| " A L L I E S . " |

___♔___

After another half an hour of being alone in the training center, I decided to take a break. But that only meant one thing . . .

Going back to my living quarters.

I had a debate with myself, from different points in my head. I could either

A) Go to my living quarters and face the wrath of my mentors.

Or

B) Stay in the training center until it's time to go into the arena.

But either way, I would lose. So I decided to go back to my living quarters. At first, I thought that it couldn't be that bad. I mean- come on - I just left for around an hour. And I'm almost positive that they knew where I was.

So, with little courage, I left the training center, and went to my living quarters.

When I had arrived, I opened the door slowly, enjoying the quiet that I almost knew wouldn't last. But when I got inside, all hell was let loose.

~

"Where have you been?" Elaina asks harshly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hell." I joke, trying to lighten the mood. Stark, Zach, Heredia, Ross, Elaina, Clove, Cato, Cashmere, Gloss, Enobaria, Brutus, Marvel, and Glimmer were all staring at me. But no one laughs.

"We're being serious, Taylor. You can't just sneak out whenever you want." Stark says angrily. I scoff.

"Whatever. What was I missing that was oh-so-important anyway?" I ask smartly.

"A meeting. With your allies." Heredia fills me in.

"We have plenty of time for meetings later." I mutter. "So did I miss anything important?"

"Not really." Glimmer says, earning a nudge in the ribs by Marvel. The look on Marvel's face tells me that he wants to laugh. I send him a quick wink, then turn my attention over to Heredia, Stark, and Elaina.

"Then I'm sure I didn't miss anything." I look to Zach. "Besides, I had a reason for why I left, and I'm sure you've been informed on that." I glare.

"Yes, we... overheard the argument." Heredia says lowly, looking to the floor.

"I figured." I roll my eyes. "So are we going to get to the training center for our training or are we going to talk about non-imporant topics?"

"Oh-yes. All of you tributes head to the bottom floor. We'll meet you after your training is over." She says, shooing us away. I almost huff as I walk out of the room and into the elevator, with Cato, Clove, Zach, Glimmer, and Marvel following me.

As the door closes, I lean against the wall, staring at the ceiling as the elevator begins to move.

"Where were you?" Glimmer asks, breaking the silence.

"It doesn't matter." I murmer, not changing my focus from what Ceneca said earlier.

"Make sure you keep these a secret, just between you and I. I wouldn't want any other tribute to win the Games."

"The hell it doesn't matter." Zach says angrily. "You were gone for two hours! Why? We didn't know what happened to you, for all we knew, you could've committed suicide!"

"Like you would care if I did." I snap just as the doors to the elevator open. I stomp my way to the training center. You know, it would've been easier for me if I just stayed in there. I mean- I wouldn't have had to walk a longer distance. But I guess it would be suspicious that I was in the center early...

"Taylor!" Zach yells, following me. I stick my nose in the air, and keep walking.

I guess I wasn't watching where I was going. Because in that split second, I crash into someone.

I fall to the floor. I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for the impact of my head hitting the floor.

But the impact doesn't happen.

I open my eyes to come face-to-face with a gorgeous guy. He smiles down at me.

"Are you okay?" He asks. I stare at him, stunned, at how quick he reflexes of catching me were.

"Yeah, I am. Thanks to you." I say, standing up.

"No problem." He nods.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"Tristan. I'm from District six." He answers plainly, holding out his hand.

"I'm Taylor, District three." I shake his head.

"Taylor what the h- Who is this?" Zach glares at Tristan.

"He's Tristan from District six. Be nice." I hiss.

"Sorry for the run-in. But we oh-so-have to go train." Zach rolls his eyes, pulling me away from Tristan. I give Tristan a smile, and walk along side Zach.

"You can NOT control me. I can make my own decisions, and my decision is to be allies with Tristan." I say harshly.

"You won't be allies with Tristan. And as of now, I can control you. You are my best friend, the reason I volunteered. I have to protect you, and get you home. Being allies with him will only hold you back." He growls.

"I can't go home! Don't you understand that? I won't win. I know I won't." I whisper softly, and touch his cheek. "I know you're trying to protect me, but it's no use. The day that I watched the reapings, I automatically knew I wouldn't win. Hell, I even knew it before then. When you volunteered, I vowed that I would help you win."

"Why would you do that, Tay?" He asks quietly.

"Because you have a family. A life. I don't." And with that, I walk away from him, tears in my eyes.

I hate arguments with Zach. He has good points, and knows exactly what he's talking about. But in the end, I always win.

But the Hunger Games is something I'll never win at.

___♕___

When I get to the training center, Clove and the other careers are waiting for Zach and I.

Zach trailed behind me the whole way here, not even trying to start a conversation. He knew I was right.

Atala, our head trainer, gathers us all around her, giving a speech about our training.

"In two weeks, twenty three of you will be dead, one of you will be alive. Who that is depends on how well you listen over the next four days, especially to what I am about to say. First, no fighting.

" You will have plenty of time to do that in the arena. My advice is don't skip the survival skills, many of you want to grab a knife but most of you will die of natural causes. Ten percent from infection, twenty percent from dehydration. Exposure can kill you as easily as a knife."

After Atala finishes, we all disperse. I follow the careers to the weapons.

"Where have you been?" Clove asks.

"I have had that question asked too many times today." I chuckle, picking up an axe. I swing it like I did earlier, and let it fly into the chest of the dummy that's twenty feet away from me.

"Wow. You're seriously skilled." Cato says, showing up next to me.

"Uh- yeah. I guess." I shrug, picking up another axe.

"Are you serious? I can't even throw an axe, and look how much muscle I have." He smiles, and I chuckle.

"Are you trying to impress me with your muscle?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"You're cocky." I say, lodging my axe into the stomach of the dummy.

"I mean- not to toot my own horn or anything. But toot-toot. I'm gorgeous." He jokes, making me fall to the floor in hysterical laughs.

"I... c-can't... breath." I say between my laughs, trying to get some air into my lungs.

"Oh c'mon, Tay. Admit it. I am gorgeous." He smirks.

He's joking.

Right?

Nah, he is pretty gorgeous...

"You have an ego bigger than your head." I shake my head, standing back up.

"Oh really? I haven't noticed." He shrugs, saying it in a non-sarcastic way.

"Hey, can you help me with something?" I ask.

"That depends on what it is." He replies, stabbing a sword into a dummy.

"Can you teach me how to use a sword?" I ask, gesturing to the sword that is lodged into the throat of the dummy.

"Sure."

Maybe Cato's not as evil as I thought...

___♕___

When training was over, and dinner was finished at my living quarters, I decided to take a break from humanity.

Outside of the back room, there was a balcony that overlooked the city, with a beautiful view of the stars. So, I went there.

In my silky and expensive pajamas, I stand looking up at the stars and moon that shine above me. I close my eyes, and let the breeze hit my face in the darkness of night.

"What are you doing up here all alone?" A familiar voice asks. I smile as I turn to see Tristan.

"Just enjoying my view of the stars." I answer. "What about you? I thought this was only for District three tributes."

"Nope. There's stairs that lead to each balcony, and I just happened to come to yours." He says cooly, standing beside me, and putting his hands on the rails.

"I'm sorry about earlier- with Zach. He's just an over-protective friend of mine." I apologize.

"It's fine. I saw him at the reapings. After you volunteered, he did, too. At first, I thought he was your boyfriend."

"Nah. Zach and I have been friends forever. My parents died when I was young, and he was with me while I mourned them. It was a rough time for me... But he helped me get through it."

"I'm sorry that happened to you." He says sympathetically.

"Me too." I whisper. Then I clear my throat, and talk in a normal voice. "So, who's waiting for you back home?" He sighs, staring far into space.

"My parents, and my little brother, Dawson." He answers.

"Oh c'mon. Are you telling me you have no friends?" I shake his shoulders, making him laugh.

"Not really. I like to hide in the background, be unknown." He shrugs.

"Is that how you met me? Trying to hide?" I ask jokingly, nudging him.

"Not exactly. But I'd like to think that's how it happened."

"So tell me about your District." I urge. "What's it like?"

"What do you mean?" He arches an eyebrow.

"The people? The scenery? The jobs? The attitudes?" I roll my eyes.

"The people there are normal, none are too poor, and none are too rich. It's almost perfect. There are tons of train tracks, along with a few rivers and hills. The jobs are mainly those that work to our transportation. And the attitudes... I don't really know how to explain that."

"It sounds nice. Who's your District partner?"

"Tamora. She's seventeen, a year younger than me. I don't really know her, but she's from home." He leans over the balcony, still looking up at the sky. "These are artificial stars."

"Huh?" I furrow my eyebrows, staring at him in confusion.

"These aren't real stars. They're fake. They're to make you think they're real. There's protective glass around us, none of this is real." He looks at me.

"I still don't get it. Why would they put glass around us, and put holographic or artificial stars around us?" I ask.

"So we can't get out. I can only imagine how many tributes have tried to escape, to commit suicide." He says quietly.

"Wow. I haven't thought of that before." I murmer to myself. "Tell me about your brother." I say, changing the subject, sitting down on the floor of the balcony. He takes a seat in front of me and smiles.

"He's ten, and is definitely a wild child. But he's certainly a ladies' man." He pauses to laugh. "Dawson's always wanted to do something, change the world from what it is now. He studies full-time after school, never missing a second that he could be reading an extra book.

"Somehow, I do believe that he can help make a change. He looks up to me, and he tokd me after the reapings that he knew I could win. I don't know what I'd do without him."

"He sounds like a good kid." I say, leaning onto the railing.

"Well, now that you know a lot about me, what about you?" He questions.

"There's nothing to tell." I mutter, loud enough for him to hear me.

"At the reapings you seemed so... vicious, determined to win. I was honestly scared from the fierceness that you showed. But now that I'm finally talking to you, you seem completely different. I don't get it..." He trails off.

"I don't get it either."

_______