°•°

MATTHEW WATCHED ARYA CLOSELY. Since she returned, she hadnt really said anything. The reaping was tomorrow and tonight apparently president snow was announcing something about the quarter quell. "You've been quiet." He says, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Arya didn't seem to hear him at first but as her eyes move to his, she realized that he was waiting for a response.

"What?" She asks, furrowing her eyebrows. Matthew just tilts his head, watching her carefully.

"Since you came back from your meeting with Snow." Matthew states, referencing her behaviour. Although anyone who had to talk to Snow, was never really happy afterwards.

"Oh..." Arya hums, looking down at her hands. She just shrugs her shoulders. "Just been thinking." She admits, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"About what?" He asks curiously, trying to watch her expression for any hint of what was wrong. "Did he say something to you?" Matthew asks her. Arya sighs as she knew he was going to freak when she told him.

"These games... they're gonna be different." Arya tells him slowly, clenching her jaw. Matthew furrows his eyebrows. The quarter quell always had another twist, he knew that.

"Different how?"

"They're picking from the victors." Arya states and when those words left her mouth, he couldnt believe what he was hearing. Never once did a victor ever have to play the games again and now they wanted to reap from them?

"What?" His voice was venomous, a glare set in his eyes which obviously wasn't directed toward her.

"And Snow wants me to volunteer." She admits and she could see the way anger filled his eyes, his fists clenching together as he gets up from the couch.

"No, no way!" Matthee denies, shaking his head. He wasn't about to allow her to go back into those ridiculous games. If she was picked, there was nothing they could do, but no way was she volunteering.

"Matt--"

"No, if they don't pick your name, you're not willingly going back." He snaps at her, his rage more aimed at Snow but right now he was seething. Arya frowns, closing her eyes for a second.

"I have to." She admits, she couldn't just stand there and allow someone else to go. It was snows wish for her to enter the games. "I have to, don't you understand?" Arya asks him, meeting his eyes once more. Matthews eyes soften. "I say no? My whole life goes to shit anyways." She points out, a scoff leaving her lips.

"He can't do this." Matthew mumbles, shaking his head. Snow was a horrible person and of course he would do this to her. All the years of him being generous to her, letting her stay in the Capitol, it was all a ruse to use her.

"Well, he did." Arya responds, knowing it was hard to process but they didn't have very long. "It'll be fine, Matt." She assures him.

"If it's the victors, it'll be even harder competition." Matthew points out. It wasn't just the careers they had to worry about now.

"And I'll take them all out." She states, shrugging her shoulders.

"You know, Katniss Everdeen will be a competitor." He states, no matter what, she will be there since she was the only female victor for district twelve. Arya just stares at him. "That's why he wants you to volunteer." Matthew says with a sigh, shaking his head.

"She's just another person to kill." Arya points out. She wasn't going to let anything stand in her way. Snow wanted katniss dead and Arya wasn't dumb, she knew it was her or Katniss. If she didn't succeed, there was no life that she was coming back to.

"And what if you don't?" Matthew asks her, just waiting for her answer. But it was clear what would happen. There was only one winner. If she didn't kill Katniss, she was dead. Even if there was a loophole, if she returned to the Capitol and katniss was still alive, Snow would have her killed. Either that, or he would make her life hell.

"That's not an option." She denies, shaking her head. Arya could see the way Matthew was worried about her but she just reaches over, squeezing his hand. "Everything's gonna be okay." Arya assures him. She just had to not hesitate which she knew she wouldn't.

"If you don't come back, I'll kill you." Matthew admits, staring at the woman. Arya laughs, raising her eyebrows.

"Cause that makes perfect sense." She retorts, rolling her eyes playfully. "Hey, at least your sister is safe." Arya states. That was the one good thing about the victors being reaped. His sister was safe for this year.

"But you're not." He points out, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. Arya tilts her head, giving him a soft smile.

"I'm sure you'll give me tons of tips before the reaping." She states with a small laugh. Matthew couldn't help but smile, nodding his head.

"Damn right." He mumbles as he pulls her against him, wrapping his arms around the woman. If anyone else did this, surely they would leave with a broken arm. But he has been in her life for as long as she could remember. And he was the only person that she truly knew that she could trust.

°•°

ARYA COULD FEEL THE EYES ON HER AS SHE WALKED UP TO THE PODIUM. She knew people in her district still despised her, she could hear the whispers as she passed them. But she didn't care what anyone thought about her. If they were in her position, they'd do the exact same thing. And it wasn't like the man she was with in her games hadn't tried to kill her as well.

As she gets to the stand, she stares at the woman from the Capitol. She recognized her, she knew her name was Diana and the woman tried to give her a friendly smile but Arya just ignored her. Turning to face the crowd, Arya immediately saw Matthew standing near the front. He nods his head, giving her a reassuring smile. They both knew what was about to happen and they had both come to terms with it.

"Welcome, welcome." Diana starts, giving the crowd a warm smile, although she didnt get much back. "We are here to celebrate the 75th hunger games and the third quarter quell." She explains to them, her eyes looking at the victors. There wasn't many, only two men stood next to her and another woman beside Arya. Although they weren't a poor district, they never had many victors. Unlike one and two.

"Ladys first." Diana says as she walks over to the bowl. Arya just keeps her eyes in front of her as the woman grabs the paper and walks over to the microphone again. "The female tribute for district five..." She trails off for a moment, her eyes moving over to the women. "Arya Ryker." She announced.

Arya keeps her composure as she just walks over to Diana. She could see the people in front of her reacting and talking to one another but she paid no mind to them. Her eyes met Matthew's again. "It's gonna be okay." He mouths to her and she just gives him a slight nod.

"And now the men." Diana announced, walking over to the bowl beside the men. She clears her throat as she makes her way back to the mic. "The male tribute for district five; Wesley Park." She states, causing the man to walk over toward her.

Arya did remember Wesley. He had won the games a few years before her. It had come down to him and the district one tribute but he was able to win. He wasn't awful, he was actually pretty skilled in combat. Arya just didn't care enough to ally herself with her fellow district member.

"Very well." Diana says, a smile on ehr lips. "The tributes from district five; Arya Ryker and Wesley Park." She announces and there were a few people who clapped for them, but most just stared.

As Arya turns, she follows the peacekeepers into the building, brushing her hair out of her face. She didn't make it too far before a voice came from behind her. "I've heard a lot about you." Her head turns and she noticed that it was Wesley who had spoke to her.

"Funny, I've heard nothing about you." She retorts as she goes to move past him. Wesley stops in front of her, causing her to narrow her eyes. He did feel a bit of fear underneath her gaze but he tried to brush it off.

"Look, I know you don't do allies. But maybe it's not a bad thing going into the quarter quell with someone you can trust." Wesley explains to her as he looks at the woman. Now, did he necessarily want to team up with her? No. But she was the one who got picked from the reaping so she was all he had.

"Trust?" Arya says slowly, clenching her jaw. She didn't believe in trusting others in the arena. The whole point was to kill and betray. "You trust me?" She asks him raising an eyebrow. It would be a surprise if he did say yes.

"No. But I'm not dumb enough to make an enemy out of you." He points out with a shrug of his shoulders. Arya still didn't get what he was trying to ask her.

"There's only one winner." Arya states, it wasn't like what happened last year was going to become a constant thing. Last year was pure luck. This year, only one person would come out of it like always.

"Maybe." He responds as he leans against the wall. Arya just stares at him.

"I don't work with anybody." She denies, shaking her head. Arya believed that having allies just made you weaker. Why would you team up with someone that you'll have to kill anyways?

"The career tributes are gonna be hard to beat." Wesley points out, knowing that they were always the tributes to look out for. Arya rolls her eyes, she was never really threatened by them.

"They're just show boats." Arya points out with a shrug. Sure, they had sponsors and were trained the most, but that didn't compare to what actually happened in the arena.

"What about Katniss?" He questions and he could see the way her expression hardened at the name.

"Do you have a point?" She asks him, really not feeling like playing a stupid guessing game. Wesley just takes a step toward her which made her very wary.

"Maybe you're right. We shouldn't ally for all of the game. But at the beginning, you want someone that has your back." Wesley tells her, knowing that's when the bloodbath happened. He did know that she was also part of that bloodbath in her games, but truthfully, he wanted to not be on the other end of her sword.

Arya was just staring at him and he couldnt really tell what she was thinking. Her eyes narrowed slowly as they ran over him for a second. "Don't get in my way." She states as she gives him a very pointed stare. Moving to walk past him, it confused him a bit.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Wesley asks her, gesturing to where they were allowed to go in order to see their friends and family. Arya doesn't look back, just continuing to walk.

"I already did."

°•°

KATNISS LOOKED AT THE SCREEN AS HAYMITCH STARTED TO TELL HER AND PEETA ABOUT THE OTHER TRIBUTES. She knew it would be harder competition but he insisted that they found allies this time. It apparently would make it a bit easier for them. Peeta was more for the idea than she was, she didn't really want to trust someone other than him.

"Cashmere and Gloss. Brother and sister from district one." Haymitch starts as he points at the picture. "They won back to back games, Capitol favourites. Lots of sponsors. They'll be lethal." He explains to them before flipping the slide. "And the other half of the career pack; Brutus and enobaria." Haymitch says and Katniss furrows her eyebrows as she notices something about the woman.

"What's with her teeth?" She asks curiously, wondering why they were like that.

"She had them filed into fangs so that she could rip people's throats out." Haymitch states bluntly making Peeta just lean back against the couch as Katniss raises her eyebrows a little bit.

"She's commited, I'll give her that." Peeta mutters, crossing his arms against his chest.

"Wiress and Beetee. Not fighters but brilliant." Haymitch tells them. They wouldn't necessarily be a threat most of the time but they were clever and shouldnt be underestimated. "And weird. Real tech-savy. He won his games by electrocution six tributes at once." He explains to the pair. Katniss was slightly impressed but it wasn't easy to do that every time.

"The morphings,  masters of camouflage. Basically, won their games by hiding until everyone else was dead." He states, not really having much else to say about them. "Self medicating ever since which I applaud. Not a threat." Haymitch states before flipping the slide once again.

"Finnick Oddair, right?" Katniss asks, recognizing the man from the Capitol. Haymitch nods his head, confirming her thoughts.

"Yes. Won his games at fourteen, youngest ever. Extremely humble." Haymitch states which just makes Katniss let out a small scoff.

"You're kidding."

"Yes, I'm kidding. He's a peacock. A total preener. But he's the Capitol darling, they love him here." Haymitch answers her, shaking his head. "Charming, smart and very skilled at combat, especially in water." He states, knowing he'd be one of the toughest competitors.

"What about weaknesses?" Peeta asks curiously, wondering if there was anything they could use against him.

"One. Mags." Haymitch says as he shows the much older woman. "She volunteered for Annie. Mags was his mentor and basically raised him. If he's trying to protect her in any way, it exposes him." He explains to them.

"A guy like thats got to know she's not gonna make it. I bet when it really comes down to it, he won't protect her." Katniss denies, not believing that finnick will stay by the woman's side the whole game.

"Well, katniss, I just hope that when she goes, she goes quickly. She's actually a wonderful lady." Haymitch responds making Katniss sink within herself a bit. He just sighs as he flips the slide, the woman who showed up on the screen next wasnt a stranger to any of them. "Now, she is who you want on your team." He states, pointing at Arya who was beside Wesley in the video.

"Thats Arya Ryker, right? I heard that she's really closed off. Are you sure we should ally with her, haymitch?" Katniss asks, not sure about the woman. She knew ever since she won the games, her district turned their backs on her and she didn't have too many friends. Not that katniss had many either.

"She is ruthless, a skilled fighter and the Capitol's princess, it's not a bad thing to have her on your team." Haymitch responds. He knew she wasn't exactly a team player, but he also knew that if he couldnt bridge an alliance, peeta and katniss may not make it out of the arena.

"Yeah, but isn't she also Snow's favourite?" Peeta asks, leaning forward. He knew a little bit about Arya. The most prominent fact is that she was the one Victor who Snow actually talked about and who often spoke to her on numerous occasions.

"She'll never ally with us." Katniss agrees, shaking her head. If she was aligned with Snow, a truce was never going to happen with them.

"Let's hope you're wrong. Because she will be gunning for you if we don't flip her." Haymitch states, wanting to protect them but it will be hard if they get to the arena and Arya wasn't on their side.

"How many people did she kill again?" Peeta asks, trying to remember how ruthless she really was. He could see that Haymitch was a bit hesitant to say anything.

"Nineteen tributes." He answers the man who's eyes widen. Katniss just sighs, looking at her hands.

"All by herself?" Peeta questions and Haymitch nods his head. Peeta knew the careers usually killed the most people. The fact that she killed over three quarters of her fellow tributes, she truly would be their biggest threat.

"She killed the person from her district first. She's not loyal, Haymitch." Katniss points out. If Arya wouldn't even ally with her fellow district, there was no hope for them.

"Arya knows how to do one thing. Survive. If you can help her with that, you can keep her from killing you." Haymitch says. He knew of the plan that Plutarch came to him with and if he could speak to Arya alone with it, hopefully it would be enough to get her to help them.

"I don't know. I don't trust her." Katniss denies, shaking her head. She could tell that Peeta was hesitant as well.

"This isn't about trust. It's about staying alive." Haymitch points out as he looks at them. He didnt care if they didnt like each other, no one asked them to kiss up to her. They just needed her to not kill them. "And if we don't get her to ally with you two, you're as good as dead the second you step inside of that arena." He states. Arya wouldn't waste a second to kill katniss, not if Snow already got to her.

Katniss let's out a sigh, sharing a glance with Peeta. He just shrugs his shoulders. There wasn't any harm in at least talking to her. "Fine. We'll try and talk to her." She admits, biting the inside of her cheek. Although she knew it was not going to end well. Because Arya wasn't even a fellow tribute anymore. She was aligned with Snow.

And if she was aligned with Snow, she was dangerous.

°•°

STANDING NEAR HER CARRAIGE, Arya let her eyes wander around the room. She was looking for a specific person but she was also eyeing up the competition.  Arya knew they were wary of her, especially by the way they would glance over and whisper. Even the careers seemed to be talking about her. "You look beautiful." Arya glances to the side, seeing that it was Wesley who said it.

"What?" She asks, her eyebrows furrowing in the slightest.

"You look very beautiful today." Wesley says once again and he could see the smallest bit of shock in her eyes, almost like she wasnt expecting him to compliment her. "In your outfit." He elaborates, gesturing to what she was wearing. Arya just stares at him, blinking a few times.

"Oh." Arya simply responds, not knowing what else to say. Her eyes go to move away from him but he only chuckles.

"No compliment for me?" Wesley teases her, raising an eyebrow. Arya tilts her head, not knowing whether to play with him or just bluntly respond. But she decided to be nice for the moment. Well, nice for her.

"What if you look horrible?" She asks him, narrowing her eyes. Wesley could hear a sense of amusement in her tone so he just smirks.

"Ouch." He responds, placing his hand on his chest. "I guess I won't take it to heart." Wesley says, leaning against their carriage.

"The other tributes don't seem too bad." Arya points out, wanting to hear his thoughts on their competition.

"You mean you aren't scared of Enobaria and her fangs?" He asks, raising his eyebrows at the woman. Arya could only roll her eyes.

"It's all for show." Arya says, glancing over at the career tribute they were talking about.

"You really show no fear, do you?" Wesley asks her, his eyes running over her for a second. Arya meets his gaze again, just staring at him, unwavering.

"Fear only gets you killed." She tells him. If she showed the slightest bit of fear, it could be used against her. Wesley was about to say something else when a voice interrupted him.

"Wesley, it's good to see you." Arya closes her eyes for a second. She knew exactly who that voice belonged to. And sure enough, when she turned around, her eyes met the one and only, Finnick Odair.

"Finnick, nice outfit." Wesley responds with a small chuckle, seeing the shirtless man in front of him.  Finnick meets his smirk, shrugging his shoulders.

"I tried." He responds. His eyes then move to Arya and she could already see the broadened smirk that was going to happen. "Arya." Finnick says, his eyes running over her outfit. Arya just crossed her arms in order to block some of his view.

"Finnick." She responds bluntly, wanting to make it clear that she still wasn't a fan of him.

"Too bad that you were picked. Ill have to end your winning streak." Finnick says, tilting his head. He knew about her games, he knew how many tributes she had killed. But he also knew that because of that, she thought she was invincible.

"You're not hard to beat." Arya denies, a scoff leaving her lips. He might have been the youngest to win the games but she believed his ego would be what got him in the end.

"Why, because you have Snow on your side?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at her. It wasn't a mystery to anyone that Snow had a say in her game during the quarter quell.

"I don't need anyone on my side." She retorts, placing her hand on her hip. Finnick chuckles as his gaze doesn't stray from hers.

"Right, because you're just unstoppable."

"And you're a cocky little prick." Arya responds, having hated him even thought they barely interacted. Finnick couldn't help but feel amused by her comment.

"You know, I never understood why they called you their princess. Usually princesses are nice and sweet, not cold and rugged." Finnick tells her, licking his bottom lip. Arya just narrows her eyes, her arms crossing against her chest.

"And I thought the Capitol darling would be charming and handsome, guess we're both disappointed." She retorts and she could see the way Finnick tried not to falter at her comment. Arya sees something behind her and as she glances over, she notices Peeta and Katniss. Both of them were already looking over at her, seemingly whispering about something.

Finnick turns his head, noticing what she was looking at. "I see what you have your eyes set on." He admits, catching aryas gaze. "Don't underestimate her. Maybe the girl on fire will be your downfall." Finnick suggests, placing his hands behind his back.

"I'm not the one that needs to watch their back." Arya says, not showing any sort of fear toward what he said. Finnick just takes a step closer to her causing her eyes to look him up and down for a moment. He just leans closer to her, their faces inches apart.

"I guess it's game on then." Finnick tells her, smirking down at the woman. Arya just stares back at him, her expression hardened. He just lifts her chin with his finger, his head tilting before he moves past her. Arya just turns her head, watching him for a second. He really needed to get his ego in check.

Arya looks back in front of her and once again, her eyes met Katniss's. The woman seemed to be studying Arya closely. Arya just tilts her head, not once letting Katniss see any sort of emotion. All she did was send a smirk her direction and she could see Katniss looked a bit taken aback. Turning to her carriage, she gets onto it, not even turning to look back at the girl on fire.

°•°

Guest starring Ki Hong Lee as Wesley Park