AN: Here is the sequel you guys! I figured I would end around the same place the original book did and pick up again before the Victory Tour.

There are twelve houses in the District 2 Victors' Village and 13 victors. Dacia came to the conclusion that two young Victors living in the same house would be considered too scandalous. So Cato gets his own house and I'm stuck living with Enobaria until the architects finish construction on mine.

"Keep running!" Enobaria screeches at me. I've been sprinting up and down the same hill for the last twenty minutes. You'd think she'd let me stop and take a breath or something. Guess not.

I take a large enough breath to gasp, "What are we even training for?"

"The Victory Tour starts tomorrow. You need to look your best."

"You're turning me into a bodybuilder. Am I going to bench President Snow or something?"

"If the situation arises, then you should be prepared."

And I'm gone. I'm running as fast as I can back onto the street. Enobaria tries to run after me, but it's no use. Maybe she shouldn't have trained me so hard- I'm much faster than I was before.

The Victors' Village is buzzing with a handful of happy, excited looking people. They are better-fed, better-groomed, better-everything compared to the others in District 2. I even see some kids, children of Victors running between the legs of their parents. Once they are old enough to be Reaped, their odds will be rigged, the slips with their names tripled, just to add some drama to a set of otherwise "boring" Games. There's a dog who runs around here at night. During the day, he hides under the houses, but gets up and raids our gardens as soon as the sun is down. Some of the older Victors have called the Capitol to have it captured, but it always escapes. Besides, it's not like we need the extra food we grow; it just tastes a little better than the stuff we buy in a store.

Large, firm hands shake mine out of nowhere, voices congratulate me, palms slap me on the back encouragingly. The Victory Tour is only cause for celebration in the winner's district. District 2 has double the victors this year. Double the festivities. Double the "fun."

Children with big eyes look at me with admiration, despite the fact that I'm sweaty and sore and my face is almost certainly red.

A something clunks against my thigh. I fumble in my pocket to see if it's still there. The Mockingjay pin. Brutus gave it to me after my final interview.

"This isn't mine." I'd said.

"It was stuck to your knife. I figure you wanted to keep it."

"I don't want it."

I couldn't get rid of it though. I could never bring myself to throw it away. So I keep it with me. I don't wear it as a pin- that would be too much, too horrible. But I did win. So I claimed it. It's mine now.

I open Cato's door. He leaves it unlocked for me. One time, he was in the bathroom and couldn't answer the door so I broke the window. He won't give me a key because he says he's worried I'll stab him with it if we have an argument.

Which, to be fair, is often.

But if I wanted a stabbing implement, I'd just use a knife. Obviously.

"Cato," I yell. I get lost for a couple minutes in his house. I thought I'd remember how to get around by now, considering it's pretty much the same as Enobaria's. I finally reach his room. He's asleep. It's broad daylight and the windows are open, but he has a pillow over his face. I'm surprised he can breathe like that.

"Caaaatoooo," I whisper, poking him. He mumbles something incoherent and flips onto his other side.

I go take a shower in his bathroom. It sounds risky, I know, but it's really fast and I dry off quickly and put my clothes back on. Besides, if I take a shower at Enobaria's she'd probably grab me and force me to run up and down that hill stark naked.

I'm already dressed when he wakes up. His hair is fluffy and sticks out in every direction. If it weren't for his confused expression, he'd resemble a baby bird. "Why are you dressed like that?"

I'm dressed pretty normally, except for the towel on my head. He must be referring to the towel. "Enobaria put me through one of her work-outs."

He blinks a couple times and then gasps. He whips off his comforter. "Gah! What time is it?"

"Around ten. Why?"

"We're going to be late for the train!"

"Cato-" He wrenches his drawers open and begins to yank on the first pair of pants he can find. They are red and very tight. He can barely fit into them.

"The Victory Tour is tomorrow."

He blinks rapidly, as if he was suddenly faced with a glaring light. "What."

"Yeah. It's tomorrow."

"Thank god." He collapses back onto his bed, skinny jeans and all. He cradles a pillow like a child.

I pull the Mockingjay pin out of my pocket and stare at it. Cato peers over his pillow. "What's that?"

I want to shove it back into my pants, but I figure I should just show him. The gold is already catching the light and shimmering anyway. "Katniss' pin."

"Why do you still have it?"

"I don't know," I say, shrugging. It's true, I just can't get rid of the stupid thing. It feels like it still needs to satisfy some unfulfilled purpose.

AN: I'm working on it, believe me. I need to get back in the swing of things with this. Please R & R!

~~~Flare