If you wanted allies for your Tribute but don't have any, drop a line in the reviews and I'll start pairing people up. Generally I let submitters discuss amongst themselves and make alliances but if there's a couple of people who all want alliances but haven't been able to make connections I can play matchmaker if I know you want me to.

Tyler Alvarez- District Ten male (18)

Anthony was walking towards me. But Anthony was dead. He was the last of my friends- something more than a friend in his case- to die. When I saw his face again I couldn't speak or even run away. I was just lost in seeing my beloved one more time.

"Hi," Anthony said. "I'm Deciduous, from Seven."

The mirage shattered like a mirror and I hardened my face before any more weakness could show. Looking closer at the boy I could see his eyes were a little lighter and his body was a little thicker. It was just a close resemblance, nothing more. Anthony was dead and I didn't even know this boy.

"I'm looking for allies," Deciduous continued.

"I'm not," I said, turning away.

"Wait! At least think it over," Deciduous called, running around me to get back in front of me.

"People who get close to me die," I said. I wasn't even being edgy. People had really gotten close to me and they had really died. This wasn't some act to make me look cool. It was just the life I had to live every day.

"Well then you should ally," Deciduous blurted, his brows knitting in determination and annoyance. "Because if I ally with you and die that means you have a better chance to win!"

Despite myself I smiled. "Okay, that was pretty good," I admitted. My eyes lingered on Deciduous' face and I pulled them away before it got awkward.

"And the Careers are already gunning for you. You could use someone at the Bloodbath," Deciduous pressed on.

I didn't want to tell him I wanted to ally. I didn't want to want to ally. But Deciduous had an aura. It wasn't even entirely what he said, it was how he said it. He seemed to have everything laid out and he was so confident. And there was another reason I could never admit or even dwell on in my own thoughts. Deciduous wasn't Anthony. Just looking like him didn't bring back my dead crush. But it would be so wonderful if that was true. I could feel myself leaning towards allying and I hated myself for it being for such a stupid reason. Even if he was like Anthony, what then? I watch him die all over again?

"It's not like it will be for the whole Games anyway," Deciduous said. "We'll break up pretty quick or you'll sneak away or whatever. It's just for safety in numbers during the first part, when all the alliances are still prowling around."

"Better to be the prowler than the prey?" I asked. That sounded like Anthony. Just that once Deciduous sounded like he might have fit in with my crew. Until then he'd struck me as something of a nerd.

"Better to live than die," Deciduous said, his expression not exultant but resignedly sad, like he was regretting something he hadn't even done yet. I guess some people feel bad even thinking about hurting someone else. I used to, a long time ago, before I knew how many people deserved it.

Deciduous Stowercraft- District Seven male (17)

I stood uncertainly beside Tyler in the middle of the small gym set up in the training room. There were benches and freestanding weight, both the handheld kind and the kind with two weights on the end of a bar. One of the Careers- Talise, it looked like from the back- was doing pull-ups on a wall-mounted bar. It made me uneasy seeing her rise and fall back-to-back like it was nothing, her deltoids standing out in curved planes. I could hardly do a single pull-up. If I had the time to work out I was sure I could get to that level. I was just too busy thinking.

The clink of metal caught my attention and I turned to see Tyler lifting a big weight up over his chest as he reclined on a bench. I took a peek at the numbers written on the side and felt another flush of jealousy. A lot of big meatheads this year I guess.

"You should have a spotter," I said, stepping sideways to stand at the head of the bench as Tyler gave a grunt of uninterested approval. I'd always been self-conscious about having never been into sports. I came to the gym with Tyler to check out how my ally trained and to see what else was going on with the other Tributes. Lifting weights wasn't my thing but I had my own use at a more intellectual level. It wouldn't do Tyler any good if he got injured because he had no one watching out for him. He went through half a dozen repetitions without slowing down.

"Your back should be straight," I commented helpfully.

Tyler slowly finished his rep and set the bar down in the holding brackets with a gentle clink. He sat up and slid off the bench to walk toward a rack of smaller round weights with handles. He picked one marked 25 and walked over toward a row of mannequins facing away from us toward the archery station. He stopped thirty feet away and hefted the weight. He threw it like a baseball and it smashed into the mannequin's head, knocking it onto its face on the floor.

I could take a hint. Tyler knew what he was doing when it came to weightlifting and politely declined my help. I mumbled an excuse and scuttled off to the fire-making station. Being strong was great but even a bodybuilder can freeze to death.

This might be for the better, actually, I mused to myself as I watched a tiny flame lick at the tinder and kindling I'd set up in a tent shape. If I was good at survival skills and Tyler was good at physical things, it would just be logical for him to go for supplies at the Bloodbath and for me to hang back. I liked any plan that kept me out of the danger zone.