Phan Reska's POV

I honestly can't believe myself. Today is the third day of training and I still don't have an alliance! But now, everyone is either in a pack or loners who will most likely die in the blood bath. There is the career pack, which I have no intention of joining, Scarlett and Jazmine, who can be even more terrifying than the careers and the small one with the three girls from the middle districts, who didn't look like they could kill anybody. However, there was one alliance worth joining. On the other side of the gym, there is a group of four tributes, Natasha, Alex, Rye, and Hayden. They seem like they could have potential, especially with the seven foot beast of theirs. I debate whether I should outright ask them if I could join or nonchalantly flirt my way through, like I do with every problem I face.

I didn't have to make up my mind, though. Natasha is rounding the group into a huddle and whispering secretly. The three guys search around the Centre until their eyes lay on me. Alex nods his head in my direction and pack begins to approach me.

Pretending that I wasn't watching them, I quickly pick up thy first weapon I can get my hands on, which happens to be a mace. I had never handled one of these before, so I just swing it around, pretending to know what I am doing. I don't have to act long though. Natasha walks right up to me and pops the question.

"Sooo, I was wondering if you wanted to be on a team with me and the guys?" She asks me, immediately switching into flirty mode. My eyes widen as I realize that the two of us are the exact same. We're both flirts and have used our flirty ness to get whatever we wanted.

However, I didn't want to seem desperate, even though I was. Therefore, I elusively reply.

"I'll consider your offer," I say mysteriously in a low voice.

"Choose wisely. I'll be waiting," she bats her eyelashes at me and skips away.

It is, at that moment when I realize that I have a crush on Natasha Trent.

Now, let me get this straight. I pretty much have a crush on A LOT of girls, but Natasha is different. I'm not exactly sure how, but it's definitely different. It's a shame that only one of us can win. However, while we're both still alive, I want Natasha to know how I feel about her. But how?

I continue messing with the mace, trying to get it to work while I sort out my thoughts. It's probably stupid. I'll get over it in five minutes. But then again, I've never felt this way about someone before. I'm internally arguing back and forth in my mind. Finally, I make a decision. I will join the pack with Natasha and the others, and then I'll play it by year.

"So have you made your decision, yet?" Natasha asks me.

"Why not?" I reply with a half grin.

"Come here. We need to talk about something very important," Natasha whispers in my ear. What could it possibly be? She leads me to a corner of the room.

"Okay, so I really like you."

No! This can't be happening! This is great!

"Me too," I reply.

"So I was thinking that we could win this together. Sort of like the Star Crossed Lovers. Except this time, we won't get killed. I don't care about the rest of the pack. They can all die and I wouldn't even care. This is where you come in. If we have any chance at all of winning, you're going to have to betray them, one by one. Whatever you do, don't let anyone find out what you're doing. Just like, kill them in their sleep or something. Do anything as long as they are all dead," she whispers.

"What about your brother? Do you want him dead, too?" I ask.

"He's not really my brother. I'm adopted. Just save Alex for last," she tells me. I never noticed her strange accent before now. It sounds exactly like the Capitalites.

"Alright. But I have one question for you. Why do you talk like that?" I ask, curious. Nobody in the districts had a capital accent.

"With the accent? I really don't know, it just comes naturally," she says quickly, as if she's hiding something, "Now go on back to your weapons and I'll see you at lunch!" She skips away, leaving me to plot the betrayal of the pack.

Cyra Gleams' POV

Sweat is beading on my face as I am running through the obstacle course. I hurtle over a iron fence and duck as a spear barley grazes my ear. I am racing another tribute, Jazmine, to be exact. I'm not sure how far ahead I am, if I'm ahead at all. A scamper up a rock wall as water is being shot from the walls. My heart stops as my foot slips from the handle and I begin to fall.

I quickly thrust my arm out and snag a handle, sending a shock through my arm. I know that I have dislocated my shoulder, but I keep climbing. I know that I have to win, I can't bare the shame of losing to another tribute. Using only one arm, I pull myself up the rest of the way, only to be faced with even more challenges.

There is a beam stretching across about ten yards over a twenty foot pit. The beam glistens and I could tell that it is covered in a layer of grease. If I lose my balance, I'll fall into the pit and break everyone bone in my body. As light as a feather, I take it step by step, not daring to look down. Suddenly, the lights go out. I'm forced to make my way across the beam, not even knowing where to step. I grin as the lights come back on and I've completed the course. I look back to find that Jazmine has come out right after me. There is a look of fury on her face as she finds out that I beat her in the obstacle course.

"You'll pay for this, Eight. You and your fat friend," Jazmine yells with venom.

I realize that I have made an enemy in the games, and a bloodthirsty one at that. I wasn't surprised about her comment about Astar, though. After his skirmish with Mace, nobody liked him. Not to mention, he is rude, snobby, and stuck up. And of course, I have the pleasure of being with him everyday. Our stylist, Ezra Morrani and mentor, Bianca Calder, were always working with us on strategy and manners whenever we weren't in training. So I basically have to spend the entire day with Astar and he's really getting on my nerves. Luckily, he's requested to be trained alone, thank goodness.

I gaze around the training centre at everyone training. Almost everyone was working in packs, everyone except for me, Astar, Starr, Edward, Gertrude, Athena, and Trevor. Two thirds of the tributes were in packs. All of the loners would be easy prey for the careers. Even the girl from two with trust issues was in an alliance. However, I am determined to fight until I win and can go back home. It won't be easy, but I'll defy the odds and bring victory to District Eight.

A/N

Here are the alliances:

1. Careers Rora, Marble, Mace, Crystal, James, Starr, Heaven

2. Phan, Rye, Natasha, Alex, Hayden

3. Lacey, Dannin, Justice

4. Scarlett, Jazmine

Here's the trivia: Name two things that happened in James Brooks' dream.

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