Funny little head-canon: Somehow or another I got the idea that tributes get a week to train. I don't know where it came from, but it kinda stuck, so I guess everyone in my stories is a little stronger than they should be.

Isaac Carder (14) D8M

I looked up from the nutrition station when I heard a loud alarm blaring through the room. Something must have been amiss, because Draco called us all in to a meeting of the tributes, as well as a handful of Gamemakers. I went in because I had to, and because I figured it was something important. After all, they were taking precious time out of our training schedule. I needed to know what that was all about.

"Some tributes this year have left the Games Building. Most years we've been extremely lenient about this, knowing when it happened and not being bothered to stop it, because no harm was done. This year, however, one tribute left and hasn't come back. Alfred will not be participating in this year's Games because he was murdered. From here on out, any tribute caught leaving the building will immediately be terminated. Thank you," Draco said to us once we were all in the room. I listened, enraptured. I had intended to leave the Games building. I needed to see what the Capitol was like on the outside, what I had been missing out on. And I could have easily gotten murdered, just like poor Raven.

After the announcement we were dismissed, the Training Centre was closed for the day, and we were promised a make-up day on another day. I couldn't figure out why the Capitol would do that. We were all bound to die sometime, almost all of us within a week or two. It was still nice, though. I could spend the whole rest of the day goofing off, enjoying what little freedom I had in the Games Building, without feeling any guilt about it. I wasn't slacking. My family wouldn't suffer because I wasn't working. I was just spending my time how I was supposed to.

I knew exactly where I wanted to go. I didn't know where there was a garden, but I knew the Games Building was bound to have one, and I was going to find it. It would be huge and maybe even gaudy, but it would be beautiful. That was the promise of the Capitol. Eight was smelly and ugly, a place where dreams were shattered and broken until they were small enough that the District could handle them. In the Capitol, everything was realistic, because nothing was.

Once I found the garden, I laid down in the grass. That was the best feeling in the world. It was soft and prickly, and it seemed to be lightly petting my body. It was cool and nice, the world around me slowing down while I stared up at a fake projection of a clear sky. Clouds were projected above me, with flowers and trees surrounding me. It was everything I could have hoped for. It was everything I had given up on.

Lacey Evans (16) D8F

The Games Building was beautiful. It was way better when I was free to explore it to my heart's content, given a whole day to do whatever I wanted without a worry that I would run out of time. There was even a chance it would be fun, a real break from being worried about the Games. I doubted that, because there was never a complete break from stress, but a girl could hope. I was willing to let myself do at least that.

Like every other tribute, I was amazed at how large the building was. I freely wandered up and down the stairs, using elevators, escalators, staircases, and sometimes just jumping ledges. Some of them were short enough that it was safe. I hopped from store to store, not really caring what I was running into. Some of the stores were full of more toys than I had ever seen in the District, more than an Eight could ever hope to afford. Some of them had considerably less child-friendly stuff, and I didn't stick around in those. I wasn't interested in that.

Before I knew it, I had explored multiple entire floors of the building. There were tens, maybe hundreds left, but I was distracted from my random exploration when I saw the sun slowly beginning to set. The window I saw it through was beautiful, and probably reinforced. No more tributes could leave the building. I was realizing, though, that I couldn't even go somewhere else in the building. I was hopelessly lost, totally unaware of where I was as compared to where the Training Centre or my room was.

"Heya! Could you help me find the Training Centre?" I asked a random Capitolite, smiling my brightest. She smiled at me, squealed, and waved three of her friends over. All of her friends waved friends over, and soon there was a huge group surrounding me. People wanted to ask me tons of questions, when I just wanted to go to my room.

"Oh! You're Lacey! What do you think of the Capitol?"

"Oh! You're doing so well so far! Are you ready for your interview?"

"What are you doing in private sessions?"

"Do you need sponsors?"

I ignored all of the questions, looked over the crowd, and widened my eyes dramatically. "Is that Prosper?" I yelled, pointing my finger at a wall. All of the Capitolites turned and left, and I ran off before they had a chance to realize that I was lying like a rug. While I didn't want them to be mad at me, I also couldn't handle quite that many people at once.

Okay. You're finding your way home on your own.

Jade Hart (15) D9F

Once we were back in the Training Centre, I was ready to be scarier than ever. I knew my abilities, and I know how easily I could scare people. All the tributes were already in a tizzy at the thought of a murderer on the loose, and I could easily use that to my advantage. Sure, nobody was allowed in or out of the Games Building. Sure, the President and her friends were even staying inside, knowing it was probably the safest building in the Capitol. The other tributes didn't seem to know that, and I wasn't going to remind them.

Yvette was easy to find, spending time at a medicine stand. It was very basic first-aid, something I could have spent time on, but she seemed bored. I was going to fix that. I walked up behind her, my footsteps barely audible, then stood next to her, quiet as a mouse. I started working beside her, not saying anything, but sometimes staring at her hands for a couple of seconds before looking back to my own.

She spooked. She looked up at me and jumped, smiled, and then moved away when I showed no signs of interacting. That was pretty fair. She was probably heading to talk to Lexi, who wasn't on my list right then. I just didn't happen to know where she was going to be, and there were bigger fish to fry than an overconfident Three. Like the weakest link in the Careers.

Rio was by the harpoons, which impressed me. Most tributes didn't hang out around those. He seemed a little bit sad, working all by himself. I didn't mind being alone, but I knew that most other people did. I stood beside him, not throwing any harpoons or whatever it is those things are for, but getting barely inside his personal space, knowing my body heat would slowly alert him to my presence. It could take multiple long seconds for him to notice, but I had patience. I had plenty of time.

Sure enough, Rio noticed. He jumped, just like Yvette had, and stared at me for a second before pointing the harpoon at me. "Don't try to sneak up on me. You're gonna get stabbed," he said, trying to be threatening. I heard him faking. He was making his voice deeper than it had to be. He was trying to hide that it was shaking. He was pretending to be making eye contact while really looking for his allies, the rest of the Careers. None of those would get past me. That was expressly why I chose to scare him.

Indie Rayne (15) D12F

"This is your salad fork, and this is your dessert fork. Your entree fork is always in between. Work your way in! This one´s a dessert spoon, and this is a soup spoon..." Bellepheron was trying her hardest to teach me Capitol etiquette, though she didn't seem to understand why I was interested in learning them. She had tried to insist that I should have been focusing on survival skills, but I thought it was funny to watch her try to explain things to me when I was acting as dumb as a rock.

"So... I eat with the front of the fork, then the back?" I asked, crunching my eyebrows together and pursing my lips. It was the funniest thing to play dumb, watching to see how the escort would react. Some people laughed and explained. Some people got flustered. Some people gave up, knowing that I was only pretending not to understanding. It was all quite a learning experience, far more so than trying to listen to which fork did what.

"You always eat with the front," Bellepheron said, a little more edge to her voice. "Though I suppose you know that. Should I go train with Nyle?" She got up and began to walk away, though it looked like she was faking. I didn't know for sure, though, and I wasn't going to risk calling her bluff. Escorts were important, especially if you didn't have a mentor.

So she's a smart person, I slowly realized. I never would have guessed that a Capitolite could be smart, or that one could be sassy. I figured they were all bubbleheads, knowing nothing more than the parties the Capitol threw. It took me a second to find a reaction to Bellepheron's quip, since I wasn't expecting it, and she seemed to take that as her cue to leave.

"No! I'm sorry. I thought it would be funny, but I see that it isn't." My apology was true. I couldn't get a good reaction out of Bellepheron, for one thing, but also, I actually felt rude for assuming she was just some idiot. She had a brain. She often chose not to use it, but she was capable of it. After all, she could easily catch me in an act.

"If you're sure you're actually trying to learn, then I'll keep trying to teach. You don't care about silverware, so let's focus on other etiquette. The Capitol never uses handshakes. Only freaks try to make immediate contact with another person. Instead, smile and wave..." Bellepheron spoke, seeming much more at ease. She wanted to teach me. And, somehow, I wanted to learn.

Radian Sempli (16) D3M

Everything in the Capitol seemed to be a mess. People were running around a lot, frantically trying to make everyone feel safe and comfortable and apologizing to people about the fact that they couldn't leave the Games Building. I saw Avoxes frantically cooking and cleaning everything, likely feeling the stress of their higher-ups, and some Capitolites actually looking scared. Most of them were too stupid to be very worried about there being a murderer on the loose, one who clearly had nothing to lose, but some of them picked up on the danger.

I could practically feel the stress coming of the Avoxes in waves, and I didn't like that. They didn't deserve to be so worried about something they didn't even do, something that they couldn't have stopped. They mostly just cooked and cleaned, tending to people's wants, but they all seemed worried that there was going to be an execution if they messed up. I don't know how exactly, but I found myself wandering over to them, watching their mannerisms and helping them clean.

For the most part, the workers seemed to consider me a nuisance. They quietly glared at me, sometimes redid my work right after I had finished it, and generally tried to make me leave. I was surprised that they were willing to be so rude, but I didn't totally mind. They were people just like I was, even if they were a bit different than me. I wasn't going to be deterred, though. I spoke to them, knowing I wouldn't get a response.

"I want to do this," I said, keeping my voice strong. "Housework helps me calm down. Plus, doing the dishes is so simple. I love it!" I was still met with glares, but people calmed down just a little. I was surprised to find that I could pick up on their messages, watching how they used exaggerated body language to get their points across. They'd point quickly, shrug their shoulders way too far, and roll their eyes like their intent was to dislocate them. They definitely talked. They just couldn't speak.

"That language is the coolest thing! Could I learn some of that?" I asked, figuring that it was worth a try, even though the Avoxes would probably say no. It was amazing trying to keep up with them, picking up on a language that only they spoke. They gave each other side-eye, all trying to decide if I was allowed to know what they were saying, then pointed to their eyes and hand me a towel.

I have to watch while I work? I can so do that. Just gotta get this done and learn a whole new language! If only I had an ally to share it with, too... But they might not want me sharing. It's okay.

Note! Some of these people still want allies. Hit me and the other submitter up if you think your tribute could ally well with them :D

Radian, Rhiannon, Isaac, Lacey and maybe Theodore haven't said they won't ally, at the very least.