Brad Simpson- Circle of Life D7M

One reason to join Jay's alliance was its solid lineup. From what I remembered from over the years, they had some gang members, some football players, and several members who had lasted very near the end multiple times. They'd never won, sure, but that was actually a plus for me. The reason they'd never won was that they all had backwards ideas of honor and of the "good guys" winning in the end. If you asked me, the "good guys" were the ones who took care of themselves. Why would I throw my life away just from some notion of "honor"? Didn't my life have value, too? I liked other people, but I was allowed to like myself, too.

The other reason to join Jay's alliance was the one female element of the alliance. Mati seemed like a nice, sweet girl. More importantly, she seemed like a pretty girl. She was pretty in that down-home, modest way, where a girl didn't really think of herself as beautiful but didn't hate herself, either. I wasn't one of those guys who went looking for low self-esteem women so he could browbeat them- those guys sucked- but I liked a lady who I knew wouldn't be constantly thinking of running off for a better option. Besides, when Mati was in the training room, she was almost always at the cooking station. It was nice to know I wouldn't be eating raw roots and live bugs.

When I came up to Jay's alliance as they were eating lunch, I pointedly addressed Patrick instead of him. I didn't want Jay thinking he was going to be my boss.
"Your alliance still open?" I asked.

"Who wants to know?" Demarcus butted in. I shot him a glare and he sent it back at me.

"We usually pick up a few new guys every year," Jay said. "are you cool?"

"Everyone knows I'm cool," I said. I moved to pull out a chair at the end of the table and Patrick motioned me back.

"Just a sec." He turned to the others. Most just shrugged.

"Okay, come on in," he said.

"So what's your story?" Jay asked as I sat down. "Just, in general."

"What is this, a dating site?" I joked. "Pretty boring Seven life, overall. I chop wood, work hard, play hard, and I like long walks on the beach."

The conversation moved on the others, and throughout it, I glanced at Mati now and then. I would have thought she'd be with one of them, but it seemed like they just thought of her as one of the guys. If they wanted to ignore what was right in front of them, fine. Some of us were more discerning.

Helios Carnegie- Res D1M

Enough crying. Careers weren't weak like this. I needed to brush it off and get back to top form. After that first cry, I felt a lot better. Honestly, I didn't feel much of anything at all. I felt aloof, like nothing really mattered anyway so I might as well just keep moving forward.

"Any more thought on the Bloodbath plan?" Kazuo asked as I sat watching a sports game, having quickly switched from the romantic comedy I'd been watching before he walked in.

I shrugged. "I thought I'd just take it as it comes," I said.

Kazuo frowned. "It's kind of an important moment," he said, with a meaningful look.

"What does it matter how prepared I am?" I asked, curling in on myself a little on the couch. "No matter how much you prepare, something could still happen. Anyone can die at any time. Honestly, what's the point of even making plans at all?"

"You doing okay?" Kazuo asked.

"Actually, I was just going to ask about that. Is there a pharmacy around here? I just can't get to sleep lately. It's got me all pissed"

"Can't get to sleep, or keep waking up?" Kazuo asked.

"Bit of both," I said. I didn't see how it mattered.

"I'll look around," Kazuo said. "You do think you can win, right?"

I sighed. "I dunno," I said.

"That's a pretty scary thought," Kazuo said mildly.

"It's whatever," I said. "I don't really care."

"Ah," Kazuo said. "You have PTSD."

"What? I do not! Careers don't get that," I said, sitting upright as Kazuo plopped himself down on the couch next to me.

"All the ones who survive do," Kazuo retorted.

"Whatever," I said, turning away. I didn't need some washed-up forgotten Victor to tell me what was what. I was taking care of myself. I was doing fine."

"When you wake up, you're dreaming about it, aren't you?"

My blood froze. It was like he'd looked into my soul. Hector's face blinked into my mind and I shoved it away.

"What do you know?" I asked dismissively, not looking at Kazuo. I didn't dare look back at him, since he didn't need the say the answer

Cierra Daline- Back to Normal D2F

The Two Tributes sat arranged in a semicircle on the wrestling mats in the corner of the Training Room. In the center of us stood the Two mentors.

"So here's how we're going to do this," Pray said. It never ceased to amaze me how Pray looked like nothing more than a compact little package of death. She'd been a Victor for decades and yet she still looked like she'd stepped out of the Arena a second ago. She was barely five feet tall, her hair was surfer-girl blonde, and she had the voice of a preteen singer. All the same, she was the only one all of us scooted away from when she walked near them.

"You decide who you want to mentor you. Then you make it happen." Pray started to take a seat.

Most of us wanted her, of course. Who wouldn't want to train with Two's biggest legend? I knew one thing about this Games: if I wanted to have any chance, I needed to make a move. Out of dozens of Careers, I had to jump right into the most competitive group in the nation and I needed to be the one who stuck the landing.

"I want Enobaria!" I screamed, before Pray's backside hit the floor. She looked over at me, equal parts offended I hadn't picked her, interested at her daughter's name, and impressed at my very loud and rude interruption. I (mostly) kept her gaze for a split second before I turned to look at Enobaria, who was intent on me.

"Why?" she asked. I'd never heard her speak in person before. I hadn't noticed the way her letters slid across her sharpened teeth. She somehow talked like a vampire.

"Because I've tried strong and I failed. This time I want to try feral." It felt like someone else talking. I'd spit the words out before I could think better of it and now I was glaring at Enobaria like I wasn't terrified of her. It was nothing but sheer bluff and I didn't want to think of how cringe it would be if it didn't pay off.

"Are you ready to taste your own blood?" Enobaria's eyes glittered. I looked forward at what the words held. If I wanted to last with her, she was going to do it the old-fashioned way. She wouldn't give me anything until she'd seen I deserved it.

It was too late to go back. "Never readier," I said.