Callum Selkirk, 18: District 12 Male
Then you're left in the dust
Unless I stuck by ya
You're a sunflower
I think your love would be too much
I wake to the sun peeking above the skyscrapers of the Capitol. Instinctively, I look to my left, but all I see is a wall. I let out a big sigh at the realization that I'm not in my own bedroom, and I don't have a little brother to wake up anymore. I don't have a sister that I have to drag out of her bedroom because she refuses to come out. And I don't have a sister that I need to keep an eye on because she likes to sneak out. I have none of that. I've checked on Eris a couple times hoping that she would be a little more open, but she's made it clear that she doesn't want anything to do with me. It's sad seeing her push me away so quickly. She's too young to go at this by herself, but I won't force her to stick with me if she doesn't want to.
I walk out to the dining room and I'm greeted by the biggest breakfast spread I've ever seen being set up on the table. The Avoxes are moving frantically to finish setting up the display. None of it makes sense to me. Why put up this elaborate spread when it's going to be gone within the hour?
"Good morning, Callum," my mentor Jasper says, walking up behind me. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah," I say.
"Well, let's get some food in you before training," he says. "We don't want you starving in the Capitol now, do we?"
I don't respond to Jasper's question. I just walk over to the table and start filling a plate. Jasper's been nothing short of bizarre since the train ride. It's making me kind of uncomfortable, but I don't want to call him out on it. He doesn't seem to be all the way there in the head. If I say something about it, I might just set him off. I don't know how his Games went, but they must've been pretty traumatizing because no one is naturally this off putting. I take a seat and begin scarfing down my breakfast, hoping to minimize my time around Jasper. Speaking of which, he takes a seat across from me with just a muffin and a glass of orange juice. I look up and my eyes meet his, but I quickly avert my gaze.
"So, what do you plan on doing for your first day of training?" Jasper asks.
"I don't know," I answer. "I'll see when I get there."
Jasper smirks and leans back in his chair. He interlocks his fingers and lets out an audible sigh.
"That's how you get killed, Callum," Jasper says. "You need to have a plan."
"Well, what should I do?" I ask.
"Stay away from the weapons. The Careers will hog those up and you want to minimize your interaction with them. It's best to fly under their radar," Jasper says in an almost bookish tone. "Make allies with outliers who make up for the skills in which you are lacking. Don't accept any offers from Careers. They're only going to use you. As soon as you're not useful to them, they'll kill you."
Well that's a lot of information to take in. I understand why he's telling me these things, but the tone in which he does along with his wide, darting eyes send chills down my spine. I look around trying to find out why Jasper is darting his eyes around, but like I expected, there's nothing.
"Does that make sense, Callum?" Jasper asks.
"Yes," I say.
"You don't talk much, do you, Callum?" Jasper says. "You're very reserved. I like that about you."
And just when I thought he couldn't get any creepier, he says that. I'm literally crawling in my skin. Who makes that observation then proceeds to say it out loud? He's also been addressing me by name so much that he sounds like a broken record.
"I'm not a social creature," I say, laughing nervously.
"I'm guessing that you don't want too many allies," Jasper says.
"Just one or two will be fine," I say.
"That's good," he says. "Less people to get attached to."
That's such a morbid thing to think about, but I guess he's right. I can't afford to get attached to too many people because they'll have to die if I want to win. I might even have to kill them myself. I hate that way of thinking, but it's what I have to do.
Cece Sandwell, 18: District 4 Female
Wish we could turn back time
To the good old days
When our momma sang us to sleep
But now we're stressed out
Jason and I stand side by side in the elevator, riding down to the Training Center. Our uniform is a black tracksuit with silver stripes, and a large number four is on the left sleeve. There's no one else on the elevator with us, so I can only assume we'll be the last pair to arrive just like at the Parade. Jason is tapping his foot anxiously as the elevator slows down. The door opens, and we see the other twenty-two tributes standing around a tall, dark skinned woman standing on a platform in front of the training area. Jason and I find the other Careers and join them.
"Good morning, tributes," the woman starts. "My name is Bellona and I'm the Head Instructor here at the Training Center. In just a couple of weeks, twenty-three of you will be dead. One of you will survive. Who that will be is greatly influenced by how you spend your time over these next few days. Now I know a lot of you are itching to get to the weapons stations, but don't overlook the survival skills. They're just as, if not more important that learning how to use a weapon. Also remember that there is to be no fighting in the Training Center, that's what the arena is for. That's all I have for now. You are free to go."
All of us Careers turn to Jason, waiting for him to tell us where we're going first. He just stares back at us. I guess I have to get the wheels turning.
"So, where are we going first?" I ask Jason.
"What about the spears?" he suggests.
"That's fine with me," I say.
"What about the rest of you?" Jason asks.
"Fine by me," Cyrus says.
"Sure," Ancatha says, Annese nods in agreement.
"Only if we get to go to the knives next," Alto says, crossing his arms.
"I don't see why we can't," Jason says. "First spears, then knives."
We all make our way over to the spears station. The instructor, a short blonde man, sees us coming and steps out of our way. The trainers here are told to stay out of the Careers' way unless we request a sparring partner. Jason walks over to the rack and picks out a medium length spear, inspecting it and weighing it in his hands. He gives the spear a nod of approval (kind of weird if you ask me) and approaches a dummy. He swings the spear at the dummy's abdomen, making a decently deep slash across its lower torso. He then takes a swing at the dummy's neck, taking the head clean off. Then in a move that couldn't possibly be repeated. He changes his grip on the spear and plunges it through the face of the dummy before the head hits the floor. He looks at our impressed faces and looks back at the mangled dummy.
"What? We're Careers. Aren't we supposed to be good at this stuff?" he asks rhetorically.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" I ask, picking up a spear. "Let's wreck some dummies."
Ancatha, Alto, Cyrus, and Annese all follow suit and grab spears of their own. We spend the next few minutes tearing up dummies. By the time we're done, the dummies have been reduced to scraps of foam that the Avoxes have to sweep up. We all rerack our spears and head over to the knives station. Alto rushes ahead of us, practically jumping out of his shoes to get to the knives. Ancatha shakes her head at Alto's childish behavior, and I don't blame her. The dude really needs to grow up.
When we get to the knives station, there are a few outliers that are working with the knives. Most of them clear the area when they see us coming, but the boy from District 5, who's practicing throwing knives at the target on the wall. Alto sees the kid and smirks, walking over to me.
"Watch this," he whispers into my ear. He grabs a throwing knife from the small table to our left and chucks it at the target. The knife whizzes by, just above the 5 boy's head and hits the bullseye. The boy doesn't flinch at all. Alto turns back to me, satisfied with his work.
"Am I supposed to be impressed by that?" I ask.
"Well, yeah," he says. The boy from 5 snickers. Alto whips back around to the kid.
"What are you laughing at, you little shit?" he says.
"Your pathetic attempt at impressing a girl," 5 says. Now it's my turn to laugh. The kid is young, but he has guts. Alto steps forward, closing the gap between them. The boy from 5 doesn't back down, he just stares at him, expressionless.
"You better watch your fucking mouth," Alto says. "I'll have you dead before you even get to the Cornucopia. Now I suggest you scram before I have to punch your lights out."
"Okay, I'll leave," the 5 boy says nonchalantly. Then in a move that shocks us all, he throws the knife at the target. It hits a few inches away from Alto's knife, right on the edge of the inner ring. It's a pretty impressive throw for someone so young. The District 5 boy leaves the station, so now we have the knives all to ourselves. I look over at Alto. He looks pissed.
"I'm gonna end that little kid."
Elecc Linux, 14: District 3 Male
When fame and fortune fooled me
I felt my polygons decline
The condensation of a diamond mind
Arti and I are in line at the obstacle course. Obviously, it wasn't my choice. I suggested we start at the survival stations, but Arti said we needed to warm up before we do anything else. I don't know how an obstacle course is supposed to warm us up. In fact, I'm kind of worried I might pull something. Plus I don't want to land wrong or miss a step. That wouldn't be pretty. Maybe I'll tell Arti I just want to watch. However, I don't want to disappoint her. I saw her eyeing the obstacle course as soon as we stepped off the elevator. I'll just have to suck it up for now.
"I know you don't really want to do this, Elecc," Arti says. "But you'll thank me later."
"Okay. I just hope I don't pull a muscle or something," I say.
"If you do, there's people here who will heal you up in no time," she says. "And I'll keep you company while you rest."
"Thanks, Arti," I say.
"No need to thank me. You're my friend. That's what friends do for each other," she says.
She's right. It is what friends do. Brock and Lennox always had my back at home. It feels good to know that Arti has my back here, even if she's younger than me. It's an interesting dynamic to say the least. I really thought I would have to take care of Arti, which is way outside of my comfort zone. However, she's been the one taking care of me. She's so different from Electra, who would've just made fun of me if I hurt myself. But with Arti, I feel like she would actually help me.
As soon as the girl from District 10 is finished, Arti steps up to the start of the obstacle course. She stretches a bit and readies herself. The trainer blows his whistle and Arti takes off. She leaps up on the first platform with ease, not missing a step. A trainer then swings a baton at her legs, but she jumps over it and keeps pushing forward. Another trainer is standing at the second platform, he swings his baton at her head, and she dodges by sliding feet first under the baton. She approaches the second gap, which is the biggest one in the entire course. Arti gets a running start and jumps the gap, rolling as she lands. She climbs up the ladder wall with a cat-like quickness. She continues running along the curved platform, towards the end. She slides down the sloped platform before jumping on the next flat surface. A third trainer swings a long, heavy-looking baton at Arti, but once again she dodges it. Arti is now on the final stretch, where she vaults over three short walls before crossing the finish line.
Now it's my turn. I know there's no way that I can do as well as Arti did. I look over at her on the other side of the course. She gives me a smile and a thumbs up. I sigh and shake my head. The girl has too much faith in me. The trainer at the start blows his whistle and I take off. I successfully jump up on the first platform, although I'm sure it doesn't look as good as when Arti did it. I clumsily dodge the first trainer's baton and keep running. Maybe I'm better at this than I thought. I remember the large gap that's coming up, so I pick up the pace a little bit, keeping my focus on the next platform. Just as I get about eight feet away from my targeted launching point, I remember the second trainer, but it's too late. He swings his baton hard, smacking me in the chest with enough force to send me stumbling back. I try to regain my footing, but I don't realize how close to the edge of the platform I am. I take a step back, expecting my foot to meet solid ground, but there's nothing there to catch me. I'm now falling backward towards the ground. I try to turn to correct myself, but I'm not quick enough. I land shoulder first on the floor below, sending a wave of pain up my left arm. I groan in agony as my vision goes blurry from the pain. I clutch my shoulder with my right hand in an attempt to relieve some of the pain, but it's no use. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Arti running up to me. When she's by my side, she kneels down.
"Oh my gosh, Elecc," she says, panicked. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know," I groan in response. "My shoulder hurts really bad."
"Well, we can't just leave you laying here," Arti says. "Let's get you to the medic."
Arti slowly helps me back to my feet. She and I walk away from the obstacle course and across the Training Center to the medic. Looking around, I notice that some of the tributes have stopped what they're doing to watch me, holding my injured shoulder, as I walk across the gym. I've never been so embarrassed in my life. I hang my head in shame, wanting to curl up into a ball and hide from all the eyes on me.
"Don't pay them any mind," Arti whispers to me. "Let's just worry about getting you patched up."
I nod my head. Arti puts a supportive hand on my back. Here we are once again, the young kid taking care of someone older. I never thought I would be so reliant on someone so much younger.
Niobe Anicello, 16: District 11 Female
It's like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breaking
It's the risk that I'm taking
I ain't never gonna shut you out
André and I are over at the plant identification station. It's much calmer over here than the weapons stations, which have been taken over by the Careers. André and I have stuck with each other for the majority of the day so far, which I feel good about since most of the non-Career district pairs have split up. District loyalty goes a long way in the games; and having André with me is good for both sponsors and my survival. I ace the plant identification test once more, this time on the hardest level. I'm satisfied with my performance, so I turn to André to tell him I'm ready to try something else. However, I notice that he's looking at the girl from District 6, who seems to be struggling with her identification test, and it's on the easiest setting.
"Shit," she hisses as she gets another question wrong.
"Maybe we could help her," I whisper to André.
"Are you sure?" he asks. "She doesn't look too friendly."
"The worst that she could say is no," I say. "I'm gonna go see if she wants help."
"You go ahead," André says. "I'll be staying here."
"Okay," I say. I walk over to the 6 girl. She gets another question wrong, cursing herself again. Yeah, she definitely needs help.
"Hey, I can help you if you want," I say, putting a friendly smile on my face.
"I don't think I need your help," she says, looking up at me.
"Based on how many questions you've been getting wrong, it looks like you could use it," I say.
"Fine, what's this plant?" she asks, pointing at the screen. "It's asking what kind of plant it is."
I take a quick look at the plant on the screen and immediately know what it is.
"You see how the plant has three spear-shaped leaves?" I point out. "Look at the deep green color too. That's definitely poison ivy."
"Really? How do you know?" she asks.
"Just click it and see," I say. She does as I say, and she gets the answer right. She looks at me in surprise. I just shrug my shoulders.
"What? It's easy," I say.
"Easy for you," she says. "You're from 11, aren't you?"
"Sure am. Name's Niobe," I say, offering a handshake.
"My name's North," she says, shaking my hand. "We should team up. Are you down?"
"Of course I am," I reply. "But only if André can join us."
"Who's André?" North asks.
"My district partner," I say, pointing at him. He gives a small wave. I motion for him to come over. He slowly makes his way to us.
"André Barley. Nice to meet you," he says, shaking North's hand.
"North Freemont. Glad you joined the squad," she says. She's already calling us a squad. I guess that's a thing they do in District 6.
André and I continue to help North out with the plant identification test. It takes her a while to get the hang of things, but she doesn't ever give up. After a few more tests, North seems to be satisfied with her performance.
"Are you ready to try something else?" I ask.
"How about some weapons?" North suggests. André gulps down a big breath and tenses up. I look at him, he shakes his head, indicating that he doesn't want to.
"That sounds good to me," I say. "Let's do it."
North leads the way to the weapons area. André and I trail behind, just out of earshot.
"Why did you agree with her?" André asks. "I don't want to be near the weapons. That's where the Careers are."
"We need to know how to use weapons in order to defend ourselves," I say.
"I already know how to use a sickle. There's no need to be over here," he replies.
"And I know how to use a crossbow," I say. "It won't hurt to learn a new weapon."
"But what if the Careers see us? Won't they target us?" he asks.
"If they do target us, we'll be able to fight back," I say. André doesn't say anything else. I think he gets the message. If anyone, especially the Careers, attacks us, we need to be prepared. I thought I would have to drag André to the weapons, but luckily North did it for me. At first it was only the two of us, so self-defense was a top priority. Now with North, I feel a bit better. I just hope she can pull her weight.
Avena Mayes, 17: District 9 Female
I'm a sad girl, in this big world
It's a mad world
All of my friends know what happened
You're a bad thing
Lunch in the Training Center reminds me of how alone I am here. I spent most of the first half of the day wandering around the survival stations, away from the other tributes. I never realized how much I depended on Teff before I got to the Capitol. Now that I'm here, I don't have her bright energy to feed off of. Most of the other tributes have already found an ally or two, but I'm still sitting here by myself. I've never felt so alone around so many people.
"Is anyone sitting here?" someone asks. I look up and meet the eyes of the District 12 boy, pointing at the chair across the table from me.
"No," I say.
"You don't mind if I sit here, do you?" he asks. My eyes light up. I've been looking for an ally all day, but I've been shot down every time. Now here's someone who's alone and most likely also looking for an ally. I just hope I don't screw this up.
"I don't mind," I say. He sets his tray down then pulls out the chair.
"I'm Avena," I say. "And you are?"
"Callum," he says.
"Well it's nice to meet you, Callum," I say. "I saw you looking for a table, I hope your food didn't get too cold."
"Yeah," he says. "By the time I got my food this was the emptiest table."
"I noticed. That's kind of why I came over here," I say. "It's pretty peaceful over here."
"Oh," Callum says. "If that's the case then I'll leave you alone. Sorry to bother you."
"No," I say all too quickly. "You can stay."
I probably sound so desperate. I can't get too clingy this quick. That'll only drive Callum away and I definitely don't want that.
"So, what did you get to eat?" I ask.
"Just some pasta and a cup of fruit," he answers. "I'm not that hungry."
"I don't blame you," I say. "I didn't get much either. I don't want to cramp up when we get back to training."
"Yeah," Callum agrees. "That wouldn't be good."
"So, what have you been up to for the first half of the day?" I ask.
"I've dabbled a little in the weapons," Callum says. "I haven't really done much else. What about you?"
"I've been hanging around the survival stations," I say. "I don't want to go over to the weapons by myself."
That didn't come out how I wanted it to. He probably thinks I'm a coward. That's not what I was aiming for.
"Why not?" Callum asks.
"I don't know," I say.
"I'll go with you," he says. "Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah!" I say, coming off a little too excited. Callum definitely noticed that one, but If I'm being honest with myself, I really do need someone to talk to.
"I guess that makes us allies, huh?" Callum asks.
"It sure does."
Alto Keenwood, 17: District 2 Male
Your hands
Protect the flames
From the wild winds around you
Now that lunch is over, I'm itching to get back to training. I saw a battle simulator that I've been dying to use. And now that I'm freshly fueled, I'm ready to destroy. I was able to convince Jason to let us try it out, but it wasn't an easy task. I may or may not have threatened to leave the Careers if I didn't get to use the simulator. I practically drag the other Careers over to the area where the simulator is. There's a wall fill with all sorts of weapons right next to it. I grab the belt of throwing knives and strap it on, then attach two larger knives to the empty loops on the hip. I open the door and step inside. I push the green start button on the wall next to the door, and the simulator comes to life.
"Welcome to the Training Center Battle Simulator," a robotic voice says. "Please select your difficulty level."
I set the simulator to the highest difficulty.
"Don't you want to start on an easier level?" Cece asks. "We don't even know what this thing does."
"I can take whatever this machine throws at me," I reply. Cece raises her hands in mock surrender. I lock in the difficulty setting and ready myself.
"The simulation will begin in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…"
The first hologram materializes out of the wall farthest from me. It's in the shape of a human holding a spear. I pull a knife out of my belt and throw it at the figure. The blade strikes its head and the hologram shatters into a million pieces like glass. It's much more satisfying than slashing up a dummy. Two more holograms appear. One is carrying an axe and the other a sword. I dispose of them each with a throwing knife to the chest.
"I think this still might be too easy," I call out to the others. I may have spoken too soon, because six more holograms appear all around me. I use up the rest of my throwing knives taking care of them, so now I'm relegated to the two large hunter's knives I have left.
Four holograms charge me, all holding large weapons. I take care of the first one by slashing through its abdomen. I quickly turn around and slit the second one's throat while simultaneously stabbing the third in the chest. The fourth hologram takes a swing at my head with a mace, but I duck it and cut the hologram's leg, then finish it off with a stab right where the heart would be. Then seemingly out of nowhere, a holographic spear flies right by my ear. I turn around to see a hologram holding a shield running towards me. It pulls out a sword and thrusts it forward, aiming for my stomach. I jump back, just out of the sword's reach. I take a swipe with the knife in my left hand, but the hologram dodges and swings the shield at me. I barely have time to roll away, but I notice an opening in the process. I stab the hologram's side, causing it to drop its sword. I take the opportunity to rush it, slashing the hologram's forearm, making it drop the shield. It's completely defenseless now, just how I like it. I slash at the hologram's chest twice, shattering it in the process. I look up, expecting more attackers, but the simulator's motors stop.
"Simulation complete," the robotic voice says. "Would you like to try again?"
I look back at the other Careers. They all give me looks that tell me it might not be a good idea to go again. Reluctantly, I decline the simulator's offer and step out.
"So, what did you guys think?" I ask. "I looked great in there, didn't I?"
"You did alright," Cyrus says.
"What do mean, 'alright'? Did you see how I slaughtered those holograms?" I say.
"I did," Cyrus replies. "I also saw how you wasted all your throwing knives within the first two minutes."
"Whatever, dude," I say dismissively. "The rest of you saw how awesome I was in there, right."
"Cyrus is right," Ancatha says. "You need to be more conservative with your weapons. You never know how many knives you'll get in the arena."
"I'm sure I'll have more than enough," I say.
"Even if you do, you still can't just throw them all away," Jason adds. "I know you're excited, but you've got to use your head, dude."
"I agree," Annese says. "Besides, you probably could've taken those holograms with just one knife."
"Why are you guys always on my case?" I ask.
"Because we can't have you just rushing into things without thinking first," Jason says. "Strategy is just as important."
"No one has ever won using strategy," I say. "They've all been killed before they could even come up with a plan."
"Tell that to Quintinus," Ancatha says. "Strategy won him his games."
"No one gives a flying fuck about that nerdy little wimp!" I shout.
"Well, considering how passionate you are about him, you most definitely care," Cece says.
What is it with these people? All of them are ganging up on me all of a sudden, and for no good reason. They must be jealous or else they wouldn't be nitpicking my every move. It's not my fault I'm so much better than everyone else.
"I most definitely won't care when I win this thing."
Azo Cashmere, 16: District 8 Female
I don't even care
I'll run my hands through your hair
You wanna run your fingers through mine
But my dreads too thick and that's alright
Throughout this whole day, Isaak hasn't left my side. He hasn't been shy per se, but wherever I've gone, he's gone too. At this point, I still can't tell if he wants to team up or if he's just stalking me. Either way, it's been unsettling to say the least.
"Isaak, why are you following me around?" I ask, finally mustering up the courage to confront him about it.
"I thought we were allies," Isaak says. "I'll leave you alone if you don't want me around."
"Oh no," I say. "I just didn't know we were a team."
"Yeah, I guess I could've communicated that a little better," Isaak says.
"Well, what do you want to do?" I ask, "We've already covered the fire making, water purification, and plant identification."
"What about traps?" Isaak suggests. "We haven't done that yet."
"Sure, why not?" I say. We head over to the traps station, which is relatively empty. The only person there is the District 7 boy, who working on a snare with a trainer.
"So I just tie it around here?" the 7 boy asks the trainer.
"Yep, and make sure it's tight," the trainer answers.
"Okay," he says. He ties the string to the thin sapling, curving it into an arch. He puts a large rock in the center of the loop of rope on the ground. He triggers the snare and the rope tightens around the rock and the sapling snaps upright, taking the rock with it. The kid looks satisfied. He turns to the trainer.
"That was excellent," he says.
"You really think so?" the boy from 7 asks.
"Absolutely," the trainer says. "It's one of the best snares I've seen in a while."
The kid's eyes light up. He must be really proud of himself. I know I would be. The trainer leaves the boy from 7 and approaches us.
"Is there anything I can help you two with?" he asks.
"I think we'll figure it out ourselves," Isaak says with a smile. The trainer nods and walks away, leaving me, Isaak, and the District 7 boy.
"Why did you turn down his help?" I whisper.
"Just watch," Isaak says. He turns to the District 7 boy, who looks up from his snare and at Isaak.
"Hey, man," Isaak says. "You're Tyler, right?"
"Yeah," he says, a little cautiously. He inches away from Isaak.
"I'm not gonna hurt you, dude," Isaak says. "I just wanted to say hello. I'm Isaak. Nice to meet you."
Isaak offers his hand. Tyler shakes it.
"You think you can teach me and Azo how you made that snare?" Isaak asks.
"Sure," Tyler says.
"Well, come on over here," Isaak says as he leads Tyler back to where I am. "Tyler, this is Azo."
"Hi," I say quietly.
"She's a little shy," Isaak whispers into Tyler's ear, although it's still audible.
"Oh okay," Tyler says.
"So, are you ready to teach us how you made that snare?" Isaak asks.
"Yeah, so first you need to carve grooves into two sticks," Tyler says, grabbing a knife and whittling divets into two sticks. He sticks the larger of the two sticks into the ground, then ties a thin rope to the smaller one. He pulls down a sapling and ties the other end of the rope to it.
"Alright," Tyler says. "Now that you have that set up, all you have to do is tie a noose to the bottom end of the smaller stick."
Tyler ties one end of a second rope to the stick and forms a noose with the other end. He places a rock and the center and sets it off. The noose tightens around the rock. The sapling snaps back upright, bringing the rock up with it.
"And there you have it," Tyler says. "Obviously you would hide it better but you get the big picture."
"I see. This'll be great for when we need food," Isaak says, patting Tyler's shoulder.
"What do you mean by 'we'?" Tyler asks.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Isaak says. "I just assumed you'd be teaming up with us. But you don't have to if you don't want to."
"No. I want to ally with you guys," Tyler says. "I just didn't think you would want me."
"If I didn't want you to be my ally, I would've just ignored you," Isaak says. "You've already proven your worth to me."
"Thanks," Tyler says. "That means a lot."
"Now you just have to pass the final test," Isaak says. "Azo, do you want Tyler to be part of our alliance?"
I freeze. Isaak's just put me on the spot. I stare at the both of them. Isaak's face looks hopeful, while Tyler's looks anxious. Their faces snap me right back to reality.
"I do," I say, smiling at Tyler.
"Well, that settles it," Isaak says. "Welcome to the team, Tyler."
Alice Seville, 17: District 5 Female
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Possibly
As the day winds down, I've noticed that some of the tributes are starting to slow down. I take a look at the clock. It's currently 5:45, fifteen minutes before the first day of training comes to an end. I'm spending these last few minutes at the knives station. I saw Tomaz here at the beginning of the day, so in an attempt to stay as far away from him as possible, I've been avoiding him like the plague.
As I'm slicing up a dummy, I can't help but feel like there's a pair of eyes watching me. I try to ignore it, but having the feeling that someone is watching me is not comfortable. I turn around, fully expecting to see Tomaz, but my eyes meet those of the girl from District 7.
"Can I help you?" I ask, not intending to help in any way.
"I—um," she sputters.
"Spit it out," I bark. "We don't have all day."
"I was wondering how long you were going to be here," she says.
"Until they tell us it's time to go," I say. "Do you want to join me or something?"
"If you don't mind," she says.
"What's your name?" I ask.
"Piper," she mumbles in response.
"Okay, Piper," I start. "Tell me why I should let you join me."
"I was looking for an ally," Piper says. I have an urge to tell her to keep looking, but I suppress it. There's something about her that's appealing to me. Something I could use. She seems a little more desperate than most other tributes. I don't care why she's so desperate, but I can definitely exploit her.
"Alright," I say. "Come on over and show me what you've got."
Piper inches forward slowly. Start walking toward the throwing knives. I glance over my shoulder to make sure the girl is following me. Sure enough, she is, just like a shadow. I stop in front of a target and gesture to the knives sitting on a table on the other side of the station.
"Go for it," I say. Piper's eyes go wide. She looks nervous, or maybe even a little scared. I've got her right where I want her.
"I don't know," Piper says. "I'm not too good at throwing knives."
"Then I guess you don't want an ally," I say.
"No, no," she says. "I really do want an ally. It's just that I can't— "
"Listen, Piper," I interject. "It's pretty obvious that you're trying to hide something, and you're doing a terrible job at it. So you can either throw these knives or lose a potential ally."
Piper's face falls. She knows she's been caught. A slight smirk creeps up on my face as she steps to the throwing knives. She picks one up and takes her stance, steadying herself. She takes a deep breath then throws the knife. It sinks into the middle of the target. Bullseye. Just like I suspected.
"Ms. Piper's got some aim," I say.
"Please don't tell anyone," she begs. "If the Careers find out they'll put a target on my back."
"I won't," I tell her. "Your secret is safe with me."
"Thank you so much," Piper says. "How will I ever repay you?"
"Don't worry about it," I say, putting her at ease. She'll repay me sooner or later whether she likes it or not.
Well that concludes my longest chapter yet. A total of eight POVs in this one. I still don't really know why I did this to myself, but I guess I'm just a sucker for pain. Anyways, here's the first training day. A lot of things are taking shape now, and I can't lie. I'm pretty damn excited.
Questions:
What was your favorite part of the Training Center?
What is your favorite developing alliance?
The next chapter will be the second Capitol Night chapter. It's only two POVs so hopefully I can get it out to you guys shortly.
Until next time,
Ty