Max: District 4

The Capitol: Training for the Games

I wake up in the morning at 8:00. The first training session is today, but training won't help. Nothing will. All I can do is try my best. I wish that I could win these games and see Mia again. I hope that she's not watching when someone finally kills me. So she won't have to see me die.

I hear a knock on my door, and when I go to open it, Mags is there, holding out my red and black training uniform. "Your training is in ten minutes. You might want to get changed and eat something quick." I take the clothing, and she closes the door behind her. I didn't realize I'd been sitting in bed for two hours, just thinking. I quickly change into the uniform. It is tight fitting and just the right size. The shirt has a 4 on both the sleeves and on the back.

I rush out of my room just in time to slam straight into Maria. We both fall backwards onto the floor. Instantly, she's scrambling up and yelling at me. "What is your problem, Max! You're always in the way, messing things up. If you make me look weak during training, I swear I'll slit your throat!" She stalks off down the hall and into the elevator. I decide to take the elevator after her because I have a feeling she needs some space.

When the next elevator comes, I get inside. The elevator opens on the first floor, and Marvel gets in. "Are you coming?" he calls into the hallway behind him. "In a minute!" shrieks a high pitched voice "I'm-" her words are cut off by the doors of the elevator closing. Marvel turns to me, and I flinch away from him. Is he going to punch me or something? I wonder. he notices my flinch and takes a step towards me. I press myself against the side of the elevator as he towers over me. I'm short for my age, only four foot eight, and marvel's probably 6' 3''. "hey," he says kindly. What's he doing? I think, desperately wanting us to reach the training center so I can get away from this older boy. "I'm not going to hurt you! It's against the rules." That's true enough. The tributes aren't allowed to hurt each other. He extends his hand to me. "I'm Marvel. What's your name?" I already know his name, but I say "My name's Max." The elevator door opens, revealing the training center behind a set of closed doors. Marvel smirks at me before exiting the elevator. I trail behind him, noticing the peacekeepers at the end of the hallway.

When we reach the gym, all the other tributes are there except the ones from 12. As soon as they arrive, the head trainer, Atala, starts her lecture. "In two weeks, 23 of you will be dead. One of you will be alive," she says. Truthfully, all of us will be dead. No one will escape the arena. No one ever does. The Victor is never the same as before they entered the arena. All of the victors are, to some degree, mad. Insane. Dead. No one is escaping the arena alive.

"Who that is depends on how well you pay attention over the next four days, particularly to what I'm about to say. First, no fighting with the other tributes. You'll have plenty of time for that in the Arena. There is one compulsory exercise, and the rest will be individual training. My advice is don't ignore the survival skills. Everybody wants to grab a sword, but most of you will die from natural causes. 10% from infection, 20% from dehydration. Exposure can kill as easily as a knife." I'm not entirely convinced that's true, but what does it matter, anyway? After Atala's lecture, the tributes separate, rotating through various stations. I go to the edible plantss station first. The girl from five is already there, and she's acing it. I'll bet she survives 'till the final six before someone kills her. She touches the pictures of the edible plants on the screen, leaving the poisonous ones alone. she's really good and doesn't make any mistakes. When she's done, I decide to talk to her. "Hey," I say "What's your name?" she blinks at me, startled "Finch. I'm not going to ally with you if that's what you want. I work alone." I shrug "I don't mind. I was just going to ask how you knew all those edible and poisonous plants. I'd never be able to learn all those." She smiles sneakily. "I'm smart, sneaky, and I'm pretty hard to kill. So watch you back." After that encounter, I decide that I'm going to stay as far away from her as I can in the arena. If she's really as clever as she says she is, it's best to avoid her.