The next day, I woke up knowing that I was going to training today. I got up and saw that Cinna had left a mesh breathable training outfit for me, hanging on the handle of the wardrobe door.

I change into it and look in the mirror, then head to breakfast.

The next half hour is a flash for me, and the next moment I'm properly aware of myself is when Austin and I are walking to the training room.

"Try to stay cool, Willow, and just remember, today's about making allies," he reminds me.

"Yeah, because that's going to go so well," I mutter bitterly.

"You could at least try to be positive," Austin tells me.

"What's the point? No good ever comes of it," I reply bitingly.

That was before the doors opened and revealed about five of the tributes out of the twenty two I was expecting to see. "So far I'm not overwhelmed with our choices."

"I guess we just try to work out who we trust least and then work our way backwards from there," he reasons. Then I realise how much I hate this. Allies? We have to have allies?

We decide to split up to cover more ground. He goes off to goodness knows where and I wander around, trying to figure out who to talk to.

Effie wasn't joking about the new training centre. They now have simulations in which you are up against orange pixelated bodies, trying to fight against you. This is where I see Gloss, throwing knife after knife with grunt after grunt at them. This doesn't work until his sister Cashmere joins in, they take a knife each and finally make them disintegrate.

I see Johanna Mason, swinging an axe. You see, she worked more with big axes, and I like to throw my axes, so at least we're not that similar.

I soon see Brutus, the male from Two, Chaff and Austin all together, chucking spears at the same pixelated dummies.

Then there's Enobaria. The 'committed' one. She's fighting off against a real dummy with a spear, but when she bares her teeth, it's clear that they're her true weapon.

Suddenly, I see two people that I don't instantly hate when I look at them. The two tributes from Three, I remember Haymitch calling them Wiress and Beetee, are at the fire making station. Fighting all the eye rolls and annoyance that's going to get layed into me by Haymitch later, I walk over to them.

When I get closer, I see Beetee, the man's, holding a vertical stick and rolling it in his hands whilst the bottom's grounded to a log. They're trying to make a fire from the friction.

"Friction generates heat, heat generated fire, in theory..." I hear him tell his partner, Wiress.

"You should move your hands downward," I correct as I walk up to them. I've made fires like this before. "And faster, too."

He does, and soon, you can see a tiny bit of smoke rising from the log. Beetee grins at Wiress. "A little brute force-"

"-Is always helpful," she finishes with a smile.

"Thank you," Beetee looks at me, a smile on his face. This is when I realise he's the least worst option in this room for an ally. Great. Neither Haymitch not Austin's going to like that.

"By the corner of the table..." Wiress suddenly says. That's when I realise she's looking up at the Gamemakers.

"Plutarch?" I ask in confusion, following her eyes.

"No, next to him," Wiress answers.

Beetee has slid his glasses off his face and he murmurs. "Force field..."

I look back and forth at him and this supposed force field for a moment. "How do you know?"

"The shimmering," Beetee answers immediately. "Top left hand side. You see it?"

And I do. Right beside Plutarch Heavensbee, the air shimmers. "Looks like glass," I comment.

"To separate us and them," Wiress nods to me.

"Probably my fault, I threw an axe at them last year," I admit without thinking.

"Ahhhh, electromagnetic," Beetee instantly susses out.

"How can you tell?" I say this in full meaning, but when they start to laugh, I'm a bit put off. "Is it- is it obvious or something?"

"Obvious," Beetee echoes between laughs.

Wiress adds. "They might as well have a sign."

"Look around you. The lights, the holograms, every now and then they flicker, why?" Beetee asks me.

"Because the force field is using up too much energy," is my default answer. And it's the right one.

"There's always a flaw in the system..."

When he says that, I look over and see the old woman, Mags, from Four. The one I don't believe that Finnick is going to protect.

Haymitch'll be really patronising by the time he finds out I want her for an ally.

But I'm me, so, not really caring or thinking about what Haymitch is going to say. I see she's making a fish hook. "That's beautiful," I compliment her work and she looks up. I remember hearing from Haymitch that she couldn't speak. "I saw you volunteer for that young girl. That was very brave."

She shakes her head and puts her hand on her heart before slowly touching the plait my hair is in. "Prim's like a sister to me."

I move round the table. "Hey, uh, if you teach me how to make a fish hook like that, I can teach you how to hunt."

She smiles and nods. I think I have myself an ally. I can only hope that she doesn't drag Finnick along with her.

For an hour, she tries to teach me how to make fish hooks. But I've tried to make these before and I haven't been very good at it. Finally, we give up and she signifies to hunting. I smile and head to an empty simulation.

"Do you wanna try with me?" I ask, but she signals to me going alone. "Okay," I nod. I take lots of axes from the weapons stash then head inside, the doors slamming shut behind me.

I set the simulation to a slightly hard level, then stood on the plate as orange lazers shot around me, measuring, I suspect. Then it starts.

Someone runs at me with a spear and I instantly throw an axe right to the heart. It disintegrates on the spot. Another raises a bow at me from in the air, and I turn and chuck another of my weapons at it.

I dodge as one throws a knife at me, I react immediately and an axe goes straight to its target and in a shower of pixels. Another from the other side which I turn round to and hit immediately.

I see one running up above me, round the wall. I keep my eye trained on it, slowly moving with my axe raised. I throw it slightly ahead of its target. What did Austin say before the first games? I never miss?

Except this time, I'm not denying it. I'm goddam going for it.

There are two more on the ground by the time I turn. I take the first one out easily and then the second one throws an axe at me. I duck, summersault, then hit it straight in the heart.

The final one is up high, but is jumping towards me. I instantly react as it jumps, hitting it and watching as the pixels shower upon the ground.

That's when I become aware of the clapping sound and I look up. Basically all the tributes are standing at the small window, watching me. Their faces are hateful, admiring, envious and everything in between. Wiress is the one doing the clapping.

Well, at least I've left an impression on them.

☘︎☘︎☘︎

"Good news," Haymitch is practically buzzing as he walks into the living room. "At least half the tributes have requested to their mentors that they have you as an ally. And, well, I know it can't be your sunny personality, sweetheart..."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, find better insults, Haymitch."

"Okay, okay," Haymitch says. "All I'm asking is, how did you do it?"

"They saw her chucking axes," Austin puts in. "Actually, I saw her chucking axes. For real. The first real time."

"Well, sweetheart, you've got your pick of the litter," Haymitch shrugs.

I sigh. This is not going to go well.

"I want Wiress and Beetee," I say plainly.

"Johanna calls them 'Nuts' and 'Volts'," Austin speaks up.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I retort sarcastically to him. "But if you think I'm going to change my mind because of Johanna fucking Mason, you'll be disappointed."

Austin looks like he's going to laugh but this only aggravates me more.

Haymitch sighs. "Have you got anyone else?"

"Mags," I say feebly. Austin turns round so he has his back to me and Haymitch slaps his palm to his forehead. "Alright, fine, then, no one."

I get up and walk to my room. I hear Austin following me, but I do what I always do, because I can't face him.

I ignore him.