I wake from a nightmare to find that tomorrow did indeed come. I get something to eat and then head over to the house where Peeta's staying next door.

Portia greets me at the front door and walks me back to the study, or at least it's the study in my house; all the houses in Victors Village are identical. She peeks inside before motioning for me to go in.

Peeta is sitting at a desk with a screen for video conferencing set up. There's an empty chair next to him.

"Thank you, General." He says to the Peacekeeper on the screen; he must be just wrapping up a meeting.

The image changes to the Seal of Panem and Peeta greets me, ushering me to the empty chair.

"What's this meeting about?" I ask once I've sat down.

"They didn't tell me, but I'm sure we have nothing to worry about, it's probably just a congratulatory call."

Somehow that doesn't ease my fears. Does the President even make congratulatory calls?

A prompt appears on the screen

INCOMING CALL FROM PRESIDENT SNOW - WEST WING - PRESIDENTIAL MANSION

ACCEPT?

Peeta reaches out and touches the screen. There's a whoosh before we're connected.

The President is smiling his false smile before intoning, "Peeta! How are you?"

"I'm well! How are you?" Peeta says genuinely smiling back at him.

"I'm fine, son. Just fine."

He looks at me, "Miss Everdeen, our victor, I hope you and your lovely family doing well."

I wonder if Peeta can hear the contempt in his voice

"I'm good, Mr. President," I say as politely as I can manage.

"Splendid! I wanted to congratulate you on your splendid victory, I know we didn't get a chance to talk at the reception, although I understand Peeta didn't have the same problem." He says with a laugh.

"I have a problem, Miss Everdeen. A problem that began the moment you placed those flowers on that girl from District 11.

If Seneca Crane would have had any sense he would have cut away and not allowed that footage to be seen by every eye in Panem," he laments, "but he didn't, and now you've become something of a symbol, Miss Everdeen. Not just in District 11 but indeed all across our great country, Not that either of you could known this, I've kept this information between myself and Chancellor Octavius."

Fear courses through my veins. Prim can't die. I've sacrificed so much.

"The obvious solution," he continues, "is to arrange for an accident-"

"No!" Peeta shouts, interrupting the President.

"But," he continues, "you, and by extension, your family, are too high profile to simply liquidate. That's why, Miss Everdeen, I'd like to propose an alternate arrangement between the three of us."

Nodding, I look over to Peeta, who, though nodding along, is clearly deep in thought.

"We need to show the people that you aren't the populist symbol they're imagining, to that end, you and Peeta will announce your courtship during your upcoming visit to the Capitol for the opening of your stylist Cinna's new boutique. Peeta will accompany you on your Victory Tour, and after an appropriate amount of time will propose, and you both will be wed. You and Peeta will become President and First Lady, the living symbols of the Capitol."

I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"Grandfather, this isn't right! I'm not comfortable with this."

I breathe a sigh of relief, Peeta is coming to my rescue with his silver tongue and even tempered logic.

"Oh?" President Snow says, "I won't force either of your hands. If that is the case Miss Everdeen can return with you to the Capitol and begin her duties as a Victor."

I think I'm going to be sick.

I won't be passed around like a plaything by wealthy Capitol elites.

"I'll do it!" I say, a bit too fast. "I accept the arrangement!"

Peeta looks at me with disbelief.

"Are you sure?" He says, looking at me, full of concern, directly in the eyes.

Is he aware of what my duties as a Victor are?

"Yes, I'm sure," I say with all the sincerity I can muster.

"Wonderful!" The President says with his sinister grin.

"I'll let Portia know of the arrangement and will have my staff begin to organize a team for your betrothed." He says to Peeta before bidding us goodbye.

The Seal of Panem appears on the screen.

"I need to step outside," I say to Peeta.

I take off through the door before he can stop me.

I stay in the meadow until sundown not wanting to face my family, or Gale, especially Gale. He won't understand. He'll say we should just run away. We can't. Even if we take our families, what's to become of Twelve, or of Peeta? Peeta would be fine, I reason. Better actually, now he can marry some Capitol girl like he was always meant to and not be tied down to a poor girl from the poorest District. But that can't be anymore, the President has made up his mind and would hunt me down to the ends of the Earth, besides, I can't just abandon my home to face the wrath of Snow.

When I get back to Victor's Village I decide I better go and talk with Peeta. I still don't know how I'm going to tell my family. Should I even tell them? Should I let them believe it's real and not something forced upon Peeta and I?

Peeta lets me in and offers me a drink. I can see he has one, it's a brown liquid in a short glass cup.

"I don't usually drink," he says, "but today's been quite a day. Whiskey?"

"Sure," I say before he pours me a glass.

We sit in silence for a while.

"Look, Katniss, you don't have to do this. I'll just tell Grandfather that I don't feel like it's right and take the blame. I'll make sure you and your family don't face any repercussions."

Would Snow really let me off that easy? Even if he did, what's to say Prim's name wouldn't be on every slip in the Reaping Bowl next year or the year after. Peeta couldn't do anything to stop that.

"No. We have to do this. We don't have another choice, even if you could convince your grandfather to leave me be, what would stop him from putting Prim's name, or one of Gale's sibling's names, or the name of anyone else I know on every slip in the Bowl? We can't win, not yet."

"I never had a choice, Katniss. It was always going to an heiress or the daughter of some general or cabinet official. I'm just upset that he had to drag you into this. You deserve a choice."

I'm amazed that even though his life has been upended in a way unimaginable when he woke up, he's still thinking of others. He's still thinking of me.

"Peeta," I say, looking him straight in the eyes, "since my father died I've closed myself off from anything romantic. I saw how utterly and completely devastated my Mother was; how she completely lost her ability to function, to care for my Prim and I. But despite my best efforts, I have found myself liking you."

"I like you too, Katniss."

He hugs me before I leave.

I lay down in my bed dreading having to tell my family in the morning. Dreading having to tell Gale.