June 5th, 99 ADD
Training is finally complete. Tomorrow is the Private Sessions. I will be demonstrating my ability with throwing stars, as well as agility- if all goes well, ideally I demonstrate both at the same time. Two days from now is my interview, and then I'll finally be in the arena. Amar likes to speculate about what the arena will be, based on past years, but I see no use in that. We'll find out when we get there. Preparing for the wrong scenario is not a risk I'm interested in taking.
Amar has become somewhat more tolerable. I do not understand her obsession with abbreviations, but her observations about the other tributes have proven that she is a decent resource. She is more sentimental than I would like- she continues to insist that we are "friends"- but I believe I have a solid understanding of her weaknesses. The largest one, as she revealed to me when we set boundaries on the first day, is her sister, Carina. She also won't discuss her father at length. In addition, she was quick to change the subject when I brought up her choice to Volunteer. There is a chance she may have been forced into it. This is better for me, as it shows that I want to win more than she does, which makes her more likely to give up later.
I did appreciate the boundaries conversation, however. That way, if his name ever comes up, I'll be able to shut it down. Especially useful for the arena period. I don't need Mother, or Asaki, or the rest of Panem, hearing about him. I don't need him hearing about that, either. If he's still out there. He doesn't deserve to know how I felt.
Every once in a while, Amar reminds me of him. Sometimes she says something actually funny, and she can't take no for an answer, and she has this ridiculous inability to wink.
But she can't replace him. She doesn't have the right. And I'm not going to let her.
Still, she has been useful to me. She really is a gifted fighter, and will be difficult to take down by myself if it comes to that. Amar has also helped me gain a more thorough understanding of my competition. She's also provided me with herself as a powerful, gullible ally.
As for my other allies. Kamari will not be an issue. Venezio has an ego problem and should be simple to manipulate. Zayan is pretending to be strong, which automatically denotes that he is both insecure and weak. Tanith, aside from Amar, is the real problem here. She is a brute. A smart one, yes, but she has no grace. She relies on sheer power, both socially but especially physically, in all of her interactions. Overcoming that power will be a challenge, but I anticipate that she is significantly slower than I am. I should use Amar to get rid of Tanith before ending our alliance. Ideally, they kill one another, but I'm not willing to rely on that much luck.
I need to go speak with Aurelia one more time before tomorrow. Now is the best time to do so.
K.A.