A/N: Yes, this fic is back. I finally decided to quit being lazy, blow away the dust, and get typing. I can't promise the type of updates the fic started with- but it will go back to updating.

Enjoy, and review if you can.


Oakley Ardsett, District 11

Circe sat with us for lunch again. Last time, I didn't say a word to her, assuming she'd start the conversation.

But that didn't work. And this is too rich a possibility to risk.

So I talk.

"What do you want?" It's a good way to start. I don't want to sound overly desperate. But I can tell the emptiness my voice has taken on in the last few months still lets me sound desperate enough.

"Wh-what?" Circe responds immediately, looking like she wasn't expecting me to talk today, either.

"Why do you keep sitting by me?" I iterate, turning to look at her.

I can tell she's scrambling for an answer.

"I... I want to make an alliance."

Though I'm doing my best not to look excited, I can't quite keep my eyelids from flaring in delight. I turn back to my food to hide it and hurriedly reply, "You pity me."

"No, I don't... pity you." It's obvious she's lying, but what do I care? She can have whatever reason she wants as long as she still allies with us.

But she can't know that.

"Then why do you want an alliance with me?" I respond, attempting to drain my voice of any left-over eagerness.

"Well, because... I mean..." She clears her throat nervously, to buy some time. "The only reason anyone would want an alliance, I guess. Two heads are better than one and all. Um, right?"

I give a slow nod in response, taking another bite of my food. Turning to face Maddox—he's sitting right next to me, as he was last time—I address him.

"Maddox?" is all I ask. The "do you think she's easy enough to kill" part is inferred.

Maddox takes a moment to respond; he's probably making sure not to accidentally tip Circe off.

"I don't mind."

My foot twitches in excitement, but I can't let it show in my voice.

"All right. We'll let you join the alliance," I say to Circe, making myself sound unenthused. I suddenly feel like my response wasn't authentic enough for an actual alliance. "But if you screw up once, you're gone," I add.

"Understood," Circe replies quickly. "Thank you so—"

"Lunch over!" interrupts the official from a distance. The three of us get up to put away our plates.

This girl is so gullible it's hard to believe. Either that, or I'm a much better actor than I thought.

So, what now? It's back to training. What would a normal alliance do? Hit the stands together, to know each other's strengths? That would work well for us, too. We wouldn't want Circe to strike us with something we weren't prepared for.

"We'll go around the stands and show our strengths," I whisper to Circe as we set our plates in the designated area.

"Right."

The three of us step out into the rest of the gymnasium, and I nod at Circe. Might as well get through her strengths first so we don't miss anything.

She scurries off to a javelin stand and starts throwing them pretty well.

...All right. Let's pay attention. Maddox and I want to know her inside and out so when the time comes...

We'll get our one kill from her.

And then... the real competition starts.