Days passed, and 'normal life' seemed to resume, but I could still hear those words ringing in my ears "we suspect that Snow is alive and out for blood..." And although they said it, I can't believe he is out for them. Today is the day Dad is going to tell me about his past. Groggily I get out of bed and slump down the stairs. The first thing I notice as I open the door is the gorgeous smell that hits me, a loaf of golden brown, freshly baked bread lies on the table, and on the oven lies a platter of cupcakes. The next thing I notice is the two extra people at the kitchen table. I immediately recognise Uncle Gale and run to hug him,

"Uncle Gale!" I say "It's nice to see you" my voice muffled as I hug him,

"You two little Rue" He says and lifts me up and props me on a chair and whispers in my ear "Happy Birthday little song bird." What? My birthday? Oh yeah! I had completely forgotten about that with everything that has been going on.

"You know Katniss, she looks a lot like Pr-" The old man speaks in a rugged, slurred tone, but he never got to finish his sentence because he was cut off by Mum starting to sing,

"Happy Birthday to you.." and then everyone else joins in "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Rue! Happy birthday to you!" They finish as Dad put a HUGE chocolate cake in front of me, with different colour icing piped on the top beautifully, to spell out the words, Happy 17th Birthday Rue with fondant animals and pictures decorating the sides. On top of the cake is 15 gold candles dotted around the edge of the top. Blowing out the candles, Dad hands me a knife

"Cut the cake and make a wish" He says to me smiling. Cutting into the cake I make my wish,

"So what did you wish for?" Mum asked me,

"If I tell you, it won't come true" I reply, with a cheeky grin on my face. Grabbing a piece of cake, I stuff a great big chunk into my mouth and immediately start to melt inside. It is the BEST chocolate cake ever, the mixture of a rich, velvety cake, and sweet, smooth icing, it seems like gods gift. Finishing my mouthful I turn to Dad

"Dad, did you make this cake?" I ask him brandishing what is left of my piece. In return I get a little modest nod. "It's so yummy. Chocolate is my favourite" I smile.

"He was the bakers son, best baker I have ever seen." She said smiling, before going over to him and giving him a small kiss

"Mum not at the table, some people are trying to eat here!" I say, and everyone starts to laugh. Turning to the old man with a small glass of whiskey in his hand, "Wait Mum.." I say inquisitively "Who's this?" I ask pointing at him "No offence or anything" I say to him

"None taken" He replies, relaxing back into his chair.

"Oh sorry darling this is Haymitch Abernathy, an old friend you could say." She says in return to the question

"An old friend!" He slurred angrily "I've saved your life thousands of times, and I still count as an old friend, eh!" With a roll of her eyes Mum replies

"You saved his life once maybe by sending medicine, so, yeah you count as an old friend." With a snigger her takes a slurp of his whiskey.

"So Mum what are the plans for today?" I ask her, and a knowing glance goes between her and Uncle Gale, but neither of them say anything "What is it?" I ask confused,

"Well I thought you might like to try this out" Mum says as she pulls out a long thin bow from behind her back, while next to her Uncle Gale pulls out a leather slither packed with around 20 arrows. Taking the presents from their hands, I stare open-mouthed at the weapon in my hand, smooth and sleek in my hand, the bow -made of a dark, mahogany like, wood- had a stunning pattern carved into the handle, of the bow. Without saying anything, I jump out of my seat and run to them, colliding into a giant hug. My brain was forming millions of things to say but my mouth would not formulate the words.

"Oh sorry, before I forget here's my thing for you" Dad says holding out a short thin knife, and sheath. Running my hand over the blade Dad explains, "It's a throwing knife, though it is quite adequate for skinning animals and for fighting, though I doubt you will need it for that purpose." He says. Just as I turn to go get changed into some comfy clothes Mum says to me

"Wear the new thing in your closet, I want to see if it fits". Beaming, I race upstairs and fling open my closet, inside hanging on the rail is a set of dark brown leather clothes. There is a short sleeved shirt, that looks quite tight, but has a belt line across just where my sides curve with room for weapons and other such like, and when I try it on, to my surprise it fits like a glove. Next are the leather trousers in the closet, they are the same in style to the shirt and again are a perfect fit. To finish the outfit are a pair of walking boots with fur lining the inside, and finally is a jacket, just like the one Mum always wear, with fur covering the inside like the boots. Strapping the knife to my belt, and swinging both the bow and the arrows over my shoulders I strut down stairs.

"So how do I look" I say giving a small turn as I enter the kitchen, surprisingly it is Finnick who speaks first

"What no fair!" he yells "How come SHE gets hunting stuff and I don't! I'm thirteen!" He says huffily, Mum gives a small sigh

"When you're as old as your sister, THEN you can have gear" She says exasperated, and he folds his arms moodily, glancing at him I give him a small wink,

"Later little brother" I say ruffling his hair as I go, just before we leave I can see him scowling at me.