The final day of training begins with a screaming match.

I can hear the yelling before I even get off the elevator, and while I can't catch the words right away, I know that the voices belong to Jacinth and Nero.

The first thing I see when I step onto the floor is the Careers gathered near the weapons station. This time, Belladonna and Atticus are with them. I guess now that the secret is out, there's no use in being subtle about it. Jax and Nero are shouting at each other.

Some of the tributes are standing around and staring awkwardly at the scene being created. Others are attempting to mind their own business but can't help but occasionally glance over. We quickly find Jenny and Drake over near the gauntlets and join them. "What did we miss?" I whisper.

"Nero found out about Bronze's little scheme," Drake replies. "Nero is steaming mad. Whether he's angrier about Belladonna and Atticus or being kept in the dark, I don't know. Everyone except Camdyn is choosing sides. This could be the end of the Careers of Sixty-Six."

"There's no way we could be that lucky," I say with a shrug.

"So negative," Bran says teasingly.

I turn my attention to the Careers. "For the last time, I don't care if you 'planned on telling me,' Jax!" Nero shouts. "How the hell am I supposed to trust any of you when you bring in other allies behind my back?!"

"A very valid argument," Bran whispers.

"Look how you're reacting now!" Jax retorts. "Can you seriously blame us for wanting to let you down easy?"

"Another valid argument," I whisper back.

"Stop acting like you're trying to do what's best for me!" Nero's face is red with rage. "You don't know me! Less than a week ago, you didn't even know I existed!"

"We know you well enough to know you don't think before you act!" Brooke snaps back. "Look what happened yesterday! You screwed up a potential alliance with that girl from Nine and got yourself kicked out of training!"

The argument continues, with Jax and Brooke continuing to shout at Dashiell and Nero. Finally, Camdyn steps in. "Enough! All of you! Nero knows. Big freaking deal. We have outliers in our alliance. Big freaking deal! We can't afford to fall apart before the Games even begin!"

"She's right," Atticus pipes up. "We all made mistakes here. The Games start in two days. We need to hash this out and move forward."

"Why are we even recruiting outliers anyway?" Nero whips around to Bronze, who has been content standing back until now. "You could at least tell me that!"

"Because we can't afford to be arrogant and think we'll be just fine as we are," Bronze replies coolly. "We have several strong tributes, most of them being in equally strong alliances. We need the extra muscle."

"No," Nero snarls, "we don't. We don't need them! What do they even bring to the table?"

"Belladonna is a convicted murderer," Jax retorts. "She's used to killing and we've seen how good she is when fighting hand to hand. Atticus works in a coal mine. He's used to the dark and can swing a pick. Not to mention his survival skills. That's what they bring to the table."

"Atticus and Belladonna are here to stay," Bronze adds. "I promised them a place with us and I'm not going to go back on my word. If you have a problem with that, feel free to walk away."

Nero grits his teeth, and I'm half-expecting, half-hoping he takes a swing and gets himself thrown out again. Instead, he just turns to Bronze. "You better hope we don't find each other in the arena, Carlton. We'll see how well your self-righteous bullshit holds up."

With that, he storms off. Drake just smiles. "Well, it looks like Bronze is going to need another replacement," he says.

"I'm willing to bet Bronze is lying," Bran says, placing a hand on his hip. "At least half-lying. He needs the extra muscle, but I'll be he's planning something."

"Whatever it is," I reply, "let's just hope it doesn't affect us."

We spend the first half of the day hashing out our plans for private sessions. Bran intends to score low. Jenny is aiming for the middle. Drake and I resolve to score as high as possible. For me, it's especially important. My mother scored a ten. My sister scored an eight. My uncle got a seven. I need to score as high as they did, maybe even higher if I'm going to show the sponsors that I'm worthy of my family name.

Bran does more scouting, and while no more alliances crop up throughout the day, he does report that Krystian has joined Flower Power and was showing Emily and Bridgeteri how to camouflage their traps. There's no telling why he joined Flower Power and not us, but ultimately, it's his decision. "We'll just have to watch our step," Jenny says. Bran also reports that Harvey had been hiding for all of training. I had been wondering where he was up to. After what Belladonna did to him on the Reaping Stage, I can't say I blame him for not wanting to encounter her, especially now that she's with the Careers.

We spend the remaining time getting some last-minute practice in, and when lunch rolls around, the four of us sit together and make more small talk. The other tributes are called in, one at a time, for their private sessions. I find myself growing more and more nervous as time goes on. I know what I am going to do. I'm just worried it won't be enough. Jenny seems to notice this and gently pats my arm. "You'll do fine, Ames."

I appreciate the gesture. It doesn't help much.

Krystian is called. Then Chanel. Then Bran. Eventually, my name is called and I stand up. "Good luck, Ames!" Drake calls as I leave.

"Thanks," I reply. "You too. Both of you."

I take a deep breath to control my shaking and I step into the training area. "Amber Reeves," I say, announcing my presence. "District Nine." Most of them turn to me. Most of the Gamemakers are definitely drunk, which is mildly annoying, but I have managed to grab most of the attention in the room. It'll have to do.

I request a sparring partner and pick up a training sickle. We take our stances. I let the trainer make the first move. He lunges forward and I sidestep away. He spins around, trying to strike at my neck. I can tell he's expecting me to duck. Instead, I roll away and throw myself forward, slamming my entire weight into him. The trainer stumbles but recovers in time to dodge my next attack. He then uses my momentum against me and hooks his foot around mine. I wind up on the ground, but thankfully I'm able to roll away before he can get the final hit on me. I quickly get to my feet and take a defensive stance. The trainer makes the first move once again. This time, I allow his weapon to slam into mine. He pushes against me, but I hold my ground, letting him exert himself until I allow the block to loosen. I then spin around as he stumbles forward and place the sickle at his side. "Boom," I say quietly.

The trainer lowers his weapon and nods. "You win," he says.

For the second half of my private session, I take on the edible plants station. I quickly sort through the plants, and after making absolutely certain that the sorting it correct, I stuff the edible plants into my mouth to show my confidence.

When the Gamemakers dismiss me, I can't help but smile. I don't want to get my hopes up, but I think I nailed it.

Two hours pass between the time I leave my private session and the time that the score reveals start. During this time, Sylva, Rycin, Bran and I just sit on the couch in nervous silence. The more time that passes, the less confident I feel. I'm not dead or feeling sick, so I must have done something right with the plants, but I did almost lose that sparring match. What if that affects me somehow? I voice those concerns and Rycin just shrugs. "If it makes you feel better, I lost my sparring match and still managed a seven. Granted, it was on purpose since I was trying to look mediocre, but still. The fact that you recovered and managed to win speaks volumes about your skill."

I hope that's true. I can't afford to score low. Not only would I be letting any potential sponsors down, but I would also be letting my family down.

Right before the score reveal is due to start, I grab my notes and advise Bran to do the same. Sylva gets us pens and glasses of water to drink, which I appreciate. Caesar Flickerman appears on the screen and starts his opening spiel. Then, he begins announcing the scores and I begin writing them down.

The scores begin cycling through, one by one, district by district. Sylva gently squeezes my shoulder. It does nothing to calm my nerves.

By the time District Eight's scores appear, my heart is pounding furiously. Then, it's District Nine's turn.

Bran's score appears first. He manages a four. "Yes!" he cheers. "Low score!" Then, my name and picture appear.

I hold my breath and watch the screen for what feels like an eternity. The room erupts into cheers when the ten appears on screen. I nearly sob with relief. I did it. I actually matched my mother's score.

"I told you!" Rycin says, giving me a hug. "I told you you'd pull it off!"

After the program ends, Sylva declares a celebration. When asked what we want, Bran requests the pancakes he's heard so much about. I couldn't agree more. We ask if we can invite the Tens since they also got the scores they wanted. We're allowed this and within a few minutes, Drake and Jenny arrive on our floor. While we wait for food to be ready, the four of us go over my notes. Rycin sits with us to provide assistance with the blessing of the Ten mentors.

"Okay," I begin, "Bronze got an eight, which is on the low end of the typical Career range. Did anyone see anything that might explain that?"

"He and Jacinth have the brains and brawn thing going," I reply.

"That checks out, given that Jax scored a ten," Jenny adds. "We know Jax spent training practicing with a rapier. Did we ever find out what weapon Bronze uses?"

Bran shakes his head slowly. "Bronze…never practiced with the weapons."

"That's…odd. He has to be able to use one," Sylva chimes in from the stove.

"I agree," Drake says. "He's hiding his skills."

"I'd rather not find out what those skills are during the bloodbath," Jenny says carefully.

We all can agree on this.

"Moving on to the Twos," I begin. "Nero got a nine, Camdyn got a ten. And both Fours got nines. Nothing out of the ordinary there."

"Didn't Finnick get a nine?" Drake asks. "Why are the wannabes so intent on copying him?"

"We really need to stop calling them Finnick Odair Wannabes," Rycin groans. "They're Careers! We have to take them seriously."

Jenny giggles. "We are taking them seriously. It's just too much fun though."

"We can call them discount Finnick Odairs?" Bran suggests.

"Moving on!" I interject, even though I'm laughing too. "Atticus and Belladonna both got eights, so they're definitely staying in the Careers. Did any other scores stick out?"

"The Sevens got eights," Drake replies, "but they were scary good with axes. Lincoln also got a seven, but he's decent with a bow."

"What about our resident survivalists? Krystian and Flower Power?" Jenny asks. "Bridgeteri and Krystian got sixes and Emily got a five. What are the odds that they did survival skills for their private sessions?"

"High," I say. "Meaning they were either very good or survival skills will be needed..."

We go over the other scores, which aren't overly surprising. It's around this time that Sylva brings out the pancakes. Knowing full well that this may be my last time enjoying my adoptive mother's famous pancakes, I make sure to savor them. "These are phenomenal!" Bran cries in between bites. "Best pancakes ever!"

"We just call them flapjacks back home," Drake says. "They're very flat and nowhere near as moist. These are great."

Sylva smiles. "I appreciate the compliments. Jenny, what do you think?"

"They're amazing," Jenny replies. "Thank you, Mrs. Mayleaf."

Sylva laughs. "Please, just call me Sylva. Mrs. makes me feel old." We all laugh at this. Once the laughter dies down, she says the last thing I ever expected her to say. "Ricotta."

"Gesundheit?" Bran replies, confused.

This gets a laugh out of Sylva. "Ricotta. My secret ingredient is ricotta. It makes the pancakes lighter and fluffier."

"Interesting…" Drake muses. "If I make it home, I'll have to try that."

If I make it home… I suddenly remember that only one of us can win and I feel my chest ache. I look around at my allies…my friends, and I realize that while I will do whatever it takes to win, if it's not me, I want it to be one of them. "Do you think we'll make it to the end?" I ask suddenly. "This alliance, I mean."

Everyone looks around at each other. "I don't see why not," Drake says. "I happen to like the three of you more than I like the others."

"How sweet," Jenny replies with a smile.

"Then let's make a deal right now," I continue. "One of us is going to win. We have to make that happen, and whoever it is…make sure the others aren't forgotten."

A silence settles on the table. Finally, Bran speaks up. "Deal."

Jenny and Drake both nod. "Deal."

"One of us will go home," Jenny says. "That's a promise I think we can all make."

I am going to do what it takes to win. I have to. I don't like the idea of killing my friends, but if it's me or them, it has to be me. I just hope they can all understand that and do the same for themselves.

However, I don't think it's wrong to want to enjoy this while it lasts.

Training is officially over! We made it y'all! I included the scores below since I know I didn't include all of them in the discussion. Also, more bonding time with the Nine-Ten Alliance! Amber is still willing to kill them if it came down to it, but she is by no means a fan of the idea, hence why she proposed the promise, which prompted the cheesiest chapter name ever. She wants to enjoy her first real friendships for as long as possible.

Bronze – 8, Jacinth – 10

Nero – 9, Camdyn – 10

Xander – 7, Emily – 5

Dashiell – 9, Brooke – 9

Urban – 2, Wendy – 1

Giemci – 6, Lincoln – 7

Cedar – 8, Decida – 8

Krystian – 6, Chanel – 2

Bran – 4, Amber – 10

Drake – 8, Jenny – 6

Harvey – 3, Belladonna – 8

Bridgeteri – 6, Atticus – 8