The Capitol Games

3: Teams and Training

"Aria! Wake up!" Katniss whispers soothingly. My eyelids flutter open, and I spot Katniss in my doorway.
"G'morning," I yawn. Katniss laughs.
"Get up. Your stylist gave me your change of clothes. Food's on the table. You've got five minutes," Katniss orders. She must be training me already.
I roll out of bed, take off the nightgown I was given last night, and put on the new clothes that lay on my dresser. It's a thin, long sleeved black shirt with brown, slightly-heaver pants. When I get those on, I walk out to the breakfast table across the room. Katniss looks at the digital clock on the wall.
"Two minutes!" Katniss shouts as I halfway across the room.
"I'm almost here-?" I say. I reach the table.
"One and a half minutes to spare!" Katniss whoops. Effie sits at the table eating what looks like sausage and biscuits. Katniss has a huge bowl of something infront of her. I look at the table. It's filled with breakfast cakes, sausages, and biscuits.
I pick up a plate and take a piece of the cake.
"Alright, let's get moving. One hour until training starts, okay?" Katniss instructs, standing up from the table.
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"Welcome, Tributes, to the first annual Capitol Games training center. The tribute parade will be tomorrow night, and the very last night before the Games, you will be interviewed by both Cesar and President Paylor. You have five days of training here," the instructor shouts. "You have choices of what you want to practice: archery, bladed fighting, life skills, and at the end, you will be able to show your Gamemakers your skills. You are dismissed to begin."
Everyone scatters to a section, but I stay put and look around. I make up my mind on life skills. As I walk over, I watch Dia in sword fighting. She chops the head clear off a dummy, and I feel myself gasp. Dia has been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and I've never seen her this violent.
I feel myself start to faint out of nerves and being afraid, but someone catches me, and I snap out of it. I turn around and see Treva.
"Treva!" I exclaim, turning around to hug him. He hugs me back.
"Everyone's staring. Let's go do some training, 'kay?" Treva asks.
"All right," I agree, pulling away from him. "Life skills," I offer, pointing in the direction of the setup.
"Okay," he shrugs. We walk over and I see someone messing with a twig, trying to make fire.
"Cecilie!" I gasp. She starts the fire, then stomps it out.
"Aria!" She cries, throwing her arms around me. I hug her back tightly. She peels away. "Who's training you guys?"
"Katniss," I smile.
"Peeta," Treva says, studying the paper that shows which plants/animals are safe and which aren't.
"I got Beetee. He made me realize I could, we could, win without force. We could use our brains," Cecilie smiles.
"We? Y- you wanna be a team?" I ask excitedly.
"Why not?" She asks. I think about how much Cecilie has been to me the past 5 years. She was taken from her home, District 12, at the age of 12 and given to us as a maid. Now, I get to watch her fight keep herself, as well as me and Treva, safe.
"Thanks, Cecilie," I smile.
"Guys, I memorized this already. I doubt they'll use poisonous stuff, though. We're only supposed to be injured. Watch out for the animals and ground plants, though," Treva mutters, thinking out loud.
"Okay, that sounds like it's gonna happen. Watch the ground. Check," I agree. From the corner of my eye, I see a skinny, muscular figure slowly creeping over to me and my team, like a cat creeping up on its prey before it pounces, which I'm sure the approaching, deadly-looking Dia will do to me in just five short days. Dia walks up to us an smiles coldly.
"Hi, friends," she sneers. I smile as regularly as I can.
"Hi, Dia! How's your training so far?" I ask politely. She looks at her long, claw-looking nails.
"Oh, great! Enobaria helped me file my nails into claws so I could, well, let's just say fight more easily," Dia glances at me and Treva evilly, still with the wicked grin on her face. "I figured we could be a team. Treva, Cecilie, you, and I."
"Really?" I smile. An actual smile.
"Why not? Allies equal better sponsors and chances," she shrugs. Treva and Cecilie smile and nod.
"Let's do it," I stick my hand out for her to shake. She shakes it.
"Truce. Team," she mutters.
"Team," Treva, Cecilie, and I say. I have a team. I have allies. I have a chance.