The training begins. Swords, spears, traps, hand-to-hand combat. The Career tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4 move with lethal precision. Haymitch watches but doesn’t challenge them. He learns. He takes note of how they move, their weaknesses.

When the session with the Gamemakers arrives, everyone expects him to fail. But Haymitch doesn’t fight with weapons. During his demonstration, he lifts a knife… and throws it directly outside the training area, hitting a target reflected in the energy barrier.

A murmur spreads through the room.

—Interesting —one of the Gamemakers whispers.

That night, when the scores are revealed, his rating is unexpectedly high. Not the best, but enough to attract attention. And in these Games, attention can mean sponsors.

The night before the Arena, Haymitch doesn’t sleep. He watches the Capitol lights from his window, wondering if anyone, in some hidden corner of this city of marble and gold, sees him as anything more than a character in their favorite show.

But he already knows the answer.

At dawn, they are taken to the hovercrafts. In a few hours, they will be in the Arena. And when that happens, everything will boil down to a single truth: kill or be killed.