131 EIGHTH CLOUD

"I can't wait to see those Callows run," Bellona says, absently picking at the barely edible brick sitting on her plate. "They get more and more pathetic every year."

"Just wait until I get ahold of one of those whelps," Alabaster says, hands clenched into fists. "I'm gonna—" He mimes a violent wrenching moment, nearly elbowing Ruby in the chest.

"Save it for the bloodbath," Ruby scolds, but there's no vitriol to her tone.

"I'll be right back." Almost before he finishes speaking, Miles shoots to his feet, leaving his uneaten lunch at the table, and makes a beeline for the dining room exit.

Bellona scoffs and pushes back her chair. "Idiot. I'll go get him." She follows after Miles, nearly bowling over a hapless Callow on the way.

What is wrong with this guy? This must be about more than just pre-Games nerves. Curiosity getting the best of him, Finnick pushes back his plate and announces, "I'm going to use the restroom."