It was the last day of training. The girl from 7 was stitching two pieces of fabric together with a speed that stunned Leo. And when she finished, she began to weave vines together, forming a tough rope.

He watched for a while, then surveyed his own mess of moss. He'd managed to twist them together, but they weren't very attractive. Or sturdy, for that matter.

"You're pretty good," he blurted out.

Her dark almond-shaped eyes scrutinized him critically, and then she went back to work. "Thanks."

It didn't seem like she wanted to associate with a charbroiled runt like him, but he pressed on, "Could you teach me?"

She tossed her head at the trainer, "You can ask him."

"I think he's tired of me. I'm Leo, by the way."

"Calypso. If I teach you, you should teach me something in return."

"Sure." He scanned around at the other stations, trying to spy one he might be good at. Of course, there was his invention of the force field, but that would hardly be useful in the Games, where there'd be none of the necessary materials. It was highly unreliable, anyway. Sometimes he ended up making the kind that throws you back or shocks you to death.

Finally, his eyes landed on the fire-starting station. He gulped, "I'm pretty good at...starting fires."

She rolled her eyes, "So am I. I'm from the lumber district." And seeing him spot the shelter-making station, she added, "I can build shelters too. And furniture."

"Furniture?" Leo snorted. "What good is a dining table in the Arena?"

Calypso gave him the evil eye.

He coughed, "Right, more than I'm capable of understanding. I guess I can't teach you many skills, but I do have an...idea of sorts. It's a guaranteed way of eliminating someone, but it's not smart. It's a bit brutal, and the Gamemakers wouldn't like it."

At his last words, Calypso's face brightened with reckless abandon. "What is it?"

He reluctantly told her, and she smirked devilishly. "I see. Thank you very much."

Leo stared at her worriedly, regretting telling her already. "I uh, really don't think you should do it."

She laughed, "I don't care about the Capitol. They've been cruel enough to me and everyone else, so I might as well throw this in their faces. Now let's work on your weaving skills."

◼▲◼

Frank struggled through the edible plants station with Hazel sitting cross-legged beside him. They'd become allies instantly, without even having to agree on it verbally. She knew him from school, and said he was nice, so she trusted him.

"Is this one hemlock?" he fretted, examining a small pot with little white flowers growing in it.

Hazel took a hard look at it, "It...could be. It could also be Queen Anne's Lace."

"That one's harmless, but hemlock's deadly poisonous," Frank pointed out.

"Can we even eat Queen Anne's Lace?" Hazel frowned. "Otherwise we can just ignore both, right?"

"I think we can eat it," Frank answered. "We can probably eat any plant that isn't poisonous, honestly."

Hazel sighed. "I wouldn't know, since I kill every plant I tried to grow."

Frank hadn't known she'd tried gardening, and the information made him feel like he should protect her even more.

The trainer eventually informed them that Frank was indeed holding hemlock. He put it back quickly. They spent some time learning the difference between a wild sweet pea and a wild potato.

"What do you think happened to Harley?" she asked suddenly.

He cast an uneasy glimpse at the trainer, but he was busy humming and arranging flowers. Frank shrugged helplessly. "My mentors said it was an accident."

She eyed him critically. "Do you believe them?"

"No," he admitted.

They both observed the Careers, who yesterday had been joined by the boy from 8. And in place of the young boy from 2 was a tall and buff teenager that could probably smash through bricks with a finger. He didn't seem very enthusiastic as he idly swung a sword through the air.

Hazel pretended to read a vegetable label. "I keep getting the feeling that he...killed himself." She whispered the last thought. "He was...kind of stunned yesterday."

Frank stared at her in shock. It was an awful thought, but he supposed it held some merit. A boy so young must've been horrified to see what the Games were really like.

"Everyone's so young," Hazel said miserably. "How can anyone even kill each other?" They watched the other tributes. The short girl from the grain district was kicking a dummy with unusual savagery, and the boy from 12 was watching the girl from 11 shoot a bow. It was evident that she was an expert. He wondered how she'd learned if she was supposed to be from the agriculture district.

"You'd probably be good at archery," Hazel said, to his surprise.

He was bewildered. "Why?" Most people said he should do close combat, due to his strength.

She shrugged. "You're patient."

Frank considered this, watching the girl from 11 continuously hit the target. "I don't want to kill anyone though."

"Yeah..." Hazel murmured, "neither of us was a butcher back in 10, but at least you have a shot at winning."

"No, I don't."

She looked amused. "Of course you do, unlike me. What can I do?"

"I think you're brave."

She glanced down shyly. "Yeah? And what does that do?"

"I..." Frank struggled to word it correctly, "I just think that if you're determined to win, you have a very good chance."

Hazel was obviously flattered. "That's nice of you. Thank you. And just because you're a big teddy bear doesn't mean you can't win either." Then she leaned against him, smiling faintly.

◼▲◼

Nico felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see the freckled blond boy from 7, who asked, "Hey, are you two partners?"

He nodded uncertainly. "Yeah."

"Can I...join?" he ducked his head like he expected to be turned away.

Nico inspected him. The guy honestly looked really nice. "Yeah, I guess," he answered. His sister was busy shooting at stuffed pigeons the trainer was tossing in the air, so he said for her, "I'm sure she's okay with it."

The boy sighed gratefully, "Thanks. You're Nico, right? I kind of remember you from the reaping recap."

Nico blinked. Did this guy now expect him to know his name? "Yeah, I'm Nico. That's Maria."

"I'm Will." Nico noticed vaguely that the guy's stylists had done a good job cleaning his teeth.

"Okay. Um, why didn't you team with your district partner?"

Will curved a golden eyebrow. "Do you see her? I mean, she's a nice person and all, but a little crazy. She said something about not wanting me to take the fall for what she plans on doing."

Nico's eyes found the girl from 7 weaving something small while assisting another boy with his curious creation. She didn't seem particularly dangerous or crazy, but appearances were deceiving.

Will watched Bianca shoot for a few seconds. "How is she that good? Isn't she from 11?"

Mind racing, Nico tried to come up with an explanation. Agriculture...there is literally no reason to know how to shoot in that district. "Maria?" he asked, hoping his older sister, who'd always protected him, would know what to do.

Bianca lowered her bow. "I-I'm just a quick learner."

Will stared at them both, likely sensing that there was much more he didn't know. The Gamemakers were watching them now, and Bianca slowly put the bow back onto its stand. And now that she was paying attention, she peered at Will suspiciously.

Nico started to wonder if he'd made the right decision at all.

◼▲◼

Calypso was by herself again. She ambled to the edible plants station, where the two tributes from 9 were.

She remembered the girl's name as Meg, and right now the 12-year-old was kicking at a pot of flowers. "Hey, Octavian. The Capitol has dumb outfits."

Her blond district partner looked annoyed. "Right."

Though Calypso agreed wholeheartedly, she didn't want to listen to their conversation so she wandered to the next station: first aid.

She busied herself with learning to make a sling for a broken arm when the boy from 9's voice rose to a holler.

"Listen to me you tiny brat," he snarled, harshly pushing Meg to the floor. "I don't care about your little rants. Why can't you just behave? You think acting like a spoiled hellion will get us sponsors? If you don't stop kicking things I swear to President Clair that I will pulverize you in the Arena."

Meg's face was pale and haughty, but before she could respond Calypso came between the two. "Hey, stop it!"

Octavian whirled to her, "Stay out of this."

"Yeah," Meg spoke up from the ground, folding her arms. She had a grimy pair of glasses on, even though it was one the stylists had given her only days earlier. "I can deal with him."

Calypso scowled murderously at Octavian. She had a seriously bad feeling about him, but she nodded. "Fine. If you say so."

◼▲◼

"Why did you want to see me?" Silena asked.

It was past dinner time, the day before the private training sessions, and Luke had taken the stairs up to the roof to find Silena waiting for him. Earlier he'd asked her to meet him here, and he was glad she'd complied.

He went up to her, turning up his charm. "I want to ask you for a favour. I don't think anyone else would understand."

The Career frowned. Her blue eyes reflected the city lights and were narrowed with suspicion. "What's the favour?"

Luke braced himself, knowing this was going to be a huge risk. "I decided that I don't want to work with the Careers."

"What?" she sounded incredulous. "For what reason?"

"I don't trust any of them."

She crossed her arms, "Yet you're here with me."

Luke stepped forward and took her hand, "Because I trust you. You seem genuine and, I don't know, decent."

"Oh," she pulled her hand back, but she was blushing. "That's nice of you to say."

Thank goodness, Luke thought, Annabeth was right. She really is not like the usual Careers.

He made his hands fidget. "So what I wanted to ask you was...could you help me get away from them in the Games?"

Silena faltered as she spoke, "What...would I do, exactly?"

"Once the Careers start hunting, some of us need to stay behind to guard the Cornucopia. It could be you and me. I'll take some supplies, and run off by myself. So all you have to do is be the one who remains with me, and you know, don't chase me down. Maybe point the others in the wrong direction when they come back."

"And I'm supposed to just do that?" she demanded. "When the others return, they'd know I helped you."

"Tell them I bolted before you could even see me. They all agreed to let me join; they can't pin it all on you."

Silena brushed her hair back, turning away. "It sounds risky. Not for you, but for me. Why should I do it? It was your mistake to team with us."

Luke shrugged. "I'm just asking, but I'd really appreciate it if you did it."

She shut her eyes, "Fine." She glared at him, "I like you, Luke, so I'll help you."

He nodded, giving her a disarming smile, "Thank you so much. You know, if I don't, I do hope that you'll win." Lies lies lies.

The Career looked angry with herself, like she knew she was being manipulated and was going to regret it. "For the record, Luke, Percy's still a better sword-fighter."

At this, she stalked away, flung open the door, and disappeared inside.

Luke scowled. Annabeth had said Percy might agree to his plan, too, but he didn't like the guy, for reasons he didn't care to figure out.

It was a good thing Silena had been persuaded. He'd been afraid that she'd started getting attached to Beckendorf, but apparently, it wasn't the case.

He strode to the edge of the roof and took a look over the side. There was no longer a net, but empty air. Confused and curious, he took off one of his shoes and dropped it.

A second later it came flying back into his hand.

On a scale of 1-10, how much do you trust Luke