Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins does.
Tonight was a fairytale.
Riding chariots, people screaming, but most of all, fire.
Fire, burning us up.
Me and Peeta, that is. We captured the crowd's eyes. Roses were thrown our way and names were shouted. Sponsors, Haymitch said. Sponsors will get you what you need. Whether it's a knife or a sleeping bag, it could save your damn life, he said, after I stabbed the knife on the mahogany table.
But after all, Haymitch is right. He did win the second Quarter Quell. So he must know what he's doing, even if he's hardly sober.
President Snow stands on the balcony and silences the audience. The scumbag certainly knows his ways around here. Of course he does, I scold myself, he's the president for God's sake.
I shake my head, wanting to clear my thoughts, when a certain blonde and blue-eyed boy catches my eye. He's not glaring, but his gaze isn't particularly soft, either. He's just staring at me. That's when it hits me- He's the boy! The District 2 boy! I cock my eyebrow at him, daring him to look away. And that's exactly what he does, after smirking at me. I roll my eyes and look away as well.
When we get off the chariot and head towards the elevators, Haymitch leaves us and goes to the bar, but not before telling us to go to our rooms. Effie takes off, too, looking for Cinna and Portia. I doubt she'll be back anytime soon, since the crowd is getting thicker and thicker by the minute.
Peeta and I do as Haymitch says, though. We climb into the elevator and, joy, guess who decided to join us, too? Of course the District 2 tributes had to join with us. They snickered at us upon entering. I fight the urge to roll my eyes and fidget instead. Peeta looks uncomfortable, too. I don't think he likes the girl from 2 who keeps a knife with her everywhere she goes.
The District 11 tributes join us too. The boy is huge like the boy from 2, bigger even. Thresh, I think his name is. The girl is petite, though, and she reminds me so much of Prim, through her movements and name. Rue, like Primrose, is another flower in the meadow. I can't bear to look at her, because she reminds me too much of home.
The elevator moves upwards and stops on the second level. Both tributes move and the girl, I think, shoves Rue backwards.
"Watch it," she snarls.
Before Thresh can snap back at her, I growl at her and say, "Watch your mouth."
Everyone looks at me in surprise except the boy from 2. He just smirks and laughs at his district partner.
"Shut up, Cato!"
"Your face is priceless, Clove." He laughs again.
Just before the girl -Clove- snaps back a remark at me, Peeta hits the close button with his fist and the elevator doors close. We travel back upwards. Everyone (but me) sighs in relief. The elevator stops once again, but at the eleventh floor.
Just before the tributes goes off, Thresh looks at me and says, "Thank you." Then he carries Little Rue and they get off. But Rue manages to shoot me a smile before the doors close.
Silence envelops us as we reach our level. But that's okay. Because the only thing I really want to do know is eat. I'm famished. I can tell Peeta is to because once we reach the twelth floor he dashes to his room, changes quickly and heads towards the dining table. I do the same. Then, we indulge ourselves in good food and soon enough, we're both finished. And that's when Haymitch, Effie, Portia and Cinna enter.
"Looks like you two filled up, eh?" Haymitch remarks drunkenly.
The four of them chuckle and sit beside us as well. Effie tells us to get our rest so Peeta and I head to our rooms.
But then I just sit there and think of everything. My father's voice when he sings. My mother's dull eyes when he died. Prim's golden hair. Buttercup's low growl. Lady's pink ribbon. Gale's mimicking of Effie. The baker's cookies. Peeta's cheek, red from the blow of his mother. Me, picking a dandelion after school.
These memories make my eyes water and soon enough, I have tears streaming down my cheeks. But I quickly wipe them away and focus. You can do this, Katniss, I think, you can. You promised Gale and Prim. Gale. A pang hit my chest when I thought of him. If I don't survive, what would he do? Would he still help Prim?
My eyes begin to water again but this time, I don't let them fall. You have to be strong, Katniss. For Prim. So I push all these horrid thoughts out of my mind and head towards the elevators.
Surely, Haymitch, Effie and the stylists saw me, but neither one of them stops calls. So I jump in the elevator and press the top button. Rooftop. The elevator closes and goes up abruptly. Then it opens again, after a few minutes, then I am on the roof.
It's peaceful up here. The wind's blowing mildly. The roaring of the crowd is still there, but it is faint. That parade is for us. They're cheering for us, right? I hop on one of the benches there and sit. I just watch the people. They're just screaming. And when their voices finally start to falter, I sing.
I sing The Valley Song. Once, when I was five, the teacher asked who knew the Valley Song and my arm shot straight up. She sat me up on a stool and had me sing it in front of the whole class. Peeta was one of the people there. So was Madge. They knew me as The Girl Who Had A Nice Voice. I used to be open, then. I used to let anybody in my life. I was five. But ever since my dad died, I stopped. I didn't let anybody except Madge, Gale and Prim in. I didn't get attached to anyone except them. And I am still like that.
Once the song ends, everything is quiet, except the rustling of the wind. But aside from that, I do not hear a single thing. It's probably late, about midnight. Everyone's asleep. But apparently, I was wrong. Because as I looked down at the crowd that was once there, I heard a voice.
"Nice voice you got there, Spitfire."