VITUS HEILMINE, DISTRICT TWO

10:43 AM, DAY TWO OF TRAINING, THE TRAINING CENTER

Vitus' muscles were burning.

It was the pleasant sort of burn that every Career was undoubtedly familiar with. One that started deep in his muscles and radiated through every single individual fiber, filling him with a temporary soreness that served to remind him of how hard he had been working. It was indicative of the effort he had put in. It was an effect of his dedication.

Vitus had always liked that burn.

As he faced off against the boy from District Five, who he had come to know as Isaac, he grinned, "You're pretty good for an outer District kid."

Isaac mirrored his amused expression, "Guess that makes you a pretty mediocre Career, huh?"

Both boys snickered before Vitus lunged at Isaac. He slashed toward him with the mock weapon, prompting the slightly taller boy to pad backwards across the sparring mat. Isaac dodged three strikes that Vitus attempted in rapid succession. The Career gritted his teeth as he closed the gap between himself and Isaac, finally landing a blow on his opponent. The mock weapon connected with Isaac's arm, a soft whump punctuating the hit. Vitus beamed proudly.

"And that is how it's done. 'Mediocre Career' my ass." He said as he sauntered off toward the bench where the other Careers were seated.

Since they had arrived at the Training Center, they'd been taking turns sparring with one another. Aenea had suggested it as a way for them to figure out what ground they needed to cover once they were in the Arena. For the most part, it seemed like they were just in need of somebody who could cover long range combat. At least, that was what Aenea had said, anyway. Vitus didn't really care to concern himself with the strategy. It wasn't necessary. Skill outweighed everything else.

As Vitus took a swig of water, he looked to Sutton, "What'd you think? Pretty sweet moves, huh?"

Sutton nodded, brushing a stand of hair behind her ear that had come loose from her ponytail, "You were really great. You're so strong!"

The District Two boy nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders as he set down his water bottle and stretched his arms above his head, purposely flexing as he did so, "Years of training pay off, I guess."

"They certainly do," Sutton concurred as she glanced up toward the Gamemakers' lounge.

He redirected his own attention to his other allies. Aenea had departed after her spar with Erebor in favor of possibly seeking out someone who had long range down to a science. They hadn't seen hide nor hair of her since. Meanwhile, Erebor and Leona had gotten to sparring. Now, they sat and enjoyed a moment to breathe while they laughed and joked like old friends. Vitus found it weird how easily they got along with one another, but he hadn't questioned it. In truth, both of them sort of grated on him. Erebor had this weird fatherly energy about him and Leona struck him as being a bit on the absent side. Even jokes as bad as Erebor's didn't land with her sometimes.

Regardless, they sat together and made casual conversation. Vitus was glad that Isaac had joined the group. Now he could have someone to talk to who wasn't Aenea. She was great, of course. Easy on the eyes, frighteningly intelligent, and a formidable opponent in combat… But there was something about her that rubbed Vitus the wrong way. He didn't know how to describe it, but he had seen it in other students at the Academy during his time in training. It was like there was a second meaning to everything that left her lips. Vitus didn't pride himself on his expert knowledge pertaining to social psychology, but even he could see that there was always something going on in her head.

"And then," Erebor laughed loudly, his voice pulling Vitus from his thoughts, "I said, 'Your name is Leopold Attrick? What's your brother's name? Jerry Attrick?'"

Leona's laughter followed suit. It seemed that this was a joke she actually got.

"Jerry Attrick!" Leona wheezed, "That is so clever, Erebor! Your jokes are always such a treat."

Vitus rolled his eyes, noticing Aenea walking briskly toward him. He lit up as he watched her approach. Hopefully she had managed to get someone to cover the long range that she was so worried about. If he had to hear her talk about it again, he'd surely lose his mind. Aenea arrived and briefly looked over her shoulder before stopping just beyond the bench. Erebor and Leona collected themselves as Aenea waited for quiet. Sutton looked over to her, waiting to hear what she had to say. Isaac waltzed over and folded his arms in front of his chest, listening closely.

"Alright," Aenea started, "I have great news. I think I found someone who can take care of our little range issue."

"Who'd you find?" Vitus asked.

"Archery station. Take a look," Aenea instructed.

Vitus and the rest of the Pack let their eyes wander over to the archery station. The girl from District Three was there, using a bow like she had been practicing for well over a single day. Vitus quirked a brow. That sort of ability wasn't possible to achieve over the course of twenty four hours. She was trained.

"That's great!" Erebor said, "So, who's gonna ask her to join? I can do it, if need be."

Aenea shook her head, "We wait until the end of training today. I want to keep an eye on her. For all we know, she's already got allies. We need to get her at a time when there aren't eyes on us. The end of the day is the perfect time to do that. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Aenea's right. Get her on her own and she's basically a cornered rabbit with no choice but to say yes," Sutton added.

Aenea smiled at her, clearly pleased with her agreement. Vitus didn't see the point in waiting around, but he knew that Aenea would make a fool of him if he objected. The other Careers seemed willing to let her do as she saw fit. He supposed he'd fall in line, too. Besides, there would be plenty of opportunity for him to do his own thing once they got into the Games.

"Great. So we're in agreement. Wonderful. Keep an eye on her today, won't you? I want to make sure that she's what we're looking for." Aenea said.

Vitus nodded, a smug grin on his face, "Sure thing, doll face."

NAMI MIZUKANA, DISTRICT FIVE

12:02 PM, DAY TWO OF TRAINING, THE TRAINING CENTER

The smell of lunch wafting beneath Nami's nose was intoxicating. Hints of chicken, fresh sourdough bread, and sharp cheddar cheese filled the air. Nami's stomach was growling like crazy! Every meal at the Capitol had been filling, but with the amount of activity they were doing every day, she found herself near-constantly ready to eat again. The food was so good. Every meal was one to look forward to.

As she filed into the cafeteria behind the herd of other Tributes, she caught a glimpse of the back of Clio's head.

It was funny how something as insignificant as seeing the back of a person's head made her smile excitedly. She hadn't seen much of Clio during training. The Training Center was so massive that it was difficult to keep track of everyone. For the most part, Nami had been occupying herself with every station she could think to try. Along the way, she'd also managed to meet quite a few other people. The Tributes from District Six, the Tributes from District Nine, the girl from District Eight, and the girl from District Eleven had all crossed paths with Nami. She liked them well enough, but there was something about Clio that had taken hold of some part of Nami's mind and refused to let go since the night of the chariot parade.

It wasn't any secret that she was nice to look at. Nami had known that the instant she saw her at the parade. Even though she hadn't been dressed in a jaw-dropping outfit, she had gotten Nami's attention without so much as a sliver of effort. Her dark eyes were every bit as welcoming as they were alluring. When Clio had first noticed her staring, she had worried that she'd done something wrong. Then, Clio had begun to approach. Nami had met her halfway and introduced herself, thinking it a decent way to apologize for how rude she'd been with her staring.

Since then, the events of that night hadn't stopped playing in Nami's head for a plethora of reasons. The excitement of the chariot ride, the enthusiasm from the crowd, the way it felt to be dressed like a princess right out of a fairy tale… And Clio.

Nami knew it was strange. She knew it was weird to be selected to go into the Hunger Games and to find herself inexplicably drawn to another Tribute. That was her competition. Nami knew that, but it couldn't be helped. It was gnawing at the back of her mind and it didn't seem intent on stopping any time soon. As Nami gathered her lunch, which was a carb-heavy baked potato soup in a bread bowl, she looked to the back of the cafeteria.

Sure enough, her eyes instantly found Clio. The dark-haired girl was looking at the seat beside her, occasionally signing in between bites of food despite the fact that no one was sitting at the table with her. Nami, driven by equal parts curiosity and the innocent desire to be around Clio again, allowed her feet to carry her all the way to the table at the back of the cafeteria. As she approached, Clio looked up, a slight smile finding her lips as Nami set her tray down and waved.

"Hi!" Nami signed.

"Hey, you," Clio signed back, "How's training going?"

Nami took a drink of water before signing, "Good! I've been learning a lot! What about you?"

"It's going pretty good. Did some practice with the bow today. Tomorrow will be getting more familiar with knives." Clio answered.

"Ooh!" Nami said out loud before quickly remembering that Clio couldn't hear her and returning to communicating with her hands, "You use a bow and arrow? That's so exciting! Did you learn it yesterday?"

Clio shook her head, "My dad enrolled me in training. He's always been really paranoid that I would end up getting chosen. He hired this guy to show me how to defend myself in case it ever came down to it. I guess I'm grateful for it now that I'm here."

Nami's brows were raised, "Wow! You were trained? That's amazing! You're going to do so well in the Games!"

"I hope so." Clio signed as she smiled at Nami's excitement, "You use the spear, right? I think I saw you using it yesterday."

The fact that Clio had been watching her made Nami's cheeks burn.

They turned a light shade of red as she nodded, "Y-Yes! I use a spear! I learned how to use it in District Five!"

"District Five?" A flicker of confusion crossed Clio's features, "What kind of work are you doing in District Five with a spear?"

Nami perked up, swallowing the mouthful of food that had momentarily puffed out her cheeks, "I help my parents run our family's restaurant! We have a fish farm and sometimes I have to spear them to bring them in for preparation! I've been doing it since I was just a little kid. It makes me sad to kill the fishes sometimes, but I know it's what I have to do to help my parents out!"

There was a smile on Clio's face again as she signed, "That's really nice. I think your handiness with the spear will carry you far. At least, I hope it will."

Again, Nami felt her cheeks ignite and she found herself speaking out loud again, "T-Thank you! Hey, this lunch is pretty good, right?"

Clio raised a spoonful of soup to her lips and wore a thoughtful expression as she tasted it, swallowing it after a moment and setting her silverware down to reply, "Yeah, it's pretty good."

"It really makes you wonder what it would be like if you were eating it as a catfish, doesn't it? Did you know that most species of catfish have over 100,000 tastebuds? Can you even imagine what it would be like to eat something with that many tastebuds?" Nami said, earning a laugh from Clio.

It was one of the nicest sounds she'd ever heard, Clio's laugh.

"I like to think my imagination is pretty decent, but even I couldn't imagine what this soup would taste like with that many tastebuds." Clio signed at her.

Nami couldn't keep up with how effortlessly cool Clio was. It was making her act like a total goof! There were butterflies in her stomach as she tried to down another spoonful of her lunch. Desperately, she tried to find a topic of conversation that wasn't fish facts. Why did her brain always default to fish facts? Nami then recalled that she had approached Clio because she was by herself, though she had seen the girl signing as if someone was beside her. Was it rude to ask about that?

Before she could even consider how it might come off, Nami asked, "Oh, hey! Who were you talking to before I came to sit with you? I thought I saw you signing!"

Clio blinked hard, as if unsure of what she was talking about for a moment. Nami worried that maybe she had somehow been seeing things. Then, it dawned on Clio what she was referring to. She gestured to the seat that was one spot away from her own. It was empty.

"I was talking to DeMarcus, my friend. He came here with me." Clio explained plainly before taking another bite of her lunch.

At first, Nami was unsure of whether Clio was joking. So far, she hadn't made a whole lot of jokes around her… Or any at all, really. Why would she start now? Nami decided that Clio likely wasn't messing around with her. She seemed far too matter-of-fact about her response to be kidding. Besides, if DeMarcus was Clio's imaginary friend that she had brought all the way to Capitol, then Nami figured he must have been pretty important to her. Who was she to rain on Clio's parade?

"It's nice to meet you, DeMarcus!" Nami chirped, her heart fluttering in her chest as Clio's face lit up.

Over lunch, Nami and Clio talked the hour away. They learned quite a bit about one another. Clio shared stories with Nami at her request, Nami bestowed some fish knowledge upon Clio to earn smiles in return. By the time that their lunchtime had drawn to a close, Nami had come to a very straightforward and somewhat surprising conclusion.

She was completely and utterly smitten with Clio St. Francis.

MAINE GUERNESEY, DISTRICT TEN

12:30 PM, DAY TWO OF TRAINING, THE TRAINING CENTER

"That's really cool," Nyle said as Clarus finished telling him about one of the baseball games he'd played in a while back.

Maine had been listening to the two of them going back and forth for a while now. They reminded her of puppies in some ways. They were both quite enthusiastic about the topics of conversation they'd chosen over the course of lunch. Plus, when they'd seen each other at the start of the day's training, they'd both been pretty thrilled. From the first moment that Nyle had approached herself and Clarus, it had been like she was watching two big dogs playing fetch with each other. They bounced off of one another so well.

It was good for them, Maine thought. She was glad that during this period of uncertainty, her District Partner had been able to find someone that he meshed well with. It was funny to watch their bromance unfold, too. The only trouble was that it left Maine feeling like she was in a bit of a hard place.

Maine didn't know Clarus. She didn't know Clarus and she didn't know Nyle. She'd gotten more time to get acquainted with Clarus than she had Nyle, of course, but that hardly mattered. It had only been a matter of days since she had met Clarus. The same was true of Nyle. Maine didn't know them well enough to put her full trust into them. That was what had been eating at her.

She couldn't be certain of what this alliance would spell for her at the rate that it was going now. Nyle and Clarus were quickly shaping up to be closer than two catfish in a skillet in the eyes of Maine. There was no denying the obvious, either. They were both bigger than her. As much as she hated to acknowledge it, they were both stronger than her. If it came down to it in the Arena, they could probably both kill her without so much as a second thought.

Maine hadn't gotten the impression that either of them would hurt her, but she knew that circumstances could shift abruptly and drastically in the Arena. People often did things that they previously thought unimaginable. Perhaps even more commonly, though, people found themselves betrayed by those that they had put their trust into. Maine didn't want to be one of those people.

If she could help it, she was going to avoid making any wrong moves. It had crossed her mind last night that she might have already made one by allying with Clarus. There was nothing wrong with the boy. In fact, he was a promising ally. Big, kind, strong, likable… There wasn't a downside to being his ally other than the fact that she could eventually find herself in a situation where it was her or Clarus. Maine didn't want it to come to that.

With Nyle added into the equation, it was becoming increasingly obvious to Maine that a situation like that could very well become a reality. Or, even worse, both Clarus and Nyle could betray her further down the line. Maine didn't want that to happen for a number of reasons. So, over the course of the morning, she'd been keeping her eyes peeled. Her focus had become split between training at survival stations and watching for promising allies.

Fortunately for her, a specific pairing had piqued her interest.

The boy from District Seven, as well as the boy from District Eight. Maine had noticed that they didn't say a whole lot to one another. They seemed to have a mutual understanding that their alliance was nothing more than a business transaction. It was a temporary situation that could end up with one of them suffering a loss while the other one gained a victory. There was an unspoken, cutthroat nature about it that Maine deeply respected.

That was the alliance that she figured she should shoot for.

It wasn't the ideal alliance. The straightforward lack of trust would certainly put her in a position where she would need to watch her back. However, with each member of the group understanding the benefits of keeping one another around as long as possible, Maine figured it her best bet. All of her life had been focused on helping carry out her family's business. What she was doing here in the Capitol was no different from any other duty she'd been tasked with back in District Nine.

To Maine, business in the Arena would be no dissimilar than business in her father's butchery.

As Nyle popped a piece of bread into his mouth, Clarus glanced over to Maine, "You're awful quiet, Maine. You feelin' okay?"

"I'm fine. Just thinkin'." Maine answered shortly.

Nyle smirked, "Don't hurt yourself. Thinking too hard is never good for anybody, yanno?"

Clarus chuckled and Maine nodded, "I'm alright. Besides, I think I've come to a decision."

"A decision? What about?" Clarus wanted to know.

"I think I'm going to find another alliance," Maine began, watching as Clarus and Nyle's smiles both dropped slightly, "No offense to y'all or anything… I just don't want it to come down to the three of us once everybody starts dropping like flies."

Clarus and Nyle looked at each other for a moment. Nyle, whose District Partner had already gone her separate ways from him, seemed to understand entirely. Clarus seemed equally concerned and frustrated at this news. Maine felt bad for the boy who had shown her nothing but kindness, but she knew that she was making the right decision. Nyle threw an arm around Clarus' shoulder.

"Don't worry your pretty little head, Maine. I'll take good care of our boy Clarus. You do what you gotta do. Follow your gut." Nyle said, "No hard feelings on this end."

Maine offered Nyle a smile as she turned to look at Clarus, who seemed a bit more at ease now. It was clear that he wasn't exactly thrilled about Maine running off on her own. Perhaps he'd already begun to feel a sense of obligation to protect his District Partner and the members of his alliance… Maine couldn't blame him. He was a nice person, something she could never match.

"Good luck, Maine," Clarus told her, "I hope things work out for you, honest."

"Thank you, boys. Good luck to you, too." Maine said as she rose from the table, "I'll see you 'round."

ATTICUS BURNHEART, DISTRICT TWELVE

3:16 PM, DAY TWO OF TRAINING, THE TRAINING CENTER

"You know, at this rate, I think we could conquer the Careers if we wanted." Henry said, a cheeky grin on his face.

At lunch, Atticus had found himself swept up into Henry Stratum's alliance. The boy had been making the rounds at the training center all day. Atticus had figured it was only a matter of time before he was snatched up. Besides, his District Partner had gravitated toward the boy from District Three, leaving him to his own devices. He didn't see any harm in it. In truth, he'd been hoping that she would seek allies elsewhere. Pepsi struck him as far too soft for the Arena. Atticus didn't want to be there when it eventually caused her injury or death.

Henry's alliance was more fitting for him, anyway. It was chock full of social butterflies (with the exception of one) who understood the importance of the social game alongside the imperativeness of the physical game. Atticus was grateful to find like-minded people in the mess of Tributes that had been sent to the Capitol. For a while, he'd briefly considered trying to strike up an alliance of his own, but being thrown headfirst into Henry's wasn't bad at all.

It was nice, too, because he wasn't the only new member. After lunch, Atticus had watched as Henry approached the girl from District Five. He chatted her up for a solid ten minutes before bringing her back to the group. They'd all introduced themselves to one another and then resumed business as usual. For the past couple of hours, they'd been working at the various stations in pairs—With the exception of Nicholas, who accompanied Nami and Elesa to their respective station.

Atticus had found himself partnered with Henry. They'd spent some time at the survival stations before Atticus had led them over to a throwing range of sorts. There were dummies with targets imprinted on their bodies that had been set up at varying distances. Atticus approached the weapon racks and looked over the array of tools at his disposal. Henry, seeming rather disinterested in familiarizing himself with a weapon, leaned against one of the massive concrete pillars that held up the ceiling. He folded his arms over his chest and watched Atticus with a half-smile on his face. Atticus' fingers ran over the blade of a small throwing axe, trailing downward until he eventually noticed a throwing knife.

He plucked it off of the rack and moved over to the throwing area, which was marked on the ground by green paint. Atticus had seen the girl from District Four at this station earlier in the day. She held the knife by the handle when she did most of her throws, though he had also seen her throw a few by the blade. Atticus stood up straight, gripping the knife by its handle and exhaling as he threw it toward the dummy a few yards ahead. It landed, surprisingly, with a thunk. However, it had landed in the furthest ring of the target on the dummy's body.

Regardless, Henry clapped his hands, "Amazing! You're going to be kicking Career ass in no time. That technique was genuinely flawless. I knew I picked you from the litter for a reason."

Atticus grinned, "You sure it wasn't me who picked you? After all, you're kind of a runt, don't you think?"

"Egads!" Henry replied, "I can't believe you're bringing looks into this. I may be on the thin side, but I can assure you I'm in stellar shape compared to some people I know back in District Nine."

"I will say, you're definitely looking shapelier now than you did during that Reaping footage. You've got a healthier glow to you. You look good," Atticus teased, eliciting a chuckle from Henry.

"Good to know. I guess once you stop puking it up, the Capitol food is pretty good for your body." Henry replied, "I have to say, Atticus. I think you make a fine addition to our little alliance."

"I'm flattered. I think I make a pretty fine addition to your alliance, too," Atticus joked.

Henry pretended to swoon, "A fine addition to our alliance. And he's so humble! Is there anything Atticus Burnheart can't do?"

Atticus laughed, rolling his eyes at Henry's theatrics, "You—"

"Are you two going to be here much longer? I was planning on actually using the training equipment, if you don't mind." The boy from District Two interjected as he arrived at the station.

Henry went to open his mouth, but Atticus beat him to it, "There're at least fifty other stations in this entire gymnasium. Do you really need to use this exact one right this very minute?"

The boy's features quickly contorted in disapproval, "You think I'd come here for no good reason? Unlike you pissants, I actually know what I'm doing with these weapons."

Henry smiled at him, causing a surge of pride to swell in Atticus' chest as his newfound partner in crime asked, "Is this supposed to intimidate us?"

"Yawn," Atticus added.

It seemed that the boy from Two couldn't handle such prodding from the outer District boys. His expression had gone from one of surprise and confusion to one of utter frustration. His fragile ego had undoubtedly been bruised by Atticus and Henry's gentle poking. Before Atticus could react, the boy was closing in on him.

"You trying to start something, Twelve? Is that what you want?" His voice was louder now, drawing the attention of the Tributes nearby.

Despite the feral look in the taller boy's eyes that threatened to strike fear into Atticus' heart, he stood firm. Henry placed a hand on his shoulder as he stood beside him, reassuring him of his presence. Atticus looked the Career right in the face, feeling the corners of his mouth unconsciously turning upward at the fact that he had so easily managed to get him riled up. He looked like such an idiot.

"I'm already dead," Atticus shrugged his shoulders, "What's one more target on my back?"

The boy's eye twitched. Atticus almost swore that he was about to punch him in the face when a fourth person threw themself into the mix. It was another Career—The boy from One, to be exact. He stepped between his ally and Atticus, gently pushing the boy from Two away as he looked between them.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen... Please," One chuckled, "Let's dial it down. There doesn't need to be any spats, alright? This is neutral ground, here. C'mon, Vitus."

Vitus was seething with anger as his ally escorted him away from the scene of his outburst.

For good measure, Henry called out, "Eat shit!"

It took everything in Atticus not to snort out loud.

When Vitus turned around, Henry stuck out a thumbs up and laughed loudly, "Just kidding! He knows I'm kidding. We're kidding!"

The Careers continued walking off as Atticus and Henry bursted into a fit of laughter. Atticus clutched at his stomach while Henry wiped at his eyes, trying to catch his breath. It was almost too easy to get a rise out of people around here. Henry patted Atticus on the back as he finally regained his bearings, a wide smile on his face.

"You know something, Atticus?" He asked.

"Huh?" Atticus replied.

"Me and you? We're gonna make an excellent team."