Danny jumps onto my lap, Alex onto my fathers, as we settle down in the living room in front of the television. The Tribute Parade is about to start, and Caesar Flickerman is beside himself with excitement as he commentates. This year, the powder-blue colour of his eyelids and lips matches his signature midnight blue suit.
"He doesn't look so scary this year," Alex comments innocently. I laugh.
"That's very true," I agree. The boys weren't fond of Caesar's choice of crimson make-up last year.
"Look, Peeta's on fire!" Danny quips, pointing. Sure enough, right at the back of the Tribute chariot line, our tributes are on fire. Literally. Peeta and Katniss look dazzling in black outfits and headwear with bright, orange flames dancing off of them. They wave, smile and even blow kisses to the crowd, attracting all of the attention of the Capitol audience that surrounds them.
"Are they holding hands?" My father points out. I look closer at the screen, and realise that they are.
"I've never seen anyone do that before," I say.
"Nobody has ever done it before," he replies. A knot starts to form in my stomach. Tributes holding hands, tributes that are seemingly united... What kind of attention will that attract from the people who govern Panem?
"Bedtime, boys," my father says. Alex and Danny both jump down and race each other to our room. "You should go, too, Anna," he adds, looking me in the eye. "You're exhausted."
"I'm fine," I say.
"Anna, don't argue with me," my father says firmly. "You've been doing so much lately, what with helping Peeta's family and trying to help Katniss' family."
"Someone has to," I say. "We both know that it's only Gale Hawthorne trying to help Prim and Mrs Everdeen, and he's got his own family to support."
"So have you."
"There are more of them." My father sighs.
"I don't understand why you feel obligated to help the Everdeens," he says. "You and Katniss weren't even friends."
"So?"
"So why are you choosing to wear yourself down for someone you've never spoken to?"
I don't answer. I can't. I can't put into words my reasons for trying to help a family I rarely associate with. I don't even know myself.
So I shrug, and stand up.
"Goodnight, Dad," I say, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. I walk briskly to the room I share with the boys. They are already in their pyjamas, and quickly dive into bed when I enter the room. I smile.
"All done, boys?" I ask.
"Yes, Anna," they reply in unison. I raise an eyebrow as their heads poke cheekily out from underneath their covers.
"Teeth done?" Silence for a moment before they both jump up and run to the bathroom. I smile and shake my head, walking over to my own bed in the corner of the room. I lift up my pillow and pull out the cotton nightgown that used to belong to my mother. I change quickly, pulling the nightgown over my body just as Danny and Alex race back in.
"All done, Anna!" They say, showing me their teeth. I laugh and ruffle their hair.
"Into bed then," I say. They climb into bed, suddenly yawning and rubbing their eyes. I tuck the covers around the two of them and lean down to give them both a goodnight kiss.
"Goodnight, Anna," they mumble sleepily, snuggling down and closing their eyes.
"Goodnight, boys," I whisper. I blow out the candles in our room and climb into bed, pulling the blanket right up to my chin. I can hear my father moving around, and it doesn't take him long to go to bed.
I don't know how long I lay there, my green eyes staring unseeingly into the darkness. I listen to Danny's heavy breathing, to Alex's light snoring. I listen to the silence that has settled onto District Twelve as everyone seeks the peace that only sleep can offer.
I wonder what Gale is doing. Is he asleep? Are his brothers and sister? His mother? Does Gale share a room with his brothers, and his mother with his sister? I wonder whether he dreams. I wonder if he lies awake at night, thinking about tomorrow. I wonder if he's thinking about Katniss, about the Tribute Parade.
Eventually, sleep comes, and so do the dreams. My father comes in, looking younger than I've ever seen him. He's not in a wheelchair. My brothers follow, jumping everywhere with excitement.
Then my mother. She floats in wearing a dress that seems to me that it's made out of sunlight, with golden tones rippling across the fabric and light shining from it. Her dark hair falls in careless waves down her back, her green eyes sparkle, and her pink lips curve up in a radiant smile.
I'm stood in my cotton nightgown, with my dark blonde hair pulled up messily in a bun, watching everyone around me. I watch my parents reunite, I watch them embrace my brothers, and I watch them turn to me, their arms outstretched. I run into them, and for the first time in three years I feel content, happy, and safe.
But then I'm awake, sitting bolt upright in my bed. Everyone is still asleep, but I can see the first light of dawn seeping in through the window. Ignoring the strong pangs of longing in my chest, I quietly get out of bed and get ready to go hunting.
As soon as I'm dressed, I pick up an old leather bag and slip out of the house. I make my way to a hole in the fence that surrounds District Twelve. I slip through it and walk through the woods, stepping over sticks and tree roots as I go. I reach a small pond that I found a few weeks back, and sit down on a large rock that's next to it.
I drop the bag, and my head falls into my hands. The longing for my mother is renewed, the pain of losing her made fresh in my heart. Tears roll down my cheeks, and my body convulses slightly as I sob.
"You shouldn't be out here," a hard voice startles me and I jump up, instinctively grabbing my knife and whirling around to face the owner. My breath catches in my throat as grey eyes lock with mine, and I swear that my heart is going to explode.
Gale.
