Hunger Games: All-Stars

Chapter 18

Avariella Hanson POV

Why does that boy keep looking at me? The pale boy kept peeking at me while I was trying to practice my weapons. I finally gave up and looked pointedly back at him. He grinned cheesily and came over.

"Hey, girl. I'm Apollo. You must be Ava. But together, we could be Avallo," he said. Was he... hitting on me? Why would he want a fat ugly girl like me? I was disgusted by all the flesh hanging off my bones. I was overstuffed like a wet sponge.

"That's... thanks," I said. I must have blushed, because Apollo laughed.

"Why you acting so surprised? You're gorgeous. All the guys must want you," he said. He must be seeing something I didn't. I'd never paid much attention to boys before. I'd been too busy training and improving myself. I crossed my arms over my bulging stomach so he wouldn't see all my imperfections.

"Thanks," I said again. "You're not so bad yourself." Apollo perked up like a rooster and his smile got even bigger.

"So how about it then? Care to be a Jayhawk?" he asked.

"It's a great looking group, but I'm looking for something a little smaller and less conspicuous. Adair, Mouse, and a few others are with me," I said.

"Aw, too bad. I was hoping to see more of you," Apollo said. Suddenly I realized I only had a few days left. Really, I had nothing to lose. I might as well be daring.

"I don't have to spend all my time with my alliance. Why don't you come see me sometime?" I said. I even threw in a salacious wink.

"You got a date," Apollo said. "I'll let you get back to your training and I'll be waiting." Even as ugly and unfit as I am, someone wanted to hang out with me. Maybe I wasn't so unattractive.

Adair Outridge POV

There were a lot of reasons it made sense for me to learn camouflage. I wasn't strong enough to use the bigger weapons. I was small enough that running was best. Most of all, I never wanted what happened last time to happen again. I'd rather hide in a bush and die of starvation than ever see another knife.

"Hey Adair- woah, where'd you go?" Wyatt clapped a hand to his chest and looked around the room.

"Boo!" I yelled, and he yelped dramatically.

"Don't do that to me!" he gasped. "Anyway, now that I found you, howsabout we restart our little alliance?" Like he needed to ask. Anything normal was a godsend. Wyatt could make anything less scary. I needed that more than anything else.

Wyatt Sparks POV

A lot of humor comes from a dark place. When I first came back I thought I'd never laugh again, but I came to see that laughing at death made it seem less unbearable. Either way I'd probably die. I might as well go out with a laugh.

It felt good to be with Adair again. If the rest of us were here I'd have asked for them too, except one. Even thinking about him made me tremble. But he was gone, and I wished things had been different for him. Laughing couldn't solve his problems. Some things can't be fixed with jokes.

I saw a competent-looking girl at the weapons station and thought I'd give it a shot. Obviously she was a Career, but she wasn't with the others.

"Hey fair maiden. Surely you need a gallant knight to protect you," I said. "Sir Wyatt at your service."

"I'm sure I'm flattered," she said. "Call me Lady Ava. I was looking for a few allies. You got what it takes?"

"Madam, I shall serve you till the very end."

Elara Angelo POV

Myrtle was too shy to come up to me. I saw her lurking along the survival stations looking at me every now and then. That girl was something else. When I first saw her I thought she was a selfish witch. I was right, but she changed more than I thought a person could. The Games actually made her a better person, and it dazzled me.

She finally found the courage to approach me. I stayed still, afraid any movement would spook her.

"I'm sorry I left you," she said. She looked so broken I wanted to hug her. "If we had been together we could have gotten away."

"What? No, it's not your fault. She would have killed us both. I'm just glad to see you again," I said. I couldn't blame Myrtle for not saving me. She couldn't save herself.

"Really? You're not mad?" she asked. She waited for me to come to my senses and tell her I actually was furious, but I took her hand.

"No. I enjoyed my time with you, even if you were impossible sometimes. Want to add some more?"

Myrtle Bloom POV

Elara didn't blame me? She wasn't even mad? I could have helped her but I left and she died. What kind of person was she? I didn't know what to say.

"Okay," I finally managed. Any more and I would have started crying. I launched into other matters to change the subject.

"I visited the survival stations but they didn't know as much as you did. What do you think I should learn to help out?" I asked.

"I was never very good at fishing. If you work on that and I try to figure out some way to defend us, we could cover everything," she said.

"Did someone say defend? I know a few things about that," another girl said. It was the girl from Two who wasn't with the Careers. Did she want to be with us?

"I don't know a thing about finding food though," she said. "Oh, I'm Ava. You guys need a good bodyguard? Oh, I come with moral support," she said, pointing out Wyatt. With him around, we'd never be depressed. I looked back at Elara.

"Sounds good. Together we pretty much know everything," she said. We all had something except me. I'd have to train like few Tributes ever did.

Dominique Rindelle POV

"Excuse me. There's still one thing you're missing," I broke in to Elara and Ava's discussion.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Sponsors," I said. "I know a few people. With me, you'll never be without supplies, even if they tend to send things like pillows."

"Yeah, I watched the tapes of you. They were eating out of your hand," Wyatt said.

"With Elara, you'll eat. With me, you'll eat well. Interested?" I asked.

"I do like to eat," Wyatt said.

"A few extra weapons could come in handy," Ava mused.

"Then it's a deal," I said. With that, I netted myself a group of great allies and a possible partner in crime. The Capitol liked my witticisms- no accounting for taste- and Wyatt was a fountain of humor. We could get a great duet going. And twice the audience meant twice the food.

Mouse Parentii POV

I was working at the shelter station when it happened. The assistant bent down behind me to show me something. Her hand brushed against my shoulder and I was back in the Arena. Mist was behind me, smashing into me and tearing me apart. I swatted her hand away and screamed as I scrambled backwards across the room. Someone grabbed me and I curled up to ward off the blows. Then someone pressed my back firmly and started to rock me.

"It's okay. It's okay. It's all right," a girl said. She covered me with her body and slowly pressed me into the floor. I felt protected from the world and slowly quieted. When I was ready, I uncurled.

"Are you all right?" the girl asked. She kept a firm hold of my hand as I sat up.

"I guess so. Thanks. How'd you know what to do?" I asked.

"I have some experience. I'm Starling," she said.

"I'm Mouse," I said. "Can you stay with me a while?"

"As long as you need me to," she said. As it turned out, that was a long time indeed.

Starling Heights POV

If there was anything I knew how to handle, it was a panic attack. Whether it was because he couldn't untie his shoes or because a crossing guard blew a whistle, Cash reacted like that on a daily basis. The important thing was to let him know he was safe and to give him regular, repetitive stimulation. The same applied to Mouse. Whether it was maternal instincts or a nurturing nature, I was drawn to Mouse and his fragile state. I knew I couldn't leave him alone.

I also knew we couldn't go it alone. All I had was some knowledge of psychology. After talking with Mouse I found out he brought thieving skills to the table. We were going to need more firepower. I took a look at the alliances to see where we could fit in. Not the Careers. That was obvious. The Jayhawks, maybe, but something about the Hispanic boy and his group was appealing. They seemed less intense and more nurturing. They'd be a better pick for someone nervous like Mouse. I'd ask them first.

Hailey Falkenrath POV

I was on the rope course flying like a phoenix when I saw another girl starting to climb the ropes. I made my way over to her and called down to her.

"Hello. I'm Hailey," I said. The girl started and almost fell off the rope. I grabbed her wrist in case she fell, and she hauled herself up next to me.

"I'm Willow," she said. "I thought it looked peaceful up here."

"Yeah, it's nice being so high up," I said. "It's almost like a playground." Willow looked down on the people and clung tightly to the rope.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"I'm just so scared," she said in a strained voice. I looked down next to her.

"Yeah. Me too. If you want we can stick together for a while," I said. Neither of us had much chance. We could comfort each other.

"That would be nice," Willow said. She was so shy and timid, like a dryad. With a name like Willow it just made sense. She was a willow dryad. A dryad and a phoenix. What a pair we made.

Willow Trill POV

I had to push my fear aside and do my best to win. Obviously weapons were out, so I'd focus on the survival skills. In a harsh Arena, Hailey and I might be able to last a while. I watched an assistant notch a groove into a stick and rasp a string across it until it started to spark. I tried to imitate her, but it was slow going.

"What about them?" someone said from across the room. I went on with my work, but the voices carried.

"What do they bring?"

"They need us."

"You are such a softie."

"They'll bring sponsors."

"I'm already doing that."

"But they're so cuuuuuute."

"I'll take care of them."

"Oh, whatever. Let em' in."

The four Tributes attached to the voices drew closer and stopped next to me. I realized "they" was me and Hailey, and that a decision had been reached. Without lifting a finger, we had an alliance.

Luckily, this alliance was much smaller than the Big Fat 17-Member Alliance, so it easier to write. Next chapter will feature all the new to this universe characters. I didn't know what to make of them so I mostly ignored them, but they have cool stories too. Then we can get Haber's Amazons and the other alliances. I can tell you now I am not looking forward to Theodora's private session analysis of 54 Tributes.