Inevitable

Arrival at the Capitol

The Capitol

The train jostled to a stop, stuck in a line of them that stretched back down the platform. Tate herself was seated at the rear, watching out the windows as lines of people awaited first glimpses at their tributes.

"Tate," Ella rapped her knuckles against the door, a muffled voice coming through. "We're ready to meet the prep team."

She'd heard horror stories when she was younger about prep teams. How much they would rip off of you or not listen to what you said, it didn't matter. There was less of that as she got older, to the point that Tate wondered if they had simply gotten better at their jobs.

The girl was never one to be late, swinging her legs over the side of the cushioned futon and getting to her feet. She made her way down the hall, her fingers tracing along a sleek metal railing. Her reaping outfit was a simple one - and more importantly, one she had picked out along with Brooklyn. Her so-called father had no part in it. A silky white blouse and a black skirt with black flats. The less people knew about her, the better in her mind.

Tengiz awaited her at the doors of the train. In a way, she was glad it was him rather than someone else from Four. Looking at Tengiz, you could never say that he and Callum were in any way similar. Her district partner's ashen blonde hair was incredibly different from her and Callum's dark, as well as he just carried himself more in a lumbering way than graceful like her brother did.

The doors slid open and they took their first steps out together. By some small mercy, the Capitolites were rather quiet, though that may have been a byproduct of distance. Tate kept her head high, following Ella's lead to where their prep teams awaited them.

Three women stood there, each with a different color of hair. There was one red, one blue, and one yellow. They were all tall, almost a bit taller than Tate was herself. She wondered if they were sisters, but decided against asking.

She was almost numb to their words as she was ushered into a building where they were supposed to be 'prepared' for the Chariot Rides. The few words of praise struck her ears, but not much more. The prep team was busy washing her down, cutting her hair, and picking out the right outfit for the grandiose arrival. Tate's stylist hadn't made an appearance yet, so when the prep team went scrambling from her side to the door, she knew they must be close.

Tate folded her arms over her now-tingly body, hoping to whatever or whoever was listening that her costume would be a success. Victors always had the best costumes, didn't they? She wanted to catch peoples' attention, but not in a bad way. There had been some she remembered from District 4 that had done that. The worst one that she could recall was where the tributes' bodies were painted blue to reflect the ocean. Luckily, she didn't remember seeing that stylist the year after…

Her foot started tapping, almost without her realizing it was. Let's get the show on the road, shall we? Tate thought to herself. Just seconds before she would begin lifting herself out of the little chair she had been provided, the door opened. The 'Sisters' marched in first, a young-ish man trailing behind. The stylist had near-worrying pale skin and his eyes were surely dyed to be a pale milky color as well.

"Welcome to the Capitol," His voice was silky and his thin lips twisted up into a slight smile. "Nice to know what I'm working with this year. I'm Volos." As she opened her lips to introduce herself, he held up a hand. "I know your name. I need to know who you are."

A frown came to her lips quicker than anyone could have imagined. It was an almost visceral reaction, feeling like he was doubting her in some way. Who was she, after all? Some tribute, no, volunteer, heading into the Hunger Games because she wanted to prove herself. How interesting was that, really?

"Now, now," Volos consoled her as he got closer to her. "That's what I'm here to help you do. What part do you want to play? Whatever you decide, you'll have to play it well and for a long while."

"I don't want to play a part," Tate snapped.

The stylist didn't react beyond a light tsk, tsk and he stepped back. "You'll need to figure one out for the interview. You're lucky you have me and not Proserpina. Your outfit is ready for you…and, if I'm learning anything about you, it'll play to your strengths. Or weaknesses." A Cheshire cat-like smile bloomed across his face.

A gown was laying on one of the pearly white counters. Tate carefully wandered over, her fingers touching the fabric. It was soft and smooth, and there were so many colors it was hard to decide just one. It was a majority blue dress, but pinks and yellows were stitched in between and gave way to more green as it went down the bodice.

"Neat dress," Tate commented as she looked at it. "But what's the gist? The idea?"

"You wound me," Volos floated to her side and put his pale hand on the dress. "You'll be a siren, a maid of the sea luring one unlucky fisherman to his death."

A grin slowly began to spread across her face as she put it together. "You're growing on me, Volos. Let's get this thing on, shall we?"

. . .

Tate was glowing as the small group made their way to the chariots. The dress fit her snugly, but that was all for the better. She almost felt bad for Tengiz if it wasn't for the fact that it made her look that much better. His own outfit was the best his mentor could do for 'sexy fisherman'. Which was nearly impossible, as one may have thought. His yellow coat and pants ruined the fact that his lightly tanned chest was open to be seen.

Now, she wasn't one to revel in someone else's misfortune, but just seeing it made her want to giggle a little bit. Volos had really outdone himself this time. However he had managed to convince his partner to do this outfit idea was beyond her imagination.

While she had been focused on herself and her own district, she had managed to miss a lot of the other tributes. Training was a better time to meet them anyway, she reasoned. A few outfits stood out to her, but they were from districts that were already threats. District 1 was naturally decked out in rival gemstones - the girl in rubies and the boy in sapphires. District 2 had on some sort of cape, although Tate couldn't see the front very well.

There was a distant trumpeting sound, marking the beginning of the chariots. She grabbed a side of their own and hauled herself up into it. Tengiz stood to her right, the garish yellow a constant presence now beside her. A pang of anxiety hit her as she wondered if the outfit would be too bad and would reflect on her as well.

The horses were off before she could spend too much time thinking on the subject. One of her hands held onto the side for dear life, not entirely trusting the chariot to keep them all upright. As soon as they were wheeled out, a wave of cheering hit them. No doubt they were just cheering for everyone that went by, but the size of it nearly immobilized her. A few of the tributes ahead of her were waving, smiling. Wave…smile…do I do that?

Tate bit her lip and gave a small smile to the crowd, which answered with a hearty cheer. She smiled nervously until it became more natural, waving as they made their way down the street. It was a rush, with so many people focused on just their little group. On them. On her. But it was over before she was ready, the carts wheeling around in a semi-circle around the presidential podium up in the crowd.

They had to stand and wait for a minute or so as the later districts wheeled around. Trees from 7, no surprise. Literal cows from 10, also not that impressive. The better ones were some sort of actual fashion from District 8 and District 6 chose a niche of their own - train conductors. It wasn't very flashy, but still, Tate felt like it hit the industry right.

"Welcome tributes," President Urban's voice boomed as he came out to speak. Tate craned her neck to see, having always heard of and seen pictures of the president, but never in person. He was young-ish, probably in his 40s or so. His dark hair was just beginning to gray, giving it a salt-and-pepper look. The Capitol probably felt secure that the country rested on his broad shoulders with the way he talked and looked. It made her feel at ease and there was no reason she should've felt relaxed about any of it.

"Welcome tributes to the 113th Annual Hunger Games. As with each year, it is a reminder of the pain endured when neighbor turned on neighbor during the Dark Days. One hundred and thirteen years have passed since them, and with each, another Hunger Games. Soon, every Capitolite will be able to say your names and extol your virtues. At the end, one will stand not a tribute, but a Victor. Proving themselves as among Panem's best and brightest. As your president, I wish you good luck and that the odds may be in your favor. Happy Hunger Games!"

President Urban gave a big wave to the crowd, which responded with rapturous applause. It drowned out the sounds of the chariots pulling away back towards the staging area, where they would be sent to the Tribute Center for the night. Task one, done. Tate thought to herself as they drove back. Task one…success?

Training Days

Training Center - The Capitol

The whir of the automatic doors sliding open gave a soft wind onto Tate and Tengiz's faces. The air inside was a chilled, but stale kind of air. Some tributes were already inside, while others were yet to arrive. Ella had insisted they be there ten minutes early, as it was looked upon favorably by the Capitol and the trainers. Everyone wore the same kind of uniforms - all black that fit closely, with your district number stitched onto each shoulder.

She had realized it last night, but standing inside, waiting for people to arrive, she felt it hit her once again. Would she have been so alone if Callum had come with her? Tate only really knew Tengiz, and even then, there wasn't much to discuss between the two of them. Maybe she would meet someone from another district to become friends with. No, not friends. To talk to, that was it. There were no friends in the arena. Only allies or enemies.

A tall woman entered the complex right at the top of the hour, taking her place in front of the tributes. "Good morning tributes. I'm the head of your training for the next few days. There aren't many rules, but under no circumstances may you spar with another tribute. There will be time for that once you're in the arena. If you desire to spar with someone, there are trainers available for you. I have one piece of advice for you - do not ignore the survival stations. Dying from heat exhaustion or hypothermia is no less painful than by a sword or spear. We'll be having lunch at noon. Work wisely, tributes."

It took them all a few moments to realize that the woman was dismissing them to begin working. Tengiz glanced over at Tate, biting his lip as they both wondered the same thing: do we go find the other Careers immediately?

Tate stepped away and marched over to the spear throwing station. It wasn't her favorite thing, but she knew how to do it well enough. The familiar feeling of the cold steel in her grip was a relief. She curled her fingers around it and yanked one off the rack. Time to show what I'm made of. With a heave, she tossed it at a target standing at the opposite end of the room. It struck near the center, but not quite dead center. Close enough to kill.

"Spears your thing?" She heard a deep voice from behind her.

"Not exactly," Tate shrugged as she lifted a second one. "They're fine. I prefer a good axe or mace."

"You're from 4?" A high-pitched girl asked after.

"Uh huh," Tate grunted as she threw the second one, clipping the outside of the center target. She wheeled on her heel to see who was standing and watching her.

They were the pair from District 1. Tate could at least remember that from the chariots and whatever she had learned prior. The boy was lanky and tall, with muscles brimming his arms and legs. The girl was slightly shorter than Tate was herself, and didn't seem to be as capable as Tate was.

"I'm Drago," The boy from One held out his hand to shake. "This is Gemma, we're from District 1."

"Tate," She shook his hand, a firm handshake shared between the two. "District 4."

Drago's white-blonde hair was swept over his head, with the sides shaved close to his head. Gemma had blonde hair and a pig-like nose that was pressed upwards.

"Want to walk with me?" Drago offered, his hands resting at his sides. "Sometimes it's good to get a measure of everyone else first before you try to show off yourself." His tone of voice was smooth and unassuming, but Tate could sense the underlying message. He wants me to know that he's the best one here. She almost scoffed at the thought.

"Sure," Tate replied, strolling along with him.

"Where's your district partner?" Drago asked.

Tate glanced around the room before she pointed Tengiz out at a rope-tying station. She hoped that he wouldn't reflect too badly on her. A survival station? This early? You're a Career, not an outlier tribute. They have to know to fear you. The look in Drago's eyes didn't give her that much hope that Tengiz was impressive to him. To be fair, she hadn't seen him or Gemma do anything yet either, so the fact they were already judging didn't say much.

"That's the pair from Two," Drago nodded to where another large boy was standing beside a short, but strong girl. He looked much more unkempt than Drago or Tengiz, having wild brown hair while he threw around a few weights. The girl had red hair that was kept in a tight, long braid down her back. It would've reminded her of Brooklyn, if not for the girl's disposition.

"Come on," She jibed to her district partner, grabbing an axe to throw at the wall. "Is that all you can do?"

Tate didn't say anything while the two snarked back and forth at one another. The boy was big, no doubt about that. He had more muscle than Drago or Tengiz, and was a good bit taller than any of them as well. But watching him made him seem less impressive. A bit lumbering, slow. Still a threat, but Tate had no doubt that he may get tired in a fight against someone quicker. The girl, though…

She was quicker, and her eyes had an intensity to them that made Tate feel like she wasn't as prepared as this girl was. The muscle on her was more than what Tate had herself, and she seemed graceful in her movements. As the axe was thrown, Tate knew that it was going to hit its mark. Dead center, it hit with a thud.

"Fianna, Valerius," Drago got their attention. "This is Tate, she's from District 4. She threw a few good spears earlier."

"Is that so?" Fianna brushed some stray hairs out of her face. Freckles crossed the bridge of her nose, and her green eyes focused in on them. "We'll see about that, then. I've seen that boy from your district too. But what about you two? Gemma, Drago? Care to show us something so we know that you're worth our time?"

A sour expression immediately came onto Gemma's face, to the point Tate wondered if she was going to stick out her tongue at them. Drago was calmer, giving a slight nod. Tate turned to go look at the swords and other weapons where you would train with a trainer, but was surprised when he went in another direction. At one end of the room sat a rack of mostly-unused bows and arrows. Drago carefully selected a sleek black one and grabbed three arrows. Tate stood along with Fianna, Valerius and Gemma as they watched him notch an arrow.

The first one flew quickly, and he reloaded almost immediately, firing the other two after. All three were buried into the center target, one after the other. They were arranged in a small triangle so as to not disturb the others. Fianna pursed her lips tightly, and Tate had a degree of admiration for it as well. While she preferred hand-to-hand weapons, having someone who could attack from distance wasn't a bad thing.

"Alright then," Fianna raised an eyebrow at Gemma. "You too."

The blonde haired girl made a comment under her breath as she passed. Fianna didn't hear it, but Tate clearly heard, "bitch". Gemma approached the trainer at the swordfighting area, grabbing one for herself. Tate watched closer this time, more apt to critique due to her knowledge of swords.

The trainers were all older than them, but this guy seemed like he was a retired peacekeeper or something. His gray hair and wrinkle lines on his face were a dead ringer for it. Gemma struck first, her sword lashing out towards him. The guy knew what to do well, and blocked it with his sparring blade. He rolled out of the way and attempted to get a hit on her back. She seemed to know it was coming and parried it as it came.

Gemma seemed to realize she had a better position and struck down hard at him, forcing him to dodge as well as he could. Tate could see it coming sooner than Gemma did, watching as the practice sword hit her leg behind the knee. She hit the ground rather hard as a result of the force of the strike.

"Next time, protect your back just as much," The trainer advised as he helped her up. The girl was too frustrated to really take it in, tossing her sword against the ground.

"I've got it, sir." Fianna picked it up from where Gemma had dropped it. "Care to go again?" She flashed a smirk back at them.

The round didn't take nearly as long, Fianna seeming to know more or less what she was doing. She quickly got the trainer into a corner and wrenched the sword from his grasp, resulting in him surrendering and congratulating her on her abilities.

Tate rubbed the back of her neck and began to take her leave of the group when she overheard Gemma complaining to Drago. Something about it being 'uncalled for' and 'not a team player'. So we're all going to go back to our districts and form up little groups, are we? It was an uncomfortable thought, stewing about it over lunch. The pair from 1 sat together and the pair from 2 sat together. Tengiz came over and sat with her, making polite conversation over their sandwiches. But her mind never left that original question.

If no one trusted one another, they weren't going to be a good alliance in any way. Gemma and Fianna seemed to detest one another and Valerius seemed to follow along with whatever his district partner said. Drago…she hadn't gotten as good of a read. Was he buying into what Gemma was saying? Clearly he was trying to play at being their leader, which wasn't going to happen. Tate knew the risks associated with leading the Careers. But if she was the best, why should she let anyone else do it?

Lunch was over before she knew it, and she had decided to lay low for the rest of the day. She accompanied Tengiz to work on some knot-tying of her own, before sparring with a different trainer using a sword and mace. If she wanted to be the leader of their alliance…would she have to patch this thing up? Or was it even worth patching up? The Careers typically stayed together, but would it hurt if it was just 1 and 4 or 2 and 4? The end of the first day of training just left Tate more confused and uncertain than before. As Tate sat her axe down on the floor, she could only hope that the next day would yield more results.

. . .

The second day came faster than Tate would've expected. The night before, she had reasoned out a plan with Ella about what to do - having confided in her that she didn't exactly trust the other Careers. Today, she would spend a bit of time with each, attaching to their hip as they went throughout the day. Unfortunately, her first target was also the one she was least looking forward to seeing.

From the first step of the day, Tate got into lockstep with Gemma from District 1. The amount of patience she knew she was going to have to muster was unthinkable.

"Morning," Tate offered as an olive branch at the start of the day.

"Morning," Gemma replied, having set a course for the throwing knives.

They fell into an uncomfortable silence as Tate followed her to the station, relaxing against one of the walls. "We didn't really get to talk much yesterday," Tate said, folding her arms across her chest. "What's home like for you?"

Between knife throws, the girl told her about what home was. She had two parents and an older brother who had been passed over for entering the arena a few years before. She was supposed to do better than him, and got in for that year. It was a bit unsettling that their stories had a few passages that rhymed, but Tate felt that she was in no danger of becoming someone like her.

"And what about you?" The question caught Tate like a backhand to the face.

The whole time, she had done what she could to not think about home. It just made her want to get back that much more. Sure, she saw Callum in a few instances here and there, but those were more thought experiments than (at least she hoped) genuine longing. How could she even explain Callum or Brooklyn or even Kai to this girl she hardly knew? Tate almost felt like Gemma didn't deserve to get to know.

"I have…a brother and a father. Some friends. My brother and I are twins," She offered belatedly when Tate felt like she may not have shared enough.

The girl either didn't care or didn't want to ask, offering Tate to take the next stab at throwing knives at the wall. With a shrug of her shoulder, she accepted the few knives from Gemma. This isn't going to go well, Tate thought, but Tate knew she couldn't fudge it on purpose. You never knew who was watching at training. She threw them, and one after the other sank in around or in the center of the target. While Tate wasn't the best knife thrower around, she knew at least how to get them near center.

That was enough for the other girl, who let out a scoff and dismissed herself from the station. I hope I'm not that bad, Tate thought to herself as she went to collect the knives. One by one she pulled them out and set them on the table where others could get at.

Tate sincerely tried not to compare herself to her competitors because of how different their strengths were, but she knew at least that Gemma was on the lower rung of the Careers. She couldn't seem to get used to much of anything that was going on and her strengths were just enough to match what other people could do.

The next target was Gemma's district partner - Drago was sitting by himself at the archery station, practicing shooting at moving holographic targets. Each arrow hit each target, even the smallest ones that were supposed to resemble a squirrel or rabbit. From what she could remember, few Careers liked to use a bow or other weapons from a distance. At the Academy, she could only think of a handful who preferred something similar. Most of those didn't make it this far.

"I'm wondering why you're here," Tate said bluntly as she took a seat beside him, gesturing to his bow. "I can tell you're a deadly shot, but rarely does someone from 1 or 2 get to this point where they know how to use it."

Drago let out a little chuckle and shook his head. "I don't blame you. It took me a while to convince my own trainer of that. I do know how to use some hand-to-hand weapons as well - particularly handy with a sword. When I was younger, the idea of getting up close and personal was a bit too much for me. I took to the bow early on."

Tate was surprised he would admit such a thing. To admit weakness was something you seldom heard in the Hunger Games. It only made her more suspicious of him. By all accounts, he was friendly and charming, now admitting faults? Drago had something more up his sleeve than he was telling her.

"A bow would help you do a lot," Tate remarked. "A wider perspective, perhaps?"

"Maybe," His eyes had a glint to them. "You learn a lot from having a high vantage point."

"Oh really?" Tate played dumb. "Like what?"

Drago leaned back further in the chair. "Your conversation with Gemma didn't last very long. You're trying to hide something, whether you know it or not. You don't want to get too close with anyone here because they'll die within a short amount of time. So you flit from person to person, getting to know the very briefest and most surface level things about each of them. How'd I do?"

Her mouth wanted to open to retort, but Tate wouldn't let it. A test was laid out for her, a trap. Drago wanted her to step into it - reveal more about herself. Even if he's right, why should he feel like he is?

"I'd say you have room for improvement," Tate gave a thin smile. "Excuse me." She had spotted where Fianna and Valerius were training with spears and made a beeline for them.

Like she had been doing with Drago, they were talking more than they were really training. Tate got that to a degree - for their whole lives they had been training. She felt prepared. What she didn't know was who all these other people were, what they wanted, and how good they were. Tate hadn't seen a lot of the other tributes, but she had noticed a few who seemed to have some promise. The girl from 6 had thrown pretty accurate knives after she had left the station, and the boys from 7 and 9 were as big as Drago, though not as big as Tengiz or Valerius.

Tate took a spear from the rack to throw a few with them. Valerius wasn't as accurate as Fianna, and Tate wasn't even as accurate as him by that point. Her luck on some of the weapons she hadn't spent as much time with seemed to be running thinner by the hour. Well, at least it's on the second day. She reasoned.

"I take it you haven't focused on throwing spears?" Fianna asked Tate as they all went to retrieve them.

"No, not particularly," Tate admitted. "I've done some, but my main focus has been with swords or maces or axes. Mostly hand-to-hand if I can help it."

"Then I can understand," Fianna grunted as she pulled her spear out of the target. "At least you have an excuse, unlike this one. I swear his muscles are just for show." She gestured at Valerius.

Left speechless once again, Tate was relieved to hear the lunch bell ring. A trainer came over and assured them that they would replace the targets and to just go and eat. Tate didn't need telling twice, setting her spear on the rack again. The doors opened to the adjacent room where they ate lunch yesterday. She caught Gemma's eye, but the girl broke eye contact immediately.

Tate was more relieved than disappointed when they all kept to their own districts again. She wasn't sure if she could stomach another conversation with Drago, or witness another argument between Fianna and whomever she decided to provoke. For lunch, she stuck with a simple salad and some sort of meat that could be mixed in if she wanted.

Tengiz took a spot across from her, spooning the soup into his mouth. They hadn't ever been close, but she found herself relishing the familiarity that came with him, even inviting a polite conversation about what they had learned throughout the day.

"The boy from 9 can swing a sword almost as well as I can," Tengiz commented between swallows. "I saw the boy from 12 acing the plant identification test as well."

Tate nodded as she listened to him. "Did you speak much with the pairs from 1 or 2?" She asked, not having seen him with many of them.

"Not particularly," Tengiz shrugged. "I spoke a bit with Drago this morning when we arrived. He seems nice enough. Just a lot of questions. Then Valerius and I swung some axes, but he doesn't seem to talk too much, you know?"

"Yeah…" Tate was intrigued by what questions Drago had asked. "What did he ask you?"

"All sorts of things, really," Tengiz sat his spoon down. "He wanted to know about life back in District 4, so I told him, and what weapons I thought I was best at, and how I knew you. Of course, I told him that I mostly knew your brother since he had trained and I didn't know you as well. Callum's a good man, so I knew you couldn't be that far off from him."

Her heart panged at hearing about her brother. She also felt a little bad for judging Tengiz as much as she had. Sure, he wasn't the brightest out there, but was he expected to be? They needed each other if the other two districts were going to act cliquey. If he and Valerius got along, all the better. Drago's interest was what truly made her worry. Why did he want to know all of this?

"He seems to want to know everything," Tate rolled her eyes as she ate her lettuce, enjoying the dressing that the Capitol had prepared for them. "What do you think?"

Tengiz was silent for a moment as he thought. "I guess you may be right. Maybe he wants to get to know us better so he knows how to get us to support him to lead the Careers?"

The thought had crossed her mind, she wouldn't deny it. Tate just gave a noncommittal response. She had also thought it was possible he was gathering information to try to exploit some weaknesses of theirs. But…how would knowledge about Callum help him in the arena? It's not like Callum was in there too. At that moment, Tate was especially thankful he wasn't. No doubt that Drago would have acted quickly against them. She was getting the impression he was as slippery as a snake.

The end of lunch signaled a return to the training center. Tate did her best to avoid her allies, only running once into Gemma and offering her a quiet smile as she worked on herself. At the end of the day, she offered herself a gift of training with an axe with one of the Capitol trainers. A parting gift to herself before the third day…before the private training. Without much effort, she managed to disarm the trainer. As the bell rang to signal the end of that day, she could see Drago watching her from across the room. He raised his eyebrow and gave a brief smile before he left to go back.

. . .

The third day of training was the shortest day of the three. It ended at noon, which is when they would usually break for lunch. This time, each tribute would be summoned to do their best abilities or skills in front of the Gamemakers, which would award them with a score of 1-12. In her lifetime, she had only seen one eleven, and hadn't ever seen a one. Every now and then you saw a two, and scores of ten weren't entirely uncommon.

Tate decided to take it easy on the last day, wandering over to find an open plant identification station. Tapping the different plants and trying to reason it out was more fun than she had thought, though she quickly grew frustrated with her lack of success the more she did it.

A girl sat down beside her, who had frizzy black hair and big brown eyes. "Mind if I help?"

"I probably need it," Tate replied begrudgingly, glancing over at her.

Tate caught a look of the '3' stitched onto her shoulder and remembered that she had seen the back of the girl during the chariot rides. Without hesitation, the girl began to show her how to tell the difference between a few of the plants that she had trouble with. The lesson wasn't extensive, but Tate had to remind herself that this girl was nice to help her at all. Especially from a non-Career district.

"What's your name?" Tate asked at the end of the lesson.

"Tyene." She smiled. There was youth in her face, she must have been a few years younger than Tate herself. Maybe she was 15 or 16.

"I'm Tate," The two girls shook hands and stood up from the center at once. They'd already used up about a half hour or so and only had an hour and a half left to go. Butterflies were already fluttering in her stomach, ready to take flight at the slightest hint of trouble.

"I know you already have your team, but do you want to meet my ally?" Tyene asked before Tate had a chance to leave.

Naturally suspicious, she wasn't sure why the girl wanted to introduce them. Maybe so Tate would feel worse about getting rid of them in the arena. Clearly Tyene was gifted with knowing plants and likely other brain-related things, but there was nothing to suggest she could wield any weapon. Or was there another reason that she didn't know? Was it an open invitation to join their alliance and leave the Careers? If so, that was ridiculous. No one would take such an agreement.

"Sure," Tate agreed, following behind her. She was a little intrigued, if only to know more about her fellow competitors.

The two walked around the gymnasium back over to the throwing knife station. Tate was relieved that both Fianna and Gemma weren't there, just a girl with plain brown hair tied back into a ponytail. She seemed around the same age as Tate herself, with a '6' affixed to her shoulder. Whether she saw them coming or not, Tate didn't know, but she threw the knives in quick succession. Thunk, thunk, thunk. Each sailed directly into the center of the target.

Tate blinked once, then twice. She hadn't seen someone from a non-Career district do that before. Even Gemma hadn't got them all in the target, and really, Fianna's weren't as accurate either. They were close, but not quite.

"Impressive," Tate commented and folded her arms over her chest. "How'd you know how to do that?"

The girl turned around and smiled. Her face was rather plain, but her blue eyes were intense and focused. "I'm from Six, I'm used to tossing things into moving trains if someone's forgotten something. Add a bit of luck onto that and a lot of practice, here we are."

"A quick learner," Tate said. Really quick. Perhaps there were a few to worry about in the field at-large that she had missed. "I know Tyene, but what's your name?"

"Adelaide," The girl from 6 said before she went to fetch the knives from the target.

Tate didn't wait for her to return, wishing Tyene luck for the private sessions that afternoon and taking her leave. There were a few stations that she didn't bother with - rope-tying was something that Tengiz knew and fire-starting wouldn't be something she would need to utilize. They would control the cornucopia if things went well, so a fire wouldn't be their biggest need. She took a few swings with an axe, if only to work out a bit of her nerves, but she was careful not to overexert herself.

While she was hanging up her axe, she heard sounds of a scuffle. Really? Tate swung around and saw two people rolling around on the floor, trying to put the other in a headlock. She hurried over when she noticed it was Valerius and another boy. Trainers were yelling for them to get back, but it took a herculean effort from two of the trainers, Tate, and Drago to separate them. Her own muscles strained holding back just one of the boy's arms from District 2, while Drago secured the other one.

Before long, a swarm of peacekeepers came in to escort the two out. Tate released her hold on Valerius to allow the peacekeepers to take the lead. Tate blew some air out of her lips and sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"What happened?" She asked Drago after the commotion had settled down.

"It's not important," Drago rubbed his face. "Use your last half hour wisely, Tate. Thinking about a stupid fight isn't going to help."

She scowled as she turned her back to him, stalking away. Why wouldn't he tell her? Tate figured it was another stupid mind game, which he was using to cause her to just think about it even more. If so, it was working and she hated to admit it.

"Tyene," Tate caught her on the way by, falling into step beside the girl from 3. "What was that all about?"

"You didn't hear it?" Tyene was surprised, glancing around to make sure that no one was listening to the two of them. "The boy from 2 apparently promised to kill Rigby's district partner first. He's from 9, by the way. Apparently he and the girl knew each other before they got in here. Long-time friends or something. Anyway, it escalated from there."

As someone who had nearly gone in with someone she knew, Tate could feel the pain of the pair from 9. Though in the back of her mind, she recalled that Valerius, even though how big he was, was unable to completely subdue Rigby. Maybe he was a threat in some way. When the bell rang to end the third training day, a pit that had begun forming in her stomach on the first day of training had turned into a yawning gulf. Who were these monsters she was paired with?

Training Score Reveal

Fourth Floor, Tribute Center

The feeling of the axe swinging over her head to break the handle off the trainer's sword still sent a rush through her. For once, since she had arrived in the Capitol, Tate felt like she had done really well. The gamemakers had all been paying attention to her, and she swore that a few had looks of admiration on their faces as she had left.

"Alright, let's settle in," Ella clapped her hands, planting herself on a side of the couch. Their entire teams were standing and sitting throughout the room. Tengiz and Tate were sitting in the center, on two squares of the couch. Everyone knew that this meant the most to them.

"You've got this," Volos' soft voice whispered behind her, squeezing her shoulders encouragingly. "Our siren will lure all those silly men to their deaths, right?"

Tate chuckled a bit and thanked him, squeezing his hand in return. She would need his help for the interviews, which were coming up quicker than she had hoped. All of the Capitol would be watching their every move, every glance, and every word. No one could ever predict what they would like and what they wouldn't.

The swirling Capitol TV bird switched off, and in the blink of an eye, the cheery face of Berry Silversong was greeting them. His cheeks were normally a rosy red, but he had powdered them silver to go with his last name. His silver hair was slicked back and looked quite greasy itself.

"Welcome, welcome to Capitol TV! We're excited to bring you the results, brought to us personally by the gamemakers, mind you, of the private training sessions that were held earlier today. The gamemakers affixed each tribute with a number from 1 to 12, as you well know. Tonight, you get to find out what those scores are! Live with us!"

Tate sighed and rubbed her face, waiting for the talkative host to get on with it. The scores were important to her, especially because she could use it as a pseudo-gauge of how good her fellow tributes were. The first few districts would be very important, sizing up the other Careers and giving them a pecking order.

"District 1." Berry said, opening a little envelope in front of him. Drago's face appeared on the screen, along with his usual little grin. "Right off the bat, 10."

Tate had been afraid of that. The Gamemakers were usually pretty particular with who they gave those really high scores. She deflated a little bit, wondering if she had any chance of even matching that score, much less securing something that was above it. She didn't have a lot of time to ponder it as Gemma's face came to the screen next. A 7 floated above her face. Not that surprising. That was the floor then of what she could expect to get.

"District 2." Berry had difficulty opening the first envelope as Valerius' face came onto the screen. "A score of 8." Tate had wondered if he would get up to a 9, but 8 did seem a bit more fitting. Fianna was next, securing a 9 for herself. An impressive score, putting her into the highest echelon of all of the tributes.

Normally, she wouldn't have cared very much about District 3, but she did have some passing curiosity about Tyene. The boy from 3 scored a measly 4, which was about expected. He couldn't have been much older than 14. Tyene was next, earning a 5. An average score, fitting into the faces of tributes who weren't that much of a threat themselves.

Tate clenched her hands on her knees, awaiting the results for her own district. "District 4," Berry said, opening the envelope that held Tengiz's score first. "A score of 7." There was a smattering of cheering and clapping in the room, congratulating her district partner. The same score as Gemma. Surely she would get something higher than that?

Her face flashed onto the screen next and she held her breath. There was no time for anymore thoughts or self-doubt as the double-digit 10 flickered onto the screen. A sigh of relief echoed from her lungs as her team exploded with cheers, squeezing her shoulders and holding out their hands for a fist-bump. A 10. On par with Drago, a step above everyone else. Another bar cleared.

"Wonderful!" Ella beamed at her, wrapping her tribute in her arms. Tate accepted it, holding onto her first-time mentor gratefully.

A few tributes had gone by, but both from 5 weren't expected to be that big of threats. Adelaide's face showed up next. Tate sat forward on her chair, ignoring the chatter around them about their own scores. An 8 hung in front of her face.

"An 8?" Ella swung around as she saw the score. "Who's she?"

"The girl from 6," Tate answered, nodding at the screen. "I watched her in training, she was good. Good enough to get an 8."

An 8 put Adelaide ahead of Gemma and Tengiz, on par with Valerius. Was she that big of a threat? The gamemakers apparently thought she was. Tate knew she shouldn't take her for granted, but it was hard to picture the plain-spoken girl from 6 an equal threat than the brute from 2.

The boy from 7 earned a 7 himself, which wasn't super surprising. His district partner only got a 4. Tate paid more attention when District 9 showed up. Rigby had a handsome face, with golden blonde hair like straw and defined cheekbones. He would have been popular in District 4, so he must've been well-regarded in Nine.

"A score of 8." Rigby getting an 8 didn't surprise Tate, nor did it surprise the rest of the team as much as Adelaide's had. His partner got a 3, so whatever partnership they had in training should probably dissolve before the arena. Tate knew any Career with anything lower than a 6 would've been thrown to the wolves. A guy with an 8 shouldn't lug around some girl with a 3.

The rest of the tributes were fairly unremarkable, the girl from 10 got a 7 and the boy from 12 received a 6, the two highlights of the outer districts. Otherwise they were all below a 5.

The TV was turned off after the end of the scores. Luckily, Volos had been taking notes on all of those who received a score above a 7. Ella asked him to repeat their names for them. Tate bit her lip as she listened. Drago. Gemma. Valerius. Fianna. Tengiz. Tate. Adelaide. The boy from 7. Rigby. The girl from 10. Those were her biggest competitors. But who among them, from the first to the last, had enough power to take her down? That she would find out sooner rather than later.

A high she had received from getting the 10 had lessened as the high scores came in for the other tributes. Would it make her a target or a threat? All that and the interviews. The training scores helped her feel like the Hunger Games were coming right up, but they would only happen after the interviews. One challenge at a time felt like a fool's hope.

Journey Before the Games

Hovercraft, Arena

Each tribute was made to have their arms injected with a tracker. Tate registered the pain that came with the piercing, thinking dully that it was possible that was just the beginning of what was to come. They had to roll up the sleeves of their uniforms for the arena, but honestly, Tate wondered if they would've even had to. They were so thin that anyone with half a brain could've known that they were heading into somewhere warm. That was good for her, Tate had reasoned. Four was warm, so she was used to heat at least, even if something like a desert may have been a different kind of heat.

There was no rule against people talking on the hovercraft, but it was unusual for the tributes to do so. A few district partners whispered to each other like they were hiding from a teacher. Tate preferred the silence for now. Her hands were fidgeting, playing with the slick material that covered them. All of them had the same color, black, but their district numbers were stitched onto the shoulder like they had with training.

The silence allowed her mind to wander, going back like a tendril through time. She checked each off like it was a to-do list. As easily as if it were yesterday, she could see the glitz and glamor of the interviews. The bright lights shining on her face, illuminating the sea-green dress that Volos had made for her. Ella had assured her that her interview had gone well, so Tate almost had to take her word for it. Tate thought Gemma and Drago may have done better - somehow Gemma had buried her real self, and Drago was as charming as he could be. Rigby, the boy from 9, was sweet and the staple of the outlying districts. Ella's thoughts notwithstanding, Tate was afraid she hadn't done well enough.

Training had gone well, more or less. The 10 training score was a good mark in her column, tied for the highest out of the field. But besides Tengiz, she didn't feel that she could trust her fellow allies yet. Did any Career ever trust any of the others? Tate wasn't sure. She should've asked Ella.

The Reaping. Home. The place she would be literally fighting to the death to get back to. Callum's warm and protective embrace. Brooklyn's smiles and laughter. Kai's thoughtful words and advice. The serene shores of District 4. A life where she had proved herself in the arena, proved herself to her father, and then had no reason to have to talk to him anymore. No reason to stay.

If you're not first, not the best, then someone has earned a step above you. Her father had taught her that a long time ago. Drago in particular was what worried her. A good training score and a good interview would bring you a long way. What would her play with attempted confidence and determination do in the face of his laughs and smiles? The two were circling each other, Tate knew it, but she had no idea where this ended.

A dull voice came overhead, announcing they were approaching the arena. For the first time, she recognized Volos' presence beside her. "Eat this." He stuffed a small pastry into her hand. "You need something before you go into the arena, girl."

Each bite was forced - only because she had a feeling that her stylist wouldn't ever forgive her if she didn't eat it. Each breath came quicker than the last, echoing her internal thoughts and feelings. Tate only vaguely registered that several other tributes were having difficulties too. I can't do this now, she told herself. The next step was forcing her legs to support her, which was harder than she could have imagined. When the hovercraft hit the ground, Tate swallowed one last time. Here is where it begins. It's time for the storm to break.