Kairos Nakamura, 15

District 3 Male

The elevator dropped swiftly and silently downwards, leaving my stomach back on the third floor.

"Fast, huh?" I said, glancing at Robyn. She didn't react, keeping her gaze on her feet. I sighed. I wouldn't want to talk to me either. I was a coward.

My fight with my friends back in District 3 was still swimming around in my head. When they came to say goodbye, Zoey encouraged me to share the details of the arena and I snapped. The memory was raw and shameful.

"Why?" I shouted. "Zoey, there's no point. Why did we think we could rebel? We're going to die at the Capitol's hands, and no one will be there to save us. We were stupid."

"We're not stupid!" Sasha protested. "Kairos, this is a cause you've always believed in! We can't give up! Just think about how much good we could do."

"If you think we can make a difference in the world then you're dumber than I thought!" I yelled. Zoey reached out to grab my shoulder but I turned my back.

"You can leave now."

I didn't have to see their faces to know that I'd hurt them. But I wasn't brave enough to die for a cause I believed in. I was a lowly, shameful human. I wanted to live.

The elevator came to a full stop and the elegant doors slid open. Robyn stepped out into a bright gymnasium and I followed her. We were in a long rectangular room with polished wooden floors, like the indoor basketball courts at school. The far wall was lined with informative booths on all different topics, from edible insects to trap-making to water purifying. Across from the booths were racks of dulled weapons and padded armor, standing near black athletic mats. Trainers stood at every station, ready for their pupils to arrive. And at the far end of the room was a training gauntlet.

On the other end of the room was an open doorway which led into a cafeteria. Round tables were set up and there was a buffet table against one wall. A tall man with blonde curls and golden cat-like eyes was standing in the center of the room with all the other tributes gathered around him.

"Move," someone snapped, bumping forcefully against Robyn's shoulder. I flinched away as the pink-haired girl from 1 stormed by. Her district partner followed, a charming smile on his face. When he saw me looking at him, he winked.

Robyn and I followed them. The golden-eyed man scanned the flock of tributes before clearing his throat.

"Good morning. My name is Atticus Versailles and I am the Head Trainer. Before we let you explore the Training Center, we have a few rules to go over. The first is that you are not allowed to fight with the other tributes, either verbally or physically. There will be plenty of time for that later. The second is that you may not leave this room until training is over. If there is an emergency, the trainers will instruct you on what to do. The gauntlet is open for use at any time, but tomorrow each tribute will be required to run it at least once. And the bathrooms are over by the water fountain, if you need to use them. Any questions?"

The boy from 7 put his hand in the air.

"Are you related to Vermeer Versailles?" he asked. Atticus frowned in confusion.

"I–yes. He's my uncle." The boy nodded and dropped his hand. Atticus shook himself lightly and then spread his hands.

"The Training Center is yours to explore."

I turned to say something to Robyn, but she was already gone. I sighed. On the train she'd refused my offer for an alliance, but I was hoping she'd at least be open to a non-aggression pact. But apparently she wanted nothing to do with me.

I was fairly certain I wanted allies and Vizio agreed that it was a good idea. So I would spend today working on traps and observing my competition. Hopefully I could identify some potential allies, and if not, pick up on my opponents' weaknesses.

Becky Sloan, 18

District 1 Female

As Atticus finished speaking and released us, I scanned the gym for the other Careers. The tributes from District 2 were already speaking with one of the kids from 4 – the bald one.

"Shall we?" Aurelius asked, offering me his arm. I tossed my hair and turned up my nose at him before stalking over to the others. But almost immediately, someone cut me off.

"Hi!" the girl from 8 said. "I'm Taffeta. It's so nice to meet you!" She grinned at me and extended her hand.

"And?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"And I'm Aurelius," my district partner said smoothly, sidling up beside me and shaking Taffeta's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

Taffeta's smile turned sultry and she fluttered her eyelashes.

"You're so kind," she purred. "And handsome as well. I have a bit of a thing for blondes." I scoffed. What was this girl's deal? But before I could shoo her away or deter her with a scathing comment, she straightened up and spoke.

"I would like to offer to be one of your allies."

"You want to be a Career?" someone scoffed. The other four had come up behind Taffeta and were eyeing her incredulously. It was Artemis who had spoken.

"I'm quite useful," Taffeta said warmly. "And I'll get lots of sponsors. I have a few tricks hidden… somewhere."

Donquixote was now eyeing Taffeta up appreciatively. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again. This girl was an absolute idiot.

"You think you can run with the wolves, baby girl?" Donquixote asked.

"I know I can," Taffeta purred.

"I'm fine with her joining us," one of the 4s said. "I'm Lotus, by the way. This is Crash." Zey gestured to the hulking figure next to them, who grinned and waved.

"I think we should let her join too," Aurelius said. He slung an arm over Taffeta's shoulder. "You seem like good company." She giggled and leaned into his side. I looked up at Donquixote, who was also nodding.

"Fine," I said. "But she gets a kill in the bloodbath, or she becomes the kill."

"That's reasonable," Artemis said. She looked to Donquixote, who nodded.

"Alright, it's settled. Welcome to the Careers."

As a few of the others crowded around Taffeta to congratulate her, I stepped away. If they wanted to waste time socializing, that was their business. I was going to train. I turned and began to head towards the gauntlet, but heard the sound of footsteps behind me. Based on the chattering, it was the pair from 4. I fought back an annoyed sigh. They both seemed entirely too friendly and cheerful for a competition like the Hunger Games.

"Can we join you?" the big one, Crash, asked.

"Sure," I said. I tightened my ponytail and then gestured to the starting platform. "Ladies first."

"Actually," Lotus said. "Crash and I use neopronouns. We're non-binary. I use zey/zem and Crash uses xey/xe–"

"I know," I growled. "It's an expression."

Lotus put zeir hands on zeir hips.

"A dated one," zey replied, emphasizing zeir words the way I did.

"Alright, I get it," I snapped. "Calm down."

"Are we doing this or not?" Crash asked. Xey looked stern, but their tone was good-natured.

"Ladies first," Lotus said with a smug smile. I clenched my teeth to bite back a retort and pressed the 'START' button. And then I took off running.

Birch Paquin, 15

District 7 Male

I stood in the middle of the gym, fists clenched so hard my nails bit into my palms. The Head Trainer was the nephew of Vermeer Versailles. The man who ruined my life. The man who razed my home village and took countless lives out of pure greed.

That bastard wanted to build a luxury resort on the land the Hatchwood residents had lived on for generations. We refused his monetary offers time and time again, but he would not be deterred. Vermeer brought a force of bloodthirsty Peacekeepers to force us off our land. Our home was gone because of him.

Every Capitolite, every Peacekeeper, every Career; they all deserved to suffer. They deserved to die. They were monsters who cared for nothing and anyone who didn't see that deserved death too.

"Birch, are you okay?" a gentle voice asked. I felt a hand on my shoulder and forced my body to relax.

"Yeah, I'm fine." My district partner nodded, but she seemed unconvinced.

Aspen was a sweet and innocent girl. I doubted she'd known hardship, and she was open and trusting. I believed she'd be an excellent convert to our cause. That's why I agreed to ally with her when she asked me on the train.

"Where should we go first?" Aspen asked. She glanced around nervously, clearly overwhelmed by the options. I looked around too.

"Can you use an axe?" I asked her. Her cheeks flushed.

"Yes."

There was clearly something she wasn't telling me, but I pushed past it. I could figure it out later. However, I had to make sure she wouldn't turn on me. I wasn't going to die by getting stabbed in the back.

Mentally shaking the thoughts of death away, I focused on the tasks at hand. Aspen and I could both handle a weapon, and being from District 7 gave us an advantage with our knowledge of edible plants. I wasn't an expert, but I could recognize the basics, like nettle and dandelion and sorrel, as well as most fruits and berries. But the arena could be anything. In a non-forested environment, it was unlikely I'd be able to find food.

"One of us should study basic survival skills and the other should practice with axes or hatchets," I told Aspen. "Then, after lunch, we can switch."

"Okay," she said quietly. "But I was thinking… maybe we should find another ally?"

I considered it for a moment. I didn't know which tributes were rebellious, if any, and my top priority was rebellious allies. Aspen was a pushover who could easily adapt to my views. If we found someone similar, they could also prove to be useful.

"I'm open to that," I said. "But they have to be a good match."

"I agree," Aspen said, perking up a little. I took note of that too. 'She needs encouragement to feel comfortable sharing her ideas'. I had to be a safe person for her so she would trust me.

"Can I start with survival skills?" she asked. I nodded.

"Focus on purifying water and on identifying plants." She flashed me a thumbs up and a smile before heading to the corresponding station. I squared my shoulders and approached the axe station.

The girl from 2 was there and I fought the urge to say something to her. She was another pathetic excuse for a human and I hated her with my entire being. But making enemies with a Career was a bad idea. So I kept my thoughts to myself and picked up a medium-sized hatchet.

Brancher's final gasp as I sank a hatchet into his skull flashed through my mind. I grit my teeth, feeling tears begin to prickle at the corner of my eyes. I shook my head furiously. Brancher was wrong. To achieve true Panemian Power, the people who had it would have to die. But still…

Mackenzie "Mac" Pricker, 18

District 9 Female

It wasn't fair to be mad at Brady. I knew that. He was only trying to help. But the thought of putting my life in a stranger's hands made me sick. I'd been hurt too many times to trust people. I only wanted Brady as my ally.

Right now he was across the room, working on slicing dummies up with a sickle. We'd agreed to spend our first day on weapons and our second day on survival skills. And I planned on observing our competition as well. If Brady was going to insist on having allies, we at least had to make sure they were useful ones.

So far, the girl from 10 seemed the most promising. She was at the first-aid station, carefully stitching up a fake wound. I'd seen her with a knife earlier and she did some decent damage to a dummy. But I would still keep watch for other potential allies.

I'd spent most of the morning throwing knives and lunchtime was approaching quickly. I wanted at least two potential allies to propose to Brady, so I made my way down the line of weaponry stations.

The kid from 11 caught my eye right away. They'd also been practicing with knives and were definitely more skilled than I was. They were currently fighting a trainer, slashing and weaving their way through the battle. They feinted a strike and then swept the trainer's legs out from under her. She fell back and the kid leapt to hold a knife to her throat.

"Well done," the trainer complimented. "You're clever, and you're fast. But you need to think ahead. Try to anticipate your opponent's next move."

They nodded and thanked the trainer before turning and catching my eye. "Can I help you?"

"What's your name?" I asked bluntly, stepping closer to them.

"Saigon."

"I'm Mac. Do you want to sit with Brady and I at lunch?"

"Sure," Saigon said with a shrug.

A few moments later a bell rang out, signifying that lunch had begun. Saigon and I joined the line of tributes waiting for their meals. When it was my turn, I scooped rice into my bowl before adding pieces of chicken and drizzling it all in a thick orange sauce. Then Saigon and I found a table in the corner of the room, where Brady joined us.

I let them make their introductions as I took a bite of my lunch. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the warm sauce had a bit of spice to it. I closed my eyes in bliss.

"Mac?" Brady said suddenly, grabbing my attention back. I looked over at him and he cocked his head. I immediately understood what he was asking. I nodded.

"Saigon," Brady said. "Would you like to join our alliance?"

They considered it for a moment before nodding. "Sure. Having someone to watch your back is always useful." Brady grinned and offered his hand for a handshake, which Saigon accepted.

"I was also thinking of asking the girl from 10," I told them. "If you two are okay with that."

"I'm down," Saigon said. Brady nodded in agreement.

"Great. I'll talk to her after lunch."

We quietly finished up the rest of our meal. I kept an eye on Brielle, who was sitting at a table with her district partner and the boy from 8. None of them were talking. When the bell rang again and avoxes came to clear our plates, I followed her.

"Excuse me?" I called. She turned around and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face.

"Yes?"

"I'm Mac, and I was wondering if you would consider allying with Saigon, Brady, and I?"

Brielle pursed her lips and then shook her head.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm not looking for allies right now," she said. I nodded.

"Understandable."

She flashed me a brief smile before going to learn how to build a shelter. I set off for the axe station. Might as well try hatchets, since I was not cut out for knives.

Jay Zookeeper, 12

District 6 Male

The lunch we were served was actually quite delicious. Chicken and rice and some sort of spicy sauce. We didn't have much spicy food back in District 6 and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Because I couldn't see, my other senses were stronger. I could hear more, smell more, taste more. I smiled ruefully. At least I would hear my killer coming, even if I couldn't see them.

Leona had excused herself to go to the bathroom halfway through our meal and she hadn't come back. When the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, I reached for my cane, then my shoulders slump. Without Leona, I had no idea where to go.

I heard footsteps approaching and then someone put a hand on my shoulder, making me jump. Whoever it was gave me a tug, but didn't speak. It must have been one of the avoxes. I picked up my cane and let them guide me back into the main gym area.

They released me, but I still didn't know where to go. I cautiously found my way to a wall and waited. Leona would find me eventually. And I didn't have to wait long. I heard stomping footsteps and muttering and instantly knew it was my sister.

"Jay," she snapped as she reached me. "Since you were so insistent on having allies, I found you one."

"Oh?" I asked, cocking my head. Another voice joined the conversation.

"Hi Jay. I'm Kairos, the tribute from District 3. I'd like to ally with you, if you'll have me."

"What are your skills?" I asked. Leona grumbled something under her breath and I knew she was rolling her eyes.

"I'm good with my hands," Kairos said. "I can invent some pretty interesting stuff with very few materials. And I genuinely want to help you."

Something in his voice told me he was being sincere. Back at home, people pitied me. Over the years, I'd learned to pick up on who was babying or pitying me and who genuinely wanted me to succeed. Kairos was the latter.

"Okay," I said. "You can ally with us." I held out a hand and Kairos shook it gently.

"Great," Leona grumbled. "Welcome to the team. Now we should figure out something useful to do."

"I was thinking camouflage could be a useful skill," Kairos said. "We aren't going to be the stronger group out there, so learning to lie low could be useful."

"Agreed," I said. "Leona, maybe you could learn about edible plants?"

"Fine," she said. "But what will your specialty be?"

I thought for a moment. What was something I could do with my hands and not my eyes? Then it came to me.

"First aid," I told her. "I can learn to set bones or bandage wounds. As long as I can feel what I'm doing, I can figure it out."

"Sounds like a plan!" Kairos said cheerfully. "Jay, do you want me to lead you to the first aid station?"

"Sure," I grumbled. Kairos put a soft hand on my shoulder and began to gently guide me across the room. Once I was settled in a stool, he patted my back and I listened to him walk off. The trainer cleared her throat.

"Hello Jay," she said. "I'll admit, I've never worked with a blind tribute before. But I'm sure we can figure something out. We'll start with something simple, like bandaging wounds. Here." She placed a roll of cloth bandages in my hand and helped me find the rubber limb on the table. I traced my fingers up and down the cut before carefully beginning to wrap the bandage around it.

"Remember," the trainer said. "It's important to not touch a wound with unclean hands. It could easily get infected. If you have disinfectant, you want to put that on the wound first. If there's a lot of blood, use pressure to stop the bleeding. And remember…"

Her voice droned on and on, and I did my best to pay attention, but I knew in my heart that it didn't matter. In a few days, I would be dead. I wasn't going to win the Hunger Games.

Freya Thatcher, 13

District 11 Female

I tightened my ponytail before leaning over the drinking fountain and gulping down several mouthfuls of cool water. I'd spent most of the afternoon learning to fight with a knife and my body was tired. But we only had an hour or so left to train and I knew I had to make the most of my time.

My strategy was set in stone. Now I just had to master the skills to execute my plans. Upstairs in our apartment, hidden behind my dresser, was my token; a bag of dried cherry pits. They held a poison I commonly used back at home, and if I could get away with smuggling it into the arena, I could poison my way to victory.

I didn't expect it to be an easy task. I was small and much more frail than most of the other tributes. But my mind was strong and I wasn't afraid. That gave me an advantage. In the arena, I would follow tributes and wait for my time to strike. I wouldn't have to deal a killing blow; my poisoned blade would do the job for me. My precious bag only had enough arsenal for three applications, so I would have to be cautious. Every move had to be thought through.

I wiped the water from my mouth and surveyed the room. Another decision I had to make was one about allies. I didn't want to be part of an alliance, but I knew it would be beneficial to me. I would have a safe person to retreat to if needed, and having extra eyes on alert for danger couldn't hurt. I just wasn't sure who I would choose.

The girl from 12 seemed like a possibility. She was only a year older than me and she seemed to know a lot about edible plants. But that could mean she would recognize my poison, and I couldn't risk that. Besides, she'd spent most of the afternoon with the girl from 10 and I was assuming they would form an alliance.

I needed someone from an urban district who was also naive and trusting. The pair from 6 would be a liability, and they were now allied with the boy from 3. And the girl from 3 seemed too smart. I didn't trust her not to betray me. That left the boys from 5 and 8.

The boy from 5, Isaac, also spent quite a bit of time sparring with knives. Meanwhile, Calceus hadn't even looked at a weapon. If it came down to it, I felt that I could take him out. Mind made up, I made my way to the traps and snares station, where the blonde boy was sitting.

"Hello," I said mildly, taking a seat on the stool next to him. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Calceus said. He continued to twist his rope into intricate knots while the trainer praised him. Then he turned his attention to me.

I focused on him as he explained the basics of setting up snares for small animals. I knew I couldn't live off of plants alone, so learning how to snare rabbits and the like would be useful.

Once he finished his lecture, he stepped away to help the kid from 11. I began twisting my length of rope, experimenting with different knots.

"So, do you have any allies?" I asked Calceus, keeping my voice as even as possible. Talking to people wasn't my strong suit and charming them was likely beyond my capabilities. But I had to try.

"I don't," Calceus replied. He set down his rope. "Are you asking?"

"If you're open to it, yes," I told him. Apparently it was best to be blunt with him. "I know I'm young, but I have a lot to offer."

"I believe you," Calceus said. "Tributes from 11 always seem very capable. So yes, let's be allies."

I blinked in surprise. That was easier than I expected. But I held out my hand for him to shake, which he did.

"Should we work on edible plants next, ally?" he asked with a shy smile on his face.

"Yes… ally."

Hi everyone! WOW! This chapter got long. But I had a blast writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it! I know I said I'd update on Wednesday's. I know. But I am impatient and have no self-control. So I will probably be updating twice a week and I will try to space the updates apart as much as I can. I'll do a weekend update and a mid-week update. Anyways, I'm sure you're sick of hearing about that, so I'll leave it alone now.

I've begun planning out the bloodbath, but nothing is set in stone yet. I tend to prioritize the tributes of people who are actively reading and reviewing, but I know I've been updating really fast and people might not have the time to read. If you have the chance to leave a review and let me know you're still reading, I'd appreciate it. Or shoot me a PM, if you want.

Questions

1) Whose POV was your favorite? Why?

2) Which alliance is your favorite so far?

3) Do you have any alliance name suggestions? (because I don't yet...)

4) If you were going into the Hunger Games, what would your strategy be?

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona