Her sleep that night was nowhere near as peaceful as the night before. Her dreams were unsettling, to say the least. Over and over she had punched Axel in the face, only for Axel to morph into Jordie. The tributes from One and their mentor hacked her to pieces in the elevator, laughing the whole time.
She had woken up and showered before Pomponia even knocked on her door.
The training outfit was simple – soft, stretchy pants that were easy to move around in, and a light long-sleeved top. She already knew that she was going to focus on survival skills and learning the enemy.
Still, it was hard to think of the other tributes as her enemies. As much as Iris tried to convince herself that they were nothing, that they were just obstacles standing in her path, she couldn't see past the look on Axel's face when she punched him. She couldn't see past the girl from Eight, who had shaken like a leaf when her name was called. She couldn't separate the crying boy from Twelve from the crying boy from Five. She could not delude herself into believing that these children were her enemies.
As hard as she tried to think like one, to act like one, Iris would never be a Career. She was street smart, sure, she knew how to fight, and how to survive on the streets of District Six. But that was the whole point – she knew how to survive in District Six, not in an arena with people who wanted to kill her.
Part of her wished she had just taken her chances with the Peacekeepers and Boris. At least then she'd be at home, and Jordie would be out of trouble without her around. But she knew deep down that if she hadn't volunteered, she'd already be dead. Hung or shot or beaten for drug trafficking. If not killed by the Peacekeepers, Boris certainly would have taken the liberty to dispose of her in the most violent way possible. She had better chances here than she did at home. The irony of that did not escape her.
Even though it probably would have been easier for everyone else if she was already dead, Iris didn't want to die. She wanted to live – she wanted to live longer than her mother had, and she wanted to give Jordie a good life, away from their father. There would have been no chance of that if she'd stayed back home – she'd be dead by now, or locked in prison for the rest of her life. At least now there was a chance – a tiny sliver of a chance, sure, but a chance nonetheless – that she'd be able to make something of herself.
It was this that reminded her why she was fighting. To make that tiny chance mean something. The first thing she did upon arriving at training was to put distance between herself and Axel. The head trainer beckoned all the tributes over and Iris made sure she was standing far away from her district partner, who was shivering even though it was about 75 degrees in the training room.
As the head trainer talked, Iris observed her fellow tributes. The Careers were already in a group at the back, and the boy from One was putting gum in the hair of the girl from Five, who didn't dare try to stop him. The Elevens and Twelves, huddled in a separate group – the poorest districts tended to stick together. Interestingly, the boy from Ten was looking around at everyone as well, smiling at some. He caught Iris' eye and she quickly glanced away, not wanting to receive anyone's smile, friendly or not.
As soon as the trainer had finished talking, Iris made a beeline towards the plants station. She knew that was her disadvantage – District Six was riddled with smog and factory fumes, and besides the few skinny trees in front of the mayor's house, it wasn't exactly bursting with flora. Steadily avoiding the rest of the tributes – especially Axel, who she didn't want to have as a shadow – Iris made her way around the stations.
By the time they stopped for lunch, Iris had been to almost half of the survival stations. She planned to try out some weapons after lunch – knives, and spears, perhaps. The two most common weapons found in the arena.
She was quietly sitting there, enjoying her potato soup, when a shadow fell over her table. Looking up, she met the eyes of the boy from Ten – the only non-Career tribute who had stood out to her. "What do you want?" she asked rudely, taking a vicious bite out of her bread roll and hoping that he'd get the hint.
"I want an alliance," he said.
"Wow," Iris replied. "Straight to the point."
"I'm not one to bullshit. You seem strong. Determined. That's what I need in an ally." He put his tray down across from her and sat down, sticking out a hand. "I'm Christopher. District Ten."
Iris regarded his hand warily for a second, half-expecting it to wrap around her neck, before gripping it tightly. It was calloused and rough – she could tell that he was used to hard work. "Iris. Six."
"Tell me about yourself, Iris."
She ignored him. She wasn't about to make friends with this kid. Joining an alliance had not even crossed her mind – she preferred to work alone. "Why do you want an ally, anyway? You're tall. Well-built. You seem like you'd do just fine on your own."
He grinned at her. "Well, it's simple, really. I'd like someone who'll watch my back. Someone whose skills compliment my own."
"What skills do I have?" Iris asked him, genuinely interested in what he had noticed. In most of the stations, she'd been average, but she had visited the hand-to-hand combat station where she had picked up a few tips and had also proved her competence to anyone who might be watching her. People such as Christopher.
"Well," Christopher said, thinking for a moment. "You're smart. I can see that in your eyes – and the way you've played up the cameras so far. Everyone already thinks you're tough, uncontrollable, and you've said no more than ten words yet on camera. You obviously know what they want and are willing to give it to them." He paused, taking a breath, and a long slurp of soup. Mouth full, he continued. "Not to mention you can punch. If you can punch that good, you obviously know how to fight – which tells me you've had a difficult life. Which also tells me that you're probably quick on your feet and good at thinking under pressure." He leaned back in his chair, obviously done with his speech.
Iris raised her eyebrows. "You've thought about this a lot." She didn't want to admit it, but she was impressed. He was obviously observant and intelligent – she would need to keep an eye on him. Paired with his obvious physical strength, he would no doubt be a threat in the arena.
"I've thought about everyone. I've weighed up my options from day one. Made lists. You are, as far as I can tell, the best possible ally I can have in there, with the girl from Nine and the boy from Seven tying in second."
"So you're more than just brawny, I see," Iris said. "You're right. I am amazing. But I work alone."
"Oh, I know. You've got that look about you. You're a lone wolf. Stubborn. That's why you need me."
"Oh?" she asked, frowning.
"Yeah. You're used to working alone – you think you can handle yourself without anyone's help. You can – and correct me if I'm wrong – be narrow-minded, so convinced of your own capability that you end up making stupid mistakes. That is, I'd wager, why you're here in the first place. Why you were in handcuffs when you volunteered."
Iris didn't say anything. Mainly because she was shocked that Christopher had managed to learn that much about her just from watching her.
He grinned at her. "You're impressed, right? I can tell you're impressed."
Iris rolled her eyes. "You think you're so smart, don't you."
Christopher tilted his head. "Yes, I do, actually. Pretty sure you think I am, too."
She shrugged. "Sure. Your attention to detail is impressive. You obviously are very good at reading people, and that's obviously a good skill to have. But if I were to have an ally, I'd want someone trustworthy. Someone who can fight. And to be honest, you seem too smart for me to be able to trust."
"Well, I'm offended. I thought I came across as better than that. Not that it means much, but I promise from the bottom of my heart that I would never betray an ally."
Iris scoffed. "Sure, you can say that now. But that won't be the case in the arena. Not we're in the final four, or if one of us gets hurt. No way."
"Sometimes you have to take a chance." Christopher slurped up the last morsel of soup in his bowl, and stood up. "Look, you don't have to give me an answer yet. Take a couple days, think about it. Right now I'm just networking, getting to know my options a little better." He went to walk away, but turned around again, seemingly thinking twice. "You're the best option I have. And as far as I can see, I'm the best that you'd have. I don't know how well we'd work together in the long run, but at least for the first few days I know we'd be able to keep each other alive." He gave her a brief smile before walking away.
She watched him cross the room and join the girl from Nine where she was sitting with her district partner. Turning back to her now-cold soup, Iris wondered if what Christopher said was right. It was true that having an ally was helpful in the arena – someone to fight with someone who'd watch your back so you could get a few hours sleep. Not to mention that Christopher was from Ten, which meant he probably had at least some clue about plants – which was more than Iris could say. The most that grew in District Six was marijuana. And mould. Neither of which would help her much in the arena.
/
She saw Christopher again at the fire-making station, where he was chatting amicably with the girl from Nine. Iris pretended to ignore him, but he was never going to let her get away that easily. "Hello again, Iris," he said, just as she was trying to sneak away from the station unnoticed. "You know, you don't have to worry. I'm not expecting you to just drop your plans to work with me. I just think you should think about your options, that's all." He smiled at her, and she didn't return it. "Anyway. Kasia, this is Iris, from Six. Iris from Six, this is Kasia from Nine."
Kasia nodded at Iris curtly. Iris promptly ignored her. The very last thing she wanted to do was make friends – it would make it all the harder to eventually kill these people. Kasia huffed and turned back to the trainer. Christopher seemed not to notice. "Are you going to train with us?"
"I think I'll come back later, thanks," she said.
Christopher shrugged. "Sure. Nice to see you again."
Iris nodded curtly, before glancing at Kasia. The two girls exchanged a chilly look before Iris turned on her heel and made her way over to the knots station, which was empty apart from the trainer.
She worked in silence mostly, finding knots a welcome and surprisingly easy distraction – they seemed to come naturally, and even the most difficult knots she didn't find too difficult to figure out. She found her mind wandering despite this. The idea of allying with Christopher didn't seem so bad when she thought about it – he was tall, built like a truck – he'd be good in a fight from the look of those muscles alone. Not to mention his obvious intelligence and eye for detail; if she was going to describe her perfect ally, those were all features she would name. However, it seemed like the girl from Nine was a package deal. And Iris did not trust her. Granted, she didn't trust Christopher either, but he at least seemed like someone she could work with. Kasia, on the other hand…
Well, Iris would have a lot of thinking to do. She stayed at knots until Kasia and Christopher had left the fire-making station, and then made her way back over.
/
Pomponia, to Iris' surprise, loved the idea of an alliance. "I learned, during my degree, that the likeliness of a tribute to win is increased by almost 50% when they are in an alliance."
"Ever heard of a Career, dipshit?" Haylee snorted from the other side of the room, holding a cup of coffee bigger than her head, which was, coincidentally, also very large. "Surprise! The likeliness of winning is also increased if you're from Districts One, Two, or Four. I strongly doubt the statistics apply to anyone else."
Pomponia frowned. "Must you always be so rude, Haylee?" She turned back to Iris. "I think it would be good for you to have an ally. It would mean that there is someone to take care of you."
"I don't need anyone to take care of me," Iris said stubbornly.
"You might. If you get hurt. Or sick. Or hunted."
Haylee rolled her eyes. "Pomponia, if she's hurt, or sick, or hunted, chances are she's already lost any chance of winning." Haylee burped loudly, and absent-mindedly fanned a hand in front of her face, ignoring Pomponia's look of disgust. "I mean, look at her, girl's not gonna be getting any sponsors."
Despite Iris' dislike for the District Six mentor, she couldn't help but agree. While Pomponia made some solid points, so did Haylee – and really, Pomponia could study all the facts and figures she could, but in the end, she wouldn't understand what it was like to fight for her life. To have no-one but herself to rely on. Iris understood that – and so did Haylee. Growing up in District Six, working for Boris, providing for herself and Jordie alone – all of those things had taught Iris that the only person she could rely on was herself.
/
The updated odds were shown over dinner. Axel had 100-1, the lowest of all the tributes. She wondered if her punch had anything to do that, but if anything he'd probably done it to himself. Iris was pleased that hers were 15-1 – until she saw that Kasia's odds were almost identical, at 17-1. She decided, after three helpings of dinner and two of dessert, that she would take Christopher up on his offer of an alliance, against her and Haylee's best instincts. Perhaps she would regret it later – but at least to begin with, it would help. They'd be able to get some supplies during the Bloodbath – if she had someone watching her back, she'd feel better about going in for the better supplies.
The supplies were a must, she knew that. It generally was not a good idea to go for the Cornucopia, but she didn't have any intention of going to the Cornucopia – she wouldn't stray past the middle of the field. The middle of the field usually had more valuable items like backpacks, cartons of water, first aid kits, sleeping bags. Iris had no idea what the arena would be like, but having those things on her side wouldn't hurt. If she could keep the Careers away – which would be infinitely easier with one or more people watching her back – she'd be able to get enough to allow her to last awhile.
She didn't say a word to either Pomponia or Haylee, of course – not that she could have, considering she ate alone. Pomponia was attempting to console Axel as he vomited up his entire dinner after seeing his odds. And Haylee was… well, Iris didn't know, but she had a pretty good idea that she was at a bar.
/
Christopher's extraordinary attention to detail had inspired Iris. She didn't have the same instinct that he did – just from watching a couple minutes of footage, he'd managed to figure out so much about Iris. Practically her whole life story, which both terrified and impressed her. She'd never be able to do that in a million years. But she could watch the reapings on a repeat – and the chariot rides – and it was easy to make a list on a piece of paper. Even with all the studying in the world, she'd never have Christopher's instinct – but she could at least get a better idea of who she was up against.
District One: Agata and Zircon. Careers obviously. Both hot. Girl was very popular in the parade – not as popular as District 2 boy but she knew how to work a crowd. Boy was jealous she got more attention.
District Two: Minerva and Malachite. Big and fast. Girl could not care less about working the crowd – will probably not get as much sponsors as the other careers. Boy loved the crowd; crowd loved the boy.
District Three: Ruby and Newton. Bloodbath. No crowd attention. Nothing remarkable.
District Four: Scorah and River. Big and hot. Both loved the crowd attention, and the crowd liked them, but not as much as D2 boy and D1 girl. That's how it usually goes. Girl looked angry about this – maybe she will take it out on D1 and D2 later in the games? Boy doesn't seem to have an original thought in his head.
District Five: Uma and Isidore. Bloodbath. No crowd attention. Nothing remarkable.
District Six: Axel. He's fucked.
District Seven: Tally and Thorn. Probably bloodbath: boy might last longer. Some crowd attention for the boy, but nothing to be scared about.
District Eight: Tonia and Thread. Bloodbath. No crowd attention. Nothing remarkable.
District Nine: Kasia and Taggerty. She is a worry. And mean. Also small – could probably beat her in a fight (unless there is a hidden talent which wouldn't be a surprise)
District Ten: Eliza and Christopher. She's a Bloodbath unless Christopher takes pity on her. He is highly intelligent and charismatic – if I don't ally with him someone else will, and he will know who to hunt. Despite this + strength I don't think he's a killer.
District Eleven: Cherry and James. Possibly Bloodbath. Always hard to tell with Elevens – they're usually quick. No crowd attention. Nothing remarkable.
District Twelve: Alexandra and Joey. Bloodbath. No crowd attention. Nothing remarkable.
For all her list making, Iris didn't think she knew her enemies any better. Sure, she'd noticed some envy between the Careers, but that wasn't anything new. She sighed, and switched off the TV in her room. Yet another reason why allying with Christopher might be a good idea after all.