JER's Tournament/Fourth Act: First Day of Training

Again, I will have to tell this story when the time comes, and I will also have to ask certain others to share some of their stories that are compatible with mine and subsequent stories that are yet to follow.

First Day of Training, 6:00 AM-1:00 PM
Most of the Tributes woke up at 6 AM, planning out their days with their mentor and fellow Tributes. Once they leave for Training, they figure out that they have a lot to do.

As Franco Toledo
After getting myself ready, I met the mentor and the other Wisconsin Tributes in the main room. After I grabbed a glass of orange juice, I sat on one of the recliners and waited for the mentor to start.

"As you all know, training starts today," Wisconsin Mentor warned, "and there will be a lot of formidable foes to watch out for. However, now is not the time to worry about that. You have your own skills, and they will prove useful in the next few days, but you need to have youselves capable of other skills, so that means," she directed her words to Sedra Alsypse, "don't think that simply squirreling out of sight and stoning a guy to death will be the only thing to win the games." Sedra was caught off-guard with that statement.

Sedra, originating from Appleton, Wisconsin, was a twelve year-old girl who loved to throw rocks at people, especially with her slingshot. In fact, she made it a habit to pelt her fellow Tributes while we were sleeping (especially at 1 AM). Once I reported it, they made sure to confiscate her slingshot (it was a wonder how she even got it on the plane), and maybe not to send another one as a Sponsor gift. However, that action of keeping slingshots away from her has pelted her harder than they had planned.

"Why can't you let me keep my strategy intact?" she answered violently. "I had a great plan until you had to step in and take it away from me!" She would've charged into the mentor if Mariamme Ibrahim hadn't restrained her.

"Now, let's not get too hasty," the mentor reminded. "There is more than one way to end someone's life."

"With all that energy, I bet she can throw a sword into someone's chest during the Tournament," I joked. However, with that sudden thought in the mentor's head, I knew that I was about to regret my outburst.

However, it arose as a surprise to me that this might happen:

The mentor simply said, "Not a bad idea at all, Franco." Her pause had just added extra confusion to what I had just heard. "If she is able to lunge a sword at that velocity and accuracy, her extra... energy... will be of use to this group."

Even Sedra paused with that comment, which was a relief for Mariamme, because she could hardly keep her in her seat.

"Here's what I plan for you to do," the mentor decided. "Franco, you are to supervise that Sedra excels in more likely weapons skills, such as swordfighting and spear throwing, and maybe some other important trades."

"No fair! Why does she get to have all the fun?" our fourth Tribute, Jesse Portillo, spoke up.

"You do have a point," she responded. "Franco, you'll be taking the same classes as she does." She thinks up another suggestion. "Try to be her role model."

Everyone's jaws dropped with that remark, including mine.

"What?" I asked. "I barely know how to handle a rifle, and you want me to coach a trigger-happy maniac?"

That's when Sedra let loose and tackled me so hard that my recliner fell. As she pinned me down and began to claw my face, and I waited for the others to pull her off me, a thought came to me, and as funny as it sounded, 1982 called, and they wanted their maniac back.

Once they pulled us apart and I stood up and dusted myself off, our mentor told me, "Be nice. She might save your life someday."

That thought put me on edge.

"As you train her in weaponry, you might gain a few things yourself," she continued. "She could help you gain your inner... as you would like to call... maniac."

Okay, that was crazy enough for me to strike me odd. "Why would I like to be a maniac myself?"

"Take Sedra," she answered. "Her so-called maniac energy gave her her energy. Take some tips from her, and you might gain some energy for the Tournament."

Before I could respond, she demanded, "Just go to Training with her right now. The rest of us will meet you there soon."

"Okay. Sorry for the trouble."

"Just know that sometimes sanity leads you nowhere. Sedra, if you will..."

That's the reason why I left for Training with a twelve year-old crazy, still left befuddled with what my mentor told me.

As Katniss Everdeen
To recap yesterday:

We chatted for the first hour after waking up, and we had decided to ally and rescue Madge Undersee from Yesare's clutches. However, when we paraded down the Capitol streets, Madge wasn't there at all.

Later, I talked with some other Tributes and they say that she was in the same platform as ours, which puts up the question: Did Yesare drug us, too?

Today: We woke up in our predetermined 'hotel' rooms, waiting for a mentor to pop out and greet us.

The mentor didn't arrive. At least not yet.

After having breakfast with each other, we left the West Virginia wing of the Training Center early (District 12 was located in today's West Virginia?) and headed toward the Central Training Area, which was a different building entirely. You see, the Training Center is divided into four parts:

The Tributes Suite is basically a hotel complex where all Tributes spend the night (or if they have nothing else to do). It is like our rooms in the original Games, but a separate building with 19 rotating floors (the lowest floor is 200 feet high, so each floor has a good view, and also means that we can only enter using the elevators), each floor containing five wings. Each wing housed a separate state's/province's/territory's Tributes.

The Central Training Area is a four-story building with plenty of room on each floor for any kind of training. On the two lower floors, there are plenty of training stations to choose from. The third floor is a lunch room, where people also like to spend conversations with other people. The fourth floor holds the numerous private session rooms, and since there are so many rooms, people don't have to wait so long to try for a high Training Score.

The Remake Center got awarded its own building. It's where stylists prep the Tributes. Nothing much has changed from our center except for the stylists and the number of rooms in the building.

The final room is the Exclusive Center. We set up there for the Parade, and that's where the interviews and the closing ceremony will be held.

Once we arrive at the front door of the Central Training Area, one of the Tributes came up to me.

"You realize that you three are famous, right?" he starts. "My name is JERealize, by the way."

"JERealize?" Gale asked.

"Yeah, it's a Nickname Movement thing. My real name is Julian Espinoza, and I come from California, or what you call the Western Lands."

I have only read about the Western Lands once, and that was simply for casual reading. The Western Lands once were major food exporters among other things, but the floods wiped out most of the valuable land. Today, even with Districts 4, 10 and 11, they can't surpass the food production that the Western Lands used to make. The most well-known feature was a giant bay that consisted of the former valley that produced most of the Western Lands' agricultural wealth. They say that it's 50 miles across and 450 miles long, with a depth of up to 400 feet.

Someone sent me a postcard depicting the coastline. Jagged rocks that were formerly mountains jut out of the coast, blasted by the repetitive waves. Islands loom not too far from shore, abandoned by its former owners. The remaining land is worthless, thanks to the seawater making its newfound presence. They've never set up a district this far west.

He probably decided to talk to us for something else, though, because then he asked, "Could you three autograph my journal, please?"

I replied, "Okay. Where do I sign?"

He had it laid out for me. I signed my name onto a separate page of the journal, which was dedicated to Katniss Everdeen, as in, it was mainly a short summary of my life, and spots where he would put in my success in the Parade, my Training Scores, and what happened in the interviews before the Games. And afterwards, if he was still alive during the Games, the time of my death.

Gale and Peeta signed in their spots, and JERealize said, "Thanks. I'll see you later." He left without another word.

The Training Center already had 50 Tributes training their best. Some of them were taking in swordfighting (including one Wisconsin Tribute really getting into it), some others trying stealth classes, and some more in the edible plants section. There were so many Tributes trying out a variety of categories that, strangely enough, even knot-tying class had three visitors.

Someone else rushed to us, but he was not a Tribute.

"Hello, I'm your mentor," he stated. "I'm West Virginia Mentor."

As Madge Undersee
I had done some weird things, but none like this.

My mentor, Yesare Dernes, decided that, if I wanted to catch everyone by surprise, they shouldn't see Madge Undersee in Training at all. I was instead dressed up in a short pitch-black dress (the dress still allowed me to be quite agile due to it's design) with matching black running shoes. My hair was also dyed black, and my irises were re-colored a very dark gray. (Yesare said that she will revert me to my normal self once the Games started.) I wore a black armband on each arm, and that was the end of the transformation.

I was a character shrouded in darkness, with unknown origin, and no telling what I will do next.

Yesare assured me, "You... are the one. No one knows who you are of where you come from, but you... are the one... the one to lead and leave your sign... the one to slay even the toughest of Tributes... the one who will avenge her own death, even when dead... You are the one... Dark Matter."

I am Dark Matter. My name is Dark Matter.

"The legacy of legacies," she continued, "the soul to claim all souls, the true member of District 12. You are as dark as the void, as mysterious as life, as influential as a gamma-ray burst. You can collect energy from reserves never noticed before, and drown people in it."

I keep collecting newfound energy, no matter what.

She continued. "You are meant to be the envy of everyone and the savior of all."

I am meant to win.

After a slight pause, she told me, "You will go to the Central Training Area alone, but you will not need me. I suggest you work alone. I wish you farewell."

I left the room.

Once I had arrived at the Central Training Area, I met someone in the Swordfighting section. She was slaying the targets like they meant to face execution, and wasn't caring at all for what she was doing. I carried my deep essence across the building and found myself face-to-face with someone else. He called himself Franco Toledo.

"Why do you think you can just push me aside-" he started at me, but didn't get to finish his sentence, because I pushed him over a flowerpot and he fell, indirectly hurting himself. That's when I stepped toward this energetic force of a Tribute and tapped her shoulder.

She turned around while still holding her sword. "Who do you think you are?" she demanded.

I answered, "I am... Dark Matter."

"I am Sedra Alsypse," she stated, "and I think you have some nerve to come here unattended. Now, apologize for messing with my friend or I shall turn you into the daily special."

That's when I lost it. I pried her sword from her hand and threw it just a few millimeters past her, and it not only skewered the dummy that I was aiming at, but also shot through it and into the dummy behind it. As she stood still witnessing the fake blood flow from the newly punctured wounds, I awaited her response to my assault.

Franco came toward me and gave me a request. "Do you want to be my ally?"

"Get lost," I barked, then I pushed him back into his original position.

I turned to Sedra. "And as for you, you are never going to be better than me. NEVER are you to surpass me."

"Yeah, right," she responded. "You would never defeat me if you could."

That's when I really went all-out. I was about to slash her when she took out another sword and kept blocking my attacks. After fifteen blocks or something, she caught me off balance and then I was on the defense.

I was about to strike her back into the defensive position when a third sword shot our swords out of our hands. The thrower was a British seventeen year-old girl with long straight black hair, and she was accompanied by another Tribute.

"Okay, I've had enough of you both," she announced. "Either kill each other or leave." Apparently, she wants to do less work in the Tournament.

I was about to make my stand when some Peacekeepers came up to me, blocking my view of the long-haired girl and the energetic Tribute, asking me to move along. That's when I complied, but only after spitting on a Peacekeeper's shoe, and then running far out of their reach, in fact, so far that I practically was on edge of the Training Center in its entirety. That's when I stood back, shocked to receive the news that was coming to me. There were no fences or guards or pratically any type of security.

All I saw was the city lying 2000 feet below me. The entire Training Center was... floating.

Tempted to jump, I try to bring that thought out physically, but I can't, because I know that I can't. I headed back to the Central Training Area, recognizing my limits.

That's when I realized that the boy in the girl's company was Mason Joiner, from Nevada. And the girl herself... she was reaped from New Hampshire. She was Fauve Allsworth.

As Kentom Grentrom
As of now, I am in an alliance with Eviane Grentrom, Helice Neneme, and Denectre Neneme, walking through the Central Training Area in awe, seeing what each station had to offer, including an epic swordfight between a female Wisconsin Tribute and a Tribute never mentioned before (they say her name is Dark Matter). We've decided to split up, learn some trades, and teach ourselves new stuff in the afternoon (and maybe test ourselves).

Everyone else went their own ways, and I went my way. Somehow, I ended up in the snares and traps station. To tell you the truth, I have never tried to make a snare, although I knew enough about making knots. It turned out that I mastered the basic snares in the first 15 minutes, so I decided to challenge myself.

That's when I noticed quite the snare expert. This Tribute started on something I couldn't begin to comprehend until I approached it. However, as I came close, I must have triggered the trap, because a large net came from ten feet away and caught both me and her.

I learned that this trap was a big project because the trap builder began to curse to herself. I asked her, "Could you show me how to work on a trap like that?"

* * *

After she sliced through the net (don't ask me where she got the knife), she introduced herself as Seder Torrance from Newfoundland and Labrador. (Isn't she the girl who's willing to take Regel Torrance out?) She showed me some of her designs, and I was able to replicate some of them on the first few tries. I was given a chance to replicate the trap that caught us both, when I realized that most of the Tributes went to the third floor for lunch. We followed, leaving our work behind.

We picked up our lunches and sat with my allies and other Tributes (we were allowed to, as long as we're careful). Not only were we seated with Eviane, Helice, and Denectre, but we also had Bodiay Durien from the Northwest Territories, Dural Celan from North Dakota, and Jacob55111 from Michigan.

"How did you meet these people?" I asked my allies.

"I met Bodiay Durien when I visited the Edible Plants station," Helice claimed. "Denectre met Dural after the Stronton Melich vs Dural Celan argument, and Eviane recognized Jacob55111 from a Youtube video about an attempt to drill for oil in his own backyard. How did you find her?" She meant Seder Torrance.

"We were practicing snares--" I started, but Seder interrupted.

"He triggered my trap, and we were literally caught together," Seder added. "I was about to show him how to recreate that trap when we realized everyone left for lunch."

That's when we see a new arrival, bearing a grudge. His Canadian cold-hearted face came to our table and asked us in the most scolding tone I have witnessed.

"What are you doing with that good-for-nothing cheater?" he hissed at Helice, with extra emphasis on our friend, though we have yet to find out which one.

"He's sitting with us..." and then she stood up and they met face-to-face. "...and I don't think you have any right to mess with him without a retaliation."

As Stronton Melich
"I hope you realize that having Dural Celan in your team will bring about the downfall to your alliance," I told the group, and I left.

I still can't understand why anyone would even ally with that creep. He cost me a skiing race that could have had me nominated for a better sports venue. He ensured that I would lose that chance.

The story is this: When I was racing in the Whitehorse-Yellowknife Skiing Grand Prix back in 2009, Dural Celan deliberately activated a set of explosives on a mountain adjacent to the path, near the 700th mile. The result was a raging avalanche that eliminated the leading skiers, including me. Resen Havar won 1st place, while I was sitting under a thick layer of snow for 3 hours until I was rescued and treated for frostbite.

A few months afterward, I heard rumors that Resen Havar, the winner, had bribed Dural Celan to cause that avalanche that cost me the race. They had planned to do something just as lethal to me in the following year's race (send a pack of bears onto our path), but I managed to pass the threat entirely, so Resen ended up at the claws of the bears. I won that same race in 2010, but I still needed to settle the score with these two.

That's why I plan to kill them in the next Games, along with killing their allies. I can still hear Dural laughing alongside his newfound allies, unsuspecting the fact that I plan on killing... them... all.

First Day of Training, 1:00 PM-6:00 PM
After the lunch hour, everyone heads back to training, but the tension builds among these Tributes so steadily and surely.

As Aden Belon
Being a Tribute from Colima is not necessarily a sign that you will be even remotely as good as the Careers, if there are any. That's why I had decided to test my limits... by practicing with the best.

That's why I practiced the agility test with SerpentKing999.

I had heard a lot of rumors at the lunch room (RueRose allied with Alex Johnson from Maryland, Tride Trisconos and Jedwas Fintrel met themselves as enemies, and Joekeybladeaura and JTFasho13, both from Ohio, discussed how to take down Cato and Clove from Montana), and I had decided to leave the lunch room 5 minutes early. Little did I know that someone already arrived before I did.

I practiced a bit alongside him, but 15 minutes after lunch hour ended, I gave him this challenge:

"Let's see if one of us is more agile than the other."

"How?" he asked.

"How about this?" I told him. "We go against each other... by climbing up the Central Training Area building."

You might think, this is nuts. Of course, I haven't taken any rock-climbing classes, and even if I did, it would be hard to climb a glass-paneled building. I'd have to be that French Spider-Man I hear about to do such a feat. That's when I added, "...using only two suction cups."

Okay. Now I've screwed myself by giving him the advantage.

"Only if we settle up a bet," he answered. "If you win, you can keep my utility belt for the Games." He took off a belt from around his waist and I studied it. It had some hardware attached to it, so I can use it to get through fences and set up traps. The other pockets were empty space, and I thought they could be useful for pocketing necessary objects. He put it back around his waist, then stated:

"If you lose to me, then you will have to be my servant and fight my battles until your death." That was a steep price to pay for the utility belt, but I had decided to bargain for it.

"How about if I lose, I will be your frontline defense, but only for 7 days?", I asked. That was a better price to pay if I did compete.

"Alright, if that's the best you can do... How about after the seven days, we fight against each other? Accept that and we have a deal."

"Deal." I shook hands with him, then we took our suction cups and moved outside, where I faced the test to end all tests.

As Fauve Allsworth
"There's a contest outside!" that pole-dancing freak Fidofiderson announced. "Come outside if you want to see!"

I left the building and looked up to see two climbing Tributes, already at 2 stories aboveground. That's when I decided to catch up with them.

After getting my two suction cups, I clung to the wall, and started upward. At least I took some rock-climbing classes, so I'm ready to get some respect.

* * *

Once I neared the group, I heard something. "Looks like I'll beat you after all," a first voice said.

"Yeah, right. I'm going to the top first, then I'll be taking your utility belt," the second voice declared. Once I met them at the same altitude, they were incredibly surprised.

"What are you doing here?" the first voice, otherwise known as SerpentKing999, asked.

"If I win, all bets are off... literally!" I announced.

"What?!" Aden Belon, the second voice demanded. "You can't cancel the bet on us!"

"I'm afraid I can, and I will," I answered. "But there's still a second place, though no prize is offered there."

I began to phase them out as I reached the top. However, SerpentKing999 and Aden Belon began to catch up. We were in a dead heat, and then SerpentKing999 announced something that could change lives forever.

"Fine, you get your wish," he said to me.

48 seconds later, I reached the top, and SerpentKing999 came in second. A miserable Aden came to the roof in third, and then I heard this conversation happen against them.

Aden began. "Well, I guess this means that I will have to serve eternal servitude--"

"No, not true," SerpentKing999 answered. "Fauve Allsworth beat us, and since she did, all bets are off..."

That cheered Aden up for a bit.

Then SerpentKing999 told him, "...but I still beat you!" He laughed maniacally in his face for a while, suddenly stopped laughing, said, "Bye," and left.

However, I don't think that's the last I will see of him, because on his way to the elevator on the roof, he told himself, "Maybe I should get to know him better, see if I can't make him an ally..."

As Endiah Jenae
It was already 3:30 PM, two and a half hours before training sessions were over, and I was taking swimming lessons on the first floor, in a swimming pool much wider and deeper than the one in my high school. After swimming from end to end fifteen times, getting better with each pass. That's when I've decided to practice deep diving, so here's what I did:

I threw my token, a waterproof, silver-plated watch, into the deep end of the pool, which was about 30 feet deep. Testing my skills, I followed it to the deep end, and dived.

It took me about fifteen seconds to reach the bottom, and even then, the sudden increase in pressure had overwhelmed me. I threw the watch from the deep end up a ways to a shallower slope, then carefully swam back out of the water to catch a fresh breath.

It didn't take long to realize that this was going to be a long and risky venture.

Honestly, you might think I'm not getting anywhere, but I don't want to risk any illness due to rapidly-shifting pressure. With that in mind, I managed to pull my watch out of the water after three minutes of working on it.

That's when I met Utiah Fakan from Idaho. He usually wears steel boots (not those steel-toed kinds, but boots made entirely of steel), and apparently he can run with those boots almost as fast as a regular person running barefoot. Assumably, he could run faster if he took the boots off, but I haven't seen him do that, at least not yet.

He came up to me as soon as I stepped out of the pool, and he asked me, "Shouldn't you practice some more?"

I answered, "I've practiced enough."

"No, you haven't," he objected. "No one ever practices enough because they don't know what's out there yet. Besides, once you knew what the Arena looks like, you won't have the time to prepare because it's all a big rush in the first few minutes."

"And you...?" I countered.

"I am not ready, but I'm working to reach as high as I can." Without warning, he flipped into the pool. For a moment, I thought he would drown, but he not only stayed afloat; he also swam across the track, and returned to where I was standing. "So far, I have learned how to swim with weights attached to my feet."

"Like that'll make a difference," I replied.

"You would really like to put me to test, do you?" he requested.

"Yes, I would," I answered. "I'd like to see you swim two races against me, the first one with your boots, and the second without them."

"Oh, I never take these boots off..." he commented, and with a pause of consideration, assured me, "...but I will take these off, just this once before the Tournament. But first, let's start the first round."

We both jumped into the water and raced each other to the other end of the pool. After twenty seconds of splashing (that was a long pool), I barely slipped into first place.

As Utiah Fakan
Well, he beat me in that round. It showed me what I had to do to top him, but as of now, I've prepared for the next round, which required me taking off my steel boots.

I've noticed that my feet have grown pale over the past ten to twelve weeks (yes, that's right). Well, it's a side effect.

I've thrown my boots to the other side, and they've ended up twenty feet away and thirty feet under water. Then, we've set off on our next round.

It was already ten seconds into the race, and I was already in the lead. Six seconds later, I've reached the end. Honestly, I predicted my win.

Once I reached the end of the pool, I dived and went as far as I could to reach my pair of boots. After I grabbed on to them, I soared back over the water, but things seemed a little blurry until I reached the end of the pool. Even after I arrived, it took me a while to comprehend what Endiah Jenae meant when he asked me, "What's with the markings on your feet?"

He meant the secret codes tattooed to my feet that even I can't seem to translate. It has probably been there since I was five, when my great-uncle wanted to share a secret with me. However, I received no secret and instead received this (I wasn't given a choice).

"My great-uncle said that I'll know before it's all over," I responded. "I don't know what that means, but I hope I find out before I die."

"Well, I know who will be a tough competitor in this competition," he stated. That's when I realized that he was giving it his all in this contest. I can't leave him out now. He's already a valuable asset. Should I ask him?

I asked him, "Want to become my ally for the Tournament?"

"You sure?" he asked.

"With all the weirdos like RueRose, Dark Matter, Stronton Melich and the rest of them, I think I can help you out."

He took a while to think about it, but then he came with his answer. "Okay, we'll be allies."

First Day of Training, After 6:00 PM
After training ended, everyone returned to their rooms, eager to greet the next day. However, some are still celebrating their newfound success...

As Moviepopcorn123
"Nice story about the pay raise," SK999 commented. "How you were able to see that chance was nice to think about."

I was on Skype talking with SerpentKing999, Werebeast1, RueRose, and Alex Johnson. SerpentKing999 and Werebeast1 were allies, as well as RueRose and Alex Johnson. Now we hung out as I told everyone my experience as a Gamemaker under the authority of Primrose1444, and how I was able to get a pay raise (if only for the next few days).

"Okay," said Alex Johnson, recovering from laughter. "Okay. Now, we are talking with one another, but I don't know why we brought up this conversation. If this is because someone wants an alliance between all of us, you can forget it. I'm not considering allying with SK999 for this Tournament, even though he is such a good host."

"No, I didn't host this call," SerpentKing999 assured. "I don't know who did."

"I did," I answered. "I mainly answered to see if any of us can't make an alliance."

"We can't," Alex objected.

"Don't be so objective on your part," RueRose interrupted. "Moviepopcorn does have a point. We should spread out an alliance to everyone who would accept it, and I, for one, would be obliged to be a part of it."

"No... way," Alex refused.

"How about this?" Werebeast1 proposed. "How about we have an agreement not to kill each other that we impliment among ourselves until we choose to disband it? We don't necesarily help each other, but we are still friends and will be treated as such."

"Okay, let's take that into consideration," SK999 announced. "All in favor of this agreement, say aye."

I counted four ayes (RueRose still wanted a full-on alliance).

"Okay, then," SK999 assured, "We still have an alliance between RueRose and Alex Johnson, and an alliance between me and Werebeast1, but all five of us have an agreement with each other."

"Aye," RueRose finally said, and I don't think it was because she understood the agreement, but because she agreed with it.

As Sidi Eltel
"We can't ally with each other. That's the rules," Drent Helton reminded me. The only thing was, I didn't plan on allying with him. I planned on allying with Typingwestern015.

He had never known this, but there's something more to him than that ruby-sapphire hybrid. I first saw him in the news, when he introduced the first fog machine that uses water instead of smoke. He still stole my heart then. My primary reason to create a movement in New York (which ironically ended me up in a gang) was basically so I can show Typingwestern015 that I existed.

After all four of us became reaped for the Tournament, I have looked for ways to find a loophole that will guarantee me a way to ally with him. So far, Drent is not helping.

"Okay, then. I'll talk to you later," I answered to Drent. I left the call, considering my dwindling list of options.

How will I be able to make friends with Typingwestern015 if we can't be allies?

As Dehn Bohrman
I'e had a good run in Training. However, I need to perfect myself in order to beat people like Jedwas Fintrel (he beat me on the running track), Kelia Wann (She beat me in the rope-swinging contest), and especially that new kid Dark Matter (I didn't face against her, but she was in a dead-heat tie with Sedra Alsypse).

Speaking of Dark Matter, she was all over the Tributes' minds today with her suprise appearance. After her swordfighting competition, she waged battles against other Tributes in other sections of the Central Training Area. In fact, she was so good that she refused to ally with anyone, and I don't know why she would do that.

I've checked all the websites I could access, and on www.google.thg, the search term "Dark Matter" beat out "Alexis Eduardo rivalry" as the top search on the website. However, getting her background story was more difficult. All that was said in her very short biography was, "She is Dark Matter."

In fact, I had decided to meet with fellow Tribute Konika Merinda and ask her if she knew anything about her background.

"I don't know anything about her past," she responded. "All I know is that she is certainly Career material."

"Okay, then. Do you mind if I ask the others if anyone knows about her existence?" I asked.

"Go ahead," she told me.

I contacted them, and this is what happened:

(next sections of my narrative will be in 'screenplay' format)

Braliford Court: No, I don't know a single thing about her, Dehn.

Kalle Freon: I don't, either.

Dehn Bohrman: Then, where do I go to find out?

Kalle Freon: Maybe if you ask her...

Braliford Court: I don't think she herself would answer.

Dehn Bohrmen: How am I going to solve the mystery of her background history?

Braliford Court: I don't know at all... I think you're on your own with that one.

Dehn Bohrman: Okay, then. See you tomorrow.

(end 'screenplay' format)

After I left the call, I realized that, if I wanted to squeal some information out of Dark Matter, I needed to pull it out myself.

As Resen Havar
I still can't believe that I'm chosen from the same reaping pool as Cato and Clove!

I mean, I'm still composed, but these two are famous Careers from the 74th Hunger Games. I don't know how they got here (and honestly, they don't, either), but we have a lot to share with each other, since I won the Whitehorse-Yellowknife Skiing Grand Prix back in 2009.

Cato, Clove, Hortie Ninke, and I had decided to ally with each other, since we all were recognized with doing something important. Cato and Clove have first-hand experience of being in the Games and finished in the Top 8, Hortie worked in a mine as a part-time job, and I participated in some skiing races in the Canadian wilderness.

During training, however, I think Cato and Clove grew cocky, because they had decided to challenge Dark Matter in a few tasks.

"Okay, since we see you as a threat to the Careers," Cato had told Dark Matter in Training, "we wanted to see if you would be willing to join us."

"I don't need allies, so forget it," Dark Matter responded.

"In that case, I think you should reconsider," Clove ordered, "Everything can change in an instant."

Just when she said it, Dark Matter chose to throw Clove into Cato and walk out, thinking that she was home free. Little did she notice that I began to follow her to the second floor... or so I thought.

She stopped a while after getting off of the elevator, then said without turning around, "I know you're following me."

"Yeah, I know, but--" I answered, but I couldn't finish the sentence, because she slammed me into the elevator and shut the door. The next thing I knew, I was returning to the first floor.

As it turned out, Cato and Clove, finding out that tracking her was a lost cause, had decided to save those tasks for the Tournament. As of now, in present time, I am lying on the bed in my room, exhausted from the chasing after her. It seems that she's in the most unlikely of places, like that time when we found her behind the coat rack near the entrance, and she threw a dozen jackets at us, effectively wrapping us in layers of wool and cotton. Once we removed them, she was nowhere in sight, and we had decided to keep looking for her.

Well, I had better stop, because my steak dinner has arrived, and I don't want to talk with my mouth full.

As Ghen Indas
I don't know what is next for me. All I know is that I had an okay day, and I plan to challenge some Tributes tomorrow. The only thing is, an e-mail sent to me told me that a new part of the Central Training Area will be introdiced to us tomorrow. What will it be?

In the meantime, I've decided to see what else is new by looking through the Tournament webspace.

Okay, here's something. "Dark Matter" is still the #1 top search on google.thg, but the #2 search happens to be "Dark Matter Sedra Alsypse rivalry". In fact, the rivalry has become so intense that they'll be holding a battle against each other online, kind of like Alexis vs Eduardo, but with a different game.

To make the excitement even more exhilirating, the Gamemakers have decided to have rivalry matches every night. I can't wait to see who goes next!

So, I had decided to talk with someone else for the amount of time left until the battle, and that person was Domique Welton, from Wyoming. She still can't get over the fact that she's partnering with Glimmer, Marvel, and Lelt Dregg, but I hope she has the time to talk to me.

"Hello," she answered once I called her. "Have you heard who's on the Wyoming Team with me?"

"Yes, I have, but I'm not interested in talking about that at the moment," I responded. "You've heard about the battle between Dark Matter ans Sedra Alsypse, right?"

"Yes," she replied. "It's the only thing they're talking about besides Dark Matter herself."

"Okay, then. What other rivalries are there to consider once this battle is over?" I asked.

"I'm guessing that we might see Tride Trisconos and Marlony Darde go against Jedwas Fintrel and one of his allies. We all know that the Dreggs and the Torrances have a sibling rivalry among each other. Also, I would think that TotalDramaRox97 and his new allies, Primrose1444 and SerpentKing999, will go up against Resen Havar, Dural Celan, and Jacob55111 after what happened after lunch."

(If any of you are clueless at this point, TotalDramaRox97 accepted Primrose1444's alliance early and SerpentKing999 allied with TotalDramaRox97 before lunch, but they got in a heated argument with the Grentroms and the Nenemes. Resen Havar was already allied with Dural Celan before Dural's alliance with the group, and Jacob55111 was already in that same group. The argument looks to be the beginning of a cold war between the two.)

"Okay... I guess..." I responded, confused by what she told me. "Any promise of any THG Tributes forming rivalries?"

"Uh... I don't think so," she replied. "They don't seem to focus on other THG Tributes that much."

"Okay, then I'll see you later."

Once I left the call, I noticed that the next battle was going to start.

Dark Matter vs Sedra Alsypse
''--Since we will have too much trouble to create this page, we will skip this part and come back to it later. We are sorry for the inconvenience and we will return to fix it up piece by piece. Stay tuned. JERealize--''