"Fenna." Claudia pulls me aside while our tributes- Wilda and a boy named Cal- say their goodbyes. "Don't react. The press will be watching you, any fan of yours will recognize Wilda. They know who you are, they know who she is. Don't answer questions now, save it for during the Games. Everyone wants to know how you're responding. Think out your answers carefully." She releases my arm and walks away.

I rub the spots where her nails dug in. After a minute, I follow after her, through a door that leads to a sitting room. Inside are Lycidas, Clyde, and Claudia.

"Ah, our newest comrade." Clyde grins and pats a seat on the couch next to him. "Come, sit. We have to discuss our plan for this year."

I take an armchair instead. "Plan?"

"Yes," Lycidas cuts in, before Claudia can snap at me again. "You see, we have a bit of a dilemma. You won last year, and so it's unlikely that either of this year's tributes will survive past the initial fighting at the Cornucopia. Tradition, you know."

He distances himself from them so easily. Wilda and Cal have been dismissed, shot down before they ever had a chance. Lycidas is the one who would use his Capitol influence to win sponsors- but what's the point, if your tributes are already dead?

Something reaches the front of my mind. "What about the year after Amber won?" A hush falls over the room, quiet as it is. No one talks about Amber. She's dead, she's gone, by her own choice or another's. Maybe a mix of both.

Claudia breaks the silence. "Neither survived the bloodbath."

Lycidas twists uncomfortably in his seat, turning to look at me. "There's been a request from the Gamemakers for you to mentor."

So soon? The tributes were chosen not half an hour ago. "For Wilda?"

"No, for the cripple. Of course, for Wilda." Claudia rolls her eyes. "That leaves either me or Clyde for the boy."

"We'll take care of that later," Lycidas interrupts. "We don't have much time. Fenna, you'll be on camera quite often, due to the drama surrounding you and Wilda. My suggestion- get your story straight, decide how you want to be seen and perceived. And let us know, so we can present a united front."

I manage to swallow. "Okay." Amber got to be the Capitol's darling while Claudia and Clyde did the real work, but now I'm to both mentor and to star in the drama. Great to see that we redheads are indispensable.

"Anything else we need to go over?" he trills. Lycidas's hair is mint green, and it matches how my face must look. I'm not going to throw up.

Clyde raises a hand. "Will the cognac be stale this time?"

Claudia was right. By the time the tributes are done visiting with their families, it's almost eleven o'clock. The train is supposed to leave by twelve at the latest, so the press doesn't bother to hurry. We're bombarded by flashing lights and questions. I'm sure that the Capitol tech doesn't require actual flash on cameras, but I heard that it's to disorient people, to get them to answer questions they wouldn't if they weren't thrown off guard.

Once we actually do get out of the Justice building and make it to the train station, I have to deal with the crowds coming to see us off. Some of them are for me.

I see my parents and Fawn waving. They look shaken but stable, and my father even manages a smile. He'll be able to quietly work at the apothecary this year, not having to worry about what's going on in the Games. Fawn can go to school without worrying about me. As long as I don't step out of line, they'll be safe.

Cal's parents are near the front, and I can tell because he looks them straight in the eye and doesn't wave back. There must be a story there.

And then there's Madelle. I feared her reaction, but she looks through me and onto Wilda. Her face is stony. She's thinking the same things as me- I went in the arena last year to keep Wilda out. This year, Wilda dives right in. I'm grateful to her for saving Fawn, but Madelle must see it as her throwing her life away with both thin hands.

Lycidas has to call for a ramp for Cal's wheelchair. I'm surprised that no one though of this beforehand, but usually the tributes are mobile. What will he do in the arena?

The doors shut with a swish and the crowds slip away from us. Clyde collapses on a couch, tired from the heat, but the rest of us remain standing.

"Shall I show you two to your rooms?" It takes me a minute to realize who is talking, but Lycidas has already lead Cal and Wilda down the hall by then. It's just me and Claudia.

She doesn't look at me, instead heading down another hall towards her own room. After a minute, I follow, keeping distance so she doesn't think that I'm following her specifically.

I'm saved the awkwardness of having to ask which room is mine by the name tag on the door. My room is larger than last year, and a bit more personalized. This room won't be scrubbed clean of my existence tomorrow. Next year, it'll be waiting for me.

But Wilda and Cal... In a month, one or both of them will be dead. The others don't believe that I can keep Wilda alive, even if she's not immediately targeted for being my successor. I'm not sure that I believe it myself.

I have at least fifteen minutes until lunch. Claudia is prompt enough that she'll want to address strategies immediately. I suppose Amber didn't want to collaborate last year, and that didn't exactly help Rift. Lunch it is.

I change from my current dress, a khaki sleeveless A-line with blue trim to the more comfortable leggings and a long tunic that I find in my closet. I brush out my hair and notice that I need to have it dyed again- the brighter roots are starting to show against the auburn. Well, at least once the tributes are in the arena, Medni can help me with it.

Wilda has changed from the pale cotton dress with tiny leaves to a longer salmon skirt and white blouse. Cal put on a blue and white flannel shirt with black shorts. Someone- Lycidas, I guess- left an empty space next to Wilda for Cal's wheelchair. He's the one who breaks the silence with a greeting.

"How is everyone doing?"

So much for breaking the silence. I make eye contact with Wilda for a second before she looks away.

Claudia clears her throat. "So, let's get to it. Wilda, Fenna will be your mentor. Cal, either Clyde or I will be yours."

Cal nods. "I'll be fine with that." He heaps his plate with food, mumbling something that I don't quite catch.

"I suppose you two want to discuss your strategies?" Claudia gives them a curt nod.

Wilda bites her lip. "Aren't those supposed to be private?"

"If you really want them to be, but I wouldn't recommend it. Tributes generally present a united front for their district. It can be good to have a built in ally, too." Claudia starts to fill her own plate.

I do the same, but remain silent. Rift and I weren't built in allies, but then again Amber did her own thing. Wilda and Cal are nodding in agreement. Lycidas is shuffling through a bowl of salad. Clyde pours himself a drink.

"What angle do you plan to play up? Your show personalities?" Claudia continues, essentially giving the same speech I got last year. She spells out how your angle is a key part of your strategy, how to appear to the audience, the other tributes, and even the prep team and stylists. I'm more casual with them now, I guess, but I'm in a different situation.

It's decided that Cal will talk about his own sad past, and Wilda will emphasize her relation to me. A side eye from Claudia tells me that I need to clarify the story. Why I volunteered for her in the first place. But even I'm not sure of that.