Finally it was Blaine's turn to go through the obstacle course. He demonstrated a reasonable proficiency with various weapons and was actually pretty handy with a short sword considering he'd only picked one up for the first time last week. Like Kurt, Blaine was quick and agile, but he used it to his advantage while engaged in a fight rather than to avoid one. He was also smart. Blaine had sharp instincts that helped him gain the upper hand against larger, stronger enemies. He would use their size and momentum against them or tire them out by dodging blows until he could make a killing move. And he used the changing terrain to his advantage and let his enemies come to him where he could fight on his terms. Blaine didn't demonstrate any unusual or hidden skill sets, but he was pretty sure he was at least keeping the Gamemakers interested. He hoped so anyway. A low score could negate all the work he had put into impressing the sponsors.

In the final stage of the simulation, Blaine watched as what was clearly a holographic version of Kurt quickly climbed a large tree ahead of him. As he looked around, Blaine noticed that another tribute had seen where Kurt disappeared to. The enemy tribute was huge and from the look of it was loaded with an assortment of weapons, including a bow and arrow. As he approached the tree, Blaine saw the enemy pull back on the bow string, ready to shoot into Kurt's hiding place. But Blaine was already one step ahead of the Gamemakers.

He had guessed that they would try to test his promise to protect Kurt against his own instinct for self-preservation. His choice right now was to walk away from a dangerous fight, or intervene to save Kurt knowing he wouldn't win. Blaine almost laughed at simplicity of the Gamemakers' ploy. Instead he did exactly what he knew he'd do in the arena. He charged full speed at the other tribute before he could fire his bow. Blaine managed to knock the simulated enemy to the ground and get a few decent hits in, but he knew that he'd used up the only momentum he was going to get in this fight. The other tribute turned with a knife in his hand and attacked with ferocity. Blaine fell to the ground hard. The simulation ended as Blaine sat up with a smile on his face, working to catch his breath. The Gamemakers observed Blaine with a look of curiosity as they waved him toward the door.

That evening they all gathered around the television in their living quarters to watch the presentation of scores for each tribute. Kurt and Blaine finally emerged from Blaine's bedroom for the first time since they came back from their sessions with the Gamemakers. Burt had checked on them a few times and found them asleep, arms wrapped around each other. They looked comfortable and peaceful, so he figured he'd let them rest until the scores were announced. He knew firsthand that there was rarely an opportunity to rest during the Games. He tried to block the thought that for one or both of them this could be one of the last chances they have to sleep securely and free of nightmares. As they waited for their scores, Kurt and Blaine tried to summarize their course simulations for Burt and Sue. Kurt choked back tears when he told them about seeing a holograph of Blaine's dead body. Burt assured him that he was right in what they were trying to determine. It was interesting that the Gamemakers had chosen to use an almost identical end sequence in order to assess each boy. Burt wondered how that would affect their scores.

As usual, the tributes from 1 and 2 scored high, each earning a 9 or 10. The boy from 4, Sebastian, also scored a 9. Most of the rest of the tributes seemed to have earned in the 5-8 range. The small blonde girl from District 9 that Kurt thought might have some kind of disability scored the lowest. She only earned a 4. Which all but guaranteed that no sponsors would be considering her. It made him sad, but he knew he couldn't afford to be emotionally attached to anyone else. When the announcer showed Kurt's score they were all shocked and impressed. Somehow he had earned a 10. That put him on par with the career tributes. Kurt knew he had been the fastest in getting through the course, but he felt that the final stage where he watched Blaine's holograph die was the biggest factor leading to his high score. Blaine surprised them all again when he pulled an 11. He had officially earned the highest score out of this year's tributes. Blaine wondered if it was based entirely on his course completion or if his Capitol pedigree contributed to his high score.

Burt and Sue congratulated the boys, but Burt knew that it was a double edged sword. Scoring as high as the career tributes meant they would definitely be considered by sponsors. Especially when you add their scores to the popularity they had already gained. Unfortunately it also made them look like a threat to their competitors and added a target to their backs in the arena.