Chapter 8 (Nadia POV)

I was at the tree climbing station and I saw a girl perched at the top branch of the tallest tree. I was still struggling to get to the second branch. Saffie wasn't here yet, she was still at breakfast I guessed.

"Put your left foot on the trunk and pull yourself up." Suddenly the girl was sitting one branch away from me. I did as she said and found it wasn't as hard as it looked. She guided me up the tree until I was at the top with her. "Thanks. I'm Nadia, District 4."

"It's nothing, my name's Winnow, District 7."

"Hey." I looked over at the Careers and saw them laughing and messing about with knives "I hate Careers, look at Jay and Dayne, they're just being stupid prats messing around. We all know one of them is gonna win so why don't they stop rubbing it in our faces?" She looked guiltily at me. "What?"

"Um..I think it's just Jay being a prat."

"What? Why? They all are!"

"Well, Dayne has a heart."

"You know that because?"

"Because he's my boyfriend." I almost fell out of the tree in shock, Winnow had to grab my arm.

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah, he used to live in 7. He was my best friend. The Capitol moved him to 2 because he had 'Potential'. I saw him again the other day and we're back together."

I continued to stare at her until I heard a shout. I looked down "Hey Nadia!" It was Saffie waving from the bottom of the tree she started to climb up.

"Sorry I'm late I had to talk with my mentor-" she stopped when she saw Winnow. "Saffron Woods. Call me Saffie. You are?"

"Winnow Hayes, District 7."

"Oh yeah! Sorry, I'm from District 9." She smiled

"You both finished with the introductions? I only came up here to watch the Careers. So can we be quiet?" The shut their mouths and watched

"He's fit, isn't he?" Saffie was looking at Jay

"What?!" I whispered "He'll kill us in the arena, Saffie! Are you crazy?!"

"That's what they say." She grinned "Dayne's not bad either.."

Winnow growled and glared at Saffie "Taken."

"Really? Yore going out with a Career? That's so cool!"

"You're talking about boys that ,when we go into the arena, will kill us! You can't think like that."

"Why? You're going out with Nate."

"No I'm not! How do you know him anyway?"

"I watched your reaping remember." Then Winnow spoke up

"I agree with both of you, we should be thinking about the Games and how to win. Not boys. But since we are all in with the Careers in some way or other we could use that to our advantage." We both stared at her

"Where did that come from?" Saffie and I said at the same time.

"We have to stick together now and in the Games. We have a chance."

"I am a trained Career." I told them, they looked shocked at first then grinned

"That's great! So you are experienced with weapons and stuff. I'm good with axes and climbing trees, it kinda comes with being from District 7." Winnow comments

"Um...I just learnt about Grain." Saffie frowns. We all helped her come up with something else. By the time we finished talking, it was the end of the session. "Ok, so we tell our mentors everything we talked about today." I said as we hopped down from the tree. "Bye!" Saffie said as she went to walk back with her district partner. I walked with Winnow to the elevator and then we pretended we never met each other. I hadn't told them about me and Jay, I couldn't say about us. Wait what am I talking about? There is no 'us'! I was so tired and I just wanted to crash on my bed, but I had to talk to Ria. I ran to her room, she wasn't there. So I went to Calder's room, as much as he scared me, he might know where Ria was. I knocked on the door. "Come in." When he saw it was me he said, "Oh Nadia, what brings you here?"

"Do you know where Ria is?"

He scowled "She was in the dining room an hour ago when I left. Try there."

"Thanks!" I said and ran away from his room, he really was scary. I don't know how Nate can be with him so much. In the dining room, I poked my head around the door. Ria, Maple and Caius were sat round the large table. Ria looked up, "Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah, fine. Um...Ria,can I talk to you?"

She looked at the other two and then spoke "Sure, lets go."

Once in Ria's room, I told her about Saffie and Winnow and what we had talked about.

"Wow, so you girls have made a sort of plan? All on your own? You're so clever. So you want me to talk to their mentors?"

"Not yet. That would look suspicious, they're telling their mentors tonight and ,whilst we're training tomorrow, you can all talk."

"It might work. Nadia, it just might work!"