Hey guys, sorry that I haven't been updating lately. Truth be told, I already wrote most chapters for part 1 during NaNoWriMon but I'm not publishing them because they're horribly unedited since they were written in a rush. I thought they'd be published by now but then I remembered that I have a life and school work. Anyway, I wouldn't be updating much this week since it's the week before the holiday break and my teachers are drowning me with work and tests I have to study for. But don't, I'll be updating more frequently for the winter break!

Also, shoutout to Katarinakat and Firetwig for the amazing reviews. I really appreciate it, you guys!

Heather woke up to eyes intensely staring at her. Even before she opened her eyes, she knew that it was Haymitch. When she finally glanced up at his face, she groaned and rolled over. She buried her face in his chest and tightened her hold around his waist. She didn't want to get up yet.

Haymitch chuckled and rubbed her back soothingly. He was already used to Heather's childish antics in the morning. She was a deep sleeper, letting out a snore every now and then but nothing that bothered him.

Knowing that it would take some time before she got up, Haymitch left the bed and went into the bathroom to clean up. By the time he got out, Heather was in the middle of stretching, blatantly displaying her chest in front of him. It didn't help that the nightgown she was wearing barely able to contain her breasts.

Haymitch immediately lowered his gaze. While he was glad that Heather felt safe with him to act like this, he also wished that she would take him seriously. He was a man. He had desires as well and she wasn't making it easy on him to control them.

Catching sight of him, Heather smiled and went over to hug him. "Good morning," she said.

"Morning, Honeybee," he greeted back.

Heather's smile widened at the mention of his nickname for. She pressed her lips on his cheek then left the room.

Luckily, she didn't run into anyone on the way to her room. She quickly took a shower and got ready. She chose to dress in a long-sleeved white peasant blouse and a long brown panel skirt. For once, she let her hair down in their natural waves and adorned her ear with brown earrings.

In the dining room, Heather bid everyone a good morning. She filled her plate with some food and went to sit next to Haymitch. She shared a look with him and they both silently agreed to discuss their training after breakfast. Before they went to sleep last night, they talked together about their plan for their tributes.

When Haymitch finished eating, he pushed back his plate with a sigh. He leaned his elbows on the table. "So, let's get down to business. Training. First off, if you like, Heather and I coach you separately. Decide now."

"Why would you coach us separately?" Katniss asked.

"Say if you had a secret skill you might not want the other to know about," Haymitch justified.

Peeta and Katniss exchanged a look. "I don't have any secret skills," Peeta said then he turned to Katniss. "And I already know what yours is, right? I mean, I've eaten enough of your squirrels."

"You can coach us together," Katniss decided. Peeta nodded in agreement.

"All right, so give me some idea of what you can do," Haymitch said. Katniss and Peeta looked over to Heather, wondering why she remained quiet. She gave them an encouraging smile and gestured to them to do what Haymitch said. She already knew about most of their skills so there was no need for her to question them.

"I can't do anything," Peeta said. "Unless you count baking bread."

"Sorry, I don't. Katniss. I already know you're handy with a knife," Haymitch said.

"Not really. But I can hunt," Katniss said. "With a bow and arrow."

"And you're good?" Haymitch asked.

"She's great," Heather answered, having already seen her do archery since she was a little girl. Haymitch glanced at her then nodded in acceptance.

"She's excellent," Peeta agreed. "My father buys her squirrels. He always comments on how the arrows never pierce the body. She hits every one in the eye. It's the same with the rabbits she sells the butcher. She can even bring down deer."

This assessment from Peeta clearly took Katniss by surprise. On the other hand, it made Heather frown as she knew of the affection the boy held for Katniss. It wasn't the appropriate time for them to show. Actually, since they were now involved in the Hunger Games, it wouldn't be wise for Peeta to reveal his feelings or act upon them. Heather wanted to mention that to the boy but she was afraid that he would be upset with her and she didn't need that.

"What are you doing?" Katniss asked him suspiciously.

"What are you doing? If they're going to help you, they have to know what you're capable of. Don't underrate yourself," Peeta said.

"What about you? I've seen you in the market. You can lift hundred-pound bags of flour," Katniss snapped at him. "Tell him that. That's not nothing."

"Yes, and I'm sure the arena will be full of bags of flour for me to chuck at people. It's not like being able to use a weapon. You know it isn't," he retorted.

"Not exactly bags of flour, but I'm sure that there are other heavy things you can throw at your opponents," Heather said, but they ignored her.

"He can wrestle," Katniss continues Haymitch. "He came in second in our school competition last year, only after his brother."

"What use is that? How many times have you seen someone wrestle someone to death?" Peeta said in disgust.

"There's always hand-to-hand combat. All you need is to come up with a knife, and you'll at least stand a chance. If I get jumped, I'm dead!" Katniss exclaimed, her voice rising in anger.

"But you won't! You'll be living up in some tree eating raw squirrels and picking off people with arrows. You know what my mother said to me when she came to say good-bye, as if to cheer me up, she says maybe District Twelve will finally have a winner. Then I realized, she didn't mean me, she meant you!" Peeta burst out.

Having enough of the two of them fighting, Heather whistled loudly in an obnoxious way that made everyone wince at the sharp noise. It was a way of whistling that she learned from Chaff.

She breathed calmly, taking a moment to appreciate the silence before she spoke, "Now isn't this better than fighting like cats and dogs?" Of course, no one answered her as they were not stupid to not know that this was rhetroical question. "Katniss, Peeta is right. While I know your capabilities, Haymitch doesn't and he can't help you otherwise. Stop underrating yourself and tell things as it is, even if you feel like they're not true. And Peeta, your mother knows nothing about how the games work so don't beat up yourself on what she said and forget it. There are so many ways we can utilise your strength in the games and that's one of the reasons why we do the training."

Heather stopped and looked each tribute in the eye so they could see how serious she was. "Now, you two better stop fighting and wasting time. Control your emotions. I understand that what I'm asking is a difficult thing, but trust me when I say that self-control is an important factor if you want to win. Understood?"

Like children who had been just scolded by their mother, Katniss and Peeta nodded silently, not trusting themselves to speak. It was clear as the sun that they were ashamed.

Heather turned to Haymitch and nodded for him to continue. As a fellow victim of Heather's berating, he knew what they must be feeling. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, Katniss, there's no guarantee they'll be bows and arrows in the arena, but during your private session with the Gamemakers, show them what you can do. "

"If you show them your archery skills, they might leave a bow and an arrow in the Cornucopia," Heather added.

Haymitch nodded in agreement, "Stay clear of archery though. Are you any good at trapping?"

"I know a few basic snares," Katniss mumbled.

"That may be significant in terms of food," says Haymitch. "And Peeta, like hon- Heather said, physical power tilts the advantage to a player. In the Training Center, they will have weights, but don't reveal how much you can lift in front of the other tributes. The plan's the same for both of you. You go to group training. Spend the time trying to learn something you don't know. Throw a spear. Swing a mace. Learn to tie a decent knot. Save showing what you're best at until your private sessions. Are we clear?" Haymitch said.

They nodded.

"One last thing. In public, I want you by each other's side every minute," Haymitch told them. Katniss and Peeta both start to object, but Haymitch slammed his hand on the table. They had discussed this last night. Heather understood the reasons behind his decision since Katniss and Peeta would stand out if they did, but there was no reason for him to be this intense. "Every minute! It's not open for discussion! You will do as I say! You will be together, you will appear amiable to each other. Now get out. Meet Effie at the elevator at ten for training."

Heather slid her hand under the table and patted his knee to calm him down. When they went to go to their rooms, Heather heard the same of Katniss' door.

"I think it's best that I do most of the talking next time," Heather told him.

"So they become emotionally scarred before the games start? No thanks," Haymitch said.

"I'm not that bad," Heather said, offended.

"You're not affirmative enough," he claimed.

"Did you not hear what I just said earlier?" Heather asked.

"I did, but you were mad," Haymitch reached and twirled a strand of his hair around his finger, "and you say really mean stuff when you're mad."

Heather wanted to protest but she knew she was right. She pouted as she spoke, "You didn't need to be that tough with them earlier."

He sighed, "I know, but I wasn't in the mood for them to yell at me."

"I don't think anyone is in the mood for that," Heather chuckled.

"True," Haymitch said.

It was nearly ten so Heather couldn't go in and talk to Katniss and Peeta about their recent events. She decided to talk to them tonight after dinner.

Later that night, Heather knocked on Peeta's door. She had talked to Katniss a few moments ago and it was safe to say that it did not go well. She was upset that Heather didn't step in and that she agreed with Haymitch's plan for her and Peeta to stay together. Katniss wouldn't listen to a word Heather had to say and she almost used all her will to not lose her anger.

Overall, it was a horrible fight and she hoped that Peeta wouldn't be difficult like Katniss. As if on cue, Peeta opened the door. He looked mildly surprised that Heather was here but he welcomed her inside his room nonetheless.

"How was your day?" Heather asked.

"It was okay," Peeta answered disinterestedly.

Heather softened. "How are you, really?"

Peeta had feelings for Katniss. Heather discovered when she was covering for a teacher in their school. Back then, she noticed how Peeta kept staring at Katniss instead of paying attention. One day, when he forgot something in the classroom, Heather teasingly asked if he forgot because he was too busy staring at Katniss. His reaction was hilarious. Just thinking about it back then brought a smile to Heather's face.

Peeta smiled weakly and lowered his eyes to the ground. He didn't say anything for the next minutes but Heather didn't pressure him and let him be. After some time, he said, "It's just hard… being next to her all the time when she can't stand me."

"Katniss not standing you has nothing to do with you but with Haymitch and the games," Heather said. "You can blame that on them."

"It doesn't make me feel better," he said.

"I know," Heather agreed.

"Why does Haymitch want us together?" Peeta asked.

"He wants you to stand out," Heather said. "Besides, it's always good to have someone on your side in the arena, even if it's for a short while."

"Do you agree with him?" Peeta asked.

"No," Heather answered, "though I do see his point, but I don't like it. Then again, he doesn't know you two like I do."

"I feel stupid," Peeta began. "I mean, on one hand, I'm stuck in this situation where there's a huge chance that I'll die but I'm happy… to be with her, you know?"

"I don't, but I understand," Heather walked up to him. "But don't ever consider your feelings as stupid, you can't control your emotions."

Peeta looked away, avoiding her. He didn't look convinced but Heather didn't remark on that. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No," Heather responded. "You?"

He shook his eyes.

Heather leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek, "Good night, Peeta."

"Good night."

On the third day of Katniss and Peeta's training, Heather found herself on the first floor, in Cashmere's bedroom. Said owner of the bedroom was currently speaking to her fellow mentor while Heather was waiting for her on her bed. She was stressed for Katniss and Peeta's session with the Gamemakers. And, as usual, she went to one of her friends for comfort.

The door opened and in entered Cashmere. She playfully narrowed her eyes at Heather, who was making herself cozy on the bed.

"You just couldn't keep yourself from the bed, could you?" Cashmere asked, remarking to Heather's weird infatuation with beds.

"Nope," Heather proudly said.

Cashmere rolled her eyes and went to sit on the bed as well, "Honestly, Heather."

Heather crawled to where Cashmere sat and placed her head on her lap. Her friend started to stroke her hair soothingly and they remained together in this comfortable silence.

"So, how is Caleb?" Heather asked teasingly. Caleb was the 59th victor from District 10 and Cashmere's current beau.

"He's good," she answered smiling.

"Are you sad that he isn't here?"

"Not really," Cashmere said.

"Oh, imagine if he and Gloss were here at the same time," Heather suggested playfully.

"Ugh, why do you have to put that image in my mind?" Cashmere buried her face in her hands. "It'd be a disaster."

"Yea, it would," Heather agreed. "But, hey, Gloss doesn't know."

"No, he doesn't," Cashmere sighed in relief. She didn't show it but Heather could tell that she was sad.

"Why don't you tell Gloss?" Heather asked. "I mean, you've been with Caleb for about 5 years now. And if Gloss throws a tantrum, you can always call me over so I can sort him out."

Cashmere chuckled, having no doubt that Heather would and could win against her brother when it came to arguments and such. "Maybe. I'm not sure."

Heather frowned but she didn't push Cashmere more. As she laid back in bed again, Cashmere noticed her swollen lips. She furrowed her eyebrows in worry and reached out to touch her lips.

Heather faced her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Your lips are swollen," Cashmere told her. "Are you okay?"

"Oh," Heather covered her mouth. She blushed, remembering the intense way Haymitch was kissing her this morning. Her stomach flustered at the memory. "It's nothing."

Unfortunately, Cashmere noticed the blush on Heather's cheeks. It only took a few seconds for Cashmere to connect the dots. She pushed Heather away and pulled her up, clutching her shoulders. A huge grin adorned her face.

"Spit it out," Cashmere demanded. "Who is it? Who is the man making you blush like that?"

"Uhh," Heather looked away and avoided eye contact with Cashmere.

"Or is it a woman?" Cashmere asked.

"Uh, no," Heather said, "it's not a girl."

"So, tell me," Cashmere begged. "Come on, I'm your friend."

Heather stayed quiet. She was okay with telling Cashmere. She just wasn't okay with how Cashmere was going to react. Cashmere didn't like Haymitch. She couldn't stand him. But that was mostly because she dealt with drunk Haymitch, not with sober Haymitch. Heather then realized that Cashmere would dislike Haymitch even more if she talked to him while he was sober. For some reason, people viewed him as intolerant when he isn't drunk.

"Heather," Cashmere said her name in a whiny voice.

Heather pouted, a last resort. When Cashere didn't budge, Heather sighed and said in a small voice, "It's Haymitch."

"Huh?" Cashmere didn't hear it.

"It's Haymitch," Heather repeated firmly.

Cashmere remained silent. She stared intensely at Heather. It continued like this for some time, making Heather start to fidget in discomfort under Cashmere's scrutinizing sharp green eyes.

"Um, Cashmere?" Heather called out.

"Okay," Cashmere finally spoke. "I just need to process this through. But don't worry, I will yell at you, just give me some time."

"Okay," Heather said. She knew that Cashmere wouldn't like this so she started to mentally prepare for Cashmere's hurtful words.

Eventually, Cashmere began her questioning, "When, how, and why?"

Heather didn't need context to understand her friend's questions. "Well, I think I started liking him around four years ago. And, well, I didn't do anything and just kept harbouring my feelings inside. Then, remember when I was sick?"

Cashmere's eyes darkened and her jaw clenched. "He took advantage of you while you were sick?"

"No!" Heather immediately defended. "He was the one who took care of me, remember? Besides," she then mumbled in a shy voice. "I was the one who took advantage of him," more like seduce, "I mean, we were alone in the house and he was taking care of me, what better opportunity than this for me to tell him? So, I told him and he kissed me."

Heather paused, "I love him, Cash, and he loves me. He makes me happy."

She glanced at Cashmere. Her friend looked conflicted and not convinced, "I understand," she said. "But I still don't like it."

Heather smiled and hugged Cash. "It's okay," she said, it wasn't like she was the one who was in a relationship with him.

That night, Heather happily skipped into Haymitch's room. Telling Cashmere about her and Haymitch removed a burden from her shoulders that she didn't know was there. Even though Cashmere didn't support her relationship, Heather was happy that her friend didn't mind it. It was a miracle that Cashmere didn't protest against it.

She sat next to him, waiting for him to notice her. He glanced from his book, raising his eyebrows at her in question.

Heather beamed, "Hi."

"Hey," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Is something wrong?"

"No," she buried her face in his chest, enjoying the feeling of his hand rubbing her naked skin. "I'm just really happy."

"Mind telling me why?" he asked.

She hummed gleefully, "I just really love you."

Haymitch looked confused but didn't question her further. If it was something important then she would have told him already. He kissed her in the forehead and ushered her to get up since it was time for dinner

"Come on," he stood up and kissed her. He intended to pull away after a second or two but that wasn't before Heather snaked her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. He should've pushed her away but he would've been an idiot for doing that to the beautiful woman who loved him.

They ultimately pulled out, both gasping for breath. They stared at each other then laughed out in joy together.

"Come on," Haymitch pressed a kiss on her temple. "We really have to go to dinner."

Thankfully, they weren't the last to arrive for dinner. Cinna, Portia, and Peeta were already seated at the table.

"Where's Effie? Heather asked as Haymitch pulled the chair for her and pushed her in.

Peeta, who was too shocked at seeing Haymitch's gentleman act, stammered an answer. "Uhh, she went to get Katniss."

Upon seeing Katniss' red and splotchy face, Heather immediately became worried. So many times, she tried to make Katniss face her so she could ask her what's wrong but Katniss refused to raise her head up. The other eventually pulled her attention away to their talk about the weather forecast.

Then, as the main course was being served, Haymitch said, "Okay, enough small talk, just how bad were you today?"

Heather gave him a look for assuming they were bad, but she knew deep down while they weren't bad, the Gamemakers most likely didn't pay attention to them since they weren't expecting much from the lower districts.

Peeta was the first to share his experience. "I don't know that it mattered. By the time I showed up, no one even bothered to look at me. They were singing some kind of drinking song, I think. So, I threw around some heavy objects until they told me I could go."

Heather stabbed her steak loudly. "Of course, they did," she said in a bored tone. Even though she looked innocent in her white dress, at that moment, Heather seemed scary as she waved her steak knife. "They just assumed that tributes from lower districts are terrible. Miserable little-"

"And you, sweetheart?" Haymitch cut her off and turned to Katniss.

"I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers," Katniss said.

Everyone stopped eating. "You what?" Effie shrieked in horror.

"I shot an arrow at them. Not exactly at them. In their direction. It's like Peeta said, I was shooting and they were ignoring me and I just. I just lost my head, so I shot an apple out of their stupid roast pig's mouth!" Katniss continued defiantly.

"And what did they say?" Cinna asked carefully.

"Nothing. Or I don't know. I walked out after that," Katniss replied..

"Without being dismissed?" Effie exclaimed dramatically.

"I dismissed myself," Katniss looked at Heather, worried about her reaction most of all. Heather still had a shocked face on her face.

"Well, that's that," Haymitch said . Then he buttered a roll.

"Do you think they'll arrest me?" Katniss asked.

"Doubt it. Be a pain to replace you at this stage," Haymitch assured her.

"What about my family?" Katniss continued to inquire worriedly. "Will they punish them?"

"Don't think so. Wouldn't make much sense. See they'd have to reveal what happened in the Training Center for it to have any worthwhile effect on the population. People would need to know what you did. But they can't since it's secret, so it'd be a waste of effort," Haymitch answered. "More likely they'll make your life hell in the arena."

"Well, they've already promised to do that to us anyway," Peeta added.

"Very true," Haymitch agreed.

Katniss glanced at Heather and noticed a smile blossomed on her face. She reached out and held Katniss' hand. "How did they react?" Heather asked a little too excitedly.

The edges of Katniss' mouth tilt up in amusement. "Shocked. Terrified. Uh, ridiculous, some of them." she paused then said with a grin. "One man tripped backward into a bowl of punch."

Heather snickered and the rest started to laugh alongside her, all except Effie of course, although even she was suppressing a smile. "Well, it serves them right. It's their job to pay attention to you. And just because you come from District Twelve is no excuse to ignore you." Then her eyes dart around as if she's said something totally outrageous. "I'm sorry, but that's what I think," she said.

"I'll get a very bad score," Katniss said.

Heather comforted her, "Scores only matter if they're good, no one pays much attention to the bad or mediocre ones. For all they know, you could be hiding your talents to get a low score on purpose. Like Johanna did."

"I hope that's how people interpret the four I'll probably get," Peeta said. "If that. Really, is anything less impressive than watching a person pick up a heavy ball and throw it a couple of yards. One almost landed on my foot."

Katniss grinned and started to eat, finally glad that her family was going to be okay and nothing major will happen to her besides the possibility of a low score.

After dinner, they went to the sitting room to watch the scores announced on television. The Career Tributes naturally were in the eight-to-ten range. Most of the other players averaged a five. Surprisingly, the little girl from District 11 got a score of seven.

Finally, District 12 came up. Peeta pulled out an eight. They cheered for him and Heather kissed on the cheek. Then, Katniss' score came up.

An eleven!

Effie Trinket squealed, and everybody was slapping Katniss on the back and cheering and congratulating me. Except Heather.

She frowned. It didn't make sense. What Katniss did to those Gamemakers was offensive. The only reason why they would give her this score was because they wanted the other tributes to mainly target her.

"There must be a mistake. How could that happen?" Katniss asked Haymitch.

"Guess they liked your temper," he answered. "They've got a show to put on. They need some players with some heat."

"Katniss, the girl who was on fire," Cinna exclaimed. "Oh, wait until you see your interview dress."

"Congratulations, Kat," Heather said after realizing that she was the only one who didn't congratulate her. Luckily, Katniss didn't noticed that fact and thanked her