"I'm sure they're not!" Effie exclaims and stands up from the chair she was previously sat in by the window. I didn't even notice she was here. How did a person in such bright clothing blend in so easily in a white room? "Tell me, what did you see them doing exactly?"

I speak slow and clearly, "They gave him a drink, it was red and looked fizzy. He drank it and he threw up and then his mood just changed. He was really happy and then he just fell to sleep."

Effie laughs as if I've just told a hilarious joke, "It's just a simple medication. They call it memorodine, it erases painful memories and puts your mind at rest for a little while. I bet previous victors wish they had some to take now and again..." he voice trails off for a moment but she snaps back into reality. "It does whatever the mind thinks you'll do, in small cases. Cato's been told it will make him vomit, so that's what he does. The medication doesn't do it, it has a placebo effect as well as the very strong taste."

"Cherries," I say, tasting the word on my tongue. I've never really heard much about them, except that they're a luxury fruit now only avaliable in the Capitol. Cato obviously got to try them at one point, maybe in training and maybe back home since his district is richer than most. "That's what he said they taste like. Cherries."

"One of the best fruits," says Haymitch. "Certainly one of my favourites."

"You've tried them?" I ask a little taken back. How can a man from District 12 have access to them?

"All the years of mentoring," he explains. "All the meals in the Training Centre, all the meals I had discussing with citizens to sponsor tributes. I've had them quite a few times."

"Particularly last year." Effie says, her eyes glazing over as if she's remembering it. "On the first night in the Training Centre we recieved the most marvelous cake, topped with cream and cherries."

"Sounds nice." I say quietly. I've never really had cake, I've simply only admired them from the bakery windows; the ones Peeta decorated. "So what now?" I ask, trying to steer the conversation away from the topic of Peeta.

"You and I make our way to the Training Centre, Effie and Cato will join us there in an hour."

"But he's sleeping.." my voice trails off and I stare at Effie who's adjusting the position of her wig and grins at me.

"It only lasts a few minutes. You really think you can wipe a memory when the person's awake?" She throws her head back in laughter and shakes her head. "He should be awake by now."

I notice Haymitch is holding a small black bag as he stands up and leads me to the door, "You can change out of this gown when we arrive, it'll just be thrown away anyway. They don't believe in reusing these since some patients are diseased and citizens are scared it can pass through clothing."

I roll my eyes, "How stupid!" I scoff and look down at the thin hospital gown that covers my skin.

It feels almost alien making my way back to the Training Centre, we step out of the car that escorted us and make our way through the front door. The reception area that was once filled with tributes, mentors and their escorts is empty. I peer down the hallway to see the doors leading to where I trained and I shudder. There used to be 24 of us in there being specially prepared for the arena.

"This way, sweetheart." Haymitch says in a quiet sympathetic voice, guiding me to the elevator. The elevator itself smells strongly of disinfectant and the button pad has been polished to perfection. Haymitch presses the button to the penthouse suite, marked with the number 12.

Nothing has changed. The tables and chairs are the same, the same couch, the same large screen we were focused on at one point to find out our scores, myself scoring 11 and Peeta scoring 8. The scene plays over and over in my head as his face drops when my score is shown. Guilt washes over me.

No one cared about him in the first place, they wanted to keep me alive. I run to my room and slam the door in frustration, screaming out at the top of my lungs. Then the room goes silent and I hear the clank of a wine bottle being retrieved- Haymitch's true happiness is finally restored.

I slowly peel off the gown and throw it into the basket next to the shower before stepping in. I scan the different shower options until I come across a strange looking one, cherry scented. I press the button and sigh in relief as the hot water runs over my naked body, putting my mind at ease.

I feel cleansed and happy after my shower and style my hair to its usual braid. I smile at myself in the mirror and find the small black bag Haymitch was carrying earlier placed on my bed. There are only two items inside, my Reaping Day dress and my mockingjay pin. I tuck the bag under my bed out of plain sight and hear the boom of a door closing.

"Katniss, dear!" Effie's voice echoes through the hallways and I sigh and make my way to the main room. Haymitch is sprawled out on one of the large leather couches, Effie is sat neatly on one of the smaller chairs and Cato is perched on the end of the other large couch. "There you are!" she beams. "Sit, we have a lot to discuss."

I take a seat a distance away from Cato, causing him to roll his eyes, "You can totally tell we're in love."

I ignore his sarcasm and Effie just tuts.

Haymitch takes a sip from the wine bottle, "So..?"

"Housing arrangements!" Effie smiles. "While you two were unconcious Enobaria, Haymitch and I had to decide on where you two would be living."

"Wait." Cato interrupts, "I'm not going back to my own district?"

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous. How can you two be in love if you live so far away? You can't. You will move into the Victors Village in District 12, Haymitch will be across the street keeping a close eye on the two of you. Katniss, your mother and sister will be living in the house next door."

"Why can't we live in District 2?" Cato folds his muscled arms across his chest and leans back into the couch, cockiness spread across his face.

"It's easier to move one person than three," Effie answers. "And I'm sure you wouldn't want to be back there given the circumstances."

"What about his things?" I ask. "He'll have to go back there eventually, to gather his belongings."

Cato clears his throat, "They blew up my house after taking my family." He stares down at the floor, not wanting to meet anyones sympathetic eyes.

I bite down on my lip and look at him, genuinely feeling sorry for him. "That's terrible," I say. "I'm really sorry."

He shrugs a little, "It's fine. Dwelling on the past won't change things, I should accept they're gone."

Effie looks like she's tearing up, "Oh, Cato." she sighs.

"They're in a better place." He rubs his forehead with his thumb and stares at all of us, his blue eyes scanning across the room. "My brother would have been put in the glass bowl eventually, it's better they're gone. Panem's not a good place to live."

The room falls silent as we soak up Cato's words. I pull my knees to my chest and hug them.

"It's not like I'll ever have a family again, right?" His voice cracks and he stares at the floor. "The Capitol can't hurt me when I have no one left, they can't threaten me and they certainly can't put anyone I care about through so much pain."

"Haymitch." Effie says, staring at the man who is now sat up and holding the wine bottle firmly.

He nods, "Of course. Cato, come with me please."

Cato looks up at Haymitch who is now stood up without the bottle and his mouth parts slightly. He nods and follows Haymitch out of the room.

I rest my chin on my knees and stare at Effie. Neither of us say anything for a while until the Avox girl from before the Games appears, she indicates to the table and looks at us sympathetically. I know I'm not supposed to talk to Avoxes but at this point in time I don't care. "Did you see him?"

She nods in response.

"Did he look okay?"

She shakes her head and points to her eye and then her cheek.

"Crying," says Effie. "She says he was crying." She looks at the Avox and stands up, "Thank you."

I'm taken back by her sudden personality change but can't help but wonder how she knows what the girl is saying.

The girl stares at me with sympathetic eyes and gestures to the table again. She understands Cato, she lost her friend whilst trying to escape. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if I did help. Would I have been murdered or turned into an Avox myself? Probably murdered for being on illegal grounds.

The table is laid out perfectly and I see a large helping of what appeared to be a type of meat in a sauce. I'm cautious about eating it and turn to Effie, "What are these?" I pick up the mysterious food with my fork.

"Sea scallops," she says. "All the way from District 4, isn't that handy?"

District 4 is known for fishing, it's a type of fish. I simply not and proceed to take a small bite of the food, the taste fills my mouth with a rich taste of something I can't describe as well as a slight garlic taste.

"We're back." I know it's Haymitch but I don't look up, I eat my first real meal since before the Games, not counting the poor excuse for my breakfast in the hospital. I look up after swallowing the first piece of the scallop and watch Haymitch cross the room to take a seat next to Effie and shove a forkful of food into his mouth, receiving a lecture about table manners from Effie.

Cato walks in a minute later, his eyes looking sore and red. The Avox girl was right, he'd been crying. "Looks good," he mutters, taking a seat next to me and playing with his food with his fork. Effie looks like she's about to make a comment on his behaviour too but stops herself and looks away.

Haymitch stares at Cato but he doesn't notice, his eyes are fixed on his fork he is twirling around. I take another bite from my meal and let the warmness fill my mouth and I breathe in the heavenly scent. I wish we have this back home.

"I've never had fish before," I say in attempt to break the awkward silence.

"I have, many times." Haymitch takes a bite of his food.

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. He has? But he's from District 12, we don't get this there! "When?"

"Years of mentoring, we get a fish related meal at least once a year. But this is the first time I'm here after the Games, isn't that great?" he smiles proudly and looks at Effie who smiles back. "Again, congratulations."

"I'm not hungry," Cato announces, standing up and storming out of the room. The Avox girl appears to take away his plate and Effie and Haymitch whisper amongst eachother. I eat one more forkful and stand up.

I clear my throat, "I'll see if he's okay." My heart stops when I reach the room Cato's in. Peeta's old room. Peeta has literally been replaced with Cato in every way possible.

My thoughts about Peeta stop when I hear small sobs from the other side of the door. I knock twice then open the door. Cato is sat on the floor, one leg straight in front of him and the other one bent where he rests his elbow. He stares at the large wall which shows a picture of a forest.

"I didn't know you liked trees."

He looks up at me and shakes his head, his red eyes staring into mine. "I don't, it was like that when I came in."

Peeta.

"I see."

I bite down on my lip and sit next to Cato, I open my mouth to speak but he beats me to it. "His name was Bray," he says. "He was only four, the sweetest kid you could imagine. Blonde hair that would always get messy, big blue eyes that just made everything better every time you saw them, a laugh that brightened my day. My parents loved him more than me, he wasn't some monster with a knife, he was an innocent toddler spilling food over himself and waving at anyone he saw. He was never scared, he was so brave. Not even when he said goodbye, he wrapped his little arms around me and wished me luck and that he knows I'll be fine. He only got scared once, last year. The Games were on the TV and he watched one tribute being cut in half, he screamed and ran out of the room. Later that night I heard a small whimper and there he was, standing at my door holding a blanket he's had since he was born. I just smiled half asleep at him and he ran over and climbed into my bed, he tucked himself under the sheets and hugged my arm. 'Cato, I'm scared,' he whispered. I didn't know what to say, I just kissed his forehead and told him everything would be okay. He was shaking with fear and I held him tight until he slept." Cato wipes a tear from his eye. "It should have been me. I should have just let you kill me. He didn't deserve it."

A lump forms in my throat and it's a wonder I can bring myself to speak, "You didn't know," I say softly. "Don't think that it's your fault, you didn't plan for it to happen."

"He was so young," he whispers, covering his eyes with his hand.

Without thinking I press my lips to his cheek and rest my head on his shoulder. "He loves you and he knows it wasn't you who did it."

He removes his hand and looks at the wall again, "Katniss, do you have nightmares?"

"Yes, about the Games mostly," I admit. "Do you?"

"I do," he says. "But they're not about the Games, they're about Bray."

I sigh, "I'm sorry you had to watch that, I'm sorry any of this happened to you."

He moves away so I have no choice but to remove my head from his shoulder, "He's in a better place, right?"

I nod, "You already know he is, you don't need my reassurance."

"I'm not asking for your reassurance, I'm asking for your opinion." His blue orbs bore into mine and his tongue traces his bottom lip. "Do you agree?"

"I agree with you." I stand up and sit on his bed, fixing my braid and patting the space next to me. "The interview's tomorrow?"

"It is." He sits next to me and smiles half heartedly. "Thank you, Katniss."

I tilt my head to one side and look at his now more pink sore eyes, he tilts his head to do the same then laughs. "For what?" I ask.

"Letting me talk to you, no one's done that since.." he stops talking and stares at me and I know who he's talking about.

"Clove," I say. A question pops to mind but I hesitate before asking it.

He moves a piece of hair that has fallen in front of my eyes and lowers his eyebrows, "What are you thinking about?" His hot breath hits my face and I bring myself back to reality.

"Did you love her?" I blurt out.

He stares emotionless at me for a minute before shaking his head, "Not in the way she loved me, she was like my best friend. I didn't have the heart to tell her I didn't feel the same way."

"You regret not telling her?"

"Of course not, I'd rather she died happy than knowing the truth and ruining everything because of heartbreak."

Peeta comes to mind and I instantly feel better about not telling him it was all for the Games. Cato makes a good point. If someone you care about has a high risk of dying, it's better to keep them happy, right?

"So," I say, changing the subject. "The interview, how are we going to pull this off?"

"I'm guessing kind of like this," he smirks and places his hands on my hips, pulling me onto his lap and placing a trail of kisses down my neck to my collarbone. "Is that convincing?"

"Not bad," I lie, trying to stop myself from suggesting how much I enjoyed that. "Had much practice?"

He shakes his head, "None at all."

"Then how do you know what to do?" I turn around to look at him but he's already staring at me.

The corner of his lips turn upwards into a small, "I just do whatever feels right?" He grins. "I'll just try to act like I can't keep my hands off you." He removes his hands from my hips and I immediately miss his touch, the warmth of his hands made me feel safe for a little while. He cups my chin with his large hands and pulls my face closer. "Just to get rid of any awkwardness tomorrow, because you know it'll happen." He leans in closer until his soft lips touch mine. His kiss feels different than Peetas, it's the perfect amount of gentle but enough for me to not want to stop. He pulls away after a few seconds and whispers, "There.." His thumb strokes my cheek and his blue eyes look into mine and I know that this time it isn't to prepare ourselves, it's a case of us both wanting to. I feel his hot breath on my face and I lean in and kiss him with much for force this time, wrapping my arms around him. After a minute of this, his hand is in my hair ruining my braid completely. I don't mind until I feel him smile against my lips and I let out a small giggle against his.

"What are we doing?" I laugh, pulling away and staring at him as he catches his breath.

He grins and flashes his white teeth at me, "Having fun."

He leans in to kiss me again but I lean back away from him and end up on my back on his bed. "Save it for the cameras." I laugh once again and make my way to the door.

"Cherries," he says softly. "Don't think I didn't notice."

I think back to my shower, I selected cherries. "I wanted to see what they're like, I'm not trying to impress you by my scent."

"Whatever you say, Twelve." He smirks and lies down on his back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

I roll my eyes and close the door behind me once I'm in the hallway. I sink down against the wall and smile to myself, ridding myself of guilt from Peeta's death.

I bite my lip to stop from grinning and feel childish from my reactions to a few kisses.

"What are you doing sat down there?" Haymitch passes me in the hallway and stares down at me with a questioning look.

"Just... Thinking." I look up at him and smile. "Thank you for saving me Haymitch, with the sponsors."

I'm not sure if he's drunk or sober but his smile is geniune, "Anything for the Girl on Fire." His smile drops and he bends down to my level and says in all seriousness, "Look after Cato, he needs you."

"I know, he told me about his brother."

Haymitch pulls out a square of material from his pocket and hands it to me, "Did he tell you about the night Bray was scared?"

I nod, "He joined Cato for the night."

"This is his blanket, he was carrying it when they were dragged out of the house. A neighbour found it before it was destroyed." I stare down at the soft blue material I'm holding, the edge of the blanket feels like silk and the rest is incredibly soft.

"What do you want me to do with it?"

"Save it. He'll need it eventually, but you'll know when."

I fold the material carefully, not wanting to damage the only remaining part of Bray. "And if I don't?"

"You will, just keep it safe for now." He smiles and takes a giant sip from the wine bottle until the odour is overly noticable. "Now, get to bed. Big big day tomorrow!" he mimmicks Effie and laughs to himself uncontrolably.

I enter my room and strip down to my underclothes before sliding between the sheets. I play with the material between my fingers.

The boy with the sword isn't who I thought at all, he's grieving over the only person he ever loved. He's not a monster, he's broken.