Against All Odds

You want me to WHAT?

A/N Here's a longer chapter to make up for the slightly short one last time :)

I wander around, completely lost. All the other tributes seem to be walking around, socializing with each other and exploiting possible alliances. The red head from 5 is talking to the giant from 11. The cripple from 10 seems to be trying to make friends with a thin scrawny boy from 3. The careers are hanging around each other only, and mocking the others as they went by. I see Peeta talking to a brown haired girl that I don't know. And then there's me. By myself. Proving the failure of my lacking social skills. I grab a tray quickly, because I remember that one of the ways not to look like a loner when no one wants to talk to you is by pretending to be occupied with an important task on hand.

By the time I get my food, I notice that some change has taken place. The careers have split up, looking for other tributes to intimidate. Clove is sharpening a knife next to a girl from district 8 who looks like she'll die from fright any second now. Glimmer is strutting around like a slut, following Cato, and clinging onto his arm like a leech. Again, the urge to laugh arises as I try to picture a mutated Glimmer with a leech's body. I squash the urge down and push the picture away.

"So, what are you doing here all by yourself?" It was Marvel.

My eyes narrow. "If you're trying to intimidate me, it's not working because your shirt is on backwards," I tell him, gesturing to his shirt. He looks down, and notices that his shirt is indeed on backwards.

He groans. "Ugh I should've known something was up when I entered and Cove started cracking up!"

I almost smile. Almost.

"So what's your strategy?" Marvel asks me, while sharpening his spear head. Immediately I frown.

"Did Cato send you here to find out my plans so he can kill me earlier on in the games?" I demand.

It's Marvel's turn to frown. "No... why would he do that?" He looks genuinely confused.

I decide to believe him. Maybe because I want some evidence that the careers are still human. Maybe because I ran into him on the roof and he didn't seem to be just a career.

Then, I remember his question. "Well, I punched him, and kneed him in his manhood..."

Marvel bursts out laughing. I feel slightly surprised. Well, I should've known that careers could laugh... they are still human after all

He grins. "No wonder Cato was almost walking with a limp and was a bit too eager to sit down to eat! And you pack a good punch, by the way, the left side of his face is bruising up real nice!"

I look around, and notice that Cato has turned from his position before, and I can now see the other side of his face. Marvel's right. It's starting to turn a nasty faint purple-black colour. Oh gosh, I really do hope no one tells him and he has a nasty surprise when he wakes up for his interviews. But his mentors or prep team'll probably say something about it. I can't help but grin at the thought of Cato showing up to his interview on live television with Ceasar Flickerman, with a black-blue-green bruise on his face.

"I gotta go, Cato and Glimmer are giving me death stares. Bye!" Marvel flashes a half annoyed, half aplogetic smile.

I nod, and tell him to knee Cato for me again. He grins wide after that, and tells me that he won't be able to get away with it like I have.

Then, It's afternoon training. Thank god, because lunch was really not going too well for anti-socialists like me. As I'm walking to go back into the training center, an arm grabs me. I whip around and, out of instinct, punch the person.