The 66th Hunger Games

Alliance

I find Cal at the first aid station, bandaging the broken arm of a dummy. I also practice a few medical procedures that I may need in the arena on a dummy before I decide to say anything. "Hey," I say breaking the silence between us. He looked up at me, then he looked back down at his work, trying to focus.

"Hey," he replied in a monotone voice.

"Any luck on finding an alliance?" I ask, hoping he'll say 'yes' and I won't have to go with the careers.

"No," he says, as he finishes tying the bandage.

"Really? You don't think anyone seems trustworthy?" I ask. He probably didn't even bother looking.

Turning to face me, he replied, "No. I don't trust anyone here. Not even you."

"What?!" I ask, shocked. "How could you say that?"

"If I'm going to win these games, I want to do it alone, and it's also about showing Finnick how stupid his ideas really are."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked eagerly.

"It's pretty simple really," he began, "when I kill you in the arena, I will have proven how terrible he is as a mentor, and that he couldn't even manage to train a little girl to make it past the bloodbath," he spat.

Shocked at his sudden change of character, I ran off to find somewhere I could cry without seeming weak. As I was walking, I found Jessica messing with a throwing knife. I ran up to her, it was time to give them my answer, and considering what Cal had just told me, I was going to need a little more protection.

"Oh hi, four. What's up? Have you finally come to a decision?"

"First of all, my name isn't four, it's Nora, and yes, I have made my decision," I pause for a moment, thinking over my decision one more time before saying, "I've decided to join your alliance."

Jessica smiled and pulled me into a quick hug. "Welcome to the alliance," she said happily. "Come, let's go tell the others," she said as she grabbed my hand and led me to the rest of the careers, who seemed just as happy about my decision as Jessica was.

I hope I haven't just made the biggest mistake of my life.