Chapter Three: Plans

"We need a plan."

Before Dad could say anything else, Effie tottered in the room carrying an unopened bottle of whiskey.

"Here, Haymitch," she placed it in front of him on the table and made to guide Katniss and Peeta out of the room.

Dad stood up angrily. "I'm not drinking, Effie!"

Any other time, and Katniss would have wondered what was wrong with him.

Effie gripped Peeta and Katniss's upper arms tightly and glared at him.

"Drink it, Haymitch. You need to calm down," she hissed.

Dad glanced at the bottle in disgust and took a deep breath. After a moment, he turned his face back to Effie and put on a million dollar smile.

Katniss and Peeta violently flinched. The expression seemed so out of place on his face that it was alarming.

"Effie, I'm not drinking it because we need to plan our strategies! They need to learn where to find shelter, and what their greatest strengths are, and how to be interview ready. I can't do that very well if I'm drunk!"

Effie and Dad shared a conspiring look and Effie smiled back at him.

"Yes, of course. You would want to get an early start. I'll take this back then, and leave you on your own."

She grabbed the whiskey and exited the room. Dad sat back down and looked at both of them.

"Just needed her out of here. Horrible at planning. She sits here and watches, and even though she hears everything, she has just never been good at helping tributes."

His message was clear: shut up and smile, because there are eyes and ears everywhere on this train.

Instead of speaking to them again, Dad got up with a huge sigh and left the room.

Peeta turned to Katniss, and in his eyes she could see defeat.

"I can't believe you were right. They actually chose you. I don't understand how!" He whispered.

Katniss didn't want to talk about it. She was sure that her name had been the only one on any of those little slips of paper. Coin was trying to show she had power over her citizens by reinstating these Games, but the only thing it would do is rally more people against her.

Katniss tried to think of anything to say to Peeta to convey what she was really feeling. But for some reason, she didn't think it was a good idea if anyone found out that Peeta and her were close friends.

Peeta was such a fool. He was getting into something that he didn't need to be. If a war really started, he could have stayed on the sidelines and been safe. Katniss wanted to yell at him and beg someone to pick another tribute. But she mostly just wanted to cry. Looking over at Peeta's face, she knew he was in shock over the entire situation. He would probably break down later, and the last thing he needed to do was show weakness.

Dad returned to the room and sat down a brown box on the table. It had postage stamps on it, and looked to be freshly opened.

"The first part of your training." Both of the kids looked up at him instead of going for the package. Dad looked around the room, as if deciding what to do next.

"I'm going to my room. There's a TV in the next room over," he said, pointing to the right wall.

He stomped out of the room without looking at them again and left the door open behind him. Peeta gave a huge, shaky sigh and stood up to examine the box. As he pulled the cardboard flaps back, he looked up at her.

"You think he's going to find that bottle of whiskey?"

Katniss thought he probably was, but she didn't answer him. They both got distracted as Peeta pulled out the box's contents. In his hand, there were at least five videos, and as he tilted the box sideways so she could see inside – she saw there were dozens more.

All of them were labeled Hunger Games.

Peeta looked at the covers with his mouth wide opened. "They were supposed to destroy all the evidence of the Hunger Games when Coin was elected! I can't believe this! And to think that all the other tributes are probably opening a box just like this right now . . ."

Katniss could honestly say that she wasn't really surprised at all. But Peeta hadn't been raised by a conspiracy theorist like she had, so his world was probably crashing down around him as he realized that not everyone kept promises.

Knowing that Peeta could probably stand there all day just staring at the videos, she took the box from him and grabbed his hand.

"Let's go. Let's see what we're going to have to do to survive."

Peeta's arm slacked slightly and Katniss halted to turn and look at him. His eyes were sad.

"Katniss, you know as well as I do that the situation with your parents –both of them surviving – can't happen again. I'm sure the Capitol would rather both of us die than let us have the satisfaction –"

Katniss cut him off by pulling on his arm again.

"Now you decide to be a pessimist? It's a sad day when I'm more optimistic than you, Peeta."

Peeta still looked displeased but he let the subject drop. The room they entered now was smaller but equally as beautiful. A large screen was visible where windows would usually go, and large, fluffy couches sat in a circle around it.

"Do you know how to work this thing?" Katniss asked as she walked over to a projector. Peeta grabbed a video from her and started fiddling to play it. Katniss looked at the title:

38th HUNGER GAMES – VICTOR GISELLE WOODLY, DISTRICT TWO

Her ears started ringing. She put her hand over Peeta's. He looked up at her, alarmed.

"Peeta, put in the 74th Game."

Peeta stared at her wide-eyed. Katniss looked into her best friend's blue eyes and saw his concern. But knowing her, he must realize that this was what she had needed her entire life – to finally, finally know firsthand what had destroyed her parents.

"Katniss, I don't know –" he started rambling, and Katniss cursed his protective side.

"Then put in the 75th Game," she whispered.

Peeta pursed his lips and shook his head. She reached around him to the box and dug through it.

"Dad knew that they'd be in here, Peeta. He would have taken them out if he didn't want me seeing them!"

Peeta grabbed her wrist to try to stop her. "Yes, but Katniss, think about it. You can't un-see it once you've watched those tapes! Do you really need to be unstable when we enter that Capitol?"

Katniss knew he had a point, but a childish part of her still argued.

"Dad told me about them, Peeta. He finally told me. How much can it really hurt me now?"

Peeta let out a breath and let go of her. "Whatever."

She knew that seeing her parents live through these Games would be different than just hearing a short story about it from Dad. But she had to watch them. Katniss fumbled around with the projector. She pressed play and jumped when music started playing loudly. It was clearly the anthem – and yet it was slightly different from the anthem they now had. Coin must have changed it.

Without paying any attention to Peeta, she slowly walked over to a couch and lowered herself on it, her eyes transfixed on the screen in front of her.

She watched as scenes not unlike the ones they'd played at her reaping appeared – a voiceover explaining the rebellion of the 12 Districts, of the annihilation of the 13th. Flashes of the various Districts danced across the screen. They didn't look much different than from how they looked now. The introduction stopped to reveal a cheery man in a purple suit smiling at them all.

"Happy 74th Hunger Games! I'm Caesar Flickerman, as you all know." He winked.

Peeta sat down next to her and grabbed her hand.

"Let's go to the reaping of District One, shall we?"

They watched as two tributes were reaped from each District. Katniss was perplexed at Districts like One – which Caesar called the "Career Districts". They fought over who would fight to their death. It seemed morbid. How brainwashed had these people been, to actually want the "glory" of killing multiple others?

"Money and fame will do wonders for some," Peeta whispered. She looked at him surprised, wondering how he could have possibly known what she was thinking. But he just gave her a smile small – the first he'd had since before the reaping.

When they got to District Twelve and Katniss saw her Dad's young face for the first time, she gasped.

"Wow," she whispered. He actually looked healthy and young. Granted, Haymitch was only in his mid-thirties currently, but years of stress, pain, and drinking had diminished his appearance.

Katniss thought she'd been surprised by her father's appearance – nothing, absolutely nothing – could have prepared her for her mother's face. Maysilee Donner's hair was bright blonde, her skin was soft white, and her face was fiercely determined as she walked up to the stage. Her dress was a clean white and fancier by far than some of the others' in the crowd.

Katniss gapped at her mother's image. Sure, she'd heard stories about how the Games had changed her parents . . . and Dad had told her that he'd wished she could have known Mama. Katniss, at the time, had thought he was crazy – she had lived with her for seven years.

But just by this once glance at the eighteen-year-old Maysilee, Katniss knew he was right. She'd never really known her mother. Maysilee looked whole and despite the nearing danger in her path, untroubled compared to how she lived in her later years.

Katniss realized she was shaking and tears were leaking out of her eyes. She gave small gasps as she watched the screen. Mama had once been her best friend – and now she felt as though she'd known a different person – a person that had only been half of what she could have been.

Peeta gripped her hand tightly. "Katniss, we don't have to watch these. You know that. Haymitch is only trying to get rid of us so we don't see him go crazy."

Katniss ignored Peeta and watched as the scores were released from the training sessions, as the interviews were given, and as the Games started.

"Your dad has always been something, huh?" asked Peeta as they watched him give the camera in the arena the middle finger.

Katniss laughed, finally feeling slightly relieved. Mama might have changed, but it really was clear that Dad had always had an attitude. He'd never lost all of his fire.

Katniss flinched hard the first time she saw him kill – a boy from District Seven had been tracking Maysilee, stealing her supplies when she was sleeping. He wasn't really in the Games for the thrill; he wouldn't have won. Haymitch tracked him as he stalked Maysilee, and when he tried to take her extra blankets and water canteen, he made his move. Silently, Haymitch put his hand over the boy's mouth – he couldn't have been over fifteen – and he slowly but violently strangled him to death.

Their days in the arena dragged on. Haymitch scared away anyone who came close to hurting Maysilee. He went without food and water sometimes when he knew he'd risk exposing himself to her. Haymitch was her ally even though she didn't know it.

It wasn't until the girl from District One – Poppy – tried to put an arrow through Maysilee's heart that Haymitch finally let himself be seen. Without hesitation, he raced into the clearing where Poppy was aiming the arrow at Maysilee's unsuspecting back. With a calculated throw, Haymitch hurled a knife right through the girl's heart.

He turned towards Maysilee with a look of guilt on his face. She stared back at him.

"What do you think you've been doing?" She asked, her hands on her hips.

Haymitch looked unsure of himself and cleared his throat.

"She was going to kill you, and I was just walking past, so I thought I'd –"

He stopped when he saw she was shaking her head.

"You don't fool me, Haymitch Abernathy. Did you really believe I would be so clueless as to not notice you stalking me?"

"Uh . . ." was the only reply he was able to voice.

Maysilee walked closer to him with a calculating look. "You've been protecting me, but the real question is why?"

Haymitch, who seemed to have finally regained his normal sarcastic personality, smirked at her.

"I don't fool you? Then tell me, Miss Maysilee. You should know the answer."

Maysilee didn't reply. Instead she walked over to the lifeless girl and carefully took the bow and arrows from her. She glanced at Haymitch as she walked away.

"I'll make you a deal. You keep protecting me as long as I can protect you?"

Haymitch gave a short, incredulous laugh, as though her words amused him. He quieted when he saw her raised eyebrows.

"And what happens when we're the only two left?" He asked.

Maysilee smiled. "You say that as though it's impossible. Just wait and see, Haymitch. Just wait and see."

They both had fire in them that none of the others had. It was clear to Katniss why Panem had fallen in love with them as they fell in love with each other. No one other than Mama could have possibly sassed Dad back as much as he dished it out.

To her surprise, it wasn't until everyone else was dead and they were facing their own deaths that they actually admitted just how much they cared for one another.

"They lied," whispered Maysilee, as though she was actually surprised that the Capitol's ploy to keep them both alive until the end – the promise that if they were from the same District it would be possible – had been a trick.

Haymitch simply shrugged, defeated, and wiped blood from his brow. The boy from District Eleven had nearly been his end – he'd thrown a large sword at Haymitch, which had thankfully only scraped his forehead as it passed.

"It doesn't matter, Maysilee. This is how it was meant to be. Kill me. If you don't, I will. I swear I'll drive this knife right through my heart."

Maysilee was shaking as she grabbed his hand, which limply held the knife.

"I won't let you do that! Haymitch, we can't die! We've . . . we've survived this whole thing together! I . . . I actually . . ."

Dad held her hand and it would have almost been intimate, had it not been for the knife.

For the first time since they'd entered the Games, Maysilee looked unsure of herself. She looked up into Haymitch's eyes.

"Say it," he said.

"I – I actually like you. Quite a lot. I don't want you to die," her voice cracked.

Haymitch smirked and pulled his hand away from her. "Thank you. I can die happy knowing that this isn't one sided."

She looked at him incredulously. "And you would have me suffer, knowing that I care about you? You would die?"

Haymitch winced but didn't reply. She shifted a couple of times where she stood, seemingly considering something, before she finally pulled out something from her pocket. When she opened her hand, there were a handful of the poisonous berries they'd just used to kill a girl from District Four. Haymitch looked at them and smiled.

"I knew you'd come around. That seems like a peaceful way to die, too. It'll spare me the pain."

Maysilee rolled her eyes. "No, Haymitch. I won't kill you, and I know you would never kill me. And I'm not letting you kill yourself while I just stand here."

He looked at her blankly, as though she was quite stupid, and shook his head uncomprehendingly. It wasn't until Maysilee poured half of the berries into his hand, and kept the other half, that he understood. Before he could speak, she put a finger to his lips and looked up at him.

"As silly as it seems, I feel like I've never really lived until these Games. You're a big part of why I feel that way. We might not be able to live together, Haymitch, but we can still die together."

And then, for the first time, Katniss's eyes were drawn to the Mockingjay pin on Maysilee's jacket. Haymitch, instead of replying to her words, had reached forward and lightly traced the pin. With a shuddering breath, Maysilee leaned up and kissed him. It didn't last long, but it was enough to convince Haymitch to agree with her. When they pulled back, Maysilee was crying.

"Okay," she said, her words still strong, "on the count of three."

But they never got to three. The voice of the gamekeeper blasted over the intercom, frantically telling them that they were Victors, and within seconds they were kissing again.

Neither Katniss nor Peeta spoke as they watched Haymitch and Maysilee's reunion interview, or as they saw brief footage of their happy time traveling the Districts on their Victory Tour.

When the screen went blank and Katniss turned to Peeta, she was surprised to see tears in his eyes.

"I love you," he whispered.

Katniss stared at him in shock, her mouth wide opened at his pronouncement. Why had he suddenly spoken aloud what they'd silently been avoiding for years? Especially right after that video? After all, Katniss wasn't completely recovered from the shock of it all. Strangely, though, watching the Games had comforted her. She could tell that even though they'd been in a miserable situation, her parents had once been happy people who'd loved each other.

Katniss cleared her throat, trying to think of any reply to that. What was she supposed to say? Peeta, just hours ago, had told her not to say stuff like that just because she thought she might die. Now that they both might die, it was suddenly acceptable?

"No, you don't."

Katniss's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. That's what she was going to say, but it definitely wasn't her voice that had said it.

They both spun around and amazingly, Dad was sitting on the couch beside theirs. How long had he been there? From Peeta's shocked look, he hadn't heard Dad enter the room either.

Dad stared at them grumpily. "You're both going to forget he just said that. Things are already a hell of a lot more complicated than they need to be."

Peeta must have been either embarrassed or terrified, because he didn't argue. But Katniss's mind was already elsewhere. Had Dad really been sitting there while they watched his first Hunger Games?

Dad cleared his throat and motioned with his unopened bottle of whiskey towards the screen.

"I had a good strategy, didn't I? Did you notice? Everything worked out well, too, until the end. Then your mother just had to say what Peeta here just said, and it ruined everything. Some situations are just so bad that even love can't save them."

She didn't like Dad's tone at all. He sounded too harsh. He had always tried to be a different person around her, to be a good father. She wouldn't let him become mean and push her away when she needed him the most.

"You don't have to worry about anything, Mr. Abernathy. It doesn't matter anyway. Even if all of Panem knew I loved her, it wouldn't save either of us. The Capitol won't make the same mistake they made when you were in that arena. They'd kill us both before we dared even partner together."

Dad shrugged. "True. I'm sure they already know you're best friends. After all, people normally didn't volunteer the way you did. Especially in the outlying Districts. Not to mention, you looked frantic when you met Katniss on stage."

Katniss felt like her mind was slow on the uptake. She glanced between both of them indignantly.

"Okay, wait a minute. I'm the one that agrees with Mr. Negative over there, and you," she pointed to Peeta, "are supposed to talk us both out of it. Not go along with him."

Peeta didn't offer her a smile like she thought he would. He just looked at her sadly.

Dad sighed loudly and turned on another light in the room. It was suddenly almost overly bright. He placed the full bottle of whiskey on the table in front of him.

"Just in case," he said.

Peeta and Katniss stared up at him. He looked like he was about to lecture them. Dad didn't normally do lectures – but then again, lately he'd been a completely different person.

"If you two can survive the elements, you should be fine. Katniss knows how to protect herself. Peeta . . . you can, um . . ."

He looked at Peeta hesitantly. "You can fight, right? You wrestle?"

Peeta nodded weakly. "Yes, but it won't matter in the end. I'm not going to survive this. I'll die before I let Katniss be killed."

Katniss wanted very much to hit him, but she knew it would only cause Dad to lose his temper.

He lost his temper anyway. Dad slammed his hand down on the table. "That's not a plan. I won't let you do that. I tried that and look where it got me! I won't talk in circles like this! So from now on, if I have to, I will train you both separately. Is that what you want?" He threatened.

Peeta winced but shot a reply right back at him. "But it's the whole reason I volunteered! I couldn't let her go in there alone!"

Katniss crossed her arms and ignored him.

"I'm telling you, Dad. If we can both survive until the end, Panem will want us alive. They'll demand it! Maybe Peeta's right. Maybe a little romance wouldn't hurt."

Peeta looked at her wounded. "I wasn't planning a strategy when I said that! I was telling you the truth!"

Katniss ignored him again and looked at Dad. He shook his head in frustration.

"I can't handle this right now. We still have a couple of days until it all starts. But I will say this: It doesn't matter what Panem wants, Katniss. Just remember that. It only matters what Coin wants. So from here on out, even though I'd rather die than conform, we are going to go along with Coin's planning. Do what she wants."

Dad paused and looked at them both wearily.

"It's the only way you'll live long enough to even think about surviving."


AN: If I don't update tonight, it'll probably be at least a week since my school starts this week. However, I'm not sure how easy it will be to keep writing this, I'm sort of losing motivation. I know people are reading, but it's difficult to want to continue when no one offers feedback :( Nevertheless, thank you for reading. :)