Training Day 1

-Adrian Amberheim, 18, District 12-

Perhaps one would think he would be more restless, considering where he was. But despite being here, in the Capitol, and not back home… He hadn't slept deeper. He didn't even dream here, surrounded by soft blankets smelling slightly of rose, after a shower without others yelling and talking and making comments around him. The red marks around his wrists from handcuffs that never came off were finally starting to heal. He felt at peace, finally.

Despite the conditions he'd been living in, though, it wasn't all of this luxury that was finally allowing Adrian to sleep. No… It was the fact that finally he was going to die. Perhaps he could have figured out a way in prison, but there was always the possibility that no matter how efficient he was about it with the meager resources he was given, someone would come in and save him, keep him alive. And he absolutely did not want to try and fail. He needed a sure-fire way to die, and the Hunger Games provided him that outlet he so desperately craved. He felt so much better knowing that his life would soon end. That knowledge allowed him to sleep so deeply, at peace knowing that his time was limited here and soon he would finally get that sweet release that he granted to his family. He would once again be with them.

But until then… He was going to do what he could. Maybe one in his shoes would coast through, not caring, with the knowledge that their life was going to end. But Adrian wanted to keep himself busy. He wanted to give the District and his mentors some hope, even if he ultimately knew how this would end. He wanted to play the game, in the hope that his death might be as fast and painless as possible. After all, that was what he gave to his family. He felt that he at least deserved the same.

And he would get it. But not today. Today, he would begin training, and would train for three days. It would be an opportunity to learn… Something that Adrian missed doing so much. The only thing that provided him with any sort of reprieve. And here, it was encouraged – no, required. Gone were the days of starvation. Gone were the days of physical labor. And they would never, ever come back.

Adrian felt like a human being again for the first time in forever. He got dressed, in real clothes, unlike the prison jumpsuit. He combed his hair. He brushed his teeth. He hoped that his team would be able to see him for the human being that he was. Even though he was going to die, that was all that he wanted.

He came out to the dining room for breakfast, before it was even time for the tributes to be awakened. He was used to the early mornings and didn't mind them. There was something about being up before the sun graced the sky that was calming. He was a creature of the darkness, that loved the night… And yet, continued onwards at the rising of the sun.

Angelina was already up when Adrian came out. She was one person that never hesitated around Adrian, and even alone with him, today was no different. Usually, people recoiled when they saw him. Angelina gave him a chance, and he was thankful for it as much as he was guilty that it was all in vain.

"Good morning Adrian," she said with a smile, before checking the time again. "You're up early. Did you sleep alright?"

"I slept wonderfully, actually, thank you," Adrian told her. Even though she raised an eyebrow at him, he was being completely honest. "I'm just used to being up this early and don't want to mess up my sleep schedule."

Angelina gave him a small smile. "I see. Well, are you ready for training today?"

Adrian smiled and nodded. "Yes ma'am. I'm going to learn what I can. I'm sure that Braelynn will have some advice for me as well when she's awake."

"She should be up and out soon. But…" she gave him a small, hesitant smile. "Well, don't get so wrapped up in your training that you don't take a moment to something you'll enjoy. I know there are some fun stations, and maybe you can even get there with some friends!"

Adrian smiled politely at that. From day one, his escort's positive attitude has been… Well, obvious. Far, far different from how Adrian lived. He wondered, if he grew up in the Capitol, if he might have ended up like her as well. But he didn't. Fate was not nearly so kind. But he didn't hold it against her. She was a good person at heart and she probably deserved to live in the beautiful world she lived in. Adrian wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve living in District Twelve, but… He did, and soon he would no longer. He wouldn't even exist. But he didn't want Angelina to know that.

"I'll keep that in mind," he told her. But he knew that he would definitely not be doing any of that. He would do what he needed to do in order to entertain his mind, and his hands. But there was absolutely no way that anyone was going to even want to be his friend, not here. And he knew that and respected that. He would only weigh down any possible alliances after all, and wasn't interested in leading anyone on. If they all wanted to survive, that was fine. Better for Adrian, to just fall off of his platform.

"Good. You do deserve to have some fun, Adrian. You should make the most of your time here." She reached over to squeeze his hand and give him a gentle smile, before her face lit up. "And yes, it should start with breakfast! What would you like? I can have the cooks make it in a fun shape! Pancake? Chocolate chip, blueberry, strawberry!?" she was getting more excited as she pointed at him. "What'll it be?"

"Oh, um…" that was a lot of options, but he could see the excitement in Angelina's face. "Get me one of each. Choose your favorites."

Angelina gave him a wide grin. "You won't be disappointed, Adrian!" she said, as she hurried over to the ordering system on the other side of the room to type it all in.

Adrian looked up when the mentors came in together. Braelyn still had some signs of exhaustion on her face, that were all too familiar for Adrian coming from District 12. Bates looked a little more awake, but not too much. He had a rope in his hands that he was fiddling with as the entered.

"Good morning Adrian," Braelyn said, not at all surprised to see him awake. "You look well. Rested."

"I feel it, too," Adrian told her honestly.

"Enjoy that while it lasts," Bates said quietly. "You'll never get a good night of sleep again."

Braelyn sighed and flicked his shoulder, but never said that he was wrong. "Bates, really?"

"Don't scold him, please. I appreciate the honesty." Adrian gave him a small smile to show that he wasn't lying. "I understand what I got into by coming here." They all said that the boy from Nine knew death. But Adrian was pretty sure that he knew death better. In fact… he was death, in a way. And he understood that death wasn't evil. Death went hand-in-hand with life. Death only came to take home what was lost. It was merciful. More merciful than life, sometimes.

Angelina came back, lighting up to see the mentors. "Oh, good morning!" she said. "Did you sleep well?"

"As well as you can," Braelyn said gently.

"I don't sleep so well alone," Bates said, bouncing his eyebrows as Braelyn punched his arm.

Angelina giggled. "So I'm getting you some pancakes in the shape of a heart, then, is what I'm hearing." She winked at him and Bates nodded quickly as a grin spread across his face.

"Yes! And bacon!"

"Bacon too, you got it. I'll make sure they pile your plates high with anything you want." She turned around and hurried over to put that in before letting out a small squeal and turning around. "Braelyn, I almost forgot about you, I apologize! What would you like?"

"I'll just have a muffin," she said. "As usual, please."

"Of course." Angelina put her hands on her hips and walked to the system with purpose, where she picked up Adrian's pancakes and brought them over to him. "Here you go!"

The pancakes were in the shape of a smiley face. Adrian laughed lightly at that, but looked away in hopes that the mentors wouldn't notice that it didn't reach his eyes. "Thank you Angelina, they're perfect."

And they were. Each one was delicious, and Adrian ate generously. Angelina soon delivered Braelyn's muffin to her with a smile, who thanked her.

"Do you have any advice for me?" Adrian asked her.

"Follow your instincts," said Braelyn. "If you think they're making some stations more important than others, you're probably right and you need to spend some time there. Look for subtleties."

Adrian nodded. That made a lot of sense to him. Not every station was important every year, and they had to find ways to make sure the tributes knew where they should be spending more time at. Otherwise, they would all keel over from starvation, cold, or whatever else they were neglecting. Adrian embraced that advice, knowing that it would be to his benefit to be observant.

"Yes, look for subtleties," he said. "Although the flirtation going on in here is definitely not one of them?"

Angelina came in, as if on cue, with two plates piled high with food. "Two plates for Bates! Oh, that rhymed!" she clapped, pleased with herself, as she crossed the room to put the food in front of him. "Here you go."

"Aw, thanks, cutie. You're the best." He reached over to squeeze her shoulder, and Angelina just grinned and sat right next to him. It was obvious that she was playing footsies with him under the table.

"No, you're the best."

"Oh, I think the sun is rising," Braelyn commented. "I think I'm going to fancy watching from our balcony. Whoever would like to join is more than welcome."

She gave Adrian a look and he was thankful to get out of there. Those two were… A lot to handle. He got up and went to sit out with his mentor, stealing a few pieces of bacon off of Bates's plate for the road.

Out there, with the breeze on his face, Adrian took a breath of fresh air. He felt clean, positive energy running through him… Content, knowing that he would watch this sight only a few more times before he would be somewhere better. Anywhere was better.

He enjoyed the sunrise with Braelyn, then it wasn't long until Ember was awake and they were going to the Training Center together.

It had been years since District Twelve was the one that was late, and this year was no exception. In fact, they were one of the first pairs to arrive this year. The only pair to arrive before them was the pair from District Ten. Bates and Braelyn greeted the Victors as Eryx was listening with wide eyes to Kodiak telling him about being voted the leader of the Careers.

"Parker is going to be so proud of me!" he said, putting his hands on his hips excitedly as the next team came in. Kodiak didn't pay anyone much notice, but Adrian noticed how Chiwi looked over, already sizing them up. Adrian knew who had the brain cells between those two.

The rest of the Careers came down next, the mentors and tributes both treating each other politely. Then, the rest of the Districts came in pods of multiple Districts sharing the elevator at once. So far, there was not much to note between them all. Adrian had expected some to form alliances after the chariot interviewing, but the room was mostly silent. Keelan didn't even acknowledge him – maybe to look cool to his allies, maybe just because he didn't care, Adrian didn't know.

The last District to arrive was District Eleven. Rose Westmore just looked plain tired, as Chervil and Miracle brought in their tributes. With a mentor from a Career district there, Adrian was fully not expecting District Eleven to be last. Perhaps it was because of an escort that knew nothing about behind the scenes of the Games, or because of Adrian who was a little spitfire. Or maybe it was Vasilisa, considering she was complaining about being dragged away from doing her hair to Miracle.

Even though they were the last to arrive, the still arrived on time and the proceedings started soon after the got there. Adrian listened to the Head Trainer that gave them the rules, and wondered if she hated the monotony of her job was just as terribly depressing as that of coal mining. It sure did seem like it.

They were soon released to their stations. Some, like the Careers, knew exactly where they wanted to go. Some, like the boy from District Five, held back, with no idea where to go.

Adrian scanned the room, looking for any subtleties like Braelyn said. So far, he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, so he went to Bates's favorite station to learn how to tie knots. He was interested in learning about this, and the trainer looked pleased to have someone visit. It wasn't long before another joined them. Adrian would have paid them no mind, but he was interested in this tribute. Someone who knew death.

"Need a rope?" Adrian reached over to grab one and pass it over.

"Yes, thank you."

"Practice the first knot while I catch him up," the trainer instructed Adrian.

"Don't worry, it isn't too hard," Adrian told him.

Cadmus breathed out of his nose. It was obvious that he wasn't very interested in talking. "I'll manage," he said finally.

Adrian figured it was for the best that Cadmus wasn't keen on talking. After all, Adrian didn't intend on making friends. He was just curious about this boy, who was dressed as the grim reaper. He wanted to know what Cadmus had been through that brought him to this place. He even wondered if, in a way, they were kindred spirits.

But, he knew that he would only weigh Cadmus down if he were to actually learn what happened, and didn't want to do that. So he went back to his work, watching Cadmus pick up on the knot-tying quickly and prepare for the two of them to learn the second knot together.

After a little while doing that and a little while practicing with a sword next to a couple Careers, he racked the weapon. Adrian was satisfied with his progress, but couldn't help but stop and watch as Ryder struck Kodiak on the chest with a triumphant yell.

"Gotcha!" they cried in victory, as a dark expression crossed his face. Adrian went away from there, towards the agility station where there was already a line of tributes. Of course, they wanted to learn how to run away from situations that scared them. Running would not provide that release, but Adrian wanted to be a responsible tribute.

"Adrian, right?" a tap on his back made Adrian jump and turn around, where the girl from District Eight was standing. "Paisley Adams. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Adrian said politely. He wasn't going to turn anyone away, but he was not at all sure why Paisley would be talking to him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm just trying to size up the competition," she commented, raising an eyebrow. "I was interested by you. Perplexed. A volunteer from District Twelve is… Unusual."

"It is," he commented. "This was just a year of volunteers. Including your District partner." He pointed to where Rory was struggling to learn how to shoot a bow behind them. "A very interesting one."

"Yeah, but just because I was reaped doesn't mean I'm less of an asset. If you're not sure, you can watch me run the course. That is, if you don't get distracted." Adrian's attention was taken by her turning around and shaking her ass a little bit as she stepped at the front of the line. Adrian typically didn't notice or care about that sort of thing, and Paisley didn't change that. Sure, she was a pretty girl, but… Adrian had no great desire to fall prey to her charms. "And we'll put this conversation on hold until then." She didn't let him respond, turning slightly to wink at him before she took on the course.

Flirtation aside, Paisley was quite capable at the course, making it across without getting knocked off the platforms, even when she was hit. She had grit, and Adrian could appreciate that. But he also knew why he was here, and it definitely wasn't the same reason she was here.

"Come and get me, Amberheim!" Paisley called to him flirtatiously. Adrian steeled himself. He took off towards the course with a running start, and knew that no matter what, he had to keep going. He wasn't nearly as experienced at the course as she was, falling down more than once, but he stayed with it to meet her at the end.

"So? Are we gonna make a group alliance together or what? I have my eyes set on a few other competent guys and I know I can get them to join us."

Adrian looked at her face for a moment, a mask that refused to reflect how hopeful she was.

"Thanks for the offer," he said. "I'll think about it."

"Cool. Get back to me soon, mmkay?" She clicked with her tongue and then turned around to approach the boy from District Five. Adrian watched her go, shaking his head. For someone that was so sharp, he really thought she would see through his lie that he would think about it.

But no matter.

He was here to die, and nothing was going to change that.

~.~.

-Ridley Ostreuck, 18, District 4-

He ate lunch with his allies, but something wasn't sitting right with Ridley. It wasn't like Amiah was struggling to make friends. Today, she was eating with Odessa from District Nine. But unlike when she talked to Ridley, she had a piece of paper and was writing on it to communicate with her. She didn't need words with Ridley, though. They just rode on the same wave.

Focus, Ridley.

"So, are there any tributes you think are going to give us a run for our money?" Kodiak glanced around at the tables of tributes sitting together.

"Physically? No way," Wendy commented. "I haven't seen a single one of them that can hold their own in a fight against us."

"Not even the other volunteers?" Keelan asked, keeping that cool and personable aura around him. "Adrian seemed like he had some fight in him when we talked."

"Haven't seen him do anything impressive yet," said Basil. "Not Rory either."

"The only thing to be afraid of with those guys is that they have such compelling stories," commented Nadia. "But I have a compelling story too, and I would say the same for you."

The rest of the group murmured in agreement as Kodiak put another sweet potato fry in his mouth. "So… What are your stories?" He was met with a quiet circle as a few of them gave him distrustful looks, including Keelan and Chiwi. "Well, I mean, we're going to share them with the crowd anyways, right?"

"I want to change the world," Ryder said, breaking the tension. "Be something for someone, I want my life to matter, and this is the place that it would matter most. I was inspired by Victors growing up and I want to be that person for someone. Someone to look up to."

"I've always thought the same," said Nadia. "My story is kind of an obvious one, being friends with Remus. I always wanted to win, but losing him just made me want to win more." She gave the group a small smile that was slightly painful.

"I want to make something bigger of myself too," Ridley said. Kodiak was right, they were all going to share their stories with the press anyways. He didn't mind being a little bit open with her allies. After all, he needed to trust them all, right? And he needed them to trust him too. Otherwise, it was going to be another year of disaster. So, he shared his story. "I want the glitz and glamour, I want the fame and riches, I want to break free of the oyster farm back home." He smiled at his allies. "Maybe not quite as profound, but I'm still going to fight."

"I also come from a poor family," said Keelan. "And like Ridley we were picked on for what we didn't have. Single mom, worked as a diver. I had to earn my place in the Academy, and that made me want it even more. The money is something I could use, but my pride is more important than that, and hers as well."

"Mad respect man," said Ridley, patting his District partner's back. He also had periods in her life where he was facing the same treatment, when the farm wasn't doing as well… But he put those aside. They weren't important now.

"I broke free of an abusive relationship to get here," said Wendy. "That's my story. I will never let myself be bullied again. As soon as I broke free, I realized that I can do anything, including this."

"I can't even imagine that," Nadia said quietly. Ridley deflated at that. Damn, he never had to go through anything like that…

Basil puffed up his chest when the group looked over at him. "I'm going to win these Games because when I get home, nobody will say no to me. I will finally be able to adopt a kid like I've always wanted to. After I was adopted, I knew that I was someday going to do that for someone else."

"Well I'm going to be adopted!" Kodiak said quickly. "I'm going to have a family of Victors. They already were my family. They took me under their wing and I'm going to make them proud. They knew I could do it and put their eggs in my basket, and I'm not going to drop it." His face was set with determination. But Ridley couldn't let himself be compelled by anyone else, even if he liked Kodiak and his allies. "How 'bout it, Chiwi?"

Kodiak's District partner squinted her eyes at that. She wasn't angry, but… She was obviously the most closed out of all of them. Ridley wanted to like her, but she was making it pretty difficult to do that. Ridley just wasn't sure about her.

"Arthur Warwick is my hero," she said curtly. "He did me a great favor and I want to repay him by making our District a better place to live for his family."

"District Ten stinks – literally. This pretty face was always destined for something more!" Kodiak said, putting a hand under his chin to show them his face. Which, even after a full day of training, was still perfect and pretty. Not a single hair out of place on him.

"Well then, it seems like we are kindred spirits," Ridley said, copying him by putting a hand under his chin and then pointing at him. Kodiak pointed back at him with a lopsided grin that Ridley returned.

"Alright, so I think we did a really good job this morning on our traditional Career intimidation tactic," Kodiak told them. "But I was thinking this afternoon that we should brush up on some skills we don't have. We have a lot of close-range users, and I think we should work to diversify ourselves so that if there aren't enough swords or spears to go around, nobody has to be weakened, if that makes sense."

"That's a good idea," Wendy said. "I'm happy to help anyone that wants to learn more about archery, which is my primary, in return for some sword time."

"And I'll help with knives," said Chiwi. "But I would love some help on spears."

"I have knowledge about chakrams for range, so I'm going to go work with those if anyone wants to join. Can't promise I'll be any help though."

"Alright, give me a second," said Kodiak, as his cogs were turning. "So Wendy, Ryder, and I will go work on archery, and either of us can give her sword time. Then, Chiwi, the Fours, and Basil can hit knives, and the Fours can give her some spear time."

Ridley looked at Nadia, a little worried about leaving her on her own. And the fact that he had zero experience with any ranged weapons meant he could do whatever she wanted. "I'd like to learn chakrams from Nadia. Please?"

"Oh?" Nadia gave her a side-glance for a second. "Sure."

"Alright, guppies," Wendy said, pointing at Ryder and Kodiak. "Let's go shoot some arrows. If I can teach Rose Westmore to do it, I can teach anyone." The three of them got up and went together towards the archery station.

"I look forward to working with you," said Chiwi, getting up. "Let's set out." Keelan and Basil followed her enthusiastically.

"You ready to learn?" Nadia asked Ridley. "If you want to teach me javelins afterward, I would appreciate it."

"Yes ma'am!" Ridley said enthusiastically. But his eye went from Nadia to Amiah, who was just separating from Odessa after lunch. It would have been hard to find a tribute with a story nearly as compelling as Amiah Amaryllis. To be mute and yet have seek the sun as she did… That was his true kindred spirit. Amiah saw him looking and smiled, putting up her hand and giving Ridley a wave as he left Nadia to meet her.

"Hello Miss Amiah. You training hard?"

The blonde nodded quickly and pointed at the station for daggers, moving her arm in a flourish.

"Daggers, eh? How's that going?" Ridley leaned against the wall as Amiah put her hands behind her back and just gave a smile as she did a sign that led Ridley to assume that it was good.

"You'll have to show me what you learn. Although I can't be much help to you on daggers, they aren't much my expertise."

Amiah's shoulders shook as she gave a quiet giggle about that and did another combination of signs that Ridley couldn't follow at all. But she bounced on her feet in such a way that her bubbly energy was infectious. It was like she was dancing. She moved her arms around in a way that was so graceful… She really was one of a kind. She smiled and held out her hand to Ridley, dramatically putting out her other arm.

"Dancing? Here? There isn't any music!" Amiah put out her hand again, shaking her head a little bit. She had such a hopeful look in her eyes…

Amiah giggled again as Ridley took her hand and she spun into him. He could hear the music in his brain as Amiah came close to him and swayed from side to side to a rhythm that he was able to follow. "Ridley!"

Nadia's voice snapped him out of his stupor as Nadia waved to him. "Chakrams?"

"Oh. Yes." Ridley cleared his throat, giving Amiah an apologetic look. "Well, um, I should be going."

The disappointment was evident on Amiah's face when she stepped away from him.

"Keep training hard, and let's meet down here for a midnight spar," he said quietly, not wanting Nadia to hear. There was just something about her.

Amiah smiled and gave her a nod. She waved again and then skipped away from him as Ridley came back over to Nadia.

"Sorry, I got distracted." He didn't feel very sorry, though. He was just having some fun…

Nadia had a hard look on her face when Ridley looked over, that quickly disappeared.

"No worries," she said. "I just wouldn't want our allies to see and underestimate you or say anything. There are always eyes on you."

Ridley swallowed nervously at that as he looked at the Gamemakers that were watching them. But he hadn't ever let nerves get to him before, and he wasn't going to start today.

"Well, if that's true, then I'm going to give them all something to watch." He straightened himself and follow Nadia to the chakram station. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't at all populated, and the trainer that was at the station was sitting on a holo and not paying attention.

"Excuse me," said Nadia, startling the trainer. "We would like to practice with chakrams."

Ridley started to feel a little nervous about learning a new weapon while the Gamemakers were watching. He never really thought to learn a ranged weapon… And why would he? He could fight so well with a trident that he never even thought to use anything like that. Plus, he could throw javelins so he did have a ranged weapon. But he wasn't about to go by himself and alienate himself from his allies.

But by being with Amiah, didn't he already do that?

He wasn't sure. He didn't realize that the politics of the Games would be so tough. It was nothing he couldn't do, right? Ridley always believed that he could do anything he put his mind to. So he was going to learn this weapon, prove himself to Nadia. She obviously wasn't interested in niceties, even if she was polite.

Ridley had quite a learning curve with the chakrams. He had no idea why anyone would use those weapons – sure, they looked cool, but they were secretly a bitch to use. Ridley was starting to get the hang of it by the end, but was relieved to take Nadia over to the javelin station to show her how to throw a spear.

When they got there, they met up with Chiwi and Keelan.

"Hey!" said Keelan. "How'd the chakrams go?"

"Ridley did well," Nadia said with a pat on the back.

"It's tough and Nadia makes it look easy," said Ridley politely. He just couldn't help but wonder if he even belonged with this group. They were nice, but… He didn't know. He should stay with them, they were all pretty strong and he had this spot guaranteed just from where he was from. Maybe he didn't feel like he earned it? Ridley didn't know what he was feeling.

"Rid?" Keelan squeezed his arm and Ridley focused back on him. "You good fam?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ridley said, sinking away when Nadia gave them a look. She was right… He was always being watched, and he just wanted to measure up. "How did it go for you guys?"

"No too bad. Or did I suck? I couldn't tell." he asked with a teasing wink, turning to Chiwi.

"He did well," said Chiwi quietly. "He already trained in knives so there wasn't much I could teach him."

"How do you think Kodiak is holding up against Wendy?" asked Keelan, glancing over at where Ryder was watching the two of them sparring.

"She looks a little frustrated," said Nadia with a snort. "Must keep losing."

"It is his primary weapon," said Chiwi, her voice becoming quiet. "I don't think I've ever come into the Academy when he wasn't there, with Parker."

"Ah, and he wants to date his son," said Nadia as Kodiak wiggled his sword at Ryder, who was hefting the greatsword over their shoulder.

"Has he ever won against Ryder?"

"Unlikely," Nadia commented. "Ryder and I are the shining gems of our district."

"But he will try," said Chiwi, shaking her head.

"…Do you think this is actually a good idea?" Nadia asked quietly. "The whole training for ranged weapons. We're Careers, don't you think they'll give us enough swords?"

"He's probably just nervous that if there aren't enough swords, he'll be out his weapon of choice," said Keelan, and Ridley gave a hum and a nod in agreement.

"Ultimately, we all want to win," Nadia said. "I just would be wary of him, taking the lead despite being an outlier. I don't trust him."

Ridley frowned a little at that. He didn't see anything wrong with the boy of District Ten, just because he wasn't from a typical Career District.

"I don't know, I think he's an okay kid," he said, turning around when Ryder tapped his chest with their sword again.

"He's fine, but he's going to have to die if we want to live Rid," Keelan said quietly. Ridley's stomach dropped at that. He wasn't wrong, but… This all felt a little dirty, talking about him like that just because he was from District Ten. Chiwi was also quiet, but Ridley could see the fear in her eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm going to murder that man's whole career as soon as the stage opens for karaoke." That made the group laugh, even Chiwi, and Ridley breathed a sigh of relief at the tension being dispersed. For now. "Alright, now let's get started here so that we can all grab dinner together before we go our separate ways."

"Yes!" said Nadia. "Let's do it!" She was extremely motivated and learned quickly. She was performing so well. Ridley had to out show her. He became determined, completely focused, just like that day when they were choosing volunteers. Soon, he was in the zone, quickly throwing and hitting the target faster than even Keelan did. He was motivated now and channeled those nervous emotions into training.

Ridley thrived under pressure and hew as going to show that to everyone that was watching him.

The Gamemakers.

His allies.

And… Of course…

Little Miss Sunshine.

A/N: So, we get some Career politics and some deeper insight into Adrian the volunteer! I'm going to try and knock out a lot of chapters over my spring break, so I'm going to see if I can't get through training before I'm on the road back to Maryland, but we'll see.

CQ: Will Ridley stay with the Careers? Will Adrian keep his promise to stay alone?

Confirmed Alliances

Careers – Wendy [D1], Basil [D1], Ryder [D2], Nadia [D2], Keelan [D4], Ridley [D4], Kodiak [D10], Wachiwi [D10]

Loners – Adrian [D12]