The next morning I got up early and stepped into the shower.  After it was filled to the top with water, I lay there, soaking in it, and drowsily leaned my head against the button panel.  Immediately I sat back up, hoping I didn't press anything.  Nothing happened and slowly I started to relax.  I suddenly realized my skin was swelling and puffing up.  Oh great.  There was one button that I had tried out that first night, and it was a water look-alike from the outside, but in the inside...  Well, I didn't know what it was called, but I immediately jumped out of the bath when I found out I was allergic to it.

***********

After a delicious breakfast, I paced in my room until it was time to go to the training place to meet the other tributes face-to-face and start training.  Lilia knocked on the door and said, "Time for the training."  I waited until I heard her footsteps fading, then I left.  I didn't want to make it seem like I was pacing my room, anticipating this moment.  I met Thresh and Lilia at the elevator and my mind blanked for a minute.  "...right?"  Lilia asked.  I waited for Thresh's reply, not even paying attention to what Lilia said, but it never came.  I realized Thresh and Lilia were looking at me.  "Oh, you- you're talking to me?"  Lilia nodded.

I bit my lip.  "Oh.  Um-"  Right on time, we arrived in the training rooms.  "Wow."  I gasped.  Inside was a big room with weapons and lots of obstacle courses, most of which I probably couldn't do.  Someone pinned the number eleven on my back.  I watch as they did the same to Thresh.

After we joined a circle that was being formed, we waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Finally everybody had come, and I looked around, putting everyone into categories.  I was the only twelve-year-old.  I noticed the girl from district twelve look at me, and I saw pain and memories in them, but she didn't even know me!  I must have reminded her of someone back at District Twelve, maybe the girl she volunteered for.

A woman named Atala goes into the middle of the circle and starts explaining the rules.  Experts were going to stay at their own stations and we can go to any station, per mentors instructions.  We weren't allowed to fight or go into combat with another tribute, and if anyone wanted to work with a partner, there were assistants.  There were some surviving skill stations and some weapon stations.

I wasn't good at anything but slingshot, and that's barely even a weapon!  At least I was fast.  Atala starts to read the stations off of a list, and I look at Thresh.  He was looking at the floor, and I was pretty sure he was thinking, but when we were released, his head snapped up and he walked over to the rock climbing station first.  I looked around.  The other tributes were already doing something, so I walked to the camouflage station, embarrassed that I was the last one.

I stayed there for a while, but I kept on messing up and couldn't get the patterns right.  After an hour of messing up, I saw Katniss and Peeta walking over.  I was suddenly overcome with fear of being in the same station as a stranger who might be the one that will kill me, and I went to the bow and arrow station.  Soon I found out that I couldn't even shoot straight.  

I saw the district two boy's knife sitting on a bench and a crazy thought entered my mind.  I don't know what, but something made me think about doing it.  I kept on shooting and missing while studying the ceiling and walls.  Finally, I set the bow and arrows down and trotted over to a bench by the one with the knife.  I started to scoot over, inch by inch, and before I knew it, I was sitting right by the knife.  I saw Cato, the district two boy, coming towards the bench while watching Peeta carefully.

I panicked and grabbed the knife.  It was too quick, but I didn't have time to inspect my small cut.  I walked quickly but casually over to the wall and felt around it, my mind racing.  Before I knew it, I was on a pipe high up on the wall crossing between two walls.  It was so high, I could literally touch the ceiling if I tried.  I scurried across it to where the bench was and watched as Cato got really mad and blamed one of the tributes who was sitting on the same bench at the wrong time for stealing his knife.  They started to fight, but the Peacekeepers stopped it all too soon.  I noticed Katniss look up at me, and I put my finger to my lips, and she grinned at me.