Glowla Lush, District 1, 18

As it turned out, Sadie and Caligula had a much more eventful trip than Muir and I yesterday. We were shocked when we returned to see only Sadie, thinking maybe Caligula had been killed. The truth- that he'd abandoned the alliance- was almost more shocking.

Sadie wasn't willing to talk about it yet. She'd taken over Caligula's role as the one who sat off to the side brooding silently. She spent a lot of time sharpening her knives today. When she ran out, she sharpened mine too, which I took to be a good sign. We'd gotten most of the story from Isla and Virgil, but knowing them, I wasn't sure every detail was accurate.

Isla told Muir and I that Sadie had lost her mind, screaming at Caligula until he had no choice: he either had to leave the Careers, or Sadie would kill him on the spot. Everyone else had tried to reason with her, but apparently, Sadie was beyond reason. Caligula left. She said that she and Virgil had just calmed her down when we returned.

"She's unhinged," she'd whispered. "Don't believe her. The sooner we get rid of her, the better."

Virgil fully supported the story. I hadn't been able to get a private conversation with Muir, so I had no idea how much of this he believed. The guy had an excellent poker face. I looked over at him- he was busy checking the traps and snares he's set around the treeline, emptying them of the occasional squirrel or rabbit and resetting them. It was slow-going work, apparently. Or maybe he was just taking his time so he could get some of that peace and quiet he'd talked about yesterday. If that was the case, I didn't blame him.

As for me, I wasn't sure what to believe. Isla was unpleasant and untrustworthy. I was pretty sure our final two pact from training was nonexistent at this point. The fact that Virgil was backing her story almost made it less credible somehow. But Sadie's silence wasn't helping clear things up. Whatever the story was, I needed to talk to her.

"Hey," I said, sitting down next to her in the grass. We were in the clearing, about halfway between the Cornucopia and the treeline. The sun was beginning to sink in the sky, creating a beautiful view behind the pointed treetops. "How are you doing?"

She glanced up at me. She had faint shadows under her eyes, and her lips curved into a deep frown. "I'm having a splendid time. You?"

"I'm okay," I said, not taking her sarcasm personally. "I just wanted to check in."

She sighed. "Thanks. To be honest, now that Cal's gone, you're probably the best ally I have."

"That's true," I replied. "You know, I've been wondering… what went down yesterday? Isla and Virgil have been saying some stuff, but I wanted to hear it from you."

"Well, you saw him on the first night," said Sadie. "He decided he didn't want to fight anymore. He was talking about how he didn't have the right to kill people, and how messed up the Games are. Just being a general dingus. I was trying to convince him to drop it. It didn't work."

"So did he just leave, or did something happen?"

"We had a fight," she said bitterly. "He crossed the line and went into personal stuff. I really let him have it, too. And then he packed up his stuff and went."

"Got it," I said, turning this version of events over in my head. Isla and Sadie's stories were definitely similar, but they weren't the same.

She gave me a look. "You said Isla and Virgil have been saying some stuff?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"What did they say?"

I hesitated. "Mostly the same things."

"But not entirely."

"You know them," I said. "They're always playing an angle. I wanted to hear both sides."

"Fair enough," said Sadie, kicking at the grass with her boot.

"Hey," Isla called, interrupting us. "Is someone going to make dinner?"

"Isn't that your job?" I called back. "Or did you forget about our agreement?"

Isla walked over to us, hands on her hips. I noticed her bruise from getting punched in the face the first day had begun to fade. "Well, I'm not doing it," she said. "We've been over this. Evenairs don't cook. Even if I wanted to, I'd probably burn the arena down."

"Then get Virgil to do it," I said, already exasperated.

"Virgil!" Isla called. "Can you get started on dinner for everyone?"

Virgil, who was lounging on one of the picnic tables, perked up. "Um, no."

"Why not?" Isla asked.

"All I know how to make is toast," he said, shrugging. "And I usually burn it."

"Rich kids," Sadie muttered. I did my best to hold back a laugh.

Isla's nostrils flared. "What did you just say?"

"I think it's ridiculous that neither of you can feed yourselves," said Sadie, raising her chin.

"I've never had to," Isla said, bristling. "That's not my fault."

"Have you ever tried?" I asked.

"There's no point in that," said Isla. "Because, as I said, I've never had to."

"Honestly, Isla, I've got bigger issues than this right now," said Sadie. "I don't care. You agreed to this deal, so go figure it out."

Isla scoffed. "You have issues? As if."

"Oh boy," I mumbled. There was no way this was going to end well.

I glanced over at Sadie, whose eyes had hardened. "Don't try me right now, Evenair," she said, adopting a mocking tone for Isla's last name. "I'm not in the mood."

"In case you've forgotten, I'm a politician," said Isla. "I stand for equality. And that means that it's my job to tell you this: you will never know the 'issues' that people like me have to deal with. Just because my family has money doesn't mean that I, a bisexual, polyamorous woman of color, don't have 'issues.' So you, a straight white girl, don't get to tell me you have 'issues.'"

What an interesting time to take a stand. I glanced back at Sadie. Spotting the look on her face, I took a deep breath, preparing myself for what was about to come.

"Three things," said Sadie, her voice cold. "First, I never said you didn't have issues. Second, I'm not straight, so fuck that. Third, for someone who believes in 'equality,' I've heard you whine about poor people since I met you. You literally joked about homeless people this morning."

Sadie and Isla continued to bicker. I stood up and backed away, distancing myself from their argument. I got to the Cornucopia to find Virgil was still hanging out on top of the picnic tables.

"Hi," he said, eating a piece of dried fruit.

"Hi," I said. With everyone else so tense, I actually found myself appreciating Virgil's overly laid-back nature for once.

"Hey, guys?" Muir called.

"Yeah?" Virgil called back.

"Come here," he said. "Something's up."

We looked over at Isla and Sadie, but they were still busy arguing and hadn't heard him. Virgil shrugged. He got off the table and we headed over to the other end of the clearing, where Muir was working on his traps.

"What's shakin'?" Virgil asked.

"Some of the traps are missing," said Muir.

"Missing?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

"They're gone," he said simply.

"Maybe they were just misplaced?" Virgil suggested.

"They weren't," said Muir. "I put them down two days ago. I remember where I put them."

"Maybe an animal got caught in it and took it with it?" I asked.

"That would only work for one or two," said Muir. "This whole section's missing."

"Do you think…" I trailed. "Could someone have taken them?"

"That would make sense," said Muir. "But it would've taken a while, and we probably would've noticed, right?"

"I haven't noticed anything like that during my night watches," I said. "And I think someone would've said something if they had."

"What about yesterday?" Muir asked. He turned to Virgil. "Did you or Isla see anything?"

"Not that I remember," said Virgil.

"That's so weird," I said. "I wonder where they went."

Alula Callahan, District 11, 15

I still think you should've confronted them.

Gazing around at my new setup, I knew she was wrong.

After sleeping near the river the first night, I'd awoken to the feeling of my stomach cramping. Cataleya told me I needed to eat, so I found a few plants and ate those. It hadn't really helped, but it didn't hurt so bad, so I was fine with it. I checked on my shoulder, which was very, very sore, but from what I could see, doing okay.

So then it was just me, Cataleya, and my knife.

Sitting by the river had quickly become boring. After another discussion, Cataleya and I had come to the conclusion that in order to be the perfect tribute, I needed to be interesting to watch. I needed to be someone the Gamemakers wanted to keep around. The best way to do that was to interact with other tributes. And I only knew where one group was, so after getting another drink of water from the river, I began to make my way back towards the Cornucopia. It had taken a little while, but eventually, I was able to make out the Cornucopia's wooden roof through the tree trunks. I heard some voices too.

Carefully, slowly, I'd crept forwards, my knife drawn, listening to what they were saying. From what I could tell, there were only two of them around.

"Did she really hit you on purpose?" the boy had asked.

"Yes!" said the girl.

The boy had begun to laugh. "That's awesome."

Attack now, whispered Cataleya. Their guard is down. Now is the perfect time.

I'd hesitated. That didn't seem like the best idea. I was injured and outnumbered, and they'd see me run up. Even if I was successful, I'd be making myself a target for their other allies.

Do it. Do it now, Cataleya insisted.

I had looked around carefully, taking in my surroundings. I had glanced at the ground, then did a double take.

Resting on the dirt floor of the arena was a loop of rope, sitting innocently in the midday light. I followed it around to a nearby tree. I quickly realized that it wasn't innocent- it was a trap. It had clearly been placed there deliberately.

I'd glanced back up at the Careers, who were still talking, oblivious to my presence.

Go!

I didn't want to fight.

What are you doing? she'd cried. Go!

For once, I'd pushed Cataleya's voice to the back of my head, focusing on what was in front of me. Carefully, I began to dismantle the trap, grateful I'd spent so much time by the snares station during training. I was about to take the materials when I'd noticed another trap next to it. And then another.

I'd looked back at the Careers, who had become quieter. They were still talking about something, but they were much more intense now. They still had no idea I was there. So I'd crept over a few feet and taken apart the next trap. And then I'd done the next. And the next.

Once my hands were too full to carry anything else, I'd gathered my stolen goods in my arms and, noticing a path off to the side, headed that way. As it had turned out, the path led to a lake. I'd decided to set up my new traps there, effectively booby-trapping the entire area. Then, I'd retreated into the trees, biding my time.

That was where I was now. The sun was setting, and I watched the colors of the sky reflect onto the lake.

I'm the perfect one here, not you, Cataleya whispered. You need to listen to me.

Honestly, I wasn't sure I would've survived an encounter with the Careers, especially so early in the Games.

You could've taken them. They would've never seen it coming.

Yes, they would've.

No, they wouldn't have.

Yes, they would.

To be honest- and this was something I was keeping from Cataleya- I was starting to have my doubts about her. It wasn't that I didn't want to be perfect, because I did. It was that I was starting to doubt her advice. I was positive that if I'd attacked the Careers yesterday, I'd have been in the sky last night, just like my district partner. And if it weren't for her, I wouldn't even be in the arena right now. I'd be safe at home.

Did Cataleya really have my best interest in mind? Or did she have other motives?

I pushed those thoughts out of my mind for now. Couldn't have Cataleya overhearing.

Ianto Baines, District 8, 16

"Hey," said Levi. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," I said.

I'd spent most of the day outside, distancing myself from Jess. I was tired of fighting with her, and that cabin got stuffy when the sun was up. It was just easier to stay outside. Now, the sun was slipping below the treeline. I was just taking in the view.

"I'm really glad you decided to stay," she said.

I shrugged. "Sure."

"No, really," she said. "When it comes down to it, you're my district partner. I don't want to lose you over a stupid fight."

"Thanks," I said.

She nodded. "Of course."

She watched the sunset with me for a moment. I looked over at her, and noticed she seemed tired. She had some bags under her eyes, like the ones I used to get when we were out late at a gig on a school night.

"You okay?" I asked.

She sighed. "I'll be fine."

"I thought we became allies because we wouldn't lie to each other," I said. "That was the deal."

"It was, I know," she said. She kicked at a rock, watching it roll down to the lake's edge. "I just… I keep thinking about my mom."

"Oh," I said. "Isn't she…"

"She's dead, yes," said Levi.

"I'm sorry," I said.

She shook her head. "It's okay," she said. "It's still kind of hard to wrap my head around the fact that she survived all this. But also, maybe she didn't."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She had mental health problems," said Levi. "And I can't help but believe that the Games made them so much worse, you know?"

"It's some pretty heavy stuff," I said. "It's a lot different to watch than to be in it. Like, if we were watching at home, I wouldn't have even flinched watching Salome when she died. We've seen the Games lots of times, so we're used to it. But watching it in person, when you know them… that was horrible."

"It was," she agreed. "It was really horrible."

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Sure."

"Which Games was she in?" I asked. "Your mom, I mean." I was genuinely curious.

"The 51st," she said. "I watched it once. It was hard to believe it was her doing those things. She did what she had to, and I know that, but it was really intense. There was this one part where she shoved a needle down someone's throat and they died."

"Wow," I said, shuddering at the thought. "That's… wow."

She nodded grimly. "I know."

"Maybe you don't have to do that," I suggested.

"I probably won't," she said. "It's not like I have any needles anyway. But I'll still have to kill someone eventually, and that really scares me."

"I'm not looking forward to that part either," I said. "Hopefully, though, we'll both still be around. We can help each other through it."

She looked over at me, a soft smile on her lips. "I hope so too."

"What are you smiling for?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just feel like this is the first time we've really connected. No info dumps, no fighting, just talking."

"I guess so," I agreed.

Sienna Asher, District 12, 14

There were no faces in the sky tonight. After the sun went down, I'd gone outside, joining Levi and Ianto to watch the fallen. Given that there'd been no cannons today, the lack of faces made sense. Afterwards, all three of us went back inside, giving Jess the report, and then prepared for the night ahead.

I much preferred the days to the nights. At nighttime, it got so dark. It was easy for my imagination to run wild. And then there were the nightmares.

"I'll take the first watch," I said. "I want to finish my net."

"Sounds good," said Ianto. "How's that coming along, by the way?"

"Pretty good," I said, pointing to the table it was resting on.

Weaving the net had been my project for the day. I'd gathered a bunch of tall plants from the side of the lake, and Levi had shown me how to weave them together the right way to make a net. Apparently Levi was a fashion designer back in Eight and was really good with fabrics, which I thought was really cool. I'd made a lot of progress once I'd gotten the hang of it. Ianto was planning to use it to go fishing tomorrow so we could extend some of our other food. Even with Salome gone, we ate a lot between the four of us. Especially Jess and Ianto.

Jess hobbled over to the couch. "I'll be here if you need me."

"How will you work on it in the dark?" asked Levi. "We can't turn on any lights."

I shrugged. "I'll manage. The moon is full."

"If you say so," said Levi. "I'll be in the other bedroom if you need me. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," I said.

Everyone else echoed their goodnights to each other, Ianto and Levi taking a bedroom each while Jess slept on the couch, her leg propped up with a backpack.

After a few hours, Jess woke up. "Hey," she said, stretching her arms.

"Hi," I said, glancing over at her from where I sat.

"I can take over now," she said. "You can have the couch."

"Thanks," I said, setting down my net. The work was definitely much slower in the dark, but I didn't mind. The tediousness was good at clearing my mind. Jess stood up and hopped over to the table, and I went over to the couch.

"Before you go to bed," said Jess, "we're all out of water. Would you mind getting some from the lake for me?"

I hesitated. "Now?"

"Yeah."

I glanced at the windows. Luckily it was a clear night, and the moonlight was decent enough that we could see somewhat well. Still, though, it was so dark.

Jess noticed my hesitation. "As long as you go quickly it'll be fine," she assured me. "Run out, scoop up some water, run back in."

I sighed, knowing Jess wouldn't drop it until I did as she asked. She'd already proven that with Ianto. "Okay."

"Thanks," said Jess, handing me an empty water pouch.

I nodded and walked over to the door, peeking out the front window. The night was still, the moonlight reflecting off the lake like a mirror. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves, and slipped through the front door.

The nights in the arena were much cooler than the hot days, and I was quickly grateful I'd worn my jacket. I looked around again: nothing was moving. I could see the lake from the front door. Sticking close to the trees lining the path, I began walking towards the lake, moving slowly to keep my heavy boots from making noise. After a few moments, I reached the lakefront. I dipped the pouch under the surface of the water, quickly filling it, and then turned to go back.

Crunch.

I crouched, tucking myself into a ball in order to hide, my heart racing. Thank God the plants by the lakeside were so tall. I prayed that it was just a squirrel or a cute bunny.

Crunch.

I stopped breathing, my limbs stiff with terror. It was another tribute, it had to be. Was this my end? I raised my head, looking around. The path back to the cabin was clear, but if I made a run for it, I'd put my friends in danger by showing where we were. I looked back towards the source of the noise and spotted a tall, dark figure. The figure took a step towards the lake, crouching down. In doing so, the moonlight hit his face, and I recognized him immediately.

It was Salome's killer.

Against my will, I started to hyperventilate. This was the face that had been haunting my dreams since we'd hit the arena. This was the guy who had already proven he was willing to murder fourteen-year-old girls in cold blood. And he was just across the lake, filling up his own water bottle, alone.

Where are his other allies? I wondered. They had to be around here somewhere. They were a package deal.

All of a sudden, he looked up, scanning the edges of the lake. I ducked back down, covering my mouth with my hand, desperately hoping he hadn't seen me. I waited there for a long time, heart racing, until I was sure I'd heard the crunching of his boots fade into the distance. Then, I hightailed it back to the cabin, downright running until I was safe behind the cabin's wooden walls.

"You okay?" Jess asked. "You were gone for a while. And you look like you've seen a ghost."

I took some deep breaths before I replied, trying to catch my breath. "I… yeah. I'm okay."

Dale Orion-Poplar, District 12, 17

The third day in the arena was rather uneventful once again. I was okay with that, though. Uneventful meant alive. Travis and I had talked a little, but conversation was still pretty awkward. Travis wasn't the most talkative of guys- I wasn't either, but something about being in the arena had changed that. I didn't want to die alone here. If I couldn't win this, maybe Travis could remember me as a friend.

There were no faces in the sky tonight. I wondered how Sienna was doing with her group of allies. I was starting to feel guilty about letting Aurelia spend all of her time on me. I'd effectively screwed Sienna over by letting her be ignored. I wasn't sure how to remedy that now, though, so I was just keeping an eye out for her and hoping she was okay. She's survived the Bloodbath, so she was already beyond Aurelia's expectations.

We'd settled into a routine by now: I kept lookout first, and Travis went second. We settled in for the night, Travis using our backpack as a pillow while I held on to the axe.

"Goodnight," I said.

"'Night," he replied. He fell asleep almost immediately, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I scanned the trees, keeping an eye out for danger. It struck me again how beautiful the arena was. If I had to pick a place to fight for my life, it would definitely be here. I'd always been an outdoorsy guy- at home, whenever I needed to get away, I'd sneak out and go beyond the fence. It wasn't electrified most of the time, so it was pretty easy to get away. And it's not like I was doing anything illegal out there; I just liked to sit by the river and relax. The sound of rushing water had to be the most relaxing sound in the world.

I started thinking about my mom again. I knew Aurelia had told me to drop the whole thing, but I just couldn't get it completely out of my head. It just made so much sense- getting me in the Games would serve as revenge against both my father and Mr. Wolfe. At the thought of Mr. Wolfe, a pang hit me. I wished I could see him again. He always knew what to do in tricky situations. He'd probably say something about how I needed to keep my guard up and other useful advice.

That was when I heard the unmistakable sound of a wolf's howl piercing through the night.

"Travis," I whispered, shaking his shoulder until he opened his eyes. "Did you hear that?"

"Hm?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Is it my turn?"

"No," I said. "Wake up."

He sat upright, his eyes widening. Another howl sounded off, louder this time. Closer. It was followed by snarling, and it definitely didn't sound friendly. I was positive they were heading right towards us.

Travis and I both jumped to our feet. Travis quickly slipped the backpack on while I held the axe.

"Let's go," he said, preparing to run.

"No, wait," I said. "If we run, they'll catch us."

"Not if we're fast," said Travis. "We can go through the river so they lose our scent."

An old piece of advice from Leo echoed through my mind: Climbing is always better than running for surviving wolves. If it's a bear, though, you're screwed.

I shook my head. "They're wolves. They're always faster. We have to climb."

"What?"

"Climb!" I hissed. I turned to the nearest tree and began to hoist myself up, desperately searching for handholds in the dark. The moon was full tonight, but the trees were doing a good job of obscuring most of that light. Travis ran to the next-closest tree and did the same, scrambling upwards as quickly as he could. We were both around ten feet off the ground when I let myself look down. Sure enough, three wolves were circling the trees we were in, snarling aggressively. I had no doubt that if we fell, they'd attack.

"You okay?" I called to Travis.

"Yeah," he responded. "You?"

"I'm okay," I said. "Going to keep climbing."

"Cool," said Travis, but his voice was shaky enough to reveal that everything wasn't cool. I had to agree.

I climbed another few feet, immensely thankful for my time outside Twelve's fence. My brother Leo had taught me how to climb trees out there, and how to avoid any predators who came close to the fence. Those skills had undoubtedly come in handy. I glanced down at my bracelet: in the dark, I couldn't make out the letters, but I already knew what it said. Eternal protection.

I mentally thanked my brother. Without his advice as protection, I'd probably be dead.

Journie Teffs, District 9, 17

Several hours after sunset, I was sitting up against a tree, keeping watch while Reese slept.

Yesterday was really scary. I knew for certain that if the Career hadn't warned us, we'd both be dead right now. Especially because the girl who killed Deltro was with him. Just the thought of it sent shivers down my spine. Luckily, we'd managed to grab our backpacks and escape through the window, running for our lives. We didn't stop until we reached the lake, and then put in some more distance just for safety. We didn't want to stray too far from the lake, though, because it was a source of food and water.

Thankfully, today had been more quiet. We'd done a lot of gathering, and had a pretty nice supply of food built up. It wasn't exactly the tastiest- what I would do for some Capitol food right now- but it filled our stomachs and gave us energy, and that was what was important. Every once in a while, we talked a little, but we spent most of the day working.

No one died today. Part of me was happy about that, but the other part was wishing I was a few steps closer to getting home. I didn't like that part of me as much, though, so I shoved those thoughts down. As long as we were safe, that was what was important right now.

I sighed. Aside from some action here and there, it turned out that actually being in the Games could get kind of boring sometimes. I also hadn't realized how much paranoia was involved. Every time I heard a noise, I would tense, and my hands reflexively curled into fists. Especially during the nights, like right now, every time I thought I heard a twig snap or a footstep, my heart started to race.

Snap.

I reassured myself again that it was nothing. No one was near us. I looked around, only seeing trees and the faint shadows created by the moonlight. Everything was fine.

Thud.

I reached for a knife, gripping it tightly as I looked around again. That one was a little louder.

Crunch.

"Reese," I whispered. "Reese?"

"Hmm?" they asked, rolling over. They didn't wake up.

"Shhh," I said. I shifted from a sitting position into a squat, being careful not to cut myself. I was sure there was something nearby. Maybe it was just an animal- we'd seen a few squirrels and even a rabbit once- but there was always the chance that it wasn't.

Suddenly, my breath caught. One of the shadows had definitely moved this time. I slowly stood, holding the knife out in front of me. Maybe if I let them know we were on to them, they'd leave us alone.

"Hello?" I asked. "I know you're there."

The shadow moved again. This one was shorter than the trees- was I actually seeing something, or were my eyes playing tricks on me? I took a hesitant step forward, brandishing my knife.

"Who's there?" I asked.

Out of nowhere, a flash of light hit my eye, blinding me for a moment. When my vision cleared, I saw the knife about ten feet in front of me. The moonlight must've reflected off of it and into my eye. I followed the knife to the owner, somewhat recognizing her face.

She was pale, and the arm holding her knife was shaking. Her long brown hair was braided like the other girls, and her eyes were wide with fear. I glanced at her shirt, looking for a district number, but it was too dark to make out.

"Stay back," she said, her voice trembling. "Let me leave in peace and no one gets hurt."

I raised my hands into the air. "I'm not going to hurt you," I said. "Are you okay?"

She shifted her weight from foot to foot, glancing over at Reese behind me.

"Reese won't hurt you either," I said. "They're pretty against violence."

She hesitated. She was clearly terrified. I felt bad for her.

"What's your name?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

"I-" She looked from me to Reese again, unsure of what to do.

"I'm Journie," I said. "And again, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Chaney," she said after a moment. She didn't lower her knife, though.

"Nice to meet you," I said, eyeing her weapon. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said.

"Enough food? Enough water?"

She hesitated again.

"I'm going to take that as a no, then?"

"I… I haven't found any water," she said. "Acadia sent me a little, but it's all gone now."

Poor kid, I thought.

"We have some," I said. "There's a lake nearby. Do you want some?"

"You won't hurt me?" she asked.

"We won't hurt you," I confirmed. "I'd have to ask Reese, but assuming you don't hurt us either, we're probably open to an alliance."

"An alliance," she echoed.

"Yes, an alliance," I said. "There's safety in numbers, after all. What do you think?"

She rocked back and forth for a moment, thinking. "You said there's water?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Deal," she said. She lowered her knife. She tentatively stepped forward, timidly shaking my outstretched hand.

"Hey, Reese?" I said, nudging them with my foot.

"Hmm?" they asked again, still not fully awake.

"We'll tell them in the morning," I said. "It isn't far off anyway."

Augustus Braun, District 1 Mentor, 35

"How's your rogue doing?" I asked.

Godric sighed. "He's alive, at least for now."

"That's always a bonus," I replied.

"I still can't believe he did that," he said, shaking his head. "Came out of nowhere."

"Did it, though?" I asked, stretching a little. Mentoring wasn't the worst thing in the world, but sitting at this desk all day made me so stiff.

"What do you mean?" Godric asked.

"I've been Mentoring for nearly twenty years," I said. "I've had a few trained tributes pull stunts like this, and there's always signs."

"He was their leader," said Godric. "There were no signs."

I shook my head. "Did you see him during the Bloodbath, though?" I asked. "And you still haven't told me where Claudia is. I'm willing to bet that has something to do with it."

Godric glanced around the room, obviously trying to make sure no one was listening. No one was. Kellin, whose desk was closest, wasn't even there. He'd spent most of his time with Albert since his tributes died. "She's at the hospital."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Something broke inside," he replied. "She thought we were in the Games again, and that we were all trying to kill her."

"Is everyone okay?" I asked.

"No one got hurt," said Godric. "Thank God."

"Well, did your tributes see it?" I asked.

He sighed. "They did."

"There you go," I said. I glanced back at the screen on the wall. "Honestly, leaving might not have been the worst call. I'm not feeling great about this group."

"Why not?" Godric asked. "They're all strong players. And they're all still alive."

"Yes, sure, but their dynamics aren't great," I said. "Someone's going to turn on someone, and they're going to do it soon. The Four boy is the one in the middle. He's got the power right now. Whoever he chooses to side with will come out the other side, which means I'm losing a tribute either way."

Godric glanced at the screen I was looking at. It flipped to the Careers. Four of them were sleeping in the Cornucopia while Glowla kept watch. "I hope Sadie doesn't get caught up in it," he finally said.

"All we know for sure is that it'll be a game-changer," I said.

*No eulogies today!

Kills:

Glowla- 1 (Ethan)

Caligula- 1 (Salome)

Sadie- 1 (Deltro)

Damion- 1 (Halley)

Muir- 2 (Damion, Parker)

Travis- 1 (Samuel)

Alliances:

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

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

Quiet/Mysterious/Chill Bros: Travis, Dale

The Pacifists: Chaney, Journie, Reese

Loners: Caligula, Ainsley, Alula

So that's day three! I hope you guys still enjoyed it even though no one died. Hopefully it was still exciting? Be sure to let me know what you're thinking! You guys have been leaving some really thoughtful reviews lately and I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

Just a heads up, updates will be a little slower after this one- closer to once a week instead of twice. Partially to prevent burnout, but also because I start class tomorrow. If you're dying for updates from me at any point, (shameless plug) check out the other HG story I have going right now! It's called It Takes Two and it's canon in this AU. No pressure though. Next update for ETT will be this weekend at the very latest. Blog will be updated ~momentarily~.

See you guys on Day 4!

-r-b*