Muir Jansen, District 4, 16

At the beginning of the third day, I headed over to the spears station. I had only been there for a few moments before Isla showed up, occupying the target next to me.

I threw my first spear at the bulls-eye, and it landed dead center. I pumped my fist, cheering silently. I still had it, even after a few days of just snares. I'd been chosen by the Academy for this very reason- I was the best of the best. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Isla throw hers. Immediately I could tell that the motion was unfamiliar to her as she awkwardly threw it towards the target. To her credit, it was a solid hit, but it was nowhere near center. Interesting.

She caught me watching her and shook out her arms. "Still warming up," she said.

I nodded and grabbed another spear. I was about to throw it when Isla interrupted me. "So… Muir, I've been meaning to talk to you."

I lowered the spear, turning to face her. I'd had no idea she was interested in me at all; before now, she'd barely acknowledged I existed. "What do you want?" I asked bluntly.

"This isn't about what I want," she said vaguely. "It's about what you want."

I sighed, already tired of her games. "What is it?"

"How do you feel about the Career alliance?" she asked.

I grunted, irritated that she kept answering my questions with more questions. "It's good. No problems."

"Really? No problems at all? You don't think the Twos are dangerous?"

"We're all dangerous," I said, shrugging.

"True," she admitted, "but those two especially."

"What, are you saying they're more of a threat than us?" I asked, my temper rising. I didn't like being insulted. I really, really didn't like being insulted. "I was chosen by the Academy, Isla. I'm a threat."

"I'm not saying you're not dangerous," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "I'm saying that they've got an alliance, and they're bound to turn on us at any moment. But if we act early- if we act now- we can get rid of them before they get rid of us."

"You want to have an alliance with the rest of us?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No. Just with you and Virgil."

I studied her. Her expression remained neutral, but she didn't take her eyes off of me. "Thoughts?"

"An alliance with Virgil, sure," I said. "I just don't get where you come in."

She rolled her eyes. "Three on two is preferable to two on two, don't you think?"
"What about Glowla?"

"What about her?" she asked. "Who knows if she'll even be around at that point?"

I narrowed my eyes. I wasn't sure what she was up to, but it was clearly nothing good.

"I'm still not convinced that an alliance with you is a good idea," I said.

She crossed her arms. "What do I need to do to prove myself?"

I glanced at her target, where her spear was still embedded far from the center. "Show me that I shouldn't just take you out myself, and that you're actually a threat," I said.

She recoiled. "What?"

"Show me what you can do," I said. "Because clearly, spears aren't your thing."

"I'm perfectly good at the spears," she argued. "But I'm excellent at the harpoon gun."

"Fine," I said. "Lead the way. Show me."

"Fine," she replied. "If that's what you want."

She led the way to a small station way off to the side. As we walked, I thought back through my training, trying to remember the last time I'd seen a harpoon gun in the arena. Not recently, that was for sure. Strange strategy, to choose such a niche weapon.

We arrived, and she picked up the gun, aiming for the dummy already set up by the trainer. I watched her take a few shots. It had to be reloaded after every single shot, which took forever. Most of her shots were decent, with one or two being solid kills, but a few went wild.

After a while, she turned around, lowering the weapon. "Happy?" she asked.

"You're decent, I guess," I said, shrugging. "Still, nowhere near Thalassa."

"Well, there's a reason I was picked over Thalassa, right? Because I'm here and she's not," Isla replied, her voice tight.

Thalassa was a trainee a year younger than Isla. I'd known her decently well; we'd often trained together. Everyone I knew had been confident that she'd be this year's chosen trainee, right up until an unfortunate accident right before the end of the selection process.

"Shame what happened to her," I said, thinking. "Such unfortunate timing."

Isla shrugged. "That's what you get for being clumsy. I'm just surprised she didn't fall down the stairs sooner than she did."

I glanced at her. Thalassa was known for being a talented martial artist, and one of the most graceful, lithe trainees in Four. A far cry from the supposedly "clumsy" girl who fell down the stairs, landing herself in a coma, the night before she could be chosen to Volunteer.

"What?" she asked. "Let's be real; I'm older than her, and stronger than her, and better than her. And she can Volunteer next year anyway. Forget about her; she's not here right now, I am. Focus on the present. Are we in an alliance or not? Together we could make it to the final three, Muir. Final three. Think about that."

She was rambling, trying to distract me. But distract me from what? Thalassa? What was she hiding? I looked back to Isla, who was watching me intently, her eyes wide.

Holy shit. No way…

Keeping my expression cold, I answered her question. "Fine. Final three. But don't think you can start telling me what to do."

"Good," she said, breaking out into a relieved smile. "You, Virgil and I can talk later, then."

"Sure," I said, watching her walk away. She was practically skipping as she walked over to Virgil, probably to tell him the news.

Maybe Isla wasn't the most physically threatening. But if she'd done what I thought she'd done, then she was much more dangerous than I'd originally thought.

Damion Cloud, District 3, 14

I wandered over to the camouflage station, which was full of fake flora and fauna. In the corner, I saw a pile of rocks and smiled to myself. Perfect.

I pulled out the slingshot I'd swiped from another station and started selecting pebbles, figuring out which ones were the least damaging but also the most annoying. I wasn't allowed to technically harm anyone, but I was allowed to irritate the hell out of them, right?

I gathered the selected stones in my pocket and crept by the stations, searching for my target. Eventually, I located my target by the edible plants station, tapping away at the screen. I hunched behind a table at the nearby station, readying my weapon. Two other tributes were milling about nearby, so I'd have to be careful when I aimed.

I pulled back the first pebble, aiming cautiously. Ready… aim… fire!

I let my pebble fly. It hit the target square on the shoulder- I'd been aiming for the head, but that worked too- and bounced off, landing on the floor.

Halley whipped around, glaring in my direction. "Fuck off, Damion!"

I snorted, readying another pebble. I let it loose, and it hit her right in the center of her forehead.

"Yes!" I cheered.

"Ow!" Halley shouted, her hand flying to her face. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

I launched another, and it hit her collarbone.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" she shouted.

I launched a fourth pebble, and this one hit her glasses. That seemed to be the final straw, because in moments, Halley went wild.

Halley screeched, running over in my direction. She found me hunched behind the table and leapt at me, pinning me to the floor, all teeth and nails and elbows. We struggled on the ground for a moment before two trainers pulled us apart.

"You cannot fight before the Games!" thundered a tall, bulky male trainer. He was holding Halley back, and the other was holding me.

Halley, although restrained, was still trying to swing at me. "So I can't defend myself?" she cried. "But he gets to hit me with rocks? What the hell is this?"

"He shouldn't have been hitting you with rocks," said the other trainer, "but that doesn't mean you can attack him. Understood?"

"They weren't even real rocks," I said, smirking. "They were plastic, I'm pretty sure."

Halley screeched again and tried to launch herself at me, but the bulky trainer held her back successfully. "Fuck you!" she shouted.

"Do you understand?" said the first trainer, his voice rumbling. He tightened his grip on Halley.

"Fine," I said. "No more rocks."

"He's already done it three times! I don't believe him," said Halley.

"We'll keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't attack you. In return, you can't attack him," said the other trainer. "Can you do that for us?"

Halley glared at me. "Fine," she spat. "But if he tries it again, I'm not holding back."

"Yes, you are," the trainer holding me said firmly. His next words were aimed at me. "And you cannot throw pebbles at her again. Understood?"

"I wasn't throwing them, I had a slingshot," I corrected him.

The second trainer sighed. "You can't sling pebbles at her anymore. Understood?"

"Whatever," I said.

"I'd better not see any more of this," threatened the first trainer. He let go of Halley, who stomped back over to the edible plants station. The second trainer let go of me, but confiscated the slingshot.

At lunch, I sat by myself, observing the rest of the tributes. I'd decided allies weren't for me. I didn't want them. They'd betray me eventually, so there was no point. Besides, I could take care of myself. I'd been taking care of myself since my parents died anyway, and there was no reason to stop that now. I didn't need someone like John nagging me all the time. Besides, antagonizing Halley was much more entertaining than making alliances.

There were a lot of alliances, in fact. The Careers were the noisiest. The two bigger guys were obnoxiously loud all the time, and the girls wouldn't shut up. The second noisiest was the group of five, which was mostly girls. The two smallest ones, who looked to be about my age, never stopped chattering.

From there on, the alliances got smaller. There were several groups of three and a group of two. One of the groups of three was Halley's group, which she'd boasted about relentlessly last night. She wouldn't stop rubbing it in my face after we'd returned to the third floor for dinner. Kellin had been surprised she'd found an alliance at all, which made her very irritated. Still, she wouldn't stop talking about it, at which point I'd decided to enact my revenge; more slingshot. I smirked at the memory. Totally worth it.

There were a few loners scattered around as well; I counted four of us in the cafeteria, including myself. Definitely the smartest ones here: if life had taught me anything, trusting others was a waste of time.

I dug into my food, daydreaming about nonviolent ideas that I could use to irritate Halley again.

Salome Terris, District 6, 14

"Salome's Dream Team, assemble!" I cheered. We'd agreed to split up for the morning- I'd stuck with Sienna, practicing knife safety with the super nice trainer- and then come back together for lunch. The other three arrived at the same table as yesterday, where we'd agreed to meet, sitting down with their trays.

"I thought we agreed on just 'Dream Team?'" asked Levi, smiling slightly.

"I don't know," I said, shrugging. "Just doesn't have the same ring to it."

I glanced at Sienna, who shrugged as well. "I like both. Although, now that you mention it, 'Sienna's Dream Team' isn't the worst option either…"

"You two never stop talking, do you?" asked Ianto.

"Where's the fun in that?" I asked.

Ianto grunted and returned to his food. From what I could tell, he did that a lot. Also, he didn't like to be told what to do. And found me annoying. I didn't really care, though; I knew I'd come to grow on him. He just needed time. That's what always happened.

"Can we talk strategy?" asked Jess. "This is the last time we'll be alone together before we're in the arena, and we need to use our time wisely."

"Finally, a good idea," Ianto groaned.

"Don't be silly, Ianto, there's no such thing as a bad idea," I said cheerily. I was in a good mood today; now that Sienna and I had found protectors, I was feeling much more optimistic about the arena. After the two of us had agreed to ally, we'd decided that growing our alliance was the next best step. Luckily for us, we'd been successful in recruiting the others.

Ianto scoffed. "You sound like my teachers."

"So, strategy," said Jess, redirecting us to the topic at hand.

"Right," said Levi. "I've been thinking that because there are so many of us, getting supplies might be a good idea."

"You want us to go into the Cornucopia?" Sienna asked, her eyes widening.

Jess ignored Sienna and responded to Levi. "I agree," she said. "Five people is a lot. The only other alliance that big is the Careers, and they usually control the supplies. We need to get a few backpacks if we want to be able to sustain ourselves."

"Guys," said Sienna. "That's really dangerous. Last year, both of the tributes from my district died doing that. It was horrible. I don't want anyone to die."

Levi looked to Sienna. "You're right," she said. "It'll be dangerous. But what other option do we have?"

Sienna thought for a moment. "There has to be a way to make it safer. Maybe we could go in as groups, instead of individuals."

"What do you mean?" asked Ianto.

"We can find each other before the clock counts down," said Sienna. "Then, when we make a move for the supplies, we do it in groups. One group of two goes for a bag, and the other three go for something else."

"And then we meet up afterwards," said Levi. "I like that idea. It'll be easier to find each other, too, if we're already in groups."

Ianto nodded, regarding Sienna with a new respect. "I like it."

"But who goes with who?" I asked. "We have to make sure no one gets left behind."

"Sienna with me," said Ianto. "Salome with Levi and Jess."

"Why?" I asked. "I like being with Sienna."

"You two are the smallest, and probably the fastest. We can guard you while you make a move for supplies," said Ianto.

"That's true," said Jess. "Didn't y'all say you were fast the other day?"

I glanced at Sienna. "We're both pretty speedy."

Sienna giggled. "Speedy. I like that word."

I smiled back. "Me too," I said.

"I think a lot of it will come down to what's happening in the moment," said Jess. "We've all seen the Games. It gets chaotic. Get supplies, avoid the dangerous tributes, and get out of there."

"There are a lot of dangerous tributes," said Levi. "There's all of the Careers, for one."

I nodded. "They're so big. I watched some of them train the other day; they're really good. Like, really really really really really really-"

"That's enough 'reallys,'" Ianto interrupted.

"Fine. Really good," I finished.

"There's others too," said Sienna. "Dale is strong, and his partner is scary too."

"Dale?" asked Levi.

"My district partner," said Sienna, pointing in his direction.

"Oh, you're right," said Levi, peering over at the blonde boy and the boy from Seven. "I've seen them throwing axes. Probably best to keep clear of them."

"Of course they're a threat," said Ianto. "Everyone in here is a threat, especially the older kids. But what we need to consider is that we're also a threat."

"You're right," Sienna realized. "We're such a big group, we'll automatically be a target."

Ianto nodded. "People might come after us, especially in the Bloodbath. I wouldn't be surprised if the Careers aimed for us."

"I didn't think of that," I said.

"I didn't either," said Jess. "It makes sense, though."

"So we need to be extra careful about avoiding other tributes," summarized Levi. "Find each other. Get supplies. Regroup, and get the heck out of there."

We all murmured our agreement. I glanced at the Career table, which seemed to be having an animated discussion. A shiver ran down my spine just looking at them. Hopefully, it wasn't about how they were going to kill us.

Caligula Van Zandt, District 2, 18

"So!" I said, rubbing my hands together. "What are we thinking for the Bloodbath, guys?"

"What's there to think about?" asked Virgil, who had his feet up on the table. He was leaning back dangerously far in his seat, tilting the chair backwards.

"Well, ideally, we secure the Cornucopia as soon as possible, right?" I said.

Glowla nodded. "Keep as many of the supplies as possible," she said. "Keep the cards to yourself."

"God, do you ever shut up about gambling?" Isla groaned.

"Glowla's not wrong," Sadie said. "The less supplies they take, the worse off they'll be."

Glowla shot her a grateful look, and Sadie nodded back. Interesting. I made a mental note that Sadie and Glowla were getting along, but Isla and Glowla weren't.

"So we agree that we need to secure the Cornucopia and compile the supplies, yes?" I confirmed, taking a leadership role in the conversation. Hey, if no one else was going to step up and take care of it, I might as well.

"Yes," said Sadie.

"Yes," said Glowla, casting Isla a significant glare.

Muir nodded, and Virgil shrugged.

"Good," I said.

"We're eliminating as many as possible, yes?" asked Virgil.

"'Eliminating?'" asked Muir.

"Would you rather I say 'kill?'" Virgil asked.

Muir shrugged. "Guess not."

"I mean, yes," I said. "Get rid of the competition right out of the gate."

"I think we need to target people," said Sadie. "Some of these tributes are more dangerous than others."

"I agree," I said. Sadie smiled, and I flashed a grin right back.

"Ew, don't use your flirty face on me," she said, kicking me under the table.

"Don't know what you're talking about," I said smoothly. "But back to the point- yes, certain tributes are more dangerous than others. If we can get rid of the older, stronger ones as soon as possible, that'll be helpful further down the road."

Glowla nodded. "I've been staking out tributes by the throwing knives. The boy from Seven, the tribute from Five… they're too good. The boy from Twelve is also a threat. And I wouldn't count out the tributes from Nine."

"Anyone else?" I asked.

"That guy from Eight throws spears better than Virgil," said Muir.

Virgil scowled. "For the record, I prefer swords," he said.

"Noted," I said. "So we'll keep an eye out for those six, and if anyone else gets in the way…"

"Ka-boom," said Virgil with a smirk.

"What does that even mean?" Isla asked. "Are you going to make them explode or something?"

"It's a metaphor, Isla, you wouldn't get it," he said.

Isla's nostrils flared. "That's not a metaphor, you freaking-"

"We get the point," I interrupted. "If they get in the way, take care of it. If they take supplies, take care of it. Once the initial few moments are over, we can assemble into teams and chase down the biggest threats."

"I like the sound of that," said Sadie.

"I think we need to be paying attention to the alliances," said Muir.

"What about them?" asked Glowla.

"It'll be easier to get rid of other tributes if they're alone," said Muir. "Don't know if you've noticed, but some of these non-Career alliances are starting to get big."

"I've noticed that too," said Sadie. "There's a group of five over there- the four girls and the boy. If we can make that alliance smaller during the Bloodbath, it'll be easier to deal with later on."

"That's a good point," I said. "The two you mentioned, Glowla- the boys from Seven and Twelve- they're in an alliance, too. And the Nine pair. That could be an issue for us."

"I don't get it," said Isla. "We're the Careers. We're the most elite, best trained, richest tributes here. Is anyone really a threat to us?"

Sadie and I exchanged a glance. "Well, yes and no," I said. "I'd rather overestimate someone than underestimate them, and end up paying the price for that."

Glowla nodded. "I've seen too many Games where a small outer district tribute got the jump on a Career and walked out alive. We can't disregard anyone."

"Whatever," Isla huffed, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms. "I still think all the biggest threats are sitting at this table."

I looked around the table. Isla might have had a point. While I knew I could probably beat all of the other Careers in a fight, it would be difficult, and I'd definitely walk away with some injuries. Especially against Sadie. Probably Muir too…

"So," I said. "To summarize: secure the Cornucopia. Stop tributes from taking our stuff. Take out anyone who gets in the way. Then, we aim for the big players."

I looked around the Cornucopia, where heads were mostly nodding. Isla was scowling, but it seemed to me that she did that often, so I counted it as a nod.

"Cool," I said.

"Guys, let's make a bet," said Virgil. "Whoever has the least kills at the end of day one has to cook that night."

"Oh, deal, definitely," said Sadie, who grinned.

"Deal," I confirmed. "I can already tell you Sadie and I won't be cooking."

"Maybe, maybe not," said Isla mysteriously. "Still, deal. I don't plan on cooking."

"Well, you'll have to at some point," said Sadie, "It's an alliance. We work together."

"Yeah, right," said Isla.

I glanced at Sadie, whose lips were pursed together tightly with annoyance. I edited my mental note: both Glowla and Sadie didn't like Isla. She wasn't my favorite either, but maybe we just hadn't had any run-ins yet.

Muir nodded. "Sure."

"That leaves Glowy, then," said Virgil.

"For the thousandth time, my name is Glowla," she snapped. "And fine, I'll take the bet. You won't see me cooking, that's for sure."

"Right on," said Virgil. "I'm done eating; anyone wanna swordfight? Caligula?"

"No thanks," I said.

"I'll do it," said Muir.

"Coolio," said Virgil. "Let's blast."

Virgil and Muir took off, leaving their trays on the table.

"I'll be by the throwing knives," said Glowla, who stood as well.

"She always is," murmured Isla. Glowla didn't appear to notice.

"I'll go over there too," said Sadie.

"May I walk you over, fine ladies?" I asked gallantly.

Sadie snorted. "You're such a dingus."

"Sure," said Glowla, who couldn't help but smile.

The three of us stood and walked away, leaving Isla still scowling at the table.

Alula Callahan, District 11, 15

After lunch, I wasn't quite sure which station to try next.

Snares, whispered Cataleya.

I nodded and headed over there, happy to see that it was empty for once. There always seemed to be someone milling around there.

I'd been spending my time in training sizing up my competitors. Not to ally with them, of course- Cataleya was the only ally I needed- but to be prepared. I had noticed many intriguing interactions, especially among the large alliances. The better I knew them, the better prepared I'd be for a run-in with them in the arena. The better my odds, the more likely I was to win. And when I won, I'd be perfect. Finally. I wanted to take down as many competitors as quickly as possible, and be the fastest Victor in all of history. Then, I'd be the most perfect Victor that ever lived.

Snares, which I had practiced with a few times, were a great way to get rid of enemies. As soon as I had them captured, I could end them with any of the many weapons I'd been practicing with. Cataleya had advised me to become comfortable with as many as possible, since we didn't know what would be available in the arena. I'd agreed; it made a lot of sense to me.

I sat down and began constructing a snare, adding in some of the new knots I'd learned this morning. Before long, though, another tribute entered the station, sitting not too far away from me.

I eyed her suspiciously, not leaving her unsupervised for a second. She was fair-skinned, with long, dirty blond hair that obstructed her face from view. But when she looked over in my general direction, she looked exhausted, her greenish-brown eyes dull. I glanced at her training uniform: the number 7 was stitched into it.

Alarm bells went off in my head. This was one of the tributes Cataleya had warned me of. She's hiding something, that's what she'd said.

The girl looked up at me, her eyebrows pressed together. "Hello?" she asked.

She was on to me. Might as well show her that I was on to her as well, right? Besides, the more I knew about her, the more effectively I'd be able to take her down.

"What are you hiding?" I asked, my voice low.

Her eyes widened. A-ha! So Cataleya was right! She always was. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me," I said. "You're hiding something. I can tell."

She bit her lip, studying me for a moment. "You don't know me. You don't know anything about me."

I know everything, Cataleya commented. After all, I am perfection.

"What did you do?" I asked. I lowered my voice. "Something bad, I bet."

Her face went white, and her breath quickened. I was getting closer.

"Thief? Betrayer?" I asked. "Liar?"

"Stop it," she said. "Shut up."

Keep going.

"Whore?" I asked. "Backstabber? Murderer?"

Her face became tight, her nostrils flaring. Her hands tightened into fists.

"Don't provoke me," she said. "Or you'll be sorry."

"Interesting," I said. "You're a lot more dangerous than you like to let on, then? Or just more dangerous than you like to believe?"

"Who are you?" she said, practically spitting out the words. She reached for a long, sturdy stick, brandishing it in front of her.

"My name is Alula," I said simply.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself, but didn't lower the stick. "Do you even know my name?" she asked.

You don't need to know that, just what she did.

"I don't need to," I said. "I just want to know what you did."

"I didn't do anything," she said, her eyes flashing.

"Liar," I said.

Her grip tightened on the stick. "Don't call me that."

A trainer walked over. "What's going on here?" she asked, noticing the confrontation. "Remember, no fighting between tributes during training."

"Everything's fine," I said sweetly.

The other girl shook her head. "She's freaking me out," she said.

"Well, let's lower the stick, okay?" the trainer asked. She turned to me. "How about I bring you to another station for a little while, and then in half an hour, it's your turn at snares. How does that sound?"

"Fine with me," I said, smiling. "I was just trying to be friendly, but I guess she doesn't feel the same."

I stood, dusting off my uniform. The trainer brought me over to another station, the knife station, which she personally recommended. On my way out of the other station, I turned my head slightly, flashing the girl a smile. I didn't see her reaction, but I didn't need to. I wasn't sure exactly what she was hiding, but I'd managed to psych her out. If we ever crossed paths in the arena, I'd have the upper hand.

Not bad, said Cataleya.

I smiled. It was all thanks to her, really.

Halley Todd, District 3, 13

After lunch, I stood, wiping crumbs off my training uniform.

"Where to next?" I asked. "Only a few days until the arena of death, people!"

Ethan and Parker exchanged a glance. Neither of them stood up.

"About that…" said Ethan. "Could we talk to you for a minute?"

"Fine," I said, sitting back down. "What?"

They both stared at me. "Halley," said Ethan, "we literally watched you attack your district partner this morning."

"Did you not see what he was doing?" I asked. "He was assaulting me! I'm not just going to sit back and let it happen!"

"We don't expect you too," said Ethan. "But we didn't expect you to full-on attack him, either."

I rolled my eyes. "You clearly haven't met Damion. He fucking sucks. He's been doing that literally all of training. Of course I was going to do something about it. Now he knows not to cross me."

"The thing is…" Ethan said, trailing off hesitantly. Parker began to scribble on their notepad.

"Spit it out already," I said.

Parker passed me a note. I read it out loud.

"We r not sure we want 2 ally w/ u anymore," I read. "Wait, what?"

"It's nothing personal," said Ethan apologetically.

"Woah, woah woah woah," I said. "Absolutely not. It's totally personal! You don't get to punish me for standing up for myself! Is it because I'm a girl?"

"No, no no," said Ethan. "Not at all. We, just… it was scary seeing you like that. It was like you turned into an animal or something."

"I don't get why that makes you want to ditch me," I said, crossing my arms. "If anything, I don't think you're thinking this through. Don't you want to have me on your side?"

"Why would we want that?" asked Ethan.

"I clearly just demonstrated that I'm a good fighter," I reasoned. "And you two are pretty weak, honestly. You should want me around to defend you."

Ethan ignored the comment about their strength. "What if you turn on us?" he asked.

"Why would I do that?" I asked. "We're allies, remember?"

"Alliances always have to split eventually," said Ethan.

"Guys, I'm not going to attack you. I only attacked Damion out of self-defense, and because he's been provoking me for days," I said, leaving out the part where I attacked him on the train. They didn't need to know that. "All you have to do is not antagonize me, and we'll be fine. And honestly… kicking me out of the alliance sounds like provocation to me."

The two of them exchanged a glance again.

"Halley…" Ethan said weakly.

"No," I said. "No, no no no no no! Don't leave me alone. We'll get further together. We've been getting along so well up until now, don't do this! Of course Damion has to ruin everything…"

Parker scribbled on their notepad again and passed it to Ethan. Ethan gave Parker a look.

"You really think so?" Ethan asked.

Parker nodded.

"Fine," said Ethan. "The alliance will stay."

"Thank God," I said. "I was really worried for you guys there."

"Worried for us?" Ethan asked.

"Well, yeah," I said. "Didn't want you to lose your biggest asset." I turned to Parker. "What changed?"

Parker shrugged.

"They just agreed with your logic," said Ethan. "You're smart and a good fighter. They were afraid you were too bossy at first, but there are more pros than cons to keeping you around."

"Thanks," I told them. "Not bossy, for the record, but thanks."

Parker nodded.

"Could you hold off from attacking Damion until we get into the arena?" asked Ethan. "It would really make us feel a lot more comfortable."

"Sure," I said. "The trainer made me promise not to anyway."

"So even if he slings more pebbles, you'll hold back?" asked Ethan.

"Don't worry," I said, cracking my knuckles. "Once we get into the arena, he'll regret that he ever messed with me."

Ethan and Parker exchanged another look.

"Um, okay," said Ethan after a moment. "Since we're already talking, should we talk about what we're going to do in the arena?"

Parker scribbled on their notepad for a second. It was only one word: Run.

"No way," I said. "We need supplies. Besides, we're not going to be right next to each other or anything. How will we know which way to run?"

Parker shook their head. Bloodbath 2 dangerous.

"It's a risk we have to take," I argued. "Besides, that's my best chance to take down Damion."

"Let's just worry about supplies," said Ethan. "With luck, maybe another tribute will handle Damion."

"No way," I said. "He's mine."

Parker shook their head again, more vigorously this time. RUN.

"How about, as a compromise," Ethan suggested, "we each grab a bag, and then run. We don't have to get close to the center- just grab something on the edge and then book it out of there. How does that sound?"

I considered. Maybe I needed to just go with this, considering that they'd tried to kick me out of the alliance two minutes ago. "Fine," I said. "But if Damion's in the way, I can't guarantee what'll happen."

"That's fine," said Ethan tiredly. "Parker."

Parker nodded reluctantly. Fine.

"Then the plan is settled," said Ethan. "What station were we thinking next? Maybe how to build a fire? I definitely don't know how to do that."

"Me neither," I said. "Let's go!"

Sadie Wilson, District 2, 18

Cal, Glowla and I walked over to the throwing knives. Glowla kept glancing over her shoulder, her eyes shifting around nervously.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I need to talk to you guys," she said.

Caligula furrowed his brows. "About what?"

"Keep your voice down," said Glowla. We arrived by the throwing knives, and I automatically picked one up, twirling it around in my hand. Something was clearly up.

"What's going on?" I asked.

She sighed. "I think Isla's up to something."

"Isla? Really?" asked Caligula. "Haven't really talked to her much."

"I haven't either, honestly," I said. I wrinkled my nose. "It's not something I enjoy doing."

"Well, she's been talking to everyone else," said Glowla.

"Is that a problem? Some tributes just get along better than others," I said.

"That depends," said Cal, who was watching Glowla carefully. "What's she talking about?"

Glowla sighed, her eyes darting between the two of us. "You."

"Me, or Cal, or both of us?" I asked.

"Both," she answered.

"Why's she so concerned with us?" Cal asked. "If she has a problem, we can just talk about it."

"She sees both of you as the biggest threats in the Games," said Glowla, her voice hushed. "And she's gathering the rest of us to help her take you two down."

Cal and I exchanged a glance. I, for one, was skeptical. Glowla had already told me she was a gambler, so I knew she was a good liar. This might just be her way of stacking the odds in her favor.

"Are you sure?" asked Caligula.

"I'm pretty sure," she said. "We all know she's not the most social, right?"

"Right," said Caligula.

"So what's she doing with Virgil and Muir right now?"

We glanced over in their direction. Sure enough, the three of them were gathered in the corner, talking quietly. Just like we were.

"How do we know this isn't some gamble to mess with the Careers?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "I'd rather we have a strong pack, and preferably not with Isla in charge. We'd make it a lot further together if we don't have a snake among us. It's better for me that Isla's coup doesn't succeed."

"What exactly did she say to you?" asked Caligula.

"She said that she wanted to team up with me and take out the rest of the Careers, starting with you two. She promised we'd be the final two. The thing is, I think she made the same deal with Virgil and Muir."

"Wait, did you say yes?" I asked.

"Of course I did. She needs to think I'm on her side," Glowla replied.

Cal nodded. "I would've done the same."

"So what are you proposing?" I asked. "We take her out?"

Glowla glanced over at the other half of the Career alliance again. "I don't know," she said. "I'm not sure how on board Virgil and Muir are."

"Well, you should talk to them," I said. "That's crucial info."

"I don't think I've ever had a conversation with Muir, so that would be too suspicious," said Glowla. "And Virgil… ugh. I guess I could try to talk to him."

"I can talk to them too," said Cal.

I nodded. "Good," I said. "But eventually… this needs to be dealt with. Permanently."

Glowla and Caligula nodded. "She's not trustworthy," said Glowla. "We have to strike first."

"Agreed," I said. "For now, though, I'm going to go train. I'll be by archery if you need me. I'll see you later?"

Glowla nodded. I started to walk away.

"I'll walk you," said Cal, jogging to catch up. We began to walk towards the opposite end of the Training Center.

"Do you believe her?" I asked him.

"She seemed genuine to me," he replied. "Why, you don't?"

"Not one hundred percent," I said. "Truth be told, though, I don't trust any of the other Careers one hundred percent. That kind of thinking gets you killed."

"Aw, you don't trust me?" Cal teased.

I punched him in the arm playfully. "Of course I trust you, dingus," I said. "We're the final two, duh."

He smirked. "Of course. Still, if Glowla's telling the truth, let's keep her close. And let's get rid of Isla."

"Of course," I said.

We arrived at the archery station, where I'd been honing my skills. I already knew I was a master at throwing knives, and I didn't want to let on just how good I was. Archery was the same principle, right? Even if it wasn't, though, I was pretty good at it.

"I'm going to see if I can talk to one of the guys by tomorrow," said Cal. "Maybe I can find one of them this afternoon."

"Sounds good," I said.

"I'll see you tonight, then?" asked Cal.

I nodded. "I'll see you at dinner."

Samuel Harris, District 5, 16

Deep in the camouflage station, buried beneath a pile of leaves, I waited, listening for the sign that everyone had left.

It was the third day of training. I'd spent all of training avoiding the demons. A few of them had tried to talk to me, but it was easy to show them I wasn't interested. They always avoided me after that. As far as I was concerned, everyone here was a demon, so no allies for me.

By the sound of it, I was nearing the end of the day. I'd been buried under this pile all day long, and I was starting to get seriously stiff. I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves.

Just a few more minutes, and I'll be out of here, I told myself.

After all this time in the Capitol, I'd had enough. I had no intention of playing these demon's Games. My plan was to lay low during the day, have everyone forget that I even existed. Then, during the night, I would leave my piles of leaves and sneak away, and make my way back to my parents in District Five.

I waited for what felt like another few hours. I heard the soft swishhhh of the elevators taking the tributes away, back to the apartments above me. Then I had to wait for the trainers to leave. They tidied up their stations in preparation for the assessments tomorrow, chatting as they worked, before leaving for good.

"Some of these tributes," said a deep, low male voice, "they really don't stand a chance."

"Oh, come on, Rudolph, there's always surprises," replied a lighter, lilting feminine voice. "You never really know."

"There's surprises, but there's always a theme," said Rudolph. "There are multiple tributes I could see as Victors, and none of them are annoying fourteen-year-old girls."

"Oh, don't say that," said the second trainer. "I love watching the underdogs. Remember that girl from Twelve who won? That was one of my favorite Games of all time, because it was so unexpected."

"But when was the last time that happened, huh, Yasmin?" asked Rudolph. "That little girl from Eight? That was forever ago. My bet's on one of the Careers. Probably the boy. He keeps making me spar with him, and he's pretty damn good. One of the best I've seen in a while."

"I guess," said Yasmin. "Still, I love me some underdogs…"

The two continued their conversation as they left the Training Center. Eventually, the conversations faded for good, leaving nothing but the sound of the air conditioner whirring faintly in the background.

I stood up from my leaf pile, stretching my stiff limbs and dusting off the leaves. It felt incredible to move around again after all those hours hiding.

Suddenly, way across the room, the elevator beeped and began to open. I dove behind a pole, breathing hard. Who was there? I couldn't be found, not now…

"Samuel?" a voice called out. "Are you there, buddy?"

I cursed under my breath. I recognized the voice as my Mentor's.

"Samuel?" called a second voice. My district partner.

"You're sure you didn't just take different elevators?" asked my Mentor.

"I'm sure," my district partner replied. "He wasn't in his room. In fact, I haven't seen him since breakfast."

"And you said he's been hiding during training?" asked the Mentor.

"Yes," said my partner. "I've found him a few times, and he just hisses at me until I leave."

It was true. To be fair, though, it wasn't personal; I'd done it to everyone. It was a very effective tactic.

"Samuel!" the Mentor called again. He sighed. "Let's split up. He has to be around here somewhere."

"You don't think he ran away, do you?" asked my partner. "He did try to jump off the chariot a few days ago…"

"I hope not," the Mentor replied. "That's probably the worst possible thing he could do. If he wants a chance at going home, he has to compete."

The two stopped talking and began to roam the stations, peeking under tables and behind pillars. Eventually, my Mentor came over by the camouflage station. I saw his shadow as he came closer, and before I knew it, we were face to face.

"Ah, there you are," said my Mentor. "What are you doing down here?"

I stared at him, unsure of what to say. Then, I bolted, running towards the elevators. As far as I knew, this was my only chance.

"Ainsley!" the Mentor called.

My district partner turned, spotting me. "Samuel! What are you doing? Stop!" they shouted, giving chase.

I arrived at the elevator doors, frantically pressing the buttons. "Stay back," I spat. "I'm getting out of here, and you can't stop me."

The Mentor and my partner arrived at the elevators. "You can't leave, Samuel," said my Mentor. "You'll be killed."

"They won't see me," I said.

"They will," my Mentor said. "There are cameras everywhere. Look."

I looked around the room to where my Mentor was pointing. He was right; up in the corners of the ceiling, small red lights blinked through the darkness. I'd never noticed them before. I sagged, quickly losing determination.

"They'll be able to find you, and then you'll just end up right back here," said my Mentor. "Or worse, they'll punish you."

"I…" I trailed, looking around frantically. I could feel myself losing steam, though, and I hadn't eaten all day. My stomach rumbled loudly.

"Come back upstairs," my Mentor said softly. "You could use the rest. You've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

"Don't touch me," I said.

"I won't," said my Mentor.

The elevator doors finally opened. The three of us stepped in, me very reluctantly, and headed back up to the fifth floor of the Training Center.

I knew I should've jumped out of that chariot when I had the chance.

*And that's the end of training! What did you guys think? I love hearing what you guys have to say- it's honestly super helpful to see how everything's being interpreted, so I know whether or not to make tweaks. Plus you guys are just awesome, and I love hearing from you :) The next chapter is the Private Sessions, and I'll see you then! Hope everyone's doing well during this stressful time of year.

Here are the alliances thus far:

The Careers: Glowla, Virgil, Sadie, Caligula, Isla, Muir

(Salome's) Dream Team: Salome, Levi, Ianto, Jess, Sienna

District Nine (Mostly): Deltro, Reese, Journie

The Three Musketeers: Halley, Ethan, Parker

Quiet Bros: Travis, Dale

Lone Wolves:
Damion
Ainsley
Samuel
Chaney
Alula

-r-b*