Nice job! It didn't seem like the Hunger Games to me. Reading about the start of their relationship is interesting. Great job so far! Little Akiva is so cute! And so we see the beginnings of Liraz's indomitable spirit! Great job so far!

You're right, Liraz is awesome. This is a very fitting scene of how the three might have met - the book says they knew each other since they were babies, but it's interesting to imagine them making a conscious choice to become allies.