companion {Elijah & Vallen}

Elijah needs allies. He knows that to survive the arena, he needs people watching his back, yet he still needs to get used to talking to people outside his commune. It's hard to make a good impression when he is preoccupied with thinking about how he comes across to others. He can't help but think about how the actions of his church impact him and vice versa. What do the others think about his church celebrating him like a messiah when Elijah doesn't see himself as one? What do the others feel about Krueger volunteering right before Elijah was called? He knows he needs to at least try, though.

Being in the Training Center is hard, though, balancing making alliances with learning survival tips while trying to put on a good show. That's what the Games are, right? Putting on a good show and showing Panem what it means to be its youth. Though Elijah doesn't believe this is what it meant to be the youth of Panem before the riots. That could be what Ripred teaching is about, trying to get back to how things used to be before Panem became so torn up. Granted, Elijah is unsure if Ripred is nothing more than just faith, and what if faith is not just an empty crutch?

Elijah's hanging out by the plant's station, trying to ensure he doesn't kill himself by accidentally eating a poison berry. While he doesn't remember any deaths by eating poisoned food recently, but still seems like the wrong way to die in the Games. If he has to go down, Elijah wants to go down fighting for something he believes in, even if he's unsure what that is anymore. He sits there, twirling a blackberry between his fingers, letting the ridges of the fruit stimulate his thinking process as he tries to avoid spiraling back into his crisis of faith when a voice breaks this train through him.

"Hi, I'm Vallen."

Elijah turns to see one of the boys from District Three behind him, who honestly doesn't look that much different from Elijah. His features are more square than Elijah's own. Elijah feels a kinship with this person for some reason. He's not sure why, but Elijah feels safe around Vallen, and honestly, he's grateful that a potential ally came to him first.

"Hi Vallen, I'm Elijah. It's nice to meet you. How have you been finding the Training Center?"