It's day one in the arena.

The entire district is packed into the town square to watch the beginning of the Games on the large screen in front of the Justice Building. It's District law that they all gather there for certain parts, like the Parade and the first day, and so on and so forth.

Currently the screen is showing a conversation between Caesar Flickerman and his companion, who's name Katniss hasn't bothered to remember. In the upper right hand corner is a panel showing sneak peaks of the arena, set in the ruins of a city.

"Katniss?" Prim asks, peering up at her sister. "Are you alright?"

Katniss blinks before refocusing on Prim. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Prim gives her a look that says she doesn't believe her- which she's been doing for the last year and a half- but doesn't comment further on Katniss' mellow disposition.

"Hey, Catnip." Gale says as he and his family settle their blanket next to the three Everdeen girls.

"Gale." She responds.

Their interactions have been rough since the day after the Reaping, and she can tell that Gale doesn't quite know how to talk to her anymore. He doesn't like the idea of her owing a Townie, she guesses. Katniss thinks he's glad Peeta is in the games so he can't come to claim a payment. He's always going on about the way merchant men treat women from the Seam, so she's sure he's only worried for her virtue.

Not that she'd let anyone spoil it; she can defend her own virtue, thank you.

"It seems as though the countdown will be starting soon," Caesar says, his face split in a manic, bloody grin. "We'll be keeping a running commentary for all the watchers."

The screen switches to a larger view of inside the arena, in what seems to be the destroyed city circle, with the cornucopia in the middle. Little metal pedestals ring the large structure, from which the tributes will enter.

A distorted voice rings out through the speakers, announcing the entering tributes. Her breath catches as she watches the cameras zoom in on the two District Twelve tributes. Peeta looks terrified as he glances around and takes everything in. Katniss faintly recalls when she had told him to win and come back, and wonders how she could have been so foolishly naive. Sure, Peeta was strong- if the way he carried sacks of flour on his shoulder as if they weighed no more than a half-starved toddler were any indication- but he would not come out of that arena alive.

The camera does a sweep of the other tributes, some looking brawny and bloodthirsty, and some looking just about ready to step off the platform early and blow themselves to bits.

"Three… Two… One."

The gong rings out and everyone lurches off their pedestals, some immediately turning and fleeing- like Peeta- and others rushing to the cornucopia. Deliliah is one of the first killed- throat slit by a long, curved, blade.

They sit and watch in silence as more teenagers are killed, dropping to the stone ground and adding to the growing puddle of blood.

Hence the name bloodbath.

She's not sure how long it lasts, but soon the cannons start firing to signify how many are dead already. Nearly each district has lost at least one of their tributes that she can tell, and a handful have already been completely eliminated. She wonders if Peeta managed to find somewhere safer.

For the rest of the afternoon they watch as the career group works its way through all the rubble, slowly picking off more tributes. They're exceptionally strong and resourceful this year, and Katniss is more upset about this fact than she thinks she should be.

A cold chill runs through the square, causing her to shiver.

It's only mid-summer but the winds have already grown cold. She can tell that winter will be coming early this year, and will reach lower temperatures at it's peak time. Gale knows it, too, having noticed about the same time Katniss had. It's why they've been spending as much time as possible in the woods, and have already started taking out tesserae. Katniss' name will be in the bowl at least twenty times next year, if not thirty.

At some point the cameras switch to Peeta, and her body relaxes minutely. Prim cuddles closer into her side, tiny hands clutching her sister's jacket. He seems to be doing alright so far; he's found a few things here and there to use for protection or extra warmth. Katniss can tell from the way they all move and how their breath is sometimes visible even to the cameras that it must be cold in the arena. And the sun hasn't even gone down yet.

She just hopes he's smart enough to not light a fire.

He hasn't found any food or water yet, and Katniss is starting to grow worried. He won't last long without the energy from food, and even less time once dehydration sets in. She tries to tell herself that she's only worried because he's their only remaining District Twelve tribute, but even Katniss is smart enough by now to know that's not the truth. At this point she can't even write it off as owing him anymore, because she shouldn't feel this much just for some lumps of burnt bread. Sure, the guilt is there, but the real fear she feels for him? That's usually the amount of emotion she only allows for Primrose. And she doesn't know what to think about that.

So she doesn't, not really, and simply wills him to do what she would do in his situation to survive, even though he's millions of miles away and can't read her mind, damn it.

And honestly outside of the forest is not her domain. She doesn't even know how she would survive in his shoes, so she's lost all but the most stubborn and naive of hopes that he'll come back to her.

To her repayment for the bread. Not to her… She sounds like a madwoman now.

What is wrong with her?

Shaking her head, Katniss distracts herself by soothingly rubbing Prim's back as she whimpers at the brutal killing of another tribute.

Katniss jolts awake, her body freezing from the cold sweat that had gathered in her sleep, and from the chill of the night air leaking in through her window. She makes a mental note to fix that before winter as she rolls over and tries to go back to bed. She rolls back a moment later in hopes she can curl up closer to Prim for warmth but finds her farther than she expected. She sits up slowly to not make the bed creak and finds her sister curled tightly into their mother.

With a scowl Katniss gets up and grabs an extra sweater and pair of holed socks. She may be cold, but she refuses to get that close to her mother and show that much need for her. Silently she crawls back under the blankets, and with one last glare at the old ceiling above her, goes back to sleep.