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Training Day Two – Morning
What You Have to Say
Christina Rae Kimetto, 16
District Six
"And that's all he said?"
Christina glanced over at Elseri, who had settled down at the fire-starting station with the boy from Seven, all the way over on the other side of the room. Karina nodded. "That's all. Just said that he'd thought about it and decided it would be better if he didn't work with us – and then took off as soon as he saw you coming."
Christina shook her head. That didn't make any sense, unless… "Maybe his district partner had something to do with this."
Karina cocked her head. "Why would you think that?"
"She told me something yesterday. She said that Elseri and his gang started a riot that killed a Peacekeeper." A Peacekeeper. Fritz. His name was Fritz. He'd been friendly enough, content to look the other way in exchange for his cut, but he was … well, a Peacekeeper. It wasn't as if he was nice to her because he liked her or the other rail kids. He just wanted to make a little easy money. If he'd gotten himself killed because he couldn't handle a few upstart teenagers, that wasn't her business.
Karina's eyes had gone wide. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Christina shrugged. "Didn't think it would matter. You said you were in a gang, too. You must've been in a scuffle or two before you got out, right?"
"With other gangs," Karina insisted. "Not Peacekeepers."
Christina couldn't help glancing at the scars on Karina's arms. "You never had trouble with the Peacekeepers?"
Karina followed her gaze. "That's different. You get caught because you're out after curfew or picked a fight with another gang at the wrong time in the wrong place, you get whipped. That's one thing. You go looking for a fight with the Peacekeepers … you get worse. You should know that. You're from Six."
Christina nodded quietly. She hadn't really considered herself "from Six" in years, but she couldn't say that. And she knew what Karina meant. "Maybe you're right," she agreed grudgingly. "Maybe I should have told you. He just seemed so … I don't know. You two seemed to hit it off." They all had. She hadn't wanted to spoil a good thing, but…
Karina nodded. "Maybe that's why he left. Maybe he's doing us a favor by not getting us involved with … well, whatever's going to happen to him."
Christina held her tongue. Karina was right. The Gamemakers would probably target him because of what he and his friends had done. It wasn't fair, but it was true. And if Karina was happy to let Elseri go because of that…
Why didn't you tell me? If it had taken less than a day for Elseri's secret to come out, how long would hers be safe? Would Karina want to split up if she learned the truth? When she learned the truth? Maybe. Maybe it was better to find out now. "There's something you should know about me, too."
Karina frowned. "Don't tell me you killed a Peacekeeper too."
"No, I just…" She trailed off. Duke had figured it out on his own. That was one thing. Actually telling someone was…
"Then it can't be that bad," Karina offered. Then she grinned and put on her best exaggerated Capitol accent. "Tell us, Christina, what are you trying to hide?"
Christina couldn't help a chuckle. "Okay. You said I'm from Six, but that's … not entirely true. I haven't really lived there in years. I've gone back sometimes – for the reapings and things – but I spend most of the time riding the trains between the districts. I just get on one and … see where it takes me next. I've been pretty much everywhere in Panem. It's wonderful, but … well, it's also against the rules, so I understand if you don't want to work with me either."
Karina stared silently for a moment. Whatever she'd been expecting, it clearly hadn't been this. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet. "I wish I'd thought of that."
Christina blinked. That wasn't what she'd been expecting either. "Why? I mean, you ran off and ended up in Thirteen. Seems like that worked out pretty good."
Karina shook her head. "That part did. But I didn't mean to. I just panicked after…" She trailed off, took a deep breath, then finished. "After I killed them. My gang. Not all of them, but the leaders. The ones who kept putting the rest of us in danger for what they wanted. I poisoned their food, but then my friend Brandr worked it out, and I thought he would tell the others, so I … panicked. I stabbed him in the gut. He said he just wanted the antidote, but then … it was too late. The poison and the blood loss would've killed him, so I … I cut his throat." She shuddered. "Then I ran. I was so scared, I couldn't think of anything else to do. I ran, and I kept running until I was out of the district, and then they found me." She shook her head. "But you … you just left. Just got on a train and took off. I never would've thought of that."
Christina nodded silently. What could she even say to that? Karina shook her head. "I must sound like such a hypocrite. Elseri didn't even kill anyone – not personally. I did. I probably deserve to be targeted just as much as he does."
Christina shook her head. "But you won't be. The riot in Three was recent, and it was a Peacekeeper who was killed. It'll be all over the Capitol screens. What you did was years ago, and the people you killed … You think anyone in the Capitol gives a damn about a few gang members? And how many people would even know?"
"I told Nicodemus. And I think … I think Harakuise knows something."
"What makes you say that?"
"Something he said on the train. All the clever plans in the world mean nothing if they can be undone by an opponent who recognizes when to stop talking and just stab you in the gut."
Christina raised an eyebrow. "Could be a coincidence."
Karina opened her mouth to object, but was interrupted by a soft chuckle behind them. Christina turned to see the girl from Five leaning against the wall and smiling.
"I wouldn't count on that."
Euphoria Fonseca, 18
District Five
She'd just had to say something.
Euphoria watched as the two girls turned to look at her. Their gazes were startled, defensive, but not terrified. Not like the tributes she'd approached at the climbing station yesterday after leaving the other Careers in the pool. They had been afraid of her. Her.
She wasn't used to that.
Maybe she would have to get used to it, of course. This was the Hunger Games. She was a Career. But no one had ever looked at her like that before. Not the younger hopefuls at the training academy, and certainly not any of her fans. They had been in awe of her, yes. Inspired by her. Some of them had been speechless when they finally got to meet her, but that wasn't the same as being afraid.
The girl from Six crossed her arms. "What do you mean by that?"
"How long were you listening?" the girl from Thirteen added.
"Long enough to know that neither of your secrets is going to last very long," Euphoria chuckled. "Harakuise knows how to keep a secret when he wants to, of course, but if you don't want people to know something, you really shouldn't blurt it out in the open like this. Any of the other tributes could have heard you."
The girl from Thirteen blushed. "Look, it's not like we were planning on having this conversation."
Euphoria nodded. That was probably true. If it was part of some larger scheme to fool her into thinking they were just blurting out their secrets, the two were exceptionally good actors. No, they hadn't planned this. But either of them could have suggested finding somewhere more private once they'd realized the direction the conversation was taking, and neither of them had. That told her something interesting. "No, but I think you wanted people to find out. Or at least had the sense to realize that they were going to eventually, so it's better if it happens on your terms. Am I right?"
The girl from Thirteen nodded. "Nicodemus did suggest that it might be better that way," she admitted.
The other girl nodded her agreement. "So did Duke. So now what? And what's it matter to you?"
Euphoria smiled, hoping that wouldn't scare them off. She'd never had to worry about a smile doing that before, but now … now a smile meant something different. Something unfamiliar. But these two … they still didn't seem afraid, even though she knew their secrets. They were suspicious, but suspicion was better than fear. Fear would have just sent them running away like the tributes yesterday. Suspicion was something she could work to overcome, and she could start by sharing a secret of her own. "It matters to me because I'm leaving the Career pack, so I'm looking for new allies."
The girl from Six cocked her head. "And we were your first candidates?"
Euphoria shrugged. "To be honest, I hadn't planned on asking anyone just yet. I just wanted to get a feel for who might have something to offer, and who might recognize the benefits of having a Career as an ally."
"Or who might think those benefits outweigh the drawbacks," the girl from Six countered. "You know leaving the pack makes you a target for the other Careers, right?"
Euphoria nodded. "I don't think they're likely to be too choosy about their targets, but yes."
The girl from Thirteen cocked her head. "You're leaving because they went after the boy from Four."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Euphoria hesitated. She knew what the easy answer was. Beating up smaller tributes during training wasn't a good look. It didn't help her image. It wasn't what she wanted the Capitol to think of her – what she wanted her fans to think of her. And that was true. But it wasn't the whole truth.
"I should have done something," Euphoria admitted. "I wanted to do something, but I didn't because I knew – I thought – that Lily would be too valuable for the pack to lose. She's aggressive, and that's a good thing in the Games, but she's also … She went too far, and I didn't do anything. None of us did. And I don't want to be in that situation again."
The girl from Thirteen studied her for a moment, then nodded. "You know, someone told me yesterday that I was just in the wrong sort of gang back in Six. It sounds like I'm not the only one." She held out her hand. "Karina."
"Euphoria." She shook it, then held out her hand to the girl from Six.
The girl from Six eyed her suspiciously. "What makes you so certain we won't put you in that situation? How do you know we won't go too far?"
Euphoria considered that for a moment. She was certain, and not just because she was much more certain she could handle the pair of them in a fight than she had been about Lily and Clive. "Neither of you suggested using Elseri's secret against him," she decided at last. "Even after he left you both, neither of you wanted to use what you know as a weapon."
The girl from Six shook her head. "He's going to have enough problems with the Gamemakers. Us painting a bigger target on his back would be…"
"Unnecessarily cruel?" Euphoria finished.
"Yeah."
Euphoria nodded. "And that's the difference."
The girl from Six considered that for a moment, nodded, and shook Euphoria's hand. "Christina. Christina Rae Kimetto."
Euphoria chuckled. "Oh, so we're using our full names. Euphoria Fonseca."
"Karina Wheeler."
Wheeler. Euphoria smiled. "And you're both from Six, but not really. How long have you lived in Thirteen?"
"Three years now."
She turned to Christina. "And you – off riding the trains between the districts for how long?"
"About four years."
"A citizen of nowhere – or everywhere. A citizen of Panem. Yes, I think the audience will like that – in the right light."
Christina nodded. "And I suppose having a Career as an ally would help paint that in the right light."
Euphoria beamed. "Not just any Career, Christina Rae."
"What do you mean by that?"
Euphoria stopped short. They didn't know. Of course they didn't know. There was no reason anyone outside Five would have heard of her. Maybe they'd figured her performance at the reapings was just another Career oddity. Maybe they hadn't noticed – or hadn't cared. They had no idea just how valuable she could be to them – and they'd already accepted her anyway. Euphoria beamed and dug in her pocket for her harmonica.
"I'll show you."
Ross Artisan, 18
District Two
What a show-off.
Ross shook his head as Euphoria's music began to fill the room. Oh, it was good. There was no doubt it was good. And that was the problem, really. She didn't need this. She could have stayed in District Five and been happy playing music for the rest of her life. She was already famous. She was already rich. She already had the opportunities he could only have dreamed of without the Games. So what was she doing here?
And now it seemed like she didn't even want to be part of the pack. Of course, after what Lily had done yesterday, that was easier to understand. But at least Lily wanted to fight. Maybe a little too much, but that was better than not enough.
Wasn't it?
Yes. Obviously. If Euphoria didn't want to fight – if she would rather sit around and play her harmonica – then she shouldn't be here. If he didn't want to fight, then he shouldn't be here. He should have stayed at home and…
And what? This was what he was good at. What he'd worked for, trained for, lived for for years. This was his chance to do something with his life, and he only had one chance to get it right. Just one. He couldn't afford to make the wrong decision now.
Ross glanced at the small crowd that had gathered around Euphoria. The girls from Six and Thirteen were at the center. The pair from Nine had also wandered over – or, as far as he could tell, the girl had been dragged there by the boy, who was watching with wide eyes and a big grin. A bit farther away, the girls from Seven and Eleven were nodding along to the music as they worked on a shelter. The girl from Twelve stood a bit farther off with the pair from Eight, watching with a far-off look in her eyes.
Leven shook his head. "You'd think they'd never heard music before. So what are we going to do about that?"
Bellona shrugged. "No reason we need to do anything, is there? It's not like it's going to help her in the Games – aside from maybe getting her sponsors. But let's be honest, she was always going to get sponsors."
"What about the fact that she's left the pack?" Ross asked. "Should we do something about that?"
Bellona cocked her head. "Like what? Sometimes Careers leave the pack. It's not a big deal – unless the rest of us choose to make it a big deal. As long as none of you are planning on joining her…"
Ross shook his head. None of you. So Bellona wasn't planning on leaving. He'd thought maybe, after Lily's stunt yesterday, that there might be some sort of split in the pack, and Bellona … well, she seemed more focused, more level-headed than some of the others. If there had been a split, if she'd wanted to leave…
But she didn't. And obviously Lily and Clive didn't. Leven certainly didn't seem interested in breaking off and joining his district partner. That left him, and the idea of striking out on his own wasn't an appealing one. Ross crossed his arms. "I'm not going anywhere."
Bellona nodded. "Then I don't think there's really anything to worry about. Five's still a solid number for a pack. Unless we're actually interested in adding more members," she added with a pointed glance at Lily.
Lily shrugged, a playful smirk on her face. "Now, just because the last one didn't work out…"
"You want to try the other one?" Clive asked with a grin.
Ross glared. Stop egging her on. Of course, Clive wasn't going to. He was having fun. A little too much fun. He seemed to think the Games were … well, a game. Like Euphoria. He didn't seem to be taking any of this seriously.
Of course, Ross knew better than to think that meant he shouldn't take Clive seriously. Or Euphoria, for that matter. Just because they were good performers, good entertainers, good at attracting sponsors, didn't necessarily mean they weren't also good fighters. They'd both done quite well when they'd been practicing at the weapons stations.
Some people had all the luck.
A round of applause shook Ross from his thoughts. Euphoria had finished playing. At least no one was calling for an encore. Ross' gaze drifted to the spears station, where at least one tribute seemed unaffected by the music, aside from an occasional glance in his district partner's direction. "If we are actually looking for recruits to fill Euphoria's spot in the pack," Ross ventured, "I have an idea."
Lily beamed. "Great! So do I."
"Let's make it a contest, then," Bellona suggested. "We each spend the rest of the morning scouting out the other tributes, looking for the best options. At lunch, we compare notes and pick someone to ask. Sound good?"
"Game on!" Lily agreed, and hurried off towards the obstacle course, where the boy from Six immediately decided he had better places to be.
Ross glanced at Bellona as Leven and Clive split off in different directions. "Why make it a game?"
Bellona shrugged. "Because then she wouldn't argue about it. Now it's fun – and now she's out of our hair. Did you want to spend the rest of the morning with her?"
"No, but–"
"But what?"
"But once the Games start, we won't have much of a choice."
"Once the Games start, she'll be useful," Bellona pointed out. "We just have to keep her busy until then. So who did you have in mind?"
Ross nodded towards the boy from Twelve, who was still sparring with a trainer at the spear station. "He seems like a good option."
"A safe option," Bellona corrected. "Considering Twelve's recent history, he might even have some training."
"Doesn't mean it's a bad option."
"Didn't say it did."
"What about you?"
Bellona glanced over at the shelter-building station, where the girls from Seven and Eleven were still patiently at work. "What do you think?"
Ross raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"
"Either. Both. Seven's got more muscle. Eleven's a bit more agile. Not a bad combination."
"She's thirteen."
Bellona shrugged. "The boy from Four's fourteen."
Ross sighed. "We were never really going to let him join, though."
Bellona shook her head. "No, but you don't really think anybody else is going to want to join, either. Do you?"
So what's the point? He almost said it, but thought better of it. Obviously, the point was to get to know their competition. Even if they didn't end up extending an offer to join the pack – or even if they did and it was rejected – there was no harm in getting to know the other tributes' strengths and weaknesses. Ross nodded to himself as Bellona wandered off towards the shelter-building station.
He was going to have to keep an eye on her.
Elio Provost, 16
District Twelve
They were keeping an eye on him.
Elio risked a glance out of the corner of his eye as he dodged the trainer's blow. The boy from Two, Ross, was still watching him, even now that the pack had split apart and gone in different directions. Bellona, the girl from One, had settled down with the girls from Seven and Eleven at the shelter-building station. Clive, the boy from One, had joined the pair from Nine at the archery station, where the younger boy was happily listening to the Career's pointers while his district partner watched skeptically. Leven, the boy from Five, had left through the door that led to the mutts station. Elio wasn't sure who else had gone that way.
Meanwhile, Lily, the girl from Two, was making her way from station to station, frightening away whoever happened to be there. Elio wasn't sure what her goal was, but it was pretty obvious what the rest of the Careers were doing. Euphoria had left the pack, and they were looking for a replacement. All he had to do was tell them that he'd been training, and he would be the obvious choice.
But did he want to be? That was the question that hadn't stopped bugging him ever since his name had been called at the reaping. If he had volunteered, the Careers would have known – or at least suspected – that he had been training. That would have put a target on his back if he hadn't joined the pack. Or probably even if he had, considering what had happened to Logan the year before. But if they didn't know…
That was why he was holding back, now that they were watching him – or now that at least one of them was. Why he was dodging the trainer's blows instead of simply deflecting them. Why he was avoiding striking, even though the openings were right there. He wasn't certain – not completely certain – that he wanted to be part of the pack, now that he had a choice.
He was trying to tell himself that it was strategic. That he genuinely had a better chance on his own, at least at first. The last Career pack had killed Logan on the first night, after all. But if he joined up with them later, after he'd proven himself, and after their numbers had dwindled a bit…
Elio gripped his spear tightly. That was just an excuse. He knew that. He'd talked it over with Brennan on the train, and had been leaning towards joining the pack anyway, until…
Until Lily had gone after the boy from Four. Oh, he had no particular fondness for District Four, but he'd dealt with his share of bullies at the community home, before he'd been adopted. He'd been picked on sometimes; nearly everyone had. It was part of growing up as an orphan, and at least some of the other kids had known who their parents were. They'd had something to remember, maybe even something to be proud of if their parents had died doing their jobs in the mine. He had nothing, and that had sometimes made him an easy target.
Even after he'd been adopted, there had been those who hadn't taken kindly to the fact that he and Hypatia had been training for the Games. There was still some resistance to the idea in Twelve, some people who couldn't stop thinking of the Careers as mindless bullies who killed for fun. So he and his sister had been teased by some of their peers and, when they'd stood up to that, simply been ignored.
Not by everyone, of course. There were plenty of people in Twelve – a growing number, maybe even a majority – who understood what Brennan was doing. He was trying to give kids from their district a better chance in the Games, to make sure they were prepared in case … well, in case exactly what had happened this year happened. He'd been reaped. If he hadn't been training, he still would have been reaped, and probably wouldn't have had much of a chance. Whatever chance he had now, he owed it to Brennan and his training.
"Not bad for a beginner."
Elio made a show of jumping back hastily out of the trainer's reach before turning to face the boy from Two. "Thanks," he gasped, breathing a bit harder than he had to, then took a step back. "I'm not looking for a fight, if that's what you want."
The older boy shook his head. "No, just having a look around."
"Having a look at your options?"
Ross nodded. "Honestly, yes. Or at least, that's what the others say we're doing. Have a look at who might be a good fit, pick someone to invite, and see what happens."
"And where do you think I fit on the list?"
Ross chuckled. "You've got some speed. Good bit of muscle. Maybe even a little bit of training?"
"A bit," Elio agreed, trying to make it sound like an admission. "Not as much as you, but–"
Ross waved a hand. "Of course not. But any training's better than none. That's what the others will say."
"And you?"
Ross cocked his head. "That depends."
"On what?"
"On why. What makes a kid from District Twelve want to train for the Games?"
Elio shrugged. "Kind of obvious, isn't it? Twelve's a pretty small district. Pretty good chance of being reaped. Figured it was better to be prepared in case it happened, and … well, looks like I was right. Just wish I'd taken it a bit more seriously now."
Ross nodded. "Makes sense."
But… The word was lingering there in the air, unsaid. Maybe he could tell something was off. Maybe he suspected the truth – that Elio had quite a bit more training than he was trying to let on. Maybe he was just trying to wrap his head around the idea that Twelve was training Careers. It was certainly something that people in Twelve were having a hard time getting used to. But once they had a Victor who was a Career…
Ross eyed him curiously. "If we offered to let you join the pack … would you want to?"
Elio hesitated, but only for a moment. Now that someone else had actually asked the question, the answer came out before he could stop himself. "No. No, I don't think I would."
Ross nodded. "Probably the right choice. I'll have another look around, then. Good luck, kid."
Elio. He almost said it, but stopped himself. No point in introducing himself – not now that he'd made his decision. He nodded a little as he watched Ross walk away.
He was on his own.
Leif Rosewood, 15
District Seven
He wished they would just leave him alone.
Leif glanced up again at the boy from Three. He was still there, despite the fact that Leif had barely said two words to him. Why? He clearly wasn't there for the firestarting lessons, which he was barely paying attention to. Of course, Leif wasn't paying much attention to the trainer either, but that was because he didn't really need the instruction. He was just there because it felt … well, comfortable, and it was nice to have something here that felt right. He should probably move on to another station soon, but…
But what if the boy followed him, like the girl from Four had the previous day? Had she thought they were allies? Did the boy from Three? Just working together at the same station didn't mean two people had to be allies, but it was amazing how many people seemed to have grouped up already.
Leif added a bit more wood to his fire. He knew it happened, of course. Every year, quite a few of the tributes – maybe even most – started the Games working with someone else. It was normal. At this point, it was expected. But he'd never really given much thought to how those alliances formed in the first place. Very little training footage was ever broadcast along with the Games, and by the time the interviews and Games started, most of the early alliances were already in place. He'd never really cared too much about how the tributes had met up and decided to work together.
Now … now he wished he'd given it more thought. He could ask Casper, but Casper had ended up working with his district partner. That … well, that probably wasn't an option at this point. Galadriel had shown no interest in allying with him, and now she'd teamed up with the girl from Eleven. Joining the two of them now would just make him an outsider.
Sadira wouldn't be any help, either. She hadn't had any allies. Maybe she'd had the right idea. After all, how could he really trust any of them? How could he just ignore the fact that only one of them could survive, that any allies he made would eventually have to die in order for him to make it home? How could anyone ignore that?
And yet they were. All across the training area, tributes were working together, falling neatly into little groups. Except–
Except the Careers. The one group that was usually assumed from the start, even before the tributes stepped forward at the reaping. They were all spread out now. Some had settled down in one place with one or two of the other tributes, while a few were wandering around apparently aimlessly. In fact, one of them was headed in his direction.
Leif quickly doused his fire and got up to leave. The boy from Three quickly followed suit. Leif almost said something, but … well, maybe he just wanted to get away from the Career, too. Leif certainly couldn't blame him for that. As quickly as he could, Leif headed for the door that led to the pool. That was something that wasn't as familiar. He and Cassia had sometimes splashed around in the streams and small ponds around the district, but none of them were deep enough to really swim in.
Cassia. He'd never really been good at making friends back in the district, either, but Cassia had invited him to play one day when they were little, and … well, that was it. That was just how little kids made friends – picked someone at random and started playing together. But it didn't work the same way here. Couldn't work the same way here. If Cassia were here…
She would know what to do. She would already have found some other tributes and formed an alliance. She wouldn't have wasted her time starting fires and making snares – not when there were so many other things she had never tried. And she wouldn't have waited for allies to come to her. She would have gone out and…
And what? Just started talking to people? That had always come so easy to her. For that matter, it had always come easy to Barke, too. His brother would have found allies by now. Of course, his brother was better ally material. What did he have to offer an alliance?
Did he even want an alliance?
Leif glanced back as he headed through the door. The boy from Three was still following. Leif shook his head. "Look, I don't want to be rude, but–"
The boy nodded a little. "But you don't want to be allies."
"Yeah." The older boy looked disappointed, so Leif added, "Look, it's not you. I don't think … I'm not sure I want allies at all."
The boy's eyes widened, as if the thought hadn't occurred to him. "Really?"
Leif nodded, a bit more sure now that he'd said it out loud. "Yeah. I mean, how can we trust each other when we're trying to kill each other?"
The boy shrugged. "We're not trying to kill each other yet."
"No, but … Look, what's your name?"
There was a flash of something – surprise, or maybe even annoyance – on the boy's face. Had he already told Leif his name? Maybe. Leif hadn't really been paying attention to most of what he'd said back at the fire-starting station. After a moment, however, he answered. "Elseri. And you're Leif."
"Yeah. Look, Elseri, why me? There are two dozen other tributes out there. I'm sure one of them will want to be allies."
Elseri didn't look so sure. "You just looked…"
"What?"
"Lonely."
Leif shook his head. "Alone is different than lonely. And either of them is better than getting killed because I trusted the wrong person."
"How do you know I'm the wrong person?"
"I don't. But I also don't know you're the right person. I'm not sure there is a right person to trust in the Games. Look, there are only two days left of training. Well, closer to one and a half now. Are you sure you want to spend your time chasing me around when you could be finding someone who actually wants allies?"
The boy seemed to consider this for a moment, then nodded reluctantly and headed back towards the climbing station. Leif let out a sigh of relief, then turned back towards the pool. Only then did he notice the pair from Eight and the girl from Twelve standing in his way. The boy from Eight smiled.
"Nicely done."
Diyon Mendis, 18
District Eight
"Nicely done."
Diyon smiled as the boy from Seven took a step back. "What do you mean?" the younger boy asked.
Diyon shrugged. "You let him down gently – let him think you were questioning the value of having allies in general rather than doubting him in particular. He won't resent you, and that may end up working in your favor. It was a good move."
The younger boy blinked. "Or maybe I just don't want allies."
"Maybe. But I doubt it."
"Why?"
Diyon shrugged again. "I guess I was just assuming you have some common sense. I suppose I could be wrong."
"Tributes have won without allies before," the boy pointed out.
Diyon nodded. "True. Which ones?"
"What?"
"Do you remember who didn't have any allies?"
"Sadira," the boy answered immediately.
Diyon nodded. Of course he would know the one from his own district. "Good. Who else?"
For a moment, the boy's face screwed up in concentration. "I don't think Lana had any the year before," he said at last. "And … I'm sure there have been others."
"A couple Careers who didn't join up with the pack," Edwina ventured before Diyon could shoot her look that said don't help him out. "Adalyn. Balthasar. A couple of the earlier Victors, too. Vester and Ivy for sure."
"Good," Diyon agreed, then turned back to the boy from Seven. "Leif, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know what those Victors had in common?"
Leif shook his head. "No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."
Diyon chuckled. "Well, then I won't disappoint you. They all had something that made going solo a better choice for them. The earlier Victors were physically some of the stronger tributes. Vester and Ivy both ran circles around their competition. Please don't take this the wrong way when I say that's probably not going to work for you. Adalyn and Balthasar caught the audience's attention more by not joining the pack. So did Lana, for that matter. And Sadira was one of the stronger non-Career tributes that year. Going it alone was a better choice for them … but the important thing is that it was a choice. They didn't just decide not to have allies because they weren't sure if they could trust anyone. They did it because that was how they wanted to play the Games." He let that sink in for a second. "What do you want?"
"What?"
"What do you want?"
Leif glared. "I want everyone to leave me alone."
Diyon glanced at Edwina, then at Ellie, then back to Leif. Then he shrugged, nodded to his allies, and turned to go, silently counting. Five. Four. Three.
"Wait."
Diyon turned. Leif's face was growing red. He took a step towards the group. "What do I want? I want people to stop treating me like I'm some sort of joke. I want people like you to stop patronizing me and asking me questions to show how smart you are. I want someone I can actually trust, not someone I'm worried is ten steps ahead of me."
Diyon took a step closer. "Why? What do you want?"
"I'll tell you what I don't want. I don't want to play mind games. I don't want to work with someone who thinks winning the Games is as simple as setting a few clever traps. I want to lay low and keep my head down and outlast enough people to actually have a shot at winning this thing, and if I can't find anyone else who wants to do that, then I want to do it alone. I want to make it out of the Games and go home."
"And then what?"
"What?"
"Once you're home. What do you want?"
"Why do you care?"
Diyon shrugged. "Why do I care about the rest of it? Why stop now? Once you get home … what do you want?"
"I want–" Leif hesitated, but only for a moment. "I want to show my brother that I did what he couldn't. I want to go home and … I want to forgive him for being scared, because I'm scared, too. And if I make it home, then … then he doesn't have to spend the rest of his life feeling guilty. I want him to know that I made it on my own. I want to do it on my own."
"And then what?"
"After that?"
"Yes."
Leif shook his head. "After that … I guess I'll figure it out. I don't know. I haven't really thought that far. I just want to make it through the Games. That's all. If that happens … then I can worry about the rest." The disappointment must have shown on Diyon's face, because Leif shook his head. "Look, not everyone has a plan. You volunteered, so you've had time to figure it out. And maybe you think you have it all planned out. But my mentor … well, he warned me about people with plans – plans that seem too good to be true."
Diyon nodded approvingly. "Because the last time a group of non-Career volunteers had a plan, it didn't work out so well."
"Yes."
"My plan isn't like that."
"I don't care."
Diyon heard a chuckle beside him. Edwina was smirking. Beside her, Ellie was trying to hide a hint of a smile. Edwina took a step forward. "Can I make you a deal?"
Leif crossed his arms. "That depends on the conditions."
Edwina lowered her voice – an impressive feat considering how quiet her normal speaking voice was. "Come with us for ten minutes." She nodded to the door behind her – the way that Leif had been going anyway. "After that, if you still want us to leave you alone … we will. If you decide that's not what you want, then … well, I guess we see what happens."
Leif studied her for a moment. "Ten minutes?"
"Yes. Ten minutes. Just practicing at the same station – just like you've done with a few tributes so far. No conditions. No strings. What happens after that is up to you."
Diyon nodded his approval. Edwina had figured it out – the real reason he'd approached Leif in the first place. Oh, if the boy ended up joining up with them, all the better. But there was someone else who was still watching Leif – even though he was trying to look like he wasn't. And if Leif left with them after rejecting him…
Leif nodded. "Okay. Ten minutes." The four of them headed through the door. Diyon didn't turn around to look back.
He didn't have to.
Demeter Moire, 14
District Nine
"He didn't have to do that."
Demeter held her tongue as Uri hurried off towards the boy from Three, who was still watching the door to the pool, as if waiting to see whether the boy from Seven was coming back. Demeter sighed. She'd finally managed to convince him to shake the boy from One, who had wandered off to bother one of the tributes from Thirteen and the girl from Three. Now he'd gone and found someone else to talk to.
Demeter shook her head as she followed him, trying to tell herself that it wasn't a problem. Not really. Being friendly with the other tributes was … well, either annoying or endearing, depending on how they decided to take it, but none of them had seemed particularly interested in joining up with the pair of them. And as far as she was concerned, it was probably better that way. She was going to have her hands full keeping Uri safe. She didn't need anyone else to worry about.
Uri, though … he liked people. The more, the merrier. He'd always been better at making friends. But the Games weren't about making friends. And making allies … well, that was different. You didn't just pick allies based on who was the friendliest. Or at least, most tributes didn't. Tributes who wanted to actually survive didn't.
And he wanted to survive, didn't he?
Demeter shook the thought from her head. He would. Eventually, he would. It might take a while, but sooner or later, it would click. He would realize that all the people he'd been trying to make friends with would have to die if he wanted to make it home. That he would probably even have to kill some of them.
On some level, of course, she was sure he already knew that. He understood what the Games were. It wasn't as if he was stupid, but…
But he couldn't help it. Couldn't help himself.
So she would have to help him.
By the time Demeter caught up, Uri was already nodding along with the boy from Three, who looked completely dejected. "It's one thing if he just doesn't want allies, but it looks like that wasn't true either."
"Doesn't sound like the sort of person you'd want as an ally anyway, then," Uri offered. "You probably got lucky there."
"Maybe," the boy agreed. "But there are only two days left. Well, less than two now. It's nearly noon, and … I still haven't found anyone."
"I thought I saw you with a couple of girls during lunch yesterday," Uri pointed out. "What happened to them?"
"That … didn't work out either."
"What happened?"
For a moment, the boy hesitated, but Uri gave him an encouraging smile. That was all it took. That was often all it took. The older boy uncrossed his arms and sank into a nearby chair. "I volunteered for this, you know." He looked up at Demeter. "Sort of like you, I guess, except I was luckier, because we're both boys, so I could volunteer to go in his place instead of going with him. He was in trouble, back in Three, and I figured if I put on a good enough show, then maybe they'd let him live. It wasn't a guarantee, but … well, what is?"
Demeter nodded in spite of herself. She had done the same thing, with no guarantee that her actions would save Uri's life. He was still here, still in danger. All she could do was share that danger with him. "But?" she asked quietly, because what he was saying still didn't add up to losing a pair of allies.
"But last night I got a guarantee. Harakuise said he would arrange for my friend's life to be spared, as long as I stay away from Christina. She's the girl from Six – one of the two I was working with yesterday. Not much of a choice, huh?"
Uri cocked his head. "And he doesn't mind that you're telling us this?"
The boy shrugged. "He was very clear – that was the only condition. Didn't say anything about not telling people. In fact, he'd probably be glad I did, because now there's no way you'll want to work with me either."
Uri took a step closer. "Why do you say that?"
Demeter answered for him. "Because no one wants to risk getting mixed up in Harakuise's plans."
Uri shrugged. "Who cares what he's planning? It's not like he's in charge of the Games."
The older boy shook his head. "No, but–"
"But nothing." Uriel's voice was firmer now. "What's he going to do? What are any of them going to do? Kill us? We're as good as dead anyway. They'll get what they want in the end, but they don't get to control how we spend our last few days. And they certainly don't get to control who we choose as allies." He held out his hand. "I'm Uriel. This is Demeter. And you're welcome to join us if you want."
Demeter blinked. We're as good as dead anyway. She hadn't expected that from him. Was that what all the chatter and friendly attitude towards the other tributes was about? He knew he was going to die, so he wanted to at least spend his last few days having fun? Demeter's stomach churned. If he'd already given up…
The boy from Three was staring at Uriel's hand. "Huh."
"What?" Uriel asked.
"It's just … for a moment, you reminded me of Vex."
"Who?"
"My friend. The one I volunteered for. He has … There's just something about him. He makes people think that maybe … maybe there's actually a chance that things can be better, if only we work together, if only we weren't so afraid. And I thought he was right. I want to think he's right. It's just … everything went so wrong. Like the whole world is crumbling and falling, and we're falling with it, and…" He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I know how that probably sounds. I chose to be here. You didn't. I shouldn't be the one complaining."
Uriel shook his head. "You know, my mentor told me something. He said … If you're falling off a cliff, you may as well try to fly. You have nothing to lose."
Demeter raised an eyebrow. "Barlen told you that?"
"Yeah. After you ran off on the train. I thought … for a moment, I thought you wouldn't want to be friends anymore. I didn't know what to do, and he–"
"Told you to try to fly," Demeter finished. Yeah, that sounded like Barlen. But the rest… You have nothing to lose. That wasn't true. She couldn't let him believe that was true. She was here to save his life, and she wasn't about to let him lose it.
But she held her tongue, because the boy from Three had shaken Uriel's hand. "I'm Elseri. And yeah … I think I'd like that."
Terrific.
Uriel Xia, 13
District Nine
"Terrific!"
Uriel beamed up at Elseri, who looked relieved. Uriel understood that, of course. He'd been beginning to think none of the other tributes would want to work with him and Demeter. And Demeter was good company, of course, but the more the merrier. Or safety in numbers and all that, if you wanted to think about it that way. Demeter probably would. But she still didn't look happy about their new friend.
Then again, she hadn't really looked happy since the reaping. And maybe that made sense – at first glance, there certainly wasn't much to be happy about in their situation. He hadn't been happy at the reaping, either – and he certainly hadn't been glad that his best friend had volunteered to come with them. But since then…
It wasn't as if things had gotten better, of course – not as far as the big picture was concerned. The Games would start in a few days. At least one of them would die. It wasn't as if he didn't know that. He wasn't stupid.
But there was no point in being mopey about it the whole time. These could very well be his last few days ever, and he didn't want to spend them feeling sorry for himself. So he'd been having fun. Getting to know people. Trying every station. A little of this and a little of that, to keep his mind busy. Keep himself from getting too wrapped up in the bigger picture, because the bigger picture was awful. But the smaller pictures … well, some of those weren't too bad. And he'd just made Elseri's day a lot better by offering to let him join them.
And where was the downside? He'd seemed concerned about what Harakuise might be planning, but mentors were always planning something. That was their job. They had plans, the other tributes had plans, the Gamemakers had plans. Hell, people probably thought he had a plan. You couldn't base your plan around what you thought someone else might be planning.
And sure, Elseri had volunteered for the Games, but so had Demeter. So had quite a few other tributes. They all had their reasons. That didn't make him a bad person; it wasn't as if he wanted to kill people. He'd volunteered to save his friend's life. It wasn't like he was a Career.
And even the Careers … well, the boy from One had been pretty friendly earlier at the archery station. Uriel wasn't silly enough to think that the Careers were actually interested in inviting him to join them, but maybe if they remembered that the little boy from Nine had been friendly to them during training, maybe if they found him, they would at least make it quick rather than long and painful.
Uriel shook the thought from his head. No, that wasn't helping. He didn't want to think about how he was going to die. He glanced from Demeter to Elseri, realizing they were both still watching him expectantly. "What would you like to try next?" he asked Elseri. He and Demeter had been to pretty much every station so far, so it might be nice to let their new friend pick one.
"I haven't had a chance to try the swords yet," Elseri suggested. "Let's give those a try."
Demeter seemed to approve of that choice, at least. She'd been doing pretty well at a few of the weapons stations the day before. Or at least, the trainers had said she was doing well. Maybe they said that to everyone, of course. It was their job to help them prepare for the Games, after all. Their job to make sure everyone thought they had a chance, so that they would at least try to fight for their lives instead of curling up in a corner somewhere and waiting to die. So maybe they were just being kind.
Still, it was a kindness he hadn't expected. Most of the Capitolites he'd met so far – the trainers, their escort, the stylists – seemed to genuinely want to help the tributes do their best. They took their jobs very seriously. That was interesting – and certainly not what he'd expected, given the reputation Capitolites had back in District Nine. Maybe they weren't as bad as he'd thought. And if they weren't, then maybe no one in the Capitol was really that bad.
Oh, some of them had to be, of course. The ones who were in charge of the Games, certainly. But the average, everyday citizens? The ones who just watched the Games because that's what they'd always done, who saw the people in the district as another kind of people entirely – the way he'd always thought of people in the Capitol – maybe if they understood, really understood what the Games were doing to people like him, then maybe…
Maybe what? Maybe they would stop? It wasn't as if those sort of people had the power to stop the Games anyway. Did they? They'll get what they want in the end. That was what he'd told Elseri. But what did the people watching the Games actually want? Did they really just want to see district kids die?
That's what the Games are about, isn't it? That was what he had asked Emperor only a few days ago. It seemed like a lifetime. The Games were about killing. They were about death. Retribution for the rebellion. And ensuring that the districts never organized another rebellion again. That was what they were about, but…
But they hadn't stopped people from rebelling – some in bigger ways, but some in little, everyday ways. The Capitol didn't always get what they wanted – not entirely. They wanted death, year after year, but one person always escaped. One person survived. That was why they fought, after all. If they were all going to die, there was no point. But if the Capitol conceded that they couldn't get everything they wanted, that one of them could live, then the rest of the pieces fell into place.
Huh. Uriel brushed past the swords station, ran over to the lunch tables, grabbed a couple napkins, then hurried back and beamed up at the trainer.
"Do you have a pen?"
Galadriel Brinns, 18
District Seven
Did she have an answer for them?
Galadriel watched out of the corner of her eye as Ross, the boy from Two, made his way towards where she and Anahi were taking a moment to relax in the shallow end of the pool. He was the fourth Career to approach them today. The girl from One had stopped by the shelter building station and worked with them for a while. She'd been nice enough, considering she was a Career, but Galadriel hadn't really thought anything of it. They were probably just scouting out the competition.
But then they'd headed for the dagger station, and the boy from One had stopped to give them a few pointers. As soon as he'd left them, the girl from Two had taken his place. She hadn't offered any advice, but she'd only giggled a couple times, which seemed odd, considering how she'd treated the boy from Four only the day before. And now…
Anahi edged back towards the side of the pool as soon as she noticed the Career. She'd been a bit jumpy around the boy from One, as well, but Galadriel had chalked it up to nervousness about her dagger practice. Sure, the Careers were intimidating, but it wasn't as if they could actually hurt them. Not yet, at least – not until the Games started. Not unless they agreed to a staff fight, which she had no interest in doing.
So if they weren't looking for a fight, the next best explanation was that they were recruiting. They'd obviously lost the girl from Five, but that was the only one she was certain about. The rest of them had split up fairly quickly, but if they were looking for allies, was it because they were looking for candidates to join the pack, or were some of them thinking about leaving the pack and looking for other allies?
Galadriel glanced at Anahi, who was watching the boy from Two – while trying very hard to look like she was looking the other way. If the Careers asked them to join the pack – or if one of the Careers asked to join them – she had no idea what her answer would be. It was something she hadn't really considered, and certainly hadn't discussed with Sadira. The Career pack was made up of Careers. They worked together to hunt down the other tributes. That was how the Career system worked. Except…
Except when they didn't. There had been Careers who had left the pack. There had been outer-district tributes who had been accepted as members. She had just never considered that she might be one of them – not until now.
But would they want both her and Anahi?
Anahi shrank even farther away as the Career dove into the other end of the pool and began swimming towards them. Galadriel took a step towards her as the Career came to a stop just a few feet away and stood up, waist-deep in the shallow water. Galadriel glanced over at Anahi, who was still looking away. Looking down, hunched down in the shallow water, almost kneeling, her arms crossed over her chest, almost as if she was embarrassed–
Oh.
There had been swimwear available, but neither of them had bothered to change. They wouldn't have time in the arena, after all, if they found themselves in a position where they needed to swim, so it had seemed sensible to practice swimming in regular clothes. There were plenty of spare outfits to change into later if they needed something dry. So their clothes were soaked, but it wasn't as if they were any more revealing than what they'd worn during the chariot rides.
What most of them had worn. Anahi's district partner's outfit had been rather skimpy, but she had apparently talked the stylists into letting her wear the previous year's outfit. Galadriel had been meaning to ask how she'd managed the hat. And she'd spent the chariot ride avoiding looking at her district partner, just like she was avoiding looking at the boy from Two, who had also eschewed swimwear in favor of simply taking off his shirt.
Galadriel took a step between Anahi and the Career, who was watching them curiously. She held out her hand. "Galadriel."
"Ross."
"So what's the plan, then? Is one of you eventually going to ask, or are you going to just keep hovering like a little flock of hummingbirds?"
Ross raised an eyebrow. "Hummingbirds?"
Galadriel heard a splash behind her. Keep him talking. "You know, those pretty little birds with the long beaks? Ever seen one of them hover? Their little wings pumping and pumping just to stay in the air? And you can't help wondering, wouldn't it be so much easier just to land?"
There was a hint of a smile on Ross' face. "And you think that's what we're doing?"
Galadriel shrugged. "Looks like it to me. Just pick someone and ask."
"Like you did?"
"Yes."
"And you don't wonder if maybe you picked the wrong person?"
"No."
"That was awfully quick."
"Was it?"
"Yes. How do you know she's the right person?" He nodded towards the door, where Anahi was now waiting, wrapped in a towel, watching with wide eyes.
Galadriel shrugged. "There is no right person. Not in the Games. But there are people who are less wrong … and I'll take her over you any day."
Now the Career looked genuinely surprised. "You don't know anything about me."
"I know enough. I know you trained for this. I know you chose to be here. And I know what you did yesterday."
Ross' face was growing red. "That was Lily."
"But you didn't stop her."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because that's not what Careers do. We can't afford to feel sorry for the competition. And you shouldn't either. That sort of thing gets you killed."
"Twenty five of us are going to die no matter what we do."
Ross cocked his head. "So that's your angle? If you go out protecting her, then at least it happens on your terms?" He studied her for a moment. "I don't buy it."
"I don't care what you think."
"Now that I believe."
Galadriel shook her head, climbed out of the pool, and followed Anahi back to the changing rooms. Funny, really, how easy it was now that she'd made her choice. It hadn't actually been much of a choice at all. It had never really mattered what either of them said. What mattered was what they did.
And she knew she'd made the right choice.
"I've never been interested in what you have to say."