"Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive."

-Walter Scott

Maverick Jett (19) District 6 Mentor POV

Victor of the 223rd Hunger Games

I decided my first year mentoring that the worst part about it is having to wake up two hours before the tributes. They're supposed to see us as superior to them, meaning that they're not supposed to see us when we've just gotten out of bed; pre-shower, groggy-eyed, maybe slightly hung over. So, at 6:00 am on the dot, I get out of bed, fuzzy-headed and blurry-eyed, stretching for a moment before crossing the room to turn off my alarm. Once my alarm stops, I cross back to my nightstand and pop a few pills into my mouth, chasing them with a sip of water from the glass that I keep next to my bed.

They said it would make me feel better after Elizabeth died. They said I'd only need them for a few weeks; six months tops. They said once I stopped going to therapy, I'd stop feeling like I needed them.

They were wrong.

I'd never stopped blaming myself for my twin sister's death. Not when Jasmin killed her, not when I was sure Jasmin was really dead, not when Fenton won, not when he spoke about her at his Victory Tour, and definitely not every single time someone told me not to blame myself. I'm not going to say that that made me feel worse, but it definitely didn't make me feel better.

While I wait for the effect to fully take over, I decide to shower. Maybe not the smartest thing I've ever done to submerge myself in water immediately after taking that, but it's definitely not the dumbest thing I've ever done. Besides, if the worst thing that happens is that I drown in the shower while slightly high off of prescription drugs, then that wouldn't be so bad. Besides, I do have to shower. Well, I don't have to, technically, but it's "strongly encouraged."

I get in the shower and go about my normal routine of using mint-scented everything to give my skin the tingly feeling that does a better job of waking me up than caffeine ever has. I get out of the shower relatively quickly and am immediately blasted dry by the vents covering every wall of the bathroom. I put on a black pinstriped button down shirt, dark gray pants, and black shoes, trying to seem somewhat put together without going through the effort of actually putting together a matching outfit. Once I'm fully dressed, I make sure the buttons on my shirt are correct so I don't make an ass of myself, then take a pad of paper and a pen from the desk drawer and go out to the dining room to start my plan while I wait for Alayne and Brian to wake up. I sit down at the table, facing the window to watch the rising sun and start to brainstorm everything from possible alliances to interview strategies.

I start with Alayne, writing her name at the top of a page and underlining it. She's a cute young girl, not to mention very sweet, so I don't think she'll have much of a problem getting people to align themselves with her. She's nowhere near the caliber of becoming a Career tribute, but aside from them, she can do pretty well. I put in a section for possible allies and write in "Heather (3), Clio (5), Lydia (7), Conn (8), Terry (10), Rowan (10), Adelaide (11), and Tessa (12). I look at the list again, and thinking better of it, I cross off the girl from District 11. All that would really do is put a target on Alayne's back. Next to her interview strategy, I just write sweet/charming, and next to arena strategy, I put several question marks. I can revisit that once we figure out who she's going to form an alliance with.

Brian is going to be slightly more difficult than his District partner. He's definitely smart, but comes off sort of aloof and slightly pretentious. I know that less people will be willing to work with him, but he needs at least one ally- he couldn't make it on his own. I try to put my tributes into alliances as often as I possibly can, and Brian doesn't quite seem like a crowd favorite. Tentatively, I write in Conn (8), Marsellus (9), Rowan (10), and Adrian (12).

It's too difficult. The pills aren't working as well as they used to, and it's keeping me from being able to focus on this. I take a few deep breaths and tap my pen quickly against the desk, trying to calm down my brain and focus on the task at hand, but I can't do it. Sighing deeply, I stand and cross back to where my bottle of pills lives and take another out. I bring it back to the desk, crush it to powder, and do what I have to do.

Penny War (18) POV

District 4 female

"Dustin!" I shout, pounding on his door. "Dustin, wake up!"

A groan comes from inside his room, followed almost immediately by the sound of something hitting the door. I jump back slightly, but shake it off quickly. I can't let simple things like an unexpected noise get to me. I'll never survive in the arena that way.

"Dustin!" I yell again.

"Penny, it's 7:00 in the morning," he responds, groggily. "Go back to bed."

This is ridiculous. I would have expected this much from Daniel, but I thought that Dustin would have been a little bit more professional, given the fact that he's an actual trainer at the academy. It's unbelievable. Shaking my head, I turn the knob and walk in.

"There's no reason to be awake right now," he says, covering his head with a pillow. "Training doesn't start until 10, and we've already prepared in every way we can. Please, I'm begging you, go back to bed."

"Fine," I say, indignantly. "But if we get to training and you're tripping over yourself because you're still tired and Districts 1 and 2 think less of you for it, I'm not backing you up."

"I'm sure I'll survive," he says.

Sighing deeply, I leave his room, slamming the door. At least I know that with his attitude, he'll die long before anyone even makes an attempt on my life. It's no way to think of your District partner, but if it will get me that much closer to victory, I'll think of him any way I want. There's not a chance in hell I'm going to sacrifice the only thing I've ever truly wanted just because some boy from home isn't going to help me get there. I can do this. If Star could place second, there's not a doubt in my mind that I can make it home to rub my win in everyone's face.

I can. I will. I can because I have to.

I go to the dining room to get started on breakfast. Admittedly, it is pretty early, but I'd like to give my food time to settle before training starts. I would hate to be the person who overindulges and can't perform. I take a plate and fill it with toast, fruit, and scrambled eggs- nothing too heavy. It isn't until I finish all of my food that Dustin emerges from his room dressed in workout clothes.

"Took you long enough," I mutter.

"Get off your high horse," Dustin says. "The mentors aren't even awake yet. No wonder you weren't chosen to be the volunteer."

"Look who's talking!" I exclaim. "Why couldn't you have just let Daniel volunteer? Are you really that full of yourself?"

"I did it to protect him," he says, hotly. "Besides, after you volunteered, I figured it might give District 4 a chance at victory."

"Whatever," I say, standing and completely aware that I chose the weakest comeback in the book. "I'll see you at training."

I turn my back and retreat back to my room. I am not going to let him get in my way. Not now and not ever.

Rowan Griffey (16) POV

District 10 male

I stand in silence with Terry in the elevator as it descends to the basement. There's probably a lot that we could be saying to each other, but I decided not to get too attached to her. I have a plan, and if we weren't District partners, she might be perfect. But being in love with your District partner is really played out, especially since the pair from District 11 pulled it last year.

I don't like girls. If I'm either going to die or become massively wealthy and famous in the next three weeks, it's time that I admit that to myself. Sponsors in the Capitol actually probably wouldn't mind my being… different. Only problem is that the boy from 1 announced right at his reaping that he was gay. If people have any inkling that I am as well, I'm pretty sure they'd just see me as a Julius copy-cat, or worse; they'd assume that the only two gay men in the arena were destined to be together. Absolutely not.

Absolutely not. What I really need is a girl. I need to throw everyone off the scent before they get any idea of who I really am. If I can make people think that I'm madly in love with a girl- or at least passionately infatuated with for the short-term- then I'll be normal. Sponsorable with my relationship, relatable with how absolutely average I am, and most importantly, if I die in that arena, my very religious family will have nothing but good memories attached to me.

The only question is who. All three career girls are out no question, along with Terry. My ideal choice would be the girl from District 6, Alayne. She seems pretty genuinely nice, I think we would work well together, and she's objectively quite pretty. All in all though, most of the other girls would do in a pinch.

After what seems like an eternity, we make it down to the basement and join the circle of tributes that's begun to form. All six Career tributes are already there, and they stare Terry and I down from the second we get off the elevator well after we take our place across from them in the circle. There's whispering that seems intense, more glances up at us, and then silence. That terrifies me.

Once the last of the tributes file in, we receive a short speech from the head trainer, where we're told the basics: don't fight each other, lunch is at noon, we're done for the day at 5:00. After that, we all go off on our own. I decide that before I can figure out who to pair up with, I should learn some skills. Today and tomorrow will be figuring out how to survive for myself in the arena, and on the third day, I'll find my girl. I just hope not everyone has an ally by then.

After some consideration, I decide on survival stations first. The Career tributes have already split up and there's someone at almost every weapon station, and I would prefer not to train near them. Edible plants is my number one priority, and there's nobody there yet, so that's where I go. It's set up kind of like flashcards; there's a big screen and it'll show a picture of a berry, leaf, fruit, or flower. I tap on the picture, and it spins around, listing the name of the plant, a short description, and whether or not it's safe to ingest.

I do this for about a half hour, and just as I'm about to leave, I feel a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Hey babe," a voice says. The hand moves down from my shoulder to my chest. Tingles run down my back as she speaks softly in my ear. "Mind if I join you?"

I look up and feel my mouth twist into a grin. It's not Alayne. But it might be someone even better.

Conn Rainier (17) POV

District 8 male

A sword. I need to learn how to use a sword. It's the best weapon for keeping people at a distance if I have to fight them, but it'll work up close too. Maybe that's why the noblest heroes in the books always used swords.

I look over to the sword-fighting station and see the giant guy from District 2 showing off on some dummies, as well as the guy from District 9 learning with an instructor. If the Career guy isn't too scary for District 9, then he's not too scary for me. I approach the trainer, and tell her that I'd like to be included in the lesson, and the other guy doesn't seem to mind.

We take a few minutes to find a sword that feels right in my hand, then spend about an hour and a half going over things like stance, blocking, and when to slash versus when to stab. By the end of the session, my face is drenched in sweat, and even the District 2 male must have gotten bored, because he's nowhere to be seen. Our instructor tells us that she's taught us all that she can for today, and that she needs a break.

"You were doing pretty good there," District 9 tells me.

"Me?" I ask. He nods with a who else? look on his face. "Oh, thanks. I'm Conn, by the way."

"Marsellus," he says. "I was just about to hit the knot-tying section. Wanna come with?"

"Sure!"

We head over to the knot-tying area to see the boy from District 6 learning from a book, refusing the help of the instructor. We approach the man, and when asked what we want to learn, we agree that we're not interested in catching people as much as food. We spend the rest of our time before lunch learning simple snares to catch things like rabbits and squirrels. When we stop, it's only because of the announcement sending tributes to an hour long lunch. When Marsellus and I sit down together at the same table, I decide to ask the obvious.

"We're gonna stick together in there, right?" I ask.

"For sure. Were you thinking of anyone else, or just the two of us?"

"I'm not crazy about the idea of a super big alliance," I admit. "If it's okay with you, I'd prefer if it stays just you and I."

"Me neither. It's so much to keep track of, and you never really know who you can trust…" Marsellus trails off, fidgeting with his hands.

"I understand. You and I then?" I ask, offering my hand. He meets my gaze for a moment, then shakes.

"Me and you."

Linda Hemmings (17) POV

District 1 female

When lunch starts, I sit down with Julius, Topher, Alecto, Dustin, and Penny. Aside from us, the boys from 8 and 9 are sitting together, as well as the boy from 10 and the girl from 12, who are sitting a little too close for my comfort level. The pair from 3 is sitting together, as is District 11. Other than that, everyone else is sitting alone. Pathetic.

"I still think we should get the girl from 10," Topher says. "She could bring in a lot of sponsors."

"Why?" I ask. "Because she's a pretty girl? Don't you think we have enough of those?"

"It's not just because she's pretty," Julius interjects. "She knows Fenton Henderson personally. There's probably a ton of people in District 10 who like her and want her to come home."

"All in favor?" Topher asks. Everyone besides Penny and I raise their hands.

"Fine," I say with a sigh. "I'll go tell her."

"You absolutely will not," Julius says. "Topher and I'll go when we're done eating."

Not too long after, Julius and Topher finish their sandwiches and chips and go to talk to Terry. I can't hear what they're saying, but they're smiling at her, and she keeps nervously glancing towards the rest of us. Eventually, she gives a weak nod and walks with the boys back to our table.

"Everyone, this is Terry," Juius says. "Terry, this is Linda, Alecto, Dustin, and Penny."

Alecto and Dustin welcome her with smiles, waves, and the usual "hi, how are you," while Penny and I just look at each other. I can tell she's as annoyed as I am.

"So, what can you do?" Penny asks, her voice stone cold.

"Well, I haven't really practiced with weapons yet," Terry begins. "But I'm pretty strong, and I'm a good runner, I guess. And I'm a real fast learner."

"So how about after lunch, we get you learning how to use a knife," Dustin suggests. "You can come with me and Alecto."

"Works for me," Alecto says. That's the most I've heard her say so far.

"Then it's settled," Julius says. "Welcome aboard, Terry."

"Thanks," she says, still seeming shy. "I'm really looking forward to-"

"What?" I cut her off. "What could you possibly be looking forward to? You can't possibly think you're gonna win this."

Her voice is even softer. "I'm just happy to be with friends."

Heather Frayman (14) POV

District 3 female

I don't think I'm going to be able to win this. 14-year-olds never win the Games, much less tiny 14 year old girls from District 3 who are way more concerned with their District partner than they probably should be.

I can't even fathom myself why I'm so worried about Cyno. There's no reason why I should want him to be okay; I never knew him before the Reaping, he's not that much younger, smaller, or weaker than I am, and I know that if it came down to it, I'd prioritize my life over his. I have absolutely no obligation to him, and we both know it. So why, looking into his eyes, do I feel the intense need to protect him?

Cyno has been following me around like a lost puppy ever since we got to training this morning, and it seems like we have an unspoken agreement that he's going to do the same for the rest of training, and for as long as we both last in the Games. I hope I don't have to kill him.

Woah. Nope, nope, nope. I'm not going to let myself think like that. Absolutely the only reason I would kill him is if he and I are the only ones left. Like that'll happen.

"Is that okay?"

I snap back into reality. "What?" I ask, still dazed.

"I asked if we could do first aid next," Cyno says. "Is that okay?"

"Oh," I say. "Yeah, that's fine, we can do that."

I get up and push in my chair. Before I can figure out where I can take my lunch dishes, an Avox appears out of nowhere and takes them from me. I wonder what they all did to deserve what they got.

The first aid station was arguably the most useful station we've been to so far; although, its only competition has been knot tying and shelter building. I don't see myself ever constructing something as obvious as a tent in the arena, but it's what Cyno wanted to do, so we did it. At the first aid station, we learn which plants can relieve burns, itches, and cuts, what to do if we get injured and don't have clean water, and we even started to learn how to tie a tourniquet, but we both got squeamish and agreed to come back later, opting for the edible plants station.

"Are we gonna be okay?" Cyno asks. "Just the two of us?"

At first, I'm tempted to lie. Something in me wants to tell him that everything will be okay, that we'll be unstoppable, that we have the best odds out of everyone in the Games. I can't keep sparing his feelings. I can't let him get attached to me any more than I can get attached to him.

"I don't know," I admit. "Maybe not."

"Should we have more allies?" he asks. That's the first time one of has said that word out loud in front of the other. No turning back now.

"Maybe," I say, rolling a berry between my fingers. "Who did you have in mind?"

"District 7 maybe," he proposes. It seems like he's asking my permission more than making a suggestion. I really don't know how I feel about him looking up to me like this.

"They seem nice," I say. "11 too. But I don't know if I want to approach anyone. I don't want them to say no."

"Me neither," he says, looking down. "I was hoping you would."

"Time will tell, I guess."

I don't really know what that means anymore. "Time will tell." People keep saying it to me; my mentor, my stylist, and now me to myself. That's where I'm at right now, I guess. A stupid cliche is the only constant in my life.

Adrian Jr. Burrow (15) POV

District 12 male

My plan went completely out the window. Everything I've worked for, all those years spent perfecting my style wasted on some dude from District 10 who got to Tessa before me. I was going to take it slow, give her time to notice me more before I approached her. In all my experience, girls like that don't usually go for a guy that they've only known for a day. If I thought it would be that easy to win her over, I would have approached her on the train.

Whatever. I can't dwell on the past. I have to focus on my present and my future. I have to figure out a different girl; the next hottest after Tessa who isn't a Career. With all of them out the question (including the girl from District 10, who I noticed sitting with the Careers at lunch), I set my sights on the girl from District 11, Ad… Something. Adeline? Madison? Whatever. It's not like it matters what her name is. I can work around that pretty easily.

I keep an eye on her, waiting for her District partner to leave her alone so I can have my shot with her alone. After what seems like an eternity, he excuses himself to go to the bathroom, and I waste no time approaching her at the slingshot station.

"Hey sweetheart," I say, making sure she feels my breath on her neck. She seems tense. "How about you ditch the kid and let me keep you safe?"

"Take. A step. Back."

"Come on beautiful," I begin, feigning bashfulness as I wrap my arms around her waist from behind. "Wouldn't you like to-"

In one fluid motion, Adi-something turns quickly to face me, and slaps me hard across the face. Before I have time to react, I hear whistles blowing and three large men in black uniforms come rushing towards us. One holds the girl's arms, the other inspects my face, and the third stands between us.

"You're both done for the day," he says. "You're to be escorted to your rooms immediately. Any more between the two of you and you'll be done training for good, and you'll both receive zeroes."

"That's not fair!"

"I didn't do anything!"

I was just-"

That's enough," the guard says. "We all know there's a zero-tolerance policy on tributes fighting. Upstairs. Now."

Before I can say anything else to appeal my case, the guard puts his hand on my shoulder and leads me to an elevator.

Brian Spencer (17) POV

District 6 male

As soon as I get up to my room after training, I ignore my growling stomach and collapse on my bed. I just need five minutes to lay down, then I'll go to dinner. Today was without a doubt the most exhausting day of my life, both physically and mentally. My day was spent lifting weights, trying to learn how to use a sword, getting frustrated and switching to a dagger, memorizing plants, and learning about compounds of electricity. My legs are aching, my arms are on fire, and for the first time in my life, my brain feels like mush. Leave it to the Hunger Games to make me feel stupid for the first time.

It's a lot harder than I thought it would be being the smartest person in the Games. I was counting on the tributes from 3 and 5 to be decent possible allies, but all of them are either weak, scrawny, stuck-up, or annoying. I don't know what would be worse; going through the Games alone, or doing it with people beneath me. I'm not going to let myself work with an idiot. Stupid decisions are the leading cause of death among tributes.

'Brian! Dinner!"

I glance at the clock and realize I've been in bed almost 20 minutes. Reluctantly, I push myself up and head out to the dinner table. Once I get there, an Avox loads my plate with a piece of steak, rice, and grilled vegetables. I start to eat, and Alayne's mentor starts to interrogate.

"How was training? Did you make any allies?"

"No," Alayne says, pushing some food around her plate. "I wanted to ask Lydia, but I chickened out."

"Isn't Lydia the girl from 1?" I ask, amazed that she's willing to single out a Career.

"No, that's Linda," she says. "Lydia's the girl from 7. She seems really nice. Maybe tomorrow…"

"That's a great idea!" Mercedes exclaims. She's way too chipper for my current exhausted self. I can tell Maverick is sick of her too; his eyes are fully glazed over, telling me that he's completely tuning her out. "What about you, Brian? Any allies?"

"No," I respond. "No one's really sticking out to me so far."

"That's fair," Mercedes says thoughtfully. "If you're going to be trusting someone with your life, you need to make sure you can trust them."

Duh.

The rest of the meal is spent mostly in silence, which I'm completely okay with. I think Mercedes can tell that Alayne and I don't really feel like talking, and she doesn't want to push us. I'm grateful that she's not making me talk, but it's a bit frustrating that she's not more concerned with preparing us for the Games.

After dinner, Mercedes and Alayne go to the couch in the living room to watch TV, and I take Maverick's lead and head to my room early. I have a lot to plan and to think about, and I don't want any of it clouded by people who don't want me to succeed.

If I'm being honest, I really thought I had abandoned this story, and I'm sure a bunch of you did as well. But with the Hunger Games prequel coming out next year, I found myself engrossed in this fandom again and realized that I couldn't stand the idea of leaving this unfinished. I'm also aware that all of my regular readers are gone so :')

Alliance 1: Julius, Linda, Topher, Alecto, Dustin, Penny, Terry

Alliance 2: Cyno, Heather

Alliance 3: Rowan, Tessa

Alliance 4: Coy, Adelaide

1) Thoughts on Maverick?

2) Do you see any alliances forming other than what was already established?

(I'm changing my end sign)

-Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.