Callum Selkirk, 18: District 12 Male

Every time I'm leavin' on you

You don't make it easy, no, no

Wish I could be there for you

Give me a reason to

Dinner has always been an awkward time in the District 12 penthouse. Eris is being unavailable, Jasper is as weird as ever, and Octavia is too busy primping herself to be of any help. It seems like the only other normal person here is Jimolette, but she's not my mentor. I feel bad that she has to mentor Eris because I know she's actively trying to push her away. I don't know what happened to Eris to make her that way, but there's no way that she was always the way she is.

"So, Callum," Jasper starts. I brace myself for whatever outlandish question he has for me. "How was your second day of Training?"

"It was good," I say, thankful for a normal question.

"Care to elaborate?" he follows up. "What was good about it?"

"Avena and I added two more members to our alliance," I answer.

"That's nice," Jasper says. "Who were they?"

"Kaven and Kaliah. The pair from 10," I say.

"Oh, the hotheads," Jasper comments. "Their names have been making rounds amongst the sponsors. They like Kaliah's spunk, but Kaven's a different story."

"I can see why," I say. "Kaven isn't the most likable person. It seems like just about anything will set him off."

"That's the general consensus amongst the sponsors," Jaspers says. "That and the fact that he's very confrontational. Clint told me that the boy from District 2 has it out for him."

Great. I just accepted a walking target into my alliance. That puts me at constant risk. The boy from 2 is probably going to go after Kaven in the bloodbath. That leaves it up to Kaliah and I to make sure he gets out of there. That means we might have to kill the boy from District 2, or at the very least fight him off. If that's the case, the entire Career pack might come after us. That'll be a recipe for disaster. I don't think either Kaven or Avena could possibly defend themselves against several Careers. I don't even think they could do it against only one Career. I was kind of wary when Kaliah and Kaven introduced themselves, but Avena seemed so happy to team up with them that I couldn't burst her bubble with my skepticism. In hindsight, I should've just voiced my concerns instead of staying quiet.

"Well, that's not ideal," I say.

"It's not," Jasper says. "But that's the risk you take when you form alliances."

It wasn't a risk I wanted to take. Thinking back on it, none of this would've happened if I didn't sit with Avena yesterday at lunch. I could've easily avoided all of this if I just kept to myself, but would keeping to myself have been any better? I wouldn't have met Avena or Kaliah, who are both pretty nice people. They are both so optimistic and always view the glass as half full. Being by myself, only with my own thoughts keeping me company would be pretty depressing. Kaliah and Avena help counter that. The only one causing any problems is Kaven. He's so stubborn and standoffish. It's obvious that he's only with us because Kaliah made him. I just hope she can keep him in line because I don't know want to deal with Kaven's crap. It's one thing with Scoria back home since she's my sister, but it's a different story when it's someone else's child. Maybe I should've just stayed by myself.

André Barley, 18: District 11 Male

I wouldn't know where to start

Sweet Music playing In the Dark

Be still My Foolish Heart

Don't ruin this on me

Training today was even more stressful than yesterday. And it didn't need to be. It was another day of mostly combat training. I specifically told Niobe that I didn't want to do any more combat, but North keeps making all of the decisions. I'm usually content and let other people be the decision makers, but I don't know if North should be that person. She's a little too excitable and likes to jump into things without thinking first. Don't get me wrong, combat training is something that is needed, but I think North, Niobe, and I have done enough of it to be prepared.

As I sit alone in the living room, these thoughts swirl in my head. I think about what Chloe would do in my situation. She would have no problem with putting her foot down. Why can't I do that?

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of an opening and closing door echoing through the open apartment. My mentor, Grover walks out into the kitchen, probably looking for another drink. I get up from my seat, making my way to my room so I'm not in his way.

"André," Grover calls, stopping me dead in my tracks. "I've been meaning to talk with you. Have a seat in the living room so we can chat."

I walk back over to the couch and sit back down while Grover pours himself a glass of some sort of expensive Capitol liquor. He walks into the living room and sits down in the chair next to me.

"What did you do in training today?" he asks.

"More combat training," I sigh.

"You seem pretty unenthusiastic about that," Grover says.

"I am," I say. "It gets old after a while."

"Well, it might be getting old, but it could very well save your life," Grover says. There he goes again. Having a casual conversation with Grover is nearly impossible. Everything he talks about revolves around the Games and survival. I know it's important, but talking about it all the time is tiring. I don't want to constantly think about my possible death. I wish I could change the subject, but I don't know how I would do that.

"But it can only help so much," I say. "What if I have to fight a Career? All this fight training won't help me then."

"It just might though," Grover says. "Just because they're trained doesn't mean they're invincible."

"They like to think they are," I say.

"And that's usually their fatal flaw," Grover says. "That's how I won my Games."

"So I've heard," I say. "You supposedly fought off two Careers."

"It's true," Grover says "The District 2 pair really thought they were the shit that year. They had intimidated everyone into thinking they had no chance. I saw right through that. You can't let someone intimidate you just because they look stronger."

"Easier said than done," I say.

"Not really," Grover replies. "At the end of the day, they're still just kids."

"Yeah, kids that are trained to kill me," I say. Grover sighs, obviously disappointed at my response.

"I guess just telling you won't convince you," Grover says, standing up. "Once the first Career drops, you'll understand."

"I'll probably be dead before that happens," I mumble as Grover disappears into his bedroom for the night. No amount of combat training could possibly prepare me for a fight against a Career. My best bet is to avoid them at all costs. However, I don't think that's possible with North as an ally. She'll want to fight them no matter what. Any one of the Careers will tear her apart. They'll probably tear through the arena like they do almost every year before they turn on each other. My only hope is lasting long enough for that to happen.

Hey guys, I'm back with a quick chapter checking in with Callum and André.

Questions:

Do you think that Callum would be better off on his own?

Do you think the Careers will tear through the arena like André thinks they are?

The next chapter will be Training Day 3 and the Private Sessions!

Until next time,

Ty