"Hey hey hey. Don't kill me yet." I held my hands up, tucking the knife into my belt as I showed the group of careers that I didn't pose an immediate threat.

"Why, lover boy? Give us one good reason," Glimmer sneered at me, and Cato snickered at the nickname. I force myself not to roll my eyes.

"I will. Hear me out. Look, all of you guys have strengths. Cato, the leader and good with a sword. Glimmer is good with a bow and arrow."

She's really not, unless she's improved a lot since training. They're keeping her mostly for her face, I know that but obviously I can't say it.

"Clove is good with knives. Marvel is good with spears. But my strength is ALL of your weakness."

"We don't have weaknesses." Cato looked irritated. I know exactly why.

"Katniss got an 11 in training. You got a nine. We know what that nine was for, but none of you know how she got that 11. I can help you get Katniss if you keep me alive."

"I don't trust him. He says he loves her, then the next day he's claiming he'll help us kill her. No." Clove is definitely the smartest and the one I have to be most wary of. She uses her wits and aim more than brute force and she stands out from her partner, the boy from 2, and the tributes from 1 and 4. I quickly formulate a response.

"Yeah, she's special to me. But am I willing to die when I really have a chance? I'm not stupid." Okay yes, that's exactly what I'm doing and I very much am stupid. But if I die, it will be as myself and not as a monster, just like I told her last night. Katniss will see that. Katniss will know when she watches the recap of the games when she wins. She'll forgive me for what I'm saying. And Haymitch and Portia. Delly will know. My father will know. Anyone else is free to think whatever they want. The girl from 4 interrupts my thoughts.

"He's right. He grew up with her, if anyone can catch her in this arena, it's him. Besides, he's not bad with knives or wrestling. We can always kill him later."

"I still say no."

"Clove. We all know you'll still be the best with knives." Cato gives her a surprisingly genuine smile as he nudges her shoulder with his elbow.

"That's not why. I don't trust him."

"Do you want to take the 12 chick out or not?" Clove finally concedes.

"Fine. You're in, lover boy. One wrong move and you're dead. You're free to feel unwelcome. Come on." I think I would like Clove if she was on my side, she shares a spunky side similar to Katniss.

What I'd said was true, but not the whole picture. I'd appealed first to their strengths, giving their egos a boost and making them think I'm at their mercy. Their biggest weakness is Katniss, but right below that is their arrogance. They are so sure of themselves. They camp out in the open. They storm the bloodbath at the cornucopia without a second thought. They make no effort to move quietly to sneak up on their prey. By making them think I was afraid of them, I made them think I wasn't a threat to them. Which I wasn't... Exactly. I am defending their biggest enemy so that she could stay a threat to them. Maybe if she killed me, she would find out later that I was trying to help her, and wouldn't stay mad at me forever. Maybe she wouldn't have to kill me at all, maybe I would need to give myself away before she could annihilate the group. We'll see. Either way, though. Katniss will go home. I will fight every force in this arena to make that possible. Later, when I was on watch with the boy from 3 who they'd nabbed to be a sort of guard to their provisions, I left a note for Prim. "She'll be home for your birthday." Prim's birthday is in a month and a half's time. Katniss has celebrated it for years by buying a single cookie for her each year. Prim WILL have her sister there. Even if it kills me, her sister will be there.