Hi everyone! Right, now we're on to the second day of training.

Apologies - FF was broken so I tried to upload and couldn't, and then this last weekend I had an injury at work and hurt my head, so I've just been resting up. I'm a lot better now though :)

I hope the alliance structure was okay last chapter, this time I'm going to switch it up slightly to give you some variety. I think I'll likely follow a similar format to Seeping Wounds with alliances (without the eight POV long chapters oof). I showcased some alliances in the beginning and I showed others already made, but then explained how they came to be. I always found that this was the easiest way to write things coming together without it getting too repetitive.

Let me know how you feel about it!

Thanks to contemporarydancer2, BamItsTyler and ladyqueerfoot who reviewed!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games in any way, shape or form. I only own the arena I have created.

"When the mind is talking, it is talking to itself." ~Plato

Cleveland "Cleve" Garfield, Thirteen, District Eleven Male

I'm being treated like a child, who would've thought it?

Being in the Capitol is bad enough, where the faces of people are stretched wide with artificial smiles and pigmented colours. What I hate most, however, is how everyone seems to coo over me, as if I'm some delicate baby, unable to defend myself or have any kind of rational thought process. Despite it all, I hoped to reject such advances, but I guess it can't be helped. Sometimes you have to play along, and even though I don't want to, I know that's what I have to do.

The boy from Nine, Barric, asked me to meet him in the rooftop garden last night. I wasn't sure why until I saw the boy from Six and Barric's district partner there too. An alliance, of course. I'd been devising a strategy to get allies, but it seems that I didn't really need to strategise at all. I wasn't stupid enough to reject the offer of an alliance; I know that allies will be there to help me in the Games, even if two of them are young like me. I can tell that Barric is strong enough to survive on his own, which is why I feel so confused now. What does he see in us? Two thirteen-year-olds and a twelve-year-old aren't going to make a world of difference in the Hunger Games without a lot of luck on their side.

Thinking about it now, we're not an ordinary, crying, snivelling group of younger tributes. The boy from Six, Geoni, has a mind for information and an incredible one at that. The girl from Nine, Aline, is somewhat meditative and thoughtful, but there's an edge to her as well; I can see her little eyes dart from us to the weapon stations, specifically at a pair of butterfly swords. It was obvious enough to me that she might have used them before, but could a girl like her really be that deadly with them? Barric, of course, is a model tribute. He's strong, smart and he can swing a weapon with enough force to cleave a dummy in two.

The elevator ride down to the training centre was quiet enough. I haven't spoken much to Morgana, my district partner, and she hasn't really spoken to me. I think we both know that we didn't want to ally with each other and she gave me more of an outlier career vibe anyway. Looking over now, I can see her practising with a bow, preparing herself for the upcoming slaughter.

Geoni, Aline, Barric and I are at the trap setting station, brushing up on our snare knowledge so that we can catch game out in the arena. I suspect that there'll be animals around for us to kill, but then again, Barric has told us to expect nothing. Gamemakers have ruined Games by adding in stupid elements to entertain the Capitol, so I guess that could easily apply to what's to come next.

"Nice work, Geoni!" Barric calls, congratulating the young boy as he completes a trap. "You'll be good at these in no time."

Even though I don't see myself as someone who needs mothering, Barric is the perfect ally. He's encouraging, gentle, and just all-around determined for all of us to do well. I don't know if he has siblings, but there's something about him that tells me that there's no way he doesn't. He just gels so well with us that it's impossible to imagine our alliance without him.

"Thanks!" Geoni chirps, happy to have completed the trap. "I'm thankful that the calibration of all necessary angles included in this contraption have reached a level of accuracy that would be perfect for future use."

I hide a smile, Geoni's words are complicated and rambling. It's clear he's smart, but half of the things he says goes right over my head. It's insane how he's the same age as I am, and yet his mind is so powerful. I'm not so different though, am I? I have a way about the world, eyes that have seen and a mind that knows. I'm not fazed by what's coming, because I was prepared for the worst. You can't sugar-coat the truth, and my parents knew that. I'm smart in a different way, aware in a useful way.

Aline's eyes dart over to the swords again and I smile properly this time, nudging her and catching her attention while Barric continues to encourage Geoni.

"Why don't you just go and practice with them?" I question her.

"Huh?" Aline asks, nonchalant. She's trying to play the fool.

"I'm not dumb," I tell her. "You've been watching them all morning. Go and practice with them. It might be your only chance to do so. I'll come with you if you want?"

"I don't want to make myself a target," Aline explain hesitantly, but even so, her eyes dart over again. "If the Careers see me…I'd rather they ignore me than try to find me."

I nod at this; she's not wrong. Using her skills too early would attract the attention of the Careers, and that could be a dangerous move, especially since our alliance doesn't have the strongest of members. Despite this, I know I want to practice some weapons at some point too. You can't really win the Hunger Games by not killing someone, so I need to be prepared for that possibility. Getting up, I brush myself down and give Aline a look.

"You're right," I explain. "But I think it's better to practice than to lose your touch."

Barric looks up at this point, raising his eyebrow.

"What's going on?" he questions.

"I'm going to head over to the weapons station," I inform him, glancing briefly at Aline. "I think we should practice some self-defence."

"Okay," Barric agrees, shrugging. "Let's go over together. I don't want any Careers to get in your way."

Together, the four of us leave the trap-making station and head over to the closest weapon's rack, Aline shooting me a confused look as we go. As we walk, I desperately try to avoid looking over at where the careers are. Sure, I'm mature enough to face the facts, but that doesn't stop the careers from lowkey scaring the hell out of me. Adept with weaponry, stronger and faster than most – anything could happen. I soon find my fingers hovering over some darts, unsure of if I can do this.

Could I kill someone? Could I become a victor if I really wanted to?

Yes, but only if I don't lose myself in the process.

Filla Amirylis, Fifteen, District Twelve Female

There's nobody as lost in themselves as much as Shion is.

He's retreated from me, which is a constant reminder of his fragmented mind. He doesn't seem to say much and he barely interacts with me, although I can tell that his strength is waning. No matter how often he pushes me away, I just feel like Shion is the type who wouldn't mind listening to my rambling words and odd sentences. I will get there with him, I believe in him that much! I know that if we try, we will be able to communicate somehow, in some way.

Despite it all, I've stuck with Shion as soon as I saw him. During the chariot rides, he seemed so afraid and full of pain, and I feel like that's something I can try to heal. Beyond the veil of his sanity, there lies an empty void of traumas and worries, but they don't faze me. Never have I, Filla Amirylis, been unable to make someone smile.

Yet there Shion is, unsmiling and brooding, hiding in the shadowed corner of the tribute centre, with me sat here trying to gently coax him out. Candles seem to attract him, although he often stares up at the electric lights in wonder too. I'm unsure of why this is, but the guy does seem to be more attracted to shadows to admire lights from afar. I don't question that type of thing, so I haven't asked anyone about it. It's almost fascinating. I don't think I've ever seen anyone like it in Twelve.

While I'm trying to coax him out, I've had the ingenious idea of collecting the paint pots from the camouflage station. I'm not really much of a painter, but even with my shoddy artwork, I'm confident that I can carve out the shape of a flame. Collecting the pots from the nearby station, I move back and forth while checking on Shion, who is watching me, unimpressed from the corner. Well, at least I seem to have his attention. I set up the pots in a row before grabbing the largest paintbrush I can see and swirling the colours together on the floor. Honestly? It looks a mess, but I persevere. Just because I don't have skills in painting, it doesn't mean that I can't convey images, and that's all I want to do.

After some time of messing around with the colours, I draw a jagged, purple-black flame on the floor. It's somewhat a poor representation of fire, but I do the best that I can from memory, before stepping aside and showing it to Shion.

For a moment, the boy doesn't move. Then he sighs boredly and slowly moves over to my flame. He brushes his fingers gently against it, his hand coming away in black paint.

"Hm…" he mutters, his black eyes taking in the picture before him.

As soon as he makes a sound, I relax in relief. I must have finally done something to gain his undivided attention.

"So you like fire? Or light?" I ask pointing at the lights above us, beaming down and humming gently with electricity.

Shion doesn't really answer; more so he gives me a look as if this fact was obvious.

"Will you tell meebout the light?" I ask, my words mashing together, a typical trait resurfacing.

The words pass my lips without even thinking about it, but there's something to Shion that keeps me here. Somewhere deep inside, he's smart. Just because he was reaped from the sanatorium doesn't mean he's delusional. My mentor Luke said people are likely to be smart and crazy in the games, and I feel like Shion's the same way. Shion pauses at my question, turning around to look at me. Is this the first time anyone's asked him that? For a moment, I wonder if he's ever understood me. His black eyes seem like two endless voids that hold nothing to them. No fire, no sadness, nothing. Just emptiness.

Slowly, he nods, although he wrinkles his nose at the paint. He doesn't seem into the whole drawing thing, but regardless, he doesn't stop. Pulling a pot of paint towards him, he dips his fingers into the thick liquid and begins drawing on the floor. His movements are delicate yet swift, and somewhat decent as he begins drawing what looks to be some kind of storyboard. I remember storyboards; we had to do them in school once or twice. My art teacher said something along the lines of "you can convey an image in more than just words." and I guess through pictures, any story can be told. Shion's attitude, however, is resident boredom. I can make him talk though! That's a big step.

Shion draws pictures I can't seem to understand; at least at first. Slowly I begin to see his frantic fingers trace shapes that I recognise. He seems to be completely focused on his task, almost obsessively so, his fingers trembling as he traces the murky shapes on the floor of the training centre. Part of me feels self-conscious, and I cast a glance over my shoulder. Nobody really seems to be giving us much attention, too intent on learning something about weaponry or survival before going into the Games.

Turning back to Shion, I can see that he's moved on to his next picture. The first one is a somewhat depressing painting – a boy stands shrouded in a dark mist, reaching out towards black windows and running from shadows. Shion is quick to draw a candle in his second picture, with the boy reaching out to it.

Is this his life story?

Was this what I meant, asking him about the light? Was this how he discovered it, became interested in it?

A boy in the darkness, reaching out for the light? Why does this story resonate with me so much? Is it because I too, try to find the positive in everything? The insane and the optimistic…that's a team I don't think anyone's considered. Out of the darkness and into the light – maybe there'll be victory waiting for us there?

I can only believe that such an idea will come true.

Shura Blackburn, Sixteen, District Eight Male

There's a truth to the idea I'll win this thing.

Y'know some days you just feel confident, and today is one of those days.

I'm buzzin'! I can feel the energy rolling off me in waves, and I'm pretty sure it's the adrenaline, or maybe the four cups of coffee I had this morning. Whatever they put in that shit is good.

I've completed the obstacle course, the climbing wall, the rope course, the racetrack, and the knife-throwing station all in the space of about half an hour, much to the displeasure of my new poor ol' buddy ol' pal Lewis from the big one-two! District Twelve doesn't sound all too exciting, but this guy is pretty awesome and he actually seems to care about talking and training with me, so we've been hanging out since this morning.

Sure, I've beaten him at almost all forms of racing, climbing, or jumping, but Lewis really has the knack for the all-rounder type stuff. The kid knows some survival, general sword skills and he doesn't run out of breath five seconds into a race. That's something I can appreciate in an ally. He's a decent dude, not bad to talk to, easy on the eyes, all that good stuff. Close enough to stick with, but not familiar enough for me to be bothered about cutting him down if I've got to. Sounds about right.

Lewis and his ally, Dathan have kind of joined me in a pack of sorts. I met with Dathan briefly, but he went off to look for more allies. Shame. He's hot.

Tossing the small blade in the air, I catch it neatly before sending it flying neatly into the target. I'm a pretty good shot, with sharp eyes and sharper crazy, so I'm pretty much set for the Games. Can't be too cocky though! Nothing like some extra allies or training to boost your chances of staying alive.

Lewis is taking a breather to the side of me. Judging by his flushed face and the beads of sweat across his brow, he's more worn out than I am. As I said, I'm buzzin' and full of life. Let's train and shit. I begin to incorporate some fancy twirls in my throwing, and my aim gets pretty bad, but it's fine because it's fun and I'm messing around on purpose, making Lewis laugh with all the dumb stuff I'm doing.

"Oi Colt, my aim's not bad huh?" I demonstrate this with another poorly aimed blade.

"Remind me why you call me that again?" Lewis asks, inspecting a sword on one of the nearby racks.

"Coltsfoot, Colt, yadda yadda, Lewis is a fucking boring name and I like spicing it up," I throw him a wink, my mind instantly going to the gutter. "I could spice it up with you, eh?"

"Gross," Lewis smirks, but he's not bothered by it. "I don't mind the name. I'm good with Colt."

"Good, cus' I didn't ask and I'm calling you it anyway." I laugh. "Thanks for being a friend to someone like me, Colt. I know I'm weird lookin' but I'm just another dude. A cool one, note that down."

"Oh I've committed it to memory," Lewis chuckles. "You must have a lot of friends at home though, right? You're pretty friendly."

"Yeah but y'know, they're not like you," I trill romantically, and Lewis hurls. "Yeah, there's people. I got Zull and his gang but they kinda do their own stuff. I do my own thing too, but I help out. I dunno, you're different. If one of us has to die for the other to win then I'm glad I found a friend to ride the shitstorm with, am I right Colt?"

"Right," Lewis nods. "I'm glad that I have someone to watch my back, Dathan as well. You guys aren't like some of the other tributes here. Some people look like they're prepared to just rip me in half. It's good to find someone genuine."

I consider Lewis' words, thinking about what's he's said. He's not wrong; the Careers for one are the type to kill just about anyone, so I wouldn't blame him for coming to me. I mean, I'm awesome, damn right! Sure a few Careers are anyone's threat but I'm a duck and weave kinda guy and they're just rigid with their training and their predictability. That's why it's fun to be wild.

The more I look at it, the more Lewis feels like he's closer to me than my friends back home. Hey, that's probably because at least one of us is going to die.

"Hey, you okay?" Lewis asks, tilting his head, his brown eyes watching me carefully.

They're all concerned.

I mean, c'mon, if a wild, rabid lookin' street rat bounced up to you, high off of nothing, wouldn't you be worried?

"Huh, I guess I never thought of it like that," I answer. "Well, fuck 'em. We're as good a team as any. You, me, Dathan, we're legendary. Maybe we'll find a lady to bring to our alliance. I hear forests are fully soundproof. I could fu-"

"Shura!" Lewis cursed, laughing again, almost falling over mid-swing. "You're unbelievable."

"Well, what can you say?" I smirk. "When the woods have got wood, you can put it to use. Consent included, obvs."

"I'm done," Lewis sighs, putting his hand up in surrender. "You've got me."

"Alright, I'll let you live," I respond, lazily throwing another knife into the target. "But real talk, is there anyone you think we could team up with?"

"I mean I can see a few, but I'm not sure who we should go for," Lewis shakes his head. "We could stick with the three of us, but it might be useful to have a couple of other people to help out."

"Oooh, meat shields, I like it," I agree.

"Not like that." Lewis shakes his head, beginning to walk away, leaving me to bounce along after him. He's probably looking for Dathan since we don't know where the hell he is. "I think it would be better if we had a team. If it ends up being us against the Careers, I want to stand a chance."

"Right, gotcha," I mutter. Again, Lewis is right. Man, I've gotta get this dude on a salary or somethin', cus' without him, I'd be risking my neck out there on my own.

"Shura, please promise me one thing?" Lewis asks me.

"Sure Colt, what you got?"

"Try not to flirt with everything that moves, okay?"

A whine bubbles up in my throat as I hop from foot to foot. Ugh, really? I can't flirt with anyone? That's the whole point of this thing, and flirting with people can make 'em uncomfortable. In my book, that's class A manipulation. Before I realise it, Lewis has moved away and I run after him, wanting to keep up. He's gotta understand that I wanna let loose!

"C'mon Colt, don't go leaving me high and dry!"

Ashton Metz, Sixteen, District Seven Male

"Hey, uh, can I borrow that?"

My hand trembles as I reach for a wooden stick near the girl from Ten. The both of us have settled down at the fire-starting station and aside from initial awkward hellos, we haven't made a great deal of progress. I'm definitely a people person, but taking the first step can be difficult sometimes, especially when your head is clouded by thoughts of changes that you don't know how to deal with right now.

Nobody ever expects to be reaped for the Hunger Games, but this sudden change is just too much for my mind at this moment. I'm tense like a live wire, a length of rope taut and stretching; I feel like I want to explode because of the switch in environments, the food, the people, the lifestyle…it's all so different. It's funny really because on the outside I'm such a calm person, but on the inside, all of me is screaming, worrying, despairing.

Usually, I have June to calm me down at home. My sister is someone who can make the rainy day go away and to banish the worries that wail in my ears. Of course, it makes sense to expect the worst, especially now that self-preservation seems so damn impossible. My angry tantrum at the reapings was enough to cause embarrassment, and I'm not sure about how I'll perform in training. I've learnt a few things from the stations, but I've been working on autopilot, and my mind-numbing existence has been a reality for the last few days.

"Here, you needed this, right?"

It's the Ten girl again, bringing me back from the edge of my ever-receding thoughts. Instantly I remind myself what I'm here for. Helping others is a strength of mine, even if I have trouble sorting myself out sometimes.

"Thanks," I respond. "How's the fire going, Ten?"

I'm not sure how I can speak to someone right now, but I manage to. It's the most trivial of conversation starters, but I know that with our training time running out, I've got to have a familiar face in the crowd.

"I'm Lenore, and it's going well, thanks," the girl says, brushing away a strand of blonde hair. "It's not like roasting old skeleton bones but it'll do."

I blink for a second, horrified at her words, but her tone and the way she smiles makes me realise that she's joking. Dark humour. Right. Got it.

"So what's your name?" Lenore prompts. "You're from Seven right? Why aren't you swinging around axes like a madman?"

"My name is Ashton," I smile faintly. "I mean, sure we use axes in Seven but I think I might prefer to use a dagger or a sword. I've never used an axe since I didn't work in the forest. I'm more of an odd job handyman."

"So kind of a wildcard, then?" Lenore raises an eyebrow. "I was the undertaker's daughter back in Ten. I'm around death all the time, but it doesn't make the idea of dying overly attractive."

"That makes two of us," I sigh. "I'm just trying to come to the terms with the fact I could be the first one to die if I'm not careful."

"You're careful," Lenore responds eerily. "I can see it in your face. You should be. We're in the Hunger Games after all. One mistake could kill any of us."

Beyond the somewhat creepy nature of Lenore, I see her as a genuine person, or as least a genuine as someone can be in a fight to the death. She said it herself; she's used to death, being an undertaker's daughter, so that could actually be useful in disposing of other tributes. I don't know how I feel about killing someone, but Lenore might be able to put things into a new perspective for me.

I'm torn between being tactical or helpful. Kind or rational. Manipulative or trusting.

My angle for the Capitol is a mess. I don't have any allies, besides the mere possibility of Lenore. That and I haven't really had much training in anything before I got here. All of these concerns are building slowly up inside of me, ready to be expelled in a fit of anger against the Capitol. Why did it have to be me? Why did I have to be the one to be chosen?

There we go again. My mind is on a constant worrying cycle as if someone continues to spin me around and around, throwing knives to see which one hits. The thing is, I'm not usually like this, and that makes things all the more difficult. I'm friendly, personable and helpful, and yet right now I can barely distract myself from the thoughts swimming in my head.

Snap out of it. I tell myself. This is not the time for stupid mind games.

Returning to June and my Dad is my final goal, and that's all I should be thinking about. Yes, I want to be friendly, and yes, I want allies and companions to help me through this process. However, I have to remember that my life is delicately balanced on the tip of every sharpened weapon that will be in that arena.

Okay, allies first, training second, the rest third. Be me, help others and maybe end up as the Capitol's sweetheart.

"Hey, Lenore," I muse, smelling smoke and the fire ignites before me. "I think I've got it."

Lenore, who's still struggling with her station, looks over at mine with raised eyebrows, impressed.

"You could burn somebody's ashes with that," she smiles jokingly, and this time, I smile right back.

"Yeah, I really could. Do you want help with yours?"

Oh wow, two days of training gone? Well, it looks like we are well and truly eating into our time at the Capitol. We've got a couple of new alliances, and now we're really starting to shape up how the Games is going to look going forward, but not yet! There's still some arrangements to be made, and we've got a third training day to get through first. After that, sessions, scores, interviews, the night before and finally the launch ;)

Alliances:

The Career Pack:

Adira Linett, Austin Ogara, Vanity Genot, Landon Caruso, Aisha Cain, Orion Trent

Quartets:

Geoni Proctor, Barric Roland, Aline Liu, Cleveland "Cleve" Garfield

Trios:

Shura Blackburn, Dathan Corvair, Lewis Coltsfoot

Duos:

Naydene Carmello, Nova Lupin

Isabella "Izzy" Moire, Leigha Tullson

Shion Qing, Filla Amirylis

Ashton Metz, Lenore Van Duren

Do you think Cleve will work well with his alliance with his mature outlook on life?
How do you feel Shion and Filla will get on now that they can communicate?
Shura's the hot stuff! Him, Lewis and Dathan are allies, how do you feel about that?
Do you think Ashton can sort out his problems with all this change?

Let me know what you thought of the chapter – you know I always appreciate the feedback :)

Over and out!
~Mental