The 150th Hunger Games

Tribute Training

Baxter Fernley's (District 10) POV

I sit with my cousin Julia at District 10's breakfast table conjoined with the Training Centre. Food covers the tables, taking on all shapes and colours. But despite how good the decadent dishes look, I do not eat. In about two minutes we will be taken into the large room where training is held. Julia mirrors me in a way, the same brown hair, green eyes, tanned skin. Julia and I sit in silence, which gives me an opportunity to check out the other tributes. The 23 career tributes are all tightly packed together around one table, ignoring the rule of keeping to your District's table. They joke, laugh, and eat as if 22, if not all of them are being sent to die. They eat around the District 1 table at the other end of the room. District 12 is completely silent, and some whispers emerge from the District 11 table next to us. Our table, along with Districts 9, 8, 7, and 6 chat more than Districts 11 and 12, but sit in small groups and keep their noise levels to a minimum. District 3 fiddle a lot, chewing their fingernails or messing with kitchen cutlery. District 4 only has 4 tributes if you don't count the career tributes, and District 5 stay as silent as District 12. So yes, I suppose you could say I'm a very analytical person. I stop analysing the tributes when the doors open. Julia grabs my hand.

'Attention tributes!' a woman announces. 'Please make your way through these doors.' The woman then retreats through the doors, I stand up, and we walk.

Hazel Jefferies' (District 11) POV

All 120 of us stand in a semicircle around the Training Centre leader, Iris in the middle of the large room holding all the training stations. I have been pushed to the back, and need to jump and stand on my tiptoes to see past the career tributes at the front of the crowd.

'Tributes.' Iris says. 'Welcome to training. Over the next two days you will train here, at the end of which, you will present a chosen skill to our Gamemakers.' she gestures up to a platform higher up in the room, at which the Gamemakers stand at the edge of it. I turn and see some District 3 girls whisper in a high tone. They seem to be quite fascinated by something.

Iris continues 'You can train at whichever station you please. However, my advice is don't ignore the survival stations. Exposure can kill as easily as a knife.'

The careers smirk. I roll my eyes.

'Finally.' Iris says. 'You can choose your stations for now, but three of them are mandatory. The first will be at 11 today. Then 3pm, followed by the final one at 1 tomorrow. And remember, no fighting. You will have plenty of time for that in the arena.'

That final statement earns a cheer from the careers.

Our massive group disperses. The career tributes head straight towards the weapons stations, a lot of other tributes following in their footsteps. Most of us though, head for the survival stations, and a small group of tributes are unsure where to go.

I want to be able to identify poisonous berries, so I kneel down beside a boy who looks about twelve, the same age as me. For a while we sit in silence, flipping through a book of edible plants, but I can see in my peripheral vision that the boy keeps looking up at me. Unable to take the silence, I eventually say 'Hello,my name is Hazel. District 11.' You idiot! I think to myself. What kind of person uses their District as an introduction?

'Connor.' he says. 'District 8.'

He smiles, and so do I.

Universal's POV

For the next two days the tributes trained, with no injuries and no problems. How boring. An argument broke out between a District 1 boy, Luca Haleston, and a District 3 boy, Trent Waters over a tie in the assault course. Before the tributes knew it, it was time for their private sessions with the Gamemakers.