The next day we are told to go to the training centre. Training will go for three days. I am absolutely terrified about meeting the other tributes.
We go down to the training centre, and I am transfixed by the District 12 tributes. They are dressed alike, and the girl, Katniss, I think her name was, has a pin with a mockingjay in flight on it. I love mockingjays. Whenever we are working in the orchards, I sing to them.
We begin training. I follow the District 12 tributes around, who stick together. Like me, Katniss is small, can climb swiftly, has good aim and can tell which plants are edible and which aren't. On the second day, I see the boy tribute nudge Katniss, whisper something and look at me. I see Katniss look at me and the look in her eyes is sort of like...I'm familiar to her?
At lunch, all the Career Tributes sit together and try to intimidate the rest of us. I sit with Thresh. On the third day, he whispers, "How do they do that?"
"What?" i ask, pre-occupied.
"The District 12 tributes. They act like...they don't have a care in the world." I turn around at look at them, and as i do, the boy says something and they both laugh. I see what Thresh means. They act as if its a normal day, and we're not going to be thrown into an arena to fight to the death. And I admire them for it.
Finally, on the last day, we go and have a private session with the Gamemakers, when we show them our skills, and they give us a mark from 0-12, 0 being low and 12 being high.
I go in and concentrate on my best skill. Jumping around on all the equipment in the Training Centre, as if I could fly. At the end of my session, a few of the Gamemakers nod at me approvingly, and my heart soars.
Tonight, they televise all the scores for everyone to see. I hold my breath. Thresh gets a 10. And I get a.....7! This was better than I could hope for! Katniss, the District 12 girl tribute, gets an 11. Wow.
Tonight, for once, I go to bed with hope in my heart.
