Josie Stone, 12

District 12 Female

I'd spent less than an hour at the edible plants station and I already wanted to leave. It felt like every leaf or berry I pointed at would kill me in a number of horrific ways. Blueberries? No, it's pokeweed. Wild carrot? Sorry, hogweed. Oh, and that hickory nut is a buckeye. I wanted to scream as the instructor slapped another leaf from my hand and lectured me about all the horrible rashes it would cause.

I wanted to bang my head against the table. Instead, I tuned the woman out as best as I could and looked to see what everyone else was doing. If I couldn't learn, I would observe. Worryingly, I saw that Robbie was doing quite good at the hand-to-hand combat station. I watched as he wrestled a buff trainer to the ground and pinned him. He would be hard to beat in a fight, but I didn't think I'd have to fight him. He genuinely seemed like he wanted to protect me.

Yarrow was another story. There was something forced about her smile and her kind words. And she was observant. People were only observant because they'd learned they had to be. She approached me because she saw me steal a ring and she wanted to use me. That was fine. I was using her right back.

No one would think to go after the small 12-year-old from District 12 in the bloodbath. They'd either pick Robbie, who could fight back, or Yarrow, who was from a smart district and clearly had a good head on her shoulders. I could hide behind them and slip under the radar.

My worries were about later in the Games. Yarrow was as sneaky as I was, and if I wasn't helpful to her, I was as good as dead. And even a forager isn't helpful forever.

She would be watching, and would stab me in the back the second I became a liability. But two could play that game. If I got suspicious, I wouldn't hesitate to kill her. And as long as I made her the bad guy, I'd still have Robbie on my side.

But she couldn't suspect anything, and I couldn't look like dead weight. I'd told my allies I knew how to survive, so I had to learn fast. And when the time came, Yarrow would be the one with a knife in her back.

Trydan Briod, 17

District 5 Male

From the second the train doors slid shut behind me, I was planning. Being Reaped was a horrible stroke of luck, but if I worked hard and gave it my all, I stood a chance. When I talked with my mentor Albus, he recommended finding allies whose skills complemented my own. He also told me that mental strength was just as important as physical strength in the Games and I was confident in my mental fortitude.

On the first day of training I focused on building shelters. The Head Trainer warned us that exposure could kill us as easily as a weapon could, and I wasn't going to be the tribute that froze to death because he couldn't find shelter.

But I also scoped out potential allies. The allied tributes from District 10 both seemed strong, but I wasn't sure if I wanted more than one ally. I also didn't think our skill sets were different enough. The boy from 9 would have been an option, but he chose two weaker allies, and the boy from 7 freaked me out. That narrowed it down to two options: the boy from 3 or the girl from 8.

Shortly before lunch, I approached the girl from 8. She was learning about finding and purifying water, which would definitely be useful. I sat down next to her and held out my hand.

"Hello. I'm Trydan, from District 5. I'm looking for allies and I think we'd make a good team."

She glanced down at my hand in surprise and then sneered.

"I don't need to ally with you," she said. I felt sudden anger bubble up in my chest.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," I snapped. "You're going to end up a bloodbath anyway."

"You can go now," she hissed. "I have no interest in talking to you."

"Fine!" I turned and stalked away angrily. Someone that dramatic would only be a hindrance anyway. She had no reason to be rude so I couldn't trust her to be a helpful ally. She just showed her true colors.

I went to get some water from the fountains near the bathroom and then looked back at the gym. Everyone was working on something and no one seemed unskilled. It would be tough to win, but I knew I could.

My eyes were drawn to Ai, the boy from District 3. He'd been on my list of potential allies but I was hesitant because he was so young. But he was currently throwing knives with excellent form and aim. I'd also seen him on the agility course earlier, where he was strong and quick. I walked over to him.

"You're good with those," I said as I came to stand beside him. "I'm Trydan, by the way."

"Thanks. I'm Ai." He smiled at me but then turned back to practicing.

"Do you happen to be looking for allies?" I asked him. He set down the knife he was about to throw and turned to me again.

"I'm open to them," he said. I felt his gaze on my hands and fought the urge to hide them.

"Well, I'm looking for one," I said. "I'm quick, I'm clever with my hands, and I can make traps and snares. You seem strong and you're good with knives. I think we'd be a powerful team."

Ai thought about it for a few moments, but then he held out his hand. I smiled and shook it firmly just as the doors opened for lunch.

"Let's talk strategy while we eat," Ai said. I nodded and followed him to the cafeteria.

Rowena Aspen, 14

District 7 Female

I was shocked when Clover and Enzo asked me to ally with them. I thought they were mocking me at first and almost snapped at them, but something in Clover's expression made me change my mind. It was an emotion I was all too familiar with: anger. He was angry that he was Reaped and angry that the Careers always won, and he was going to use that anger to his advantage. That was something I could do too. I was just as angry as he was.

We were gathered around a table at lunch, discussing our strategy. Enzo knew a lot about explosives and Clover was apparently a tactical expert. I was supposed to be the muscle. I could use an axe, and I was strong. But I couldn't defend two reckless boys by myself.

"In the bloodbath, we should focus on survival supplies," Enzo was saying. "I'm sure you two know enough about plants that we won't starve and our weapons won't be the conventional type."

"What if the arena is a desert or something?" Clover asked. "We can't set our strategy in stone. We always have to be prepared for the unexpected."

"We also have to figure out how someone who's basically half your height is going to save both your butts if something goes wrong," I snapped. Both boys looked at me in surprise and confusion.

"If you guys are going to be getting us some stuff, someone has to watch your backs," I explained. "There's only one of me, and I'd probably be unarmed."

"You can gather supplies then," Enzo said. "Clover was doing some sort of martial arts so he can guard us even without a weapon."

"But there's still only three of us," Clover said. I looked at him meaningfully and he rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Who do you want to add?"

"Either the pair from 6 or the pair from 10," I said.

"What about your district partner?" Enzo asked.

"Cactus? No. He's creepy."

"Fair enough," Enzo said with a laugh. "I'd vote for the 6s then. The 10s seem too sweet."

We all looked over at Trayne and Alley, who were swatting a chicken nugget around the table with spoons. Clover frowned.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I said. I picked up my plate and went to sit at their table. Enzo was right behind me and started up the conversation immediately.

"So what did the chicken nugget do to you guys?" he asked. Alley stared at him but Trayne laughed.

"We're using it as a hockey puck," he explained. "Alley didn't know the rules so I was teaching her."

"Since it involves ice, we weren't getting very far," Alley said dryly. Enzo and Trayne both laughed at that.

"We used to play hockey on a frozen pond in the winter," I said. "We didn't have the right stuff though. We used branches and a rock."

"That's better than a chicken nugget," Trayne pointed out.

"What brought you two over?" Alley asked. "I'm assuming it was more than concern for our makeshift puck."

"We wanted to propose an alliance," Clover said from behind me. He'd come to join the conversation as well. I scooted to the next chair over so he could sit. Alley and Trayne looked at each other.

"We've got some crazy stuff up our sleeves," Enzo said. They exchanged glances again and then Trayne grinned.

"Well, you've got four more sleeves on your side."

Taylor Treadle, 16

District 8 Female

So far, the only good things about the Capitol were the food and the makeup. As soon as my stylist Andromeda saw my emo look, she squealed and went all-out. Now I looked like I always pictured myself when I saw myself in the mirror.

Sushi was a wonderful discovery. I was hesitant about raw fish at first, especially since the instructor at the hunting station said raw fish could make you sick. But the woman serving lunch assured me that top Capitol chefs prepared the food, and that if we did get sick we had access to the best medicine there was.

What I didn't like about lunch was that everyone was talking and hanging out. The only other person sitting alone was my district partner Tommy and I had no desire to talk to him.

Trydan was sitting with Ai, the boy from 3, which just reassured me in my decision not to ally with him. He clearly only cared about what his allies could do for him, since he chose a Victor's son. I didn't need some stuck-up, arrogant guy to protect me. I would do fine on my own.

Since I'd spent most of my time on survival skills, I decided it would be a good idea to work on some physical things. A track ran all around the training gym, so I went over to the instructor by the starting line. I was going to do whatever it took to avoid fights; including running away.

The instructor taught me a few basic things about breathing and pacing myself, and then I started to run. I was almost halfway around the track when my breathing got scratchy and ragged. I stumbled and then stopped, bending over to try and catch my breath. But I was coughing and wheezing too hard.

I barely noticed the instructor running up beside me, so I jumped when he put a hand on my back. But he stood with me until my breathing evened out. Then he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Do you have asthma?" he asked.

"What? I don't know! Do you think I have the time and money to go to a doctor about my breathing?"

He stared at me for a few seconds as I glared at him. Finally he shrugged.

"Running might not be the sport for you," he said. "Maybe try a ranged weapon?"

"Fine!" I huffed.

I stalked to the center of the gym and looked around. Throwing knives were popular almost every year, so it would be stupid to rely on them. Archery was also a common skill. So I chose javelins.

The trainer explained that javelins were better for throwing long distances than spears. She also said they were lighter, so they were easier for beginners. She showed me how to grip the weapon and what stances were best.

My first throw hit the middle of the third ring. My second was farther off from the center, but the third throw was even better than the first.

Over the next half hour my aim improved a lot. My arm was exhausted but I was hitting the second ring or better almost every time. The instructor was cheering me on, which brought a smile to my face before I could hide it.

Eventually I felt like I was being watched. After my next throw, I quickly turned to see the boy from 1 watching me. When he saw me look at him, he came over to me.

"Hi. I'm Kendall." He offered his hand to shake but I crossed my arms and he awkwardly retracted his greeting.

"What do you want?" I growled. Kendall looked a little surprised at my hostility, but answered.

"My alliance is looking for another member," he said. "We want you to join."

"Join the Careers?" I rolled my eyes. "Do I look like an idiot? You'd stab me in the back in seconds."

Kendall opened his mouth to reply but I cut him off.

"I'm not joining you. Go find some other bloodthirsty moron." I turned my back on him and picked up another javelin. I channeled all my fury into the throw and it was a bullseye.

Virgo Charleston, 18

District 10 Female

On the train, Shepard and I bonded right away. He loved animals as much as I did and was one of the kindest and most patient people I'd ever met. After talking for a bit, we decided to ally. We were both strong, but Shepard said he preferred to attack from far away. So we agreed that I would focus on close-range combat and he would focus on ranged. Then we'd both spend time learning survival skills.

Robbie, the boy from 9, had been at the hand-to-hand station all morning. After lunch, we both came over to continue practicing. As I was waiting for Robbie and the trainer to finish their match, I focused on my other strategies.

I was oddly excited for the interviews. I always liked dressing up and looking pretty, but I couldn't afford to do it back home. But I was worried I wouldn't stand out. At home, I was an afterthought. If I didn't make a good impression, the audience wouldn't want to sponsor me.

Frustration filled me as I thought of my family. They'd all come to say goodbye but they were worrying about lost income, not their daughter. Only Scorpio seemed worried about me. I hugged him last and told him to follow his dream, no matter what anyone else said.

It was ridiculous to hope the Capitol would value me. I wasn't a Career or the child of a Victor. I didn't have a tragic backstory to help me gain sympathy. I was just me and it had to be enough.

Robbie managed to pin the trainer. He gave him a few tips and then signaled for me to come onto the mat. He looked me up and down.

"Hello Virgo," he said. "You're here to learn to fight, I presume."

"Yes," I said. "I'm thin, but I'm strong."

"You're tall too," the trainer said. "So you'll have somewhat of an advantage. But first, I'll teach you how to punch."

We went through some basic punching and kicking exercises and then we began to spar. The instructor gave me tips as we fought. He told me to wait for my moment to strike, taught me how to take a punch, and showed me how to grapple someone. He beat me in the end, but I still felt confident. I'd held my own against him.

I stepped away to let the boy from 6 onto the mat and went to get some water from the water fountain on the far side of the gym. After I'd gulped down enough of the cool liquid, I turned to see Dorian, the boy from 4, behind me.

"Hey," he said with a grin. "You did good in that fight."

"Thanks," I said. I glanced at him for a moment and then looked away nervously.

"Can I help you with anything?" I asked.

"Yeah," Dorian said. He was still grinning. "My allies and I are looking for someone else to join us and we thought you'd be a great fit."

"Oh!" This time I did look at him, purely out of surprise. I wasn't expecting the Careers to be interested in me, but I'd clearly impressed them.

"I'm definitely interested," I told him. "But I'm already allied with my district partner Shep and I can't really ditch him…"

"He can join too," Dorian said. "The more the merrier, right?"

"Yeah." I laughed awkwardly. "I'll have to ask him first though."

"Sounds good," Dorian said. "Lead the way."

Wow! Look at this! Finally, another chapter. This chapter is all over the place in terms of POV word count but I was really struggling with Josie. It's also not my best chapter, by far, but I wanted to post it. Alliances are forming and skills are developing, and I can't wait to get to the actual Games! I have a lot of plans. And as always, please leave a review if you can. I appreciate them so much.

Also! I have a new partial SYOT open. It's called Grandeur: The 67th Hunger Games. The boys from 8 and 11 are still available, if anyone is interested in submitting to those spots.

And I can now reveal what the BBB alliance is actually called. A lot of you guessed 'Brains, Brawn, Beauty', and you were close! One of the words is different though...

QUESTIONS

1) Is Josie going to pull of her "helpful and innocent" strategy?

2) Will Trydan's ally choice be advantageous?

3) What are is Wild Things alliance up to?

4) How will Virgo and Shep fair as Careers?

5) If you could save one tribute from the bloodbath, who would it be? (besides your own)

ALLIANCES

The "Careers": Kallik, Kendall, Octavia, Valerius, Dorian, Virgo, Shepard

Strategists: Ai, Trydan

Brains, Brawn, Betrayal: Yarrow, Robbie, Josie

Besties: Alara, Amberlynn

Wild Things: Alley, Trayne, Rowena, Clover, Enzo

Loners: Birdie, Cactus, Taylor, Tommy, Persimmon

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

- Fiona