Heather sat anxiously in Haymitch's compartment. She had come here to spend the night with him only to find the man himself nowhere. Deciding to not act hastily, she decided to wait quietly for him.

Minutes flew by and when Heather finally got up to search for him, Haymitch entered the compartment.

"I was about to search for you," Heather said, her eyes scrutinizing Haymitch for anything out of order.

"I was out with Katniss," he explained. "She told me about her meeting with President Snow."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "She did?"

"Yes," Haymitch poured himself a glass of water. "And don't sound so surprised."

"Well, excuse me but you two don't have the best relationship."

Haymitch shrugged and came to take a seat with her. He put an arm around her, pulling her to the warmth of her chest. He kissed her in the head, relaxing her in an indescribable way.

"I really hope nothing too big happens during this tour," Heather said quietly.

Haymitch sighs, "You really need to stop worrying all the time, it's not good for you."

"It's not that I can help it," Heather looked up at him. "I mean, we don't have a plan for this and District 13 hasn't said anything."

His eyes soften. "We'll figure something out, we always do."

Heather's shoulders dropped in defeat. "I really hope we do."

The next morning, Heather woke up to the feeling of a kiss being pressed on her bare shoulder. Slowly, she reached out her stiffed hand and placed it around Haymitch's forearm, who held her throughout the night.

"Good morning," she turned to him and smiled.

"Morning."

Heather noticed how tired he was and frowned. "You didn't sleep?"

"I dozed off here and there," he reassured her.

Heather glanced at the clock beside their bedside. "Well, you don't have to get up now. Get some sleep in."

She got up and slipped on her nightgown robe. Heading for the windows, she opened them, letting the sunlight grace the room. Haymitch always slept better during the morning.

Heather returned to his side and kissed him on the forehead, caressing his face gently. "Get some sleep."

His eyes softened. "I will."

Heather went to her room and changed into more appropriate clothes before she went to the dining compartment. There, she found Katniss and Effie sitting together, eating breakfast.

"Good morning," Heather greeted them brightly.

"Good morning, Heather," Effie said.

"Hey," Katniss barely glanced at her.

"Are you okay?" Heather asked as she took a seat.

"Just not looking forward to being prepped," Katniss said.

"If it makes you feel better, you're not the only one they'll be on," Heather rolled her sleeve to show the little hairs growing in her arm.

"Who'll be prepping?"

"One of Peeta's prep team members, I concur," she said, sipping her tea.

Katniss nodded, still looking down. Heather was about to ask her why she was still depressed but suddenly, she remembered where they were heading.

District 11.

Heather looked at Katniss again. No doubt, nothing will cheer her up with where their destination is. She clenched her hand around the cup of tea. The victor tour was such a pain in the ass, it was like rubbing salt into an old unhealed wound. She sighed, not wanting to imagine the pain the fallen tributes' families must be going through.

Eventually, they separated, each on their way to get prepared. It didn't take long for Heather to get ready since she always made sure to take care of her skin and appearance since not doing so would only result on more time getting picked at when goes to the Capitol.

When she was done, Heather retreated to her room. She went through her closet where all her clothes for the tour were. Zedoary even went as far as specifying when to wear what at which district.

Heather chuckled, this was so like him.

A black case caught her attention and she walked towards it, picking it up. Her fingers stroked the surface of the cold hard case and she opened it, revealing the violin that laid there. Originally, Heather wanted gardening to be her talent but Snow refused that, claiming that it didn't fit her image.

So she had to pick the violin instead and crunch days and so much of her time into learning it. Surprisingly, she didn't hate it that much mostly because the violin had so many sad songs that just fit her mood. Playing the violin made things easier as it allowed her to express her anger.

Since there was nothing to do now, Heather decided to play it. Although she makes sure to keep practicing it, Heather hadn't played in a while. She placed the violin on her shoulder and leaned her head towards it. Raising the bow, she began to play.

Heather played an angry song and poured all her emotions into it. Her hatred for Snow. Her anger at District 13 and their leader. The injustice in this world. Everything that upset her was expressed in every note that came out from the violin. The music it made echoing through her room.

When she was done, Heather heard clapping sounds. She jumped and turned around, spotting Peeta. She breathed out and her shoulders dropped.

"Sorry," Peeta scratched the back of his head. "I didn't mean to scare you. I heard some music coming from your room and wanted to check on you."

"That's alright," Heather told him.

"You're really good, your playing I mean."

"Thank you," Heather smiled. "Would you like to take a seat?"

After telling one of the Capitol attendants to bring some tea to her room, Heather took a seat next to Peeta. "How have you been?"

"I'm alright, I guess," he shrugged.

"I guess?" she corked an eyebrow at him.

Peeta sighed and covered his face with his hands. "Well, I know that what I'm doing is for our own good and survival but I still feel like crap. I… I don't want to do this anymore."

Heather frowned, letting her eyes drop to the ground. "Trust me, if there was a way for me to let you out of this arrangement then I would've done a long time ago."

"I know."

Heather wanted to reassure Peeta that everything will be alright. But she couldn't do so without explaining the rebellion and Peeta was in no way ready to hear about that. All she could do at that moment is hold his hand which he clutched. Peeta didn't just need reassurance, he needed someone to be there for him as well.

Lunch was… somewhat of a messy affair. Katniss arrived all distorted. No matter how much they tried to include her in the table conversations, she refused to speak. It only got worse when the train stopped because some part had malfunctioned and had to be replaced. This sent Effie into a state as she pulled out her schedule and began to work out how much this will impact it.

This seemed to be the last straw for Katniss as she burst out at Effie which silenced the whole compartment. Katniss then proceeded to go to the exit door which triggered an alarm.

Heather knew what Katniss did was wrong but she couldn't find it in herself to be mad at her. After all, the poor girl was going through enough. Her entire life depended on a good showcase of her relationship with her fake lover and they were heading to her dead friend's district where she'll have to face her family.

"Aren't you going after her?" Haymitch asked her.

"No, she needs to calm down," Heather said.

Peeta, however, had different plans as he stood up to go after her.

Surprisingly, minutes later, Katniss came with Peeta and apologized to Effie for her behaviour. Thankfully, Effie wasn't that offended, saying that she understood how much pressure is placed on Katniss.

Katniss glanced over at Heather, as if wondering if she's mad. Heather smiled at her reassuringly. Though it wasn't okay to burst out like that, Heather knew that everyone deals with their anxiety differently.

Much to the dismay of Heather and Haymitch, they couldn't go and greet their friends in District 11 as upon their arrival, they were immediately led to the Justice building. Heather sat next to Peeta in the truck and watched the rows and rows of fields that they passed. No matter how many times she came here, she still couldn't process the largeness of this district.

As soon as they reached the Justice Building, they were taken to the front entrance where they began to hear the national anthem.

"Alright, you two," Heather made both of them face her. "Remember, don't force, act naturally and don't be afraid to show some emotions, it's going to win you some points."

The massive doors open with a groan as the mayor introduces Katniss and Peeta.

"Big smiles!" Effie gave them a nudge towards the audience.

"Good luck!" Heather said before sighing. She clung to Haymitch's hand as anxiety, once again, took hold of her.

Effie, Haymitch and Heather walked to where Portia and Cinna were, to watch the ceremony on the screen wall where it showed the square from different angles. There's loud applause and the square is packed with people, considering the amount of people in District 11, they were just a fraction of the population.

As usual, a special platform was constructed at the bottom of the stage for the families of the dead tributes. On Thresh's side, there was only an old woman with a hunched back and a tall, muscular girl who is probably his sister. On Rue's side, her parents stood, with faces fresh with sorrow, and her five younger siblings, who resemble her so much.

Heather dropped at the sight of them. She knew what it was like to lose a sibling but she couldn't imagine what it would be like at such a young age.

To their credit, Katniss and Peeta managed to do their speech without any mistakes. Peeta adds his own personal comments but they don't come out as… sentimental as Heather would have hoped. However, the shocking part was when he proceeded to say this. "It can in no way replace your losses, but as a token of our thanks we'd like for each of the tributes' families from District Eleven to receive one month of our winnings every year for the duration of our lives."

"Can he do that?" Heather whispered over to Haymitch.

"I don't know," he replied. "I think it's safe to assume he didn't inform neither of us on this."

"Yup."

The crowd responded with gasps and murmurs. The families, on the other hand, stare at them in shock. A month of tribute winnings can easily provide for a family for a year. As long as we live, they will not hunger

Katniss rose up on tiptoe to kiss him, and then the mayor stepped forward, presenting them with a plaque each.

Just when the ceremony is about to end, Katniss surged forward. "Wait!" she pressed the plaque to her chest. "Wait, please." Heather watched her with curiosity, wondering what she was about to say.

"I want to give my thanks to the tributes of District Eleven," she said. "I only ever spoke to Thresh one time. Just long enough for him to spare my life. I didn't know him, but I always respected him. For his power. For his refusal to play the Games on anyone's terms but his own. The Careers wanted him to team up with them from the beginning, but he wouldn't do it. I respected him for that."

She turned to Rue's family. "But I feel as if I did know Rue, and she'll always be with me. Everything beautiful brings her to mind. I see her in the yellow flowers that grow in the Meadow by my house. I see her in the mockingjays that sing in the trees. But most of all, I see her in my sister, Prim. Thank you for your children." She raised her chin to address the crowd. "And thank you all for the bread."

Heather's heart softened as she listened to Katniss's speech. Even from here, she could hear the raw emotion in Katniss's voice.

And then the screen was cut off.

Heather and Haymitch exchanged a look of confusion and even Effie didn't seem to know what was going on. Heather paced around the room, lost in her own thoughts.

Heather went over to Haymitch and whispered in his ear. "You don't think it would have to do with… rebelling right?"

Haymitch quickly shook his head but he seemed to consider this as a possibility. "Perhaps, but we shouldn't just jump to the worst conclusion. Maybe they wanted to end the ceremony early so they could go back to collect the harvest."

A gunshot sounded.

"Or maybe not."

Effie hurried over to Katniss and Peeta as soon as they arrived. Heather would've beaten her to it but she was distracted by her thoughts as she thought of reasons for that gunshot sound. At Heather's stare, Katniss looked down as if she was ashamed. Something was definitely wrong.

"We lost the feed just after Katniss's beautiful speech, and then Haymitch said he thought he heard a gunfire, and I said it was ridiculous, but who knows? There are lunatics everywhere!" Effie said.

"Nothing happened, Effie. An old truck backfired," Peeta said calmly. Even though he didn't show any indications of it, Heather was positive he was lying.

Heather jumped when she heard two more shots. Taking her hand once more, Haymitch stood up along with her.

"Both of you. With me," Haymitch ordered. Peeta and Katniss followed them, leaving the others behind.

Since they were inside, the stationed Peacekeepers around the Justice Building pay little to no attention. They ascended the marble staircase to the long hall at the top. Double doors were opened, welcoming them into the first room. Glancing around the furniture in the room, Heather vaguely remembered using it once during her own victor tour.

It seemed Haymitch remembered more about this place than her as he led them through a series of twisting staircases and increasingly narrow halls. Heather narrowed her eyes at him. How come he could remember all of this? The only explanation she could come up with is Chaff and trouble which is neither comforting. She was definitely going to interrogate him about this.

She didn't notice Katniss's lingering stare at their intertwined hands as they walked. Eventually, they climbed a ladder to a trapdoor and Haymitch opened it to reveal the dome of the Justice Building. It was a huge place filled with broken furniture, piles of books and ledgers, and rusty weapons.

Heather sneezed, accidentally breathing in the dust in the room. Haymitch kicked the trapdoor shut and asked, "What happened?"

Peeta summarizes all that occurred in the square. The whistle, the salute, their hesitation on the verandah, the murder of the old man. By the end of it, Heather felt like a bucket of cold ice water fell on her. Snow was not going to like this and no doubt, there was going to be hell to pay.

"What's going on, Haymitch?" Peeta asked, making Heather realize that he wasn't aware of the graveness of this situation.

"Do either one of you want to explain?" Haymitch looked from Heather to Katniss. "Though, it will be better coming from you," he says to Katniss.

Heather glanced at Katniss, silently asking if she would want to do so. Katniss took a deep breath and then began to tell Peeta about everything. President Snow, the unrest in the districts, the kiss with Gale. She almost broke down as she talked about the berries. "I was supposed to fix things on this tour. Make everyone who had doubted believe I acted out of love. Calm things down. But obviously, all I've done today is. get three people killed, and now everyone in the square will be punished."

"Then I made things worse, too. By giving them money," Peeta said. Heather opened her mouth to tell him that the money wasn't really going to affect their situation but suddenly, he struck out at a lamp and knocked it across the room, where it shattered against the floor. "This has to stop. Right now. This — this—game you three-play, where you tell each other secrets but keep them from me like I'm too inconsequential or stupid or weak to handle them."

To be honest, telling Peeta was the last thing on Heather's mind, which only added more to her guilt.

"It's not like that, Peeta—" Katniss tried to talk to him.

"It's exactly like that!" he yelled. "I have people I care about, too, Katniss! Family and friends back in District Twelve who will be just as dead as yours if we don't pull this thing off. So, after all, we went through in the arena, don't I even deserve the truth from you?"

"Yes, you do," Heather told him, cutting over Haymitch before he could say anything. "Look, I'm sorry you've been feeling that way. To be honest, I didn't tell you because you didn't cross my mind at that time. I was so busy trying to figure out a solution to this situation. And you didn't make things worse by giving the money. Compared to what happened later, it wasn't significant, at least not anymore."

"I'm sorry too," Katniss admits, looking at the floor. "We were wrong not to tell you."

"You're always so reliably good, Peeta," Haymitch said. "So smart about how you present yourself before the cameras. I didn't want to disrupt that."

"Well, you overestimated me," Peeta sighs. "I don't want to be left. "Even in the arena, you two had some sort of system worked out, didn't you?"

"If it makes you feel better, I also wasn't a part of it," Heather muttered.

"We didn't have a system, at least not officially. I just could tell what Haymitch wanted me to do by what he sent, or didn't send," Katniss explained.

"Look, boy—" Haymitch tries to reason with him.

"Don't bother, Haymitch. I know you had to choose one of us. And I'd have wanted it to be her. But this is something different. People are dead out there. More will follow unless we're very good. We all know I'm better than Katniss in front of the cameras. No one needs to coach me on what to say. But I have to know what I'm walking into," Peeta said.

"From now on, you'll be fully informed," Haymitch told him.

"I better be," Peeta said before leaving.

Heather followed him. "Peeta, wait!"

He halted, though by the look on his face, he wasn't in the mood to see her.

"I'm really sorry. I never meant to make you feel that way, especially since I know how it feels like to be left out," Heather met his eyes despite the urge to look down. "If you ever feel like you're being left out, tell me. Don't keep to yourself."

His face softened. "Okay."

"I'm sorry."

"I know."