Chapter 16

NARRATOR | Violet Chappelle, District 7

Breakfast is an awkward ordeal this morning. Alma's been trying to get me to explain my strategy to her before I head down to training, but there's no way I'll do that with Ansel in the room. Ansel does the same, deflecting Lila's questions and giving me nothing to work with.

With nothing left to discuss, we all fall into silence. Our Capitol escort, Carina, continues her usual babble, but none of us are listening. The whole time, I'm glaring at Ansel, but he doesn't even glance in my direction.

It makes my blood boil that Ansel would do something like this to me. Sure, we were never close, but we've known each other for years. I thought he would stand with me here in the Capitol, but he clung to my enemy the first chance he got. Part of me wants to see him pay for it.

Finally, our mentors send us to the Training Center. The elevator doors slide open, and we step inside.

"You won't even look at me," I huff as the doors close, giving us the privacy to talk openly. "It's pathetic."

Finally, Ansel turns to face me. I can see the hurt in his eyes, and I'm glad.

"Pathetic?" Ansel asks. "You've been ignoring me since we were Reaped, Violet. That was pathetic. I don't care that you're focused on killing some girl because of a blood feud. You were buried so deep in your own rage that you left me behind. Sorry that I decided I deserve to live too."

"I never left you behind and you know it," I say through my teeth, taken aback by Ansel's accusations. "I can't do everything, Ansel! I'm not perfect. But we were friends back in Seven, and you act like all of that was nothing. Sorry that I assumed you'd be on my side. Clearly, I was wrong."

"The girl I was friends with in Seven is not the girl who's here right now," Ansel says, crossing his arms. "All of this has changed you."

"Of course this has changed me!" I explode, unable to restrain myself any longer. "I watched my brother die, Ansel! You could never understand what that's like. Logan raised me, and he promised he would come home to me. Marissa Holland killed him and forced me to watch him die. It would change you, too, if that happened to you. You didn't even try to understand that. All you did was abandon me the moment we got here."

"You're a sad person," Ansel sighs. "I'm sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear. You're right, I didn't try to understand what you were going through. But you've become this twisted person filled with spite, and I just can't be around that anymore. If you want me to give up my allegiance to Safira, it's not going to happen. You might be self-centered enough to think that I'm only aligned with her to get back at you, but that's not the case."

All I can do is roll my eyes. I guess that's it, then. I've tried to get Ansel to understand where I'm coming from, and he's refused to listen. Ansel isn't on my side anymore, and there's nothing I can do about it.

"You've made a dangerous enemy, Ansel Voltaire," I mutter. Only now do I realize that the elevator never started moving; I press the button for the Training Center, and the elevator jolts into motion. We're both silent the whole way down.

When we arrive at the Training Center, most of the other tributes are already gathered around the pedestal at the back of the room. I join the group, standing behind Evelyn, Declan, and Lucas.

"What's this?" I ask, my allies turning to face me as I approach. Alma didn't tell me that anything special was happening today, but our conversation this morning wasn't the most productive.

"They said there was an announcement," Evelyn says with a shrug. "Probably just telling us about the Assessments today."

That's right - after training finishes today, we'll be sent straight to our Individual Assessments, where the Gamemakers will rank us based on our skills. I'm ready for mine, of course - I've been preparing for this for a long time - but I'll have to spend today getting my allies prepared to impress the Gamemakers.

A few more tributes trail in, joining the group. Safira walks in with Judah, and she stands next to Ansel. I clench my fists, turning my gaze back to the pedestal as the Head Trainer, Petrus, steps up.

"Good morning everyone," he says, taking a look around at all of us. "As you all should know, today is our last day of training. After training, each of you will be evaluated alone by the Gamemakers and given a score. If you need any additional information on this process, ask one of the trainers sometime today. Before training begins, though, our Head Gamemaker has an important announcement to make about this year's Games."

The trainer points to the upper deck, where the Gamemakers have been observing us for the last few days. At the center of the balcony, a young man sits on a large red throne clearly made for the man in charge. That must be Caius Thorntree, the Head Gamemaker.

I was disappointed to hear that this year's Gamemaker was a new one. I've been preparing for years, and I'd always assumed that Caius' father, Augustus Thorntree, would be the man I'd be dealing with. I've studied his style, and I've learned exactly what I need to do to impress him. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be here this year for whatever reason. I just have to hope that his son has followed closely in his father's footsteps.

Caius stands from his seat as we turn to him. He looks to be only a few years older than us, and I can tell that he's nervous despite his efforts to appear commanding to our group.

"Tributes," Caius says, taking a close look at the tributes in front of him. "I look forward to observing you all in your assessments later today. Before that, though, there is some information you need to know."

"Ever since I was selected to be the Head Gamemaker, I have been devising plans to make this year's Games one to remember. I don't want everything to be predictable. So, I would like you all to be prepared for the unexpected. This year's Games will have a special twist that could turn it upside down completely."

My heart nearly drops out of my chest. Declan glances back at me, clearly trying and failing to hide his anxiety. What does this mean for us? After years of training for the Games, I can't let all of my hard work be thrown out by a stupid twist.

"In this year's Games, we will be exploring the concept of power," Caius tells us. "Everyone wants power, but not everyone has power. You all, of course, are completely powerless right now, but I won't remind you of that."

Not all of us are powerless, Caius. Some of us chose to be here. Unlike most of the others here, I have more control and more power in these Games than Caius thinks I do.

"In this twist, a special power will be introduced to the Arena," Caius announces. "This power will be minor. Let me stress that. But in a situation as dire as the Hunger Games, even the smallest advantage can mean the difference between life and death. Only one tribute will possess this power, but it will almost certainly be passed between multiple tributes throughout the Games."

A power... what kind of power? Invincibility, perhaps? The power to choose another tribute to kill? That's wishful thinking; if I could kill Safira with the point of a finger, it would be too easy. This is a minor advantage we're talking about.

"That is all," Caius says with a nod. "More details will be revealed to you all at a later time. But remember: expect the unexpected."

We're sent to training, and the tributes disperse around me. As Declan and Evelyn lead me across the room, I can't stop thinking about this new power. Caius is right: even the smallest power can be the thing that saves me in the Arena. More than that, if I get my hands on this special power, nobody else will have the chance to use it.

One thing is for certain: I will do anything to get that power. Anything. I need to win these Games, and with the power in my pocket, I'm going to take Safira Holland down.