Author's Note: Yeah, I haven't updated in awhile, but I hope that this was worth it. I really don't know if I'm writing them well, so please let me know!

God Bless,

Sarah.

Katniss felt robotic, repetitive as he helped Peeta prepare the children for the trip to the Capitol. All of it was too painful; too much of a reminder of what they went through. Peeta did most of the talking: he was the level headed one- the calm one, so she let him handle all of the details. She just helped lay out their clothes, prepare their breakfast, and then avoid their eyes. She knew that their eyes would hold the same look that she gave her mother, Gale, when she found out she was definitely going into the arena…Twice. The look that begged for help- help that couldn't come. The arena, the Reaping, everything about this time of year, every year, just felt like a trap. Katniss had never guessed her children would be caught in it, though. Perhaps, sometimes, she did think of it…But she dismissed that thought. Maybe she shouldn't have, though. Maybe she should have taken more necessary precautions to protect her children. Guilt flooded into her veins now…How could she have been stupid enough to believe that their children, Peeta and Katniss's children, wouldn't be chosen for the Hunger Games. Of course the Game Makers would love that- make for a good show, right? Lots of viewers, sponsors, fun. Truthfully, though, Katniss and Peeta's love was supposed to be a staged attempt at staying alive, and they ended up defying all the odds…together. Her kids could do that too, right? After all, they were a mix of both Peeta and Katniss…and that was as good a mix as any.

Katniss played close attention to her children that next morning. She was more nervous than the very day she went into the Games, and it was making everything ten times worse. Katniss first appraised her daughter, watching her come into the kitchen, still in pajamas, wishing that it was just another normal Sunday, just as Katniss wished it were.

Ingrid looked pale and tired as she stumbled around the kitchen, insisting on fixing her own breakfast. Her hair was matted, and messy curls fell to frame her face as though she had ripped her braid out in the middle of the night. Katniss did look at her daughter long enough to catch this, and sighed. She mumbled something to Peeta about finishing the eggs, and then sat Ingrid down on a stool near the kitchen counter. Gently, she ran her fingers through her daughter's hair, destroying the knots, and then, she slicked her hair down from the front and began braiding a new, neat French braid down her back.

Nicholas's face was drawn in concentration. His eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes looked dark, sunken, and his lips were pressed firmly together. He didn't speak, much like Ingrid, and moved to take his father's place as watching over the eggs. Peeta went to follow Ingrid, seeing as she had bustled off quickly, tears coming down her cheeks quickly after her mother had finished her braid. Nicholas sighed as he took plates out of the cabinet and finished preparing everyone's breakfast. He looked so fearful, so worn out. It was tearing Katniss's heart in two to see her family being torn s violently apart. What had she defied the Capitol for if it wasn't freedom? She hadn't done it just to prove that she could; she had wanted things to change, and they hadn't- they never would.

Then is when Katniss finally felt the strength bubble over in her to speak. She rested a strong hand on her son's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Nicholas, you'll do fine, you know."

"Will Ingrid?" He asked back.

"She needs a little more help than you do, but I'm sure she will be okay. Get her in a tree if there are any, and you get deep in the ground if there's a trench, a hole, anything. You're strong in throwing things, so just take anyone you can by surprise. Do whatever you have to in order to get you and your sister out of there. Your father and I are going to do everything we can to get you good sponsors, and sponsor you ourselves. I promise."

Nicholas nodded. "Ill do my best, Mom. I already want to come home. The arena seems so cold, and dismal. Everything around here just has a different air about it when the time comes around. If things are better than when you were a kid, I can't believe how bad it must've been then."

"It was bad, but that's not what we need to discuss. The only thing that's important to me right now is getting both of my children home safe. The sooner you take everyone else out, the sooner you'll come home."

"Mom, why do we have to protect each other, though? Only one can make it out alive."

For the first time since the Reaping, Katniss smiled. "Because, Nicholas, the Game Makers never play by the rules."

Author's Note: I know it was very short, but next chapter I'm either doing the interviews, or throwing them into the arena already, and then just doing flashbacks of the interviews to help you get to know the other players better. Either way, it will be MUCH longer. Anyways, please review and tell me what you thought.

God Bless,

Sarah.