Lizbeth "Liz" Tulle-17 (District 8 Female)
I'm not gonna lie. I fully expected this whole Luciana thing to blow up in our faces. And I went out of my way to make sure that Pallas knew that.
It was the safe bet, after all. Especially since there were so many variables with her that we couldn't account for. We also knew almost nothing about her. And what little we did know screamed potential disaster.
So the board really was set up perfectly for this to be a monumental misstep on our part.
But Pallas refused to believe me. She insisted that I was overreacting and that we needed to give her a chance. And while I wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea. I didn't feel strongly enough about it to fight her on it.
So I didn't. I let her invite Luciana into our alliance even though I was almost positive it would be a mistake. But it wasn't, and I've never been so happy to be wrong in my entire life.
Luciana's been an amazing ally. She's everything we could have hoped for and more. She also has a mischievous streak that rivals mine. It's one of the many things we have in common.
We both come from money. Though mine is a little older than hers is. We both have a complicated relationship with one of our parents. Her with her father, and me with my mother. And we're both struggling to live up to their, at times, unreasonable expectations.
In another life, the two of us might have even been friends. Just like Pallas and I might have been. The problem is, we live in this life. The one where all three of us are Hunger Games tributes and at least two of us are guaranteed to be dead in a week or two. And that means making friends is something I can't afford to do right now.
And that's too bad — because I really do like them. Just not nearly as much as I like myself. Or as much as they seem to like each other, for that matter.
The two of them have been basically inseparable since we recruited her. They do everything together, and I mean that literally. They're basically joined at the hip at this point.
It's actually kind of cute. And the way they keep stealing glances at each other when they think no one is looking is adorable. Or at least it would be if their little crush wasn't destined to end in tragedy.
But it is. Their budding romance is screaming towards an ugly end. Because, again, the three of us are Hunger Games tributes. In a couple of days, twenty-four of us are going to walk into that arena, and only one of us will walk out.
That's a fact. And it's one that doesn't exactly lend itself to a happy ending. Unless you're the lucky one who gets to walk out, that is.
But that won't be either of them. It'll be me.
"Alright, Liz, it's your turn. Let's see if you can beat Pallas's new score," says Luciana. Her light, playful voice snapping me back to reality as she motions for me to join the two of them at the edible plants and berries station.
"I doubt that'll be a problem for her, Luciana. I only scored an eighty-two, and Liz is a lot smarter than I am."
"You're too hard on yourself, Pallas," I say, a small, playful little smile on my lips as I take my place in front of the screen and wait patiently for the system to finish resetting. "Eighty-two is an impressive score, especially for someone from our district. I mean, do we even have plants back home?"
"Fair enough," she giggles, her eyes darting over to Luciana's face for a few seconds before zipping back over to mine once she feels my eyes on her. "I just wish I could tell the difference between blueberries and nightlock."
"You do know the difference, Pallas," says Luciana, a slight blush creeping across her face as she allows her eyes to linger on Pallas's lips for a few seconds before continuing. "You just need to stop second-guessing yourself so much."
"That's easy for you to say. You're not dumb enough to accidentally scarf down a handful of nightlock for breakfast. I might be."
"No, you're not, Pallas," she whispers, her fingers lacing through Pallas's as she gives her hand a soft, reassuring squeeze. "And you know I won't let anything like that happen to you."
"Do you want me to give the two of you some privacy?" I ask, a playful smile on my face as I fake a gag that earns me an embarrassed yip from Pallas and a playful swat in the arm from Luciana.
"No, I want you to run through the exercise," she laughs, her arms crossing over her chest as Pallas stares down at the floor in shame. "Let's see if you're as good at retaining information as you are talking shit."
"Oh, I am," I laugh, a small twinge of guilt shooting through my heart as I look back at Pallas, who is so embarrassed by what just happened that she's doing everything she can to not look at me.
"Then prove it, princess. On your mark ... get set ... GO!"
Ashlynn 'Ash' Haskell-15 (District 12 Female)
"Ash, can I talk to you for a second?" asks Maira, her voice so low and soft that I have to strain to hear it over the noise on the training room floor.
"Sure," I say, my voice light and playful, my breaths coming in short, ragged bursts as I wipe my sweat-covered face off with a towel. "What's on your mind?"
"Not here," she whispers, her eyes glued to her feet. "Could we ... could we go somewhere private?" she asks, her eyes darting off her feet and over to where Cassis and Ashton are standing.
"Of course we can," I say, my voice low and tinged with curiosity and concern as I toss my towel on the floor and fall in step beside her. Her small, trembling hand clutching my arm tightly as she slowly hobbles off the main floor.
"Is everything ok, Maira?" I ask, shooting a quick glance over my shoulder to make sure the boys are out of earshot before I do.
"Not really," she admits, her voice trembling with every word.
"Is that what you wanna talk about?" I ask, my eyes locking on a chair just a few feet away in the corner of the room as I gently steer her towards it.
"Yes," she says, her voice straining as she fights back the urge to cry every time she moves her left foot. "No."
"Well, which is it?" I ask, my curiosity slowly giving way to a heightened sense of concern.
"Both," she whispers, her soft, chubby cheeks soaked with tears as she slides onto the chair with a groan. "I'm sorry, Ash," she says, staring down at her broken ankle with disgust.
"For what?" I ask, my heart ripping in two as I move to wipe the tears out of her eyes. Her small, fragile body shaking violently with every sob.
"For everything," she sobs, a fresh batch of tears rolling down her cheeks and dripping into her lap. "I know I've been a burden, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"You're not a burden, Maira. Who told you that you were?"
"No one," she says. A little too quickly and defensively.
"Maira? Who told you that you were a burden?" I ask. Using the sleeve of my shirt to dry her cheeks.
"You have to promise you won't get mad at him," she pleads, her big, scared, tear-filled blue eyes darting off me and over to Ashton and Cassis. "He was just trying to help."
"Who was just trying to help?"
"Ashton."
"And what did he say?"
"That I ... that I was a burden on the alliance," she whispers, her voice soft and sad, her eyes fixed on the bright pink cast covering her shattered little ankle.
"And?" I ask, doing my best to coax the rest out of her as my blood starts to boil.
"And that if I really cared about you guys, I would leave the alliance while I still can. Or ... or. ..."
"Or what?" I ask, my gaze shifting from her over to Ashton, my anger and frustration boiling out of control as she sits there and struggles to repeat the terrible things he said to her.
"Or I could t-t-throw myself off my plate before the bloodbath," she sobs.
"I'm gonna kill him," I growl, my self-control hanging on by a thread as she reaches out and grabs me by the arm.
"Ash, don't. He was just trying to help."
"I'm sure he was," I growl, the logical part of my brain rapidly ceding control of everything to the angry and illogical part.
"He was, Ash. He even said he was sorry for saying it."
"But he still said it, Maira. And that's not ok!" I growl. My anger getting the better of me as I storm off in his direction, ripping my arm out of Maira's grasp and ignoring her pleas for me to stop.
I know I shouldn't do this, and the logical part of me is screaming not to. But I'm too far gone. Ashton had the gall to look Maira in the eye and tell her to kill herself. And I'm not gonna let him get away with it.
"Take it back," I growl, my voice low and menacing as I walk up behind him and shove him to the floor.
"What are you. ..?" mumbles Cassis, his eyes bleeding fear and confusion as he stares at me in shock before running over to help Maira.
"Take it back," I scream, using my foot to roll Ashton over onto his back before dropping down and driving my knee into his chest, pushing the air out of his lungs with a pained groan.
"Ash, please, stop!" sobs Maira, her scared little voice straining with every word.
"I said, take it back!"
"Take what back?" he groans, his words coming out in short, painful bursts.
"You know what," I growl, biting down on my lip hard enough to draw blood as I push my knee deeper into his chest. "Now, take ... it ... back."
"I don't," he gasps, his eyes wide with fear as I shift my weight and make it that much harder for him to get air. Forcing him to fight for every breath as Cassis and Maira look on in horror.
That's when it finally clicks for him.
"I ... I won't take it back, Ash. I can't."
"Why?" I growl, my knee sliding off his chest.
"Because I meant what I said," he groans, gasping for air as he rolls out from under me and onto his knees. "And I won't apologize for that.
"I know you like Maira. Cassis and I like her too. But she's useless with that cast on her ankle."
"She's not useless, Ashton. She's hurt."
"And that makes her useless. I'm sorry, but it does. You know that."
"All I know is she's our ally, and that's not gonna change. And if you can't accept that, there's no place for you in this alliance."
"You're not seriously thinking of picking her over me?"
"I already have."
"Fine then. Have fun dying in the arena."
Ariadne Whitlock-18 (District 4 Female)
I can't tell you how good it feels to finally be out from under Bellatrix's thumb. The last two days have been a living hell for me. Nothing I did was good enough for her, and she never missed an opportunity to make sure that everyone around us knew that.
As a result, being a career was a living hell. Or, at least, being one of her careers was. Everything about it was miserable. And that was before Bellatrix took command, and everything went to shit.
I don't have that problem anymore. Because this alliance is a partnership of equals. One where each of us gets a say in what we do, and we use our strengths to cover for each other's weaknesses.
I feel valued, and I can't stress enough how important that is for me. My suggestions and ideas carry weight with Helena and SB, and my skills and talents are genuinely appreciated.
The fact that we managed to overcome a pretty rocky start — due in no small part to my big mouth and an insistent need to put my foot in it every chance I get — only makes the bond between the three of us that much stronger.
This is what being in an alliance is supposed to feel like. And for the first time in a few days, I genuinely believe that I could go the distance and win this. I can make my family proud and prove to everyone back in Four that I should have been the chosen volunteer from the start instead of having to rely on the quell twist to get into the Games.
I haven't been this happy and excited in a long time. And I don't think anything can bring me down.
"We have company," says SB, her eyes fixed on Alfonso as he slowly struts towards us with the same cocky, confident smile on his face that he always has.
Well, shit. That did it. ... What the hell does he want? And, where are Bellatrix, Shimmer, and Cornelia?
"Ariadne, don't," whispers Helena, her voice soft but commanding as she places her hand on my shoulder and gently pulls me back, nodding for SB to take the lead on this.
"Don't what, Helena?" I laugh, my voice happy and playful despite the annoyance bubbling below the surface as I stand there with her and watch as SB politely asks Alfonso what he wants.
"You know what," she says, her eyes fixed on Alfonso and SB as she casually runs through a few drills with her butterfly knife. "I know you're still pissed about what happened yesterday. I am too. But it wasn't Alfonso's fault. Besides, you've already got one mortal enemy. You don't need a second."
"Fair enough," I say, my anger and annoyance slowly washing away as I stand there with Helena watching as SB and Alfonso go back and forth for a few minutes before they finally finish up, and she starts back toward us with a shocked look on her face.
"So, what did the attack dog want?" I ask, my voice dripping with sarcasm, my mind racing with the possibilities. "To remind us that Bellatrix is gonna sick him and the others on us in the bloodbath?"
"Nope."
"Then what?" asks Helena, her voice passive and disinterested, her eyes glued to the knife in her hand as she runs through a series of increasingly complicated-looking drills without missing a beat.
"To ask if he could join the alliance."
"Are you serious?" I ask, choking back a laugh as Helena loses concentration and drops her knife onto the floor with a deafening thud.
"I am. He and Bellatrix had a falling out, and he's in the market for a new alliance."
"And he wants to join ours?"
"That's what he said."
"This has to be a trick. Right, Helena?" I asked, my voice tinged with anger and shock. "Right?"
"I don't think so," she says, slipping off her left shoe and sliding her big toe under her knife before flipping it up into the air and plucking it out of the sky. "Alfonso is a lot of things, but he's not a liar. If he says he and Bellatrix had a falling out, then they probably did."
"I agree," says SB, her tone flat, neutral, and without a hint of hesitation.
"I don't believe what I'm hearing. This is obviously a ploy by Bellatrix to get a mole into our alliance so they can destroy it from the inside."
"I doubt it," says Helena, her voice dropping half an octave as she slides her knife back into the holster on her belt before taking a deep breath and looking me in the eyes. "Bellatrix isn't that smart. We both know that. And even if she was, she wouldn't trust Alfonso with something this important.
"He's good at a lot things, but lying isn't one of them."
"Ok, so maybe he's telling the truth. So what?
"It doesn't change anything. And it doesn't mean we should give him a spot in the alliance."
"No one is saying it does," says SB. "But it does mean we should consider it. And there are other reasons to invite him in."
"Such as?"
"The same reason you invited me, security."
"Plus, having him could help us with sponsors," says Helena. "Let's face it, the three of us are impressive, but we aren't exactly the most personable people. Alfonso doesn't have that problem."
I hate to admit this, but they're right. Having Alfonso in the alliance would be a huge win for us. But I don't know if I can get over the fact that he stood there and watched as Bellatrix kicked Helena and me out of the alliance for no good reason.
I know that sounds petty, but it's true. And, after the shit I've been through, I think I'm entitled to be a little petty.
But it's not just about me. It's about our alliance. And I don't think I could live with myself if I let my pettiness get in the way of a good thing for all of us.
So I won't.
"Alright. I'm still not sure this isn't a trap, but I trust the two of you enough to take a chance on it anyway.
"So, let's go tell Alfonso the good news."
Sentri Baroslav-16 (District 9 Male)
I knew inviting Dana and Leandra into the alliance was a mistake. I tried to warn them. I told them that Dana was too emotional and angry to be a reliable ally. But no one would listen to me.
Sedge thought I was overreacting, Cypher just flat out refused to talk to me, and Oz simply didn't care. He made his decision, and we could either go with it or find new allies.
So I did what I always do when I'm in that kind of situation, I bit my tongue and went with it. And look where we are now. Our alliance is coming apart at the seams because Dana can't keep her anger in check.
I mean, I get why she's the way she is. Cypher's not just annoying. He's proud of the fact that he's annoying. And that makes him unbearable.
I'd also be lying if I said I hadn't thought about punching him in the face a couple of times. He really does deserve it. But I haven't. Because the stability of the alliance is more important than giving him what he deserves.
Dana doesn't seem to understand that. And, to make matters worse, she isn't interested in learning. All she seems to care about is herself and getting what she wants at a given moment. And that's the worst kind of person to be in an alliance with.
But again, I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm overreacting. Morons.
"Is everything ok, Sentri?" asks Leandra, her hard, greenish-brown eyes betraying the sincerity in her voice.
"Of course," I lie, slipping effortlessly back into the quiet and polite persona I've spent the last three days cultivating for my allies. "I was just thinking."
"What about?" she asks, sliding down on the floor next to me with a length of rope and trying to tie a simple double hitch knot.
"Oh, you know, this and that. Home, my family, the mess we're walking into, how stupid and unfair it all is. Stuff like that," I say, the last part slipping out before I can stop it.
Shit, why did I say that? What the hell was I thinking? Come on, Sentri, you can't slip up like that. It's a rookie mistake.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"You're right," she says, a small, almost unnoticeable smile spreading across her lips as she stares down at the knotted mess of rope in her hands. "You shouldn't have said it. But it's ok. I get where you're coming from. This whole thing is fucked," she says, her voice so low and angry that I almost don't hear her.
"What was that?" I ask. The logical part of me hoping she'll lie and change the subject even though the illogical part of me desperately wants to keep talking about this.
"I said you should watch what you say. You never know who might be listening."
"You're right," I say, my shoulders slumping in defeat as I silently kick myself for slipping up like that. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Just try to be more careful in the future."
Those are the last words she says to me for a while as the two of us settle into an awkward and uncomfortable silence. Her working on her mess of a knot and getting nowhere fast. While I sit here and silently scold myself for my slip up as the last few minutes of the day slowly tick away. Until, at long last, I'm treated to the sweet, rhythmic sound of a horn ringing out from every corner of the room.
"Well, I guess that's it for today," she says. Pushing herself back up onto her feet and tossing her knotted mess of rope over to the instructor. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Sentri."
"See you tomorrow," I mumble, my eyes fixed on my own surprisingly well-tied knot as she trots off in the direction of the exit. Leaving me all by myself at the station as the room slowly starts to empty.
Hector Brennan-15 (District 5 Male)
I still don't understand how I got myself into this mess. I did everything right. I kept my head down and my voice low. I didn't make waves. I went out of my way to avoid drawing attention to myself. And I made all kinds of silly and stupid mistakes.
I've executed my plan to perfection, and it's still blowing up in my face. And I can't figure out why.
Was pretending to be so weak and helpless a bad idea? Was it the right idea at the wrong time? Or was it the right idea at the right time, and I was just a little too good at it for my own good?
Any one of those is a real possibility. Though one is significantly more likely than the others. I mean, it's hard for me to imagine a world where lying low and trying to fly under the radar is a bad idea. Especially since it was the only viable option that I had.
Not that it matters. Viable or not, my plan blew up in my face. Why it did is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is that it did. And it's too late for me to do anything about it. Or, at least I think it is.
It has to be. There's not enough time for me to fix my image, and no alliance leader with half a brain will believe that I've been screwing up on purpose to avoid drawing attention to myself. They'd have to be even dumber than Shirley is to believe that. And no one is that dumb.
No, there's no way for me to talk myself out of this. I'd have to show myself out of it. And doing that comes with its own risks. Risks I'm just not willing to take at this point.
So I'm stuck. Knowing full well that my plans aren't working the way I had hoped and that I need to make a change. But so afraid of the risks involved in actually making the change that I can't bring myself to make it.
Why does this have to be so hard?
"Is everything ok, Hector?" asks a soft, tired, feminine voice from somewhere behind me, forcing me to tear my eyes away from the food on my plate to look for the source. Eventually locking, with those of my very tired and annoyed-looking mentor.
"I'm fine," I lie, my voice just as soft and meek as it always is. My gaze quickly sliding off her face and back down to my food as I try to slip back into character.
"Are you sure?" she asks, an exhausted groan slipping past her tired lips as she slides down on the couch next to me. "Because it looks like something is bothering you."
"It's not important," I say, my voice dropping another half an octave as I stare down at the pile of mush on my plate with wide, unblinking eyes.
"I'll be the judge of that."
"I don't want to waste your time," I whisper.
"First off, Hector, I'm your mentor. Nothing you can do will be a waste of my time.
"Second, I spent twenty-minute earlier today watching Shirley argue with an avox. That's not really relevant or anything. But I need to bitch about it to someone, and Sabastian's not here. So you draw the short stick."
"If you're sure."
"I'm positive."
"Ok," I say. Forcing myself to take a deep, calming breath to try and settle my nerves before continuing. "Something is bothering me, but it's difficult to explain. I'm honestly not even sure where to start."
"Then just start from the beginning, and we'll go from there."
"Alright. But to understand my problem, I have to ask you a question first.
"Have you ever done something that seemed like a good idea at the time, only to regret it later when you realize that it wasn't as good an idea as you thought?"
"I don't know, 'Ector. 'ave I?" she laughs, a playful little smile creeping over her tired face.
"Fair enough," I laugh, a totally unrelated question popping into my head and spilling out of my mouth before I can stop it. "But, I have to ask. What the hell were you thinking with that accent? Not to change the subject or anything."
"I thought it would give me a leg up on the other trainees in the Escort Academy. And by the time I realized that escorting wasn't for me and transferred to the mentor program, I was too committed to the bit to give it up."
"In that case, you might actually understand where I'm coming from."
"There's only one way to find out," she says, standing up from the couch and gliding over to the bar to make herself a drink. "Please, continue."
"So, I came up with a plan for the Games about thirty seconds after Sabastian called my name. And I've done a pretty good job of sticking to it ever since. And while I still think the plan itself is solid, I'm starting to worry that it might have been the wrong one for this particular version of the Hunger Games."
"And now you're wondering if it's too late for you to change your plan. Or, at the very least, to alter the perception your fellow tributes have of you because of it. Right?"
"Exactly," I say, my voice rising slightly as I allow myself to dare to hope.
"Ok.
"So, this is going to be hard to hear. But it might actually be too late for that, Hector. Training is over, so your best chance to impress your fellow tributes has already passed."
"Oh," I say, my shoulders slumping in defeat as the weight of what she just said slams into me like a ton of bricks.
"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. And if you're serious about this, I think the two of us can probably come up with a plan to help you do it."
"Ok, then. How would we start?"
"By telling me everything about your plan and what you've done so far to make it happen."
A/N: And that, my friends, is that. We've finally finished up with training and are now just 4 or 5 chapters away from the moment you've all been waiting for, the ARENA! I hope you're all as excited for that as I am :D
So, I'm still not sure how I'm going to do the Individual Sessions and scores. I've toyed with the idea of a chapter with 24 smallish pov's for the sessions with a score chapter to follow, or one that is more of a gamemaker recap of the sessions as they assign scores with a second pov talking about how the scores affect the betting odds and money lines for the Capitol gamblers. I've been writing a bit of both, but I can't publish both, so I'll let you guys help pick for me :)
So, let me know what you think, if you want, and I'll base my decision in part on your imput :D
Other than that, I don't have anything. Thank you all again so much for reading and I'll be looking for all of your happy faces at the next update :D
UPDATED ALLIANCE LIST
Career Alliance
Shimmer
Bellatrix (Leader)
Cornelia
Career Outcasts
Helena
Ariadne
Sarah Beth
Alfonso
Oz's Grand Alliance
Oz
Cypher
Sentri
Sedge
Dana
Leandra
District Seven
Asuka
Benny
Districts Eight and Ten
Lizbeth
Pallas
Luciana
Hopeless Littles
Cassis
Maira
Ashlynn
Solo
Shirley
Hector
Ashton