and tell me how great a nine is. I agree; I'm happy with a nine.

Finally got part two finished! So there's one week of soccer left (unless we make playoffs, which is about a 50% chance right now). I'm sad that the season's over, but also kinda happy cause I'll have more free time to do stuff like writing. :-)

I've finally closed the poll, so you can view the results on my profile. I'm going to use this poll to determine which tributes live to see another day, as well as for sponsorship gifts. If your tribute is on the top and has done well so far, there's a high chance of them getting sponsors. However, don't worry if your tribute got little/no votes because there's still the remainder of the training sessions and the interviews to impress people, including me. :-)

Thanks for sticking with this story even though I don't update too constantly. :-)