Hello All!

Long time lurker on FF and A03, been reading some of the amazing stories you guys write. Finally got bitten by the story writing bug, and have penned this intro chapter to see if there is interest in this kind of story.

Hope you enjoy!

xo

The smell of chlorine hit her the moment she walked into the venue, serving as more of a wake up than the large Starbucks she was carrying in her hand. Gripping it tightly as if it were her lifeline, she strode up to the reception desk, where the far-too-perky-for-this-time-of-the-morning attendant greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning Miss. How can I help?"

"Katniss Everdeen, I am meant to be meeting with Mr Abernathy." She replied in a brief monotone.

"Aah, yes. Of course. Just one moment please." He picked up the phone sitting on his desk and pressed a button. "Mr Abernathy? I have Miss Everdeen to see you, sir."

Katniss took a moment to look around the spacious area. Everything about this place smacked of the elite, from the stylish chrome and glass entryway, to the floor to ceiling panoramic windows that allowed guests to see through to the Olympic standard pool, and diving facilities. Katniss wondered, not for the first time, how on earth a girl from her pathetic background had ended up here.

"Everdeen?" A gruff voice startled her from her reverie, and she turned to see a tanned man, with shaggy dirty blonde hair eyeing her from a doorway. He was wearing a standard polo shirt and tracksuit bottoms, emblazoned with a neat logo.

"Yes." She replied equally as curtly.

"Good. Haymitch Abernathy, come on through and let's talk." He indicated with his head that she was to follow him through the doorway.

As she did so she was assaulted with the smell of stale booze and tobacco, and it took all her willpower not to flinch. This was Haymitch Abernathy?!

He led her through into the stadium seating area framing the swimming pool, inviting her to take a seat.

"So sweetheart, I am going to cut straight to the point." He began, "I have seen you perform at several meets, and ease them all with flying colours, and very little effort on your part."

"Err…thanks?" She was not sure if he was inviting a response, but she stuttered one out anyway. How had he managed to make that sound like both an insult and a compliment at the same time?

"And yet, I have never once seen you compete at a regional or national event. Why is that?"

His tone immediately put Katniss on the defensive; she was not about to share details of her life with a man she had met only minutes ago. Regardless of his status.

"I have just never cared to compete elsewhere. I am happy with what I am doing now." That sounded pathetic even to her own ears, if she were perfectly content with the ways things were she would have never agreed to this meeting.

"Yeah, sure." Haymitch sounded even more unconvinced. "If that is the case, sweetheart, then thank you for coming all the way out here. Have a nice day."

He stood and began walking away from her, seemingly unconcerned by her rudeness.

"Wait!" She called, before she could think twice about it.

He turned and raised an eyebrow expectantly at her, waiting for her to continue and making no move to return to his seat.

"I can't compete at any other meets except those local ones because I cannot afford it. My family cannot afford the costs for the travel and accommodation, and all the other costs that go with it." Hell she had to work 14 days straight just to be able to afford to come to Capitol for this meeting.

"I know."

"You do?"

"I spoke to your coach at great length. I wanted the background, his insight and opinion on you before I told him to arrange this meeting."

"If you already knew all that, why have me say it?"

He did not reply to that, he just shrugged his shoulders and chuckled darkly at her.

"Sweetheart, you are good. If you had been able to compete at higher levels before this, you would have had a shot at the Olympic team." He trailed off for a moment, letting his words sink in.

Katniss could hardly believe what she was hearing. This scruffy man was telling her that had she been in a better position, had she not been poor, then she could have achieved her dream of winning gold for her country. She felt sick.

"Well I am sorry that I was not born into a life of prestige and money." She began angrily, "I come from a good and hard working family. I work hard, my dad worked…hard. It is what we do…"

"Whoa, whoa! Get off your soapbox for a moment there sweetheart and cool the fire. I am not telling you this to rub it in. I am telling you this to make you realise how good you are."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to train here, at this club, with me as your coach."

"…I…thank you, but…I can't afford…"

"Cut the crap. This training venue is one of the best in the world; we are in a position to sponsor your training here. We will give you, and your family, accommodation, and provide a comfortable living allowance. You would stop working at that crappy diner, and train full time here at the elite. You do this, you work hard and commit to this, and trust what I say, then I am confident that you will be on a plane to Panem for the Games."

Katniss was speechless. Was this for real? Haymitch Abernathy, the national team coach was offering this amazing chance.

"What is the catch?" She eyed him cynically, not completing trusting that this was real.

"No catch as such. You are just signing up for a lot of hard work and a lot of training. But I think with you on our team, plus this wonder kid golden boy I just signed, we can break up the monopoly that those sodding careers from Districts 1 and 2 have on all the medals."

"I am going to need some time…"

"To think? Take the week. I am back in Seam next Tuesday anyway, so you can give me your answer then. Agreed?"

"Errrr…ok?"

"Right. Good." He said gruffly. "Now let me show you around here quickly, and then I have to begin training."

He took her on a tour around the impressive facility that contained not one, but three Olympic standard pools, although only one had the seating stands around it. As they walked along the side of the third pool, a tall blonde came jogging out of the male changing area, almost ploughing into Katniss.

"Hey! Watch it!" she barked.

"Ooof! I am so sorr….Katniss? Katniss Everdeen, is that you?"

She gathered her senses and looked up at the man. A well-defined muscular chest, giving way to broad strong shoulders and up into the most dazzling blue eyes. Blue eyes that she could not forget, as they haunted her fractured dreams.

"Peeta Mellark?" she stammered weakly

"You two know each other?" Haymitch watched on amusedly.

"Yeah…err…well that is, we did." Peeta stuttered, "We were in school together for a couple years before my parents moved us to Capitol. Are you training here too Katniss?"

"Erm, maybe?" she looked to Haymitch feeling somewhat lost by Peeta Mellark's sudden reappearance in her life.

"Seeing as you two already know each other, I do not really see the need for introductions, but hell! Golden Boy meet the Girl on Fire. Girl on Fire, meet Golden Boy."

Peeta's lips quirked at the ridiculous nicknames and he solemnly held out his hand to Katniss.

"Nice to meet you, Girl on Fire." His voice held melodic laughter in its tone.

Katniss stared at his eyes, which were twinkling in merriment, before composing herself and shaking his hand. From his intake of breath, he felt the electricity too, the moment they touched.

"Right. Mellark, into the pool with you. I am going to finish giving sweetheart here a tour and then I will be back. 2000m freestyle, start now!" he barked.

Katniss felt unsettled for the rest of the brief tour, and the feeling did not go away as she thanked Haymitch for his time, and began her walk back to the train station to catch the train that would take her away from Capitol, and away from Peeta Mellark.

Could she do it? Could she train at the elite Capitol pools with Haymitch Abernathy and avoid Peeta Mellark at the same time?

He had moved away when they were both aged around 11 years old. They had had little interaction at school and she would not have considered them friends, they sometimes saw each other at local swimming meets, but Peeta trained at a better club, and socialised with the merchant classes back in Seam, their town.

And yet, she always found herself keeping tabs on him, even after he moved away, she would find out details of how he did in competitions, how he won regionals, and how an injury had prevented him from being in the Olympic team, and how he was looking for a new trainer...well he had his new trainer now, she supposed.

Katniss Everdeen had never forgotten Peeta Mellark; because you do not forget the person who was your last hope, do you?