I have forbid myself to think about Danny's death as a possibility, I know as a fact that if I clear my head of thoughts of that happening I'll act better in order to prevent it. Only then do I realize the obvious: Danny is just a boy, and he is scared of dying, but more than that he is scared of killing. For the first time ever the blonde baker's son that stands before me reminds me of someone really different, I don't think of Peeta and his kind smile, but of Gale screaming at the woods. I think of Gale ranting about the Hunger Games and how unfair they are, I think of him criticizing the Capitol people. You root for your favorites, cry when they get killed. It's sick!

Danny is only twelve and among the luckiest ones of the District. Before he was pulled out of it his life was as good as it could be, he lived off stale bread, yes, but his roof was steady and his lunchbox always full when he walked into school. His shoulders were broad and he was the height a boy his age should be. He had been hungry, but he had never been starving. And ever since I started dating his brother he has had fresh meat on the table almost every day.

Gale and I, we had it very different. Before Peeta was present in my life the only way we could afford warm bread was by hunting a whole weekend, the only way we could afford to keep our families well fed was to break the law and sneak out of the fence to get the food ourselves. We both lost our fathers in the same explosion, and we both know what it is like to live on boiled tea leaves and a few roots we manage to pull off the ground. We know what it is like to see one of our brothers slowly starve, their cheeks sinking, their ribs showing. We both know what it is like to see our mothers staring into the window, as if they hoped their husband would come back from the mines soon. We hated the Capitol, we hated the Hunger Games. We had a reason to be angry. Only now do I realize that Danny does too.

And not only Danny, but Madge too. It doesn't matter that her father is the Mayor, her name was still in the reaping bowl along with mine. Madge has to walk around the school with her expensive dresses, ignoring the glares of those in the Seam that could feed themselves a week with what one of her dresses is worth. Even Madge has a reason to hate the Capitol, she has to see her father read the Treaty of Treason every year, she has to love a man that pretends to love the Capitol. It cannot be easy for her. It isn't easy for anyone.

A desperate urge to prove myself and my worth to the Capitol arises in my chest, I want to scream like Danny, like Gale, I want to remind the Capitol that they don't own me. But I know that someone else does: Peeta. And he is counting on me to bring his brother back alive. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you what you thought." I say once Danny is done screaming and I've managed to subdue the rebellious feelings in my heart. "I don't want to be a Career either. But I couldn't reject his offer right in front of him, okay?"

Danny wipes his tears angrily, but his glare softens. I take this as an encouragement to take a step closer to him and to keep talking. "Just until after the bloodbath, Danny. We pretend we are on their side, steal a few things and then leave. I promise you: I won't let the Games change me." Nodding, the blond boy walks out of the roof and somehow I know I am not welcome into his bed to sing him to sleep tonight. So I sit down on a chair and stare into the lights of the Capitol as the scent of flowers surround me.

I observe the flowers carefully and recognize a few, some from the Meadow and the woods, some other from the cakes and cookies Peeta so delicately frosted. Somewhere in the floor beneath me Danny slams his door and I feel cold, alone. Never had I wished to have Peeta's arms around me as much as now, the weight of his ring can only do so much to remind me of a life in which his presence was something I didn't question.

I was home alone that day, and Peeta liked to say it was fate but somehow I think it was staged. I could hear his mother's rambling even though they were just walking down the street in the Seam where I lived. I wondered what had made her so mad, and what she was doing in the Seam, Mrs. Mellark wasn't know to be fond of us. Quickly I got my answer as two short, angry knocks on my door caused my head to be shot up. I panicked but opened the door anyway.

I had never seen Mrs. Mellark up close, only a few times in the City Square and through the bakery's window -I was too poor to afford bread in any other way that didn't imply trading with her husband through the backdoor- her eyes pierced me and I felt as worthless as she thought I was. Behind her stood Peeta, I knew him. Not only was he in my school, but he had saved my life once years ago. I doubted he remembered, but I could never forget.

"This worthless thing has burnt his hands badly, your mother can heal him can't she?" The woman spat, pulling me out of the memories of Peeta throwing the burnt bread to me in the rain. "Sh-she can, but she ain't home." I replied a second too late. The woman seemed angry, as if it was my mother's obligation to be at her disposal. Mrs. Mellark and Peeta turned around to leave, and it was only then when I saw Peeta's hands. I still don't know how he managed to do it, but he had burnt both of them up to almost his elbow. The skin was red and starting to blister.

"Wait!" I said, I remember my stomach had twisted into a painful knot at the sight of his injury, but I knew that in front of me stood the chance of making it up to Peeta for the burnt bread years back. I knew I could finally stop owing him. I hate owing people. "I can heal him, I know how."

After an hour or so of crying I head back to my quarters, strip off my clothes and curl up in a ball under the silky covers until I tire myself from thinking and I get to finally fall asleep. Effie wakes me up too soon, remind me a "big, big, big day " is waiting for me, and I know she is right. Today after lunch the private sessions with the Gamemakers will take place. I shower and get ready for breakfast. I kiss Danny's hair and he sighs, I know he is trying hard to forgive me.

Haymitch waits until I have managed to swallow something to clear his throat. Both his tributes look up to him and he eyes us attentively. "What is your second best skill?" He asks simply and I start thinking. "I'm good with knives." Danny says after a while and I nod. I had shown him how to throw in the woods and he almost always managed to hit the target, even so he isn't nearly as good as the girl from Two is, a shiver runs through my spine when she crosses my mind. "I'm quick." I say afterwards.

"Have you shown your ability in this?" Haymitch continues and I shrug, we had kept a low profile in both disciplines, and stayed away from our talent as he had instructed. "Well not today, today you excel in this, alright? The Careers want you, now you go and prove your worth to them. If this is just a trick to fool you into trusting them now you have to lure them into actually wanting you. Both of you." And I know that is for Danny, he has to prove his value to them so that I can manage to keep him alive during our short alliance.

We both nod and go off to clean our teeth before joining the rest of the tributes on the training center. Danny puts extra effort in his aim and manages to hit the bulls eye every single time. The Careers seem somewhat impressed, and I hear them talking about how we seemed to have been hiding our talents until our alliance. They think we trust them. I smirk and I challenge the girl from District 1, I learn her name is Glimmer, to a race.

The quiet girl from District Five giggles as I win the race easily and by a great distance. I high five with the boy from Two and wink an eye to Danny who cheers with the rest. For a moment they think we are part of them, for a moment they think we are part of their Games when they are only a