The last day before the Games begin has arrived and sooner than everyone was expecting - Tonight the tributes will have their interviews with Caesar. During the day Peeta, Haymitch, Effie and I will prep them for it and give our last recommendations.

Ever since the first day, Peeta and I have done our best to make the victor's acquaintance and I'm still not sure if we made a good job. After the kissing incident I never talked to Chaff or Seder again, nor do I intend too. I don't care if they are Haymitch's friends, I'm still trying to deal with Rue's death and don't need any more remainders.

Peeta has spent some time with the Morphlings, Haymitch's name for the victors from district 6. They won their nickname due to the fact that they are constantly high on morphling. I look at them and can't even begin to imagine what Snow must have done to them to get them to that state. While they don't strike me as good mentors they are superb painters, which sparked Peeta's interest. They talked about Peeta's camouflage on our games, what a great job he did hiding himself till I came around which was their strategy: they basically hid until everyone else was dead.

While they talked about paint, brushes and whatever I got to know Mags, district 4's oldest victor and mentor to the great Finnick Odair. She doesn't talk much, which I like in a person, and is an extremely good person, I really like spending time with her, she has even got me to like Finnick a little bit more.

Meeting the Careers and probe them about a possible alliance with Rhys was on Peeta's list. Just looking at them makes me shiver, Brutus can be perfectly described by his name, tall, overly muscled with a face that says he's not here to make friends. His fellow victor, Enobaria is even more ridiculous, talk and dark, she could be considered pretty if it weren't for those teeth she made turn in to fangs, I mean, what's the point? You're not in the games anymore, whose throat are you going to slash?

The victors from district one were also a big pass for me. Brother and Sister, Gloss and
Cashmere won consecutive games, with Cashmere having won the 64th and Gloss the 65th annual Games. Gloss is tall and well built, kind of like Brutus but without the excessive musculature. His sister reminds me of Glimmer, with her long curls and green eyes. They spend most of their time together except when Cashmere is not around, I don't know where she goes but like Finnick she's absent for long periods of time. I did spend some time with them when they joined mine Johanna's, and Finnick's game of poker, they were both very polite but a little cold and kept there distance. After the game I never spoke with them again, not that I'm complaining they remind me too much of the tributes I killed last year.

Yesterday we had to seat through a "Welcome Victors" lunch party. A non-televised lunch where Snow welcomes back the victors and mentors for the year. Besides us the lunch is also attended by some of the main sponsors and people who can afford the exorbitant price of a ticket.

This lunch is the first chance we get to raise sponsors and money for our tributes, as well as their first chance to meet and talk to us.

As the event isn't televised I was surprised when instead of Effie, Cinna woke me up and rushed me to his workshop. In it, I spend most of my morning being prepped and fit into the dress I would wear. It was only then that Cinna explained me what was going on and where I was headed.

At noon, Effie, along with Peeta, came to get me and lead us to a tent outside the tribute center. The room was filled with large round tables of 10 perfectly decorated in gold and red – Panem's colors. All tables had flowered center pieces and in front of each seat a tag with the guest's name – mine and Peeta's table was also Johana's, Beetee's and Wiress – mentors from district 3 – The rest of the names present in our table were unknown to us. At the end of the tent there was a large rectangular table reserved for Snow and fellow government officiants.

The lunch started with Peeta being in charge of entertaining the sponsors, I tried to small talk one or two, but they soon realized I was a lost cause and turn their attention to Peeta. With him occupied, I found myself paying attention to the victors on my right – Wiress and Beetee – who seemed to be talking only with each other, making no effort to mobilize the sponsors, the truth is that apart from Peeta nobody else was talking to them. Wiress looks like she has my mother's age or near and speaks to her partner in a quiet voice, her pose and words reveal her intelligence. Hearing her talk, I can't help to notice that she has a habit of leaving her word in mid-sentence, like she thinks faster than she can talk or is so immersed in her thoughts that forgets that you're there.

Beetee seems somewhat older and restless, like someone who is always paying attention to the environment around them. He wears glasses but spends a lot of time looking under them. As a duo, they look a bit odd, but I feel strangely comfortable around them.

Unlike the rest of the lunch, which was served plate by plate by avoxes, the deserts were self-service with two large tables being set up for us to choose from. I signaled Peeta to come with me and choose a dessert, but he was still arguing with a purple haired man so I ended up accompanying Wiress and Beetee, who reveal themselves to be very good company. They are friendly but not medley, we end up talking all the way to the dessert's table. They tell me they both invent things and Wiress details me some sort of stitching device she's working on.

"It senses the density of the fabric and selects the strength," she says, and then becomes absorbed in a bit of dry straw before she can go on.

"The strength of the thread," Beetee finishes explaining. "Automatically. It rules out human error." Then he talks about his recent success creating a musical chip that's tiny enough to be concealed in a flake of glitter but can hold hours of songs. His words take me back to the wedding dress shoot I did months ago, Octavia was talking about this device, how all of a sudden, she couldn't find it anymore.

"Oh, yeah. My prep team was all upset a few months ago, I think, because they couldn't get hold of that," I casually state. I have been thinking about the uprising in the other district and find in this topic the perfect chance to bring it up. "I guess a lot of orders from District Three were getting backed up."

Beetee carefully examines me under his glasses. "Yes. Did you have any similar backups in coal production, this year?" he asks. No, it's his time to question me on my district's uprising.

"No. Well, we lost a couple of weeks when they brought in a new Head Peacekeeper and his crew, but nothing major," I say. "To production, I mean. Two weeks sitting around your house doing nothing just means two weeks of being hungry for most people."

I think they understand what I'm trying to say. That we've had no uprising. "Oh. That's a shame," says Wiress in a slightly disappointed voice. "I found your district very ..." She trails off, distracted by something in her head. "Interesting," fills in Beetee. "We both did."

Their comments sadden me because I know they are suffering more than we are and that somehow, they might think that we're not doing our part. "Well, there aren't many of us in twelve" I say feeling like I should defend my district. "It might not feel like that judging by the size of the peacekeeping force nowadays, but I guess we still manage to be interesting enough".

As we move on through the dessert table, Wiress stops and gazes up where Snow is sitting along with the gamemakers and government officials. They seem very happy eating and drinking, if it wasn't for the glances Snow sends my way from time to time, I would say they aren't even paying attention to the rest of the room.

"Look" She says, nodding in their direction. I examine the table and see that they have their very own dessert table. "Yes, it seems like they don't want to mix with us" I comment, thinking she's referring to that.

"No, no. By the corner of the table…" says Wiress.

"Yes, you can just make it out" Beetee completes. I stare in that direction, perplexed. But then I see it. A patch of space about six inches square at the corner of the table seems almost to be vibrating. It's as if the air is rippling in tiny visible waves, distorting the sharp edges of the wood and a goblet of wine someone has set there.

"A force field. They've set it up between them and us. I wonder what brought that up" Beetee says.

"For protection? Maybe they're afraid we try something…" I offer, but my comment falls in silence. "Do all the force fields have a spot like that?" I question.

"Ideally it would be invisible, but the force field is taking too much power making it unstable" Beetee Finishes as we get back to our seats.

I want to ask them more questions, but I never get the chance. After taking my seat I divide the desserts I brought with Peeta, who gives me one of his hands to hold. I spend the rest of the lunch participating in his conversations which had then turned to our marriage and our newlyweds live.

Effie knocking on my door wakes me up from my thoughts, she has come to take me to breakfast and to deliver the days schedule.

Peeta, Haymitch, Effie and I will be divided in two groups: Peeta and Effie will be in charge of Rhys and Cinder's presentation and stage presence – they will prep them for tonight's interview, while Haymitch and I will be responsible for teaching them basic survival skills – how to not get killed on the first night.

Haymitch and I will take Cinder first and then switch after lunch. It will be difficult facing Rhys and discussing his chances of survival, so I'm glad I'll have Haymitch by my side.

I'm so sorry for the long wait, i promise to post another chapter during this month!

Thanks for reading and HAPPY NEW YEAR!