If you're only dreaming

Why I hear you screaming?

Tonight all the monsters gonna dance

Callin' All The Monsters by China Anne McClain

Avery Peters, 14, District Twelve Female POV

I wake the next morning to, "Get up, up, up! Much to do today, Avery!" Baelle, curse her and her early hours. I'm sure Zayne is thinking the same thing.

WIth a groan, I put on the clothes I had on last night, which aren't really dirty, just a little wrinkled. I walk down to the dining room, where Khamina and Sewell were waiting. Khamina won when she was 15, only five years ago, so she's one of the youngest mentors, maybe the youngest if they don't let Noelle mentor this year since she's so young. Sewell's older, about fifty, with graying dark hair. They're both from the Seam.

"You've got training today," Khamina says. "Any plans on what you'll do?"

"I'm good at climbing," Zayne says. "I-climb trees in the district sometimes." We all know it's a lie, but he's not telling the truth because if he does he might get in trouble.

"I'm good at hiding," I say. "I was on the run from my mother who thought I killed my brother since I was ten."

"So you're tough as well," Sewell says. "Good. No place for weak people in the arena. You'd die immediately. You two… you might last awhile." He didn't say we'd win. That would be lying, and we all know it. Even kind Khamina says nothing.

"Just try and learn new things," Khamina says. "Throwing knives or something would be good."

That's what I was planning on doing. Since I'm smaller, I couldn't very well hold a heavy sword or mace.

"All right," I say. "Zayne, you ready?"

"Sure," he says. We get up and head for training, and Khamina follows us, making sure we get down there by ten o'clock.

It's 9:53 by the time we get down there, and almost everyone is there. I think that the girl from Nine hasn't arrived yet, as well as the boy from seven, Taylor.

My ally is here. Mayim Holliday from District Three is my partner. She looks a bit older than me, but most people look older than me. She seems kind and nice, but there is an uncertain quality about her. Like she's volatile, and something little could trigger it and make her explode.

Yara tells us the rules: we're not allowed to fight the other tributes, and all the things like that. Then she releases us. Most of the tributes migrate towards their partners, even the Careers. There is not one Career pair. I find that odd. But what I find even more odd is that they allowed Corin Mason and Annalise Gardner to stay partners. If Corin's as bloodthirsty as most District Two tributes, Annalise won't make it the first day. There doesn't seem to be much of a Career alliance this year, opting for following the rules and being with their ally.

"D'you want to work together?" Mayim asks me. "I could show you some snares."

"Sure," I say. "We'll have to be allies anyways, so it's good to get a sense of what the other's good at."

We head for the snare section, where Amberly and a reluctant House are as well. The trainer is helping him, and so Mayim grabs some rope and starts to make snares. She does some pretty complicated ones that I could never dream of doing.

"How can you do that?" I ask. "Isn't District Three electricity?"

"Yeah," Mayim says. "I think of it like wires."

"Cool," I say. "Show me that!"

"You should be good at snares, since your fingers are small and nimble, but you should start with some easier traps, okay?"

She shows me some simpler ones, and once I get the hang of it, she shows me harder ones. She finally shows me the one she did first, she calls it a Moonwhisk.

"You have to be careful," she warns me. "If you mess it up, the rope will break because the tension is so tight," she says. After a little bit, I even manage that one. "Great job, Avery!" she praises. "I didn't even learn that one so quickly!"

I feel my cheeks turn red at her compliment. Mayim's really nice. I still don't know why I think she's going to change in the arena.

Esme Diamond, 16, District One Female.

"What are you trying to do?" my partner, Randall Hines fron Ten, asks. The others from One, Two, and Four have also gone with their partners, even surprisingly the boy from Four. Annalise and Corin, Robin and Cuff, Slade and Nyle, Eden and Trammer, and Arista and Dallice. "All of you? You're not going to pair up to kill the rest of us?"

"No," I say. "It's against the Quell rules, remember? We're not allowed to kill out partner unless we want to die ourselves. Despite how callous we may seem to you, we do value our life."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Randall demands. Man this guy doesn't know when he's beat.

"I promise I won't kill you or harm you in any way," I say, hand on heart. "Protector's honor."

"What's a protector?" he wonders.

"You've never been to One, have you?" I ask. He shakes his head. "Well, we're just as scared of the Games as you guys are. The younger ones more so. When we turn eleven, most of us enter the Academy, and train until sixteen or so. One boy and girl are chosen to Volunteer, which they usually do. Unless it's someone else equally good, of course, because we'd never undermine someone. If they're over sixteen, we let them take their chance. That's why we are called the Protectors, Randall."

He huffs a sigh. "Fine. I believe you, Esme. You know, I've heard that the odds are supposed to be against you."

"Stuff the odds," I say. "Odds are nothing. Sure, I may have skill, but someone else may just be smarter than me, or braver than me, or heaven forbid, better than me. And if that happens, I'll acknowledge the better fighter, and I'll die."

"So… you don't even care?" he asks. "Nothing you want to go home for?"

"A good reason?" I ask He nods. "Not one. Honest. The only people who I care for enough to actually try to come home for are Mum and Mr. Hunt. But you know, I could win without trying."

"Well, okay, Miss Arrogant," Randall says. "Why don't you help me?"

"All right," I say. "How about the spear? You're tall enough to use it, and it's my best weapon after darts."

"Cool," he says. "Let's go."

I think Randall's a little too quick to trust people, but I wouldn't betray him. I'm not that underhanded. The pair of us head to the spear throwing station, where Randall learns basic spear defense and offense. He's not the best, but he's good enough to defend himself if I'm incapacitated.

"Not bad," I say after his twelfth throw. "You're pretty good for a beginner, actually. We'll practice more tomorrow. Want to go and learn something new?"

We head off towards the shelter area. At the Academy, they focused more on defense and weapons rather than survival skills, which is bad for those years when the Cornucopia and the contents are destroyed. I really think they should have concentrated more on that kind of thing, because you never know what can happen.

Mark Thomas, 15, District Eleven Male

I'm glad I got a boy tribute for a partner. Not that I don't like any of the girls, I just didn't want to have to end up killing one of them. However, they did give me the one boy I'd be unwilling to possibly kill. Samuel West, the energetic boy from District Five. He was marvelling at the weapons and how shiny they were. I finally had to talk to him.

"Samuel," I say. "Calm down. Now. This isn't a game. If you horse around in here, you could get hurt. Do you understand me?"

I guess I knocked a bit of sense into the kid, because he nodded somberly. "Sorry, Mark. I guess I'm nervous, and that always makes me act overexcited. And didn't I ask you to call me Sammy?"

"Good," I say. "You really do need to take this seriously, Sammy, because if you don't you're not going to stand a chance." I don't tell him that he already pretty much has no chance at all to win. Neither do I, for that matter. "I'm going to do what I can to make sure one of us wins, but you have to help too, all right?"

He nods again. "I kind of want to learn how to use a dagger. I don't think I could hold anything else."

"Me, too," I say. I was planning on trying out the maces, but a dagger would be all right as a secondary weapon. Sammy grabs a longer knife, with a serrated handle. He does have an eye for good weapons, even within his range. He hurls one at a target, and it sticks about six inches off center. "I'm impressed," I say. "Have you been practicing at home?"

"No," he says. "I wasn't really even trying. I wonder how I can do if I actually try."

He retrieves his knife and gives it another shot. This one hits slightly off center, barely past the line.

"Whoa!" I say. "Sammy, you're a natural!"

He tries a few more times, each time hitting the center or very close. I can see some of the tributes eyeing him enviously.

"My turn," I say. I grab a shorter knife with a smoother edge. My shots hit about the same as Sammy's did the first try, and I can't seem to get any better. "Guess this just isn't my weapon, huh?" I say. "I want to try the maces, you don't have to. You can try something else for awhile."

Sammy eagerly goes over to the fire-making station, where Corin Mason and Annalise are. Instead of glaring at him, Corin actually lets him join them.

I head for the mace section. When Sammy and I were at the knives station, I saw the boy from Four, Eden I think is his name, bashing at dummies. They looked heavy, but they weren't as heavy as they seemed. They were actually pretty lightweight for such a damaging weapon.

It didn't take a genius to know how to use a mace, but a weaker tribute wouldn't be able to handle it. I swing it around some, to get the feel of it. I almost crash right into Zayne Smith and Briar Ganan.

"Sorry!" I say. "I'm so sorry you guys!"

"No problem," Zayne says. "We were just passing."

I bring up the dummies that I saw Eden using and try my aim. I'm actually pretty decent.

But I'd rather not use weapons. Sammy'd be a better defenseman than I am, honestly.

"I got us some allies!" Sammy says when we regroup. "Annalise and Corin said that we'd be allies. Is that all right?"

"Sure," I say. "We can talk at lunch with them, I suppose."

Just my luck, at that moment, the loudspeaker says, "Tributes, it is time for lunch. Please proceed to the dining room.."

AN: I'll end it there. How d'ya like the tributes interaction. I know you didn't say that Sammy was a prodigy, but you did say he was good, I just expanded. He's a natural! Who do you all like the best from this chapter? What did you think last chapter of Jessa becoming a Gamemaker? Lemme know! I need to know!