Wow! A new update only two days later? What is the world coming to? Here's chapter seven. Enjoy!

Summary: Training continues, Violet and Aza find another ally while Aidan still refuses to have any allies. Violet learns more about Aidan's life back at home.

Violet's POV

Aza and I have fallen into a pattern during training. We meet up, practice at stations we've done before, have lunch, and then try new stations.

Today, Aza is trying to teach me how to climb. There's a net used for climbing, a wall, and a fake tree as well. Aza scales the tree easily and I am amazed. "How do you do that?" I ask when she jumps to the ground.

"Easy," she says. "Lots of kids in District Eleven have to climb the trees to watch over the fields and orchards. It's easier since we're smaller. The adults usually just stay down in the fields."

I look up at the tree and it looms over me. "Easy, huh?"

She laughs. "Try. I'll coach you through it."

"Suppose I fall?"

"Suppose there's a nice soft mat underneath you."

I laugh and start climbing. There are little knots that work well as handholds on the tree and they've included branches every now and then. Aza calls out instructions, where to put my feet and such. My hands are sweaty and cramped after a while and I lean carefully against a branch, gripping the tree tightly with one hand and wiping my hand off on my pants with the other.

"You're okay!" Aza calls from the ground. "Just a little further!"

"I can't do this, Aza!" I yell back, gripping the tree for my life.

"Look, see that branch? Grab it. Yes that one. Now put your feet on those knots down there. See, you've got it!"

Aza's instructions make it easier and finally, I've made it to the top of the tree. She claps her hands and cheers. "I knew you could do it!"

"Now I just have to get down," I say, and it's surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. I jump off when I'm near the bottom and fall rather ungracefully onto the mat.

"Should we try the wall? I ask, standing up and flexing my stiff fingers.

"Why not?" she shrugs.

We walk over to the climbing wall, which is wide enough for two people to climb at once. Aza beats me to the top (obviously), but I'm actually not that bad.

Finally, we head over to the net, which looks the hardest to climb because it twists around and isn't as solid as the tree or the wall. Even Aza can't climb it as effortlessly as she did the tree or the wall. When she hops off, she is breathing heavily.

"Good luck," she says. "Don't think I can help you much with this one."

I take hold of the ropes and start to climb. The net twists and the rope burns my palms but I grit my teeth and try to climb higher. I get up a good height before I fall off onto the mat.

"Good try," someone says, and it isn't Aza. We both whip around to see the ginger-haired girl from four towering over us. "That's a hard thing to climb," she says, indicating the net.

I scramble to a sitting position and Aza takes a few steps back. We know better than to talk to careers. The girl sighs. "I'm not gonna hurt you. My name's Phoebe." She sticks out her hand and I reluctantly take it. It's rough and weathered.

"Why are you talking to us?" Aza asks warily.

"Because the group I'm 'supposed to be with' hates me and they're all assholes."

"Because you weren't supposed to volunteer," I say. She looks at me with sharp green eyes. "That's why they hate you."

"Smart one, aren't you. Didn't think anyone outside of the career districts knew about the volunteering rights."

"If you weren't supposed to, then why did you do it?" asks Aza.

Phoebe fixes her green-eyed gaze on Aza. "I suppose it was for my girlfriend, Anemone."

"She's the one who was reaped," I recall, remembering the pale-skinned, auburn-haired girl who Phoebe volunteered for. "But she wouldn't have gone in anyway because of the volunteering rights."

"Yeah, but Vanessa, that's the girl who was supposed to volunteer, always hated Anemone. I was afraid she wouldn't volunteer out of spite so," she makes a wild gesture with one hand, "the words just flew out of my mouth."

"You must care about her alot," whispers Aza.

Phoebe laughs hollowly. "That's putting it lightly. I'm crazy in love with her. I guess that's why I did it." She sighs. "Well, I know who you are, Violet. You're going to have a lot of sponsors real quick with those eyes. I thought they were fake at first."

"Wish they were," I mutter. "I hate my eyes."

Phoebe arches a ginger eyebrow but doesn't say anything else about it. "And you are?" she inquires, looking at Aza.

"Aza Neilson. I'm thirteen years old."

"Phoebe Pacifica. And I'm sixteen."

"And I'm fourteen," I say adding, "You're not what I'd expect someone from a career district to be like."

"I hope that's a compliment."

"Don't worry, it is." The lunch bell rings. "Sit with us?" I ask and Phoebe nods. We eat lunch and Phoebe talks about District Four, Anemone, and the ocean. I've never seen the ocean. I can only imagine what it looks like.

We spend the rest of the day training together. All three of us. Phoebe is particularly good with a spear and teaches us some tips about how to throw one.

At the end of the day, Phoebe holds out her pinky to us. "Allies?"

Aza and I glance at each other. She nods slightly and I grin. "Allies." We both wrap our pinkies around her. A temporary promise, but a solid one.

Aidan's POV

A few days have passed and I'm not doing so well. I can't climb well because of my bad leg and I'm awful at camouflage and recognizing edible plants. I guess I'm not too bad with a sword. But who says I'll actually be able to get one in the arena?

While I'm eating lunch, I see Violet's made another ally. It's the girl from District 4. Teaming up with a career? What is Violet thinking?

A shadow falls over me and I look up. It's the pair from seven. I'm guessing they chose to be allies, being from the same district and all. "Can we sit here?" the boy asks.

"Why would you want to?" I ask sharply, shoving a bite of bread into my mouth.

They glance at each other. "You're good with a sword," the girl says. "We...well Rowan here," she glares at him, "were wondering if you wanted an ally."

"No," I say. "Allies are stupid. Besides, how would I know to trust you. Keep up the district partners thing. Maybe you can convince the audience that you're star-crossed lovers or something."

"I told you he wouldn't agree, Rowan," mutters the girl.

Rowan rolls his eyes. "Well it was worth a shot, Laurel." They both walk away. I don't regret my decision for a second.

When I tell Lucy about it at dinner, I end up getting into another argument with Violet.

"You should be happy that you're wanted as an ally," she says in that patronizing know-it-all voice of hers.

"Well now that you're allies with a career, you're set to win. Unless she turns on you and kills you first."

"You're allies with a career?" asks Lucy.

"She's from District Four. She volunteered for her girlfriend but she didn't have volunteering rights," says Violet. Like I'm supposed to know what volunteering rights are. "Phoebe's a good person. I know she is."

"She's a career," I point out again.

"She's a good person and an ally," says Violet, her voice bordering on shouting. "And I need allies in the arena if I want a chance to see my sister again."

"You're not the only one with a sister!" I blurt out and then fall silent. Violet looks at me, knitting her eyebrows

"What do you mean?" she asks in a tone that's not far from being kind and sympathetic. It surprises me.

"I have two little sisters. They're five and seven. And now their brother is going to die in the Hunger Games before they're even old enough to understand what's really going on.

"What are their names?" she asks in that quiet, sympathetic tone again.

"Why do you care-"

"What are their names?" Her violet eyes bore into mine with a quiet determination.

"Mayleen and Sara." I feel tears burning behind my eyes

She goes quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sure you are," I mutter sarcastically, brushing at the few tears that have rolled down my face.

"No, I really am."

"Really?"

"Really."

I stare at her for a moment before Lucy says. "Well I'll be. You two are actually being nice to each other."

"Don't expect it to last," I tell her, picking up my fork.