Bacchus Jaguar-18 (D2M)

"So, Bacchus, if you only had one chance to impress the other members of the career alliance, what skill or ability would you show them? What is the one thing about you, Mr. Bacchus Jaguar, that would make you an asset to the career alliance? What is it that makes a fat little shit with glasses like you, worthy of being offered a place in what is by far the single most prestigious and storied alliance in Hunger Games history?"

"I'm not….I'm not sure what you mean by earn a spot in the alliance ma'am.

"I mean, it may be a wee bit presumptuous on my part, but I just sort of assumed that I already had a spot in the alliance locked down. You know, since I'm a volunteer from a career district and what not."

"And if this was a normal year, with Games that were being conducted under more normal and controlled circumstances, you'd be right.

"But seeing as the volunteering moratorium was lifted the night before the reaping, which means that none of the academy instructors had any input on or control over who decided to volunteer, it's not a good idea for you to assume that your inclusion is a foregone conclusion."

"You're not….You're not being serious right now, are you?

"I mean, the thought that any career district volunteer, let alone one that comes from District Two, is batshit insane.

"Careers wouldn't even be a thing if it wasn't for District Two. And you can be damn sure there wouldn't be a Career Alliance without us either."

"All of that is true Bacchus. And exactly none of the facts you just listed, not a single, solitary one, actually matters.

"Because I hate to break this to you, I really do, but you don't have the clout, let alone the look, to force your way into the alliance like most of the tributes you're referring too did."

"So you're saying my background isn't going to stop me from having to jump through hoops to appease a bunch of kids that don't actually deserve to be judging me?"

"Unfortunately, yes. That's exactly what I'm saying."

"And what about Tartarus? Is he going to have to jump through all of these stupid hoops to 'prove' himself worthy of joining to the other members of the alliance?"

"Her. Bacchus. The word you're looking for is her, not him. And in the future, please remember to refer to her as Elysium, which is her given name, not Tartarus.

"I understand that she's made it abundantly clear to you that she would like you to call her Tartarus and to use masculine pronouns when talking about her, but I'm going to tell you now, that is the stupidest thing you could do."

"And why is that?"

"Aside from the fact that she's a disgusting freak of nature that has zero chance of being invited to join the career alliance?"

"Um….Yes...?"

"Because the only thing you playing into her fantasy, the one where her simply saying she's a boy will make her one, can possibly do for you, is make you look stupid for doing so, or weak for not having the balls to stand up and correct her.

"Either of which, when coupled with your very obvious weight and appearance issues, would give the other members of the alliance more than enough justification to cast you out without a second thought."

Wow, I guess she's really not going to pull any punches with me on this stuff. I mean, she did promise me that would be the case, that she would always tell me what I needed to hear regardless of whether I wanted to hear it. But I didn't really take that promise seriously until now.

"In fact, it's probably a good idea to distance yourself from her as much as humanly possible. It might even be a good idea for you to promise the rest of Panem you'll remove the stain she's made on District Two and the rest of Panem by personally killing her in the bloodbath.

"But we can talk about stuff like that later. Right now, I'm still waiting for you to give me an answer to my original question…."

You know, there was a small part of me that was hoping, obviously in vain, that if we spent enough time talking about other stuff, like Elysium, that Julia would forget she ever asked me that question. I mean, I guess that I should have known better, if only because there's no way in hell I could get that lucky given the current circumstances, but that didn't stop me from doing so all the same.

Well, I guess I'd better hurry up and give her an answer before she loses what little patience she has with me on this….

"I guess….I guess the one thing I could bring to the career alliance that no one else could, is my….Is my brain!"

"Your brain?"

"Yeah, my brain.

"I mean, not only am I a super quick study and learner, but I'm incredibly observant and detail oriented. That makes me an excellent planner, and every alliance, even one that's predicated on combat like the careers, needs someone that's capable of planning their next move while also keeping everything else organized."

"That's a good start, but there are probably going to be plenty of tributes that can say the same. What makes you a better pick than someone from Three or Five?"

"The fact that my smarts wouldn't be the only thing I'd bring to the table. I'd also bring above average combat skills to the table, which isn't something an outer district genius can say.

"I mean, I might not be the one you'd pick for one on one combat, but I'm definitely capable of holding my own, and even beating, the majority of the outer district tributes the alliance will be hunting in the arena."

"And are you willing to back that statement up if you're challenged to do so? Because if you are, you should have no problem convincing the other careers you're worthy of being a member of the alliance…."

Pearl Caspian-16 (D4F)

"Do you….Do you actually want to win the Hunger Games Pearl? Like, in your heart of hearts, is that truly what you want?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course, I want to win the Hunger Games, Allure. Winning the Games is the….is the only thing I've ever wanted."

"Then you need to be more than just the overly confident and sexy little girl from District Four Pearl. You need to be more than just the sexy little thing with blue-eyes, blond hair, and alluring seductive tan skin Pearl."

"For your information, Allure, I am more than that. Sure some people consider me sexy, but there's really nothing wrong with that as far as I'm concerned. And if you knew anything about me, anything at all, or were even marginally as good at reading people as you seem to think you are, then you would know that."

"Well, I sure as hell can't learn anything about you if you refuse to talk to me. I mean come on Pearl, we've been talking to each other for what, the last two, two and a half hours?"

"Something like that."

"Great. And in that time period, I've gotten a grand total of three, count them three, answers out of you that were longer than two or three words. And two of those have come in the last minute.

"And seeing as my only other insight into you and your personality comes from your five or so minute post reaping interview with Inala, I'm not sure how you expect me to be able to decipher who you truly are as a person.

"Seriously Pearl, the majority of what I know about you is based almost entirely on your appearance and what little personality I've been able to extrapolate from your half-hearted answers to my questions, your post volunteering interview, and a few hours worth of facial expressions and body language.

"And the only thing any of that tells me is that you're pretty, you're determined, and you're so confident in yourself that you're almost arrogant."

I didn't realize how difficult I was making this for Allure. I mean, it's kind of her job to be able to find things out about tributes, even if they don't really want to open up and share, so I'm not sure this little rough patch is nearly as big of a problem as she's making it out to be. But even so, I guess it wouldn't kill me to try to open up a bit more so that she can get to know the real me a bit better. Provided she's willing to meet me halfway and show me the same level of respect and openness she's expecting me to give her.

"Look I think….I think maybe we got off on the wrong foot Allure. I'm just….I'm just not very good at opening up to people and sharing stuff about myself. I never have been, especially not with people I don't really know all that well or trust."

"And I understand that Pearl, I really do. I was the same way when I was a tribute, and as surprising as this may be for you to hear, so was Joyce. So I can honestly understand and relate to what you're going through and why you feel the way you do.

"But if you can't find a way to overcome your internal problems and open up, at least to me, then there's no way I can help you."

"But why should….Why should my being able to open up to you really be that big of a problem though? And more importantly, how much of what I share with you are you planning on sharing with people like sponsors and such?"

"Well, the answer to your second question is pretty simple because that it's completely up to you.

"If you tell me something that I think I can use to get you, sponsors, then I'll let you know, and if you tell me not to mention it to anyone, then I'll drop the subject and move on. I can't promise that I won't be disappointed, or that I might not try and talk you out of keeping it a secret a time or two, but I will respect your wishes if you're truly against something being shared."

"Ok. And the answer to my first question is?"

I can tell by the pained look on her face that Allure was hoping I'd forget that she only answered one of my questions. And to be honest, there was a second or two there where I was considering pretending that I did. But I can't afford to do that, not with something as important as this is anyway.

"The answer to your first question, at least the full answer, is a little more intricate and involved then we really have time for. But the short answer is, the more I know about you, or the more you're willing to open up to and share with me, the better your chances of survival become.

"I mean, I know there are going to be things about you that you don't want to or won't share with me because you don't like or trust me enough to do so, and that's fine. Because at the end of the day, whether or not you trust or like me is totally irrelevant. And at the end of the day, my only real concern isn't whether or not you like or trust me, it's finding a way to line up the sponsors necessary to help you make it out of the arena alive.

"Now the easier you can make that on my the better. But if you decide that you want to hold back entirely and leave me with just the fact that you're the incredibly confident and ridiculously sexy, at least by sixteen-year-old standards, female career from District Four. Then I'll do everything I can to sell that to as many sponsors as I can."

I don't get this. I mean, it seems like every time Allure opens her mouth, she says something that totally contradicts something else that she said earlier. And while I'm willing to admit that there was a period towards the beginning of all this that I wasn't actually paying all that much attention to what she was saying to me, I know for a fact that everything she just said contradicted damn near the entire first half of our most recent conversation.

"OK, now I'm confused.

"Didn't you just get done saying that I needed to be more than just a confident girl with a pretty face if I wanted to win?"

"I did."

"And now you're saying that being sexy and confident might actually be enough to sell me on if you can find the right way to spin it?"

"I am."

"So which is it? Is being confident and sexy enough for me to get by on or do I need to be a deeper and more complex person?"

"This is what I was talking about before, with the whole much more complicated and complex thing that we really don't have enough time to get into."

"Well, it looks like we're going to have to get into it whether we have time for it or not. So I guess now is as good a time as any Allure."

"Fair enough. But before we get started, I'd like to ask you a question. If you don't mind."

What the hell is she trying to pull now?

"Ok, what is it?"

"Do YOU think that being sexy and confident is enough for YOU to get by on?"

Axel Bishop-16 (D6M)

I don't know how in the world Zefram, or really anyone for that matter, can honestly expect me to process all of the crap he's been throwing at me. I mean seriously, outside of the first fifteen or so minutes I was on the train, when Zefram was too busy talking to Zenobia and getting himself settled in his room to pay attention to me, he's been throwing stuff at me almost nonstop. Which wouldn't be all that big of a deal, or maybe the words I'm looking for here are, 'which is bad enough on its own', I'm honestly so rattled right now that I'm not sure which of those it is, if he wasn't talking a thousand miles a second on top of that.

"So, do you have any questions, comments, or concerns about everything I just covered?"

I um….I don't know where in the world I'm even supposed to start with a question like that. I mean, I have questions about almost everything, and I do mean everything, that he just spent the better part of two and a half hours covering.

"Should I assume that your silence, not to mention the look on your face, means you have a lot of questions? Or is it supposed to to be your, 'I understand everything you just said perfectly sir,' look?"

"I um….I do have some questions. But I'm not….I'm just not sure where I should ask you to start. Sorry."

"It's not a problem Axel. I mean, I just threw a hell of a lot of information at you very quickly and in an incredibly small period of time. But that's because I'm the only living mentor in our district. Which means that I only get, at best, half as much time with each of my tributes as a mentor with one tribute gets, while still having the same amount of stuff to go over with them."

"I remember you telling me and Reid that earlier. Right before you asked me to come and talk to you so Reid could go change out of her Reaping clothes and take a quick nap."

"That's good. Do you also remember me telling you that if you ever had questions about anything I said to stop me right there and ask them instead of waiting around for God knows how long and then asking them at the end?"

"I do."

"Then why didn't you stop me, Axel? Why did you wait until you were so completely and utterly lost in the sauce, which makes it almost impossible for me to actually help you, to let me know that you had some questions?"

"Well, for starters, you were talking so fast that it took me forever to actually realize when you switched from one subject to another. Of course, by the time I realized you had switched subjects I had to decide between asking about the previous one or trying to catch up on the one you're on now.

"And as embarrassed as I am to admit this, especially since I now realize just how stupid a decision it really was, I decided to try to catch up instead of stopping you and asking a question.

"Unfortunately, the harder I tried to catch up, the less I ended up understanding. And after a while, things started to get all messed up and jumbled together…."

"Axel, it's ok, it really is. You're not the first tribute of mine this has happened to and I can assure you that you won't be the last.

"I mean, I know that I have a tendency to talk fast, it's something I started doing AFTER I realized that talking slowly was making it hard for me to give equal attention to both of my tributes. I also know that, more often than not, I'm the only one that actually knows what it is I'm saying, and even then that's only because I'm the one that's actually saying it."

"I didn't….I didn't mean to say that it was your…."

"Yes, yes you did. And like I said earlier, that's completely fine. But in the future, I WANT, no I NEED, I need you to make sure that you stop me and force me to go back over something if you need me to.

"I want to make sure that I give you every opportunity that I possibly can to not only survive the Games, but thrive in them, Axel. And if I have to slow myself down and go over things two or three times to make sure you understand it, then that's what I'll do."

"I….I appreciate that Zefram, I really do."

"Don't mention it, kid.

"So, we have something like fifteen or twenty minutes before dinner. Would you like to use this time to go back over something? Or would you like to spend it trying to un-jumble some of the stuff we've already covered to see if you understood and retained more than you thought you did?"

I don't….I don't know how I'm supposed to answer that. I mean, I know that it would probably be in my best interest to go back over some of the simpler stuff now, while anything I might have picked up is still relatively fresh in my mind. But for some reason I really, and in this case, I do mean really, don't want to.

But I know I have to. I mean, I'm not an incredibly smart person to begin with, believe me I know. And while I'm not stupid by any means, it does take me longer to pick up certain things then it does most people. Which means that I really can't afford to waste an opportunity to reinforce anything that I might have already learned.

And so, as much as I might not want to, I force myself to swallow my objections and offer up a small nod before giving Zefram the verbal answer I'm sure he wants.

"I think it would be a good idea to go back over what little we can while we have the time. Don't you?"

"I do. And if it's ok with you, I'd like to start with the idea I floated about you trying to latch on with the Career Alliance as hired muscle…."

Annalee Tack-15 (D8F)

Considering how bad today started out, I'm a little surprised that I'm in such a good mood right now. I mean, it would have been super easy for me to just withdraw back into my shell and then sit here and sulk about what just happened. And if I had, I don't think anyone in the world would have blamed me for doing so either. But for some super odd, and slightly unsettling, reason, I just couldn't bring myself to act like that.

Instead, much to my surprise, I sat right down next to Kylon, who insists that I call him Kyle, and started talking to him. And after a few minutes of talking about things like our friends, our families, and the lives we left behind in Six, our mentor Thomas slides in and regale, at least I think that's the word I'm looking for, the two of us with stories of his past.

Heck, we even managed to convince our escort Flux to join in and tell us a bit about HIS past. Of course, we had to wait until we were called in for dinner to do so, and even then I'm pretty sure he only joined in because he really didn't have a choice. But that really doesn't matter either way.

Of course, it's also the call to dinner that seems to put an end to story time, with the exception of what little Flux told us, and the beginning of our real training. And by the time Kyle and I have finished stuffing our faces full of fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, which might be the two best things I've ever eaten in my entire life, Thomas has decided it's time to stop playing around and start being serious. And even though I'd really rather talk and think about almost anything else in the entire world, I force myself to lean in and listen as closely as I possibly can. After quickly refilling my now empty glass of pear juice that is.

"So, I know the two of you probably haven't given this a lot of thought yet, but have you considered the idea of teaming up in the arena?

"Not only do the two of you seem to have a lot in common, which isn't as rare as you might think but still doesn't happen nearly as often as it should, but you also seem to genuinely like each other. And as much as this may surprise you to hear, liking, if not trusting, your partners and allies is going to be a pretty big deal once you get into the arena."

I hate to admit this, but I honestly haven't even thought about how I'm going to handle the tribute parade, and that's happening TOMORROW. So at this point, I have no idea, like seriously none, if I want allies at all, never mind whether I'd like to ally with Kyle. OK, that's not exactly true, I do know that I want allies in the arena, I'd have to be stupid not to. But I still don't know what kind of allies I want or if Kyle will end up being one of them.

Heck, I don't even know if he would be interested in allying with me. I mean, just because we seemed to hit it off here on the train, doesn't mean we'd be able to do the same thing in the arena. And it definitely doesn't mean that we're all of the sudden friends or anything.

Of course, I guess it wouldn't hurt me to ask him either. Because even if he ends up saying no, which I totally expect to be the answer he gives, it will show Thomas that I'm willing to taking his advice.

"To be honest Thomas, I really haven't even tried to think that far ahead yet. I mean, I know I should, believe me, I do. But knowing I need to do something, and actually doing it, are two completely different things."

"I understand that Annalee. That's why I asked the question in the first place. To make sure that both of you were focused on the Games. I asked it because I had to be sure that you were both mentally and emotionally focused on what lies ahead, instead of what you had to leave behind.

"Does that….Does that make sense to you?"

"Of course it does. But to be fair, I've never been one to dwell too much on things I can't change or that I have no real control over. Like I said earlier, I learned pretty early in life that some things just aren't worth wasting your time worrying about, and things you can't change are right at the tippy top of that list."

"That's an excellent way of looking at things Annalee. And a remarkably mature one considering just how young you really are.

"But what about you Kylon? You've been surprisingly quiet for the last few minutes, especially since you were talking everyone's ear off just a few moments earlier."

"What about me?"

"What do you think about being allies with Annalee? And more importantly, are you in the right place emotionally and mentally right now?"

Well, this is it. The moment of truth. In the next couple of seconds, I'll finally find out if Kyle is interested in being my ally, or if my concerns that he'd rather hold out and look for someone older and more mature, more like him, to team up with.

At least I didn't have to ask him if he wanted to be my ally myself. That's kind of a win I guess….

"Well, for starters, I'm not going to answer the second question until I see how everyone responds to my first answer. Which if I'm being honest with everyone, is that I actually kind of like the idea of teaming up with Annalee."

"You what?!"

"I said I liked the idea. Does that...Does that really surprise you?"

"A little, yeah."

"Well, it shouldn't."

"But why….Why not?"

"Aside from the fact that I'd be lucky to have you as an ally because you're easily ten times smarter, more determined, more driven, and more practical than I could ever hope to be?"

"I uh….I don't know what to say to that Kyle.

"I mean, my gut is telling me to turn you down because I have no real reason to trust you, and then put as much distance between you and me as I possibly can. But my brain is telling me that you have no real reason to lie to me, at least not right now, which means that it's ok to trust you a little as long as I don't let myself get to attached."

"But which are you going to trust? Your brain, which makes us partners for the next little while? Or your gut, which makes us, at best, the kind of amicable foes that are going to be hoping and praying they don't run into one another in the arena?"

That's the big question, isn't it? I mean, I know better than to mistrust my gut in situations like this, especially since I have so much to lose if it ends up being right and not a lot to gain by it being wrong. But my brain has never, and I do mean never, steered me wrong in this type of situation before either. And in situations like this, where my gut is pulling me one way and my brain another, I tend to fall back on my heart to provide the tiebreaker.

And as much as I hate to admit it, my heart has been constantly pulling me in one and only one direction this entire time.

"It makes us partners Kyle. At least for the time being….."

Piper Anneliese Lark-16 (D10F)

"I just think you will end up getting more out of my training and advice if you actually listen and take it to heart, instead of pretending to listen and then just passively dismissing it out of hand."

"That's the thing, Wren, I am listening and I'm not just dismissing any of this all willy-nilly or anything. If I dismiss it, you should take it as a hint that I've already thoroughly thought about your 'suggestion' and then dismissed it because I either think it's bad or that it simply won't work.

"I know I'm not an expert or anything Wren, but I do know myself well enough to know when something isn't going to work for me."

"How do you know that though Piper? You haven't even tried any of them yet?"

"I know because they're all simple little cookie-cutter, one size fits all ideas, Wren. You worked so hard to come up with ideas that you could quickly and easily slap on just about any kind of tribute you might end up mentoring, and that's exactly what you got. And as a result, all of your ideas suck.

"I'm sorry if that comes off sounding mean or disrespectful, because I honestly didn't mean for it to. But seeing as it's my life on the line, I'm not going to feel sorry about it either."

Ok, that came out sounding a hell of a lot more confrontational and matter of fact then it probably needed to. I mean, I obviously meant every word of what I said. But I'm almost positive there was a much less abrasive way for me to have said it.

Then again, my dad did teach me to be straightforward and honest with people at all times. Especially when I'm telling them something they might not like or want to hear me say. And he damn sure wouldn't approve of me even thinking about mincing words with my mentor, even if not doing it could adversely affect my already slim chances of making it out of this mess alive. So I'm not really sure if I should feel as bad about what I said as the look on Wren's face is making me feel.

Of course, my dad isn't the one that has to go through this crap, I am. It's not his life that's on the line, it's mine. And at this point, with all of that being said, I really don't think I can afford to put all that much stock into how I think he might handle a given situation. Or at the very least any of the multitude of situations I might find myself in that I can't resolve by standing firm, talking tough, and sticking to my guns…

Which I guess means that I might want to at least try to apologize to Wren, even if both of us know it's total crap.

"Look, Wren, there was probably a more tactful and articulate way for me to word that."

"It's fine Piper."

"It is?"

"Of course it is. I mean, I'm a big enough girl to take criticism like that Piper. And as long as your criticism is specific and warranted, which as much as I might hate to admit this most certainly was, I don't have a problem with it.

"In fact, I want you to step up and speak your mind, Piper. If you have questions, lay them on me. If you have comments or concerns, don't be afraid to bring them up with me. Because at the end of the day, it really is your life that's on the line, not mine.

"I've already had my turn in that hell hole and I have no intention of ever going back. But there's any way I can use what I learned in my Games to help you do the same, then I want to make sure that I do. But that can only happen if you tell me what you need or want me to share and what you don't."

Ok, now I'm definitely confused. I mean, I thought I was confused earlier, and to be fair, there's a pretty good chance that I was. But after sitting here while Wren basically spilled her guts out all over the floor, which makes me super uncomfortable for all the super obvious reasons, as well as a few not so obvious ones, while also somehow agreeing with everything I said before. I know for a fact that I'm lost in the sauce now. Which, as hard as this is for me to admit, even if it is just to myself, might not actually be a bad thing.

I mean, it's obviously not a good thing, and it's almost impossible for me to imagine a scenario where it ever would be, but it really doesn't feel like a bad thing either. Not if I can use it to help the two of us get us past this little bump in the road anyway. I mean, Wren and I have already wasted enough time with this crap as it is. And I'd love to go over a few more things with her BEFORE Sparkle decides it's time to see if she can browbeat me into going to bed like she did Mazeem.

So that's exactly what I'm going to do. And what's more, I'm going to do it the only way I know how. By messing with the bull. Figuratively speaking of course.

"So, Wren, are you ready to help me come up with a plan of attack that isn't total crap? Or am I going to have to do it all by myself?"

"Of course I'm going to help you, Piper. You may be a pain in the ass, but you're my pain in the ass.

"And as long YOU'RE actually willing to help out instead of just sitting there and telling me how shitty MY ideas are, I'd be more than happy to help however I can."

"Good. Because we have a lot of work to do and a super short amount of time to get it done."

"Hey Piper, that's supposed to be my line…"

Ash Colton-18 (D12M)

"Would you please stop bringing that up Onyx? Come on, I've told you at least half a hundred times already that I'm not going to open up about my brother. And I'm damn sure, not interested in trying to exploit what he did as part of some half-assed redemption angle. So please, stop trying to get me to agree to one!"

"For the last time Ash that's not what I'm trying to do. I mean, if you don't want to talk about Dominic then I'm not going to force you too. All I'm trying to do is help prepare you for how refusing to talk about him is going to go over with Lanteia when she asks you about him during your interview."

"What's there to get ready for though Onyx? If she asks me those questions…."

"It's not a question of if Ash, but when. She is going to ask you about him and there's nothing you can do to stop that."

"Fine then. WHEN she asks me about him, I'll tell her the same thing I told Valora during the Reaping and that I've been telling you for the last few hours. I'm sorry Lanteia, but I'm really not interested in talking about my brother or what happened during his Games. Next question please."

"And if your lucky, like out of this world stupid lucky, that answer will buy you a whole minute of time before she jumps back in and starts pestering you to answer her dam questions.

"Her job is to force you to either open up and share with her, or break down about something. And since you went out of your way during the Reaping to make it abundantly clear that your brother is a sore spot for you, she's going to latch onto it and milk it for everything it's worth.

"She'll find out every little thing she can about him, his life, and what he did during his Games, and she'll slam you with it."

"Which makes this what Onyx? Practice for how to deal with an annoying person that refuses to drop a subject no matter how many time you tell them to?"

"Kind of.

"I mean, it's obvious you have anger issues, and the last thing any tribute can afford to do is lose their cool with Lanteia during their interview. Especially if they want to live long enough to see their family again instead of coming home to them in a fucking box."

"But that's the part you don't seem to be getting Onyx, I'm going to end up coming home in that box either way. So at the end of the day, I really couldn't care less how my interview with Lanteia ends up going. Because as far as I'm concerned, I'm already dead."

I think I might have caught Onyx a little off guard with my last statement. And considering how little he knows about me and my background at this point I honestly can't say that I blame him for being confused. I mean, I'm sure he's probably pieced together some of what I'm trying not to talk about already, because he's obviously smart enough to have picked up on some, if not all, of the hints I've been dropping. But I seriously doubt he's got the full picture yet, let alone that he actually understands just how serious all of the things in my past really are.

And even though part of me knows that I really should share some of this with Onyx, I can't seem to bring myself to do so. Because even though I know that he's just trying to do his job, which is to do everything he can to help me make it out of this mess alive, I still don't really trust him. And if I'm being totally honest with myself, that's the biggest reason I'm acting the way I am.

The fact that I know full well that the Capitol would never, not in a million years, let someone with my background and track record win their precious Hunger Games just gives me a built-in excuse to fall back on.

"Look, Onyx, I'm exhausted and it's obvious that we're not really getting anywhere with this either. So, if it's ok with you, I'm going to go ahead and hit the sack so I can have the energy and restraint necessary to spend tomorrow being paraded around like a war trophy."

I don't know why I felt the need to throw the if it's ok with you part in there, because I know full well I have no intention of actually waiting for him to answer. Let alone sitting back down and continuing to talk if he says it's not. And sure enough, it takes me all of a fraction of a second from the second I stop talking to slide off my bar stool and casually stroll out of the room without ever giving Onyx a chance to say a word...

A/N: 2 down and 2 to go :) I hope everyone is still enjoying the story and is as excited as I am not only for what lies ahead for all of these amazing tributes, but also for the fact that I'm finally updating at a decent speed :D

Also, this update kind of got away from me a bit as far as length is concerned, so I apologize in advance if it's a little on the long side :D

And with that I'll bid you all a found ado and look forward to seeing all of your wonderful faces back here soon for Train Ride 3!