Chip Maxen, 13, D12M:

The cave is cold. Very cold. But that only makes the hot spring more blissful in comparison. The water is comfortably toasty, and after five days of accumulating dirt in the arena, it's a wonderful feeling to be clean again. The first aid kit I was sponsored at the beginning of the Hunger Games included a bar of soap, which we also made use of. There's no telling how long the Games will last, so we were concerned we'd run out if we used it now, but Ardledge persuaded us to throw caution to the wind just this once. "We've been taking risks all day," he argued. "And so far, they've all worked out for us. We risked getting lost in the woods, we risked trusting that Griffin-the-mentor's note was meant to be taken literally, we risked suffocation and drowning when we dove into the quicksand. And yet we're balking at the thought of taking a proper bath?"

We've been through quite a lot. Unsurprisingly, we were all much filthier than we'd realized at first. Emily assumed that she'd simply gotten a tan, but when it was her turn and she started scrubbing away, she emerged with her usual pallor. The extra brownness was just a thick layer of grime. And then, once we all had a go and determined that we still had plenty of soap left, we decided to wash our hair too. Figuring the spring is the closest the arena has to a shower, there was no better chance to do it. Emily also decided to borrow Ardledge's tanto to help shorten her pigtails by several inches. They reached almost to her waist, and they had picked up a considerable amount of debris, like two silky black brooms. Now they fall just below her shoulder blades.

Hers is the most dramatic transformations for that reason, but, seeing my reflection in a shiny crystal, I look much better than I did when I found the cave. It makes for a marked improvement in all of our moods. For the first time, we're all feeling relatively confident in the abilities of our alliance. We've survived everything the Gamemakers have thrown at us so far, and Griffin-the-mentor's note was a godsend. We have a source of water, plenty of purification capsules, and bottles to carry it in. We enjoyed the rest of yesterday's sponsor meal for dinner, so we're full. We're presumably far away from the other tributes, who will probably never think to look for us here.

Considering the lack of recent deaths, the audience is probably getting frustrated, but we've probably drawn a lot of attention lately. Instead they'll call for something to be done about the stronger tributes, who will be pressured to hunt down the weaker ones. It happens every year–the Gamemakers come up with ways to force confrontation. That would be a serious concern if we were in the open, but from our current location, it's a good thing. After all, who normally causes most of the deaths? The Careers. And the Careers haven't been very successful this year.

Maybe one of the Careers will die in a mutt attack or a storm. That'll get the others moving again, and then we'll have to start worrying. Until then, we're safe. I'll sleep well tonight. But then, one more thought comes to me, blacking out all of the others. If we got down here when the quicksand sucked us under, how are we supposed to get back up again?

Rafe McClellan, 18, D2M:

It was a great relief when Oscar showed us his sponsor gift of night vision goggles. Eliza and I saw the parachute come down this morning, and we were concerned that he and Livi might try to betray us, but no. It's Eliza's turn to guard the camp tonight, so she'll use them to watch for any danger.

Dinner for each of us is a leg of the deer Livi and Oscar killed, which, as it turns out, is more than enough. Not quite Capitol-worthy in terms of taste, we're only just getting the hang of cooking over a campfire, but the portions would satisfy any one of the gluttons that live there. All of us are certainly gluttons tonight, regaining the strength we lost on our days of thin soup. Plus, meat is protein, which is good for building and maintaining muscle. We began the Games with an advantage. We've eaten well, and are heavier and stronger than the outlier tributes. If we want to maintain our edge in the arena, we need to eat a lot.

The dead deer will keep us going for a couple of days at the very least, but we'll need more prey soon. Livi and Oscar are hunting for food again tomorrow, whereas Eliza and I will be hunting for tributes. We'll keep our supplies with us and reunite at the Cornucopia in the afternoon. The day after that, we'll switch off, with Livi and Oscar going after tributes and Eliza and I building up our food stores.

Eliza's a good partner, but she's completely incapable of picking up on social cues. Oscar promised to tell us about his family a few days ago, but we all forgot because of our hunting, and Eliza just remembered. As we gnaw on the deer bones, trying to scrape any remaining meat off of them, she brings it up in the peppiest, most cheerful voice I've ever heard her use. Pretty much anybody could tell that Oscar only agreed to spill because she was nagging him nonstop about it, but she seems to believe he's doing it because he really wants to share. Which it's very clear that he doesn't. I even brought it up to her today, twice, that she should really let it go, but she hasn't seemed to pay attention.

Now we've all headed inside the Cornucopia, which doesn't have any cameras or microphones (I know this because I've watched the Hunger Games all my life) and I'm trying to think of how to once more convey to Eliza that she needs to drop the subject, but she's in the middle of pestering Oscar to start the story already. Eventually he begins, clearing his throat hesitantly. "So, my family, well, uh…"

"Spit it out!" Eliza's bouncing up and down in her seat, irritated by Oscar's slow, staccato explanation.

"It's not super good. See, my dad killed himself when I was really little, and–"

"What did he do for work before he died?" Eliza interrupts.

"He made jewelry. He actually made my token." Oscar shows us the back of his hand, where the silver ring around his middle finger is set with a green gem.

"Ooh! So what happened after he died?"

"Alise happened."

"Alise? Who's she?"

"My mother."

"Why do you address your mother by her first name?"

"Why do you care?" Oscar barks. "Shut up and let me talk, if you want to hear about my life so badly!" Eliza falls silent.

"Alise spent the past decade and a half beating the shit out of me and getting drunk, made me go to the stupid fucking training academy, and basically threatened me into volunteering, alright? So there's no love lost if I call her Alise, because in case you haven't picked up on it, she's not a good mom, and she hasn't exactly treated me kindly! And I don't know why you have to be so goddamn intrusive or why you can't take no for an answer or why you always have open your big fat mouth, but please, for the love of Panem, stop it!"

I know from personal experience that abusive parents are a touchy topic, and Eliza's been prying. And then she says the most aggravating, insulting thing you could possibly say after hearing someone explain their experience with them. "You're probably just sensitive, Oscar. I'm sure she was doing the best she could. Why would she punish you so much if she didn't love you?" I'm about to lose my shit, but Livi steps in just before I can do something I'll regret.

"It's getting kind of late, and I want everyone in bed as soon as possible so we can be up bright and early tomorrow morning. Except for you, Eliza. You're guard duty. And don't forget to put on those new night vision goggles!" It takes Livi approximately three seconds to shoo Eliza outside, and once she's alone with us, the first thing she does is drop to Oscar's side. "Oscar," she asks, in a much gentler voice than she used with Eliza, "Are you okay?"

"Does it look like I'm okay?" Oscar snaps.

"You tell me. Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course I'm–no, no. No. No!"

Kill Tracker:

Livi Carnelian: II

Oscar Poudret: I

Eliza Maddox: I

Rafe McClellan: I

Lyra-Rose Ripley (DECEASED): I

Quinten Aramdale: I

Soya Orlando: I

Alliance Tracker:

Career Pack: Oscar, Livi, Rafe, Eliza

Protective Older Brothers: Ardledge, Emily, Griffin, Chip

Manipulators and Their Meat Shield: Soren, Pola, Zea

Queer and (Maybe) Romantic: Quinten, Radley

Loners: Damon, Soya

Supplies Tracker:

Career Pack: Blanket (x2), Climbing Gear (x2), First-Aid Kit (x2), Foam Roll (x3), Night Vision Goggles, Rope, Sleeping Bag (x3), Sunscreen, Tarp (x3), Poison, Warm Earmuffs, Warm Gloves (x2), Warm Hat, Warm Scarf, Water (x3), Water Purification Capsules (x3)

Protective Older Brothers: Antiseptic Wipes, First Aid Kit, Note of Advice, Rope, Severe Infection Medicine, Severe Injury Medicine, Small Meal, Water Bottle, Water Purification Capsules, Waterproof and Temperature Insulated Tent

Manipulators and Their Meat Shield: Binoculars, Blanket, Collapsible Lightweight Ladder, Compass, Field Guide, Firestarter (x3), Foam Roll, Map of the Arena, Multitool, Net (x3), Night Vision Goggles (x3), Note of Advice, Powder and Puff, Rope, Safety Box (x3), Scuba Mask (x3), Sleeping Bag (x2), Small Water (x3), Special Bonus 3, Special Bonus 4, Spool of Wire, Sunblock (x3), Tarp (x3), Trap Materials, Turbo Umbrella, Unknown Machine-Looking Thing, Utility Knife, Walkie-Talkies, Warm Gloves

Queer and (Maybe) Romantic: Basic Injury Medicine, Blanket, Bread, Camouflage Set, Collapsible Shovel, First Aid Kit (x2), Insect Repellant, Map of the Arena, Mesh Sheet, Multitool, Night Vision Goggles, Note of Advice, Special Bonus 1, Special Bonus 5, Spool of Wire, Sunblock, Tarp, Trap Materials, Warm Hat, Warm Scarf, Water Bottle, Water Purification Capsules

Damon: Antiseptic Wipes, Compass, Grappling Hook, Multitool, Scuba Mask, Sunblock, Turbo Umbrella, Warm Gloves, Water, Water Purification Capsules

Soya: Apples, Bread, Crackers, Cured Meat, Dried Fruit, Dry Wheat, Field Guide, Flashlight, Iodine, Jar of Lozenges, Resin, Warm Hat, Water (x2), Water Bottle (x2), Water Purification Capsules

Weapons Tracker:

Career Pack: Bandolier of Shurikens, Bandolier of Throwing Knives (x2), Bow and Quiver of Arrows (x2), Dagger (x3), Spear (x4), Switchblade, Unknown Bat-Looking Thing

Protective Older Brothers: Chainsaw, Tanto

Manipulators and Their Meat Shield: Bandolier of Throwing Darts, Hidden Knife Gauntlet (x2)

Queer and (Maybe) Romantic: Shortsword, Spear, Unknown Scissors-Looking Thing

Damon: Axe

Soya: Axe, Bullwhip, Machete

Hey y'all!

I don't have too much to say today, but I'm awarding bonus points if you leave a review predicting which three tributes you believe will die next!

–LC :)