"BLOCK!"

I swing my blade up just in time to block Liam's. The force of the blow causes me to stumble back. Man, he's strong.

We've been at this for an hour now. After teaching me basic moves, my mentor decided a trial by fire was the best option, and since then, he's been hacking away at me with increasing frequency and force. We're both flushed and sweaty now, our breathing hard and fast. The muscles in my arms feel about as firm and useful as limp rags.

Liam lifts his blade again. "You're agile; that's good. But, it's not going to be enough." He punctuates the last word with a blow towards my legs which I block just in time. The force of the strike rattles through my body and sends an ache through my hands and wrists.

He isn't even going easy anymore, which is one reason I'm blocking so quickly. If any of his blows met skin, then I would end up with-at the very least-a nasty bruise.

"Can we...take a break?" I pant.

Liam raises his blade, his gaze hard.

"In fivedays, you're going to be thrown into an arena with 23 other kids-some of who have been training their whole lives for this." His sword slams into mine, nearly knocking it from my hands. "If you can't handle this, then you won't last a day in the Games."

I push back, grunting with effort. He's right, of course. But I'm tired, and hungry, and thirsty.

Distracted, I don't block his next blow in time and end up on the ground with my mentor standing over me, his training sword at my throat.

"You lose," he says cooly.

I toss my blade aside and lay my head back onto the plush carpet as he steps back.

"Fine," he says. "I guess we're done for the night."

My eyes close in relief, my heart pounding so hard that I can feel my pulse in my cheeks. Liam gathers the swords and rewraps them before stowing them under my mattress once again. He orders food from the microphone in the wall, then turns to look at me, still on the floor.

"You've got potential."

I turn my head to look at him. He stands facing me, hands on his hips.

"But you need to work on your stamina. If you aren't determined, then nothing's going to help you." He reaches down, offering me a hand up. I grab his hand and he pulls me to my feet just as the food arrives.

Dinner consists of some kind of roasted bird and vegetables, along with some kind of soup that I eat two bowls of.

"Any time you aren't training or sleeping," Liam says between mouthfuls, "you need to be eating. Put on as much extra weight as you can. Chances are that when you're in the arena you're going to have a shortage of both food, and the time to eat it."

After I finish my soup, Liam orders ice cream for dessert; and even though I'm already full, I find myself eating an entire bowl.

Once the food is gone, Liam stands to leave.

"Go take a shower," he orders. "We have a meeting on the roof in thirty minutes."

Great.

Liam notices my scowl and gives me a pointed look. "Wear something girly."

I glare at his back as he leaves, then get up and stalk to the bathroom.

If he wants me to dress girly, then undoubtedly our 'meeting' is with Marin.

I shower quickly, wrapping myself in a towel before heading to find something to wear. Turns out, there's no need. Lying on my bed is a high-waisted dress made of some kind of airy, light pink material.

Sighing inwardly, I drop my towel and slip the dress on.

Is the rest of my life going to be dictated for me?

Turning to the mirror, I find that the dress is a perfect fit, the waistline tucking in just under the bust. The loose sleeves come halfway to my elbow and the hem falls at my knee.

It's comfortable, at least. The only thing I would alter is the somewhat-low cut of the v-neck.

Retrieving a comb, I brush through my mane of hair, even though it isn't needed because of the drying feature in the bathroom. But while the special current may have dried and detangled my hair, it didn't straighten it, leaving it the same voluminous mass of curls that it always is.

Not seeing the point of wrestling with nature, I leave it be and pull on a pair of comfortable sandals just before Liam knocks on the door, asking if I'm ready.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I mutter.

I open the door and Liam regards me critically, his eyes sweeping me from top to bottom.

"Not bad," he muses. Then, twirling a finger in the air, "Turn."

I give him a bemused look, but comply, turning in a slow circle.

Liam nods, then turns motioning me forwards.

"Let's go."

We take the elevator this time, getting out on the 12th floor and heading to the stairwell. One flight of stairs is much easier than seven.

Liam stops me before opening the door.

"I want you to start practicing your chemistry with Marin," he says. "In the Games, I'm not going to be able to coach you, and how you guys interact is going to determine what kind of sponsors I can get you."

I tamp down my irritation at the whole situation and nod, trying to look obedient.

Liam opens the door and we step out onto the windy roof. A blast of cool evening air swirls around us as my mentor closes the door.

"This way," he says, placing a hand on my back and guiding me to the left, towards the garden. As we come around a row of flowering bushes, we encounter Marin and his mentor, the one and only Finnick Odair.