Trydan's interview: I hope I can make an alliance with Shep. He's really good with survival stuff and also he seems very laid-back. I don't think I'd have to worry about him changing his mind every few minutes. There's already some alliances going on. Kendall and Kallik seem to know they have targets on their backs so they're joining together. You'd think Val would go with them but he really hates Kendall since he's rich.

Trydan's edited review: I think… I… have a target on… my… back. Val seems to… hate me. I hope I can make an alliance with Shep. I don't think I'd have to worry.

Rowena Aspen- District Seven female (14)

I hadn't known how fun it would be. I wasn't too hot on the camping part, but being with eleven other kids and kind of just being on our own was really fun. When we weren't doing challenges we could run around the island, or swim, or climb trees, or try to fish, or whatever else looked fun. We were starting to get to know each other and it turned out some of us were pretty cool.

"We could use the boards to make a frame for a better shelter," Virgo suggested as we all gathered around the supplies we'd won.

Enzo picked up one of the ropes. "We can use this to whip stuff." He flicked his arm and cracked it. "Hyah!"

Dorian looked thoughtfully at one of the spears. "What kind of animals do you all think are around here?"

"I bet there are deer," Amberlynn offered.

"No way am I killing Rudolph!" Enzo protested.

I grabbed a spear. "Ooh, I want to try fishing with it!"

"Fishing with a spear is really hard." Alara said it not in a discouraging way, but like she'd tried and hadn't had much luck so she was just letting me know.

I shrugged. "Can't hurt to try."

Amberlynn got to her feet after me. "I'll come, too."

"I didn't know you liked fishing," I said as we walked toward the river.

"I've never done it before," she said.

"It's kind of gross," I said. Amberlynn grew up richer than people like me. I wasn't sure she could handle guts.

"It can't be as gross as some of the things Capitolites like to eat. I was at a party once and they servds foie gras. Isn't that just the grossest?" she said.

"What's foie gras?" I asked.

"They take a goose and stuff it full of food, like just stuff it," Amberlynn mimed ramming her fist down a long throat. "The goose gets really fat and the fat goes all over its guts. They kill the goose and cut out the liver and it's all full of fat. They swear it's the best thing ever."

"No way!" I said. "That's disgusting!"

"So are they." Amberlynn clapped her hands to her mouth and looked around like she'd been caught stealing cookies. "Gooses, I mean."

"Yeah, gooses," I said.

"Ooh, there's the river." Amberlynn darted ahead. She shucked off her shoes and then peeled off her pants, leaving her in her swimsuit bottom. According to Octavia, the Gamemakers had actually cut us a few breaks. In the old show they plopped people on an island with just one outfit and they didn't even get to pick it. This time they'd let us take a swimsuit and even given one to those of us who didn't have one, like Robbie. I, for one, appreciated not having a constant UTI from wearing the same underwear for weeks. I'd had one and wasn't eager to revisit it. Maybe Isabella put in a good word for us since she used to be a Tribute.

Amberlynn splashed into the shallow river, hissing and rubbing her arms at the coldness. "All right, where's the fish?" she asked as she looked around.

"You probably scared them when you went in," I said.

"Oh, that's true," Amberlynn said.

"If there's trout they'll come, though. They swim upstream," I said.

Amberlynn waded back to the edge of the river where the water only covered her feet. She sat on a rock and peered around for any sign of fish.

"I thought fancy rich people didn't like gross things like fishing," I said as I followed her into the water.

"I'm not really rich," she said. "Besides, I never get to do things like this. I lived in town. The only creek we have was in a park and it was fake."

"A fake river?" I asked.

"Yeah, it was from a pump, not a real spring. The water was weirdly blue and you couldn't drink it," she said.

"I always wanted to live in a town," I said. "Everyone in Seven was supposed to love trees but I honestly kind of hate the forest."

"How could you hate the forest? It's so pretty," Amberlynn said.

"There are so many mosquitoes," I said. "You can see just clouds of them. They get in your eyes."

"AAAAAH!" Amberlynn yanked her leg up so sharply she tumbled off the rock and landed on hands and knees in the shallow water. She flopped onto her back and scooted away like she'd landed on a hot frying pan.

"What's wrong?" I asked as she clambered back onto the rock.

"There was a crawfish right by my foot!" She pointed down into the water.

"A crayfish? Oh, cool!' I hunted around in the water where Amberlynn was pointing. I picked up a rock and whether or not it was the same crayfish, there was one under there. I pinched it by the tail and picked it up. Amberlynn regarded us with trepidation.

"You just hold it by its tail and it can't pinch you," I explained, holding it out to her. She reached out her hand, yanked it back at the last second, took hold, then squealed and dropped it.

"Sorry," she said, looking down at the water.

"It's all right. There are probably tons of them," I said. AMberlynne folded her legs more tightly to pull them away from the water.

"I bet they taste like shrimp," she said as she looked around for more.

"Yeah, kinda," I said.

"That's probably easier than spearing a fish," Amberlynn said. She tried again to pick one up and before long we had about a dozen crayfish squirming in our bag. Tonight the rice would be.., still rice, but with crayfish, which was nice. It was pretty cool Amberlynn didn't mind risking her fingers and trying something new. We chatted all the way back to camp. I really hadn't known how fun this would all be.

Enzo's interview (left intact): One of the crayfish pinched my finger. It was probably because I was holding him out to scare Lana and wasn't paying attention to holding him right. Got no one to blame but myself for that one. Kids, don't tease people with crayfish. They'll pinch your finger. Also, just don't tease people in general. It's not very nice.

Persi's interview (left intact): Enzo is so loud. Oh my gosh he is so loud. He is always making some sort of noise. When he wakes up he stretches and goes [grunting noises]. He constantly sings or hums or just makes these stupid little popping noises or drums his feet. And every single time he yawns he screams. I am going to lose my mind.

Taylor Treadle- District Eight female (18)

Leo went out to pray every morning. I wasn't much for weird hippie stuff like that but I did give him credit for bravery. If there was one thing the Capitol didn't like, it was us valuing something other than them. Whether it was family or a god or our own selves, they always tried to stomp that out of us. I wondered if they were the ones who burned him.

When Leo came back he seemed angrier than he was before he left. He stirred our rice pot like he could take all his frustration and put it into our rice. I hoped it didn't work, since the rice already tasted acrid enough.

"He not answer?" I joked.

"More like I don't want to listen," Leo said. He gave me a somewhat guilty look. "I try to be a good person and all, but I'm gonna be honest. I really hate losing."

I found myself smiling a little. When I first met Leo I'd thought he was going to be a goody-goody bore who would probably scold me every time I swore. Maybe I shouldn't have judged people before I got to know them. Maybe especially I shouldn't have done that.

"You could come out with me sometime if you wanted," Leo offered offhandedly. He didn't look right at me when he said it, like he was scared of spooking me.

"No, thanks," I said. "If I tried to pray I'd burst into flames."

"What, did you kill a bunch of people?" Leo didn't seem fazed.

"Not exactly," I admitted, skirting the truth I definitely wasn't going to say.

"Just asking because there was a guy in the book that did that. God loved him anyway," Leo said.

"What about all the people he killed? Did they love him?" I asked. I wasn't sure about any god who would take a person who did that. Just leave all his victims in the lurch, why don't you?

"Probably not," Leo said mildly. He winced as some movement or another pulled at his skin.

"That sucks," I said. None of us had been sure of how to address Leo's burns. Clearly we all saw them. We'd been worried they might hold him back in challenges, but so far it hadn't been a problem.

Leo shrugged. "Yeah. What can you do?"

"Do people pick on you a lot back home?" I asked.

"Honestly, not as much as you'd think. Some people do, but a lot of people pretend they don't notice it. Nice of them to try," Leo said.

"People picked on me back home," I said. It wasn't something I was shy about talking about. If anything, I was proud. People picked on people who didn't fit in. Fitting in was boring.

"For all those people you didn't kill?" Leo teased. Before I could pull it back, my mouth screwed up a little. I didn't cry- not even close- but Leo must have seen it.

"That sucks," he said gently.

"I don't care," I lied, waving my hand dismissively.

"They still shouldn't do it," Leo said.

Thanks. I didn't say it out loud, but the thought was in me all the same. Leo didn't know anything about me or my life, but he'd still said it. I believed he really meant it. He really was sad people were mean to me and he really did wish things were better. He was the one missing half his face skin and here he was wishing other people had a better life.

"I bet we'll win next time," I said. Things were getting a little heavy so maybe a different topic would be nice.

"You really think so?" he said, his smile stretching the skin at the corners of his mouth tight. It must really suck for a smile to hurt you.

"I don't know. We seem to really suck," I smiled back.

"I'll put in a request with the big man," Leo said, laying a hand on his chest with pretend reverence.

"What if the other team's been praying and that's why they're winning?" I joked.

"Darn, guess I got stuck on the heathen team," he joked back.

"Maybe you can win them over," I said.

"Can't hurt to try."

Next idol clue:

There are many benefits to the Paleo diet. People often experience increased heart and gut health, as well as longer lifespans.