A Victor's Ally - The 73rd Hunger Games (Fanfiction)

five

Thunk. I grinned as another one of my knives hit the target board, producing a rewarding noise. My fingers automatically closed around the hilt of another knife, but let go once I recalled Luke's advice from this morning.

"Don't let them see which weapon you're best with. Trust me, they will remember and won't make it easy for you to get your hand on it." He had said through a mouthful of bacon. I wasn't about to ignore his wishes; I realized he was one hundred percent right. Besides, how was two days of practice going to help me? Most of the other tributes who were good with weapons had been training for years. I doubt I could reach their skill level that quickly.

Bending down at the plant station, I tried my hand at sorting berries based on their deathliness. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a flash of light brown hair slicked into a high pony tail. A girl was crouched next to me, sorting through her own pile of berries. At a quick glance I noticed how bad she was at identifying the berries. After taking a longer look, I realized it was because she wasn't even paying attention to her work. She was too busy watching mine.

It was the girl from Ten.

"Alright, I want to know what kind of game you're playing. Are you stalking me or something?" I hissed quietly at the girl, putting enough venom in my voice to show her I meant business, but quietly enough as to not alert the trainers.

She turned her quirky face toward me, her full lips twisting into a grin. I was sure I was going to punch her right there, but I contained myself.

"You know, you should really watch what you say to the other tributes. A little feistiness might get you into some trouble in the arena, am I right?" Her surprisingly quiet voice held a trace of humor, as if she thought it was enjoyable to see me get worked up.

She held up a hand, a sign to let her continue speaking.

"Before you get your panties in a twist, my district partner, Hank, and I are looking for an alliance. Your knife skills aren't too bad, and you seem like you've got fire." Her eyes flickered with enthusiasm. I could immediately tell that she was the more outspoken one of the two, while Hank was the quieter, more observant partner.

"Plus, Hank can tell there's something you're hiding. He says you keep looking over at the obstacle course." She waves her hand dismissively, acting as if she doesn't know what he was talking about. This confirmed my suspicions of Hank's observation skills, and I looked over my shoulder to see him staring intently at the career pack before flicking his gaze over to the weaker tributes, paying equal attention to each tribute.

"Um, I..." My voice came out weak and surprised. I cleared my throat and prepared to give her my final answer, but she stood up quickly.

"Think about it." She gave me a quick wink and sauntered back over to her partner, pulling him closer to her and whispering something into his ear. I openly stared at them, my mind turning.

As I continued my work at the survival stations, I thought about District 10's offer of an alliance. What would Luke say? I found myself asking that a lot, recently. Would Luke tell me to form an alliance? Would he tell me to stay by myself and trust no one, or would he tell me to partner up with someone else?

Deciding something as basic as this should have been done earlier. Why do I have to wait until the last second to make these decisions by myself? I know it was Luke's first year as a mentor, but he was doing worse than Barrick. At least Atlas seemed to have a solid plan, all thanks to Barrick. I could tell which District 9 tribute was preferred to win, and it definitely wasn't me.

I would need someone in the arena to watch my back, no question about that. But who could I trust? District 10 seemed reliable and capable, but I wasn't sure how legitimate their offer was.