The second Tom wakes up he knows something's wrong.
Last night, keeping watch, he got used to the way the other two breathe while they sleep; how Dougie's small frame rises and drops in shorter, shallower breaths, combining with the deep inhale and long exhale Tom knows so well after being with Danny for so long.
Tom keeps his eyes closed, feigning sleep, while he listens to the sounds surrounding him. He picks out Danny first, behind him, at the back of the cave. He's breathing heavily through his nose, like he does when he's frustrated but keeping it in. That could be okay; maybe he and Dougie had a fight, and now they're keeping quiet to let him sleep.
That can't be right though, because Dougie was supposed to be on watch in the morning, and from the light against his eyelids Tom knows the sun must be rising in front of him, but he can't hear Dougie in front of him. Trying to map out the cave with his ears, he tries to listen behind him, and that's Dougie, the shaking, quick, small breaths sound like when he and Danny jumped on him the day before.
But there's someone else breathing with them. Someone Tom doesn't recognise, and that. That's definitely not good. He shifts, trying to roll towards the knife he knows he put beside him when he went to bed, so that at least he can defend himself against whoever it is, but it's not there, and all he can feel is the smooth floor of their cave.
"Come on, Tom. I know you're awake. Why don't you get up so we can talk," says a voice that definitely isn't Danny or Dougie's, but Tom recognises it vaguely. It's slow and confident, and he's definitely heard it somewhere before, but he can't remember where, and they've heard so few people out here too.
He opens his eyes, though, because he doesn't know what else he can do, and then he knows where he's heard that before, because it's one of the careers. It's the boy from District 2, the one with the lightning scar down his head, and he's standing with a wicked looking sword pointing at the other two, who are both crouched at the back of the cave. Dougie looks pale, he's got his hands fisted tight in his jacket, but not quite managing to hide how they're shaking. Danny has his jaw set, his arm around Dougie, and if Tom wasn't so scared himself he might have taken a moment to admire how Danny is doing what he can to help Dougie be less scared, though he's obviously not happy himself, and they've been together for less than a day.
"Get up," the career boy repeats, and Tom obeys, stumbling to his feet, watching the other two, trying to see if anything's wrong with them, if they're hurt. All he can see is a bruise on Danny's cheek that wasn't there before, but other than that they seem to be okay.
He finally meets the other boy's gaze, and the eyes are so intense that he takes a step back instinctively, freezing again as the boy takes a step towards the others, the sword coming dangerously close to Dougie, who tries to push himself further into the wall as Danny presses him closer to his side.
"You can run if you like," says the boy, sounding totally serious, "and I won't stop you, I promise. Just know that you're leaving these two behind."
Tom takes a step back towards them, but not close enough that he would seem threatening. He doesn't know what's going on here, but it doesn't seem to make sense. Why didn't the career boy just kill them all, and not wait for him to wake up? Why would he let Tom go?
"What do you want?" Tom says, trying to keep his voice even, but needing clarification, even if it might be dangerous to speak.
"Don't you remember me? The first night... I saw you, while he was asleep," Says the boy, jerking his head in Danny's direction, and Tom does remember, how the career pack went by and the boy had looked up, but then said he had seen nothing to the others.
"You're Haz, aren't you?"
"Actually, my real name is Harry. 'Haz' is what those career idiots call me, but at least you remember me."
Well, that's even more confusing to Tom, because why would he say 'those career idiots' when he's one of them?
"I thought you'd seen us... Why didn't you say?"
"Didn't want them to kill you, obviously," Harry says, rolling his eyes like Tom's being stupid, though he supposes he could have guessed that really.
"What made you change your mind, then?"
"What do you mean?" asks Harry, his brow creasing in confusion.
"Why are you going to kill us now, when you wouldn't before?"
"Oh, sorry," Harry laughs, lowering the sword away from the other two and pushing it into his belt so it hangs by his side instead. "I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to join you."
"Pardon?" says Tom, as the others look just as confused as he does, only slightly more relaxed now that they don't have a sword pointing at them, but Tom can see Danny flexing his fingers. Harry is maybe the same height as Tom, but wrapped in muscle from head to toe. Even so, Danny is the best fighter, and now Harry's put the weapon away, Tom's worried he might attack to try to save the other two, if he thinks Harry poses a threat.
"I knew you two were together," Harry points at Tom and Danny, "and the way he acted when he was picked and how you were in the training hall made me guess you weren't made out to be killers. I didn't know about him," he raises his eyebrows at Dougie, "and no offense, but you don't look like you're up to killing anyone. Anyway, I want in."
"Why?" puts in Danny, stepping forward slightly, and Tom can't help going closer to him, so that maybe he can hold him back if he makes a jump for Harry, or help him, he hasn't decided just yet.
"Because I want to get out of here, and I don't want to kill any more than necessary to do that. I didn't ask to be here, and neither did any of you, so why would I kill you?"
"You did ask to be here though, you volunteered as a tribute!" says Tom, feeling like maybe Harry is a little bit denser than he thought at first.
"I volunteered because that's what everyone does where I come from. I never expected to actually be here, did I? Made my parents happy, but there are so many volunteers from my district I thought the odds of actually being picked were far too low to bother with. I hung out with the careers because it was automatic, and it meant I had a much better chance of surviving the initial bloodbath of this thing."
"Then why aren't you still with them, if it'll keep you alive? You have a much better chance with them than with us!" Tom can't help his curiosity, especially now that it looks like Harry really means it, but it could still be a trap.
"I couldn't do the hunting thing, like people are just sport, y'know? I was on watch two nights ago, and I knocked out the other guy who was awake, took supplies, and left to see if I could find you. My whole aim is to get out of this alive, and try not to kill anyone along the way, and I knew you weren't dead, because I hadn't seen your faces in the sky, and so I thought I could stick with you, and avoid the others, for as long as possible."
"What do you mean, 'as long as possible'?"
"Well, the game makers are going to force us together anyway if things get boring, so I thought I might as well stick with you in the meantime, and maybe win us some sympathy, and therefore some sponsors, because we will need outside help, and no offence, but you two come from some of the poorest districts in Panem," he said, looking at Tom, then Danny, "and as far as I know, District 3 isn't exactly rolling in riches, even if you're not all starving. I'm from District 2, which is probably the second richest district, so they can afford to help more."
"What does District 2 do again?" Danny says, and when Tom looks over he only seems a little tense.
"Masonary, weaponary, locomotives and peacekeepers," mutters Dougie, sounding like he's reciting something in class, and maybe that is where he learnt it.
"What? Sorry Doug, but I don't understand that first one..."
"He means," Harry says, with the air of explaining it to someone very slow, "that we build things, or make things for the capitol, including weapons, mostly guns, explosives and tasers, but also trains and all the parts that come with them, and we also train and distribute the lovely peacekeepers you have in all your own districts."
"That should be our industry," Dougie says, making his hands into fists and stepping towards Harry, who doesn't flinch or look concerned in the slightest. "We make some weapons but even though you already have all those other things you do, you still need to take our income, make our families poorer, and yourselves even richer, and you don't give a damn who it hurts along the way!"
By the time he finishes, Dougie has got to about a foot away from Harry, who hasn't moved an inch.
"You think I don't care? That no-one in my district cares? The capitol decides who does what, not us, and you know it, so don't go blaming the innocent. If we stopped working, and protested, then it wouldn't help. We would all be punished, and maybe that would mean even more work for us which would mean even less work for you. Add the fact that if they eve suspected that District 3 had had a hand in any protest we did, they would punish you for sure, and I would say that us just carrying on doing what we're told, and taking the money we earn from it, is the best way forward, wouldn't you?" Harry said, raising his eyebrows. Dougie takes a faltering step back, looking dazed, like someone just told him something undeniable that changed his world view.
"Sorry, I never thought of it that way," Dougie mutters, and backs off again to stand back next to Danny.
"So, can I stay?" Harry says, and for the first time they've heard him, he sounds just a little unsure, because they could still say that he should go, that they don't want him there after all.
Tom looks at the others, wanting them all to agree on this one. It's a big decision to make, after all.
"He would be useful, and I reckon we could use an extra body, especially if you can fight," Danny says, aiming the last part at Harry.
"We get trained with a variety of weapons and in hand to hand combat from a fairly early age, for being peacekeepers," Harry says, jiggling one leg like he just wants to know if he can stay.
"Okay," Danny says, turning back to Tom. "I say he should stay then, for now at least. But we can't let him wander off, in case..."
"In case I try to kill you all while your backs are turned, right?" Harry says, sounding sarcastic.
"Yeah, basically."
"Okay. What do you think Dougie?" Tom says, knowing he probably isn't too keen.
"If you think it's a good idea, then I'll go with it, but I agree with Danny's watching thing, at least for a few days..."
"Alright then, Harry, you can stay, just don't go all psycho on us."
