A/N: This is my first fanfiction, so I hope you enjoy:)
"The winner of the 74th annual Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen from district 12!" Claudius Templesmith's voice boomed through the arena. I look up and see a hovercraft.
They let down a rope ladder; I grab it and freeze in place. I'm being lifted up to the hovercraft and once onboard, I instantly black out. I woke up and I was back in my room
in the training center. I walk over to the bathroom to wash my face. When I look in the mirror you could not tell at all that I was just in an arena fighting for my life. I was
glowing and the cut on my head was nothing but a small thin line. But the biggest change is when I turn the water on, I could hear out of my left ear. I guess the capitol
surgeons fixed it, along with every other scar. My skin looks flawless. I walk to the dining room to find Cinna, Portia, Haymitch and Effie in there eating. When they see me they
all get up and hug me. "Nice job Sweetheart." Haymitch says with a grin on his face.
"Thanks, but…" a tear rolls down my cheek. Effie hands me and pink handkerchief and I wipe my cheeks.
"Katniss, he wanted you to win. Before the rule change that was his whole strategy, was to have you win. That's the reason why he teamed up with the careers. To try to lead
them away from you." Haymitch tells me. This news cheers me up a little. But he had a family, his brothers and dad loved him. How can I go back. Peeta died and
it was my fault. I should've made him run away with me when he told me to run away. He stayed back to fight Cato, and died. I feel more tears run down my cheeks as I think
of Peeta sacrificing his life to save mine. Multiple times.
"Come on Katniss. Eat, then you have to go get prepped for your interview later." Cinna says and gives me another hug. I sit down and eat, but not too much because too much
Capitol food is not good. My prep team preps me. They do my nails and makeup and put my hair in ringlets down my back. Cinna comes in with a light yellow dress and
flats with primroses on them the same color. He puts it on me and it falls just below my knees. But something on it feels weird.
"Padding?" I ask him.
"Yeah, it was that or surgery." He replies.
"Oh, I like the idea of padding more."
"I thought you would" He says with a smile and puts the finishing touches on my outfit, including my mockingjay pin. We walk to the stage; I look out and see Caesar in the
same outfit he wore for the other interview. "Good luck out there, girl on fire." Cinna tells me and goes to take his seat in the audience.
"Welcome with me, this year's victor. Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire from district 12!" Caesar says and I find myself walking onto the stage. I smile at the crowd and at Caesar
then sit down. "So Katniss, you were amazing out there in the arena!" He turns to the crowd, "What do you guys think, wasn't she amazing?" The crowd cheers very loudly.
"Thank you." I smile at them.
"So, Katniss. I'm very sorry about your loss of Peeta Mellark." I fight the tears that are dying to escape my eyes.
"I'm going to miss him, a lot. I just wish I would I could thank him. Without him, I probably wouldn't be here right now. He told me to run away because Cato was coming and he
was furious at me. I also wish that I would've made Peeta run away from Cato with me. But because of the tracker jacker venom, I just couldn't think right and now…" I look at
Cinna. "Now I just wish that I didn't drop that tracker jacker nest, and then maybe Peeta could be sitting here with me right now." Tears start to roll down my cheeks and I don't
stop them.
"So Katniss, you get to go see your little sister soon." I never thought of that! I get to go back to my mother and Prim. We'll live in the victors village and be neighbors with
Haymitch. We'll have all the money and food we need.
"Yes, I do."
"You told her you would win for her, correct?" he asks.
"Yes, when she visited me after the reaping." I answer him.
"Well, congratulations. You won for her."
"I didn't only win for her; I also won for Rue and Peeta." I reply. Then President Snow walks onto the stage with a gold crown in his hand. He motions for me to stand up, I do.
"Congratulations, my dear. You have definitely earned this. You fought long and hard in the arena and lost some people you care about. Good job." With that he places the crown
on my head and steps aside.
"Give it up one more time for Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire and the victor of the 74th annual Hunger Games!" Caesar says and the crowd roars with applause.
President Snow walks off the stage and I am guided back to the training center and am immediately met by Effie.
"That was lovely, Katniss!" She squeals in her capitol accent.
"Could've used less water works, but it was alright." Haymitch says and takes another drink of whatever is in his hand.
"Thanks I guess. When will we be going back to district 12? I just want to get back to Prim." I ask.
"We will be leaving tonight at 7 o'clock on the dot. So be ready!" Effie says then walks away.
"I just can't stand being in this pent house anymore. Peeta used to stay here and all those empty rooms below us where the tributes used to stay. It's just too depressing."
"Good luck in the next years then Sweetheart. You have to come back every year to mentor." Haymitch says.
"Great." I say then go to my room. If I don't want to be here, I'll just go to sleep. But that was a huge mistake. What came to me as I slept was a nightmare, with the one and
only Peeta Mellark in it. In my dream I was up in the trees and when I look down, I see a fight going on. It's Cato, Glimmer, Clove and Marvel against Peeta and Rue. I
try to jump down to help them. But I can't, I can't even move to shoot an arrow. It was like what freezes you on the hovercraft. I try to yell their names. But I can't,
I'm like an avox. I still have my tongue though, but I am mute.
What I see next is horrible. Peeta and Rue don't have a chance at all. Peeta is on the ground because Clove punched him in the stomach and knocked the wind out of him.
Poor little Rue is getting tied up to a tree by Glimmer. What happened next was fast. Cato he, he… beheads Peeta. Marvel sends a spear through Rue's head. Once the two
cannons went off I was unfrozen. I shook the tree once I was able to move. The careers hear this and look up. I'm next, I know it. I jump out of the tree and start to
run as fast as I can. But when I look back to see how far away the careers are, I trip on a tree root. And just as one of Clove's knifes was about to pierce through my
heart. I woke up.
I'm covered in sweat and the covers are thrown off of the bed and onto a pile on the floor. I take a cold shower to help wake me up from my horrible nightmare. I throw on a
forest green shirt and dark jeans. I look at the clock by my bed. 6:45. Just in time to go get on the train without Effie screaming at me about how important it is to be
punctual. I walk to the train station with some peace keepers. Once on the train I go to the dining car because I haven't eaten anything for almost 7 hours. They serve me lamb
stew because after they heard me say I like it to Caesar during my first interview they make it a lot now.
"Hey Sweetheart." Haymitch goes straight to the alcohol table.
"Hey, Haymitch."
"You seem kind of… lonely."
"More like still in shock. Or maybe it's because of this nightmare I had about 30 minutes ago." I tell him.
"I hear ya." He takes a drink.
"You do?" I ask curiously.
"Yep. Why do you think I drink? Sleep during the day? Sleep with a knife?"
"The games."
"Bingo. You remember Annie Cresta?"
"Yeah, she's a victor from district 4."
"She went mad after her games. They can drive people insane and Annie's an example. Some victors drink away the pain, like me. Some take morphling, which is a drug in the
capitol. Some are famous, like Finnick Odair. Others unfortunately go mad, like Annie." Haymitch says.
"Will I go mad?" I ask thinking of poor Annie, who I do remember.
"You could. You won't if you think of something or someone to keep you sane. I heard Finnick Odair keeps Annie somewhat sane when they're together." He fiddles with the
bottle of murky, clear liquid in his hands.
"Like Prim? Or Gale?"
"Yes, but remember sweetheart. You need to play up the, 'I'm so sad! The love of my life is dead and I won't love another man in my life' thing." Haymitch says and I realize
something huge. I can never have a love life with Gale. If I do, then the Capitol will wonder if my love with Peeta was even real. I'm supposed to be devastated that Peeta died. I
am, a lot. But I never realized that I'd have to not have a love life with Gale. We'll always be hunting partners and best friends, nothing more, nothing less.
"I'm really sad that Peeta died. Sometimes I wish he was the one here and not me. But what about Gale?"
"Oh, he's your cousin now." Haymitch informs me.
"What do you mean?" I ask confused. How could Gale be my cousin, we look similar. But we're not related.
"They interviewed your family once you got in the last 8. To keep on the star-crossed lovers act, Gale is now your cousin." Haymitch keeps calling it an act. This I did not like at
all.
"Haymitch, it wasn't just an act. I do have feelings for Peeta. I feel sorry, dread, respect and maybe I do love him a little. I have been thinking about him
since we were little, same as him for me. But I've been thinking about how he saved my families lives when we were younger and what do I do? I let him get killed by Cato! We
are the star-crossed lovers from District 12 and we always will be."
"Ok, Sweetheart. You are the star-crossed lovers. Just have fun telling hunter boy that." He swishes around
the drink in his bottle.
"Gale can deal with it. He knows I never loved him like I kind of love Peeta. I love Gale like a best friend, but with Peeta it was just different."
"Why are you telling me this? I think Effie would love to hear all about it, or your prep team." He takes a big drink and almost falls over. I go walk to the back of the train and sit
down on a window ledge and look out the window. Soon I'll be in District 12, what am I going to tell Gale?
A/N: More reviews= more chapters! I have 3 more waiting to be uploaded if I get some reviews :)