The blood in Heather's veins ran cold. She was too shocked to move her finger and breathing suddenly became a hard task to do. She saw a boy catch Katniss as she nearly fell onto the ground.

Millions of thoughts ran through Heather's mind but only one stuck. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't real. Prim was only twelve. She only had her name once in that giant glass ball. There were thousands of repeated names in there and Prim's name was the one to come out.

The crowd was muttering, displeased. It was the same when Rust, Heather's old childhood friend, was reaped. No one liked it when twelve-year-olds got picked as they won't stand a chance in the arena. Then again, this whole event was an awful thing to begin with.

Then Prim came into her view. Her face was pale, all blood drained from it. She walked very stiffly as if there was a stick stuck onto her back, taking small steps towards the stage. Heather squeezed her hand. She wanted to put a stop to this so badly but she couldn't. She was powerless.

"Prim!" Katniss suddenly called out from where she was "Prim!" The other kids moved away to allow her a straight path to the stage. Katniss reached Prim just as she was about to mount the steps and push her little sister behind her.

"I volunteer!" Katniss cried out desperately. "I volunteer as tribute!"

Everyone wore a face of confusion. Volunteering, unlike the career districts, was extremely rare in District 12. Still, Heather sighed in relief. It wasn't surprising to her that Katniss volunteered. She knew that the girl would do anything for her little sister. However, it wasn't like things became better, they just got easier. The odds of Katniss coming out alive were bigger than Prim's.

"Lovely!" Effie Trinket exclaimed and Heather had an urge to punch her. "But I believe there's a small matter of introducing the reaping winner and then asking for volunteers, and if one does come forth then we, um. "

"What does it matter?" Mayor Undersee. Heather noticed him looking at Katniss with a pained expression on his face. It was possible that he recognized her since he gave her, the oldest child of her family, a medal of valour after her father died in the mines.

"What does it matter?" he repeated gruffly. "Let her come forward."

Prim screamed hysterically and wrapped her arms around Katniss, afraid to let go of her sister.

"No, Katniss! No! You can't go!" she begged. Her desperate voice made it hard for Heather to not get up and comfort her.

Katniss tried to get Prim off her without using force. She looked like she was about to cry but she held it in.

Good girl, Heather thought.

When they televise the replay of the reapings tonight, everyone would take notice of how strong she was and it would be good publicity for her to gain sponsors. It might seem too early but it was necessary to think of those things early. The earlier, the better.

Gale lifted Prim off the ground and she flailed around in his arms. If only Heather could go down there to smooth things over there. He said something to Katniss and Heather could only imagine how hard it must be for him to keep calm. They don't show it but Heather knew how Gale and Katniss meant to each other. Then Gale carried Prim off toward Amaryllis, her mother. Katniss climbed the steps to the stage and stood next to Effie.

"Well, bravo!" Effie Trinket gushed in excitement over the drama that just occurred. "That's the spirit of the Games! What's your name?"

"Katniss Everdeen," she said. Heather urged for Katniss to turn around so she could see the encouraging look on her face.

"I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!" Effie Trinket said.

But, no one clapped. Not even the ones who usually bet on who gets reaped. Katniss stood there, unmoving as silence reigned over the square.

Then something unexpected happened. It started with one then two then ten then almost everyone touched the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and held it out to Katniss. This was an old and rarely used gesture of their district, occasionally seen at funerals. It was used to express gratitude, admiration, and farewell to someone you love.

Heather was so shocked at this act that she didn't notice Haymitch going from her side to stagger across the stage towards Katniss. "Look at her. Look at this one!" he hollered, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "I like her!" Katniss looked uncomfortable and struggled to get out of his strong grasp "Lots of. " He paused to think of the right word to say. "Spunk!" he said triumphantly. "More than you!" he released her and that was when Heather moved to grab him away.

She quickly led him to the back of the stage, as far as possible from the cameras since she knew what was going to happen next. Her hunch was proved to be right as Haymitch bent over and began to puke. She rubbed his back smoothly in a comforting manner.

Heather took out a handkerchief from her skirt pocket to clean Haymitch's face to make him at least look presentable. She then held his face between her hands firmly.

"Look, I don't care what reason you have to start drinking but what I do care about is that you sit quietly with me out there and don't do any embarrassing acts until we're in the train," Heather whispered to him harshly. "Do I make myself clear or not?"

Haymitch nodded hesitantly, not trusting himself to say anything in case he angers Heather again. Heather straightened her skirt then held her hand out for him to take because she didn't trust him to walk properly.

By the time they got back to the stage, Effie was standing on the podium, about to announce the boy tribute. "Peeta Mellark."

It was as if Snow handpicked the tributes just so he could punish Heather. Snow was a pity man, she wouldn't put it past him to do that. Now, Heather wasn't close with Peeta as she was with Katniss but she was friends with his older brother, Miche.

Peeta strolled over towards the stage. He still appeared shocked at the recent events that just occurred, his mind still registering them. It was obvious that he was struggling to keep neutral, but his blue eyes reflect on the panic he felt. In spite of that, he climbed steadily onto the stage and took his place.

Effie Trinket asked for volunteers in vain. Miche was 21, too old for the games. On the other hand, Rye was 18 and he obviously didn't volunteer in order to not risk his luck on his last year of being a candidate to be the district's tribute.

Mayor Undersee started to read the long and dull Treaty of Treason as he does every year. When he was finished, he motioned for Peeta and Katniss to shake hands. They then turned back to face the crowd as the anthem of Panem played through the speakers. After it ended, the Peacekeepers immediately took Katniss and Peeta and marched them up to the Justice Building.

The doors are quickly closed before Heather could catch a glimpse of them.

Heather sighed in irritation. How was it possible to feel so exhausted in a short amount of time?

A few seconds passed, Heather felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to Effie. Without thinking, she glared at the woman and walked off stage. All the people who she wanted to talk to had already gone into the Justice Building to visit her tributes.

"Mommy!" A young boy's voice cried out.

Heather didn't have the time to react before a small body slammed into her and wrapped its arms around her skirt.

"Mommy, why was Hay like that?" Luke asked. Haymitch started to sober up two years ago when Luke was only three so it was unusual for him to see Haymitch drunk.

Heather tried to smile at her little boy but couldn't. She kneeled beside him and pushed his blonde locks away from his forehead. She should've given a haircut before yesterday. "Well, he was drunk. Drunk people tend to act like that sometimes."

"What's drunk?"

"When a person drinks alcohol, they become drunk," Heather explained as simply as possible.

"Why did Haymitch drink?"

"I don't know, love," Heather leaned in and kissed him. "He didn't tell me why." Heather suddenly wondered why Luke was here and not with his uncle. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Luke, where is your Uncle Blaze?"

"Luke!"

Both mother and son looked up at Blaze who was jogging towards. He was June's, Heather's sister-in-law, older brother. He stopped in front of them and looked disapprovingly at Luke. "Luke, how many times did I tell you not to venture away from me?"

"But I wanted to see mommy," the boy said in defence.

"That's no excuse," Blaze contradicted. "You could've gotten lost, or worse, hurt."

"Sorry, Uncle Blaze," Luke mumbled, looking down in shame.

"Well, the good thing is that nothing serious happened," Heather hurried to cheer Luke up even though she was still disappointed in his actions. "But you have to promise us that you wouldn't do anything like that again."

"I promise," the little boy declared seriously.

Heather leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek and Blaze ruffled his blond hair. He didn't show it very often but she knew that Blaze cared about Luke as much as she did.

"Oh, is that your little boy?"

All three turned around to Effie as she stood in front of them with a wide smile. Luke whimpered in fear and dashed to hide behind Blaze. He wasn't really scared of Effie but he was just creeped out by her makeup and wig.

"Uh, yes, he is," Heather confirmed. She felt awkward because of the way she treated Effie earlier. "Listen, Effie, about earlier,... I'm sorry. I was in a bad mood and I had no right to take it out on you."

"That's alright," Effie waved it off as if it was nothing. "I'm sure you didn't mean that."

"Yea, I didn't," Heather lied, seeing as she part of her did. She then saw Prim and her mother, Amaryllis exit the Justice building."Um, can you take Haymitch and go to the train. I need to talk to some people."

"Sure," Effie agreed even though it was clear that she didn't want to be alone with Haymitch. Both Effie and Haymitch always made sure that Heather was with them so they wouldn't be alone in a room with one another.

"Thanks," Heather headed to leave but Luke called out to her again.

"Is Kat going to come back?" He asked. Luke was too young to fully understand the concept of the Hunger Games but he knew that District 12 has a low chance in producing a victor.

Heather wanted to lie to him and say that everything will be okay but she promised herself that she will never lie to him, "I don't know," she replied. "But, Katniss is strong. I'm sure she'll be able to get through this."

She gave him one last smile and headed towards Prim and Amaryllis, who had already exited the Justice Building having exhausted their limited visit time with Katniss. As soon as she saw her, Prim went running to her. Heather held the girl as Prim started to cry. She rubbed her back and whispered soothing words into her ear.

"You'll make sure she'll come back," Prim sniffed as she pulled away.

"Of course, Prim," Heather caressed the girl's cheek. "She's as much as my family as she is yours."

Prim hiccuped and nodded, believing Heather's words. Placing one last kiss on her forehead, Heather moved on and embraced Amaryllis. Over her shoulder, Heather saw Gale exit from the Justice Building. They exchanged a look, silently promising each other that they will take care of the now separated Everdeens. Both jobs were difficult in their own way.

Heather rode with Katniss and Peeta in the car to the station. It was already late to walk to it. Both teens looked like they wanted to talk to her but knew that this wasn't an appropriate place to have a discussion in. Katniss appeared to be bored but Heather knew better as she was sure the girl was in distress on the inside. Peeta, on the other hand, was wearing his emotions as he didn't hide the fact that he was crying earlier.

The station was taken over by a bunch of reporters. They mainly focus on Katniss and Peeta but occasionally one of them turned to Heather. She waved at them and smiled. Then, she entered the train.

Inside, Heather led Katniss to her room while Effie led Peeta to his. After the day she had, Heather didn't think that Katniss could tolerate Effie's company.

"The dressing area is over there and that door leads to the bathroom," Heather gestured to the places she spoke of. "The drawers are filled with clothes, you can do whatever you want with them. Make sure to be ready for dinner."

Before Katniss could reply, Heather hugged her. The girl stiffened in her hold as she always does. She wasn't always like this. Prior to the death of her father, Katniss used to be like Prim, albeit still serious but she was still a bright girl who could wear a carefree smile.

After the death of Ray, her father, Katniss cut ties with Heather, blaming her for not being there even though Heather was going through the same grief as her whatnot with the sudden death of her brother and his wife. Prim would still talk to her and sometimes would come over. Katniss didn't like that but she couldn't Prim forbid from going to see someone she loves.

It was only two years ago that they started to talk to each other when Heather saved Katniss from a bear attack in the woods. Heather thought that their relationship would go back to the way it used to be but it didn't. They weren't the same people they were years ago and it took some time, but Heather learned to make her peace with that.

"I know you want to talk but we can do that after dinner," Heather withdrew from the hug. "For now, just rest. You need it."

Surprisingly, Katniss didn't fight and simply nodded.

The next thing Heather did was head over to Haymitch's room. Her hand paused its movement as she was about to knock into the door. She needed a moment to get a hold of herself before she opened that door.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the chance to do that as the door flung open and she came face-to-face with Haymitch. The sight of her made him stop and suddenly, she found herself in his arms.

"I'm so sorry," he muttered into her hair. "You're mad. I know you're not mad."

Not anymore, Heather almost said. It was strange, one second she was exhausted but then the next, she was okay. In his arms, everything felt okay. She didn't hug him back though, despite the huge urge to, and instead, kept her arms at her sides.

To anyone else, it would be bizarre for them to see Haymitch this vulnerable, this emotional. He was noramly more grumpy and irritable when he was drunk. But with Heather, he was more open.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I shouldn't have. I couldn't control the urge and I-"

"Shhh," she cut him off, placing her hand over his mouth. "How about you take a nap. We can just talk later."

Haymitch nodded, then looked at her with eyes that exposed his feelings. "Can you stay with me?"

But he didn't allow her to respond as he pulled her into his room. She didn't fight him and let him take her to his bed. She needed to rest as much as he did. Today's events were hard on her as well.

As she brushed his hair gently, Haymitch said in a drowsy voice, "Don't push yourself," he let out a yawn. "You can't fix everything."

Heather chuckled, choosing to accept his words than deny them. Even when he was drunk, he could still read her all too well.

Later that night, Heather was the last to arrive for supper. Haymitch was still napping in his room. She sat next to Katniss and across from Peeta.

"Where's Haymitch?" Effie asked brightly.

"He's taking a nap," Heather answered .

"Well, it's been an exhausting day," Effie Trinket said. It was obvious that she was relieved that she wasn't here.

Heather ate the food mindlessly, having gotten used to the fanciful food courses of the Capitol. Effie Trinket kept reminding Peeta and Katniss to save space because there's more to come. Heather just warned them in an absolute tone that they shouldn't eat too much otherwise, a stomach ache will be waiting for them in the morning. She also told them not to hurry since food will always be available for them should they need it.

That seemed to do the trick. Peeta slowed down and while Katniss didn't completely follow his example, she did the same. Effie seemed grateful but also annoyed that they listened to Heather rather than her.

"At least, you two have decent manners," Effie commented as they were finishing the main course. "The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion."

Heather froze then narrowed her eyes at Effie. Last year tributes, Ellie and Devis were children from the Seam who probably never knew the feeling of satisfaction after eating food before the games. Besides, they were going into a killing game, not a table manner contest.

"Effie," Heather called her name in a sharp tone and you could practically hear the anger in her voice. "Never speak bad of the dead. That just shows disrespect and lack of manners," she spoke in a firm way that she would only use with Luke when he wasn't listening to her, stressing on the last three words.

Both Effie and Peeta are surprised at her, but from the corner of her eyes, Heather could see Katniss' smile. If Haymitch was here, he'd probably look at her proudly in a way that said, 'that's my girl'.

After dinner, they went into another compartment to watch the recap of this year's reaping. Heather didn't examine the kids from the other districts as the rest did. The only one Heather noticed was a twelve-year-old girl from District 11. Immediately, just by looking at her, Heather was reminded of Prim. Her heart broke when they asked for a volunteer and no one stepped in. No one wanted to take the little girl's place.

The next morning, Heather woke up alone again. She slowly got up from the bed and went to the bathroom to wash up. For today, she dressed in a white chiffon dress with blue floral decorations. She matched the outfit with light blue earrings and a pair of grey glitter three-inch high heels. Her hair bounced in ringlets, still wavy from the shower as usual, so she tied some of it back with a blue ribbon.

When she entered the eating compartment, everyone was already in there. However, the scene that was happening before her wasn't ideal. Both Peeta and Katniss were glaring at Haymitch. Katniss was holding a knife that was plunged into the table a few millimeters away from Haymitch. Peeta had a fresh bruise in his jaw.

Heather analyzed the situation. Everyone was holding their breath, waiting for her reaction. After witnessing the way Heather treated Effie when she pissed her off, Peeta and Katniss became aware of the fact that Heather was scary at times, no one matter how innocent and sweet she looked.

Finally, she spoke, "Haymitch, can I speak to you outside for a moment?"

"Sure," the man got up and stepped outside the compartment with her.

Once they were out of sight, Katniss and Peeta turned and looked at each other.

"What do you think she is going to do?" Peeta asked.

"I don't know but it's obviously not going to end well," Katniss guessed. "There's no guarantee that he'll listen to her."

"Oh no, darling. Haymitch always listens to Heather," Effie told them casually as though she was telling them something normal, not something that was so out of the world Katniss and Peeta couldn't comprehend it. But if one thought about it, it made some sense. After being the sole victor for so many years, Haymitch finally had a partner and a person to who he could relate to.

"Hey, why don't you ice your bruise," Katniss suggested.

"Oh, right," Peeta reached for some ice just as Heather and Haymitch re-entered the room.

Heather winked at them as she took a seat while Haymitch stopped Peeta from icing his wound.

"Let the bruise show. The audience will think you've mixed it up with another tribute before you've even made it to the arena," he told him

"That's against the rules," Peeta said.

"Only if they catch you. That bruise will say you fought, you weren't caught, even better," Haymitch explained. Peeta still seemed unconvinced and turned to Heather for her opinion. It was cute. Haymitch didn't think so as he rolled his eyes at him.

"He's right," Heather told him as she went to fill her plate

Haymitch turned to Katniss. "Can you hit anything with that knife besides a table?"

Heather wanted to mention Katniss' archery skills but she was already biting into her fried potato. Katniss seemed to be lost in her thoughts then she yanked the knife out of the table, gripped the blade, and then threw it into the wall across the room. It lodged in the seam between two panels. Haymitch looked mildly impressed and Heather gave her thumb-ups as she was still chewing her food.

"Stand over here. Both of you," Haymitch instructed, nodding to the middle of the room. They listened to him and he began to circle them. He examined them, observing their every physical aspect. "Well, you're not entirely hopeless. Seem fit. And once the stylists get hold of you, you'll be attractive enough."

At the word 'enough', they all turned to look at Heather. She was one of the most attractive victors to existence with her luscious strawberry blonde hair, bright innocent blue eyes, and amazing figure. Even now without make-up and dressed simply, she still looked gorgeous. She blushed under their gazes, making her look more appealing.

"In a few minutes, we'll be pulling into the station. You'll be put in the hands of your stylists. You're not going to like what they do to you. But no matter what it is, don't resist," Haymitch said.

"But -" Katniss began.

"No buts. Don't resist," Haymitch repeated.

Heather smiled brightly at him, happy that he kept his promise and was being helpful. He looked away, not wanting to show emotion in front of the other two in the room. Suddenly, the car went dark. They have entered the tunnel that ran up through the mountains into the Capitol.

The train finally began to slow down and natural light returned to the compartment. Peeta and Katniss ran to the window. They both gawk at the grandness and beauty of the Capitol. As much as Heather disliked the people that lived in it, she couldn't deny the magnificence of the city.

Peeta started to smile and wave, indicating that there was a crowd of excited Capitol citizens gathered around the train.

At last, they had arrived at their despised destination.