A/N: Okay, so I was going to upload this last night but I ran into some problems. About halfway through the chapter I realized Peeta says that Cinna takes him onto the roof so of course I was like F#%&!(##*. So I went back and had to incorperate that, and then I had to go and finish the chapter itself. Also, I was killing myself to make sure it was uploaded by Sunday (today). Anyway, I'm sorry if any of the parts feel rushed or if there is so many spelling mistakes you can't even stand to read it. ):

Oh and if you guys could go check out my other story (In the End - it's on my profile) I would love you more than Peeta. Seriously. I plan on adding another chapter to it again later tonight (because I have most of that story written in advanced, and I'm just going through and fixing all the mistakes and adding to it). So yeah, if you do check it out, I'll give you extra lots of hugs. Just saying. I'll be your best friend (:

I don't know how soon I'll be updating this story, it should be throughout the week. (I have the week off, YAY!) But I also promised my friend I'd write something for him too. (You guys come first though (; )

Anyway, Reviews with constructive critism are always appreciated!

Much love,

NotReallyAnOriginalUsername

The Training Center has one tower set of exclusively for the tributes, their stylists, prep teams, mentors, escorts, etc. This tower is where I will spend my last few days, it will be my home until the Games start. My stomach churns at the thought. Haymitch and Portia and push me through the sliding doors of the elevator. The buttons are numbered 1 – 12. Each district gets an entire floor. The only benefit of being District 12 is the fact that we get the top floor.

The entire elevator is made of glass, letting you watch as the city below you shrinks down to the size of ants. I hold my breath as the elevator whisks us higher in the air, nothing like the elevator back at the Justice Building in District 12; which travels at the speed of a slug and smells of rotten milk.

I turn away from the glass and look over at Portia, her face beaming with pride at the events that had just taken place. I smile too, knowing we've caught people's attention. Everyone is talking about District 12. Haymitch is trying to hide the smugness behind a bottle of celebratory liquor.

The ride to our floor is silent, just that constant smile that seems to get bigger on Portia's face and the occasional hiss and Haymitch's alcohol burns his throat. There's a ding that signals we've made it to our floor and we step out. Haymitch leads me to my quarters and pats me on my back.

"Uh…good job today kid," He stands there for a second before nodding slightly and walking away.

I sigh and open the large oak doors and my breath catches in my throat. Everything is extravagant, even for the Capitol. It's bigger than the bakery, even the ceilings stretching past what I assume to be twelve feet. Everything is decorated in deep oranges and reds, giving off a welcoming feeling - oh the irony. There isn't a single thing left without detail, the carvings in the wood and the light brush of paint along the walls designed in something my father would have called "Victorian".

I swallow the lump in my throat at the thought of my father. He was always fascinated with the times before Panem; of course, it was mostly the art he was interested in. His favorite pieces and most of his inspirations came from the Victorian time period. He would spend hours on end icing delicate patterns into the frosting on a cake so he could set it in to window, only for it to be thrown away within the next week.

I run my fingers lightly along a wooden desk set in what could be considered a sitting area. Suddenly, a panel covered in black buttons slides out along with a small speaker. I smirk and shake my head. What would the Capitol be without technology?

The more I explore the more buttons and gadgets I find. The shower has at least a hundred options, and you don't even need a towel to dry yourself off, heaters turn on the second you step out of the shower and blow dry you. There's a small silver box that you put your hand on that dries your hair.

After showering, I make my way the endless closet. There's a small touch screen device that you use to coordinate your outfit to the correct style and size. I get dressed and then throw myself onto the large bed.

I run my fingers across the plush fabric of the comforter, feeling the small details stitched into the fabric. My head begins to flood with thoughts of home and my ending that was less than a week from now. I had never given much thought to my death, I had always assumed I would grow old. That I would have children, would spend the rest of my life happily with whoever my wife was to be. I had never really considered the Hunger Games to be a threat. I always assumed I was home free, that they would never really affect me. I had always lied to myself.

There's a knock on my door and I yell for whoever it is to come in.

"Hello," Cinna says as he walks in.

I quickly get up," Hello."

"Want to join me on a walk?" He smiles slightly. I watch as the dull light catches the gold eye liner traced along the upper lid of his eyes. He might be slightly insane, but he appears to be a pretty normal guy – being from the Capitol. He doesn't even have the accent.

I nod, following him out of my room and down the hall.

"So, tell me Peeta, what did you think of your debut today?" Cinna asks when we reach a flight of stairs.

"To be honest, I thought you were crazy," He laughs at this. "But, we looked amazing. Especially Katniss."

He pauses and looks at me, cocking and eyebrow.

"Where are we going?" I ask, quick to change the subject.

"The roof."

Cinna leads me into a dome shaped room with a door to the outside. As we step out into the cool, breezy night air, I catch my breath at the sight before me. I had never seen so many lights in my life. The Capitol outshines the stars, twinkling out past the horizon. District 12 never has constant electricity and most nights are illuminated by candles. The only time you can guarantee it is during the Games or when some important government message if being aired.

I follow Cinna to the railing at the edge of the roof and stare at the city below me. The small ant like people below still shine in the night light, there goofy outfits glowing in the neon signs lining the street. Cars zoom past and I can hear shouting and laughter. I wonder if this city never sleeps.

"Isn't is amazing?" Cinna asks, breaking me from my thoughts.

I nod, looking up at him. "Why do they let us up here? Aren't they afraid we'll jump?"

"You can't," Cinna says. He reaches his hand out into the empty space in front of us. There's a sharp zap and he jerks his hand back. "There's an electric field that throws you back on the roof."

I shake my head," Always worried about our safety, right?"

Cinna sighs but doesn't say anything. We stand there for a few minutes, staring out over the vast city, watching as the streets below us seem to fill up even more as time passes. I look around the roof, noticing a garden near the glass dome we entered through.

"Peeta, I don't mean to be blunt, but I find beating around the bush to be nauseating, don't you?" Cinna says suddenly. I raise an eyebrow as he continues. "You have feelings for Katniss."

It's a statement, not a question. I swallow hard, not knowing what to say.

"Those feelings could prevent you from winning," Cinna turns to me. "They could kill you."

I look out at the city again, before shaking my head. "Maybe I don't want to win."

Cinna is the one to stumble over his words now. He didn't expect that response from me, he didn't think I'd willing die for Katniss. He knew I had feelings for her, but he didn't know the extent. Silence falls over us again as my words settle in the air.

After a few minutes, Cinna clears his throat. "Well we should be heading down to dinner now. Effie will start worrying if we don't."

I follow Cinna to the dining room awkwardly. I probably should have just agreed with him, told him I knew what the consequences would be instead of straight out telling him I would die for her.

When we arrive in the dining room Portia is the only one there. I make my way over to the balcony, leaning against the railing. The view doesn't compare to that of the roof, but it still distracts me from the embarrassment heating my cheeks. Portia and Cinna join me, both of them talking about how great we were today and I easily drown out there small talk.

I wonder what the people in the streets below me are doing. How many over the top parties do they have planned? Who will be there? What will they be wearing for the night? I wished my life was that easy, that all I had to worry about were the petty things in life. I sigh and turn around just in time to see Effie skipping lightly through the door and behind her, Katniss.

I smile at Katniss as we sit down, a young man dressed in a white tunic serving us stemmed glasses of wine. I cautiously take a sip, feeling as though I might break the delicate glass. The liquid taste tart and is dry as it runs down my throat. I set it aside, deciding that I'll stick to water.

Haymitch saunters into the room, looking as if he's had his own stylist. He's cleanly shaven and groomed and almost completely sober. He doesn't refuse the offer of wine, but I'm relieved that he might have begun to take this seriously.

I drown out all conversation as servers begin placing platters of food in front of me. I inhale deeply as I start to fill my plate until it can't possibly hold anymore. There's roast beef sliced so thin that it melts on my tongue, some greens that Effie calls "salad", mushroom soup. Everything is delicious, as would be expected.

I don't stop eating until a girl brings out a beautifully adorned cake. She sets it on the table and I watch in awe as she lights it. Flames rise up and flicker around the cake, tracing along the iced patterns before finally going out.

"What makes it burn? Is it alcohol?" I turn and watch as Katniss as she begins speaking, her words slightly slurred as she turns to look at the girl. "That's the last thing I wa- OH! I know you!" I hold my napkin up to my face to collect myself. If I wasn't going to die in a week, I would want to get Katniss drunk sometime – of course, not to take advantage of her.

Effie, Haymitch, Portia and Cinna are staring at Katniss as the server quickly shakes her head and hurries off and I realize that Katniss had just done or said something wrong.

"Don't be ridiculous, Katniss. How could you know an Avox?" Effie snaps. "The very thought."

Katniss furrows her eyebrows, thinking this over. "What's an Avox?"

"Someone who committed a crime. They cut her tongue so she can't speak," Haymitch says. She's probably a traitor of some sort. Not likely you'd know her."

At the word traitor I realize where Katniss probably knew the girl from. She was always hunting in the woods, I knew because she would trade some of her kills with my father for bread. Hunting was illegal, as was going outside the fence that surrounded District 12. I would be willing to bet money that that's where Katniss knew the girl from.

"And even if you did, you're not to speak to one of them unless to give an order. Of course, you don't really know her," Effie says

"No, I guess not, I just – " Katniss stammers out, playing with her hands as she tries to find some excuse.

I shake my head slightly before deciding to butt in," Delly Cartwright. That's who it is. I kept thinking she looked familiar as well. Then I realized she's a dead ringer for Delly." The Avox girl looked nothing like Delly, I might as well be comparing a giraffe to a lion.

Confusion flickers in Katniss' eyes for a second before she smiles and begins nodding her hair adamantly," Of course, that's who I was thinking of. It must be the hair!"

I nod," Something about the eyes too."

"Oh, well. If that's all it is," Cinna says as the energy around the table relaxes. "And yes, the cake has spirits, but all the alcohol has burned off. I ordered it specially in honor of your fiery debut."

I take a large slice of the cake for myself. As I bite into it I wish that my father could be here to taste it. The cake is moist and melts in my mouth as I chew. The frosting is sweet without being too sweet. To say the least, this is the best cake I've ever had, and I've had enough cake in my lifetime to know.

After we finish eating, we all go to the sitting room to watch a recap of the opening ceremonies. Though a few of the couples makes a nice impression, none of them compare to us. We light up City Circle with our fiery costumes. You can even hear the gasp go through our own party as we come out of the Remake Center.

"Who's idea was the hand holding?" asks Haymitch.

"Cinna's," Portia smiles.

"Just the perfect touch of rebellion. Very nice," Haymitch nods in approval.

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. Then I remember we were the only tributes holding hands. The other couples were shifting awkwardly away from each other, making sure to put as much distance between them as possible. They acted like their partner wasn't even there. But us, holding hands has presented us as friends, like we're in this together. It has set us apart from the others almost as much as our costumes did.

"Tomorrow morning is the first training session. Meet me for breakfast and I'll tell you exactly how I want you to play it," Haymitch says to Katniss and I. "No go get some sleep while the grown- ups talk."

As Katniss and I walk down the corridor I realize this will be one of the only times I will every really be completely alone with her. When we get to her room I lean against her doorframe, deciding that now is would be the best time to ask her about how she knew the Avox, or at least thought she did.

She looks up at me and I raise an eyebrow," So, Delly Cartwright. Imagine finding her lookalike here. "

She licks her lips nervously and looks down, contemplating telling me or not. Of course, she has nothing to lose. Even if she did tell me and someone overheard, we both lied, not to mention it would be too late for the Capitol to punish us. If they did, they'd have to get a whole new set of tributes from District 12, and that would take much too long. The worst they can do at this point is guarantee our deaths, and they've pretty much done that already.

Katniss looks down the empty hallway, and I decide that maybe if we went somewhere where it felt less like we were being watched she'd tell me.

"Have you been on the roof yet?" I ask. "Cinna showed me. You can practically see the whole city. The winds a bit loud though."

She nods," Can we just go up?"

"Sure, come on," I say. I'm a little unsure about this, but I figure that if they didn't want us up there they would've concealed it more.

Katniss follows me down the corridor to the stairs and I watch her as we walk through the dome onto the roof. She lets out a small gasp and her eyes widen. I smile as she walks over to the railings that line the edge of the roof, peering over the edge. I almost wrap my arms around her waist, afraid she might fall off, but I stop myself, remember the force field that guarantees us staying put. I lean my back against the railing beside her and watch her eyes scan across the city, the Capitol reflecting in her eyes like a million twinkling stars.

"I asked Cinna why they let us up here. Weren't they worried that some of the tributes might decide to jump right over the side?" I say.

She looks up at me, her eyes wide like a child. Hair falls out of her braid, the wind ruffling it lightly. "What'd he say?" She asks.

"You can't," I smile. I reach my hand out towards the open air in front of me. When I touch the force field it makes a sharp zapping sound, electricity runs up through my finger tips and I jerk my hand away quickly. "Some kind of electric field throws you back on the roof."

Her face twists in an unreadable emotion. "Always worried about our safety," Katniss scoffs. She pauses and looks us at me, "Do you think they're watching us now?"

"Maybe," I say. "Come see the garden."

We walk over to the small garden they've built of flower beds and potted trees. There are wind chimes hanging from each branch of the trees, loud enough to drown out our voices. Katniss' shoulder brushes against my chest as she pretends to examine a blossom.

"We were hunting in the woods one day. Hidden, waiting for game," She whispers. I watch her slender fingers brush along the flowers. I lean towards her slightly.

"You and your father?" I whisper.

"No, my friend Gale." I set my jaw at the mention of Gale but don't say anything as she continues. "Suddenly, all the birds stopped singing at once. Except one. As if it were giving a warning call. And then we saw her. I'm sure it was the same girl. A boy was with her. Their clothes were tattered. They had dark circles under their eyes from no sleep. They were running as if their lives depended on it," She says.

Katniss grows silent, her fingers growing still as she remembers. I can practically see the see flashing across her eyes, the guilt and pain she holds. She believes she could have saved them. But, no one is safe from the Capitol. No one.

"The hovercraft appeared out of nowhere," Katniss starts again. "I mean, one moment the sky was empty and the next it was there. It didn't make a sound, but they saw it. A net dropped down on the girl and carried her up, fast, so fast like an elevator. They shot some sort of spear through the boy. I was attached to a cable and they hauled him us as well. But I'm certain he was dead. We heard the girl scream once. The boy's name, I think. Then it was gone, the hovercraft. Vanished into thin air. And the birds began to sing again, as if nothing happened."

"Did they see you?" I ask.

"I don't know. We were under a shelf of rock," Katniss says quietly. Her eyes fall to her feet and she leans into me slightly. I can feel her shivering against me.

"You're shivering," I say, taking of my jacket. Katniss furrows her eyebrows and looks as though she's about to move away, but decided against it. I wrap my jacket around her neck and secure a button underneath her neck.

"They were from here?" I ask.

Katniss nods, turning back to the flowers.

"Where do you suppose they were going?" There's nothing beyond District 12 except for wilderness, unless you count the remains of District 13 that still smolder from the toxic bombs.

"I don't know that. Or why they would leave here," She says. Haymitch had said that the Avox was a traitor. But a traitor against what? Of course, the Capitol. But, they had everything here. They didn't even have to worry about the Games. They didn't have anything to rebel against.

I realize then what they'd rebel against. The constant control, they're supposed to happy about everything. Not everyone in the Capitol can be overly excited and celebratory about killing off 24 children can they? Someone here has to see the cruelty; has to have a heart.

"I'd leave here," I say aloud before I can stop myself. "I'd go home now if they let me. But you have to admit, the food's prime."

We stand in silence for some time, walking though the garden. Katniss stops at a primrose bush, inhaling the scent and carefully brushing her fingers along the edges of the flower. She sighs sadly before moving on.

"It's getting chilly. We better go in," I say. Once were inside the dome I ask her about Gale. "You're friend Gale. He's the one who took your sister away at the reapings?"

"Yes. Do you know him?" Katniss asks.

"Not really. I hear the girls talk about him a lot. I thought he was your cousin or something," I say. I furrow my eyebrow and look at my feet. "You favor each other.

"No, we're not related."

I clench my fists, trying to remind myself that they could just be friends. I highly doubt it though, I've seen the way he looks at her, the way his eyes light up at the mention of her name. Nodding I say," Did he come say good-bye to you?"

"Yes," Katniss is watching me carefully now, her eyes studying in my face. "So did your father. He brought cookies."

I raise an eyebrow. I didn't know my father had visited Katniss in the Justice Building, much less brought her cookies. That must be where the cookies I saw outside the train came from. I wonder why she threw them out? I don't bother asking her about it though, knowing it doesn't matter too much. "Really? Well, he likes you and your sister. I think he wishes he had a daughter instead of a houseful of boys."

This statement is true. As much as my father loves my brothers and I, I know he wishes he had a little girl. Someone he could baby. Katniss seems taken aback when I say this.

"He knew your mother when they were kids," I say. Katniss seems surprised by this too.

"Oh, yes. She grew up in town," Katniss says, nodding her head.

We arrive at her door and she hands me my jacket. "See you in the morning then."

"See you." I walk down the corridor to my room.

I find myself smiling as I open the large oak doors to my bedroom. Today has been a pretty wonderful day, minus the situation that I'm in. District 12 has finally made a stand, made themselves known to the Capitol. Maybe we do stand a chance. After all, the girl on fire is a survivor.