A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews. I really love to hear what you think. I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones but it seemed like a good place to end it. I don't own The Hunger Games. I'm enjoying writing about the characters created by Suzanne Collins. Please Read and Review!

Chapter 3

Katniss and I exchange a small look, unsure of what to do from here. Effie is right about one thing, Haymitch is the only one who can help us but I personally don't see how this man could help anyone. He can't even take care of himself. I shake my head in disgust at the scene as two Capitol attendants enter and help Haymitch to his feet and back toward his compartment. Two more attendants enter and begin cleaning the spot where he fell and the smell is almost overwhelming. I turn to leave the compartment and hear footsteps behind me in the hall. I don't turn because I can tell by the soft tread it's Katniss and she is just heading toward her room.

I stop only when I get to the door to my room and open it. I don't pause as I step through the door and turn to close it behind me. Katniss is standing in the hall in front of my door. Her eyes still retain a good portion of the anger but the expression looks a bit softer. I've still never seen her look this angry at me.

"Can I come in?" She asks. I raise my eyebrows in surprise but step aside so she can pass.

"Isn't the shower incredible?" She asks tentatively after the door is closed behind her. I see her glancing around the room waiting for me to speak.

"Yeah," is all I can think to say. I have many things I wish I could say to her in this moment but after her outburst in the television room I know that she doesn't want to hear them. Not now, not ever. I've got to find an angle to work from that doesn't include my feelings toward her. I'm just going to have to keep this to myself.

"Gale," she begins but I'm not sure how I'm going to respond to the question I know she's going to ask so I cut her off harshly.

"Don't start pretending to care about what I have to say now. You made your feelings about what I did perfectly clear and you were right, there's nothing I can say that you should care about at all!" I'm nearly yelling by the end. This doesn't phase her. She's seen me like this before during my ravings against the Capitol. She knows where my real anger lies and it's not at her. It's at this entire situation. It's the fact that either of us has to be here. It's that anyone has to be here.

"Gale," she says again softly, stepping toward me in a movement meant to comfort. She does this when I get angry.

"No, Katniss don't start this now!" I yell. She nods and I see how much my words have hurt her. I'm about to apologize when she turns and walks swiftly from the room. I start to follow her but realize that this is for the best. I need to focus to figure out my plan. If I'm going to keep her safe I can't let myself get distracted by fighting with her.

I lie across the bed with my face toward the ceiling and immediately feel guilty. I should never have spoken to her like that. Her mother told me I would need to explain everything to her and I'm sure she's right but I don't know where to start. I fall asleep thinking about what I'm going to face tomorrow.

I wake in the morning to Effie knocking on the door to tell me we have a "big, big, big day!" I roll my eyes and think about how annoying this woman is. It's going to take a lot of will power not to kill her just for being so irritating.

I dress and brush my teeth before heading to the dining car. The only person there when I arrive is Haymitch and he is adding something to his orange juice from a flask. My irritation toward Effie is nothing in comparison to the anger I feel toward Haymitch. It's no wonder District Twelve doesn't have more Victors if Haymitch is drunk the entire time. I walk to the table prepared to confront him when a Capitol attendant walks up with a plate of food and I'm temporarily distracted. There's just so much of it. Just like dinner last night, I want to stuff myself.

Katniss enters and sits next to me silently. Our eyes meet tentatively and it seems the anger has subsided somewhat in hers. I feel relief flood through me, maybe she will forgive me.

She stares at me for a moment and then turns to her plate and I turn to mine. I eat as much of it as I can handle and just as I'm finishing my meal Katniss turns on Haymitch.

"So, you're supposed to give us advice," she says sharply.

"Here's some advice. Stay alive," Haymitch says, laughing. My fury peaks and I grab the glass from his hand and throw it against the far wall where it shatters.

"It's our lives on the line here and you're laughing?" I yell. Haymitch stands and I rise as well. He stares me down and before I can react he punches me in the jaw, knocking me backwards. As I am getting ready to tackle him I see him reach for the bottle on the table and Katniss drives her knife into the table between his hand and the bottle. I'm suddenly afraid for her but Haymitch just looks at her and then back toward me where I am standing ready to attack.

"Well, what's this?" Haymitch asks. "Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?"

He looks back to Katniss before speaking again.

"Can you hit anything with that knife besides a table?" He asks her. I smile because I know this is something she can do. She's not as good with a knife as she is with a bow and arrows but she can throw a knife.

She pulls the knife from the table with a look of fierce determination on her face. She grips the blade and throws it across the room and it hits and sticks directly in the seam of the wall. My smile widens because I know she didn't do that on purpose but it makes her look great.

"Stand over here. Both of you," he says, nodding toward the middle of the room and I follow Katniss that direction. He circles us and I am completely infuriated as he pokes at us like we are animals. As I am about to say something to him he speaks. "Well, you're not entirely hopeless. Seem fit. And once the stylists get hold of you, you'll be attractive enough." This only irritates me. I hadn't stopped to think about today. We will spend the entire day at the Remake Center being turned into something that is beautiful from the Capitols point of view.

"All right, I'll make a deal with you. You don't interfere with my drinking, and I'll stay sober enough to help you," says Haymitch. "But you have to do exactly what I say." When he finishes I look to Katniss to see her response. She looks me in the eyes and finally she sighs and nods at Haymitch.

"All right," I say quietly. I'm so furious that this man is the one I have to learn to trust if I want to have any chance for sponsors in the arena.

"When we get to the arena, what's the best strategy at the Cornucopia for someone-" Katniss begins.

"One thing at a time. In a few minutes, we'll be pulling into the station. You'll be put in the hands of you stylists. You're not going to like what they do to you. But no matter what it is, don't resist," Haymitch says, cutting her off.

"But-" she starts to object.

"No buts. Don't resist," he says. He grabs the bottle and leaves the compartment.

I notice that the car suddenly goes dark and I walk to the window to look out. Katniss walks to the window beside me as I realize that we must be in the tunnel leading up to the Capitol. Her breathing starts to get shallow as it does sometimes when she's nervous. I take a risk and grab her hand to comfort her. I know why she's nervous. She hates feeling trapped underground. She won't admit her fears to many people but she trusts me. She glances at me and I look down at her from the corner of my eye. She squeezes my hand and I smile down at her.

The train begins to slow and suddenly we can see the Capitol as we exit the tunnel. It's amazing and so much larger than it seems on television.

The people point at the train because they know there are tributes aboard. I step away from the window and Katniss releases my hand and steps away as well. I look to her and she looks away.

I still can't find it in me to say the words.