^Safira Holland from District Two.

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Chapter 17

NARRATOR | Safira Holland, District 2

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I watch as Ashlyn aims and fires at an imaginary enemy. She's in one of the fighting simulators; the digital enemies are only visible from inside the machine, so it looks like she's fighting nobody from out here.

I take a look around the Training Center. Right now, everybody is squeezing in their last bits of Training before our Individual Assessments begin. Across the room, I spot Eddie lifting some heavy weights. Ansel is somewhere practicing with axes; I'll be showing the Gamemakers my skills with a sword, but I don't need any more practice to prepare for that. I've been preparing for years, after all.

Behind Eddie, Violet is training with her new allies. I'm surprised by the group she's chosen - what does she see in that boy from Six that I can't? There must be some reason, some advantage, that I'm not seeing. Some way that it'll help her kill me, because everyone knows what's what she really wants. I watch Violet gesture to her group as Ashlyn steps out of the machine behind me.

"Did you see her new group?" Ashlyn asks, and I turn away to face her. "Do you think she actually likes any of them?"

"Doesn't seem like it," I shrug. "But these Games aren't all about liking the people you're close to. Sometimes it's better to keep your enemies closer just to keep an eye on them."

"She likes the girl from Four, I think," Ashlyn says. "The other two... I'm not sure."

"I'm not worried about her," I huff. "She's clearly worried about me, though. About something that happened five years ago between people who aren't us. So she can do whatever she wants. I'm not bothered."

Clearly, I am bothered. I can feel my pulse racing. It infuriates me that after all the hard work I've put into training for these Games, a girl like Violet would try to ruin it for me because of something my sister did. What Violet doesn't seem to think about, though, is that my sister died too. We both lost our siblings, so the fact that she needs to get her 'revenge' for what happened is almost laughable. Almost.

I hear a crashing sound behind me, and Ashlyn gasps, rushing past me as I turn back around. Across the room, Eddie is splayed out on the ground; the large metal weight he was holding is rolling away from him across the floor.

I follow Ashlyn across the room, coming to the aid of my ally. When I arrive, one of the trainers is trying to break up an argument between Ashlyn and Violet.

"I didn't touch him!" Violet insists, her face turning red.

"I saw you standing behind him," Ashlyn fumes; I've never seen her this agitated before. "Eddie wouldn't just fall over like that. Keep your dirty tricks to yourself and mind your own business."

Violet shakes her head, turning back to the trainer. "My knee might have bumped into his back, but it was an accident, I swear-"

Eddie returns, his weight in hand. He grunts as he sets it back into its slot with a bang.

"Drop it, Ashlyn," he mutters. "I'm fine. Let's go."

Ashlyn shoots another glare, grabbing Eddie by the arm and storming towards Ansel, who is watching us from across the room at the ax station.

"Leave my friends out of this, Violet," I seethe, staring into my rival's eyes for the first time. She smirks back at me, refusing to back down. "Save it for the Arena."

"Oh, I will," she grins. "Don't worry."

I turn to follow my allies, catching up to the others as they congregate across the room. I see some of the other tributes turn back to their stations as Violet and I part ways.

"What was that all about?" Ansel asks, resting his ax on his hip.

"Violet's being a bitch," Ashlyn says, finally releasing Eddie's arm. "Nothing new."

"She walked behind me and knocked me over when I was lifting weights," Eddie explains with a sigh. "It's fine."

"It's not fine," Ansel objects. "She can't get away with that! What did the trainers say?"

"Violet says it was an accident," I say, rolling my eyes. "So nothing's gonna happen, I guess. I can't believe none of the Gamemakers saw that, though."

I glance over at the Gamemakers; Caius Thorntree sits at the center of them, watching Corbin and Judah as they spar. Caius must know what is going on between Violet and me. Everyone knows by now. Why is he letting Violet get away with this behavior, though?

"It won't be an accident when one of us kills her," Ashlyn mutters. "Preferably me."

"Ashlyn, come on," Eddie says, glancing at his District partner with wide eyes. "That's what she wants us to say. Don't take the bait."

"Eddie's right," I say, grabbing Ashlyn's hand. "Come on. Let's go cool off for a minute."

Ashlyn sighs, but she doesn't object as I lead her to the bathroom.

"I just hate that she would drag Eddie into all this," Ashlyn says, shaking her head. "I mean, none of us have anything to do with her one-sided feud. I wish she'd just leave us alone."

"Yeah, you're telling me," I sigh.

"You need to take her down, Safira," Ashlyn says, looking into my eyes. "As early as possible, for everyone's sake."

I swallow nervously, avoiding Ashlyn's gaze. "I know," I mutter.

I know that I'll have to face Violet eventually, but I shouldn't have to. There's so much pressure on me already - pressure to represent my District, to make my family proud, to do better than my sister did - that this is almost too much to handle. The whole world is watching me, and Violet has her eyes completely set on killing me. What if I don't have what it takes to outmatch her? What if everything I've worked for was worth nothing?

Ashlyn and I round the corner to the bathrooms, and I nearly walk into a tribute on the other side. It's Verity from District Five - it doesn't look like she's coming or going. In fact, it looks like she's been waiting for us.

"Safira," she says, her eyes bright. "Can we talk?"

"Not now," I say, brushing the small girl aside. Whatever she has to say to me, it can wait. "Now's a bad time."

I pull the bathroom door open, letting it slam behind me as I follow Ashlyn in.

Ashlyn glances at me through the bathroom mirror as I move to stand next to her. "What was that about?"

"Who knows," I sigh. "Verity's been watching all of us for the last three days... my guess would be that she wants to join our alliance."

"She's a little late for that," Ashlyn says, rinsing her hands with water and rubbing some onto her face. "I mean, she could have asked two days ago, and she's not the most... friendly."

"Right," I say with a nod. "Still, if she wants an alliance, we should think about it."

Ashlyn looks over at me, clearly surprised. The four of us have been so tight that none of us have really considered another member, but it might be the smartest choice.

"There are a lot of strong competitors this year," I shrug. "It's always smarter to have the key players on your team. If Verity's as smart as people say she is, she could be valuable."

"Right," Ashlyn sighs. "Like you said, keep your enemies close."

I'd hate to take a page out of my rival's book, but that might be our best option right now. If Verity is really as smart as people claim, I would rather have her nearby so I can keep an eye on her. Leaving Verity loose in the Arena could be a fatal mistake.

"Exactly," I say, examining Ashlyn's face in the mirror. "Are you feeling better after that whole thing? Violet really rattled you."

"I'm okay," Ashlyn sighs. "I hate that she would stoop so low to drag Eddie into all of this. I've gotten close to him since we were Reaped. I just want the best for him, I guess."

"That's awesome," I say, giving my friend's shoulder a squeeze. I feel the same way about Ansel - no matter how much the other tributes think I've aligned myself with him to get back at Violet, I do love him as a person. He has this can-do attitude that I admire, and I've grown fond of him. I'm glad that we've all gotten so close, but that makes me think more critically about Verity. Can she really fit into our tight group?

"Alright," Ashlyn sighs. "Let's go."

My friend pulls the door open for me; as expected, Verity is still waiting patiently for us when we step out.

"Safira, is now a good-"

"Yes," I smile. "Sorry for the wait, we've been dealing with some stressful circumstances today."

"Understandable," Verity nods. "I wanted to talk to you about your alliance. I've been watching everyone train for the last few days, and I think that my best chance is to align myself with you. Your best chance is also to work with me - I'm sure by now that you've heard what I'm capable of."

"I've heard, but I haven't seen anything yet," I point out. "It's a little late now. In a few days, we'll be in the Arena."

"Right," Verity says with a small frown. "Well, I just wanted to ask. My second choice would be Violet, so if you all say no, I'll be asking her next..."

Verity knows that she's struck a nerve, I can tell. Ashlyn tenses up next to me - after everything that Violet pulled this morning, this is the perfect card for Verity to pull right now.

"We'll consider," Ashlyn says; I can see the gears turning in her head. "But we have to talk to our allies about this first."

"How about this," I say, looking Verity in her eyes. "We may not have seen what you have to offer, but you'll have to show something to the Gamemakers tonight. If you impress them enough to get a high score, you're in. Given that our other allies agree, of course."

I glance at Ashlyn for support, and she gives me a nod.

"Nine," Ashlyn says, crossing her arms over her chest. "Nine or higher."

I raise my eyebrows - a nine is a hard score to reach for anyone who's not a Career - but that's the price Verity will have to pay. Our alliance isn't open to just anybody.

"Deal," Verity says with a smile. "I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

Verity slips away, and Ashlyn sighs as I follow her back into the Training Room.

"None of this is ever straightforward, is it?" she asks.

"Never," I say, shaking my head. With people's lives on the line, nothing is ever simple. "Come on. Let's tell the boys."