Training was just another distraction, an extra less in false hope. If anyone believed that two weeks in the Capitol would win them the games, they were crazy. There was a reason that Districts 1 and 2 had the most Victors year after year, and it was because those tributes were born for it and had prepared from a young age. Prim was under no illusion that being able to do twenty push-ups would keep her alive any longer. She didn't mean to be so pessimistic about it, and Gale made it a little easier to see a bright side, but the blonde girl still wasn't buying any of it. Regardless, she had to try and she wanted to at least make some kind of impression on the Gamemakers for being more than just Katniss Everdeen's little sister. 

As Prim began to do a few reps, she noticed a small crowd had gathered across the room. In the center of it all was Katniss and Johanna and Prim was surprised to see that they were sparring. After Johanna's stunt in the elevator the night before, Prim hadn't thought that Katniss would want to go anywhere near the other female Victor, but maybe that was the point. She hadn't been around Katniss all day and she didn't know whether this fight was spur of the moment or if something had sparked it. She would have to ask her sister later, probably before or after dinner when they could have some time alone together. Prim just hoped that Katniss would win the fight.

“I'm fine,” Prim said to Gale who was now behind her, although she was thankful for the help. She did a few more reps with a semi-heavy weight in each hand. “I saw you with the sword earlier,” she mentioned, as she kept her form with each bicep curl. “You were doing really well.” And there was something oddly alluring about Gale with a sword, not the thought of him killing someone, but just the knowledge that he could handle it. Although Prim was certain that Gale could have picked up any weapon in the arena and done well with it. 

Among those who has gathered in the crowd, Haymitch had also stopped training to watch the match between Katniss and Johanna. He had known the District 7 Victor for quite some time and remembered her games very clearly. Her mentor had been terrible and hadn't taught her a damn thing but before anyone knew it, Johanna had dropped the frail, weak, girl act and had turned into a vicious champion. He knew that she had only done what the rest of them had—the things that were necessary to survive, but there was a definite mean streak to her and it was something that Haymitch knew Katniss could handle. When their sparring match ended, he hoped the two would walk away with some new insight about one another and a little bit of mutual respect.

“Please!” Johanna laughed, hands up as she protected her face after regaining her balance. “You love all the attention, but what are you going to do when you end up getting your sister killed?” she asked, throwing another punch toward Katniss's face. “She's here because of you. We all are.” It didn't matter that Haymitch had defended Katniss earlier, Johanna was angry and she had to come back because Katniss hadn't died when she was supposed to. The comments about her sister were just extra, something else to get under the younger girl's skin.

The Peacekeepers were watching and other tributes had stopped what they were doing to watch the fight. They gathered on the sidelines and shouted out various encouragements toward either Johanna or Katniss, opinions varied on which girl should take the other one down. Johanna wore a determined look on her face, wanting to release all of her pent-up anger on the Girl On Fire for what she had done. Haymitch maybe have talked of a plan to save all of them, but Johanna knew that it was too good to be true and their lives would soon be over because of the girl in front of her. 

Johanna raised her hand, blocking one of Katniss's punches with her forearm. The blow stung, and she hissed in pain before striking out at the other girl. Her fist came into contact with Katniss's stomach, landing a hard punch in the center of her abdomen. Johanna smirked, smug that she was able to take the girl from 12 down a peg or two.

The sparring match was going to get ugly, Haymitch already saw it happening. Johanna wasn't in it for the practice, she just wanted to hurt Katniss. “Hit her back!” he called out, getting into the spirit of things with the other tributes. Unlike Gale, Haymitch didn't care who knew that he was close with Katniss. It didn't matter if he stayed away or helped her, he was going to be targeted because he was older and the younger tributes thought he would be easy to pick off. He really wanted to see Katniss win this, though. Not only would the others start to take her more seriously, winning could very well ease her worries about going back into the arena. If she could take on someone like Johanna Mason and come out with minimal damage, then there was a high chance that she could win the whole damn thing two years in a row.