I was sitting in my favorite chair in the living room, watching the Capitol's program on Katniss's wedding dresses, when they decided to announce the twist for the seventy-fifth Hunger Games.

President Snow started by talking about the Dark Days and the laws of the Hunger Games and the Quarter Quells. Then he went on to talk about the previous Quarter Quell twists.

"And now we honor our third Quarter Quell," Snow said. A little boy in white steps forward, holding out a box and opening the lid. There were so many envelopes in it, that whoever had devised this system must have planned for centuries worth of Hunger Games. The president pulled one out, marked with a 75 and opened it without preamble.

"On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be readed from the existing pool of victors."

A beat of silence while that sunk in.

"NO!"

I shot from my seat, hurling my glass of tea at the projection and it shattered against the white wall behind it. "NO!" In a fit of rage, I swiped everything off the table nearest to me, and when that wasn't enough, I moved on to the rest of the tables in the living room.

When the knock came to my door, I was sitting on the kitchen counter, pulling each dish out one by one and smashing it on the floor.

"Fuck off!" I yelled to whoever was at the door, but they opened it anyways. Without thinking, I grabbed the next plate and hurled it at the doorway to the kitchen, just as Gale stepped into it.

"Shit!" He cursed as he jumped out of the way just in time, looking down at the shattered plate. His head snapped up to look at me and he glared. "What the fuck?"

My cheeks flamed. "I said fuck off!"

He stepped over the shards and came further into the kitchen.

"I need to talk to you," he said simply.

I maintained eye contact as I swiped the cookie jar- cookies and all- off the counter. "Does it look like I want to talk?"

He raised his eyebrows at me. "It seems like you have nothing better to do than destroy everything in your house."

"When you might have to go into an arena for the second time, come back and talk to me about your coping methods," I snapped, closing the cabinet door by my head and sliding off the counter. He furrowed his brows.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"You've come to ask me to volunteer if Katniss's name gets picked, blah blah blah."

"And to help me convince her not to volunteer if your name gets pulled."

I placed my hands onto the counter and shook my head, clenching my jaw. "I'm such a fucking idiot," I muttered.

"What?"

I spun around and threw my hands in the air. "I'm a fucking idiot! I don't know what I ever saw in you, Gale Hawthorne! You're nothing but a selfish, cold-hearted bastard! You know what, yes! I will volunteer and I will convince her to stay out of it and I will go back into the arena, just to get away from you!" I yelled.

His eyes widened. "Smith, we need Katniss- you don't understand-"

"Get out of my house, you son of a bitch!" I spun and grabbed one of the dishes from the sink. "Get out!" I spun back and hurled the dish at him. He expertly dodged that one too, before his face grew red in fury.

"I don't know why I thought you would understand! You're too blinded by your games to think of the future! You don't understand what Katniss dying will mean!"

"To who, Gale? To you? To Peeta? To District 12? I get it- Her life is worth more than mine. I don't care anymore. Just... Leave." I slumped against the counter, hands covering my face. "Just get out."

For a moment he just stood there, and then I listened to his footsteps against the tile recced until the door opened and closed behind him. For a long while I just stood there, feeling sapped and empty. I felt like I had wasted my life loving him. It had brought me nothing but pain when I could have been living my life happily with someone else in my heart.

But then would I have volunteered for Posy? And if I didn't, who would have? Would anyone? I couldn't bring myself to regret the decisions that had led me here, since they had also kept an innocent young girl safe.

I heard the door open again and instinctively I reached for another dish and held it over my head, prepared to throw it.

"Woah, there, girlie. Put the mug down."

I did as he asked. "What do you want, you old drunk?" I asked without any emotion. He raised a brow at me before taking in the kitchen and looking over his shoulder at the living room.

"I see you've been busy. Finally wore yourself out?"

I tried not to replay Gale's words in my head. "Something like that. What are you here for? I don't have any alcohol, if that's what you're looking to get."

He shook his head. "Let's take a walk. Clear our heads."

"Uhm. Sure, ok," I said offhandedly. A walk? This late? And when it was so cold out?

I donned my winter gear and led the way out of the house. We walked down the steps and towards the open gates. When we had gotten a decent distance away from the Victory Village, Haymitch took a deep breath.

"I think it's time I filled you in."

"On what?" I asked, giving him a sideways glance of confusion.

He turned his head to meet my eyes. "The rebellion."