Alright readers! For those of you who read these author's notes, I am glad you guys have stuck with me! It has been a few weeks since I updated because I got a new computer for Christmas (MacBook Pro YAY!) and I had to transfer all of my files onto my new laptop. Since this story is not for school, it was of course the last file to be brought over… So sorry for the delay, this chapter is pretty long, so I hope that makes up for the wait. Also, I have recently taken up movie editing! My most recent video is a music video for the song "Our '72" by Tim Scott and the Glory Hunters. The video is on YouTube and the link is:

.com/watch?v=Fw3AhLnHkqE

If you guys could please take a look I would really appreciate it! Just remember that the more reviews I get, the faster I update. So…. Review away!

Review and Enjoy,

HungerGamesLoverMM

Unforgettable

Madge

Gale returned to our room very early in the morning. He woke me up with his noisy entrance. "Hey," I said sleepily. He didn't respond. Instead he fell facedown on the bed and started snoring immediately. I looked at him curiously. I could tell that whatever Peeta had told him was stressing him out, because even in sleep he looked worried.

I wanted to ask him what had happened, but I knew that he wouldn't tell me anything. After all, information was as big a weapon as a loaded gun. Gale of all people would know this. A frustrated sigh escaped my lips as the logical side of my brain was taken over with nosiness. Even though it wasn't my place to know, I really did want to. I mean we are married after all, and Peeta is technically my brother-in-law. Maybe he would tell me…

Katniss

I was having trouble sleeping. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, however if I ever needed to sleep it was now. I didn't want to be dead on my feet tomorrow for our first day of training, however I couldn't force myself to sleep. I know that if I were to fall asleep I would only revisit my nightmare, the one where I watch my father get blown to pieces in that god forsaken mine.

I shook the memory away. I'm sure that if I lived through these games I would be plagued by even more heart-stopping nightmares. I knew that Gale was. This was a terrifying thought. To think that you have escaped the games alive and that you never have to see that arena again must be a relief. However, if you think this, you are only lying to yourself. You can never forget the trauma of the games. No matter how hard you try, you can never get away from them. Those memories stalk you in your sleep, forever ingrained in your subconscious.

I shuttered at the thought. Maybe dying in this arena would be the solution. I wouldn't have to deal with the horrors later, and Peeta could come back alive. I couldn't do that though, especially to Prim. I couldn't die in the arena, who would feed her and look after her… Well I guess Gale would keep my family fed, but I didn't want the Capitol's money putting food in her body. I mean I wanted to keep her fed but – so many thoughts and emotion were running through my head that I couldn't even make sense of them. A knock at the door interrupted my corrupted inner monologue.

I jumped out of bed and threw open the door. "Oh hey, Peeta." I said to the boy on the other side of my door.

"Hey Katniss." He smiled as he spoke, a smile I returned immediately.

"What brings you here so late?" I leaned against the doorframe.

"Couldn't sleep," He said shrugging, "I can see you couldn't either."

I bobbed my head and an awkward silence followed. Neither one of us knew how to break it. I really liked Peeta, and I knew that he loved me, however I didn't want to get close to Peeta now. One of us was going to die; there was no other option. Gale and Madge beat those odds, but that would never happen again. I knew that Peeta would never let anything happen to me in the arena, but that was to his detriment. He had to get home alive! He was the good one; he deserved to make it back. I know that Prim would miss me, but Peeta being a Victor would be better. He could use me as a martyr.

Peeta finally interrupted the silence. "Do you, uh, want to go out onto the roof?"

"Uh sure…" I answered closing the door behind me. I knew that this was probably not going to help with the whole love issue, but maybe the fresh air would clear my head and allow me to get at least a few hours of sleep.

Once on the roof, I immediately walked over to the edge and took in the view. It had to admit that it was beautiful. The city was still bustling, even at this time in the morning, and the city lights twinkled like the stars we see back home in District 12.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Peeta said as he came up behind me, placing a hand on the small of my back. I froze at the friendly, innocent gesture. I had never been fully comfortable with any kind of physical affection. Ever since my father died, I had actually grown to resent it. I tried not to squirm under Peeta's hand because didn't want to offend him. However, being his overly observant self, Peeta dropped his hand. My back still sort of tingled where his hand had been. A long silence followed. I peered up at him through my eyelashes. He didn't seem upset, but I could tell that he was making an effort to control his face. He didn't want to hurt me.

"I'm sorry," I said looking down, "It's not you, it's me…"

Peeta laughed at my apology. "What are you breaking up with me?"

I felt like smacking myself for such a lame apology. "No," I began, "I'm breaking up with myself."

Peeta paused for a moment taking in what I had just said. "What do you mean? Why would you break up with yourself?"

I sighed deeply before I launched into an explanation. "I don't want my… personal feelings to get in the way of what I have to do. In order to justify my actions later, I can't be myself while in that arena. I have to change. " I looked up at his crystal clear blue eyes, and I lost my train of thought. I floundered for a few seconds before I remembered where I was going. "I don't want your, uh… feelings to get in the way either Peeta." He held my gaze for a few seconds before I looked away.

"Oh Katniss…" He said as he sat down, patting the spot next to him. I went and sat next to him. "You don't need to change yourself for these games."

"But I do." I protested like a child. I looked down and stuck out my bottom lip.

"Katniss, look at me." Peeta said, but I didn't comply. He sighed loudly and gently put his hand under my chin. He dropped it quickly though after he remembered what had happened the last time. "Will you look at me?" He said, more gently now. When I looked up he continued. "You don't need to change yourself Katniss."

"But Peeta," I began, "What if I do things in the arena that I will regret later?"

Peeta was thoughtful for a moment. "Sometime you have to do unpleasant things, if you want to survive. You of all people would know this."

Peeta was right, but I still wasn't sold. "What if I kill someone, Peeta? That will change a person, for the worse."

"I know –" Peeta began, but I cut him off.

"I don't want that arena to change me Peeta!" I nearly screamed.

"I know how you feel." Peeta said, "I wish there was some way that I could show them that they don't own me. If I am going to die, I want to still be me."

I was speechless. Peeta had hit the nail right on the head. I had to figure out a way to show the Capitol that no matter how hard they tried I couldn't be controlled. I knew of another thing that couldn't be controlled: A mockingjay. I couldn't help but draw some similarities.

Peeta

After my talk with Katniss, we both returned to our rooms. I fell asleep almost immediately. The next morning when I woke up, there was an outfit left at the bottom of my bed. I threw on whatever it was without really taking notice. Madge and Effie were already seated at the table when I arrived. I loaded my plate and sat down beside Effie.

"Good morning." I said politely, nodding at both women.

They returned greeting and we sat in comfortable silence, the only sound was the scraping of knives and forks on plates. Katniss came in a few minutes later dressed in an identical outfit to mine. She filled her plate and sat down beside me. Haymitch followed shortly after. A silent server filled his glass with orange juice and left without a sound. He produced a flask from his pocket and poured a fair amount of clear liquid into his glass. He left the flask on the table as he took a deep sip.

"Where's Gale?" Haymitch asked. He was still coherent, a good sign.

"He was still asleep when I left. He seemed exhausted for some reason last night." Madge said, sending a pointed look in my direction. She obviously didn't know what I had told Gale last night. I was glad he didn't tell her. It would keep her safe. Gale entered the room a few seconds later.

"Speak of the devil…" Haymitch said under his breath. Or maybe he thought he had said it under his breath, because we could all hear it. Gale looked quite disheveled, and he was still wearing the same outfit he had on last night. He spotted the flask on the table, and he took a long swig. Everyone sat at the table, shocked.

"Alright…" Madge said awkwardly, getting up from the table, "Let's get back to our room, Gale."

She led Gale away, and once she was sure they were out of earshot Effie spoke. "Well… what was he doing last night?"

"I saw him coming back to his room late last night." Haymitch said.

Effie covered her mouth shocked, and all eyes fell on Katniss. It took her a moment to realize and when she did she said defensively, "Well he wasn't with me!"

Everybody laughed awkwardly and Katniss blushed. "Alright sweetheart." Haymitch said, and Katniss cringed. "You can say whatever you want to yourself, but he is still a married man."

"But I –" Katniss began, but Haymitch cut her off.

"Whatever, just stay focused during training you'll need it."

I laughed at Katniss' exasperated expression. Haymitch heard and then he turned on me. "You too, Mellark. Stay focused. Oh and I want you two to act like a team today! Never leave each other's side, and do not show off your greatest skill. You will only make yourselves targets."

"Alright." Katniss and I said in unison. It wasn't like that would be a big imposition in the first place…

After breakfast we stepped onto the elevator and descended several floors below ground level into the training center. All of the other tributes had already arrived and were standing in a loose semicircle around a muscular, heavily tattooed woman. She introduced her self as Ateara, our trainer, and then she unleashed us into the gym.

I watched in horror as the careers made their way over to the deadliest looking weapons and handled them with ease. It wasn't so much the weapon that scared me; it was the murderous look in all of their eyes. A look that said not only that I have to kill you, but that I will do it with pleasure. I looked over at Katniss who seemed completely unfazed and actually rather bored. I laughed and rolled my eyes. Oh Katniss, always putting up a shell. However, if there were a proper time to crawl into a shell, it would be now.

She walled slowly and purposely to the knot tying station where a gentleman taught as how to tie intricate nooses. Katniss' nimble finger exceled at the delicate task, but my fingers always ended up tangled in the rope. The rest of the day went on much the same as we went around to different tables. Katniss excelled at well, everything, and I floundered.

How was I possibly going to survive these games? I mean, I could depend on Katniss to get through, but that makes me seem kind of weak and useless. I need to protect her. Since I can't protect her with fancy nooses or intimidating sword handling. Instead I will have to try a different tactic. I need to get the audience on our side, and the only way to do that is to make us truly unforgettable.