Over and Over: The 32nd Hunger Games SYOT

Chapter 16

Jay Dallas POV

It was only natural to react the way I did at the Reaping, but I couldn't afford it anymore. I couldn't win the Games by crying or panicking, and losing meant death. Mars talked to me about what it took to win the Games. I could tell he didn't want to tell me the things he'd done to live, but I could guess what they were. I was prepared to do the same, but in my case, there were some differences in strategy. I was much more social than Mars, and I intended to find some allies. As in everything else, I had to be calculating and exacting. There was no room for weakness in my alliance, no matter how cold it was. Only the strongest would help me survive.

I wasn't opposed to girl allies, but one of my criteria was strength, and that was just greater among most boys. My first target was the boy from Seven. The Seven Tributes were usually strong from their work, and most of them were skilled in using axes. I almost bumped into the boy as I opened the door to the Seven car. We both stumbled back a step.

"Oops, excuse me," I said. "I'm Jay, from Eleven."

"I'm Allen," the boy said. I pressed against the wall to let him pass, but I followed him as he went wherever he was going.

"Are you interested in allies, or are you going alone?" I asked. Usually I'd be less blunt, but there was no time for small talk here. The boy stopped walking.

"Why, are you interested?" he asked.

"I'd like to get some of the stronger Tributes together, and you're from Seven and all," I said. It wasn't flattery so much as an honest assessment, and I hoped he'd appreciate it.

"What makes you one of the stronger ones?" he asked with a small smile.

"I suppose that's fair," I said with a matching smile. "I'm used to finding my own food, and I can hold my own in a fistfight. Is that enough?" Allen considered for a minute, then answered.

"We need to sleep sometime. It's better to have someone at your back. You got a deal," he said. Perfect.

Castiel Wickham POV

There wasn't anything my mentor could teach me. I remembered a bit of her Games from when I was eight, and if I had any questions about wilderness survival I'd ask, but for the most part I was better off gleaning information from the other Victors and learning from the instructors. Unfortunately, I had to deal with the stylists first, and listening to them would actually make me dumber. They were just so many baubles, and I ignored them as they primped me.

I was ready for the Parade long before all the preparations were in order. I waited backstage with all the rest of the Tributes. We were dressed in outfits of various absurdity. In a move that surprised no one, the stylists had put me in a brown leather suit with a cow horn hat. I looked around at the other Tributes to see which ones could be useful. One stuck out from the beginning. He was tall and muscular, and he seemed to be looking back at me. He made the first move and walked up to me.

"Hey. I'm Jay. This is kind of forward, but are you looking for allies? Allen- the boy from Seven- and I are looking for strong partners," he said. The idea of an alliance seemed off-putting, since I wasn't overly friendly and didn't care what happened to the other Tributes. However, Jay looked like a formidable opponent, and he would be better with me than against me. If it got to be too much, alliances didn't last forever.

"I can see why you came to me then," I said. "You got yourself an ally." This could be good for me. Maybe I'd even try to help them before the going got really rough. They could use it.

Barley Sturridge POV

Some of the costumes looked really neat, but they didn't excite me as much as I'd expected. The Tributes from One and Two kept looking at me like they wished we were alone, and I was beginning to understand why my parents didn't want me to see all of the Games. I couldn't understand why anyone would want this, and I trembled when I thought of what was to come.

It was almost time for the parade to start when a skinny girl came up to me. Most girls were a head shorter than me, but she came up to my nose. She looked focused, like I was an errand she had to run.

"You're Barley, right? I'm Sky," she said. "I have a proposition for you." I wasn't used to girls so much older than me talking to me. She seemed like my teacher, not my peer.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I volunteered for this, and I have a plan. I'm going to build a bomb, but I can't do that unless I have a partner to stay with me through the Bloodbath. You're young, but you're big. If we stick together, the Careers might leave us alone long enough for me to get started. I'll take care of the rest," she said.

"You want me to be your ally? I'm only thirteen," I said. She shook her head.

"I don't care. I just need an ally. Are you in or not?" she asked. I couldn't believe my luck. I loved talking and being with other people, and here was a girl who actually wanted me to do that. She didn't have to ask me again.

"I'm with you to the end," I said. I wasn't entirely sure what that meant, and I hoped it wasn't what I was beginning to fear.

Sky Levings POV

I had my bodyguard, and that was reassuring. It wasn't as cold as all that, either. I would help Barley as long as I could. He seemed like a really nice boy. It was too bad he had to be here. It would be easier if all my opponents were terrible people I wouldn't feel bad killing.

Barley stuck with me as we waited for the parade to finally begin. He talked about what Nine was like and about his brother Sorghum and things like that. I appreciated how social he was, since he balanced me out. I liked to listen and he liked to talk. It was like having a chatty little brother.

As Barley talked, I kept one eye on the other Tributes. The tall boys from Ten and Eleven were talking. I edged closer and listened in. The boy from Eleven- Jay- said he and "Allen" were looking for partners. The conversation continued until the boy from Ten agreed to join them. After that, I broke in.

"I couldn't help but overhear you two," I said. "Got room for two more allies?" The boy from Ten looked me and Barley over and stifled a laugh.

"What, you two? Sorry, we're not looking for mascots," he said. I straightened up and stood on my toes to look him in the eye.

"I wasn't aware you were the leader," I said. I turned pointedly away from him toward Jay.

"I wouldn't have volunteered if I didn't think I could win. I have skills I'm sure none of you considered," I said. Jay tilted his head, and I went on.

"I'm not denying both of you could take me in a fight. Thing is, I could kill you before you get to me," I said. "If you want to find out how, you'll let me and Barley into your alliance. If you don't, well, you'll find out anyway," I said.

"Shoot, guess we better not risk it," Jay said to the other boy with half-feigned alarm. He smiled at me as he shook my hand. "You're in." I took his hand and held mine out to the other boy.

"I'm Sky," I said.

"Castiel," he replied. It was a less than warm welcome, but I didn't care. I didn't need friends. I needed allies.

I called this alliance The Elite even though they aren't necessarily the strongest Tributes. That would probably be the Careers, but Jay insists on only letting the strongest, or elite, into the group, so that's the name until one of the submitters in the alliance gives me a different one.

UPDATE: The Fantastic Five has been suggested.