[IC] Beyond a Fire's Embers

[Genkai]

The events still haunted her, she could still remember the faces and names of all the other tributes who died so that she and Peeta were the ones left standing. After every nightmare that felt too real, she always wished she had been one of the casualties. Dying to her, seemed better than living with scars and fears that would never go away. No amount of primping could make Katniss felt like a regular person again. She had killed people, people had tried to kill her. And for what? A whole bunch of hallow prizes that meant absolutely nothing. It had to stop. It all had to stop. No one else should ever have the burden of being called a Victor. Haymitch said he'd been there, explained how he had dreams about Maysilee, how it felt so real.

He reached out for her and tucked some hair behind her ear.

Even in the dark, she could still detect that Haymitch Abernathy was trying to help. Katniss shook her head slightly, refusing to talk until she knew she wouldn't sound like a six year old. She knew what he had to say probably wouldn't help her. It was still comforting to have someone who knew what the fear and regret could do to someone in the dark. Getting blackout drunk would be something she wouldn't mind doing, even though she insisted he stay sober, that didn't mean she had to right? There was one revolving thought spinning around and around in her head though, that she didn't want to be alone. Even the stubborn ex-mentor could provide her with some solace, his company. She reached out for the hand he'd just used to brush against her skin. "Haymitch..." It was slightly humiliating to ask him such a thing but she knew given her circumstances, her ego had to be set aside.

Katniss just hoped he wouldn't hold this over her head when daylight finally came. "Please don't go." She asked quietly. She didn't want him to go in Peeta's place, or into the Games, or to die, she just wanted to keep him safe; he didn't deserve to go in again. And now he was stuck in a real nightmare because of her. She could feel fresh tears collecting rapidly in the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry." She said again and leaned against the back of the bed. Haymitch shouldn't be in the position that he was. "I'm gonna be so mad if there's a blizzard in the arena, we just got done with all of the snow." She commented, trying to find a way to get her mind off of the darkness. "At least you could hide in the snow as a snowman and then just sneak up on people." She joked slightly. "I wish I didn't have to kill anyone." She then said more quietly. As good as she was at it, it was something she hated doing.

When Primrose moved to give him room, he took the silent invitation and moved to sit beside her in bed. It was more warm and honestly, more comfortable. He waited until Prim got situated in bed before he moved an arm around her. He was still sitting more than he was laying but he was fine with it. The pillows were pretty comfortable. Well, everything around him was comfortable. He didn't think of it as the Capital being nice though, he thought this was yet another ploy for them to get under everyone's skin, to show them what they couldn't have because it would be taken from them in nearly two weeks time. Gale glanced to Prim and she began to fiddle with the remote. He smiled a bit and looked from it to her, as it seemed like she hadn't played around with the room's interesting tricks yet. That was alright, the forest may provide her some comfort. Or so he hoped anyway.

"I have mine set to that too." He said to her softly.

The girl looked to him before she settled back down in bed. Gale knew he was trying to comfort her but she didn't have to. Skill wise, he knew he would be fine and great and everything else. They had other people to worry about though, other past victors. Even Katniss had struggled in the arena so no one was truly safe from anything. That didn't really bother Gale though, he was more worried about those around him. For now though, he wanted to help Prim prepare for whatever the next few days brought them. He was sure he'd die and he could accept that. He just prayed that his family was left unharmed, that when Katniss and Prim got out alive, they'd look after his family. He swallowed slightly and rubbed her shoulder a little, still trying to find the right words to say in their situation. "Everyone back home is going to be cheering for us all to come back safely." Though that was impossible, Gale was already trying to come up with some plan, and hopefully Peeta and Haymitch were too.

"And we will." He told her softly. "And when we get back, you can spend all day with Buttercup and I'll come over with my siblings and we'll have a big dinner together. Katniss will have killed some deer and it'll be great..." He said as he pictured it. The summer leaves and warmth would be comforting and everyone in the district would be a bit happier without anymore cold raining down on them. "We'll trade with Peacekeepers and go on long walks without looking over our shoulder." Gale continued. "And hey, you'll probably have some lucky guy on your arm cause after kicking ass in the arena, you'll turn a few heads." He smirked a little but then it faltered. "Not that you don't already...I mean...er." Now his own heart was starting to beat a little faster at the notion of her with some kid. Whoever she dated, he'd want to meet and approve first. Prim was really important to him and he couldn't let anyone date her. "I mean, you've got a lot to look forward to." He knew she was probably thinking about dying soon in the Games but he would never let that happen, she had to believe that.

[mmidnight]

Although there were a handful of things that Haymitch would never let Katniss live down, this wasn't one of them. He thought she had made a lot of stupid decisions during their short time as friends, but these nightmares were something that she couldn't help and Haymitch didn't need to make her feel worse about them. He knew first hand what it was like to feel that helpless, to wake up in the middle of the night, screaming and confused about what was real and what had been imagined through the depths of psychological scars that would never be healed. She was too young for this, just as he had been too young at the time and he was sure that every other Victor felt the same way. Winning the Games was just as horrible as dying in them, and really, that was the whole point. Even the strongest in Panem weren't above the will of the Capitol.

When Katniss asked him to stay, Haymitch was conflicted and a little confused. He wasn't sure if she wanted him to stay with her, or not go into the Games for Peeta. One of those things couldn't be helped, and the blonde Victor assumed she meant the former. That was where the trouble started because not only was it wildly inappropriate considering his feelings, but it would be easy for anyone to think that he was taking advantage of a vulnerable situation. At the same time, refusing and leaving her side might trigger another nightmare for Katniss and it guaranteed a sleepless night for him. They needed to be ready for training, and part of that was getting more than a few hours of sleep.

Silently, he agreed to stay and shifted around to get comfortable next to Katniss. He didn't dare put his arm around her, but he reached out and gently set his hand on top of hers. It was astonishingly easy to relax when it was just the two of them, and already Katniss was joking. “They won't make that mistake again,” he chuckled. “Maybe you weren't old enough, but there was one year where the arena was nothing but a blizzard and they didn't think to put anything but rocks in there with them. Everyone pretty much froze to death.” It had been the most boring Games to date. Katniss was still on edge though, and Haymitch listened to her concerns.

“No one wants to kill anyone,” he explained, “but if you won't, someone else will.” And if no one did, if they all refused, the Capitol would find some way to kill them anyway.

The hologram on the wall across from them looked so real and Prim was slightly tempted to get up and run toward it. It looked so much like home, the way the trees moved with the wind, and the small animals that scurried intermittently across the forest floor. The design must have been on purpose, just another way to mess with them; a quiet reminder that they would never see any of this again. Regardless, she left it on when Gale mentioned his was set to the same thing and if it was a source of comfort for him, Prim didn't want to change that. Instead, she settled down against Gale's side with her head resting on the upper part of his chest.

How Gale managed to remain so hopeful was a mystery, but as he talked, Prim actually started to believe that his pretty words could one day be a reality. In the pit of her stomach, she knew that District 12 had already accepted the loss of four people, they knew they would have no champion to celebrate. Prim didn't think that Gale was naive for wishing for a summer without fear, when they could do what they wanted without the Games constantly looming over everything, but to actually believe it could be true seemed crazy. President Snow wasn't going to let there be more than one winner—not again. The system that kept the people oppressed was fragile, and Prim didn't think for a second that the Capitol officials wouldn't do anything in their power to stop it from falling apart.

At the mention of boys, however, Prim forgot about disagreeing with Gale. She was laughing, actually laughing for the first time since the morning of the Reaping. “What?” she asked, grinning as she looked up at him. Never mind that he was the one she wanted to be with, but she didn't exactly have guys waiting in line for a date with her. In fact, Prim was convinced that hardly anyone saw her standing there in Katniss's shadow. No one wanted the quiet girl when the fearless one was so much more alluring. “That's crazy. You don't know what you're talking about,” she laughed again.

“If anyone's going to get a date when this is over, it's going to be you,” she went on, positive that Gale knew how all of the girls back home talked about him. “Everyone loves a winner, right? And you're so tall and strong and...” Attractive. Prim cut herself off, not wanting to look stupid and ruin the moment. “You'll probably have to go into hiding; change your name to get away from all the girls,” she teased.

[Genkai]

He didn't need to stay, even though she really wanted him to. In her chaotic emotional tangents of worry, she knew this situation of closeness was not one Haymitch advocated for. She also knew he had seen loved ones die, strangers and even enemies. It made her consider that deep down, he also needed some comfort. That her heart wasn't the only one tattered and bruised. Had he left her side and gone back to his room, she would have been upset, closer to sad than angry but she would have accepted the line drawn between the two of them. That Haymitch was content to die alone like Katniss. Instead his silence turned into acceptance of staying with her in the dark. At least neither of them would be too lonely now.

Moving over a bit to give him some room, her arm brushed against his and that was when she registered the fact that he was shirtless. If it hadn't been for her protectiveness, she wouldn't have cared but for some reason, it unsettled her even more and she found herself more nervous than relaxed. She began to get second thoughts about asking him to stay. Still, if she changed her mind, she'd hate herself. He moved and put his hand on top of hers. She closed her eyes and began to fit everything together. Why she was happier around him, why she wanted to keep him safe, why she felt more secure around him, and why he made her so confused and anxious. Katniss hadn't ever been in love before. When she had to pretend to love Peeta, she didn't understand what she was trying to prove but now she was pretty sure whatever she was feeling was love.

And she was royally fucked.

Katniss hadn't heard what he said until his chuckle reached her ears. "What?" She glanced to him. Her lips moved into a small smile, "Those must have been really boring for everyone." She commented wryly and moved a bit under the bed so she could get more comfortable. In her head, she tried to rationalize that she wasn't in love with the world's biggest grump, that someone like her couldn't be loved or love someone properly in return; that she couldn't even distinguish what love even was outside of how she felt towards her sister. That made her rather sad as she glanced off. She didn't just want to not kill anyone, she didn't want anymore deaths period. "Thanks for staying." She found herself saying, rather than making some lousy joke. "I don't think Effie would be as...good as you." Katniss laid on her back and glanced to Haymitch, seeing him more as a person than a mentor.

He didn't want Prim to lose hope.

When you lose hope, you're already dead. Gale had learned to reign in his thoughts when hunting. Sure, he'd have days where he felt like catching anything, even a squirrel or bird. And he's start to doubt his luck and Katniss would be by his side, reminding him of his family and how happy they would be to have a hot meal. That was before the Games had hit them, before Gale had looked beyond Katniss to see other possible trails of happiness. Then Prim laughed and he felt even more happy, more glad he had volunteered if he could make her smile and relax a little. "I'm serious." He insisted, not sure why she didn't think guys would find her attractive. And everyone in the Capital already loved her for her, not just because she was Katniss' sister.

"No, you don't know what you're talking about." Gale grinned at her as he fidgeted to get more comfortable. Primrose then said that if anyone was going to snag a date when it was all over, that would be him. He shook his head, not sure he wanted to date anyone. Then she continued to compliment him and for the first time in a while, the normally stoic collected man felt himself blushing a little at her praise. It was better coming from Prim, than Katniss who just focused on his strengths in the arena at dinner. He cleared his throat and looked off, not wanting to get caught in those eyes of hers. He'd be a goner then. "If I went into hiding, I'd have to take you with me or I'd get pretty lonely." He said before thinking. Now he felt really stupid for just blurting that out. It sounded so lame and not at all like him.

Gale licked his lips and looked back to Prim, "We should get some sleep, dream about home." He said, easing the subject away from romance. He was feeling a lot better since he was able to speak to Prim and ensure that she was feeling better. If she was feeling good, he was feeling good. His eyes moved toward the forest scene before he closed them and got more comfortable, his arm still around Prim but his hand staying on her shoulder. Part of him wondered if Katniss had a sixth sense and knew he was in a very interesting position with her sister. He didn't have a shirt on nor did she have pants, from what he could tell. They had a big day tomorrow. "Good night Prim." He leaned over and kissed her head and pulled the covers around them, making sure they were both comfortable.

[mmidnight]

None of the Hunger Games had ever been entertaining, but Haymitch clearly remembered the year that everyone had froze to death. In a way, the slow and agonizingly cold deaths had been a turning point toward more brutality and a hunger from the Capitol citizens to be more entertained than they were the year before. Even if Katniss had died the way she was supposed to and not made President Snow and the Gamemakers look like fools, Haymitch suspected that this Quarter Quell would have still be shockingly cruel. Doubling the number of tributes had been unheard of before the first one, but the outrage over that hadn't changed a single thing. They had a chance now, a way to make things better and Haymitch wanted to help Katniss accomplish that any way she could.

For now, though, when it was just the two of them, it was easy for him to look at her as just a person. Katniss seemed so small when he was next to her, frail and confused about where to go from there and it was hard for Haymitch to think that a revolution was sitting on her shoulders. He just had to come with a viable plan, a way to help her that was simple enough to work. If he could just talk to Peeta about, or get to a few of the other tributes during training, something would come together. Looking at Katniss, though, Haymitch felt his heart ache with the thought of letting her down, of letting her die.

She would be Maysilee all over again if he failed to act.

“You don't have to thank me,” Haymitch said, shaking his head. Although he knew that he wouldn't have stayed this close for just anyone, and maybe Katniss knew that. The air had suddenly gotten serious again and he didn't know if there was a way to lighten it. He was getting tired and moved down beside her on his back, eyes fixed on the ceiling. “Effie would have just braided your hair and told you you're too pretty for nightmares,” or at least, that's what he assumed. Katniss was too pretty for that, though and Effie would have been right. “Who knows, it might've helped.”

Unfortunately, Prim did know what she was talking about. She wouldn't have expected Gale to understand what it was like being overlooked when he had always stood out on his own. He was just like Katniss in that respect, always talked about and always useful. Prim had never held hands with a boy until just a few hours earlier, and she had never been asked out on a date or even considered by anyone back home. Some days, it was like she was invisible and that was part of the reason she liked Gale so much. He was someone who finally saw her and wanted to stick around. It was bittersweet that none of it really mattered and even if Gale did feel something for her, she would be dead in a few weeks time. Sometimes, life was incredibly unfair.

“I'd go with you,” Prim said, butterflies in her stomach over his words. “Someone has to clean the cave, right? I've seen the way you just leave your stuff everywhere.” Again, that was something he and Katniss had in common and even after they had moved into the Victor's Village, Katniss had still found a way to leave her hunting gear all over the house.

When Gale suggested that they go to sleep, Prim thought she had done or said something wrong, but she didn't want to dwell on it. If Gale was going to stay with her, Prim didn't think that he was upset. The blonde relaxed more and yawned as her eyes started to feel heavy once more. “Sweet dreams,” she whispered to Gale and laid her head back down on his chest where the soft beating of his heart lulled her to sleep. During the night, she would stay close to him, legs tangled with his as she slept peacefully for the first time since leaving home.

The night had flown by in what felt like seconds when a ray of sun began to shine directly in Haymitch's face. The beam was coming through the window and as the former Victor turned tribute began to wake up, he quickly realized that he wasn't in his own room. He had slept so soundly that he forgot about falling asleep with Katniss, the much younger girl who was currently wrapped around him. Her dark hair was fanned out over her shoulder, and she wore an expression that looked completely serene and undisturbed. It was strange to think that just a few hours before she had been screaming, calling out in her sleep with tears streaming down her face and now, she was perfectly normal. Haymitch smiled softly as he looked at her, just happy that she had found some temporary peace.

After Haymitch was fully awake, he knew that he had to leave. He was still conflicted from the night before and didn't want anyone, especially Effie or Peeta to catch him in Katniss's bed. The situation has the unfortunate potential to look really horrible, and Haymitch didn't need any extra drama in his life when he was already worried about how and when he was going to die. Slowly, he moved away from Katniss, making sure not to wake her as he got out of bed. He covered her back up, hoping to let her sleep a little more before a long day of training began.

As Haymitch began to leave the room, Katniss's door slid open and he was face to face with an Avox. Even though they lacked a tongue and were unable to speak, their eyes were often very insightful and the look on his this one's face only confirmed Haymitch's worst fear. He knew what the Avox girl thought, and while he wanted to explain that nothing had happened, that he hadn't taken advantage of anyone and that he had only wanted to make sure Katniss was okay, there really was no use. Angrily, he stepped past the girl in the doorway and crossed the hall back to his own room. Training would start soon and Haymitch had wanted to have a clear head going back into it, but that wasn't going to happen. When it came to surviving, anxiety was a dangerous thing.

Once he was back in his room, Haymitch saw a Capitol issued training outfit laid out on his freshly made bed. The attire was mostly back with red and silver accents on the sides, but the detail that stuck out the most was the district number on the back. It closely resembled a target and he thought that was morbidly appropriate considering the competition. Breathing a sigh, the blond man tossed the clothes aside and went for a quick shower, hoping that the hot water would wash off the shame he felt for staying with Katniss.

After getting dressed, Haymitch walked out into the dining room where Effie and Peeta already were. “Where is everyone?” he asked, taking a seat at the table. Breakfast had already been laid out, but Haymitch started with a glass of juice. He wished it had something a little extra to calm his nerves.

“Getting up,” Effie answered brightly. “I've sent the servants to wake them.”

Haymitch didn't want to see that same Avox and he was worried that Katniss was going to hate him for staying, even though she had asked him to. He wished he could go back to the year before, when Katniss had just been another angry tribute, and he could still have a drink to cope with whatever was bothering him. Back then, the most he had to worry about was how soon his tributes were going to die, and the nightmares that came with the inevitability of facing their families. Presently, this was a little too much.

[Genkai]

A smile was pressed against her lips at Haymitch’s comment about what Effie might do to try and take her mind away from the edge of madness. When she drifted back into dreamland, she found it very warm and inviting. Usually if she didn’t have terrible nightmares, she would dream of nothing and come out alright, but still not generally rested. This time however, she didn’t dream of darkness or nothingness, but instead had actual good dreams. Katniss had forgotten that when she closed her eyes, blood and horror didn’t have to be the first things to greet her. Instead she dreamed of home and that she was trampling around a meadow with Prim and Gale. They were all happy and soon came to a picnic where she saw Effie, CInne and Haymitch. It was a bit of a doofy kind of situation but it was one that comforted her nonetheless.

The next couple of hours were spent having wonderful adventures with her family and friends and that by the time the sun had risen, she had already gotten used to sharing the bed with Haymitch. She had an arm around him with the one closer to her curled against her chest as her head had rested against him, not at all minding his lack of a shirt at the moment. He was warm and his steady heartbeat was reassuring her, keeping her grounded while resting well. The female hadn’t noticed him removing himself from the tricky situation and tuck her back in. Katniss, at the moment, was dead to the world, feeling cozy and comfortable. About ten minutes passed and she shifted, noticing something was missing. She opened her eyes and stretched out, in an oddly pleasant mood. Katniss sat up and glanced around, something smelled different.

Maybe it was her tracking but she could tell something wasn’t right.

She then remembered Haymitch had paid her a visit and helped her relax. She then remembered she asked him to stay and that he was shirtless and then her relaxation bubble popped, leaving her with an uncomfortable feeling. She quickly got out of bed and took a shower, trying to figure out what to do. What could she say to Haymitch? She felt mortified that she had asked him to stay like some helpless child and then another hard realization smacked her in the face. She looked down at her hand and remembered how she felt when he touched it. Katniss would have tripped in the shower and let out a loud stream of profanities if it weren’t for her remembering that she wasn’t alone and that she could smell breakfast. Getting out and dried off, she got dressed in the typical training uniform that had their district’s number on the shoulder. She then hurried out down the large hall and found herself in the living room, looking up to see Haymitch. An avox was behind her, it seemed she ran right past her. “M-morning.” She just said and slowly headed up to the table and deliberately sat on the other side, diagonal of Haymitch as it seemed the furthest she could get.

“Oh good morning Katniss, did you sleep well? Ready for today I hope?”

Katniss looked up from her plate of food which she hadn’t touched. “Wha-uh I did, s-sleep well.” She replied. It was true though, Katniss had a pretty good night’s sleep and she wondered if Haymitch did too. If he got a terrible night’s sleep because of her stupidity and cowardice, she’d want to kick herself. Katniss started to eat and Effie began to talk with Peeta about the plan for the day. Back in Prim’s room, Gale was still oblivious that someone was being sent to their rooms. He was also forgetting one important detail which was that he wasn’t even in his own room anymore. He was in Primrose Everdeen’s. And that would make him and her look pretty bad if anyone found out. And of course Katniss would be livid that it happened and Gale certainly didn’t want to start the day off with Katniss throwing knives at his head. While they were best friends, he was pretty damn certain that she wouldn’t take it lightly that he was falling in love with her sister.

The boy woke up, having actually dreamed of him and Prim together in a cave, he’d come back with some stuff he killed and she’d help him cook and it was really funny in a sense but it still brought him to a place of contentment and dare he suggest, joy.He woke up feeling very rested and hear the door open to reveal an avox standing there. He then quickly looked to Prim who had attached herself snugly to him. He was still on his back and attempting to pry her off of him. He wouldn’t in such a silent hurry had it not been for the eyes on him. Finally he got up and looked back to see the avox had left, thank god. He looked back to Prim, feeling sad that he had to just leave her but he knew it was time for the dark reality to set back into its place. He put the covers around her but then knew they needed to actually go and meet up with the others. He leaned over and shook her slightly. “Hey Prim, hey wake up.” He said softly and resisted the urge to ruffle her blond wavy hair.

He couldn’t do that, as much as he wanted to.

He shouldn’t.

“It’s morning, we have to get ready.” He told her and when she was waking up, he thought it was best to take his quick leave. It just didn’t feel right leaving her without saying anything. “I hope you slept well.” He smiled and headed out of her room and found his unchanged. He got changed quickly and jogged out to the others to see Katniss’ eyes glued to her plate and he wondered if she had gotten any sleep at all. If he knew she had struggled with nightmares again, he would have taken Haymitch’s place or suggest Katniss bunk with Prim but part of him considered that asking Katniss to keep comforting Prim might be asking a lot from the older sister. He knew she would want to be around for Prim but Gale knew that she was already dealing with a lot. The avox he saw earlier was behind the table, filling up glasses of orange juice and coffee for those who wanted it.

“Morning.” Gale smiled and jogged up and sat next to Haymitch and began to serve himself. He got some fried eggs, some toast, fruit, and even a pastry since he thought he could indulge a little. Gale was in a pretty good mood and though there was a lot to do during training, he wasn’t daunted in the least bit. He took a bit of toast and glanced to Haymitch, not sure why the older man was in a bit of a mood. He hoped he and Katniss hadn’t had another fight again. “You two okay?” Gale spoke up as he took a sip of orange juice. “You two didn’t have another fight did you? I guess it’s better to get it all out now than where everyone can see us.” He considered before he felt a toe hit him in the shin. “Ow, Katniss!”

“We didn’t fight, just drop it.” Katniss said.

Not feeling very happy anymore, Gale kicked her right back under the table. He made sure to ask her again later to see if he could help. Soon Prim cam out looking good. He straightened up in his seat and watched her make her way up and sit beside her sister. “Hey Prim.” He said and pushed a tray of pastries toward her. “These are great.” He told her. Peeta then began to talk about the training and how they needed to make friends and take thing slow and work on their shortcomings. Then they’d be able to show off in the next day or two.

“There is a Ball in two days, training will be cut short.” Peeta said.

“A Ball? Like a dance? We don’t have to get dates do we?” Katniss spoke up, wondering if she had to be sizing up competitors who might be able to do the waltz or salsa. The only reason she knew about dancing and whatnot was because of Effie and CInna. Sure, their school back home had an occasional dance but no one had really ever asked her and she didn’t see it changing.

“No, it’s to celebrate the Quarter Quell, don’t worry about it.” Peeta smiled. “And if you can’t nab a date, there’s always me.”

“Oh that reminds me, your birthday is in five days, Peeta!” Effie exclaimed. “I will be sure to do something extra special for you, it’ll be a wonderful party!” Effie smiled, looking at him down at the other side of the table. Gale looked between them and then at Prim, his mind already going to her at the mention of a dance. He couldn’t find himself able to deny it any longer, he was falling for Prim and he was inevitably going to die which meant he needed to tell her. But if he told her, would it do much good? In his mind, maybe. It could help her find a strong purpose for living, he’d make sure she’d get out alive and live a happy live, even if he didn’t. Then that was the issue, if he left her with a broken heart, he would never be able to forgive himself, dead or not. “For dinner tonight, we will have a great pasta treat, plenty of hearty comforting foods to help you four unwind from a busy day.”

Peeta nodded, “There’s also the hot tub which could relax muscles.” He added though the way he said it, made him feel a bit creepy.

“You look good, little duck, you must have finally gotten a decent night’s rest.” Katniss changed the topic as she played with Prim’s hair. She and her sister both had to do one another’s braids so they could train without their hair getting in the way. Gale looked up at Prim for a moment before he felt the avox’s eyes on him. He suddenly felt weird and fearing Katniss might get upset if Prim said what happened. He wasn’t really guilty or weird about what he did, but he knew it might still seem unwanted in Katniss’ eyes and he didn’t want to trouble her nor Prim.

[mmidnight]

Normally, Katniss was the first person that Haymitch wanted to see, but the sight of her coming into the dining room that morning filled him with dread. When she didn't sit anywhere near him, something she had been doing more and more of in the month leading up to the Reaping, Haymitch knew that he had made a mistake. Last night, he had crossed some kind of sacred, invisible line that separated their professional relationship of mentor and tribute along with being reluctant friends. The worst part of it was that Haymitch had only been trying to help and when he had come into her room the night before, he had every intention of returning to his own. Katniss had needed someone and although Haymitch knew he could have gone and woken up Prim or Gale, she had specifically asked him to stay. If he were being honest, he was a little angry with her because he hardly saw how doing what she asked was wrong.

Although Effie and Peeta were polite enough to say good morning, Haymitch chose to keep quiet. He finished off his glass of orange juice and took a coffee from another Avox, not the one who had caught him coming out of Katniss's room. Now that he was more awake, he opted for breakfast and chose something filling—eggs and bacon with a few slices of toast and jam. That was sure to get him through the first half of the day, although Haymitch didn't plan on going along with what Peeta wanted him to. He had people to talk to and he needed to get a feel or the mindset of some of his friends. If a plan was going to be made, he couldn't waste time on re-learning how to make a fire.

On the other side of the apartment, Prim was still fast asleep and comfortably tucked against Gale's side. While she had never had a hard time sleeping, his presence had eased her fears and relaxed her enough to actually get some much needed rest. She was still sleeping soundly and unaware that the door to her room had opened. It was only when Gale began to move around did Prim start to stir and become more aware of the world around her. Suddenly, her side lacked the same warmth that it had throughout the night and a familiar voice reached her ears. Lazily, she blinked her eyes open and looked up at Gale who was already out of bed and telling her that she needed to get up too. Prim didn't want to, though and simply wished to roll over, pull the covers over her head and forget that these games were now her life.

“You too,” she said as Gale left the room. He was hard to read that morning, and Prim didn't know whether or not he regretted staying with her through the night. His feelings were too much to worry about on top of the anxiety she already felt for training and she attempted to push them from her mind as she rose from her bed. Across the room, an outfit had been nicely laid out and Prim dressed herself quickly. She didn't bother to do anything with her yet, assuming that she and Katniss would help each other with a practical braid. It more than likely wasn't very safe to have long hair in the Hunger Games, but Prim was unwilling to change herself just because someone might get close enough to grab her.

She was the last one to arrive in the dining room and Prim felt a little awkward as she walked in on the tail end of a spat between Katniss and Gale. For the first time that morning, Prim considered how her sister might feel if she knew that Gale had spent the night in her room. Katniss would probably be angry and Prim didn't want to cause unnecessary tension. She thought it best to keep it to herself, to act like nothing had happened and not acknowledge Gale any differently than she ever had. Katniss was obviously dealing with something anyway, and Prim has to guess that it was pre-training jitters.

“Morning,” she smiled at everyone before taking her seat next to Katniss. After taking a glass of orange juice Prim accepted the offered pastry from Gale, but made sure to fill her her plate with something of substance. There was eggs and various fried meats, along with fresh, colorful fruit and even a very tempting dish of yogurt. She ate quietly as Peeta spoke of the ball that Gale had mentioned the night before. She had originally written it off, thinking that it wasn't for tributes, and more for mentors, escorts and any other highly positioned Capitol individual. She didn't understand why they had to go when they would be killed one another in just a few short days, but Prim knew better than to argue. At the very least, she could actually dance. Their mother had taught her years ago and Prim had attempted to teach Katniss once or twice but the older girl had never been into it.

“Shouldn't we be eating healthy?” Haymitch asked, raining on Effie's parade as usual. Carbs weren't exactly something that a tribute needed after a long day of working out and getting into shape. Effie had always tried to mother the tributes, to make them feel better about being away from home, but pasta wasn't going to cut it. He realized that he was being a little more mean than usual, already in a bad mood from his wake up call. That same Avox was still serving them and Haymitch did his best to avoid eye contact.

“You can eat what you like, Haymitch,” Effie snapped back haughtily. “We want to ensure that our tributes are well fed after such a long day and I'm sure they'll be grateful for it.” Because District 12 was starving, of course.

Prim tuned out Haymitch and Effie arguing and paid attention to Katniss. She could tell that something was a little off about her sister, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. When Katniss mentioned her looking well-rested, Prim stiffened slightly. “The beds are really comfortable,” she said, her eyes momentarily flitting toward Gale and then back to her breakfast. She took a bite of melon from the fruit dish in front of her, ensuring that she wouldn't elaborate on her night. “How did you sleep?” Prim asked, thinking that the older girl looked more rested as well in spite of her odd mood.

Effie had let the argument drop at Peeta's urging and Haymitch made the choice to focus his thoughts on training—specifically what everyone else is going to be doing. “Have you given any thought to that sword?” he asked Gale as he pushed his plate away, now done with his breakfast. Choosing a weapon was important, but pestering Gale about it was a wonderful distraction from being angry with Katniss.

[Genkai]

Katniss rested her head on her hand as she kept poking her food, not paying much mind to Effie and Haymitch at this point as they went back to bickering like an old married couple. She had been in quite a good mood but then when she saw Haymitch she got nervous and the comfortable feelings turned into anxiety and doubt. She shouldn't have asked him to stay, it made everything weird between them and it clearly made him uncomfortable. The girl didn't look up until Prim had asked her a direct question. Why was everyone so interested in how she slept? She wanted to stab the table a million times but instead, didn't lash out at her sister since it wasn't her fault. And she was just asking, like any normal concerned person. "I slept well." She muttered under her breath, relieved to have some hair to hide behind as she felt her face blushing a little as she tried to push the night away from her mind.

"Yeah I think I will practice with the sword and get a feel for the weight and maneuvering." Gale replied to Haymitch, his attention pulling from Katniss and Prim toward Katniss' old mentor. "I know you used one for a while," He looked to Peeta who gave him some tips. Peeta hadn't trained much with the sword himself so he advised Gale to do more work with the weapon so he knew how to move and use it with fluid movements. As breakfast began to wind down, everyone got ready to go. Prim and Katniss did each other's hair and Gale headed off to go brush his teeth. He was ready, even if it was now the beginning of the end, he felt ready and knew there would be others like him and Primrose who were new and uneasy. He knew Katniss could worry about returning victors, if Gale took them into consideration right now, his head might explode. He looked to Prim as the four went off to the elevator in the middle of their floor. "We should try and make some friends today, see what we can find out about the other tributes and maybe they'll have inside tips on their returning victors."

When they reached the training grounds, they were shown a massive room with all sorts of technology and weaponry. The group of forty-eight were told to not fight with one another and to take thing easy and that any outbursts would result in a lower score at the end of the seven days of training and that normally they would have four but an extra three were given to the large group of tributes. Soon they were released and allowed to do as they pleased while a group of people watched from the safety of their room which now had a force-field around it, thanks to Katniss' trick last year. Katniss quickly left her group and went over to the wooded area and began to work on some basic skills to get rid of the tension forming in her shoulders. As long as she focused on anything else except Haymitch, she would be fine and whatever feelings she had would go away. Gale decided to stick by Prim for a while but he could tell Haymitch was watching him which caused him to go over and practice with the sword for the rest of the three hours.

As he did practice, he met a boy from District 4 named Yelven who was learning to use a sword as well. The boys took turns trading hits with one another and talked about where they came from. Gale was trying to see what information he could get about Mags and Finnick but at the same time, he was still enjoying Yelven's company. The boy was 14 but seemed pretty mature for his age, he had dark black hair and green eyes. As the afternoon approached, they were told to stop for lunch and Gale helped put away their swords. "Wanna eat together?" He asked Yelven who nodded in agreement. He headed off to see if Prim wanted to join him. He would have asked Katniss too but he couldn't find her anywhere. And while that raised a red flag, he knew the Capital wouldn't let anything happen to her before the Games began. "Hey Prim!" He waved her over as it seemed she was with someone. He had kept an eye on her throughout the morning and was glad to see she was doing alright. Yelven and Gale walked over and he put his hands behind his head. "They mentioned a cafeteria around here or that we can go up to our suites, what do you want to do?"

Having spent the morning talking to Beetee and Wiress about technology, her biggest downfall, Katniss was sure that if they had to rely on allies, that they would be pretty beneficial to her. And in turn, she could protect them since they clearly weren't very skilled with weapons or physical endurance. In her mind, the trade was fair enough. Behind her, she could hear Haymitch having a laugh with some of his old friends which made her even more flustered and a bit jealous that they were getting his attention. She didn't see why he thought now was the best time to socialize, since the Ball would be a good enough time to loosen one's corset, as he'd put it. Katniss quickly left the training room when they were given the green light to do so. She needed o talk to someone because she was bound to explode if she kept everything bottled inside. She found Cinna working on some match ups for her and Prim and when she knocked, he quickly hid them since he wanted them to be a surprise. "Katniss, this is a surprise." he greeted.

"I need to talk to you. Prim and Gale wouldn't understand and I'd spend the whole time trying to convince them I'm not crazy and Peeta would look at me with those eyes of his and I'd just remember how I shouldn't have pretended to be in love with him. And I'd feel even more bad because I-I might be...in love with someone else."

"Really?" Cinna hadn't expected her to blurt out any of that. Crossing over to the other side of his work space, he closed the door and turned back to her. "Now I'm all ears."

"When I'm with him-I just...I feel happy and safe...and I wanna do whatever I can to make him feel happy and safe." Katniss began to ramble. "I don't-I've never felt this way about a person before except Prim but she's my sister and that's different. I mean, when he looks at me, I...I...I can't think about anything else and this all just hit me in the face last night because I was having a nightmare and he came in, shirtless I might add, and I asked him to stay and he did and now I don't know what to do because I feel like he'll never take me seriously." She had begun pacing back and forth now. "And we're about to go and fight for our lives and this is the last thing I want on my mind but he's there, in it, all the damn time!"

"Who?" Cinna asked.

"Haymitch!" Katniss then covered her mouth, her face turning a deep shade of red as she finally got it all off her chest.

Personally, Gale was fine with sticking around the first floor and going to the cafeteria but he wanted to see what Prim felt like doing. he wanted to make sure she was happy and focused on something else before they had to go into the Games. In his mind, being happy and focusing on the present was a better alternative than worrying about dying in two weeks. He knew he couldn't think like that though and he hoped to help Prim rid herself of those thoughts as well.

[mmidnight]

The elevator ride down to the training floor seemed to take forever, or maybe that was just Prim worrying about it the whole time. Peeta's comments from the night before had stuck with her, and even though Katniss and Gale seemed to believe that she wasn't entirely useless, the blonde girl begged to differ. Even if she did get her hands on a weapon, she doubted that she would ever be able to use it against anyone; like Katniss, she didn't want to kill. Unfortunately, Prim knew that she had to try and she wanted to protect Katniss and help her make it to the end of the games. If she were to sit idly by and let other people do the dirty work for her, she wasn't going to last. Before stepping out of the elevator, Prim did her best to steel off her emotions and blanked any sort of look on her face. Now wasn't the time to show weakness.

The training area was massive, equipped with the latest and best technology and the best weapons. There were many stations that taught survival skills, areas for sparring, and at least ten stations set up for target practice. Watching over them were the Gamemakers that Haymitch had spoken of, sitting safely behind a force field. They were paying very little attention to the group of forty-eight and Prim was glad for that. It took some of the pressure off of her.

Prim had thought that 12 would stick together, but Haymitch had migrated toward his old friends, Katniss had already split off and Gale had gone to pick a weapon. In a way, Prim was glad to be alone and was eager to show her friends that she could handle herself and didn't need constant protecting. Although she was only a year younger than Katniss, Prim was often sheltered and the games were a chance to get away from all of that. She walked along the training area, seeing tributes working on an obstacle course and getting familiar with each other. The career pack had already formed, naturally doubled in size and Prim could feel their eyes on her as she passed by, but she refused to acknowledge them.

Toward the back of the room was a station that dealt exclusively with plants. She stood for a moment and looked down at the green leaves growing upwards from the artificial soil and identified everything correctly from just a glance. “Would you like to try?” asked a Capitol official. She was much more normal looking than Effie or any of the stylists and her face seemed friendly. Prim nodded and began to point out plants that were poisonous and others that were safe to eat, along with which ones could be used for medicine. If anyone was non-mortally wounded in the arena, Prim was confident that she would be able to heal them.

By one of the fake trees, Prim noticed a presence and she looked over to see a small girl watching her. She was thin and pale, with bright red hair and freckles that made her look younger than she was. “Hi,” she said, hoping to coax the girl out of her shell. The redhead looked awfully frightened. Eventually, the younger girl had come forward and Prim got to know her throughout the morning. Her name was Iva and she was thirteen years old and from District 5. Haymitch and Peeta had both said to make friends while they were there, and Prim wasn't one to count anyone out. After all, Rue had saved Katniss in the games the year before no one had openly thought of her as a contender.

After lunch was announced, Iva stayed close to Prim's side and she was happy to see that Gale had also made a friend. She looked around for Haymitch or Katniss, wondering where they had gone off to, but both tributes seemed to have cleared out of the room. Something was definitely off about them, and Prim hoped that they could resolve it before the games began. For now, Prim was feeling good. “I don't want to go back up there,” she said, shaking her head. The penthouse, open as it was, had started to feel a bit claustrophobic. “Let's go to the cafeteria,” she said, hoping Iva and Yelven would want to join them.

The new group of four exited the training area and entered the cafeteria where lunch had been laid out neatly and was being served by the Avoxes. The large room was full of tributes who had broken off into groups. Most of the old victors sat together, while some of the new ones kept to their district, but Prim saw Haymitch among a crowded table, the members of which included both Finnick and Johanna.

Across the cafeteria, Haymitch was having a good time with his old friends. All morning they had been telling stories and catching up with one another and it was a welcomed distraction from whatever was going on between himself and Katniss. Although he had intentions to train and get familiar with his old weapon of choice, Haymitch hadn't quite made it that far and was more interested in talking to Chaff and Seeder. The plan, or rather, the intention to start one, had been put aside for the moment because Haymitch had a full two weeks to figure everything out. Besides, he reasoned to himself that he needed to get a feel for everyone once again. Time in the Capitol had a way of changing people and there was no telling who was ready to rebel.

Lunch was halfway over and Haymitch had barely touched his food, but most of the tributes began to make their way back to the training facility. The group of former tributes at the thinned some, leaving Chaff, Johanna, Finnick and himself at the table. “What's been going on there in eleven?” he asked, looking to Chaff. The man was a good friend, someone whom Haymitch often passed the bottle around with. It was a shame that he had to come back to this horrid place.

The large man shook his head, a grave look on his face. “Not good,” he answered. “More Peacekeepers, people are starving. Dying for just an extra loaf of bread.”

While District 11 had always been more heavily guarded than 12, Haymitch was worried by Chaff's words. During Katniss and Peeta's victory tour, Haymitch had witnessed the violence in that district, the way a man had been gunned down for simply offering a hand gesture. Hearing Chaff speak so badly of the place worried Haymitch even more.

“Seven is the same way,” Johanna offered, keeping her voice down. “Those two new tributes barely have anything to them, and I heard there's Peacekeepers busting into houses now.” The woman scoffed in disgust. “It's not right.” She looked to Finnick, prompting him to speak about his home.

Finnick could only shrug, “four is four. It's not like the other districts, but there's been more Peacekeepers.” He looked to Haymitch, “after the victory tour they sent a lot more in and anyone who's out after curfew gets whipped, or worse. They're not starving, but...they're prisoners.”

“What can we do about it?” Chaff asked. “We're here.”

“We're here because of this one's tribute,” Johanna glared to Haymitch. “She doesn't play by the rules and we all have to suffer for it.”

Haymitch frowned, angered by Johanna's words. He knew that she was used to riling people up, but she picked the wrong target. “It's not her fault,” he said. “Are you telling me that if they had changed the rules during your games and then changed them back you wouldn't have found a way to not play their game? Bullshit.” He glared. “Any one of you would have done what she did if you were even half as smart.”

Finnick rolled his eyes. “Do you have a plan for us or not?”

He didn't, and Haymitch knew that he didn't, but he would try. “Maybe,” he replied and Johanna groaned. “I'll see what I can do.” He looked back to his friends, wanting to save them even if they thought they were there because of Katniss. This was bigger than her, but she was the key to the start of it. Haymitch knew he would have to set aside his anger and get talking with Peeta if any of them stood a chance against the Capitol.

[Genkai]

The stylist was silent for what felt like forever and Katniss was about ready to just leave and go find Finnick as a last resort since she figured Effie would lecture her on rules on proper etiquette. As she moved to make her exit, Cinna held up a hand to stop her. “Sorry I was just thinking.” He said and gave her a small smile which held understanding but also curiosity.

“Me too.” Katniss shot back and slouched her shoulders. Cinna motioned for her to sit down and the pair sat on his black leather couch. Katniss surveyed the room which had many colorful swatches on the walls with varying textures and patterns. He had a large sewing machine and a box filled with fabrics and other things that Effie would surely love to play with. Cinna leaned close to her, as if trying to read her more clearly. Katniss looked off and clenched her hands which were resting in her lap. “Is this how Peeta felt about me?” She wondered aloud. She felt weak by just admitting these things to Cinna. it wasn’t that she hated how she felt about Haymitch but she knew this was one of the worst things to happen right before the Games. She needed a clear head, not on filled with childish whims and fantasies. Surely Cinna could help unravel her cluttered mind.

“I don’t know.” Cinna shrugged. “It does sound like you’re in love though.”

“How do I know it’s not...just a crush?”

“I don’t think you’re the type to get crushes, Katniss. You don’t love easily, you don’t fall for tricks either. I feel like you’re someone who would find someone special enough to foster feelings for and focus everything on them, making it as real as possible, unlike a typical romanticized crush.” Cinna explained. “But if you can’t take your own feelings seriously, Haymitch surely won’t.” He told the girl which caused her to look up, confused by what he meant by that. “Each person would have approached this differently. And if you wanted tough love you would have gone right to Haymitch. You came to me because you don’t have to be someone’s sister or someone’s friend or crush.” He said, referring to the possibility of her having gone to Prim, Gale or Peeta. “And Effie would have reprimanded you, but you went to me because you must think I can help you sort things out but the joke is on you Katniss, you already know how you feel, you just don’t want to have anything to do with it. Which is a shame because a girl as beautiful and fiery as you, shouldn’t push love away or deny herself or Haymitch, some happiness. And be honest, as crazy as you feel, you still feel happy when you think about him, don’t you?”

“I do.” Katniss said quietly, her heart aching slightly.

“See? The worst thing for you to do now is to pull away and make both of you upset.” He told her. He wanted to point out more to her, that Haymitch was sober because of her and that while he wasn’t nice to many people, he was still nice to Katniss and though they might fight, he knew they got along rather well due to their numerous similarities with one another. And if Cinna had to guess, he figured Haymitch was affectionate with Katniss because he liked her. Was it love? He didn't know, he wasn't around them very often but it did make him want to make Katniss a great dress that would grab Haymitch’s attention. “Go on, go get some lunch and find Haymitch and talk to him because if you want him to take you seriously as a person, you need to take him seriously as one too.” He pointed out to her. She got up and hugged Cinna, knowing he was right. if she wanted Haymitch to see her as someone mature, she needed to start acting like it. Cinna watched her go, hoping she could channel her attention better. He was one of the rebels who believed that Katniss could do something great if she was pushed far enough.

He wanted her happy because if she was happy, she would have something to protect and maybe, just maybe she would be able to free everyone from the strangling Capital. Cinna had faith in her and if she put her faith in Haymitch and herself, as well as those around her, he was certain she would go further than anyone could ever imagine. The girl headed back to the cafeteria, trying to put Cinna's advice to good use. She considered her approach so far had been a bit narrow minded and she hated herself for that. She wasn't a kid, she had done more than most adults would ever do in their lives. Katniss knew these Games were about more than just her and the people she cared about but that was easy to forget. Maybe that was the point. She needed to stay focused on what was important and it wasn't just herself anymore. She was determined to save Haymitch and anyone else she could. She found Haymitch sitting with many of his old friends and she swallowed her pride and walked over as Johanna and Haymitch were exchanging strong words.

"Hey." She said, not sure if she was interrupting something important or private. She decided to not ask about any sort of plan since from the sounds of it, no one had. She wasn't sure what they would need a plan for but Katniss did want to help. "You're pretty good with water huh?" She looked to Finnick. "I was wondering if you could give me some pointers in case we might need to swim against any big current or something." She asked him and then looked to Johanna, trying to push out the image of Katniss stabbing her in the face repeatedly. "Johanna, I'd love to spar with you sometime this week, it could be fun." She smirked and corrected herself, much to her own annoyance. "I mean...having a female victor isn't common and I'd rather try befriending you than Cashmere who looks like she could rip out someone's throat if they wore the same earrings as her." Katniss laughed a little. Making allies seemed pointless at first but Katniss knew she needed to be nice to Haymitch's friends, as stupid as they were. "I liked what Beetee and Wiress had to say this morning, I'd like to do something with them, they know the ins and outs of the tech around here." She told Haymitch and glanced off to see that it was time to go back to training. "So Finnick...about that water thing?"

"You just want me to take my clothes off." He smiled and got up. They did have a pool they could use and the blond was more than happy to spend some more time with the girl who could change everything, that and he was immensely curious as to her change of tune. "You know there's something different about you, Katniss." Finnick noted as he threw his arm around her neck and headed back. Katniss just laughed and tried to stay focused, now that she could talk to someone about her feelings, they didn't seem as frightening.

Gale and Yelven introduced themselves to Iva and Prim and the four newbies had a table all to themselves. Gale was proud that Prim had befriended someone, in his mind, he found Haymitch lecturing him about networking and making allies. While he was sure Haymitch had meant other victors and not fresh tributes, Gale considered his and Prim's tact to still be worthwhile. Gale was sitting next to Yelven and also across from Prim. He didn't want the other two younger tributes to think that he and Prim were possibly ganging up on them. No, District 12 wasn't that ruthless. It was thanks to Ivan and Yelven that they got to hear some stories about the other districts as well as the past victors. He was surprised to hear about the unrest. Since neither Gale nor Prim had been allowed on the tour with Prim and Peeta, they didn't know how bad things really were. Nor did they know how Katniss' brave spirit was rallying people together.

Things like that were dangerous though.

During lunch, Gale looked over at Haymitch's group, a little worried that Katniss still hadn't shown up. He didn't think she'd be back in the penthouse sulking or something. She could be training too but he didn't know and that worried him the most. He and Katniss used to be in sync but lately, that wasn't the case. His anger was also sparking as Haymitch didn't seemed concerned at all, and was just joking around and catching up with the others. Looking back to Prim, his anger began to fade. Katniss could take care of herself and Haymitch really wasn't in charge of Katniss. Right now he wanted to pay attention to what the others were saying. They soon came to the topic of Prim's sister, Katniss. Gale acted like he wasn't too close to her because he knew it might be weird if he was close to her and then Peeta and Katniss were suddenly no longer an item. While Katniss insisted the star crossed lovers was Haymitch's stupid idea to save their lives, Gale knew it would weird if he and Katniss were close. He certainly didn't want to make it seem like he and Katniss were together either. In the past, the dark haired man had played with the idea of him and Katniss but there had been a part of him that always knew, they were too alike to ever be serious.

"Katniss helps out a lot in our district, she traps animals and trades them and if people can't offer much, she doesn't need to take anything in return." Gale said to Yelven and iva. Katniss had some admirable qualities but even so, when he thought about Primrose, he knew his feelings for her were somehow stronger than those that he may had at one point for Katniss. Looking around, he saw some people who he knew he had to worry about, namely the careers and he had a feeling they had Katniss in their sights, as well as Prim. He finished his lunch and got up, holding the tray. "You done?" He asked the girls. He took their trays and headed with Yelven over to put them by the trash. Yelven and Gale had a quiet conversation about what they could next. "I think we should branch out a little more. You need to work on building muscle mass." He pointed out. The way Gale stayed fit was with all the running he did. Peeta's trick was the lifting he did at the bakery and Katniss did plenty of climbing and archery. Prim needed to also work on her stamina and body strength. "Why don't we all work on weight lifting?" He suggested as they headed back to their table.

On their way, he saw Katniss walk in and he noticed something different about her, but he couldn't figure it out. Getting back to the others, he leaned over as it was time to go back anyway. "How about we lift some weights and then work on running." He suggested. if they had other ideas, he was happy to hear them. They had a set amount of time to try and work on as much as possible, while not pushing themselves too far. The training facility had a nice machine that let you run in place without going somewhere and their weights ranged from light to heavy. Needless to say, they had some things to work on and if they were in a group, it might not seem as stressful.

[mmidnight]

There had never been a natural sense of responsibility inside of Haymitch, and he had never cared much for other people until he had been Reaped into the Games. Maysilee Donner had been the first person outside of his family who actually mattered to him, and to this day he felt that her death had been his fault. If only he had asked her to stay with him for a little longer, if he had gone after her, or even if he had never let align with him in the first place, she could have made it out alive. The people that he was currently sitting with were his friends, individuals whom Haymitch had spent years with, and he felt that he owed them a way out of this. There was only so much that he could do on his own, and Haymitch felt hopelessly stuck.

When Katniss came over, Haymitch couldn't help but look surprised. She had distanced herself from their group as soon as possible when training had started and he hadn't thought he would hear her speak again until dinner that night. Her attitude seemed to have changed though, and she was asking Finnick for advice, and even tempting Johanna into a sparring match. Briefly, Haymitch wondered if she had lost her mind, and the former Victor from District 7 seemed to be wondering the same thing. Insanity definitely had to be the case when Katniss mentioned Beetee and Wiress, the pair from 3 who Haymitch thought were incredibly useless.

“She was joking, right?” Johanna asked, her normally sneering lips now wearing a look of shock and confusion.

Haymitch paused before standing up, eyes focused on Katniss and Finnick as they left the cafeteria. “I have no idea,” he answered. “Can't hurt, though.” If Katniss wanted to take her training seriously, then Johanna was the perfect match for her and more than likely the stiffest competition she had among former female winners next to Cashmere.

As Haymitch left the cafeteria with Johanna and Chaff, Prim was still seated and finishing her lunch. She, Gale, Yelven and Iva had a table all to themselves and the young blonde was happy that she and Gale had managed to befriend other tributes. They were a source of wisdom, able to give accounts of what was going on outside of District 12 and Prim wasn't that surprised to hear that things had gotten bad. For the first time she was really starting to understand that impact that Katniss and Peeta's win had had across Panem. The Capitol was running scared, and that only confirmed for her that she wasn't in these games by any lack of luck. They were trying to destroy Katniss and Prim knew there would be a target on her back by association.

Of course, the topic of Katniss finally did come up and Prim didn't blame Yelven or Iva for being curious, but she was confused about why Gale was choosing to downplay his relationship with her sister. They were incredibly close and always had been, denying it didn't make sense. “She would probably do anything for anyone if they needed help,” she explained and then Iva mentioned seeing what she had done for Rue. Katniss was still troubled by that and Prim wished to change the subject because it was hard for her to think of her sister being in so much pain.

Soon after lunch had come to an end and Prim thanked Gale for taking her tray. She talked with Iva about the few survival skills she actually had, most of them coming from Gale over the last year but a few were tricks that Katniss had taught her years ago. Now that she would have to go into the arena, Prim wished she had gone on more hunts with Katniss and actually bothered to learn something outside of her comfort zone. The boys returned to the table and Gale's suggestion of weight lifting was accepted by both Prim and Iva. She doubted that it would a thirteen year old much good, but there was always hope. At the very least, the redhead was small enough to hide out for a while if things got tough.

On their way in, Prim spotted Katniss and she seemed to be in a better mood. Prim was still worried about her, but she was glad that whatever was wrong had worked itself out. “Alright,” she nodded in agreement to Gale's plan. The running wasn't going to bother her, but Prim wasn't the strongest person around. She did a lot of lifting back home when it came to cleaning or cooking, but it wasn't anything like Peeta did at the bakery. She followed Gale and the others over to the area with the weights and chose a dumbbell that wouldn't strain her muscles or wear her out too quickly.

Across the large room, Haymitch had also spotted Katniss and he found it hard to keep his eyes off of her. He desperately wanted to know what was going through her mind and why she had decided to warm up to Finnick and Johanna all of the sudden. While the change was for the better, Haymitch didn't think that she was suddenly taking his advice, or working extra hard to make Peeta's job easier. Not knowing things really did bother him, especially when it concerned Katniss and he would have gone to talk to her but they were on uncertain terms from that morning and he didn't want to risk having a fight in front of the other tributes. District 12 was supposed to look like a united front.

“Go ask her to spar,” Haymitch said to Johanna, giving her a nudge in the shoulder. She glared at him and probably would have punched him if it weren't for the threat of being reprimanded.

“Why don't you spar with her?” she asked, smirking.

Haymitch laughed, “what do you think I've been doing for the last year?” It was meant to be a joke, but it was a fairly accurate analogy of what his relationship with Katniss had been like. He smiled at the thought but quickly shook it away. “Go ask her, though. Give her a challenge.” Because Haymitch thought Katniss might as well make the most of her time.

Whether Johanna went to take Katniss up on her offer or not was unknown to Haymitch and he decided to use the second half of the day to actually train. His friends were still close by, but the former Victor was happy to familiarize himself with the ax. He practiced throwing it and worked out a new stance for himself. Age had definitely caught up with him, muscles and joints no longer worked the same way, but Haymitch thought he was still a contender. He would get far enough in the games, and if he failed, he trusted Gale to be there to take his place. He had watched the other tribute practice with the sword earlier in the day and he was already coming along nicely.

[Genkai]

Katniss didn’t know what everyone’s problem was. She was trying to be nicer and it still didn’t work. She was going to yell at CInna for the stupid advice. All he had done was confirm her worst fear which was that she was in love with the most difficult person in the entire world. Now what? How was that supposed to help her or anyone else for that matter? She would have thought trying to team up with Johanna and Finnick would have done something good but it made her feel sick to her stomach. Katniss was getting pretty angry with how the first day was going. She was getting mixed signals but she thought she might be too and CInna’s general message was to start growing up and seeing a bigger picture.

She walked over with Finnick but felt someone tap her shoulder. Katniss had been hoping or expecting to see Haymitch or Gale but instead she saw Johanna, her long hair tucked back into a long low ponytail. Katniss made a bit of a face, unable to conceal her displeasure. Still, Haymitch wanted Johanna as an ally and though that irked Katniss, she couldn’t write off the weird girl just yet. “I think I will take you up on that offer.” Johanna smirked and folded her arms. Katniss had to think about what she was referring to but it finally clicked. Katniss wasn’t sure if she felt prepared to go toe to toe with Johanna Mason. Johanna was a bit older but still, she was pretty intimidating nonetheless. “You’re not having second thoughts are you?” She snorted and headed over to the mat where they could spar in the middle of the facility.

“No.” Katniss muttered, her patience wearing thin. She glanced around and saw most people doing their own thing. Katniss was a bit deflated that her efforts to make friends hadn’t worked but maybe if she held her own against the princess, Johanna, then maybe people would take her efforts for seriously. “I just don’t want you to break a nail.” Katniss said as she felt more like herself as she got into her fighting position, as did Johanna. A few instructors were watching the pair of women closely, making sure the fight didn’t turn into anything serious. She could have sworn she heard Gale say something but by that point, Katniss had tuned everything out around them. All that mattered was proving that she wasn’t some kid, that she could earn her own worth without CInna or Effie or Haymitch or Peeta. Making the first strike, Katniss aimed two consecutive punches toward Johanna’s face while she kept her stance wide and firm with her left arm guarding her face defensively.

Of course in the arena, one wouldn’t be fighting so formally but for now, it would do. Johanna dodged them with ease and retaliated with a few punches of her own which Katniss dodged or blocked. It seemed they were just getting a feel for one another but the animosity was steadily growing. “You’re all everyone’s talking about. I’m sick of it.” Johanna hissed as she aimed a high kick for her head, which Katniss grabbed and pushed Johanna back a bit, knocking her off her balance.

“Same here.” Katniss shot back.

When they had gone back into the massive training area, Gale couldn’t help but notice something up with Haymitch and Johanna, they were speaking and then Johanna made a beeline for Katniss. Gale didn’t know what to think about it so he motioned Prim to the weight while Iva and Yelven went to fiddle with the knot station. Gale watched carefully as his friend and Johanna exchanged a few words and moved to the mat where they were going to fight. While Gale knew it wouldn’t escalate because that was against the rules. He tried to keep most of his attention on what he and Prim were doing though. If he showed too much concern for Katniss, it might make things look suspicious for him and her. The last thing he needed was some love scandal to sweet the Capital again. It was hard enough to see her throw herself at a guy she didn’t even talk to before the Games.

“Let’s see where you’re comfortable.” Gale said to Prim as he looked at the array of weights they had. They had small hand weights and even ones with bars. Gale wasn’t used to such sophistical equipment but he had gotten the gist pretty easily and someone was keeping watch to ensure they were doing things right and taking the best kind precautions as needed. Gale figured he could lift a few free weights while Prim found what suited her best. She could either do something light and do a lot of reps or find something more challenging but then do less reps. He knew it would be hard to make too much growth in the time allowed but he was pretty happy if he could make the difference between her holding onto something for ten seconds and twelve seconds if it meant escaping a bloodthirsty career while she was trying to hide and stay out of the way.

Meanwhile Iva and Yelven were doing a good job with some others working on how to tie knots and use the surrounding area to their advantage. Of course if they knew the arena was going to look like, then they might have a real advantage but it please Gale to see people branching out. His eyes wandered back to see Katniss and Johanna trading some punches but he still didn’t see the point in them getting to close. He wondered if she was still upset about Johanna’s undressing the night before. He blushed and glanced back to Prim, finding it easier to think about her than Johanna and Katniss getting physical. He saw Prim pick a heavier weight and he moved behind her to spot her and make sure her form was good and that she wasn’t struggling with anything.

“Okay so just let me know if you need any help, Prim.” He said to her as he glanced back to see Katniss had deflected a kick. He looked back down at Prim as he watched her get ready. A few people stopped what they were doing to see what the two hot headed women were going to do now but Gale pushed it ou tof his mind once more.

[mmidnight]

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.

[Genkai]

A big part of Gale wanted to support Katniss against Johanna but he didn't feel it would be as helpful as say Haymitch, who he still wasn't sure if he was at odds with Katniss or not. He wondered if Haymitch had sent Johanna for some kind of reason, other than being a dick. Mustering some will power not to gawk like others, he turned his attention to Prim once more, pleased to see that she was going better than he had originally anticipated. He kept a hand under her weight as he lifted freely but he wanted to be a support, more than a distraction. "You did?" He looked down at her, somewhat pleased that she had seen him with said weapon. It was new to him but he knew he'd have a better chance of getting more practice in tomorrow with Yelven or someone else. "Thanks." He replied to her. "You should do some experimenting of your own and see if you can find a weapon that suits you." Gale insisted. he knew Prim's outlook as to her fate, wasn't good in her mind but he hoped if she got some skills under her belt, she'd find the confidence and reasoning to want to survive.

Quickly bringing up her right hand, she blocked Johanna's punch with her palm but gritted her teeth. That hit really hurt. Katniss was also getting the conclusion that Johanna was making this personal and not toning it down as they had been warned to do in the lecture about safety and performance. Yes, they were being watched and evaluated but Katniss wasn't focused on anyone but Johanna. "I do not, you're the one who has to have everyone's eyes on you, too bad they don't have anything good to look at." Katniss shot back. She didn't say anything about what Johanna had said about Prim, she wasn't going to fall for that bait. "It's not my fault, blame President Snow." She huffed and stepped back a few paces. She threw another punch, not holding back anymore, not really caring how the fight may progress. Katniss was sick of people blaming her for everything and then expecting the world from her. Katniss was also sick of people like Johanna who had no idea what they were even talking about and she was ready to knock her teeth out.

Johanna retaliated with a quick blow to her stomach. Katniss doubled over, feeling the wind get knocked out of her.

Katniss stood up and found it a bit hard to breathe at the moment but she really didn't care. Katniss tightened her fists as she heard Haymitch speak up. Now he was on her side? She shook her head slightly, already able to tell by the look on Johanna's face that this wasn't just a sparring match anymore, it was an actual fight/ Good thing Katniss had some pent up anger of her own to unleash. People thought she was useless without her bow and arrow? Well she was about to prove them wrong. As much as Katniss wanted to break Johanna's arm, and could attempt it, she decided not to. Johanna lunged forward again and aimed another kick at her stomach. Katniss pushed her foot out of the way and wrapped her arm around Johanna's ankle and pulled her closer so she could used her left arm to land two strong punches into Johanna's thigh before she then pushed her down onto the ground, knowing that those two hits would help slow Johanna down a little bit since those muscles were known for being sensitive to hard consecutive hits.

Gale knew Prim wasn't too interested in weaponry but it was better to know how to use something than to have it in the arena and not know what to do. "Besides, I don't want you hurting yourself in the Games because you didn't learn how to hold a knife or something." He joked a little. Prim needed to get into the mindset of survival like everyone else. Katniss would come through for them but in the chance that she might not, it would do them all a lot of good if Prim was better prepared. "Katniss and I do believe in you, Prim. We know you can handle things on your own just fine. I mean Johanna and everyone else want to underestimate you but you can surprise all of them." He said gently. He knew she had some fight in her, like her sister who had just counterattacked a kick from the hot headed old woman, Johanna. Gale helped Prim finish the rest of her set before he put the weight back where it was. "Why don't we work on some cardio and then it might be time to go." He offered to her as he put a hand behind her back to help her sit up from the bench.

Now that she was on top, she used her weight to pin Johanna down, her legs were straddling the other's thighs so Johanna didn't try and kick her again. Johanna used her arms to grab Katniss' shoulders and roll them over so she was on top. Katniss then grabbed Johanna's shirt and managed to squeeze a leg between her and Johanna and used it to flip the older woman up and back a few feet. Katniss got to her feet, realizing it didn't matter where they were, Johanna was still being fickle about everything. If they needed to get everything out now, that was fine with the Girl on Fire. Johanna landed on her back with a thud which seemed to really tick her off. Johanna got to her feet and charged at Katniss, throwing several punches to her face and upper body. Some of them landed, and those that did really hurt. Katniss threw up an arm to guard herself and tried to get her foot around Johanna's while her attention was elsewhere in attempts of tripping her again but that didn't seem to happen as she caught one of Johanna's fists in her hand and then threw a punch herself, which Johanna also caught, leaving them in a temporary stalemate to see who had more drive. "My sister won't get killed, she's much stronger than you think." She muttered through clenched teeth.

Iva and Yelven made their way around the crowd where Prim and he were standing, away from the fray.

"Hey guys." He greeted them, some worry in his voice. From he could see, Johanna and Katniss were still going at it and people were starting to get more interested. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell peacekeepers and trainers were keeping a close watch on the event. So far they hadn't been pulled off one another but in Gale's mind the fight should have ended with them on the floor. He knew they could be putting on a show but his heart went out to Katniss, she didn't ask to be part of the Games, she just wanted to keep her sister safe and when she saw she had a chance at surviving, she took it. Johanna and the others couldn't blame Katniss for the Capital's cruel response to the situation they themselves created. "Let's do some running and cool down with stretching." He said, looking back to the group, needing some distraction. They moved to the large area where they could all run in place and keep track of miles and distance. "I wonder who has the most endurance out of all us..." He smirked a little. "I bet it's you, Iva, you're pretty spry." No harm in having some friendly competition.

"It's gonna be me!" Yelver spoke up with a grin.

[mmidnight]

The sparring match between Katniss and Johanna had quickly turned into a full blown fight, but Haymitch wasn't surprised by that. Since the two had met the night before in the elevator, it was obvious that the two women didn't like one another. It was a shame too because Haymitch thought that they had a lot to offer in their own respects and an alliance between them was something to reckon with. Although, he was the one who had encouraged Johanna to take Katniss up on her offer to spar, so in a way, it was his fault that the girl from District 12 was currently doubled over with the wind knocked out of her. She had handled a lot worse, though, and a punch to the stomach was nothing compared to nearly being killed by an explosion in the arena the year before.

As Katniss finally got Johanna on the ground, Haymitch cheered with the rest of the crowd. Fights between tributes weren't prohibited, as they were supposed to save their aggressions for the arena, but this was clearly something that needed to happen. Looking around, he saw both the Peacekeepers and the Capitol trainers exchanging worried glances as the fight between the women continued to become more intense. Katniss was already being watched by Snow and Haymitch was slightly worried about what kind of consequences she would face if anything happened to Johanna. The Capitol loved to paint people as something they weren't, and Haymitch knew that Snow was eager to sway public opinion about the girl who had the potential to change everything.

Even with that in his mind, Haymitch was still proud of Katniss for not backing down. She was doing well, back on her feet and handling each punch Johanna delivered while throwing back some of her own. Anyone who said that Katniss Everdeen was useless without her bow and a quiver full of arrows could now eat their words, and it would be that much sweeter when she won. As Katniss finally got Johanna on the ground, Haymitch cheered again. The support for each girl was varied between the districts, but mostly, people just enjoyed a good show. That could be said for the Games themselves as well.

The various cheers of the crowd from the other side of the room were distracting and Prim broke form a few times to see what was going on. Through the many bodies gathered around Katniss and Johanna, there wasn't much to see but Prim assumed that if anything too bad happened, it would be broken up. Instead of worrying about whether or not Katniss could handle herself, Prim refocused her attention on Gale. She thought it was nice of him to help her with the weights when he could have been doing anything else and preparing himself further for the arena. “Are you sure about that?” she asked, laughing softly when Gale spoke of her surprising people. She didn't necessarily believe that he and Katniss had faith in her either, and she was still worried that she would slow the group down and possibly get them killed.

When they were done with the weights, Prim's arms felt sore but she had at least made a bit of progress. Cardio would be easier on her, and she agreed to a little friendly competition between she, Gale, Yelven and Iva. The small redhead seemed intimidated by Gale's assumption, but she wore a sunny smile and agreed to participate as well. “Yelven looks faster than all of us,” Iva said and began to stretch out her legs.

Prim began to stretch as well, loosening up her thigh and calf muscles before the race started. “I bet I'll bet you,” she said with a smirk, looking over at Gale. It wasn't likely, as he was much taller than her with longer legs and far more endurance, but Prim thought it might be fun to rile him up a little bit. She had never competed against Gale in anything, and the only time they had done anything that required athletics was the year before when he had been slowly teaching her how to hunt. Every so often she would bet him that he couldn't take down a certain bird on a tall branch, or that his traps would only catch one rabbit, but she had always been harmless teasing.

Johanna's back hit the mat with a hard thud, and her breath seemed to be caught in her chest for a moment, but she still managed to catch Katniss's punch. The two were now caught in a stalemate, but Johanna smirked as the girl on top of her thought to respond to her previous comments. “Is she stronger than my ax?” Johanna asked, a teasing edge to her voice. “I don't think her neck would hold up to that.” There was no humor to her voice, nothing that said the older woman was joking, or just trying to break the younger girl. In the games, threats were always to be taken seriously.

Suddenly, Johanna jerked free of Katniss's grasp and threw a punch toward her face. Her aim was off and Johanna's fist ended up knocking against the younger girl's collar bone. She was still pinned beneath her, which hadn't been the plan. “And don't forget,” she went on to taunt Katniss further, “Haymitch isn't always going to be around to defend you.”

The crowd had grown louder when Johanna was pinned, and it was impossible to hear what either woman was saying, but Haymitch knew that it couldn't have been anything friendly. He glanced back toward the guards and saw that they had changed their stance and were prepared to pull Katniss and Johanna apart if necessary, which it definitely seemed like it was going to be. There was still merit to the altercation, though and even if Katniss didn't win, it would boost her fearless and potentially unpredictable reputation and that would make the other tributes possibly think twice before messing with her in two weeks time. If no one wanted to take on Katniss directly, she had a greater chance of making it to the end.

[Genkai]

"Don't you go near my sister!" She growled, only getting more riled up. Cornering Katniss and pissing her off were not advisable things and hopefully people knew that now. As both females tussled around, Katniss found her patience wearing very thin as she looked at the angry victor. Katniss didn't want anyone else to die and she fed up with Snow pulling the strings and while she was glaring, she hope Johanna could still see the remorse in Katniss' eyes. Next Johanna mentioned that Prim's neck wouldn't be able to hold up against an attack. That made her blood boil and she had had enough as she swung her forehead down and headbutted the wild woman, feeling a sudden sharp spinning pain as she was sure the skin had broke for both of them. She hoped if she was in pain, Johanna was feeling it even worse. The woman did break free and used it to her advantage. Still disoriented and overwhelmed by white pain, Katniss felt the punch connect with her collar bone. Even though it had missed, it still hurt Katniss.

"Really?" Gale smiled to Prim. "Bring it on." He took the bait, never one to back down from a challenge. He was sure Yelven and Iva would also be able to keep up but he didn't want them to do too much on the first day and feel tired the following morning. He was sure skipping a day would them look bad. Gale began to stretch and knew he'd need to save time after running to stretch as well, just to make sure injuries and strain were prevented. The boy was soon done and he got up on the machine and began to jog, for now taking it slow. He looked at saw Yelven joining the spot next to him. He looked ahead and from where he was now, he could get a better look of what was going on with the fight. With nearly fifty people training and more than half stopping to see two girls go at it, Gale wasn't surprised that the view was still pretty much obscured. He hoped Prim would get a change to see what had happened when she talked to her sister later.

As the four began to jog and slowly work their way up to running, he felt a nice momentum that kept him steady. Whether they were going to run through a marsh or woods or a desert or snow, he was sure building up stamina and speed would be helpful. "Come on guys." He encouraged them to keep up and not slow down. "If you need to stop, go back to a slow jog, but don't stop completely, your body should stay in motion if possible." Gale advised as he kept going. Back home, he had plenty of practice weaving through trees while avoiding being found by wandering Peacekeepers. This wasn't a big deal for him but he needed the others to get used to being more physical for longer periods of time. "You never know how long you'll need to outrun someone in the Games, sometimes what's best for you it to be faster than the person next to you." It was a cold truth but still a truth nonetheless.

A small trickle of blood could be felt going down Katniss' face but she could tell Johanna's forehead was also bleeding which made the pain worth it. Johanna seemed unfazed by the attack and went on to mention how Haymitch wouldn't always be around to defend her. Katniss felt her face turn even more red as she tightened her hold on the taunting temptress. "I don't need him looking out for me!" Katniss protested over the noise as she sat up and pulled her arm back, having had enough of this strenuous bullshit. Katniss then used her weight and landed two solid punches at her face, one hitting Johanna in the eye and the second one in the side of her cheek. As her arm moved back for a third, she felt two men yank her off of Johanna and Katniss out of instinct, began kicking her legs but stopped when she saw it was the officials. She caught her breathe as it was announced that fighting was prohibited and that training would end a half hour early.

When he heard the announcement and saw the crowd begin to thin out, he quickly stopped his part of the machine and ran over to see what had happened. He thought Johanna had gotten a pretty nasty hit but he then saw Katniss had been the one to end it. He let out a laugh and clapped his hands a few times. "Way to go!" He restrained calling her catnip and turned to motion Primrose over. Before he could say anything more, Katniss moved over to Johanna as the guards stayed beside them both, to be safe.

"Gave me hell." Katniss smirked and raised her hand to shake Johanna's hand.

"Someone has to but you gave it right back." Johanna just shrugged and instead slapping her hand as a makeshift high five to show a sigh of respect, or rather a truce. She was impressed but still pretty annoyed. She knew the scars on their forehead and bruises would heal up quick so she wasn't as mad as she would have been if they were in the Games themselves. She headed off with her district to go get cleaned up. Katniss watched her go and grinned, the adrenaline was still rushing through her as she jogged over to Haymitch before she talked to her sister and gale.

"How was that?" Katniss smirked as she brought up a hand to wipe some of the blood off her face before it got in her eye. Her hand hurt but she thought a nice soak in the hot tub after dinner would do her some good.

Looking to Primrose as Katniss headed off to Haymitch, he shook his head, not sure what to make of whatever the hell just happened. He was glad Katniss got out of it alright. He wouldn't say unscathed per say but she was alright and he felt his worries subside as he saw the look on her face as she spoke to Haymitch. "I am ready to take a shower and get dinner." He stretched his arms above his head. Spotting Iva and Yelven leaving, he waved to them and put an arm around Prim so they could at least head up to their floor. It wasn't yet time for dinner, they had maybe an hour or so to kill but that meant they could get freshened up and unwind a little. The dark haired boy felt pretty good about how the first day had gone. In a sense, he was able to do some scouting as well as networking. He and Prim managed to catch the next elevator as it was pretty crowded. the got in with a few careers and the tension was easily felt. Thankfully they were off quick and the rest of the ride up was less awkward.

"You did good today." The boy said to Prim as they stepped off the elevator. "You should be proud."

[mmidnight]

The energy of the crowd was growing to match the intensity of the fight between Johanna and Katniss. It was quickly escalating, becoming more brutal with each punch and barb that the women threw at each other. Haymitch was surprised that it hadn't been broken up yet, but he knew that it was only a matter of time. He glanced toward the men and women concealed by the force field and saw that even they had ceased their constant drinking and eating to watch what was happening. Their faces were a mixture of entertainment and concern, and Haymitch wondered what this would mean for Katniss. A second later, he looked away from them once more and returned his focus to Katniss who had just given Johanna a damaging headbutt. It was a good move, a smart one too and the blond man was definitely proud of her fighting instinct.

It seemed that Katniss wasn't done yet, either and Johanna had gotten the rise out of her that she had been gunning for. Haymitch was sure that the older woman hadn't expected to be punched in the face, let alone lose to an eighteen year old girl but the former mentor could do nothing but smirk even as Katniss was pulled away from her competitor. There was no punishment in store for either of them and the two seemed to walk away with a new found respect for one another. Haymitch, on the other hand, was grinning ear to ear. Had he still been a mentor, he would have thought twice about approving of such violence pre-arena but as a tribute, he didn't have to hide his enthusiasm.

“That was excellent, sweetheart,” Haymitch smirked and clapped Katniss on the shoulder. She was bleeding, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it. Haymitch could think of at least two people who were going to be very concerned by her current appearance and behavior, but Effie and Cinna's opinion mattered very little at the moment.

Over on the machines, Prim had been running and keeping up decently with Gale, but when the Peacekeepers had stepped in to break up the fight between Johanna and Katniss. As soon as she saw her sister being pulled away, legs flailing, Prim thought back to the Reaping and immediately left the machine she had been working at, leaving it on without a second thought. She ran over to her sister as the crowd dispersed but was surprised to see that everything had calmed down without much incident. It was hard for Prim to think of Katniss being in pain, or being dragged away somewhere and the older girl didn't even stop to say anything to her, and she left with Haymitch instead. Prim shook her head, feeling more out of place than usual but was easily comforted by Gale's arm around her shoulders. She stayed close to him as they headed for the elevators after waving goodbye to Yelven and Iva for the day.

With Katniss and Haymitch already on their way upstairs, Prim and Gale were forced to share an elevator with a pack of careers. Prim did her best not to pay them any attention, figuring that was a better strategy than engaging, although she was angry and wouldn't have minded blowing off a little steam. Thankfully, they were gone fairly quickly and the blonde girl was finally able to exhale. “I am proud,” she said, her smile returning, “mostly because I beat you at that race.” In all actuality, Gale had probably won, but Prim needed a little bit of humor at that point in time.

The doors of the elevator soon parted and the first thing that Prim heard was Effie yelling at either Katniss or Haymitch. Prim couldn't say that she blamed the brightly-colored woman too much, and she was even a little envious. “I'm going to take a shower,” she told Gale, and quickly made a beeline toward her room.

“Just what were you thinking?” Effie asked, her hands on her hips as she demanded some kind of answer. “And you!” She gestured to Haymitch, “encouraging that? You know better! She's hurt!”

Effie's lecture had quickly grown old, and Haymitch wasn't going to apologize for Katniss being good at what mattered. Looking pretty wasn't going to save anyone's life in the arena, but having enough sense to play dirty would. “It's going to heal,” he replied to the escort's tirade. “And if it doesn't, there's medicine for it. I don't know why you're yelling at her for this. She did a good job today!”

Effie's face screwed up in anger and she was soon storming out of the room. Haymitch smirked as she walked off and turned back to Katniss. “Seriously,” he grinned, “good job. You should go get cleaned up before the sight of that small cut gives Effie a heart attack.” Gently, he gave her an affectionate nudge on the shoulder, happy that things seemed to be back to normal between them. After that, he left the room, feeling the need for a shower before dinner would be served.

After Prim had taken a long, hot, shower, she changed into something more comfortable. She left her wet hair down around her shoulders, not caring about how it would dry or who would see it. Unfortunately, the hot water hadn't put her in a better mood and Prim didn't want to take her anger out on anyone. Even though she was there with Katniss, the younger girl still felt like she had lost her sister and that scared her more than anything—more than threats from careers and more than dying within the first ten minutes of the Games.

Feeling that she had to come out at some point, Prim left her room and returned to the common area. She was surprised to see that Haymitch was already out and had placed himself on the couch by the window. Prim settled wordlessly into an armchair by the window and watched the view. The sun was beginning to set and the Capitol looked as beautiful as ever, but she was still homesick.

“Did you pick a weapon today?” Haymitch asked.

It sounded like he was trying to make conversation, but all Prim could hear was that she was dragging her feet and making things harder for everyone else. Maybe she was projecting a little. “No,” she answered and then looked back toward the window.

“Why not?” he asked, sounding a bit more accusatory.

“Because I didn't,” Prim replied. When prompted, she could be just as unpleasant as her older sister.

Haymitch shook his head, “I don't know why you think everyone is going to baby you through this. You're here, deal with it.”

Prim glared at Haymitch from across the room. “I'm not and I never asked anyone to,” she snapped.

“Then pick something to defend yourself with!”

Prim didn't answer him, and fixed her gaze on the window and the buildings outside. Behind her, Prim heard someone else come into the room, but she didn't look to see who it was. She was curled up in the chair, trying her best not to acknowledge that the pressure of the Games was already getting to her.

[Genkai]

Katniss still wasn’t a fan of Johanna’s and though the fight had been a major pain, Katniss did have fun and found herself liking Johanna slightly more now. What probably pushed Katniss into such high spirits was the reaction from Haymitch. The girl grinned as he complimented her and patted her on the shoulder. “Thanks.” Katniss said, rather grateful for the attention. It really did suck not seeing or speaking much with him during the day, especially after the nice calming night she had thanks to his presence. Katniss saw other tributes looking at her, some giving silent nods of approval while others just smiled slightly and went on their way. She and Haymitch headed off to go up to their floor so they could both get cleaned up. Having been so caught up in her own accomplishment, she forgot to see what Gale and Prim had been up to.

At Prim’s comment, he balked. “What? You did not.” He protested and shook his head at the girl. He had won and she knew it. She was just pulling his leg but he didn’t like being passed over for first place. “Better luck next time.” Gale teased as they walked into a scene of Effie throwing a fit. He looked to Prim who quickly went off to her room. Gale on the other hand, lingered to hear what all had happened. He wanted to catch up with Katniss and make sure she wasn’t too hurt but his gut told him she was alright. Still, he wanted to be sure. When the noise quieted down, Gale jogged back to his room and quickly pulled off his training uniform, glad to be rid of it for the day. It just reminded him of his fate and it made him sick. He threw it into the laundry basket and hopped in the shower, scrubbing off the day’s antics.

Back in the large common area of the living room and dining room, Katniss looked back and forth as Haymitch and Effie began another exchange of loud feisty words. Katniss couldn’t refrain from smiling even more. Before Katniss could defend her actions to Effie, Haymitch had already spoken up and pointed out a bunch of the obvious points. By now the blood had dried up and she could go ahead and wash up, sure that the Capital wanted to keep even her looking fresh and perfect like some precious doll until she was dumped in Hell with everyone else. Haymitch stuck up for her once again by saying did good which just made Effie leave in a huff. A part of Katniss felt bad about worrying Effie, she was just looking out for Katniss, after all but still, she wasn’t one to apologize either, not for defending her reputation.

The girl with the braid lingered behind Haymitch and he turned and said once again how well he did which in her mind, meant he was proud of her and she was on cloud nine and couldn’t get any higher. “Thanks.” Was all she could say once more. Katniss was a tad speechless but not with just herself but also Haymitch and how great it felt to be on normal terms again. Now that CInna had told her it was love and not some brain eating virus, she felt like she could get a better handle on the issue. With that, she headed off to her room and took a shower, a quick one and spent most of the time cleaning up her forehead and bandaging up her hand. Her hand just ached but she had the gauze one to remind herself to not do anything major with her hand until the soreness went away. Heading out into the room, now in a pair of red pants and a black tank top, her hair pulled back into a bun, she noticed an odd tension in the room.

She caught the last few remarks between Haymitch and Prim and she felt a very painful tug on her heart. Two people she cared about were butting heads and Katniss had the massive urge to turn around and go back to her room where her shining mood couldn’t be rained on. “Prim...you really need to try a little harder here.” Katniss frowned, ultimately taking Haymitch’s side because he was right. “I might not be around to save you and I need to know you can handle yourself.” Katniss said, getting a bit angry herself. Gale and Katniss wanted to help Prim, even Haymitch did but they would be useless attempts if Prim couldn’t be bothered to help herself. “I know you miss home and mom and even that stupid cat...but you need to start thinking about what’s at stake.” Katniss shook her head, feeling like she wasn’t getting through to Prim. So she walked over and crouched down next to her sister.

Katniss was sure Prim knew what was at stake and that might be what was holding her back from taking everything seriously and in stride. “Without any confidence, you won’t last a minute in the Games.” It was the truth. “I love you Prim and I know you can do some pretty amazing stuff but unless you try, that’s not gonna matter.” Katniss kissed her head and gave her a hug from the side before getting to her feet. People would be gunning for her and Prim and Katniss feared she might not be around Prim every minute to look after her and in all honesty, she knew she would need to leave Prim’s fate in Gale’s hands or even Haymitch’s. She glanced over to Haymitch and gave him a bit of a shrug, not sure what else she could say to her stubborn sister.

“Hey Katniss!” Gale’s appearance made her relax a little as he hurried over to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. “What happened with you and Johanna?” He asked, making sure she was okay. He could spot a few bruises on her upper chest but they weren’t too bad. He glanced over her shoulder to see Prim sulking but hadn’t a clue as to why. She seemed fine when they parted ways. He then turned to Haymitch, not sure if he said anything to upset Prim. Katniss noticed this and decided she needed to get to the bottom of things sooner rather than later. “You’re okay?”

“I’m fine, Gale.” Katniss said softly and put her hands over his. “We just sparred a little, no big deal.” She said, looking at him closely. “What have you been up to? You and Prim making friends? Training?”

“I was getting used to the sword, I’ll do more with it tomorrow.” He replied as she laced her fingers between his and pushed his hands off her.

“Great.” Katniss looked back at Prim again, a bit disappointed. Here she was getting her ass kicked and Prim was still reluctant to get involved like Gale. “Can I talk you after dinner?” Katniss said, figuring she could pick Gale’s brain apart when they had food in their bellies. “I was thinking of checking out the hot tub, you know where you and Prim were last night, looking at those weird paintings.” Katniss said, making a slight face as she thought about plenty of other times she had seen Gale with Prim. A lot of times, if Katniss recalled. Part of her hoped she was wrong about what was going on but as an older sister, she had to know. Gale agreed and said he could use a nice soak as well. It was then the Avoxes appeared and began to set up dinner which of course allowed Effie to reappear and greet the four fo them.

“Where’s Peeta?” Gale asked.

“He is busy, he wouldn’t say with what but he said to start eating without him.” Effie answered as she swept up the stairs to the dining area. “It is a bit rude but not as rude as giving someone a black eye.”

“I’m sorry Effie!” Katniss said but her laughter gave her amusement away.

Gale watched Katniss hurry after the woman while he lingered to see what was on Primrose’s mind. He saw Haymitch head up after Katniss while the two sat together. Gale smirked, glad to see them on decent terms again. He was surprised a fight with Johanna could bring them together but he knew that there were some things about Katniss that he wouldn’t be able to understand. For now he was more worried about Prim and her sudden change in mood. He had noticed the similarities about Katniss being grabbed by the Peacekeepers in the training facility to those of the Reaping recently but it hadn’t hit him as much as it had Prim. He rubbed her back and glanced out the window at the view. It was lovely. “I prefer what we saw last night, if I had to pick.” He said softly and motioned her to come eat. “Come on, I bet you’re hungry after losing to me.” He teased as he headed up to sit across from Haymitch.

He hadn’t a clue what Katniss wanted to talk about but he figured it had to do with Prim or Peeta. He still hadn’t picked up on any notion that maybe she had somehow developed feelings toward Haymitch. Who would ever get that idea? Maybe Johanna but he didn’t know and frankly, he had someone else on his mind other than the sober straw haired man who seemed less agitated than during breakfast. Now if only all of them could be happy and not have a mixed bag of emotions. Whatever was wrong with Prim, Gale needed to know so he could fix. “So what were you up to?” He asked Effie as they were served their drinks.

“I had a wonderful chit chat with Cinna today. I’m not the only one, Katniss-” At that, Katniss started to choke on her juice, not sure what CInna had said to Effie but she was already assuming the worst.

“Wh-wha-what did he say to you?” Katniss blushed slightly as she collected herself.

“He showed me designs for you and you sister, you’ll both look so stunning at the Ball this week, everyone is going to want to be you, kiss you or kill you.” Effie laughed and took a drink herself, seemingly in better spirits despite what Katniss had done thanks to Haymitch.

“I can’t wait to see you.” Gale found himself saying without thinking. He looked to Prim who had finally sat next to him. “I mean...you too Katniss.” He said and looked at her but then back to Prim, already imagining what she might wear. But Gale tore himself away as they were given different choices of food. Some were meat, some were pasta and some were salad. Gale selected the meat and salad while Katniss took some salad and pasta. Gale would talk to Katniss after dinner but he also made a mental note to check by Prim before bed, He wouldn’t stay again but he did want to check on her.

[mmidnight]

The relationship that Prim had once known with Katniss had been steadily eroding ever since the announcement for the Quarter Quell. After the Reaping, the only bright side that Prim had found in her selection was that she was there with Katniss, she could still be with her older sister and spend a little more time with her before everything came to an end, but her assumption hadn't been the case. There had been a lot going on with all of them, but it was glaringly clear that Prim wasn't cut out for anything—not dressing up for the social events, not preparing herself for the Games and especially not training for them. The worst part was that everyone, including Gale, was expecting to have to carry her through it and Prim had half a mind to tell everyone to let her die. It was rare that the small blonde got angry, but Haymitch's comments and Katniss siding with him had just about sent her over the edge.

When Katniss crouched down beside her, Prim didn't respond. In her eyes, Katniss was just trying to make her feel better because there were no examples of these allegedly amazing things that she was capable of doing. No one seemed to understand that running and lifting weights had been her trying, and that was the most she had been able to accomplish when she saw all of it as pointless because she was nothing next to her competition. As Katniss hugged her and gave her a kiss, Prim stiffened and remained that way as Gale came into the room as well. She continued to look out the window, feeling a lump in her throat that would surely expose more of her weakness if she were to try and engage in any type of conversation.

All around her, she blocked out everything else, and was only prompted to move when she heard Gale speaking directly to her. “What?” she asked, her lack of attention due to her focusing on not crying or yelling. She got up, though and went into the dining room where she took a seat next to Gale since Katniss was currently in her favorite spot; up Haymitch's ass.

Food wasn't appealing, but Prim took a plate of salad anyway, figuring that was all she could have since everyone else thought she hadn't done anything that day. Although she was angry and ready to explode, she did notice that Peeta wasn't there and wondered where he had gone off to. She found herself to be envious of the baker, because she didn't want to be at the table either. It was then that Prim realized something; she didn't have to be. No one was keeping her there, and there was no rule that said she had to be social and eat with people she currently wanted to smack.

“May I be excused?” she asked, looking specifically to Effie. Had she been less angry, Prim would have felt bad about ignoring Gale's excitement, or noticed the strange way Katniss blushed when Cinna had been mentioned.

Effie paused, a look of concern on her face. “Well, I don't see why not, but you really sh--”

“Thanks,” Prim said, cutting the escort off as she got to her feet. “Goodnight.”

As Prim left the room, Haymitch continued to eat. There was no sense in anyone going after her, and he trusted that she was mature enough to sort it out herself and calm down enough to be approached later on. In a way, her lack of motivation reminded him of Maysilee. While he and the other three tributes of the first Quarter Quell had dove headfirst into training and getting familiar with a weapon, Maysilee had opted for more of the mental puzzles and stations that built survival skills, which in the end had left her saddled with that blow gun that had ultimately cost her life. Knowing that, Haymitch didn't want to see the same thing happen to Prim, especially not when so much was on the line. Later, after dinner, he would go and talk with her, still a mentor at heart.

“Did Peeta say what time he would be back?” Haymitch asked, taking another forkful of crisp, green salad. He was hungry from a long day, and although he hadn't been all that productive during the morning, he had done quite a bit of work with the ax.

Effie blinked, obviously still in shock that Prim, the sister with manners, had gotten up to leave so quickly. “I don't know. He left just before you four came back up here,” she explained. “I asked him if it could wait until after dinner, but he said it was important.”

To Haymitch, that sounded like Peeta had a plan. “Then it probably was,” he agreed. He pushed his now empty salad plate aside and took a main course from the spread that had been laid out. Pasta still didn't seem like a very good choice for dinner, but Haymitch had some anyway but made sure to put more meat on his plate. Although he had been eating better since Katniss had won the year before, the food in 12 wasn't anything compared to what the Capitol offered. They really liked to nourish the tributes, make sure they were healthy-looking before they were sent off to die.

Next, Haymitch looked to Gale. “I saw you with that sword today. You looked good,” he praised. “I just hope you'll be able to use it if someone comes for you.” The former Victor remembered an impressive boy from 10 who had blown everyone away during training, only to freeze up in the arena. He had been the first to die, proving that a high score from the Gamemakers meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.

“And you,” he said to Katniss. “Are you planning on reminding everyone that you're an archer anytime soon?” Because that was important too, and if her fight hadn't shown the others that Katniss wasn't a joke, then her shooting was sure to.

[Genkai]

With Primrose being pretty much unresponsive to her, Katniss didn't know what else to do. Katniss was Prim's sister and wanted to believe she could hold her own, that she wasn't as useless as she thought she was. But on the other hand, Katniss was a Tribute who couldn't spend the Games worrying about Prim. Katniss would do anything for her, yes, which meant dying and killing for her. But it would be foolish and selfish of Prim to just mope around, lost in the situation they couldn't change. If Prim was worried about everyone having to do things for her or Katniss pulling away, it was already happening thanks to Prim's own actions. When her sister asked to leave, Katniss wasn't sure what she could do was it was deflating and annoying. All she was trying to do was get Prim to have some confidence, to contribute to what everyone else was fighting against (President Snow) and yet Prim just kept getting in her own way.

Katniss couldn't relate.

When she was pushed into the Games, she had a reason to not waiver and was Prim. Katniss went into attack mode pretty quick and only became unsettled when it came to making people like her. Prim was easily charming and sweet and everything Katniss wasn't. And Katniss also believed in Prim's ability and improvement. She saw how she shot an arrow and wondered why Prim was neglecting that skill or not trying something new as everyone had suggested. The woman just glared at her food and pushed down the urge to storm after her sister for acting like a brat. She hated the feeling of anger and bitterness that she had for the way Prim was treating everyone and her pity party was getting old. They needed to focus and Katniss needed to be able to trust Prim and Gale, that they could get out alive somehow, that when she died Prim wouldn't crumble like their mother had.

Katniss tuned out Haymitch for the time being as she locked herself in her own head. Gale was also a loss for words. He didn't get what Prim was so upset about. She had done so well and seemed so pleased with her actions today. He had no idea what she had to be angry or worried about, except the obvious but she wasn't the only one struggling with dying or killing people. Continuing to eat, he noticed Katniss clam back up thanks to Prim's actions. Gale sighed and looked up as Haymitch and Effie asked about Peeta briefly. It wasn't like the nice guy to be rude and skip a meal, especially one where they would all catch up on their first day antics. As Haymitch shifted attention to him, he looked up. "Thanks." Gale smiled lightly and glanced to Katniss who was still ignoring everyone. "I think it would be good to go against someone more experienced, i'd be able to see how they use it and maybe it would help.” He spoke up and looked to Effie, trying to find some relief to the sudden tension hanging over the table.

Next Haymitch addressed Katniss who looked up from her food which she was now just pushing around to make an abstract picture with various shapes. “Yeah, I plan on using that simulation thing or whatever.” Katniss replied and got up. She wasn’t mad at Gale or Haymitch or the others but she was getting pretty annoyed with her sister and that made her want some space. She could talk to Gale later. “We’ll talk later tonight.” She said to Gale. It was a statement more than a question or offer since she needed to know how Gale fit into the emotional storm hitting Prim. If neither could help, she had no other choice but to step back and she hated it. “I’m gonna walk around, I’ll try not to punch anyway while I’m out, unless I see President Snow, I’m not making any promises.” Katniss joked and patted Haymitch’s shoulder before turning and heading down the stairs as Effie let out a huff, obviously not getting the joke. But before Effie could warn Katniss, Peeta stepped into the living room and Katniss found herself oddly happy to see him. “What have you been up to…?”

Peeta looked to the adults and then to Katniss. “I heard I should be giving you some kind of lecture.” Peeta said having stalled, he didn’t need Katniss to know about what he was doing and he was still questioning whether or not to include Effie or Haymitch. His best bets were Gale and Prim, even if they were a risk and a longshot. Katniss rolled her eyes at Peeta’s attempt at mentoring. She didn’t feel like humoring the guy right now. “Come on, we should talk.” Peeta said and grabbed her hand and headed off to the elevator. They rode up to the top floor. While the building was different than the first one, it still brought him comfort to return to some kind of familiar location. As they got outside, Katniss began to explain what was going on with her and her sister and Peeta was quick to try and help his friend. After everything, he still cared for her. “You and Prim are different and you won’t always see eye to eye. I know it’s hard to feel helpless and that you want to fix this but I think she shares the same view which is why she needs to find confidence by her own choice, not with you and Gale pushing her.”

“I just wish she wasn’t here. I did everything to protect her and I just made it worse.” Katniss said and Peeta grabbed her hand as they stood by the edge of the room, overlooking the navy blue tinted sky filled with lights and sounds of good cheer.

Since it seemed everyone was getting up, he decided to go read for a bit. Prim had given off the firm impression she didn’t want him nor Katniss around her and it bummed him out and pissed him off a little, considering how well the day was. Still, he would just see if Effie or Haymitch or even Peeta could do anything about it because going into the Games, their heads had to be straight, not riddled with nonsense. Katniss seemed okay, despite her sister’s mindset which made him a bit happy. If Prim’s emotions rubbed off on Katniss, they’d be back to where they had started this morning. “Dinner was good.” He snagged a bowl of fruit and yogurt for dessert and got up. “I’ll be in my room.” He knew not to get too comfortable though, that Katniss would want to talk to him about something and he didn’t have a great feeling about it. He jogged down the steps and headed off to his room with a book in his other hand. This time it was about interrogation tactics, which he thought may help him in a tight spot.

Leaving his door open slightly to signal that he was free to talk or whatever, Gale set his bowl down by the bedside table and laid back and flipped open his book. He thought about the progress Prim had made, as well as himself. He shook his head, not feeling great about the constant struggle they had to endure. The Games in his mind, couldn’t be as what was leading up to them. Rubbing his neck, he flipped a few pages and found something of interest. After a few minutes, he set it aside and began to eat some of the cool fresh dessert as he tried to relax his mind. Picking up the remote, spoon still in his mouth, he turned on the tv, not used to such things. Sure, Katniss had one but it wasn’t used unless the Capital made some big announcement. He checked out the various channels and found something documenting the Games and the previous winners. He watched for a while as it turned to rumors of which Tributes were with who, he lost interest and turned it off. He couldn’t believe how stupid some people were.

So he reopened his book and went back to something with real value.

[mmidnight]

The air in every part of the penthouse suite was thick with tension and Prim felt like she was drowning in the expectations that everyone was putting on her. Somehow, the thought of losing Katniss to the games for a second time had been easier to handle than watching it happen in real time, seeing her sister pull away and distance herself from her straggling, useless, younger sibling. Had she been on the outside looking in, Prim would have agreed with Katniss's choices, and she knew that only the strong survived, but this was just too much, too soon and the young blonde was left feeling like she was out of options. At the same time, there was an overwhelming sense of guilt inside of her that told Prim she owed it to Katniss to try. Even if she failed miserably and died, Katniss deserved more than just the moping she had been doing, and constant moments of panic that she had been suppressing since that first day on the train.

As soon as the door to her room closed behind her, Prim threw her fist into the metal wardrobe by the bed. The pain that blossomed through her knuckles and traveled up her arm barely registered as she did it a second time, and finally a third before her skin was bruised and broken open. This angry person wasn't her; Primrose Everdeen was gentle and kind, a healer, and sunny. She was the exact opposite of her grumpy and fearless sister, and yet, there she was with blood on her knuckles and nursing yet another painfully stupid mistake. Underneath it all, her real fear was the same as Gale's, that the Capitol would change her. The worst part was that it already had.

After Prim's exit from the dining room, dinner seemed to have come to a quick end. Haymitch could tell that Katniss was angry, and Gale seemed a little disappointed by the whole thing. Even Effie appeared to be confused. Haymitch, on the other hand, felt as though this was something he could fix. No one could change the fact that they would have to compete in the Games, but if District 12 could work together, there might be a chance for survival and that was something that Prim needed to participate in. As Gale and Katniss both left the table, Haymitch stayed to finish his dessert and indulged Effie for a few extra minutes about all of the preparation that was being done for the upcoming ball.

“It's not optional?” he asked, spearing one last strawberry with his fork. “It just seems like another distraction.”

“You're going,” Effie replied. Her voice had a tone of finality to it, one that Haymitch didn't often hear but it reminded him that she was an escort for a reason, and she still had authority over her tributes.

There was no arguing with her, and Haymitch silently agreed to not put up too much of a fuss on the night in question. After, he left the table and made his way down the other long hallway and over to Prim's room. He didn't bother to knock on the door and simply let himself in, which earned him a Katniss-like glare from the blonde who was cradling her hand on the bed. He had been there before himself, doing damage to his own body before anyone else had a chance, but in the end it was never worth it. The Games were hard to get through, and that was the point, to suffer toward a small slice of victory. It was best if said suffering could be avoided until the last minute.

“We have to talk,” he told her, always seconds away from launching into some kind of pep-talk.

Prim didn't want to hear it. “Leave me alone. Go find my sister or something.”

The former Victor shook his head and pulled up a chair from the other side of the room. He was facing Prim head on and she looked uncomfortable, her blue eyes, which were puffy and red from crying, refused to meet his. Haymitch didn't care, and maybe if he had tried this hard with Maysilee, she could have been the one to win the last Quarter Quell, and he would have been long dead and buried in the ground like so many others.

“Do you want to die?” he asked, the question blunt and to the point. It was one thing if that was what Prim was looking for, if she never wanted to see her home again, if she wanted to slip easily away from the people who loved her, then Haymitch would leave her be without question. It was easier to organize a smaller alliance than waste time on someone who lacked the will to even try and live. It was silent between them for a long moment, as if Prim really was considering the question, or just trying to wait him out, but she finally did answer.

“No.”

“Then you gotta try, Prim,” simple as that.

That was the last thing that Prim wanted to hear, and she knew that trying was all anyone was looking for. “I don't want to kill anyone,” she admitted. “I don't have it in me.”

Across from her, Haymitch looked sympathetic and Prim was sure that he did understand. No one, aside from the Careers, ever went into the Games looking for someone to destroy—death was just something that happened in the arena and a major part of the entertainment and allure for the audience.

Haymitch could only shrug his shoulders at her very valid concern. “You don't know what you're capable of until you're there with twenty-three or forty-seven other people who want to get out of there just as badly as you do. If it's down to you and one other person, and they're standing in the way of you going home, of seeing your family again,” he paused, sighing. “Would you lay down and die after coming so far?” It was a rhetorical question, just something for Prim to think about and hopefully change her mind about picking a weapon. “Identifying plants isn't going to stop someone from killing you, Prim.”

“It's the only thing I'm good at,” she replied. “I'm not you, I can't throw an ax. I'm not Gale. Gale's good at everything, and I'm definitely not Katniss. She can hit anything.”

Haymitch frowned, “no one's trying to compare the two of you.” Prim scoffed, her eyes rolling. “I wouldn't be in here if I thought your only skill was pulling up weeds. You hit that deer dead center in the chest last month.”

Prim shook her head, “that was just...I don't know. I couldn't do it again.”

“Bullshit!” Haymitch said, standing. Prim wasn't going to downplay herself and make more excuses. “If you can shoot an arrow, you can throw a knife. The stance isn't much different and Gale already taught you the hard parts. It's a distance weapon, you can take someone out before they get anywhere near you.” Prim stayed silent, but Haymitch could tell that she was beginning to agree. The only thing holding her back was fear, and if Haymitch could get her to let go if that, she could save herself. “Get up,” he demanded, gesturing for her to stand and follow him. “Come on!”

The older man had a wild look in his eye, as if he was about to have a big breakthrough and wouldn't be stopped for anything. Prim had to admit, she was curious, but still a little wary as she followed Haymitch out of the room and down another hallway. It was the same one that she had explored with Gale the night before, and she saw the potted plant that had been sculpted into a rather abstract square. Soon, the pair came to the gym room. It was much smaller than the area they had trained in downstairs and offered less equipment as well. Prim supposed it was there for the over-eager tributes, the Careers that felt the need to train endlessly even when they were off the clock.

Haymitch had gone to stand in the center of the room. “Come at me,” he said, arms out to his sides as he waited.

“What?” Prim asked, eyes wide.

“Hit me. Try and hit me,” he encouraged.

Prim was suspicious and hesitant, but even with her injured she wanted to try. Although she didn't like Haymitch, and thought of him as a formerly drunken wedge between herself and Katniss, he was going out of his way to help her and Prim wasn't bitter enough to leave the room and turn down his kindness. The first few times she tried to hit him were awkward, but with a little more encouragement, Prim had managed to at least get a shot in before she found herself pinned to the floor. It was finally sinking, how fast she could lose her life and Prim wanted to fight back. She tried again, listening to Haymitch's guidance, trusting what he said and responding without second guessing him. This was the first time that Prim had ever looked as Haymitch like he was useful, and although she was repeatedly being taken down to the mats and pinned there, the experience was a positive one.

For the next hour, Prim and Haymitch practiced, and the older tribute showed her the basics of fighting, moves she could use to defend herself. Toward the end of the unexpected session, Prim had managed to trip Haymitch up, causing the man to land on his back. She was proud of herself and felt as though she had done more in the last hour than she had all day in front of the other tributes.

“First thing tomorrow,” Haymitch said, catching his breath alongside Prim, “you find those knives. Don't talk to anyone, don't go look at more plants, don't let Gale talk you into running around. Get yourself a weapon—prove everyone wrong.”

“Okay,” Prim agreed, nodding. “I will.” She paused, still catching her breath. “And...thanks for this.”

It was no problem, and Haymitch let Prim know that before leaving the room. Although he still thought that she was Katniss's biggest weakness, he knew that she was going to make progress and would soon be capable of defending herself. The less that Katniss had to worry about, the better off everyone would be. Thinking of it now, of the plan that had yet to come together for him, Haymitch realized that he still needed to talk to Peeta. The penthouse suite was quiet save for a few lingering Avoxes, who pointed him in the direction of the new mentor when asked. He should have known that he would be on the roof with Katniss, and Haymitch wasted no time taking the elevator the rest of the way up.

“Hey,” he said, noticing that Peeta and Katniss seemed to be done with their time on top of the building. “I need to talk to you.”

The blond mentor was leaving, but nodded. “Tomorrow. We'll talk then. I promise.”

Outside, the air was much cooler and Haymitch was glad to be free from the warm confines of the gym. He took a deep, worried breath as Peeta and briefly wondered when the baker had become so cryptic. After, he turned to Katniss, hoping she had calmed down some. “You alright?” he asked, tucking his hands into the pockets of his pants. His eyes shifted toward the blueish blackness of the horizon, and the few stars that dotted the sky. “You seemed...tense earlier.” Tense may have been an understatement.

Stretching, Haymitch ran a hand through his hair. “I talked to Prim,” he said casually, attempting to gauge Katniss's reaction to her sister's name. “I think I got through to her.”

Downstairs, Prim was on her way back to her room with every intention of going to sleep. On the way, she passed by Gale's door and saw that it was slightly ajar. She paused for a moment, not sure if he wanted to speak to her after the way she had left the table earlier in the evening. It hadn't been him that she was upset with, though. There were many things in life that needed to be dealt with, and Prim took a step closer before opening his door all the way. “I just wanted to say goodnight,” she said, but really, she wanted him to know that she wasn't angry with him, that nothing was his fault.