The feast gifts marked 5 are a tiny, black box and a pillow-like square wrapped in brown. There are no names or genders, so the best I can do is guess. The smaller one might be jewelry for Trucy, so I'll try the other first.

The package comes open with a ripping sound, revealing a mass of light blue cloth inside.

"Pretty sure this is yours." I toss it back to Trucy, who catches it and crosses her legs. Pulling out the cloth handful by handful, she gasps and clutches it to her chest.

"It's my cape!" She shakes it out and secures it around her shoulders with a wide smile.

"That's too cute!" Robin twirls around and covers her mouth with outstretched fingers. "You totally have to let me try it on sometime."

Trucy grins. "It matches my hat a lot better than it matches your headband, though."

She draws her hands back with a look of despondency. "Oh, no..."

"But that's your usual headband, right?" I lean back against the rocks. "The one you had in the Training center?"

"YOU BET IT IIIIIS! Now I can keep my bangs all nice and tidy."

By using an old, stained piece of cloth? Is that really better than any arena alternatives?

Putting it aside, I check over my shoulder, where some of the others are sitting. "So did everyone get something you own?"

"I'm pretty sure these are my own knitting needles." Juniper looks at the yarn in her lap. "This is new, but I guess it would be silly to have needles without any yarn. I wonder what I should make with it?" She turns the skein in her hand.

I chuckle. "Well, I could use a new jacket."

"Oh!" Her hands fly to her open mouth. "All right! There isn't much to work with, so it would be pretty thin, but—" she finds an end of the yarn and unravels some—"I'll see what I can—"

"Whoa, whoa!" I hold up my hands, leaning back. "I was just joking! You don't have to do that. Make whatever you want, okay?"

Freezing with both needles in hand, she lowers her arms. "Oh... Okay. Sorry."

"N-no, it's nothing to be sorry about."

"So, Apollo! What did you get?" Athena, a bit above me, leans over my shoulder.

I turn the box to find the top, but it doesn't rattle much. "I'm not sure. Do I own anything this small?" I mean, I have my own clothes, and my bracelet, but that's pretty much all that's personally mine. Well, except...

I slump. They wouldn't actually send me my hair gel, would they? I guess I would use it, and it could fit in here... Not exactly a prize worthy of a Hunger Games feast, though.

I dig my fingers under the top flap and pull it open. It takes a little angling to make the sun hit the inside.

The resulting gleam makes me freeze.

"What is it?" Trucy's voice is right by my ear—she must be peeking over my other shoulder. "A pin?"

Silently, I scoop up the gift, the metal cool in my palm. "Check it out." I present it to her.

"Oh, I've seen one of those before!" She looks up. "Somewhere." She squints at it before plucking it from my hand. "Now if I take this badge... And do this—" she tosses it into the air and claps her hands together to catch it—"and this..." She spins on one foot, her cape spreading out before she stops, smiling, and displays her empty hands. "See! It's gone!"

I jump to my feet. "H-hey! My badge! What'd you do with my badge?!"

She grins. "Ask Athena."

"What?" Athena's hands go to her cheeks in surprise. "I didn't touch it!"

I feel my hair spikes drooping. "It's on your lapel, anyway."

She looks down at her jacket and laughs. "Well, I think it looks pretty great on me!" She flashes a peace sign.

I jab a finger towards her. "Get your own!"

Trucy giggles, stepping between us with her arms behind her back. "Hey! No fighting." She holds a hand out to me. "And here's your badge. You can have it back now."

Athena exclaims and runs a finger over her empty lapel as I snatch the badge and pin it to my shirt, turning my opposite shoulder to Trucy.

That's the last time I let her touch anything of mine. Period.

Although, looking at it... it's strange to say that this is mine. I certainly didn't own it before the reapings. If it's a gift from my district, does that mean Maya saw fit to send it?

W-wait! You don't think—it's actually Phoenix's...?!

I play with the thought for a minute before dismissing it. I'm sure more than one exists. It would make more sense if it was different. I don't think the Wrights would part with the original so easily, even if a victor is doing the asking.

But the meaning still stands. Maya arranged for me to get something like this. She wants me to know... that I can be like him. Fighting for others. Fighting for truth. Even if he's gone, even if the Games are as dark as ever, that can continue—with me.

Because the people around me are worth defending. Honestly, there's precious little I can do for them here, but that doesn't mean I'm completely powerless. If the Capitol's going to take more of them away from me, I'll do my best to help them before that time comes.

Even if it's too late to help some of them...

I take a deep breath and look out at who I do have. We're going to be fine.

"You certainly seem pleased with your district gift, Athena." Klavier has donned his gaudy metal necklace by the time I look back at him.

Athena nods with a smile, her own necklace flashing a bright green. "I felt pretty lonely without him!"

"Ach, a Fräulein was lonely, and I didn't help? I'm deeply ashamed. But I will make it up to you, I promise to."

She grins, hands on her hips. "Es ist gut. How could I feel alone with all of you guys here? It was more... feeling like I was missing something. And now Widget's back to fill that hole!"

"Hooray!" her necklace adds.

I fold my arms. "Ready to force your Mood Matrix on some people?"

She clenches her fists. "I never force it on anybody! Although, actually... I can open the program, but without the glove, I can't input any information. So, no, I won't be using it on anyone."

"Huh." Hugh flips through his book, which I assume was too heavy to serve as his district token. "They didn't include it in the package?"

Athena sighs. "Nope. I guess our district gifts were limited to one item."

"But wouldn't mine be more than one no matter how you look at it?" Juniper scrunches her yarn in her hands.

"Probably." Trucy adjusts the clasp on her cape. "It could always be from sponsors, though, right?"

Juniper glances to the side. "I... I'm not sure I have any sponsors, with my training score and all."

"Are you kidding?!" Robin shouts before putting her arms behind her back. "I'm sure you've got plenty of sponsors." She gives the rest of us a sly grin. "There are at least six guys after her back home."

"Th-that's not true!" Juniper flushes, frowning. "There are..." She clasps her hands together, gaze flicking back and forth. "No more than five..."

Robin giggles, covering her mouth. "That you've noticed. I say there's decent evidence for N-I-N-E."

Juniper pulls the brim of her hat down on both sides over her face. "We're on national television. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't spread rumors about me..."

Her district partner twirls around. "They're not rumors if they're true!"

Huh, I never would have thought. Not that she isn't pretty or nice enough, but... still. I wonder if I have a few girls after me that I haven't noticed? I think I'm pretty perceptive, but, you know. Something could have easily slipped by me before I figured out how to use my bracelet.

"As far as the district gifts are concerned..." Hugh looks calmly at Simon. "What was yours, anyway? There's no point to drawing conclusions before we've seen all the evidence."

"Very well." He drops his yellow backpack next to me with a clank. "Open it, Justice-dono."

"What? Why me?"

His eyes flash. "Cease your jabbering. A warrior's worth is determined by his actions, not his words."

Then why are you telling me to do it?

I don't feel like he's trying to bestow honor upon me or anything. As far as other reasons, all I can come up with is that it might be dangerous for him to open it. But why would it be? It's something for him sent by his own district—

Which is trying to execute him.

It did seem strange to give us morale boosters like these gifts just for a feast. I thought it was to provide us well-fed tributes with a motive for coming, but could it have been something more? Did District 2 arrange it so they would be able to keep Simon from winning, and without drawing suspicion?

But it would be pretty suspicious if only his bag blew up when it was opened, right? Uh...

Since my other option appears to be decapitation by katana, this isn't much more of a risk.

I aim the backpack away from me and unzip the single compartment. Nothing jumps out, so I try pulling and bending the back towards me to peer inside. It certainly doesn't look like anything that would explode or spew anything noxious on me.

Simon roars in laughter, slapping his palm down a few times before reaching into the bag and taking the shackles. "How thoughtful. My wrists were feeling unnaturally exposed without them."

Athena slouches, Widget turning bruise-colored. "What a great gift..."

Apparently there's nothing else suspicious about them, because Simon proceeds to fasten one to his left wrist. While he positions the second, Athena snatches the bag and checks inside.

"H-hey! There's no key in here!"

"Of course there isn't." Simon shuts the other manacle with a clack. "Who on earth would give a man a key at the very same moment they shackle him?"

Juniper gasps. "Th-then why did you...?"

"Are you expecting to receive the key later?" Klavier suggests with a frown.

"I doubt my district would see fit to send such a thing."

Trucy fists her hands. "Well, I've always wanted to try an escape artist trick!" She frowns, one fist falling under the other. "Except I haven't actually figured out how to do something like that yet."

"I shan't be needing any help." Simon crumples up the bag and has Taka tuck it into his less garish backpack. "I believe it's time we moved onward. We may have sponsors, but we cannot expect them to provide us with enough water day in and day out."

With that, he begins walking, leaving the rest of us to pack up and hurry after him. His chains rattle as he climbs ahead.

Is he really okay with those? They're obviously not much of a hindrance to him when he's used to the weight, but that can't be good for fighting, or even climbing. Is he just certain that he can get out of them without a key? We don't have much of anything to pick a lock, and I'm going to assume the district full of Peacekeepers doesn't use locks that could be picked easily. I guess he could try to slip out of them, but they look pretty well-fitted. I don't think he's getting out without breaking some thumbs.

So why on earth would he bother with them? I know he doesn't intend to get out alive, but what about protecting Athena? I don't see how restraining his hands could help him with that!

Is he just not as clever as I thought he was? Is...

I let out a sigh. I don't know. I don't understand this guy at all. I'm not sure whether I trust him with my life or if I think he'll slaughter all of us the next time anyone missteps. It's one or the other, though...

With a shake of my head, I cram my gift box in my pocket, admire the badge one more time, and keep pace with the others.