Chapter 28: Poker Face

I wanna hold em' like they do in Texas please

Fold em' let em' hit me raise it baby stay with me

Luck and intuition play the cards with Spades to start

And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart

-Lady Gaga

"It's not too early to start talking about his angle. He'll want to start using it this morning."

"It's his first morning in the training rooms, let him focus on training." Chaff and I stood toe to toe, him towering over me but I wouldn't let that mean he could win the argument.

"We don't want other tributes seeing it as an angle, it needs to become his personality."

"Haymitch said I shouldn't let you in." Chaff reached to the side for a bottle but I whacked it from his hand.

"Haymitch may have made a deal with his tributes for some drinking, but if you want to mentor Thresh you will not have a sip, or else I'll switch you and Seeder. Do you want to work with a little girl, Chaff?" He grunted.

"I should have let Seeder take him the second she told me about the two of you."

"Excuse me? Training does starts in less than forty-five minutes and I would like some sort of a plan." For a moment, I had forgotten Thresh was even in the room and both Chaff and I turned slowly. "We spent half of dinner yesterday arguing, and yes, December did accomplish something on my clothes but I'm sure there is more we can be doing."

He was right, and I knew that the arguments were a waste of time but it took me over an hour to convince Chaff what to tell the stylist, though I knew Chaff was secretly pleased with the look. The stark white of the shirt brought out the darkness in his skin; the tight form showcasing every muscle when he moved. I just hoped Crane would see the red metal cuffs as my mark, like I hoped he would.

"Alright, Miss. Snow, what angle do you say we go for then?" I walked over to the couch, sitting down and Thresh sat beside me immediately, taking my hand. We didn't have much time left for contact and both of us wanted to make use of what we had. How much time did we have left? Three days of training, interview day, and rest day. The Games began in six days, less then a week.

"Solemn, mysterious, threatening and proud. It already happened at Opening Ceremonies, with the feather, and I've heard good feedback. People want to know more about you, and denying them that will just intrigue them all the more."
"She has a point, Thresh. The less you talk the less risk we have of them hearing about you and Miss. Snow. The Capitol will love her attention on you, but if it gets too much then they might suspect game rigging which would not be good." Thresh nodded, silently taking in all our instructions.

"So basically, I say nothing?" Chaff and I both nodded and I was glad we agreed on something.

"And stay away from the careers, you need to be separate, not part of a pack." I was thankful Chaff thought of that advice, it was good. "Today, just try things out, get a lay of the land and watch the others. Find one thing to show off with, but just one, got it?"

Thresh nodded, and a knock on the door announced his escort was here to take hi downstairs. He gave me a quick kiss before Chaff opened the door and he left with the woman while my Avox entered. She tapped her watch, specifically on the number 12 and I smiled, it was time.

"Chaff, I'll be back after dinner. I need to eat with my family and the less I am seen by all of the 11 staff. Tell Thresh I'll meet him, and I want to hear every detail."

"Miss. Snow, you do realize he is already losing? All the buzz is about 12." I wanted to hit him for even thinking it, but I refrained, looking at my Avox and knowing I was about to gain my edge.

"Who are you playing for these days, Chaff? Me, your tribute or Haymitch?"

"Last year all three of those would have been the same."

"Last year, 11 and 12 didn't stand a chance. Last year, you didn't have a chance at gaining anything, let alone Haymitch. Most of all, last year Haymitch didn't betray me. Make your choice Chaff, and for your sake you better choose Thresh and me."

He just nodded, sitting on the couch and flipping on the TV. I knew he would work on getting sponsors as soon as I left, he was just looking to instigate something but I didn't oblige.

My Avox led me down dark hallways on the bottom floors, finally turning into a room with two girls. One was tall, with striking red hair and porcelain white skin. She was in white serving garb and I knew she was my snitch. The other girl looked like a regular outskirts girl and surprised me when she started speaking.

"Miss. Snow, my name is Jenna and Kirsti asked me here to help translate the conversation." She kept glancing nervously towards my avox, the one the girl called Kirsti. It was a pretty name, and I thought I might start using it. "This is Lavinia." She gestured to the red head girl. "Can I tell her your story, Lav?" The red head nodded.

"All three of us live in the outskirts, and Lavinia ran away with a boy once because he told her rumors about the Capitol so they did some bad things and then ran away together. They made it pretty far, almost all the way to District 12 before they were caught, but as the hovercraft caught up with them she saw a girl in the woods who could have hidden here and the boy but the girl was selfish and only hid herself."

"That serves you right for being a traitor." Lavinia just bowed her head, honestly repenting her crimes.

"When they made her an Avox, she was allowed home and Lavinia realized the boy was wrong and she had been wrong in return. The district girl was selfish and mean, just like the screens say they are and in the Capitol they are people who care about Lav. That's why she wants to help you, Miss. Snow. That girl who left her to be caught is the District 12 tribute."

I started laughing, what else could I do? "Kirsti, you are wonderful. You couldn't have followed my orders more perfectly." My Avox seemed to be pleased to be addressed by name and beamed at the compliment.

"Has the tribute, Katniss Everdeen, recognized you?" Lavinia nodded. "What was her reaction?" She charaded a sudden gasp and petrified face. This was all too perfect. "Be extremely nice to her, convince her you are her friend and she will begin to trust you, think you have forgiven her. Have you learned anything about their tactics?"

Lavinia glanced towards Jenna who began speaking. "She explained it to me while you were on your way down. The mentor is telling them to hide their talents, and most of all always stay together. He wants the tributes seen as a set. The boy seems quite fond of the girl, but the girl is incredibly uncomfortable around him."

I tried to find Haymitch's plan, think like him. It should be easy, having been trained for years by watching him work but I felt as though this time he was planning directly to thwart me.

"Jenna, are you employed anywhere, or still in school?"

"No, Miss. Snow. I stopped attending Outer Hall before the last Victory Tour."

"Perfect, you are now employed in my direct service. I've been telling papa I wanted someone who could talk for ages but he keeps saying he'll work on it after the Games. He won't mind if I appoint someone myself." She nodded. "Your duties through the week up to the games will be to bring me any information from Lavinia, she can't be seen with either me or Kirsti too often. You will also carry messages I don't want written down."

I looked over the three girls, all three of them a few years older than me and I realized how much I was like my father. Surround yourself with people who you know you can fully control. That's exactly what I was doing.

"Kirsti, Lavinia, leave us." The two obeyed without a second thought, bounding from the room. "Your first message is to Haymitch Abernathy and Seneca Crane. Tell them both separately. The message is: I have a plan, you only have one chance to get in on it."

As Jenna left the room I knew neither of them would send a reply, but it would serve my purpose. Crane would be confused, watching for any sign and it would help him notice the cuffs and my claims on Thresh. For Haymitch, it would put him on edge that I was planning without him. He'll know it's about Thresh, but he won't like it and hopefully he might be distracted slightly.

My head ached with strategy and I glanced at the clock, realizing I had an etiquette lesson with my grandmother in an hour. I groaned inwardly, not wanting to deal with the witch of a woman but I knew I had no choice. The key to success was to play it as though everything was normal, and I was hiding nothing. That way, no one would come looking for my secrets.

Short and sweet but I'm in final exam mode now so I wanted to get it up while I had the chance (+ I also posted 27 tonight and that one was a fair bit longer than usual so in the end it all evens out:D) We all hate finals, so wouldn't you all love to make my days a bit better with some reviews please?