A/N: Heyyy, I'm back with chapter three and I just wanted to say: thamk you so much for all these nice comments, they really motivate me to keep writing. So, as always I'm happy about any kind of feedback, so if there's anything you want to tell me, positive or negative, please do that in the comment section, I'd really appreciate it. So here's chapter three, it's a little bit shorter than the other chapters, I'm sorry, I promise the next one will be longer again, now I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 3, Friends

I somehow managed to get to the cafetaria on time and without getting lost, but as I stepped inside, I was shocked. There were hundreds of students from every age. I stood there for a moment and probably looked pretty lost, then I decided to just do what everyone else was doing.

I grabbed a tray and got in line with the others to get some food. Despite the fact that we were so many people, it was my turn pretty quick and a kind looking lady gave me a bowl of soup, I suppose it was noodle soup and some water.

I walked away but hesitated a little, since the boys from my class were all sitting at one table, but i didn't want to be the only girl sitting with them and the girks of my class were also sitting at one table, still wearing their cute little dresses, giggling over something and I really wasn't in the mood of being with them aswell.

I walked around the cafeteria for quite a while and planned on sitting by myself as my eyes meet another pair of ice-blue ones. They belonged to a blonde boy, sitting by himself, he looked at me and smiled a little before pointing at the other chair on his table with his eyes.

I decided to go sit with him and made my way to his table. As I walked closer, I realized that he has to be at least seven, so a lot older than me, but since he seemed kind, I sat down and placed my tray on the table.

„Hey, I'm Cato.", the blonde boy introduced himself. „I'm Clove.", I said as I started eating the soup, wich was suprisingly really good. „Why aren't you sitting with the rest of your class?", he asked me. „Well, I could ask you the same question.", I answered.

Cato laughed. „I don't like them, they think thei're something special and will win the games one day, but they don't even know how to hold a sword properly. So I rather sit by myself. Now what about you, whats your excuse to be such an outsider?", he asked jokingly.

I laughed. „I'm basically not sitting with them for the same reason, they all just seem to be the biggest idiots ever existing.", I answered him and took a big spoon of my soup.

„You're acting like you haven't had any food in three weeks.", Cato joked. „Minsch your own biusinesch.", I answered him with my mouth full and laughed.

Cato smiled. „But you're right, the noodle soup is the best thing they serve here, you're lucky they have it on your first day."

We both finished our dinner and continued talking. I learned that Cato was eight years old, so three years older, but he was surprisingly already in grade three, wich means he also got here at a pretty young age.

When I asked him about it, he just told me that his parents paid a lot of money and the headmaster saw a lot of potential in him, so he could get in earlier.

I had just finished my soup as a tall but skinny man in a black suit got up and immediatly everyone got quiet. „That's the headmaster, he can get really angry if you don't respect him.", Cato quickly explained before turning his attention to the man.

I took a closer look at him. Even thought he probably wasn't older than my parents, he looked like an old man with his grey hair and pale face.

He let his gaze wander through the crowd of students, his cold, blue eyes starring directly into my soul, before moving on to the next one.

„Good everning, students, , you've made it into another school year at the district two training academy. A new year, full of training and hard work is waiting for you and you get to proofe once again, why you're here and what you are working for. My advice for you: Work hard, use the opportunities given to you. I exspect you all to work even harder than last year and I want every single one of you to push your own limits."

He turned to the older students. „I'm sure if you all work hard, we will be able to win this year and bring glory to district two again, it's your responsibility."

Now he turned to us first-graders. „To the new ones, I'm sure you will get used to the life at the academy quickly and you will learn how to get the best out of you every single day. Be thankful for the opportunities we give you and soon, you will be there.", he said and pointed to the older students.

With these words being said, he sat down again and soon the conversations started again and Cato and I continued talking about weapons, since we were both really into that topic.

Cato was just explaining the difference in fighting with a single- and a double-bladet sword, when the bell rang again, signalizing the end of dinner.

We both got up, still talking and laughing and put our trays away, before following the big croud out of the cafeteria, where Aliona stopped me and the other first graders to tell us that she will tell us all of the rules tomorrow, when there's more time, but that we should know that we all need to be in our rooms by 8 and that we have to be at breakfast by 6 tomorrow morning.

After she told us, we where free to go and even though I had about an hour left before the curfew and I was really curious about the academy and wanted to explain more of it, I decided to just go to my room, since I was really tired from travelling all day.

So I headed to my room and I managed to memorize where it is now, so I'll hopefully not get lost anymore, where I decided to take a closer look at the clothes I got from the academy.

There were 6 sets of the training uniform, wich contained a black t-shirt, a black training jacket, a pair of black leggins for cold days and a pair of black running shorts for warm days, as well as a pair of running shoes for outside and another pair for the gym. All of that had the symbol of the academy printed on it.

Next to it I found a gym bag (black with the print on it as well, who would've thought?) as well as some „normal" clothes, like a few pairs of jeans, some t-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, socks, underwear and stuff like this.

In the right part of it, there was another bag, and first I thought it was just a substitute in case you've lost your gym bag, but as I took a closer look, I could see another print, next to the academy one on the bag, wich looked like a ballet shoe.

I pulled it out of the closet curiously and figured out, that this was the training uniform for these ballet classes, Aliona said we were going to have. The ballet uniform contained a black suit, wich kinda looked like a swimsuit and really weird looking shoes.

I put all of this back into the closet and took out the pyjamas and laughed a little bit as I saw, that even they had the print.

Surprisingly they fit me really well, even though, the black clothing was, toghether with my black dark hair a huge contrast to my pale skin and it made me look more serious, but also more like a future victor of the hunger games, so I really liked it.

I quickly went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face, before I went to bed, but even though I was really tired, there was now way I coud just fall asleep now, there were way too many new impressions.

So I just sat there in the dark, thinking of how much my life changed and imagining how the training will be, but the thing I thought about the most was Cato. I was really glad that I meet him, he knew very much about weapons and he seemed like he'd know, that he will win one day, just like I do.

He also takes his training very serious and cares about his future, wich most people our age don't do yet. He also has great humor and is very sarcastic, wich I really like and i think that I've laughed more in these twenty minutes with him, than in my entire life.

„So I guess, I have a friend now.", I thought and smiled, even though I wasn't here to make friends, a little bit of support is always nice, right?

I layed down and tried to sleep and after a while,, the thoughts really stopped spinning like a carousel in my head and I finally fell asleep.

What I didn't see anymore was the blonde, eight years old, little boy, who opened my door quietly about half an hour after the curfew, to check if I was alright.

I also couln't see the relief in his eyes, when he saw that I was alright and asleep.

And I also couln't see the worry in his eyes, when he asked himself why I wasn't homesick like everyone else.

I also couln't hear how he quietly and carefully stepped out of the room again, trying to not male any sound so I wouln't wake up, and even more carefully close the door behind him.

When I woke up the next day and I couldn't see the rising sun when I turned to the left side, I needed a moment to realize that I wasn't at home and another one, to realize where I was.

While my mind was slowly progressing everything that happened yesterday, I opened my curtains, just to see the most beautiful view in the world.

Directly infront of me, there was a huge forest with the rising sun shining through the trees, and when you took a closer look, you could even spot the montains between district two and three in the background.

I was stunned by that view and suddenly was really happy that my room was in the eastern part of the building, even though our way to the cafeteria was a little longer than the other ones', we got to see this beautiful sunset every morning, so that was definitely worth it.

Unfortunately I didn't get much time to enjoy this, because about five minutes after I got up, I heard the loud bell, wich was the signal for all students to wake up, because they had to be at breakfast in half an hour.

I got up and started getting ready. Aliona had told us yesterday, that we should get to breakfast already dressed and ready for training, so I got into the training uniform, before I put my dark brown hair into a high ponytail, so it wouln't get into my face during training.

I grabbed my bag, where I had packed my water bottle and a the jacket, in case I got cold and headed to the cafeteria. Before I left the room, I quickly looked into the mirror. Now I really looked like a student at the academy and I liked that.