Private Sessions

ELRIS CONROY (14)

DISTRICT TWELVE MALE

Elris wasn't scared.

Being the second last to go was usually a perfect recipe for anxiety. After all, Tamsin had resorted to continually pacing around the room, murmuring some choice words under her breath during the long wait.

"There's a lot of pressure on you, kiddos," Haymitch had warned them. "Don't screw it up by getting all sweaty before you even show up."

But the truth was, Elris wasn't even worried. He sat on the bench, idly admiring the intricacy of the badges adorned by the Peacekeepers, waiting ever so patiently for his turn.

He'd long accepted the fact that he probably wasn't going to get a good score, but hey, people always rooted for the underdogs, right?

Maybe if he secured a low score and then played the cute kid card in his interviews, people would start trying to look out for him, ushering in sponsors and some fanfare. Sympathy was a powerful tool, one he'd seen utilised within the Seam communities of Twelve an incredible number of times.

And the people of the Capitol were surely no different. They had hearts and Elris, despite all the groaning Tamsin had engaged in all night long had more than enough reason to believe they were good people who might just favour the innocent little kids over the murderous bunch of Careers.

They'd pampered him and showered him with love during his stay here, surely they'd be kindhearted enough to spare him some food or water when the chips were down against him?

"Elris Conroy, District Twelve male," a loud, booming voice called out over the loudspeaker. "Please proceed to the Training Centre. You will begin your private sessions shortly."

Elris leapt to his feet, his eyes twinkling with anticipation.

Finally.

Tamsin gave him a meek pat on the back, her hands noticeably clammy. "Good luck out there, Elris. Just do your best, alright?"

Elris winked. "Sure thing, Tam! It's my time to shine!"

Tamsin's eyes shifted slightly, an unconvinced expression dotting her face, but an encouraging smile managed to eke its way out of her lips. She gave him a double thumbs up before Elris whirled on his feet, marching straight to the wide-open doors to the Training Centre.

—-

"Hello there!" Elris called out, flashing the Gamemakers the brightest smile he could muster. The Gamemakers stared back, their fierce, unrelenting eyes glaring right at him, heads tilting, lips curling into frowns, quite possibly sizing up yet another meek tribute.

Deep down in the cavities of his heart, Elris knew they were out to scrutinise him.

But somewhere, lying almost dormant in the back of his mind, he could hear a little voice telling him they could be proven wrong.

They could still have some good left in them and would give him a chance.

"Your time starts now," the Head Gamemaker said coldly, her voice almost like an echoing whisper, yet very much audible from far away. She stood, her movements swift, graceful yet threatening all at once. Taking a slow step forward, she cocked an eyebrow.

Bring it on.

With a flurry, Elris dashed over to the survival stations. From the corner of his eye, he could see that unlike some of her peers, who'd already been distracted by the presence of a roasted suckling pig, her gaze was fixed on him.

Those eyes, they terrified him to the core.

They were unblinking, wide, and tilted just a little bit downwards. Her body was completely stiff, yet every now and then, she would thrust her hand up and give her fellow Gamemakers the loudest snap Elris had ever heard to shush them. Her lips remained tight, with just the faintest hints of a cold, calculated smile, well-orchestrated, never changing. She bowed her head was bowed slightly, allowing golden beams of light to illuminate her shiny hair, polished and braided to perfection.

Ignore her.

Elris took a deep breath.

Today, he was going to show her, and the other Gamemakers, that Elris Conroy was not giving up without a proper fight.

PLATRIUM CARDIAU (35)

GAMEMAKER

Platrium shuffled through the documents. Hidden away in a secret archive located just behind the pantries, he'd spent the better part of the last decade working his way up the Gamemaker ranks just to have access to this place.

And he'd made sure to take full advantage of it.

No one would suspect a thing. In fact, this was all part of his job as a Gamemaker, shuffling through old files, reviewing new ones. To the untrained eye, there was nothing at all rebellious about his line of work.

Oh, how they were wrong.

Very, very wrong.

He allowed himself a small chuckle as he pulled out a small slip of paper, a financial document signed by none other than Ruby Ashgrove herself. Documented within its fine print was a paragraph on the Capitol's infamous Hunger Games betting pools, in which Aurora and Tempest Bellingham owned stakes under pseudonyms. It was why Ruby consistently put them in charge of major projects, for all their annoyance and mischief, they were adept at manipulating loopholes and securing funds, the means of which were generally undisclosed.

"Here outlines methods to increase Capitol betting on select candidates from the Career Districts of One, Two and Four, who are then marked to be killed in the latter stages of the Hunger Games. In doing so, we are to receive thirty percent of the payout achieved by the bookmakers, alongside a small fee from each individual betting participant upon registration. The usage of these funds are not to be disclosed to the public. Should the candidate, against our best efforts, reign victorious, the following page outlines methods to retrieve our well-deserved earnings from the betting pool victors, either by manipulative or forceful means."

"If this gets leaked," Platrium mused, licking his lips in anticipation. "Oh, there'll be trouble, alright."

He stuffed the document into his bag, alongside a couple more that underlined Ruby's shady dealings, as well as the identities of some key bookmakers with significant power in the Capitol. While Fourteen may not find that last file particularly useful, Thirteen certainly would. They weren't averse to using serious measures to take down key figures within the Capitol. Besides, they surely would've thought of potential replacements to install, with a couple of rebel spies being poised for bookmaker roles already. These would be loyal to the rebel cause, stripping apart the Capitol's power and influence piece by piece.

"Salami tactics," Platrium muttered, echoing the words of Atom Huang, Thirteen's president, when he'd described the plans.

Gingerly placing the remaining less useful documents back in their respective files, he slipped right out of the room. Later on, once he was done for the day, he would photocopy the files in his bag and have them shipped right over to both Thirteen and Fourteen.

Right under their bloated noses.

Dropping off his bag in his private office, locked and sealed away from anyone apart from a Peacekeeper tasked with guarding him (a new recruit loyal to the rebel cause that recently replaced the old one), he sauntered over to Ruby's office, eager to get this done and over with as soon as possible.

Slowly creaking the door open, to his dismay, none of the other Gamemakers had arrived just yet.

Save for, of course, Ruby herself, silently burying her nose in a stack of books, scribbling down on her prized notebook with intense diligence. Platrium stopped, wary of making any noise that might disturb her reading.

Ruby glanced up, a quizzical look flashing across her face. "Platrium Cardiau, here for the score reviews, I presume?"

Platrium nodded, mindful of keeping his posture straight and firm in her unbreaking gaze. "Yes, may I ask, where are the others?"

Ruby waved her hand dismissively. "The suckling pig they so brainlessly gorged themselves with contained quite a few bacteria that renders the vast majority of them unable to be in attendance today. I'm afraid you may be alone in my presence for today." She got up and neatly placed the books on an elaborate bookshelf, swiping away trace amounts of dust from the books and shelf as she did so. Then, she pulled out her notes and cocked an eyebrow at Platrium. "Well then, shall we begin?" Platrium nodded, fishing out his own stack of notes for the review. "I will allow you to read out your notes first, after which we will discuss an appropriate score to give. Let us start with District One."

Fleur Montgomery:

Unlike many of her past compatriots, Fleur showed adept ability at utilising a niche weapon in the form of a chakram, consistently hitting accurate targets and also displaying good melee combat abilities with the weapon. She also made sure to leave an impression with her skilled movement and enthusiasm, although she did trip a few times while trying to cartwheel in front of the trainers. She cuts a very positive figure and is benevolent to others while still being a fierce Career. Currently, we do not suspect much rebellious activity from her apart from her affiliation with fellow Montgomery family Victors Franc and Crystal who are key suspects, and she could prove to be a crowd favourite and a good pawn for us. It is thus advisable to give her a good score.

Final score: 9

Alder Pierce:

He is not of the same skill level as Fleur, however, he showed great skill with different types of swords and did well in hand-to-hand combat. He attempted to taunt our trainer Matt which did not go as planned, but considering he would eventually disarm Matt and win the fight, it could be seen by the less perceptive Capitol citizens as an entertaining aspect of his character. Unlike Fleur, he hails from a sub-standard family without nobility, thus he is more prone to rebelliousness and his character might be easily malleable by the influence of our enemies, who can tap on his personal woes and relationship with Fleur to sway him to his side. It is thus advisable to give him an average Career score for now and keep tabs on his development.

Final score: 8

Mia Keller:

She is a wildcard amongst the Careers, opting to go for the lone wolf tactic. This has earned her plenty of fans and admirers within the Capitol, however Draco is not pleased by this development. He points out how her eagerness to go against the grain is a core ingredient for potential rebelliousness and she could be easily influenced by rebel propaganda. She was also offended by the usage of her last name and was daring enough to openly speak out against our usage of it. That said, her skills are fairly good and she is an excellent archer, being able to shoot moving targets while performing acrobatics. Still, it is not advisable to give her too good of a score for now and see how her mindset develops in the arena.

Final score: 8

Maximon Vulcan:

He is quite typical as far as weapons mastery goes, being adept at both ranged and melee weapons. It is his style of fighting that is of particular intrigue. He does not simply taunt the opponent, he utilises chemicals from the medicine station to weaken them. Of course, in the session it had no effect on an armoured Matt however it is an indication of his talent and ability to deal great damage against weaker, less guarded tributes in the arena. He is a master of sneaking around the Training Centre, being able to ambush Matt during the session several times. From what we know, he volunteered only after a series of unfortunate coincidences with the other candidates, which Draco claimed could boil down to Maximon's cunning methods. He could prove to be a dangerous asset for either side of the rebellion, as long as we prevent the rebels from exploiting his mental trauma and post-Games emotions by forcing him to dwell constantly on them, he is a solid Victor candidate for our side.

Final score: 10

Ithaca Emory:

Ithaca was impressive with her abundance of knowledge, as expected of a District Three tribute. But for an urban citizen of Three like her, it was impressive that she had extensive knowledge of different types of traps for different scenarios and environments. Furthermore, she spent the session communicating with us how best to avoid and evade mutts, which showcased an impressive analysis of previous Games, which many Outliers fail to attempt due to the prevailing rebel propaganda that claims watching previous Games indicates support for them. She has no known rebel connections, but her attitude and thirst for secret knowledge are of major concern to us, thus it is advisable to give her a decent score at best.

Final score: 6

Coda Jenkins:

Coda did decently well in the obstacle course on the second day of training, which puts him above some of the other Outlier tributes. However, his private sessions were a disappointment as he failed to exhibit any notable skill. He did try with a knife, but was average at best, missing a few targets and barely hitting most of the remainder, although he did get a singular bullseye, which is better than most who've tried in previous years. Coda is a stubborn boy with a fiery personality and our contacts in Three have informed us of his curious and exploratory nature, which does not bode well for us amidst the uptick of rebel attempts to pursue those with such mentalities. It is therefore advisable to give him a low score.

Final score: 4

Quianna Rafferty:

Quianna is one of, if not the most, impressive tribute we have seen thus far within this group. She showed excellent ability to wield a rapier and brilliantly defeated Matt with immense flair and grace. Furthermore, she showed good sharpness with her movements and was quick to take advantage of every little error made by Matt. Her flirtatious nature and regular winks have also seemed to charm quite a few of our peers, including Aurora and Tempest Bellingham, who are dearly entranced by her, as we are sure the audience will be too. She hails from a loyalist family, which is excellent for our plans going forward. However, it appears that the extensive rebel connection within Four has lured her into District Four's undesirable areas and has given subtle nudges to turn against her own kin. Yet, we are still confident we can sway her to join our cause. Henceforth, a particularly high score is advisable.

Final score: 10

Ronan Aquarius:

He is our only non-Volunteer Career, which already puts his abilities and loyalties in doubt, as he is not top Academy material, to say the least. However, that does discount his evident training, which we felt was not fully unleashed during the regular training sessions as he often lagged behind his fellow Careers, whilst in his private session, he showed his prowess with both a scimitar and a trident. He is very agile and has very good reflexes and movement speed. However, as previously stated, his loyalties are in question and an adventurous spirit according to our sources within Four amounts to a less than ideal mould for us to shape into a Victor. Hence, it is advisable to award him a standard score.

Final score: 8

Alea Korah:

We do not know what she is playing at. She seems to have a habit of putting in maximum effort and impressing us, and then just stopping and seemingly on purpose, turning into a miserable shadow of her capable self. This was clearly observed in the obstacle course when she stopped midway through a section to allow other tributes to pass her. This was again seen when she was hitting all of her targets bar one with her knives, and then just began to miss every single shot. She also managed to accelerate and run at breakneck speed around the track, before again, stopping and slowing to a casual, belaboured jog at the final one hundred metres. Truly, it is baffling to us, and we suspect there may be rebel activity involved, although we are unable to back this up further. She has a fairly stable job in District Five and works in a prominent position at a power plant, where no signs of rebelliousness have been reported by our sources, who have recently been at a premium in Five particularly. Right now, it is advisable to simply give her a decent score.

Final score: 5

Persey Fayre:

Persey is terrible at puns, we would like to first establish that fact. It was a rather exhausting time having to listen to his attempts at lightening the mood, which could be compared to that of a war chamber meeting given how irritating it was to listen to some of his jokes. Nonetheless, it seems that the audience begs to differ. Regarding his actual skills, he shows decent capabilities with trap-making and has a good memory, which he displayed in the edible plants station. He is not as mentally adept as his rumoured ally Ithaca, but he is still a good, knowledgeable tribute nonetheless, albeit one that did not quite impress us. He does not seem to be in danger of rebel activity, given his lack of desire to trust his District partner or the boy from Twelve when he approached him with an alliance offer. In fact, he sits away from the other tributes during lunch times and avoids all eye contact, showing his reluctance to trust others. This could be a double-edged sword for us, yet we do not calculate that he will be a rebel in the making. It is advisable to give him an average score.

Final score: 5

Esma Cyprus:

Esma, for an Outlier, showed impressive skill during her private session. She, like many others this year, opted for the archery route, shooting with great accuracy, although a couple of arrows were off the mark. She then proceeded to defeat Matt in a wrestling match and then run our track at breakneck speed, only unlike her counterpart from District Five, she did not stop and beat the current record for the fastest lap by a female tribute. A truly impressive showing and she will no doubt be a fan favourite. She is a test pilot back in District Six and has gained a bit of a reputation among her peers for being a decent street fighter and a brave soul, which are common ingredients for rebel loyalties especially in a deprived region like Six. Yet, Esma's recklessness, shown by her unhinged use of taunting when wrestling Matt and her impatience at the start of her session, could lead her to commit regretful acts that limit her capacity to rebel much in the future. It is advisable to keep an eye on her and give her an above-average score.

Final score: 7

Ashton Fekyu:

He tried his best with a knife in his session, which went better than Coda's session at the very least, but he still missed plenty of targets. He is quite poor in his movements, seemingly having a slight limp on one leg which led him to mess up a fighting sequence with Matt. He fared a little bit better with some of his survival skills, enthusiastically displaying how to navigate and track down trails, as well as talking through the process of finding water even in the harshest of environments. He can be particularly charismatic and it is easy to hear the passion he has for every word that he speaks. His use of hand gestures is also immaculate and his interview could well be a hit in the making. In his District, he is known for being an activist for better living conditions and the breakdown of discrimination based on social classes, but he has yet to speak outrightly against the Capitol. With his oratorical skills, however, he could prove to be a ticking time bomb for us that we should be very wary of. If we convince him of our plans to further develop Six unlike the rebels who only seek their own personal gain, he could be a great asset for us.

Final score: 5

Omega Centhers:

She is a skilled archer, similar to Esma, and her shooting was largely on point. She was also adept at shooting moving targets, which takes her up a notch compared to Esma. The other skills that she displayed were her climbing and her knowledge of edible plants and insects, both of which were near flawless. We have sources that claim she is an accomplished hunter in Seven, which bodes well for her in the arena and her range of skills. We also have sources that claim she hails from an abusive family, and her father is currently under investigation for drunken assault against a Peacekeeper. Under such conditions, it is common for rebelliousness to thrive, as personal suffering is a breeding ground for such thinking. If she were to win the Games, she would be favoured by the audience, however we should look into her family history to alleviate her family woes and ensure she is firmly on our side or at the very least kept neutralised.

Final score: 7

Kieran Achlys:

Kieran did not even utter a single word throughout his session. He was as efficient as ever, marching straight to the archery station and doing his rounds with the bow and arrow. He has shown remarkable improvement from his first day of training, yet his skills, especially when those of Esma and Omega are fresh in mind, are not up to top standard. Beyond this, he attempted a few good traps but was largely not as impressive compared to his District partner. His character is an enigma to even his mentors and District entourage, and we know little of his potential arc over the course of the remainder of the pre-Reapings and the Games themselves, something that has proved to be intriguing for the Capitol audiences. We understand that like Omega, he has personal suffering in his background and he displayed a vicious, moody side to him throughout his time here, which can be hard to deal with for us, but the rebellion might stay away from a volatile person like him. For now, an average score would be advisable.

Final score: 6

Ceridwen Adamos Cardinal:

Ceridwen is a very dangerous girl. At first glance, she does not look like much of a fighter, but she proved us wrong from the first minute of her private session. She chose to fight Matt with her bare fists, which was a bold move, to say the least. She then dodged his punches before sprinting off to grab a wrench from a nearby bench and began to chase him around with it, screaming quite a few crude profanities as she did so. While this was not the most pleasant fighting sequence, it was hilarious to see Matt screaming for help. She followed this up by producing an explosive chemical that she did not have time to complete and simply left it bubbling on a table, prompting an explosives team to be called in to dispose of the chemicals. She is a risk for us as she is reminiscent of a handful of suspicious Victors of years gone by, in particular, Mare Trybull of District Ten. Hence, we do not advise giving her a particularly high score.

Final score: 5

Levi Verscace:

Levi did not do anything of note throughout his session, being particularly boring as he tried to dabble in some of the survival stations, which, again, he did not particularly excel in. He first tried the edible plants station and performed averagely in it, followed by the medicine station in which he produced a half-decent imitation of a common healing salve. His final station was the fire station which he spent far too long in before managing to finally start a fire. Overall, it was not particularly convincing and more than a couple of our peers were barely paying much attention to Levi's actions at all. Still, he is a fairly docile character although there is a conflicting report of his curious and exploratory nature, which might not bode well for us. It is advisable to give him a low score at this moment in time.

Final score: 3

Laura Ackerman:

Laura is a very interesting character. She is very soft-spoken and was laughably frightened at the mere sight of a Peacekeeper, showing a potential fear of authoritarian power that we can tap on should she prove to be a candidate for Victory. She requested a sparring partner in Matt and subverted all expectations by hurling a bolas right at his feet before feeling up a rope net and swinging across the Training Centre with impressive agility. In fact, she spent the entirety of the session evading Matt and dodging him at all costs, even stopping to snag a couple of edible berries and insects from the edible plants station and hurl a knife that barely hit its target along the way. Ultimately, she was successful and could be a potential underdog in the arena. She is not an outspoken figure and can be a safe option for us going forward. It is advisable to grant her a decent score.

Final score: 5

Totlen Millet:

He is a rather interesting tribute to observe. He clearly lacks much skill in any of the weaponry or physical stations and instead opted to spend much of his time during regular training camouflaging himself into various sections of the Training Centre. For his private session, it was no different, and his ability to create various shades and hues of startling specificity using raw, natural materials is nothing short of incredible. Furthermore, he managed to camouflage his hand perfectly into a mossy, rocky terrain and impressed us overall with his artistic abilities. Totlen is from a relatively well-to-do family and as such has less reason for rebellion, thus, similar to Laura who we understand has known him prior to the Reaping, he is a fairly safe option for us going forward and can serve to be a good asset for us in a troublesome District like Nine. It is advisable to give him a decent score.

Final score: 6

Evie Fawn:

Evie was fantastic during the obstacle course, showing magnificent grace and agility throughout the various sections. For her private session, she seems to have taken a page of out Laura's book and spent the final minutes of her session skillfully evading Matt, although he nearly caught up to her before she somersaulted and backflipped out of the way. Prior to that, she did well at the edible plants and medicine stations, although she did forget one key ingredient in creating a painkiller drug. Every time she moved to a different station, she would perform a simple dance move that was the cherry on the top of a good Outlier performance. She is a single teenage mother and is understood to have other priorities and troubles in life that limit her capacity to rebel. Yet, she has many connections within Ten which can work both for and against us. At this point in time, a decent score should be awarded.

Final score: 6

Jotham Velasquez:

Jotham has thus far been a relatively uninteresting tribute for us, as he has flown very much under the radar. Here, he was again largely unimpressive as he ran quickly around the track, although not particularly fast enough, and he managed to fend off Matt for some time with a knife before losing out to him, despite his perseverance and brave attempts to go on the offensive at times. However, he does have one thing going for him, which is his ability to bandage a wound properly, something several tributes in the past have failed to accomplish. He is a kind figure and is of little to no danger to us, and should he be able to pull off a miracle in the arena, can be a safe option for us moving forward.

Final score: 4

Wisteria Ambrose:

Wisteria seemed extremely nervous at the start of her session, tripping clumsily over her shoelaces and stumbling into walls. However, after a brief pause to regain her composure, she sparked into life and once again rampaged up the climbing wall in record time, before holding out her own in a spear-fighting duel with Matt, who eventually won but Wisteria showed a convincing ability to fight with determination, similar to Jotham. She is of a poor family and is reportedly of poor mental health, thus she too poses little to no risk for us in the event of an upcoming rebellion and is a very safe option for us moving forward as she is relatively malleable and can be moulded into a loyalist provided we show her the Capitol's true capacity to care for its citizens in need.

Final score: 5

Phoenix Avena:

He plays the mysterious angle well, although not quite as well as Maximon and Kieran. He refused to acknowledge our presence, which is a sign of immense rudeness and a lack of respect for authority, and simply marched up to Matt with sheer confidence, gesturing that a hand-to-hand combat duel was in order. While Matt eventually won, we have to admit that Phoenix showed great fighting skills and landed some good blows on Matt. His movement was pretty good too for an Outlier, and he followed it up with some decent knife-fighting skills and he built an excellent trap too. He is the subject of much controversy back in Eleven, and if we play our cards right, we can sway him to our side and further deepen the divide between him and his District. He is a confident person with good posture and stance as compared to some of the others who entered the room slouching. He can be a good image for us going forward, but for now, a decent score should be awarded.

Final score: 6

Tamsin Reid:

Tamsin is a fairly strong tribute with a good command of her pickaxe, which is expected of a District Twelve tribute with experience in the mines. She wielded it well and used it to spar with Matt, nearly coming out on top on several occasions. Her fighting style and technique are extremely nonchalant and efficient, as compared to the flair of the Careers, which might be less entertaining but we think it is no less effective. In the final minutes of her session, she demonstrated some new skills, including building a simple shelter and starting a quick fire. Being from a poor family in District Twelve of all places, not much is expected of her in terms of rebelliousness, thus she could be both a popular tribute and an ideal Victor for us moving forward.

Final score: 6

Elris Conroy:

By far one of the more enthusiastic of the bunch, Elris did his best to convey his determination and while it was commendable, it was sadly not quite up to standard. He did well in the edible plants station but he followed it up with a lacklustre trap and medicine. He is fairly agile and he showed his speed and quick reflexes while sparring Matt but his comparatively weak physique proved to be no match for Matt. Ultimately, as much as he is a sweet, docile character who would be a perfect Trojan's horse for us to the Districts, we do not advise giving him anything but a low score.

Final score: 3

CERIDWEN ADAMOS CARDINAL (15)

DISTRICT EIGHT FEMALE

Ceri thought the sessions were over.

Oh, because of course the Gamemakers were going to let them off the hook right after their nerve-wracking encounter.

She dusted the grime off her palms. Wrinkling her nose, she marched towards the exit, only for a firm hand to yank her backwards by the shoulder.

"What the-" she rapidly bit her tongue, only barely managing to stifle the curse she'd been about to utter. Woof had told her the Capitol were not exactly fans of the f-word, to say the least.

And of course Ceri cared about their thoughts and feelings, so she managed a modicum of restraint.

"Come with me," a Peacekeeper ordered, their voice eerily robotic, like it had been trained in a monotone for decades.

Ceri grunted but it wasn't like she had much of a course. Dragging her feet, she trudged along down a corridor. Oh, how she longed for a break from these stupidly metallic walls. They reminded her terribly of the dark echoes of her past, the sound of her ghosts cackling almost palpable within their steel confinements.

She sighed, wondering how many pillows she would have to punch to calm herself down after this whole private sessions fiasco and whether the Capitol would mark her down for the destruction of a few of their fluffier properties.

Eventually, they reached an unassuming little door, one that had a digital lock instead of a standard handle. The Peacekeeper punched in a series of numbers and symbols with rapid precision, their thick armour shielding Ceri from being able to view much of the combination.

Damn it, there goes my chance at blackmailing them.

The door swung open. The Peacekeeper yanked her through the threshold, prompting a small yelp from Ceri. "I can walk myself, thank you very much," she hissed quietly.

The Peacekeeper gave a loud snort and stood off to the side. At last, Ceri was able to have a proper view of the room.

Her jaw dropped.

"Oh, shit," she murmured, a little too loudly for her own good, not that she gave a damn.

Looming before her was none other than a swimming pool.

Her heart sank. Any chance she had at a decent score had surely evaporated there and then. The lighting here was poor, so the water was dark, its vast expanses hauntingly beckoning her forth to take a dip in its sullen waves, which lapped ferociously at the pool's edges, sending turbulent splashes of water pouncing towards Ceri. A young woman in a Gamemaker's outfit stood before her. She gave Ceri a wide grin and gestured towards a clothes rack with bathing suits of various sizes. Ceri wrinkled her nose. Those suits looked awful, their dark green bases clashing terribly with the wild blobs of purple scattered throughout the chest and stomach areas.

But terrible designs were the least of her concerns. With a reluctant sigh, she swiped a bathing suit that seemed to be her size, i.e. fit for a scrawny female, and proceeded to change out of her training uniform. She didn't mind changing in front of the Gamemaker, after all, she'd changed in front of her squealing prep team, at least this lady was in less of a position to really judge her physically. The Gamemaker, to her credit, looked away, and so did the Peacekeeper. Ceri gritted her teeth, pulling the bathing suit on.

Shit, it's cold as heck.

She shuddered, covering her bare arms, now exposed to the frigid air conditioning.

Ah yes, it was absolutely necessary for the Capitol to set the temperature at negative one million degrees for some reason.

"Your task for today is pretty simple, just swim across the pool!" the Gamemaker chirped, grabbing a clipboard and pen. "I'll just note down your skill level, this won't factor into your score or anything."

Ceri raised her hand. "Question, what if I can't swim?"

The Gamemaker gave her a sympathetic look. "It's alright, just paddle your way across!"

Paddle my way across? Pfft, how about I shove her in there myself, she might be able to demonstrate how to 'paddle my way across'.

Ceri sat at the pool's edge, dipping a toe into the water precariously. She gasped.

"Fucking cold," she murmured.

"Word of advice, it helps to get in there quickly and just start moving about. Oh, and we've got plenty more tributes to judge so you might need to get a move on," the Gamemaker shouted, giving her a thumbs-up.

I'm gonna punch her in the face.

Hoisting in a deep breath, Ceri plunged beneath the waves.

RONAN AQUARIUS (18)

DISTRICT FOUR MALE

Ronan didn't really care about his score.

He knew that he was probably going to get a seven, maybe an eight if he was being optimistic (which he was most certainly not), so really, he couldn't care less about the whole pomp around the score reveals.

"You never know, sometimes Gamemakers can have… surprise considerations, you might stand a chance," Jolien tried to assure him, but her words were hollow in his ears. He had accepted his probable score and likely status as the pack's 'weak link', being the only non-volunteer within the group. Besides, the pack's monopoly on supplies meant he wouldn't need to worry about supplies in the earlier stage of the Games.

That is, unless some Outlier messes things up for us.

Ronan kept an eye on the boy from Seven, Kieran, in particular. His shifty, quiet demeanour was rarely a good sign for a Career pack. Not to mention, he was rather adept with the bow. For all Ronan knew, underneath those hauntingly clouded eyes lay a devilish mastermind with a devious plan to rip the Careers apart early on in the arena. It'd happened before in the Games on far too many occasions, heck, Iris's game plan had been to sabotage the entire pack one by one from minute one of the Bloodbath, Ronan was wary of any tricks Kieran would try and pull off by slinking beneath the shadows. Maximon had agreed with him and so had Alder, both boys frequently eyeing Kieran with looks of apprehension throughout Training, trying to anticipate any signs of a surprise move from him. Quianna, on the other hand, was convinced he was simply a moody boy and an easy kill in the Bloodbath. She refused to hear out any of his concerns, laughing off every single word he'd said to her.

Typical rich bozo.

They'd spent the entirety of their time here in the Capitol keeping each other at arm's length, but their constant close proximity had never been a recipe for success. Every little push, shove and eye roll were all symptoms of a bubbling dysfunctional District partnership. And quite frankly, it was all for the better. Ronan couldn't fathom getting along with someone as bossy and arrogant as Quianna, especially given her family's notoriety within the District.

"You two aren't so different, you know? You both like adventures, exploring, all that crazy stuff. It wouldn't hurt being less stuck up around each other, might make this whole thing a lot more bearable and not just for yourselves," Jolien had tried to tell them but her words had fallen on deaf ears.

He would be pretty happy if Quianna's score was as equally unimpressive as his by Career standards. It might send her crashing back to earth with a faceful of humble pie.

The pair set on opposite ends of the couch in the floor's common living room as Iris, Jolien, Willuna and Tigris took their places between the two feuding teens. None of them looked particularly worried, save for Iris, who flashed Ronan a look of sympathy. He got the feeling she was on his side more than she was on Quianna's. She'd spent the last hour or so being grilled nonstop by Quianna, whose family had always despised the Fishers. Ronan didn't know what they'd been on about, but it'd been going on since the train rides and judging by the dark circles around Iris's eyes, it had taken quite a toll on their mentor. Pity rumbled across his chest. Iris had genuinely tried to help them, confiding in Caesar about their respective strengths and weaknesses to allow him to craft better interview questions for them, ones that would bring out more palatable versions of themselves to the Capitol audience and potential sponsors. And she'd tried to teach the pair a few simple poison tricks, which, to Quianna's credit, Quianna had been quite receptive towards.

A rare gesture of respect from that spoiled brat.

Ronan stared ahead, a politely bored expression on his face as Caesar gave a brief, typically enthusiastic introduction of the day's program. No one was really paying attention. Willuna was already talking to Quianna about how she would angle her interview with Caesar, seemingly confident in her getting a good score. She'd already had the same conversation with Ronan that morning, although she'd been a lot less blunt with him. Willuna hadn't exactly been very accommodating of Quianna, which served her right, although surprisingly, Quianna had actually tried to be nice to their escort.

She's probably trying to get on her good side so Willuna will use her Capitol connections to win her sponsors.

Not a bad move, Ronan only wished she could afford the same efforts for the rest of them.

The Ones' scores flashed by. When Ronan saw that Alder had scored an eight, he couldn't help but slump a little. A tinge of bitterness gnawed on his heartstrings. He'd hoped that Alder would've scored a seven, perhaps even a six, taking away Ronan's status as the weakest of the pack. But alas, Alder had done well enough, so if Ronan couldn't at least match his score, he'd likely find himself as the pack's most expendable member. He tried not to care too much, after all, he did have a secret agreement with Maximon, but still, it would've been great to be anything but the fifth wheel.

He didn't pay much attention to the Twos and Threes, who pretty much got their expected scores.

Then it was his turn.

He sighed, almost ready to embrace the seven that was coming his way.

"And Ronan Aquarius, with a score of, eight."

A small smile crackled across his lips.

Well, that's not too bad.

Considering many Fours often had to settle for a seven, Ronan would gladly take the eight. Still, it wasn't really enough to make him stand out, a fact he'd come to terms with. There were going to be flashier members of the bunch, with wilder scores. His point was almost immediately proven when Quianna pulled a ten, sparking a huge cheer from the girl who ten seconds ago had seemed almost ready to doze off in a fit of boredom.

Ronan's job now was to take full advantage of his going under the radar to strike cold and hard once in the arena.

A/N: What do you think is going to happen with the rebellion? Did any of the scores surprise you? And what's up with the whole swimming test?