LIAR ON FIRE

A/N: I've decided that because this chapter will be longer and seems to be taking a while to write, I would give you the intro as a teaser to tide you over another week or so.

I want to stay close to canon, which means re-reading the original to make sure I have conversations in the right order, etc. I'm also trying to figure out the balance of having Peeta be a shaper of word and situations into the way he wants them to appear, without having him be a manipulative ass. So there you go then.

Here's the first bit of Chapter four...

Chapter 4 - Haymitch Abernathy, My New Best Friend.

Part One.

"Frosting saved my life." I see the nods of approval from the gathered audience. Their hair looks sort of like frosting, too. "Luckily, all the ingredients were right there at the Cornucopia. I couldn't believe everyone else passed right by all that powdered sugar." There are more adoring nods.

Someone in the audience stands to ask a question. I can't see who it is at first but when she speaks, I know it's her.

"What about your fellow tribute, Katniss Everdeen?" Gasps and murmurs rumble through the audience. "Isn't it true that you spent the entire games disguised as a giant cupcake, while around you everyone else died?" The light turns on her and I see she is covered in blood and dirt and her neck is twisted at an odd angle. Her voice gets louder and louder until she is screaming. "You just let me DIE in there! Where were you when I needed you? Are you happy that I'm dead? Are you happy?"

I'm trying to get to her, to apologize. I want to tell her that I didn't mean for her to die. But I can't seem to open my mouth. The sea of people becomes a sea of frosting. Sickly pink and reeking of blood. I'll never reach her, but it doesn't matter. She's already dead. I've already killed her.

I wake up, still smelling and tasting the blood. I must have bitten the inside of my cheek as I slept. For a moment, I try to remember if my dream was real. Did I kill her? It couldn't be real, the games haven't even happened yet. We're still on the train to the Capitol. I make my way to the shower and just stare at the settings panel. I end up with lukewarm water and a pink foamy soap that smells a little like cotton candy.

Great. I smell like a circus.

The pink foam reminds me of my dream. A cupcake? Frosting? I'm losing it.

...

"Haymitch, there's no way I'm going to win. Katniss could do it, though. If I can't win, as least I can make my death mean something. I want to help her. I need to help her win."

Haymitch looks at me, considering my words. "You might win, you know. Stranger things have happened."

"Haymitch, I've spent years agonizing about how to say 'hi' to a girl. And you think maybe I can kill 23 people and walk out of that arena? Trust me, at least like this I'll be able to do some good."

My mentor looks skeptical. I'm terrified at the thought of dying, but I can't let Haymitch know that. I need to look like a man who has already made his decision.

"Odds be fucked," I growl. "Do you want to know what I dreamt about last night? I dreamt I disguised my self as a giant cupcake to hide from all the other tributes. A. Giant. Cupcake. That was my brilliant tactic."

Haymitch is speechless. He stares at a point on the ceiling for a few minutes, takes another look at me and then drains his drink in one long swallow.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I deeply appreciate those who take the time to leave comments. The rest of the chapter will be coming along in about a week.