A/N

Apparently we're rolling with the Tuesday updates, so at this point I'm going to stop questioning it.

This is the third and final chapter of training, where more alliances will be formed and enemies made...

Phoenix Cameron, 17, District Five Male

"Three...two…one…go!"

Phoenix pushed from his heels, driving his body forward with as much momentum as he could muster. Sprinting to the first obstacle, he leapt onto the closest board, which was angled diagonally, and used the speed he had built up to instantly bounce across to the next one. He kept it up, darting from board to board with the soles of his shoes barely touching the surfaces for longer than a brief moment, before he landed at the other end of the obstacle ready and raring to go for the next.

It was a climbing wall next. Gripping two holds, Phoenix began to pull himself up, his toes scrambling quickly for somewhere to rest. It was a decent height, but Phoenix had little difficulty in scaling the wall, his eyes quickly finding an efficient route to the top. Pulling himself over the edge at the top, Phoenix jumped to his feet and faced the next challenge.

A row of bars a few feet above his head stretched across a large gap. There was a net beneath them, and throughout the days of training Phoenix had seen it catching the falling bodies of a number of other tributes.

But it wouldn't catch him.

With a powerful jump, Phoenix sprung his body into the air, his hands clasping around the first bar tightly. Using his hips and his legs, he began to swing his body so that when he reached for the next bar, his body carried him across with ease. Maintaining a steady rhythm, Phoenix moved from bar to bar, his hands a little sweaty but gripping on nonetheless, until he dropped after the last bar, landing comfortably at the other side of the gap.

A narrow beam ran across the next gap, with a number of large swinging objects which looked like punchbags threatening the journey across. Without so much as considering a strategy, Phoenix ran onto the beam, turning his feet at an angle to stabilise his stance. Moving quickly, Phoenix slid himself between each swinging obstacle, narrowly avoiding one or two which sent a swift wave of panic through him. But he maintained his position, and soon cleared the section.

The remaining few obstacles were achievable, and as Phoenix sprinted across the final stretch of the short running track he looked towards his ally with hope as she stopped the timer.

"How'd I do?" Phoenix asked between breaths, resting his hands on his thighs as he leant forwards, sweat dripping from the tip of a curl of hair.

"Two minutes seventeen seconds," Aida told him with an impressed nod. "Not that far off the best time recorded, actually."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "What's the best time?"

"Two minutes nine seconds," she told him. "Boy from One's time. The other Careers did well too, though you just beat the boy from Two by a few seconds. Nice."

Phoenix was surprised by the news, but felt suitably impressed with himself. He couldn't help but feel a beaming smile creeping onto his face, feeling his cheeks crease.

"Better than a Career, huh?" he smirked, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. "Sweet."

Aida nodded. "Yeah, you're somehow freakishly agile for a kid."

"Bruh, I am literally a year older than you."

"Don't look it with that face," Aida replied with a witty smirk.

Phoenix opened his mouth to protest, or make an insulting comment about Aida's short height, but he decided against it. Aida had a sharp tongue and whilst she seemed to bat banter back at him as though it were her first language, Phoenix was wary of accidentally stepping too far or saying something he'd later regret. From his limited experience, girls were very sensitive, even the ones who could dish out insults like they were serving up slop at a school canteen.

"Right, well my turn then," said Aida. "I swear I'll be furious if I don't at least place halfway on the scoreboard."

Phoenix stood beside the timer, his hand hovering above the screen, ready to press start. Once Aida had readied herself at the start of the race, Phoenix flashed her a thumb-up before starting the timer.

She had a decent start, though she didn't seem quite as quick as Phoenix, he thought as he watched his district partner and ally make her way across the first obstacle.

Though just moments into the run, Phoenix found his attention drifting nearby to where another boy was hanging from a bar, pulling himself up over and over again. Phoenix glanced down at his own arms, which seemed half the size of the biceps of the other boy, but he was entertained nonetheless. After a few more reps, the boy dropped to his feet, taking a swig from his bottle which was handed to him by an attractive girl whose t-shirt appeared to have a slightly lower neckline than the other ones. Phoenix couldn't decide which tribute to focus on the most; they made such a good looking pair.

"Hey bro," Phoenix found himself wandering over to the boy, noticing the number Six on his clothes. "How'd you make that many pullups look so easy?"

"My body is a temple," the boy replied, flexing a bicep. He then promptly snorted with laughter. "Nah, I just have a pretty physical job and do a few extra workouts in my spare time. Gotta give the ladies something good to look at, right?"

Phoenix smiled. "Yeah, serve those ladies. Hey, I'm Phoenix. What's your name, dude?"

"Accel," the boy grinned. "Though nowadays I tend to serve just the one lady."

Accel glanced over to the girl, who wiggled her fingers towards him with a sultry smile.

"Hey," Accel lowered his voice. "I don't know if all girls from Eleven are like Anise, but if they are then I'm packing my shit and leaving Six in the dust."

"She is pretty gorgeous," Phoenix agreed, though the same could have been said about Accel.

"Not just gorgeous," said Accel. "But she's so sweet and kind too. Man, I've never met anyone like her."

"Wow, sounds like you've never met a girl before."

The two boys span around to see Aida with her arms folded across her chest.

"Phoenix, were you even timing me?" she shook her head in disappointment.

Phoenix chewed his bottom lip.

"I was, I swear…"

Aida rolled her eyes. "Boys are useless."

Accel nodded. "I agree, we are completely useless."

"Making friends?" Aida looked between the two boys. "Hi –Aida."

"Accel?" a gentle call sounded from behind the boy from Six. "Could you help me please?"

"Duty calls," Accel bowed his head before jogging over to Anise. As he came beside her, she grabbed his butt cheek, squeezing it tightly.

"Ew, gross," Aida commented with disgust. "That was something I didn't need to see, even if he does have a decent body."

Phoenix chuckled.

"I guess I'll have to redo my course," she said with a sigh. "Can't be having my inaccurately long time on that scoreboard. But I need a break first –you coming?"

Phoenix nodded, following his ally as she walked towards the nearest bench where she flopped herself down. Phoenix perched on the edge, tucking one leg towards his chest whilst the other hung off the edge of the bench.

"These three days of training have gone so quickly," said Aida, her hand resting on her flat stomach as she lay across the bench, catching her breath. "I can't believe the Games are starting in two days."

Phoenix felt a ripple of anxiety in his stomach. The thought of the arena still terrified him, despite the chilled attitude he tried to portray.

"Yeah…"

"I suppose we'd never feel truly ready," Aida continued. "The Careers probably feel ready, but I'd be curious to know just how ready they are. I assume they've never actually killed anyone before, so it could…"

Phoenix drifted, his attention caught by another tribute who seemed a little lost, wandering around the stations without committing to any.

"Hey, do you think she's alright?" Phoenix cut into Aida's speech. "It's that girl from the party –what's her name? She looks a little lost."

"Who, Cathy?" Aida sat upright.

"Yeah, that's it," Phoenix nodded, pointing towards her. "She's by herself, and it looks kinda like she doesn't wanna be like that."

"I'm sure she's fine."

"Maybe we should speak to her?" Phoenix suggested. "I mean, there's only two of us. We could maybe do with making some more friends?"

"Phoenix, you've made friends with half the room already," Aida pointed out.

"Yeah, but not like proper friends. They say strength is in numbers, right?"

Aida shrugged. "I dunno Phoenix. It will just be more people to worry about in the arena. I can't see her being able to fight very well."

"Oh come on, Aida," Phoenix felt incredible sympathy for Cathy as she settled at a station by herself. "I think we should help. At least talk to her?"

With a heavy sigh, Aida reluctantly agreed. "Fine, but only because I feel sorry for her and she seemed nice at the party."

Triumphant, Phoenix jumped up from the bench, heading straight towards Cathy. She smiled as Phoenix waved at her.

"Oh hello," Cathy greeted him fondly. "Am I correct in remembering your name to be Phoenix? And Aida too?"

"You would be," Phoenix nodded. "Cathy, right? How are you doing?"

"I'm ok, thank you," she replied. "And you two?"

"We're pretty good," said Phoenix. "You made any allies yet?"

Cathy shook her head. "No, I've actually been keeping to myself, just learning as much as I can. Are you two allies? You seem quite close."

"Aida won't leave me alone, the little stalker," Phoenix joked, earning a swift elbow to the ribs from Aida. "Ouch! Erm, actually, we were wondering if you wanted to join us?"

Cathy's face lit up. "As in, be your ally?"

Phoenix nodded.

"Oh, I'd love to!" Cathy smiled sweetly. "I'm not sure what I can offer, but I've learned a fair amount about plants and things."

"That's cool, dude," said Phoenix. "Aida wants to rerun the agility course if you fancy having a go? It's really cool –you can compare your times to everyone else on this scoreboard thing. I was faster than one of the Careers, you know."

Cathy seemed suitably impressed.

"I don't think I will be quite so good, but I'll give it a go," she said with optimism, as the three of them departed from the station, making their way towards the agility course.

As they walked over, Aida pinched Phoenix's arm. Looking towards her, she leant in to whisper in his ear.

"Hey, not sure if you've noticed, but since we started talking to Cathy, that guy over there hasn't stopped staring at us."

Phoenix glanced over, becoming aware of Aida's observations instantly. The boy from Ten was stood with a darkened expression across his face, his long hair falling across his hollowed cheeks as his eyes followed their steps.

Phoenix felt a chill run down his spine. He despised conflict more than anything, though he supposed that before long, he would have no choice but to face it.

If conflict was to be found anywhere, Phoenix would find it in the Hunger Games. And he was just two days away from facing the arena.

Shit was about to get real.

Anri Astellin, 17, District Nine Male

Anri Astellin had moved from one cage to another. First, the white washed walls of his bedroom and now the glass enclosures of the Capitol. At home he had been stashed away; a guilty secret underserving of acknowledgement. Here, he was placed on display; an animal in a cage, observed and taunted for the pleasure of others.

Anri had craved recognition for over half of his life, but this was not the attention he had wished for.

There were many peculiarities about the Capitol, but perhaps the most difficult to adapt to were the eyes that followed his every move. He had become so accustomed to his own company; living behind the scenes where no one could see him. But in the Capitol his face lit up screens, his body paraded along a river, his actions monitored in the training centre.

And yet, Anri had never felt less of a person. He was resigned to become just a number. His District. His training score. His odds of survival.

But Anri knew he was still a person, regardless of the thoughts and opinions of others, and he would continue to preserve his own wellbeing as he always had. That was why he had adopted a practical approach to his three days of training. He had split the hours into blocks, each focusing on a different skill in order to create a well-rounded skill set to best aid him in the arena. Two thirds of his time was dedicated to survival skills, and a third to weapons training. He cared nothing for how others viewed him, if they even viewed him at all. His sole focus was preparing himself as much as he could; after all, it was only Anri who could secure his own survival. His life so far had already shown him that other people could not be relied upon.

The water felt cool against his skin as Anri moved his arms through it, kicking his legs behind him. He had never learnt to swim, but he supposed that now was as good a time as any. It had felt very foreign to him at first; the feeling of almost weightlessness as he followed the instructions to tread water. He had swallowed a few too many mouthfuls of the water, but he remained afloat for the majority of the time. And now, he was able to complete a length of the pool without desperately reaching out to the wall to keep himself from sinking.

As Anri kicked, reaching his arms out in front of him, his fingers gripped over the pool's edge, pulling himself against the wall. His lungs ached a little as he took several deep breaths, wiping the water away that was dripping down his face. A nearby trainer nodded to him as they walked past, but Anri did not respond. He knew that they weren't there to help him, or any of the other tributes; they were there to create a false sense of hope.

As Anri remained in the water, catching his breath, he considered his own hopefulness. He had walked into the training centre with a plan; a plan for survival; and yet, as he thought silently to himself, he wondered whether he had fallen into the trap himself.

Doubt was like a wildfire. It started with the smallest of sparks, growing into a steady flame. Untamed, it would spread until there was nothing you could do to control the blaze around you. Anri could feel the flames of doubt flickering within him; they tightened his chest and dried the back of his throat. He needed to dowse them quickly.

The announcement for lunch filled the training centre as Anri ran his hand through his short hair.

Placing his palms on the floor around the pool, Anri pulled himself out of the water, getting to his feet and picking up a towel. He quickly dried himself, slipping into a curtained changing area to slip out of his swimsuit and back into his training gear.

The twenty four other tributes filtered out of the training centres in dribs and drabs, Anri one of the last to leave as the pool was at the far end of the room. There was the usual bustle of chatter, though it was a little louder today, presumably because by the third day of training people had become more used to each other. It amused Anri, how the teenagers around him rubbed shoulders as though they were friends, though in a matter of days they wouldn't flinch as they drove a sword through the same people they shared a table with.

That was why Anri had resigned himself to enter the arena alone. By himself he had no one to question his strategy, no one to risk putting a foot out of place. Anri had never had friends before, so why would he bother to try to make them now when the friendship could never last more than the length of the Games? Social connections were a waste of time; valuable time that Anri knew he had little of. The list of drawbacks far outweighed any benefits, and in all honesty, Anri could barely list more than two benefits of forming an alliance. But drawbacks, he could list endlessly.

Walking into the lunch room, Anri sat himself down in the far corner; the seat he had occupied the two days prior. As they had done the first two days, the Careers were straight to the buffet in the centre of the room, filling their plates with endless delights to fuel their training. Though he cared little for socialising, he did find it intriguing to observe other people. Having spent the majority of his time indoors, Anri found it incredibly interesting to see how others his age interacted with each other. He saw it as another subject to study, like the books he would pour himself over, sat at his weathered desk.

The pair of volunteers from District One were of a particular perplexity to Anri. They stood closely together, the girl even popping a small pastry into her partner's mouth, but yet their eyes spoke nothing of physical desire. At least not to each other. The boys eyes seemed to wander across to another boy, one Anri had noticed had aligned himself with the Careers on the second day of training; but then he would look away the moment the other boy would return the gaze. Was that attraction, Anri wondered? He was not oblivious to sex; he knew what it was and that it was supposedly pleasurable, but he had never experienced any feelings towards other people other than resentment or curiosity. But simply watching the interactions of other teenagers, he was content to never feel anything further.

"Ahem!" a loud voice echoed around the room, a clinking of a glass to draw attention.

Anri looked across to where the tribute from Four had climbed onto a table, a hand resting on their pointed hip as they addressed the rest of the tributes.

"Who wants to play musical statues?" they suggested with enthusiasm, a twinkle in their eyes which Anri could see from across the room. "I'll be the judge, and I'll also provide the music. You all know how to play, right? Ok, ready, aaaaand…"

They started to sing. It was a peculiar type of singing; a range of both high and low notes strung together in a bizarre, but surprisingly tuneful song. The lyrics made absolutely no sense at all, not even to Anri who was fond of words; it was mostly jumbled up anecdotes about crabs, sea urchins and a whale with a feather boa. The rest of the room appeared equally as bemused as Anri, with the exception of the boy from Six who jumped out of his seat to dance along, egging his ally to join him.

After about thirty seconds of singing, the Career suddenly stopped, their eyes darting around the room.

They gasped. "You there! Number Six –no not the sexy one with the incredible hip movement –you there, little tunafish with the grumpy face!"

The room turned to face the girl from Six, who was walking across to the buffet, filling her plate full of food. She looked up towards the Career, her eyes narrowed and she flashed a scornful look.

"I'm not playing your stupid game, you dumb fuck," she hissed, placing a pie defiantly on her plate.

The Career clutched a hand to their chest, acting wounded by the young girl's words. "Fuck you, little tunafish! We don't want you to play with us anyway, so ha! Let the next round commence!"

And with that, the song continued.

Rolling his eyes, Anri looked back down at his plate, carefully cutting into a piece of cured meat, which he delicately placed onto a slice of crusty bread. As he raised the food to his mouth, the song abruptly stopped again.

"Riddle!" the tribute from Four screamed, pointing a long finger towards her. "I saw you move! You're out!"

Anri could not hear the words that left the lips of the girl from Two, but he could tell by the enraged look upon her face that she too was not a party to the game. She made a swipe for their ankles, and in retaliation they stomped sharply onto her hand, crushing it between the sole of their shoe and the table beneath.

Riddle seemed to say something else to the eccentric Career as she freed her hand, her own foot stepping onto her chair, presumably to step up to the table herself. But before she could, the girl from One ran over, holding out her hands and shaking her head. There were quiet words between the two girls, before Riddle stepped down, turning her back on the table and walking out of the room. No one followed her.

The room fell into silence.

Anri looked back at his food. As chatter finally started to refill the room, he reminded himself that whilst he had lived a lonely life, perhaps that was for the best.

People were either entirely predictable, or dangerously unpredictable. It could sometimes be difficult to tell which one until it was too late. And that was why in a game of life and death, Anri decided not to take that chance.

Velaris Axar, 17, District 12 Female

Death had been a steadfast friend for Velaris Axar throughout the years. It had been by her side as a constant; a confidant in her times of need. The dead did not judge, they did not ask questions she could not answer. They simply listened.

It was interesting, Velaris thought, how humans in their lifetime were lazy, unimaginative and often doomed for mediocrity. Yet in death they became almost entirely different as though reality was some distant memory, lost to time. Some would be praised as heroes, others condemned as villains; people always had some opinion to share at their graveside, and yet no one had anything to say when life remained.

Why wait until the earth buried them, or the fire engulfed their corpse? They could not appreciate words of kindness then, nor could they share their side of the story which had painted them with a dark shade. Velaris did not hesitate to say what she meant, so long as her words would not betray her, which was why she had upheld her honesty with Kazimir Ilyushin as they trained together.

"I think we need to spend more time on combat," she told him, drawing his attention away from a trap he had assembled. "I agree that survival is important, but I must draw your attention back to the fact that this is a situation when any one of the people in this room could put a dagger in my back. I would like to be able to make that a little more difficult for them to achieve."

Kazimir looked up towards her, his facial expression difficult to read.

"I…" he started, then cleared his throat. "Ok."

Nodding with contentment, Velaris began to walk towards the combat section of the training centre, Kazimir jogging behind her to catch up.

"Two has ignored Four entirely since lunch," Kazimir noted in a hushed tone as the two of them walked.

"That doesn't surprise me," Velaris returned, thinking back to the unusual events of lunch. "I'd be surprised if anyone had the patience to deal with them."

"If we're lucky, Two will take Four out herself," said Kazimir. "Then that leaves fewer concerns for us. Although the Careers have added to their numbers with Three."

Velaris looked across to where the boy from Three was in conversation with the boy from Two, though both appeared as though they were simply going through the motions rather than actually engaging with each other.

They reached the edge of the combat area. Velaris looked around for a weapon to practise with. Subtlety was an art, and Velaris was inclined to use more discreet weapons, such as poison, though she knew that she would be required to adapt to the scenarios that would unfold before her and in many circumstances she may find herself in a position which demanded something a little more upfront.

She picked up a dagger. Kazimir did the same.

Walking up to a dummy, Velaris began to practise against it, plunging the small blade into the body at numerous points. It felt foreign to her; usually she was at Cassadee's side, trying to save lives; but here she was now, learning how to take them. She was not afraid to take a life, for she knew death not to be the curse society feared it to be, and neither was she afraid to die, though she would prefer to remain alive if given the choice.

Whilst death would welcome her with open arms, Velaris was not convinced that it was her time to step into that other world. She still had things she wished to do before she could rest.

"Hey," Kazimir brushed up beside her. "See her over there?"

Velaris followed the jerk of Kazimir's thumb, spotting the young girl from One, who was throwing some darts at a target with varying degrees of success. Noticeably, she was alone.

"She hasn't been with the Careers all day," Kazimir told her. "It's clear that she doesn't belong with them, and I think she sees that too."

Velaris nodded, turning back to her dagger practice.

"I think we should talk to her," said Kazimir, to which Velaris raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Why?" she questioned.

"I feel sorry for her," replied Kazimir, though his face disagreed with his words.

Velaris was not convinced. "You feel sorry for her? You don't strike me as the sympathy type, Kazimir."

"But you do," Kazimir bounced back, to Velaris' surprise. "I've been thinking how I knew your name before the reapings and I think I know why now. You and Cass-someone, you help people, don't you?"

"Cassadee," Velaris corrected him. "But yes, we do help people, in a way. This is different though, that girl isn't our concern."

"But neither are the people on the streets of Twelve," returned Kazimir. "Not the concern of a daughter of a wealthy merchant."

Velaris looked at her ally.

"I do not know how you came to know of my background," she said calmly. "And I shall not ask. But you should refrain from making assumptions about me, Kazimir."

"I'm sorry," Kazimir apologised. "But Vel, I'm not making assumptions, I'm just going off what I have heard about you. As far as I know, you are a good person and I think that deep down you want to help Frankie."

"You know her name?"

"I'm good with names."

"I see," Velaris paused. "Well, in that case if you think we should talk to her, then let's talk to her."

Velaris was convinced that Kazimir had a hidden agenda, but she could not yet put her finger on what it was. It seemed odd that he wished to befriend the young girl from One who had not volunteered for the Games, and she wondered what his true intentions were, but her instinct to help the vulnerable was undeniable and so she found herself following Kazimir as he approached Frankie.

"Hi, Frankie, right?" Kazimir greeted the young girl, startling her as she dropped her handful of darts.

Immediately swooping down, Kazimir retrieved the fallen weapons, holding them out for Frankie to take. She took them cautiously, thanking him quietly.

"Sorry if I scared you," Kazimir apologised with a surprisingly calming tone. "My name's Kazimir, and this is Vel."

"Hi," Frankie pushed out a small smile, though it was clear that she felt a little intimated by their presence.

"We just wanted to see if you were doing ok," explained Kazimir. "It must have been really difficult to have been put into the Games."

Frankie bit her lower lip, her head slightly dipping. "It…it's been hard. But Peach has been really lovely, and Beau, and Cascade."

Kazimir's eyes glanced over to the Careers quickly, before returning to Frankie. "I'm glad to hear it. But I couldn't help but notice that you haven't been with the Careers much recently."

"Oh," Frankie's eyes dropped. "I erm, I didn't really feel like I belonged. I'm not like them, and I didn't want to let Peach down…"

"You've done amazingly so far," Kazimir complimented her. "But I agree –I don't think you belong with the Careers. Not because you're not as good as them, but on the contrary –you're better than them."

Frankie appeared confused.

"Careers only care about themselves," Kazimir explained. "Their ego fuels everything they do. But you're not like that –and neither are we."

He looked towards Velaris with a flash of his eyes to beckon her to back him up.

"He's right," Velaris found herself agreeing. "We want to help, if you want our help?"

Frankie looked towards them both with wide eyes. "You both want to…help me?"

They both nodded.

"But why?" Frankie questioned.

"Well, being from Twelve, we're not particularly looked upon favourably," said Kazimir. "Which is why I think us dark horses should stick together, right? What do you say, Frankie –wanna join our alliance?"

Velaris smiled towards the young girl.

"If you really mean it, then I think I would like that," said Frankie with optimism. "I promise I'll try my best not to let you down!"

"I have faith in you, Frankie," smiled Kazimir, wrapping an arm around he shoulders.

"Thank you both so much," she looked at them both with admiration. "I think Peach is looking for me, actually. I'll just go and talk to her –I'll be right back. Don't worry, she's nice, she won't mind."

As Frankie made her way towards the girl from One, Velaris stepped beside Kazimir.

"So we've recruited her now?"

"Don't give me that sceptical look, Vel," Kazimir shook his head. "I'm doing a nice thing, don't dampen things. You can't tell me that you wouldn't feel the least bit guilty about leaving her to fend for herself against the Careers?"

Velaris couldn't say.

"See, we're good here," Kazimir tossed his knife in his hand. "Combat training, right?"

Velaris nodded, and the two of them headed back to the area they had come from whilst they awaited Frankie's return.

After a few minutes, two other tributes entered the area. Velaris thought they were just coming over to train, but as they drew nearer, it seemed as though they had alternative intentions.

"Good afternoon," the boy from Ten greeted them politely, but coldly.

"Erm, hi," Velaris said back. "Can I help you?"

The boy shook his head. "Oh no, Angora and I aren't here for help. Though we couldn't help but notice your friendliness towards the young girl from One."

"What about it?" Velaris folded her arms across her chest.

"I just wanted to ensure that she was…well."

"What's it to you?" Kazimir spoke, standing beside Velaris.

The boy shrugged casually. "Just consider us a concerned third party."

"Are you implying that we have dishonest intentions?" Kazimir asked abruptly, his chest rising. "I can assure you that we do not."

"No implications here," the boy raised his hands, palms facing them both. "As I said, just a concerned third party."

"We're just trying to help, that's all," Angora spoke up.

Kazimir muttered something under his breath, which Velaris missed, but the boy from Ten seemed to hear every word of.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked sharply, taking a stride towards Kazimir.

Kazimir backed up. "Nothing, I said nothing."

"Don't fucking lie to me, Twelve," the boy snarled. "I heard what you said. Why don't you say it to my face, coward."

"Look, I don't want any conflict here," Kazimir tried to squeeze out of the rising tension. But the boy from Ten was not eager to let him escape so easily.

With a firm shove, the boy from Ten planted his palms on Kazimir's chest, pushing him back a few steps.

"Don't declare war and then back out of the fight," the boy from Ten grew increasingly aggressive, pushing Kazimir for a second time.

"I didn't declare a war," Kazimir admirably kept a calmness to his voice. "Just a misunderstanding, that's all."

"Valak," Angora touched her ally's shoulder. "Maybe we should go…"

Valak swiped Angora away, keen on his pursuit. "I want this coward to apologise. Now."

"Look, Valak right?" Kazimir held his hands up. "I swear this is just a misunderstanding."

"Apologise, now."

"I'm not apologising."

"Oh you will," Valak reached to his belt, where he pulled out a small, curved blade.

At the sight of the weapon, Velaris' instincts leapt into action as she pushed herself between the two boys.

"Stop this nonsense!" she demanded with authority, pushing both of the boys away from each other. "Kazimir –keep your mouth shut. And you, just remember where you are. We may be in the Hunger Games, but we are not in the arena yet. I strongly suggest that you walk away from this now, before the Gamemakers do something about it. I can't imagine they'd be best pleased about off-screen deaths."

Valak took a deep breath, before he lowered his blade. Looking right past Velaris, he pointed towards Kazimir.

"You've fucked with the wrong person, Twelve," he warned. "You'd better watch your back in that arena."

Velaris stood her ground between the two boys as Valak returned his blade to his belt, turning away and walking off with Angora by his side, who glanced back over her shoulder with a concerned look. When Velaris looked towards Kazimir, his complexion was noticeably paler, and his hands were held in fists by his side.

He said nothing.

Velaris was used to breaking up fights; she had spent the better part of the last few years doing so. But the moment she stepped into the arena, she knew her priorities would change. No longer would she be the mediator. Mediators weren't the ones who survived, and Velaris wanted to survive.

A/N

I am now quite aware that about 20 percent of the content of my chapters are actually authors notes, so maybe I'll talk less?

Phoenix and Zoei (or 'Aida', shall we say) are confirmed as a pairing, and they have now added Cathy to their alliance. Do you think this was a good idea, and can the girls rely on Phoenix when it comes down to life or death?

Anri has resigned himself to go into the Games alone, though he makes some noteworthy observations. Will his strategic mind help him to go far in the arena, or will he suffer without allies to help him out?

Velaris and Kazimir are remaining together, but have now recruited Frankie away from the Careers. Have they taken too big of a risk by interfering with Careers and making an enemy of Valak, and what interest do Valak and Angora have with Frankie anyway? What are Kazimir's true intentions, or is he as genuine as he makes out?

Training is now over, so I think it may be a suitable time to confirm the alliances we have seen so far:

Alliances:

Careers but a third of them are high and one is just there to add to the sex appeal: Peach, Beau, Riddle, Ragnar, Circe, Cephus and Matthew

Precious beans who deserve all the love and cuddles and not the horrible deaths at least three will likely receive: Lunete, Logan, Livvy and Cameron

Just some regular kids and their adopted nun: Phoenix, Zoei and Cathy

Two edge lords took in a stray kitten: Kazimir, Velaris and Frankie

Girl, your taste in men is questionable: Valak and Angora

A goddess and her human plaything, but at least he's cute: Anise and Accel

Loners who probably have a good reason to avoid other people: Sayuri, Moonshine, Aldo and Anri

What are your thoughts on the alliances so far, and pregames as a whole? We only have about five more chapters until the bloodbath! Eek! Next chapter will be the private assessments and scores. Any predictions?

Until then!

Firefly