Chapter 15

NARRATOR | Corbin Woodward, District 10

As the night passes, I sink deeper and deeper into my bed. I can't stop thinking about alliances; it's all anyone can talk about around here, and it's driving me crazy.

I knew when Wayne told me to find an alliance that I needed to follow his advice. I tried today, I really did. It might not seem like it considering how badly I failed, but I tried.

I've never been social, and it's too late to change that now. I'm not extroverted like Kylie. I can't just meet new people and become instant friends with them like she can.

It seems like every time I try to make new allies, they're already part of something different. I tried to be friendly with the kids from Nine, but they wanted nothing to do with me. The boy from Eight confronted me with a knife when I tried to befriend him; looking back, it was a stupid idea considering that he's been a loner this whole time. I think there might be something wrong with him mentally, but whatever it is, it can stay far away from me.

Laughter drifts through the walls, carried in from Kylie's room next door. Her friend, Minna, must be in there again. Ever since they met in Training, they've been attached at the hip. Kylie says they're like sisters, and as Minna has grown closer to my District partner, she's pulled her further from me.

I'm almost out of time now. Tomorrow is our last day of Training, and if I can't pull something together fast, I'll be forced to enter the Arena by myself. I know I'm a strong contender - I've been a fighter all my life - but that can only take you so far in the Games without anyone to watch your back.

This feeling of loneliness is something I'm used to. I've lived with it my whole life back in Ten. Maybe it was the impression I made on people, but I think everyone always assumed I was a loner and treated me accordingly. I never had many friends, and that eventually led to the bullying. That forced me to learn the fighting skills I have today, though, and those skills are starting to pay off now even more than they did back home.

I have my fans in Ten, sure. I was the wrestling champ a few years ago, and some fans thought I had what it took to reclaim the title again this year. Fans are not friends, though. Fans will buy you a drink in the tavern, but they don't really know you. They don't know your favorite food or your greatest fear. And they won't volunteer themselves when you get Reaped into the Hunger Games.

None of that mattered to me back in Ten, though. It was just my everyday life, and I loved my life because I loved to wrestle. Friends or not, I always had my family.

I miss my sisters... they mean everything to me. After our father died, we were nearly on the streets. That's why I dropped out of school and started wrestling in the first place. It was the only way I could support my family and keep my sisters in school. My sisters were too young to watch me compete, but they still rooted me on every step of the way. I know they're rooting for me now just like they were back then... but they're so far away now. I might never see them again.

I sigh, reaching into the table next to my bed and pulling out a pair of earplugs. Kylie has been a great companion to me since we were Reaped, but I can't stand the laughing coming from her room anymore. All it does is remind me of the pressure I'm under to find an alliance and the fact that none of the other tributes will trust me enough to form one.

I finally drift to sleep, but it's a restless sleep. All through the night, I'm awoken by dreams I can't remember. When morning finally arrives, I'm ready to get as far away from this bedroom as possible. I don't even bother with breakfast, heading straight to the Training Center. I have work to do, after all.

Only when I arrive at the Training Center do I realize how early I am. I was so eager to get down here that I didn't even check the clock; only one other tribute is here, and it looks like he's playing with some kind of toy. I glance at the boy's shoulder to see the number 1. Above us, a single trainer watches from the Gamemakers' supervision deck, probably making sure we don't kill each other.

Come on, Corbin, I think, fighting the urge to turn around and take the elevator back up to my room. Here's your chance...

As I approach the boy, he lunges forward, throwing a foreign object from his hand. It whirls around in the air, twisting in an arch before whipping back at him. It flies high above him; he jumps, but it grazes his fingertips as it flies by.

The boy runs after his toy, picking it up from the ground. He spots me as he returns to his original position.

"That looks awesome," I say, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible.

"Thanks," he says with a smile. "They're called boomerangs. Apparently, if you throw it the right way, it'll come back to you. The ones in the Arena have blades on them."

So these boomerangs are weapons, then. This one doesn't seem to have any blades attached, probably for our safety. "Looks tricky," I say, observing the boomerang in the boy's hands.

"It's just as hard as it looks," he laughs. "Wanna try?"

"Yeah," I say, trying to hold in a sigh of relief. "Uh, I'm Corbin. By the way."

"Nice to meet you," Otto says, grabbing my hand and giving it a firm shake. "I'm Otto."

I'm taken aback by the formality; some of Otto's mannerisms remind me of Lucinda, my mentor from the Capitol, and it's not something I'm used to.

"What brings you down here so early?" Otto asks, walking me across the room to grab a boomerang of my own.

"Couldn't sleep," I admit. "I've been trying to find an alliance for the Arena, but that's harder than it seems."

"I'm surprised you haven't been approached yet," Otto says, glancing over at me as I pick out my weapon. "You're one of the strongest, for sure. Judah approached me yesterday, so that was easy, I guess."

Judah. I recognize that name - he's the boy from Two. A Career.

"I don't think he'd mind having you join us," Otto says with a smile. "If you're still looking for an alliance."

"Well, you know how the Careers are," I sigh. "Aren't they supposed to decide on their allies and all that? My mentor told me that was the tradition."

"Yeah, well," Otto shrugs. "I have a lot of power around here. Connections. And Judah knows that. If you're in with me, you're in with him, too."

I want to push Otto further, but I decide that we can have that conversation later. For now, I only have one thing to say.

"Yes. I'd love to."

"Perfect," Otto grins. "Come on. The trainers won't let us play with these when the other tributes are walking around."

I can't wipe a smile off my face as I follow Otto back to the starting mat. After all those days of worrying, all I needed to do was approach one person. Now I have an ally.

No, not just an ally. Now I have a friend.

A/N - Just got my computer back after two weeks - I spilled water on the keyboard and needed to get it fixed. So PSA to everyone reading this: beware of liquids near electronics!

I'm back now, though, and super excited for the new HG movie coming out this Friday! I'm gonna try to post quite a bit this week in celebration, my two-week break has allowed me to edit a few of the upcoming chapters so stay tuned!

~S