Chapter 11

"Well it would be helpful to know how to get sponsors," Koland said.

"Well, first is to have good looks; the capital loves that. You gotta flirt with the crowd, make them feel welcome and included. We will train as soon as the parade is over" Finnick informs them.

"What do we do when we are on the chariot?" Blake asked.

"You smile at the crowd, pick one person and wink at them. It's all about the sponsors and survival." Finnick grabbed a glass of water.

"Well, you two should get some rest or study; we have lots to prepare for" Finnick walked off to his room. Blake sighed and got up from the chair.

"What games should I study?" Koland asked. Blake remembered that some parents forbade their children from watching the games. Koland's family didn't let their children train, nor watch it.

"I would look into each district's victors. Pick one victor from each district and study their games. Pick the more recent ones" Blake advised. Koland nodded and walked away. Koland seemed like a nice person, but he had some flaws. He was shy and not confident, and this game could destroy him.

Blake went to her room and did the same. Instead of watching the games, Blake watched the reapings. This would help her get an idea of who she would have to kill.

She started with district one. A muscular boy had volunteered, his name was Lalo. He looked like a strong competitor, but had some flaws. Next, a blonde girl named Ottilie was reaped. You could tell she didn't like fighting.

Blake watched district two next, both tributes volunteered. Their names were Eloi and Adele, Blake feared them the most so far. If she wanted to survive, she would have to team up with the careers.

She then moved on to district three, where a skinny boy with dark hair was reaped. His name was Conroy, the girl from his district was Serpen; she looked like she trained for these games. Usually, the only districts that trained were one, two, and four.

Blake then watched her own reaping, watching Glenn getting dragged away again was difficult for her, she thought of all the terrible outcomes.

She then watched district fives, the tributes were Wintell and Hendall. Wintell looked like her older brother, but more scary. Hendall's appearance frightened Blake, but she was just an innocent girl deep down.

In district six, the tributes were what Blake considered, wimpy and sneaky. The boy Jaxx, had this scared little boy look like Conroy. The dark haired Files had this sneakiness to her.

She watched sevens, then moved on to eights. Another lethal blonde was reaped, Rachelle. Later on, another scared brunette boy was, Neil. They didn't look like they had a personality to them.

Next was district nine's tributes, Greyson and Dawn; they looked normal and weak, similar to others.

Ten had a Asian boy named Iken and a ginger named Una. They seemed smarter and more resourceful than others.

Eleven's didn't look as dangerous as the others.

Twelve had Phoenix and Xyla, they looked weak and underweight.

"They look easy to kill," Blake thought to herself. She watched some of her own district's games. Her district was somewhat lethal and dangerous, but it couldn't compare to one and two. She was nervous to come face-to-face with Lalo, Eloi, and Adele. Ottilie looked easy to kill, but anything could happen. Blake shut off the television and laid back on the couch. She needed to come up with allies, Koland was definitely one of them. Since they are from the same district, he will be more trustworthy and they will know each other the best. It was difficult for her to take in the thought of 23 of the tributes dead in less than two weeks. She left her room for the main train car. She opened the door to find Finnick and Koland chatting, while the mustard lady was drinking some purple liquid.

"Ah, Blake, so glad you came to join us. Take a seat next to Koland, we have a lot to discuss." Finnick snatched a pastry from a platter near them. Blake sat across from Finnick and next to Koland.

"What are we discussing? After all, you are supposed to inform your tributes before 'the slaughterhouse'" Blake smirked. She knew Finnick would get defensive about the capitol, he had several lovers there.

"It is not a slaughterhouse! It is a celebration, a game! You should be proud that you were chosen!" the mustard lady scolded Blake. Finnick didn't say a word, he was silent through the rest of the train ride. He was nervous, he didn't want Blake to die, nor did he want her to experience the aftermath of the games. Glenn and Clay would hate him even more than they already do. Finnick gave the two tributes a few words of advice in secret before they arrived.

"It's better to die in the arena than live after the experience. Die as soon and as quickly as you can, the games will destroy you" Finnick got up from his seat and went to his room. Koland noticed movement from the windows, he ran over and waved to the people outside. Blake did the same; instead of being friendly, she took Finnick's advice and winked at a few older men. This made the crowd go wild for the two tributes. Blake isn't prepared for what happens next.