"Right, the parade was the easy part." Alaric explains to Dahlia over the dinner table. Wyatt had shut himself in his room and refused any help offered, so the whole team now had their hopes pinned on Dahlia. "Look pretty, smile, wave, get them all to love you."

"My dress certainly helped." Juno brags, patting Dahlia's arm comfortingly with a beaming grin.

"Sure." Alaric dismisses the woman with a wave of his hand. "The Capitol now knows you as the Black Dahlia, so we need to sell that character. A temptress, an enigma... Most importantly, a cold-hearted killer."

Dahlia drinks in every word that leaves her mentor's mouth, knowing it could be the difference between life and death. "I don't know how to kill. I barely know how to fight."

Alaric smiles at the girl with a gleam in his eye. "What are mentors for?"

Dahlia didn't get much sleep that night again. This time, it wasn't because of the bed. Alaric spent the evening teaching Dahlia the basics of sword fighting. They used the closest things they could find in the apartment, which just so happened to be very expensive looking candlesticks. A lovely addition to the dining table, but an even lovelier substitute for a sword. Alaric was a strict teacher but Dahlia was a determined pupil. Together they made an unstoppable team who practiced early into the next morning. Magenta complained angrily about the noise, but Dahlia had learned how to defend herself from attacks in just a few hours.

After a few hours of sleep and a rushed breakfast, Dahlia found herself standing among her fellow tributes in the training area. The atmosphere is tense among them as they listen carefully to the words of the Head Trainer.

"In two weeks, 23 of you will be dead. One of you will be alive." Dahlia's eyes never stray from the woman, even when she feels the eyes of the other tributes darting to her figure. "Who that is depends on how well you pay attention over the next four days, particularly to what I'm about to say. First, no fighting with the other Tributes. You'll have plenty of time for that in the Arena. There are four compulsory exercises. The rest will be individual training. My advice is don't ignore the survival skills. Everybody wants to grab a sword. But most of you will die from natural causes. 10 percent from infection, 20 percent from dehydration. Exposure can kill as easily as a knife."

As expected, the Careers immediately make their presence known with the various kinds of weapons. Many of the outlying districts settle down at survival stations, knowing that if the Careers don't kill them, the environment most definitely will. Wyatt is among that group and Dahlia finds herself caught in the middle. Judging by their intense glares, she can tell the Careers see her as a threat for sponsors. It is highly unlikely that she'll be welcomed into their pack. And the other tributes can't meet her stare for more than a few seconds before they glance away. Too popular for one side and too scary for another. She tries to remember Alaric's intructions.

"Do not practice with a sword until I have taught you how to attack." He told her over breakfast that morning. "If they see any sign of weakness in your weaponry, they will expose it. Instead focus on survival skills. Climbing, hunting, foraging. These will all help you survive in the games and, more importantly, stay off the Career's radar for now."

Ignoring the ache in her arms from her early training session, Dahlia wanders over to an empty station. A climbing wall tucked away in the corner of the room. Her eyes narrow in suspicion at the rocky ridges of the station. Could there possibly be cliffs in the arena? It is certainly implied by this area that rock climbing will be involved somehow. She tucks that speculation into the back of her mind for now and greets the trainer. He seems very eager to help and offers her a lot of helpful tips on how to make the most of her strength. With his assistance, she is able to make great improvements in rock climbing.

"You picked that up quickly." He compliments as Dahlia's feet land safely on the ground.

"I have to pick these things up quickly if I want to survive." She replies, wiping her hands down the black material of her training uniform. The trainer goes silent at the response and Dahlia senses an opportunity to get more information. "So, how many years have you been training tributes?"

"Oh, this is my first year." He corrects, unknowingly giving Dahlia hints about the arena. "In fact, the Head Gamemaker brought me in specially for these games."

"I see." Dahlia hums, fighting to hide the smirk on her face. "Well, thanks for the help." He had been very helpful indeed. She walks away to work on distinguishing poisonous plants from edible ones.

While the instructor explains the different ways of identifying deadly berries, Dahlia spots some friction in the Career Pack. Districts One, Two and Four have teamed up this year but the District Four girl seems to be arguing with the rest of them. The group is engaged in a heated discussion next to the archery section and Dahlia has a hunch that she is the reason. Their constant glances in her direction are anything but subtle.

"They are trying to figure out whether they want you on their side or whether you're the first one they go for." Alaric informs her after she tells him about the day. Wyatt pokes his fork at the food on his plate but doesn't eat a lot of it.

"That's comforting." Dahlia comments through gritted teeth. Neither of those options sounded particularly appealing.

"You're the favourite this year, not them. My guess is that they'll want to use you for sponsors. If not, they'll get rid of you quickly to eliminate their greatest threat." He clarifies in between mouthfuls of food. "Either way, they are not your allies. They will turn on you as soon as you are no longer useful to them."

"Noted." Dahlia nods, picking at her food while lost in thought. "So, is there anyone of ally potential? Or will I be going it alone?"

"Hard to say." Alaric answers,, chewing his meat slowly as he ponders his response. "Trust your gut. If you think someone has potential, ally yourself. But never let your guard down. The only person you can truly trust in that arena is yourself."

Wyatt suddenly slams his hands down on the table and stands up with a scrape of his chair. "Thank you, mentor, for that expert advice. I'm so glad you're taking an interest in us now. Or one of us." His words are sharp and cold, but Alaric just stares back unaffected by them. Wyatt shoves the chair back and stalks away.

Dahlia waits for him to be out of sight before turning back to Alaric. "I have some information about the arena." She whispers discreetly, perking her mentor's interest. "There was a rock climbing station today. The instructor told me that the Head Gamemaker brought him in for these games."

Alaric leans back in his seat at the new details. "A rocky terrain." He concludes, rubbing his hand against his beard. "Interesting."

"What should I focus on tomorrow?" Dahlia queries, plate pushed away from her in disinterest.

"With this new development, survival skills should take priority." Alaric declares sternly after a moment of contemplation. "A rocky arena may make it difficult to find food and water. Keep working to improve your climbing. It may be a crucial aspect in the games."

That evening was spent learning offensive movements with a sword/ candlestick. They were able to engage in short battles which usually ended in Alaric's victory. But the mentor was impressed by how quickly Dahlia was learning. If she had been trained in combat from an early age, she would win the games in less than a day. She had the motivation, the drive, the mentality. A perfect Career.

Day 2 of training arrived quickly and Dahlia was following Alaric's instruction. She excelled in the majority of the survival skills stations, although she found rope-tying particularly difficult to pick up. For some reason, even though she followed the instructor's exact movements, her knots were flimsy and could barely stay intact.

"Needing some help?" A female voice spoke up from behind her. Dahlia turned to find the District Four female, Cove, standing behind her with a friendly smile. Dahlia's eyes narrow slightly at the offer before flickering over to the rest of the Careers. They don't even seem to have noticed that Cove wasn't with them anymore. The girl follows Dahlia's eyeline and sighs, picking up a rope for herself. "Don't pay attention to them. They've got more muscles than brains."

Dahlia sniggers at the insult, which brightens Cove's face. "I figured." Cove began to slowly demonstrate the knot to Dahlia, who repeated the motions with less confidence. "Is that why you're over here with me and not having the time of your life with them?"

"I'm here to enjoy some intelligent company." Cove states, her nimble fingers making the task look elegant and simple. "And I was getting sick of watching your pathetic attempt at knot-tying and thought I'd put you out of your misery."

Dahlia's head snaps up to find the blonde girl grinning to herself. "Rude." The dark-haired girl snaps playfully. "But not entirely untrue."

"But with an excellent teacher, you make a pretty decent noose knot." Cove states, nodding down at the pair of nooses laid out before them. Dahlia's was loose and a bit messy, but not too bad for her first attempt. "Pretty morbid for your first knot, I know. But Finnick told me it can be surprisingly useful. And I'm inclined to trust the man who won at 14." Dahlia smiles at the mention of Finnick. She hadn't seen him since the parade but he occupied her thoughts more than she liked to admit. "I'm Cove, by the way."

"Dahlia." The girl replies, briefly shaking the blonde's hand in introduction. "I feel I should teach you something in return." Dahlia states, glancing around at all the different stations. "But I fear I am not much of an expert."

"I don't know..." Cove shrugs, nodding towards the climbing station. "You seemed pretty good at that yesterday. And I have very little upper body strength."

"Your lower body has more power. It's better to use your legs and feet rather than rely on your arms." Dahlia explains the tips she had been taught the previous day, before noticing the pointed look Cove was sending her. "I can teach you."

"Lead the way."