I forgot to ask for parade outfits, so that was my fault. Careen, however, did have an outfit listed and I forgot to look since most Tributes didn't have one. It was an angelfish-inspired dress, so I wasn't that far off. Sorry about that.

I also forgot to mention that Zinnia was supposed to have a field worker outfit. She jumped from her chariot halfway through the parade and yelled at the Peacekeepers until they removed her from the parade.

Hiyas Tonto

It was nice to be with people who were on my level. I could swing around a mace with the other Careers and cheer them on as they practiced their own weapons. Of course it was also nice to look at the ladies. They were in great shape, after all.

Careen was my particular favorite. I dug her long legs and wavy hair. If we didn't have to kill each other, maybe we could have been friends. She wasn't as rich as a lot of Careers, so she didn't go to the Academy every day like I did. She was nervous about her skills, so I started sparring with her. She used double knives, and she wasn't perfect, but she was better than I was.

"You were already good, but you're a lot better now," I said after a session.

"You really think so?" she asked. She didn't need me to boost her confidence, but everyone likes a compliment.

"Yeah! You're going to take the others by surprise. Not that they think you're bad," I added when her face fell. "There's just always someone who's going to think he's better than you."

"Thanks! Hey, I'm gonna go try out the swords for a while. Thanks for helping," she said.

I'd expected her to go for me right away, but not all girls were like the bimbos back home. And as hard as it was to admit, I had stiffer competition here. There were lots of boys as athletic as I was. I'd have to step up my game.

Karyssa Evans

Most of the Careers spent their time with weapons they already knew. I wanted to compensate for my weaknesses, so I went to the hand-to-hand station. I'd never been good at that. My reach was small and I could never remember all the different body parts that had to be in position for a strike.

I always hoped it would magically come to me each time I practiced. It never did, and this time wasn't different. It was embarrassing to get thrown by even the beginner sparring partners in front of everyone. I could feel the eyes of the outliers on me, thinking maybe they had a chance.

It was risky practicing a skill I was so bad at. The other Careers might think I wasn't worth their time. They might kick me out of the pack, or keep me in just to target me. I'd have to go to a station I knew next, like spears or throwing stars, to let them know I meant business.

Or maybe I didn't have to. Sometimes it was the Tributes that seemed weakest who won, like the two ghosts from Six. No one remembered they were there, and no one thought to kill them. It was gutsy to hope everyone would underestimate me so much they'd let their guards down, but every strategy was a risk in the Games.

I wasn't sure, but I still had time. I also had to balance that possible strategy with the risks of alienating my sponsors. One put a lot of time and energy into the Academy. If I looked like a waste of all that, they wouldn't want to spend any more money on me. In some Arenas, it was nearly impossible to win without sponsors. I thought of the cold Arena so long ago. Half the Tributes died the first day. The Careers lived until the end because they were the only ones who had coats. There were a lot of decisions to make before the private sessions.

Theo Kasius

After I got selected and volunteered, it seemed like the hard part was over. Most of the Tributes were scared- for good reason- but I was excited. Even in Two, we hardly ever got to leave the District. I was excited to see the Capitol and all the new things in Panem. The train ride showed me more of our country than I'd ever seen. I wanted more, and that meant I had to win.

I explored the entire Games building the first day of training. I'd already trained all my life. A few more days wouldn't do anything but make me nervous and show the others exactly what I could do. When night fell, I rounded up the rest of the Careers and we went to the top of the building. The lights of the Capitol stretched on as far as I could see, like the city never ended.

"Did you ever see anything like this?" I asked. We had cities in Two, but not like this. Everything seemed so spartan at home, like we were so used to cold stone that it bled into our souls.

"Some people get nervous when they can't see land. For me, it's weird not being able to see water," Careen said.

"You don't have mountains in Four, right?" I asked.

"No, it's flat. Just a lot of beaches. A few cliffs, I guess," Angelo said. It was weird thinking about how different all the Districts were. There were entire other worlds hidden in my own country. There was so much to see and do, and the only way to get there was to volunteer. It was funny that I had to spend my entire life stuck in a building in order to get a chance to see what was outside. When I thought about winning, my favorite part to imagine was the Victory Tour. I wanted to go on the train and see all the other Districts, places I'd only heard about. It was great to see the Capitol, but I wanted more. We each got a tiny sliver of Panem. I wanted it all.

Valerie Lenn

I thought a long time before I wrote the letter. I wasn't sure what the protocol was for sending messages back home, but it would probably get to him somehow.

Dear Jason,

Well, I'm finally here. It's not quite what I had in mind. Back there, the Careers are the coolest of the cool. Here, I'm just another Tribute. It's weird to think no matter how much I train, I'm still just one Tribute in 24. I'm not scared or anything, but maybe I should have looked at the other options more closely. Like, cousin Barb is a cook, but she's still super cool even though she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a spear.

Everything here is nice and all, but it's really not that much better than home. They don't know how to make smoked bacon right. I hope I'm not as annoying as the other Careers. Some of them never stop bragging, but I guess some things never chance.

Don't let me get you down. I'm having a lot of fun and all. It's just a little underwhelming. Maybe it gets better once you're a Victor. And really, there's not much point in having two Victors in a family. We'd already be rich and get to live in the Victor's Village. It would be more impressive if you became the Academy Headmaster. Everyone who won after you would owe it all to you. We'd be the greatest family in Two.

I should get going. I have to train and all that stuff. I hope you're having a good time, but don't knock yourself up. It's not really all it's cracked up to be. Hope I see you soon.

Love,

Valerie

Angelo Tempest

Careers don't associate with outliers. They're the prey, and they're not worth our time. I hardly knew what to do with myself during training, though. I didn't want everyone to know I used poisons, and among the Careers, I was only mediocre with the other weapons. I mostly wandered around and watched the others show off.

Before long I'd had enough. There was sure to be a library around somewhere. I could read about plants and medicine there without anyone bothering me. I asked a passing Avox, and she lead me to a sign and pointed out where the library was. I thanked her and set off.

I would have expected a huge, opulent chamber of books, but the Capitol apparently didn't think much of reading. The door to the library was just like any of the others.

As I walked through it, I bumped into someone. She gasped and backed away like she'd offended me. I saw it was the girl from Nine, and she looked terrified.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" she said, and she shrank back with her hands over her mouth.

"It's okay. I didn't even see you," I said. I didn't know what she was so upset about. I tried to say something else, but she ran back into the room and slipped through a side door.

I felt sick to my stomach when I understood. I was a Career. She was an outlier. To her, I was the boogeyman. I was the big scary monster who was going to hunt her down just because of what she was. I left the Academy because of all the bullies there. I hated them, always picking on anyone smaller and making trouble for no reason. I never wanted to be like them. But to her, that's what I was.

Careen Ellis

"The others seem really strong. I don't know if I'm that good," I confessed to Mags. I didn't go to the Academy every day like most of them. But then, Angelo didn't either. Maybe Four was the weakling of the Careers this time.

"They picked you out of all the candidates," Mags said. "And there's more to winning than killing. It's called the Hunger Games, not the Murder Games. I didn't win by killing. Back then, Victors often didn't. I won because I didn't go hungry."

"That's right, isn't it?" I wondered aloud. "You only fought one other Tribute." The other boy was weak with hunger by then. Mags didn't even have to kill him. She just wounded him and retreated to wait it out.

"A Victor needs to know how to survive. That's all that matters. Above all, adapt. Be ready for any Arena. Know how to fish, but also know how to light a fire," Mags said. Of course she knew what she was talking about, and I had mad respect for her. She was Four's first Victor. She was a legend.

"You don't have to be the strongest. You only have to be stronger than your opponent. You can know everything there is no know about fighting, but if you haven't eaten in a week, none of it will help you," she said.

"So I should study plants?" I asked. Mags waved her hand.

"Plants are hard to tell apart. I almost killed myself with water hemlock thinking it was a parsnip. Are there any plants you already know?" she asked.

"I mean, I know seaweed, and I know I can eat dandelions," I said.

"Focus on those. I ate almost nothing but fish for three weeks. Starvation is your main enemy. The Games won't be long enough for malnutrition to be a problem. All Victors have scurvy. Just eat enough to be strong," she said.

I'd been going about it all the wrong way. I'd thought winning was about outfighting and outthinking. Those were both important, but they were means to an end. Winning was all about outlasting.