𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔻𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕝 𝕀 𝕂𝕟𝕠𝕨 | ℂ𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕂𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕝𝕝

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚛

Later that night, we sat at the dining table and recapped today's training. I sat next to Clove while Enobaria advised us on what she knew about the games. Brutus then sang praises about my match with Dani. I did not comment as I grabbed some food to add to my plate.

"While we're on the topic of other tributes, we need to discuss alliances," Enobaria stated, bringing our attention to the matters at hand.

"I say we take Marvel and Glimmer from 1," added Cato.

"I understand Marvel, but why Glimmer? She can't even use her weapon. She's useless," said Clove as she started stabbing her food with her fork.

"She's a career. The careers form a pack. That's how it's always been."

"I want Dani," I added to the conversation, causing Clove's head to snap toward me.

"Why them? They lost the match. What could they possibly offer?"

"They fought well. They almost beat me. We could use someone like them in the arena. If you still don't like them, I'll give you the honor of killing them. Only when the time comes," I explained. This seemed to be enough to calm Clove down. "I also want Cedar in the alliance," now, this got Cato's attention.

"Wait, what? He hasn't shown us any skill, and he's not even a Career."

"He's sitting right there. There's no need to act like he's not in the room with us," I noticed Cedar give me a small appreciative smile before looking back at his food. "Besides, I'm training him tomorrow. He's also strong. We can use that."

No one else detested the idea, and after a few minutes, I decided to break the silence. "I'm gonna get some air."

I returned to the elevator to find myself on the rooftop once again. Not long after, I heard the elevator signaling me of another person's presence. I turned around expecting Clove but was shocked when I saw Enobaria. She joined me by the rail and looked out to the view of the Capitol at night.

"Unlike the others who seem to think with their blades, you seem to have at least somewhat of an idea of what to do. So tell me, what's your plan? How do you plan on winning this? I'm curious." She looked at me, her eyes confirming her last sentence.

"I don't have one." This seemed to throw her back. "I don't plan on winning. I'm not easily won over by promises of riches and glory."

"I don't blame you. You're interesting. I can read everyone else so easily, but it's harder with you. You remind me of myself, you know?" She took a deep breath before continuing. "There was a girl in my game. Her name was Myria. She came from District 12, so we weren't allied at first. My arena was this run-down factory with countless rooms, but the place was unstable. Floors and ceilings would constantly cave in; even now, we're still unsure if that was part of the Gamemaker's plan. When I," she paused as if it pained her to say, "took out a couple of tributes, the ceiling collapsed, and I barely got out in time. Not unharmed, however. I had a gash on my leg, and it wasn't long before it got worse. I hid in a room and begged my mentor to send me anything that would help, to no avail. Myria found me, and the first thing I did was threaten her. She wasn't scared of me, and she spoke to me in such a gentle voice, claiming that she just wanted to help. She patched up my leg, and she kept watch as I healed."

"What happened to her?" I asked her. I was only three years old when she won her game, so I knew nothing about it.

"I vowed to protect her, keep her safe for as long as possible. I had to kill a few others to do so. A few days passed, and we split up so I could search the arena for food. I told her to stay put and that I would return soon, and she did exactly as I said. I received supplies from sponsors who wanted us to stay alive, and I was so excited to get back to her. When I returned, I found her on the ground...in a puddle of her own blood. Do you know what the worst part of it was? She was still alive. Whoever did it couldn't even put her out of her misery. I couldn't either. I sat there and held her until she was gone. I watched her die in my arms. My anger took over, and I killed everyone I could see. I was so far gone that I ripped tributes' throats out with my teeth. It was like Myria was the last piece of string tying me to my sanity." She finished her story, and we stayed silent for a few minutes, not knowing how to move on.