Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins characters not mine

"You think I'd let him destroy me

and end up happier than ever?

No f**king way. He doesn't get to

win."

-Amy Dunne - Gone Girl

It turns out that while I was in the shower I had missed a very important announcement. Peeta had told me as much by the urgency in his tone and the acute looks he was giving me as we walked into the sitting area of our suite. On seeing me, Effie popped out of her seat, excitement was written all over her face. "Oh Katniss, there you are! You had us worried." Her high pitched capital accent rang off the walls of the suite.

Peeta slides past me throwing himself down on one of the plush recliners. Great. That meant I would have to sit next to Effie. Gently pushing past Effie so I could talk my seat. I looked at the faces of my companions. Effie had a smile plastered on, Cinna and Portia had a somber look on their faces. Peeta was defiantly staring at the TV as though it had personally threatened him. Maybe it had.

"President Snow just contacted us," Cinna's calm voice pierced the silence. "He told us he wants his 'Two Favorite Mentors' back in the district for the reaping. It would only be right that way." The idea of a reaping had seemed silly to me at first, what with us deciding who went into the games. But now it made sense. They wanted to see our reactions, nobody in the districts knew who we picked. The tributes themselves might not have even known if we had not told them. Snow was going to make a fool of us. Make us stand among a crowd of people, knowing that if their children die, it will be our fault. But we were just pieces in his game, and he was playing a dirty game.

By the look on Peeta's face, it was obvious he had also figured out what Snow was doing. And he was not thrilled. He stood up so abruptly, mumbling that he was going to bed, that it actually caused me to jump. I moved to follow him but was stopped by the fierce look from Effie. Even with her apology, she still did not approve of our sleeping arrangement.

"Katniss, maybe you should go to bed as well, the train will be here early tomorrow morning." Nodding, I steadied my feet and stood from my spot, shuffling into my room. I didn't bother to turn the lights on or shut the door. I just paced back and forth along my room. Two weeks before the reaping, Snow was giving us two weeks with our tributes. Two weeks for them to train. Two weeks for Peeta and Gale to continue schyming. This thought set me off. Like a bullet, I shot out of my room down the hall to the room that was Peeta's. Not bothering to knock- he tended to keep his door unlocked- I stormed in. Peeta's room, much like mine was dark. The blankets that sat on the large bed were ruffled, a sliver of Peeta's blond hair shining just above it. Moving to the bed, I spoke, "Snow is playing us for fools." The blankets rustled and Peeta pulled his head from under the covers.

"He's playing the only game he's ever known how to play. The manipulation game. Putting people on his side, changing people's views so they correspond with his own." Shifting so Peeta was in a sitting position he mumbled something.

"What?"

"Nothing." Peeta's voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes showed the conflicted thoughts in his head.

"Is this about your plan." Peeta gave me an odd look. One filled with confusion and realization at the same time.

"Yes."

"Why won't you tell me about it?"

"Now isn't the right time. Plus, I'm not the right person to ask." Peeta flopped back down on his back. "Shouldn't you be heading to bed anyway? The train leaves early tomorrow." Not moving from my spot I analyzed my options. Finally finding that I was too exhausted to go to my own bed and suffer the nightmares, I kicked the door closed and climbed in next to Peeta. Nudging his hip gently so he would give me more space. With a groan he obliged, rolling onto his stomach and grabbing a hold of my waist, bringing me closer to him so our shoulders were lined up. Shifting to my side, I shut my eyes, and with them, I shut out the world.

Effie was right, the train did come early. It felt like the moment I had shut my eyes in hopes of sleep, the high-pitched trill of Effie and other Capital helpers were jolting me awake. Since we didn't have to pack, I returned to my room, took a shower and let Cinna make his final touchs on my appearance for the train. It would be fast, but we had to look good. The train station was in the middle of the Capital either way, and impressions, especially in clothes, were key.

I don't actually remember much of what happened, there was a lot of waves, kisses, and tears from the people of the capital. I was being shoved and pulled in all different directions, that by the time I finally made it into the train I just stood in the middle of the room, glad to finally have control of my body again.

The train back to the districts was uneventful, I spent my nights with Peeta, and my days in the lounge looking at the sad dramas Effie was constantly watching. Peeta was distant ever since I asked him what he was planning, spending most of his time painting and barely coming out of his room if not to eat or sleep.

When we finally got back to 12, I was so relieved I nearly dislocated Peeta's shoulder as I pulled him out after me. Greetings went well, we answered questions, and smiled and tried to be the heroes the people of the Capital believed we were. When I was finally released from the public eye, I ran to my house, pulling a still engaged Peeta with me. By the time I have made it to my porch, I was panting and Peeta had pulled his hand away from me and is now massaging his shoulder.

"Someone must be excited to be home," Peeta spoke as he stood at his full height now. His arm that was messaging his shoulder now lays limp at his side, his Capital suit is a rumples mess. His tie hangs low around his neck, and the cuffs of his hands are undone. His hair is windswept and flying all over the place, I imagine I look similar.

Finally catching my breath, I respond, "You don't know how much I've been waiting." Peeta chuckles at this. " What's so funny?"

"It's cute that you are so excited to be at home, Katniss. You're like a young Capital child who just woke up to presents and cake on their birthday." This hit a sore spot for me. Peeta had made it clear that he had meant Capital children, but it reminded me of all the small children who never got anything on their Birthdays. The children who dreamed of a brighter future but could do absolutely nothing to accomplish it. These are the children of the districts.

Peeta, sensing my sudden shift in mood looked down. Bringing his hand to the back of his neck, he spoke, "I… I didn't mean to broach that topic." Taking his apology as sincere, I shook it off. I was still glad to be home.

"It's fine, anyway I'm going to go inside and change, come over for dinner." It was a demand more than it was a question. But Peeta nodded his head and said he'd be there. As I turned to walk into my house, I snuck one more look at the ruffled Peeta -who up until now, I didn't mention how young he looked- waved and swiftly stepped into my house to prepare for the dinner that awaited me.

The house was warm, the fire blazing and the smell of fresh meat radiating through the halls. As I slipped off my shoes, I moved forward into the house so I could look into the kitchen. My mother and Prim had been at the train station -it was a requirement that they came- so we had already said our hellos. Stepping into the kitchen, Prim cornered me and started to bombard me with questions. Who was there? Was it fun? Did you meet Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason, I heard they were going to be there. All her questions were easy to answer except that last one.

Finnick Odair, he was the starboy of the Capital, everyone wanted a piece of him. And by the looks of it, he had enough to go around. He had won his games at 14, the youngest victor ever, thanks to his amazing abilities with a trident. During the 65th games- the games which in fact, he won- he was given a trident via sponsors. A gift from the people, and with it in his hands, he was nearly unstoppable. Not to mention he was charming and when he spoke, every word he said sounded genuine

Johanna Mason, however, was a totally different story. Where Finnick was charming and genuine, Johanna was aggressive and brute. She treated people as though they were inferior, but still had her way. For one thing, she was extremely seductive, men usually fell into step with her with one look and a wave of her finger. When she was a tribute, she made the others believe she was weak. She stayed in hiding, and the careers and other powers left her alone. Thinking that if they didn't kill her then surely she'd die of starvation or something. It turned out she had a wicked ability to murder. As the games were nearing an end, she was able to get her hands on an axe, revealing her ferocity, and eliminating the remaining tributes. She was 17 at the time, winning the games only three years before Peeta and I.

While in the Capital, we had met many people but those two extremely famous victors were not one of them. From what I had seen before on TV, Haymitch liked Finnick enough, but he was constantly called Old Man by the young Odair. He preferred Johanna, she was more spiteful, more like him. And after she won, he took her under his wing instantly. This year, however, with Peeta and I being the main mentors, we would also have to get to know the other mentors. And that was a job I was already dreading.

My talk with Prim had caught me so off guard, I hadn't heard Peeta's loud steps behind me or the fact that I was still in my uncomfortable Capital wear. Oh well, it doesn't look like I had time to change now. Only a moment later my mother's voice sang through the hall, "Katniss, if you would like to go and change, please do. The Hawthornes are coming over for dinner. You invited Peeta too, correct?"

"Hello, Mrs. Everdeen." Peeta's voice was what alerted me of his presence. When he spoke I turned so quickly, it felt as though I had given myself whiplash, my hair flying and hitting him in the face. "Ow," He rubbed his face before pushing past me and moving to make small talk with my mother. Prim, seeing Peeta ran over to talk with them as well.

That's Peeta for you, charming as ever. My mother simply loved having him around, she thought he was a nice boy and she had good relations with his father. Prim also adored Peeta. Everything in he did in her eyes was amazing, sometimes she made me question if she was in love with him. Peeta simply used all of this to his advantage, and was able to wrap my family around his finger.

Pushing myself up the stairs, I got ready for the dinner. After my shower, I threw on a black shirt and jeans. They weren't the nicest things I owned, but I had them for so long, the fabric was worn and warm. Sliding down the stairs, I was just in time to see the door close, Hazelle and her family sat there, hugging my mother and sister. Gale leaned against the door giving my family a hug and simply nodding his head at Peeta. Peeta politely returned the gesture but made no attempt to engage him in any conversation. Walking into the room, I was harassed with hugs. The young Posy jumped into my arms, and Rory- who was now almost as tall as Peeta- gave me a suffocating hug, his brother Vick following his example as well. This brought a silent laugh out of Gale. He moved, shoving his siblings off me and enveloped me into a hug. "I've missed you Catnip." He whispered.

"I've missed you too." Peeta quickly stood up, his stance non-threatening, but his eyes piercing a hole in my back.

"Katniss, I'm going to go check on Haymitch. Is it okay if I invite him over?" This startled me, I pulled away from Gale and turned me head towards Peeta.

Before I even had a chance to respond, my mother had already answered him, "Oh, of course, how could we have forgotten! Peeta, please go bring him here." Haymitch had not been at the train station, probably caught up drinking himself into his grave. Effie apologized before she left, saying she tried to contact him, but he never picked up.

I hadn't thought much of it at first, but now, the idea was starting to concern me. I watched Peeta walk across the lawn to the house he knew Haymitch inhabited. He knocked once, twice, before just reaching for the knob and letting himself in. He was gone for some time, enough time for my mother to send me over to check that they hadn't killed each other.