Here's all the loners and the training chapter in one. Efficiency FTW.

Arter Wire

I didn't know what to think of Tillo, and she didn't know what to think of me. When we discussed training, I told her about my skills with electronics and logic. I asked her what I should train with. She'd always been blunt before, so I didn't know what she meant when she answered.

"You can survive, or you can win," she said. What was that supposed to mean? How could I survive or win? She always seemed so cold and harsh. I didn't want to ask for an explanation, so I just left.

She didn't give me anything else, so I was on my own in training. I watched Nubu and his allies as they worked together to balance their skills and weaknesses. I wanted to ask if I could be with them, but I didn't want to intrude. Surely they'd tell me if I was invited. Nubu was so friendly, even if Zetan and Gizmo were more reserved. If I could get up the courage, I'd ask myself.

I looked at the array of weapons. I imagined swinging a sword and cutting someone's life apart. Throwing a spear and punching through their heart. Slicing an arrow through a head. Beating their mind to a pulp with a mace. It made me shudder, and I wanted to shy away. I felt guilty already, before I even fought. What made it worse was that my imagination filled in a face for my nameless victim. It was my friend Bynary's face. I was revolted at the thought of what any of these weapons would do to him, and wasn't that what I was planning to do? All of these children had names and faces just like my friends. What would Bynary and Voltz think when they saw me wielding those weapons and aiming them at other children?

That's what she meant. All the Victors knew it and we could all see it in their eyes. You can win the Games. You can survive the Games. But you can't do both. Body or soul, only one remains.

Byke Sainz

My opponent better start praying. I clutched my knife in a fist so the blade poked out horizontally and impressively menacingly. I snaked it back and forth before I struck like a cobra and buried in the dummy's torso. Something like that would immediately kill you. Back when I was little, I used to tell the other kids I knew a way to kill a man with one blow. They thought I was making it up, but they had no idea. You just have to know how people are put together. If you do it right, you can win any fight.

I hoped the Careers were watching as I continued my attacks. They'd probably ask me to join them, and then I could take them down from within. Otherwise, they'd be scared of me and they'd leave me alone until I decided to attack. I brought my knife across the dummy's face in a series of zigzagging slashes. If he actually had skin, it would have looked so cool.

My stomach churned with excitement. My breath was quick as I thought about the moment the gong would go off and the killing would start. I wondered who would come for me first. Maybe the boy from Four with the axe? Its handle was as long as I was tall. It made me shiver when I thought about it. But it doesn't matter. He can't get me because I'll get him first. There was no reason for me to be scared. I didn't have to worry about them, and it would be silly to get nervous.

I was so ready I almost wished the Games would never start. It just wasn't fair to the others. I wished I could run away and never come back so they wouldn't have to fight me. I could go back to my mother, who was probably really worried about me. I could stay with her and not leave the house for a while, so she'd feel better. Of course, she'd feel better when I won. Then she wouldn't have to be scared any more.

Harmony Griffith

The survival station was more crowded than I thought. The others must have learned their lessons from the Ice Games and last year. Last time, the Arena was rocky and barren, and the only things to eat were lizards and moss. I waited until there was a lull before I went.

"Hello," I said to the attendant. He was short and ruddy. We looked as different as two species from a fantasy story. "Can you teach me some things about surviving?"

"No, I don't know that stuff," he said, and he laughed. His eyes twinkled when I broke into a surprised smile. "Just kidding. Of course I can. I'm Jovius."

"I'm Harmony," I said. I was glad he introduced himself. Now someone in the Capitol knew me. He didn't have to worry about the Games. Whatever happened to me, he'd be there for years to remember me. I hoped he did.

"Every human has four basic needs: water, food, shelter, and temperature. In most scenarios, the first thing to secure is shelter. You can die overnight without shelter. After that is water, and then food. Except in a desert. Then water comes first," Jovius said. We went over ways to make shelters with different materials, like snow and grass. I tried to make a fire with the bow he showed me, but it seemed like I'd freeze before I got it lit.

"What about a weapon? What can I make with stuff that's lying around?" I asked. Jovius' face fell.

"Ah, yes. You have one more survival need, don't you? In my experience with the Games, defense ranks above food but below water and shelter. After you have those secured, you should make a weapon. Since you're less experienced with fighting, you want to stay as far away from your opponent as possible. A spear is good and easy to make. You should harden it in your fire to make it stronger," he said. It didn't seem right discussing weapons and killing with such a jovial man. I wished we could keep on making shelters and hiding in them. But this was the Hunger Games, and here, survival and death went hand in hand.

Austin Dallas POV

They didn't show the training room on television, I thought. Then why did it look so familiar? It was like I'd been in the room before. They must have shown some clips of Jay training and I just didn't remember it before.

Even though it was boring, I planned to use a spear. Yeah yeah, just like Jay, I thought. But I wasn't Jay. I wasn't as good as he was, for one. I needed to practice more. I also didn't know if I could use it like he could. I'd seen what death did to a family, and I didn't want to make another little brother go through what I had. But then, I also didn't want my own little brother to see me die like he'd already seen Jay.

A lot of Tributes were already in alliances. It happened so fast I didn't even notice it, and I wished things had turned out differently. I wasn't a warrior. I had little chance of winning on my own. I searched the room for the other loners and tried to figure out which ones also wanted allies. The boy from Eight kept peeking at one of the alliances. Maybe if that didn't work out he'd give me a look. Two of the Careers were on their own, but they wouldn't want me. The annoying boy from Six was raising a horrible racket as he savaged a dummy. He was trying to make it look like he was a master martial artist, but he just looked like a nut. Better no ally than allying with him.

It felt natural to hold a spear. I wasn't that skilled and I didn't always hit my target, but there was a comforting muscle memory to it. I'd done it back home and now I was just refining my skills. My arm relaxed into the proper posture and it was more about feeling the target than aiming it. If I'd had time to master my weapon at home and wasn't most likely about to die, I might have gotten really good at it. As it was, I'd make the most of the time I had.

Arter is now in the Mind, Body, Soul alliance. Instead of writing another meeting POV I'm going to leave his here and just have them meet offscreen because I am lazy and I want to start the private sessions. Now they need a new name, though. Mind, Body, Soul, Life maybe? Arter's not really the alliance's life, but it's the most poetic option.