Have you ever heard of the saying "a small fish in a big pond"? Well, on Prim's first day of training, Prim couldn't help but feeling like a small fish. A very, very small fish.

All of the other tributes had inches, if not feet on her. Even the tributes from non-Career districts were fifty to a hundred pounds heavier than her. And the Careers, they could crush her without blinking an eye. Prim's confidence from the night before waned. Who was she kidding, she could hide, she could be fast, but at the end of the day there had to be some sort of physical interaction between tributes. And when that time came, she would be a goner.

Peeta sensed the change in Prim's attitude and attempted to cheer her up. "Hey," he started, "it's not all about being big and strong. I mean, if your sister were here, she'd easily win, right? And she's probably half the size of those Careers."

"Yeah," Prim agreed, "but she also knows how to hunt."

"And you're a healer," Peeta reminded. "You have more knowledge on medicine and how to find it than all of these people combined. That's not nothing. Let's try to learn all that we can while we're here, okay?"

So the two made their rounds of the training center. They started fires, learned how to set traps, and tied knots. Prim cleared the edible plant test, and Peeta showed Prim his painting skills in the camouflage station. They also made their way to the tree climbing station, where Prim could reach the highest of branches due to her lightness. When she made it to the top, she realized she wasn't alone. A pair of doe brown eyes stared back at her. The other 12-year-old tributes from District 11.

"Sorry, I didn't realize anyone else was up here," Prim apologized, not sure if she was supposed to be making conversation with the other tributes.

"Oh, it's okay. I've been up here for a while, observing the others," the other girl explained. "No one else has made it even close to getting all the way up here."

"Being this small does have some advantages in the Games." Prim pointed out, and the girl smiled at her. "I'm Prim."

"I'm Rue," the other girl introduced herself. "You were really brave, not letting the other girl volunteer for you."

"That was my sister," Prim explained, suddenly feeling suffocated by homesickness.

Rue nodded, seemingly understanding where Prim was coming from.

"What have you learned about the other Tributes?" Prim asked.

"Well, the Careers are obviously really big and strong. The girl from District 1 doesn't seem to be particularly good with any weapons, but she's strong. Both the tributes from 2 are really good with weapons, the boy with his sword and the girl with knives. The girl from 5 is really smart and fast. And the boy from your district is really strong. The boy from my district, Thresh, is really big and strong, but he wouldn't try to go after either one of us."

"Thank you," Prim said. She felt an ache in her chest, feeling like in some other world, she and Rue would be friends. But not in this world. In this world, in a few weeks, one or both of them would be dead. But if Prim couldn't go home, she hoped Rue could. "I should get back to Peeta, the boy in my District. But, if you ever need anything, here or in the Arena, you can trust me. I'm not strong but at home, I run the apothecary with my mom. I know what to use for medicine and food."

Rue nodded and smiled. "I'm good with a slingshot, and know some edible plants and animals too." And with that, Prim descended from the fake tree, where Peeta was waiting for her.

"You were up there a while," Peeta stated.

"The girl from 11 was up there, we talked a bit," Prim explained.

Peeta nodded, and his face took on a look Prim couldn't discern. "I'm sure she's nice, but it might not be best to make friends here Prim, if you know what I mean."

"I know," Prim whispered. "But you never know when an ally will come in handy."

"I guess you're right," Peeta conceded.

The pair spent the last part of the training with some weapons. Prim was too small to handle a sword or a spear. She had to use the smallest set of bows and arrows, but her aim wasn't bad. It must be a genetic thing.

Finally, all of the tributes were dismissed for the day. They recapped the day to Haymitch, who told them to keep on doing what they were doing.

That night, Prim cried, mourning the friendship she and Rue could have had, and the lives they would never be allowed to live, even if they survived the Games.

The next days of training were basically the same. Peeta and Prim would try to stop at as many stations as possible. At some point, she and Rue would cross paths, and they would try to catch each other up on what they'd learned. The boy from 10 had a crippled leg. The tributes from 2 seemed to be close like they had some sort of history. The boy from 3 was really good with wires and electricity.

The third day after training was when the private sessions were set to take place. All of the tributes were rounded up, and one by one they were called in to show off their skills, starting with the District 1 boy and ending with the District 12 girl. That left a lot of time for Prim to overthink, worrying about what the Gamemakers would think of a tribute like Prim, a tribute with very little physical potential. Rue was called in, and Prim gave her an encouraging smile, which Rue returned. Then Peeta was called in. Then Prim. She took a deep breath, stood up, and made her way into the training center.

The sounds of the Gamemakers' raucous laughter permeated the entire training center. Prim could smell the liquor from many feet away. Her heart sank. She was a lost cause to begin with, but she was hoping for maybe an average training score. With most of the Gamemakers drunk, she didn't stand a chance. But, she had to do what she had to do. She started with the edible plants test, passing with flying colors. Then she climbed to the very top branches of the tree as she and Rue had done before. Then she made her way down, but most of the Gamemakers were still not paying her much mind. But she noticed one or two giving her some nods of approval. "You may go now," a rotund, blond man told her. She gave a nod, and made her way out, where she took the elevator to the 12th floor. There, Peeta, Haymitch, Eddie, and Cinna were waiting for her. She sat at the table, and everyone ate until Effie announced that the score would soon be announced.

Prim wasn't sure what to think as they sat in front of the TV. Maybe she'd get a 5 if she was lucky and the sober Gamemakers vouched for her enough. Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman got through all of the formalities and then began announcing the scores. Unsurprisingly, the Careers all received high scores. The rest of the tributes received between a 3 and a 6, but Prim felt her heart lighten when she saw that Rue had scored a 7. The boy from her District also scored well with a 10. Everyone took a collective breath before District 12 scores were announced. First, there was Peeta, with an 8. Everyone cheered and patted him on the back. Time seemed to slow down as Caesar Flickerman was announcing "Primrose Everdeen, with a score of…11!"

Everyone was cheering, but frankly, Prim felt confused. An 11? All she did was pass a test and climb a tree. Peeta had definitely displayed more strength than her, and what about the Careers? Prim and Haymitch made eye contact and came to the same conclusion at the same time.

Someone, somewhere in the Capitol did not want Primrose Everdeen to make it out of the Games alive.