~Cato~

Brutus was in another car on the train, Kairo was in his room, and Enobaria was doing the same, in her room. I just sat in the living quarters in complete silence while Clove was in Spitfire's room paying a visit. Through the thin walls I could hear them talking, not necessarily what about but I could hear Clove's voice and Spitfire hoarse and tired voice. Spitfire sounded really sick, and it was all because I let her go off alone. It was all my fault. A few moments later Clove walked out with a sad look on her face.

"How's she doing?" I asked her.

"Horrible. Her voice sounds bad and she stayed under the blankets the entire time. You really did it this time." she said blaming me for what seemed like the millionth time today.

"Yeah yeah I know, if she wasn't alone then she wouldn't have gotten sick. I've heard it before Clove."

"I didn't mean that, I mean calling her scum. Its blatantly obvious that you like her but won't do anything about it. When I asked her about how she felt about you she said and I quote "he called me scum, why would I like a guy who thinks so low of me?" if you hadn't done that we might be seeing a couple with you two, then maybe she would've told you about her." she said to me, her voice getting higher and higher as she continued on and on.

"Like I don't know that?" I shouted back. "I actually have thought about that you know. But it doesn't matter because even though she is scum, she is training to be just like us, just like a Career." I told her and Clove shook her eyes almost pleadingly.

"But she's not. She's not like us. Yeah she is training at the Academy but that doesn't mean she is going to be a Career. They can't make her volunteer, the Peacekeepers can't control her. She doesn't bottle up her emotions and turn them into anger and aggression like we do, she uses them to her advantage. How the hell do you think she got here!" Clove roared at me, I glared at her because she is right, and I hate being proven wrong. Enobaria stormed out of her room with an angry glare on her face.

"Will you two shut up!" she yelled and pointed in the direction of Spitfire's room. "She is trying to sleep and you are making it impossible for her. If either of you really care about her getting better you'll shut your mouths and go to bed." she ordered and stormed back into her room, slamming the door shut thus closing the conversation permanently. Clove just glared at me before following her Trainer's orders and going to bed. I sighed before collapsing onto the nearest couch to me and letting sleep take over like the plague, after a few hours of course.

My mind was swimming with thoughts of Spitfire. How did she get sick and not spreading it to the rest of us? Sure she has been in her room the whole time but Clove, Enobaria, or surely Brutus came in physical contact with her in some way, or touched something she touched. And why didn't I catch anything on my way back to the train in One? Because I didn't have to ask anybody for directions, Spitfire did. How long is she going to be sick? Time can only tell.

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

We are now in District Eleven and Spitfire has shown no sign of getting better, she is only getting worse. We tried arguing with Brutus and Enobaria to get a doctor but as we got to the lower and lower Districts, the medical services are inadequate to give a proper diagnosis. It was painful for all three of us to see her in so much pain. Clove comes close to crying when Spitfire throws up her food or whines in pain. And as we sit here in District Eleven listening to the same speech we've heard almost everyday, we can't focus on the speech at all. Well Kairo can because he doesn't know Spitfire really well, well neither do Clove and I but we know her better than him. We didn't even bother to walk around the District, we just wanted this tour to be over with already. So we took the extra time and got to District Twelve early, the last spot on the tour. We arrived early Sunday morning and I couldn't sleep. I got up from my room and changed into regular clothing and walked out to write a note saying I was exploring, Clove however had the same idea and she wasn't the only other one that was awake.

"Where do you think you're going?" Brutus asked from the couch.

"I was going to walk around the District, I take it you're doing the same thing?" I asked Clove and she nodded.

"I couldn't sleep. So Brutus since he's awake can we go so we aren't alone?" she asked annoyed and Brutus thought about it.

"Fine, but be careful." he warned and we walked out the door onto the ash and coal dust covered streets. After a few moments of walking aimlessly around the Districts, seeing people walking around the towns and their houses, I didn't understand why they lived like this, in poverty.

"I don't understand it." I said out loud.

"What do you mean?" Clove asked.

"Why they live like this. Does nobody have money? Do the jobs not pay enough?" I asked and she rolled her eyes.

"I told you Cato, they aren't rich in money, but they are rich in love. They would do anything to help each other." she told me and I sighed.

"I remember." I said and looked up when I saw we were getting close to the edge of the District. I stuck my hand in front of Clove to stop her from walking into it. "Careful, it's probably on." I warned. Clove stood still for a moment and listened.

"It's not, I don't hear anything." she said and looked at my slyly. "Think we'd get caught going beyond it?" I looked up and down the fence for a way in and saw a hole in the fence.

"Probably not, I hardly saw any Peacekeepers around." I said and Clove made a beeline for the whole and pushed her way through it, and soon after I followed. We walked through the woods, listening to the wind and the trees talking to us, the serenity of it all was soothing. As we continued to walk we weren't exactly trying to keep quiet and as if by warning, an arrow flew a foot in front of our faces.

"Who's there?" Clove called. A second later a face of a teenage boy about my age stepped from behind a tree, he was taller with dark skin, dark hair, and gray eyes, much like Spitfire. Could she be from here? I thought to myself.

"Are you trying to kill us?" I barked at him.

"No, but I tried to kill that squirrel." he said pointing behind us, and when we turned to see a squirrel hanging by it's head, not bad aim.

"Isn't hunting illegal?" Clove asked.

"That's why we don't say anything about it." he replies.

"We?" I questioned.

"What you think I keep this game for myself? There is such a thing as trading you know." he said annoyed.

"You trade all of this? For what?" Clove asked.

"Half of it I keep, the other half I trade for supplies we might need at home."

"But why hunt at all?" I asked him curiously.

"You're from Two right?" he asked and we nodded in response. "Well not all of us can afford the luxury food like you have in Two, hell a luxury to you would be a blessing to us." he said before walking through us to get his fresh kill.

"Do you ever get caught?" Clove asked.

"No." he replied sharply.

"How?"

"Even some Peacekeepers here starve and are desperate for food." he enlightened before walking away from us.

"Wait!" I called and he turned to look at us with annoyance.

"I'm Cato and this is Clove, who are you?"

"Why would I tell you my name? You could turn me in." he said before stalking away, eventually blending into the trees and bushes around him to where we couldn't find him. I turned to look down at Clove with question in my eyes.

"I never knew things were so bad here." Clove said and I scoffed.

"They are still scum. And eating wild animals? That is disgusting, I wouldn't be surprised if people had diseases from eating these animals." I retorted. She rolled her eyes at me before walking back to the electric fence to get back to the train.

~Katniss~

Laying on this bed, in this room, on this train, on the Victory Tour is boring as hell. We are now in District Twelve and I've been faking throwing up since Ten. Everyone is out exploring my comfort zone of a District and they aren't afraid to speak their minds about it. Well Kairo and Cato aren't. Clove has been careful not to insult any District just in case its mine. Brutus and Enobaria know but they haven't said anything. With everyone gone doing whatever they are doing, that I know of, I've had some time to myself alone. Clove and I have spent a lot of time together when we aren't in public, Kairo I've hardly spoken to and unfortunately I've had to stick with Cato whenever I was "well enough" to go out in public because Brutus is our Trainer and we do as he says. We haven't said anything to each other since we last talked.

I was brought out of my thought by voices outside my room. I lifted my head from it's position on the bed in time to see Brutus and Haymitch? When he saw me laying healthy on my bed he chuckled. Is he sober?

"So you are the one on this tour." he says to me then turning to look at Brutus. "I didn't believe you Brutus. My apologies."

"What is going on?" I question. "Where is everyone else? Haymitch are you sober?" I asked him and he laughed more.

"Just barely Sweetheart." he said before turning to Brutus once more. "I go now, leave her to get her rest." Haymitch slurred slightly before walking out of the train. Brutus turned to leave too but I stopped him.

"Can I please get out of this room. I'm getting tired of seeing these four walls day and night." I complained and he nodded.

"Go act like you've been throwing up again and I'll send Kairo to come help you out." he said.

"Wait Kairo didn't go around the District?" I asked quietly.

"No he didn't want to. Now go get ready." he ordered and I did what I was told and went into the bathroom and made myself look like I was throwing up again.

~Cato~

When we finally got back, still earning glares and stares from the citizens here, we walked in to find Kairo helping walk Spitfire to the couch.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked her, sounding more cold than I intended, to be honest I was jealous that Kairo had his arm around her waist to keep her balance.

"My bad for wanting to see more than my room." she croaked in her hoarse voice.

"She's been throwing up again." Kairo said, setting her down on the couch and tossing a blanket over her. "That's why she sounds like that." Clove walked over and sat in a chair next o Spitfire.

"Why can't we just send her back to the Academy?" Clove asked out loud to no one in particular.

"Because that would require a train and money which Twelve does not have." Brutus said entering the car of the train from another.

"Why didn't we do it a long time ago?" I asked with an edge in my voice.

"Because we didn't know it'd get this bad and when it did, the Districts didn't have the resources to send her back." Enobaria replied walking in after Brutus. I walked over and slid into the chair opposite of Clove, glancing at Spitfire.

"How was exploring?" She asked as best as she could.

"It was okay, dust was everywhere. And we went into the woods." Clove said earning a scold from Enobaria.

"You went beyond the perimeter! Do you know how dangerous that is? What if you got caught, how would that make us look." she shouted.

"We didn't get caught and the fence wasn't on anyway." I said.

"What?" Spitfire and Kairo said simultaneously.

"It wasn't electrified for some reason." I said to them to ease their confusion.

"And we met a guy out there too." Clove continued.

"You did?" Brutus asked.

"Yeah he was hunting for wild game. He says that they can't afford much here, even the Peacekeepers can't sometimes." Clove explained and I noticed Spitfire wince.

"You okay?" I asked her, trying to out her.

"I'm fine."

"You winced. I saw it." I challenged.

"After being whipped I don't like Peacekeepers." she retorted with attitude.

"You were whipped?" Kairo asked shocked. I forgot he doesn't know about that.

"Long story." I told him and Spitfire glared at me with annoyance. "What?" I asked her.

"You don't even know the long story. Only what I told you so shut up." she said, her voice cracking. Everybody sat there agape at her for standing up to me like that.

"So tell me the whole story." I said in an angry voice.

"You'll never know." she confirmed and made an attempt to stand up, but she is weak, so Clove stood up and helped her to her room. There was a sudden jerk of the train and Kairo and I looked at Brutus in question.

"I told them to start heading back to District Two as soon as the sun went down. Time to go home."

"As best as home can be." I said out loud. When we got back to District Two, everybody was asleep, but me. I walked into Kairo's room and woke him up, telling him to go wake up Brutus. Then I went to Clove's room and told her to wake up Enobaria, which she reluctantly agreed to. And finally I walked into Spitfire's room, and finding her tangled into her blankets, thrashing around as she has another nightmare, but not saying a word.

"Spitfire." I say as I walk to her bed side and gently shake her awake. "Spitfire!" I call once more a little louder and she shoots straight up, now wide awake.

"What happened?" she coughed and I sighed.

"Another nightmare." I confirmed.

"Was I being too loud?" she asked and I shook my head.

"No but we're back in Two. Are you strong enough to walk alone?" I asked her and she moved away from me to try it out. After she took a few steps she stumbled and I caught her before she fell, carrying her bridal style out to the main room. Everybody stood there waiting for us.

"Some Avoxes will bring your clothes to your room." Enobaria said and we followed her out. It was extremely late at night and Spitfire was too weak to walk to her room, so I carried her the whole way. Once we got to her room, after listening to her directions, I stood her up and held onto her gently and knocked on the door, hoping her roommate was awake. She opened the door and gasped at the sight.

"What's wrong with her?" she asked.

"She's sick. She's been sick for most of the tour. You'll have to take her to the medic tomorrow." I said handing Spitfire off to Luna and walking back out of the Academy to go home with a Peacekeeper to escort me home.

~Katniss~

"Oh my gosh, Spitfire are you alright?" she asked me worriedly but as soon as I knew Cato was far enough away to not come back I straighten up and cut the act.

"Yeah I'm fine." I said with a proud smile. She looked at me confused.

"Wait I thought you were sick?"

"I faked it. There was no way I was going to let everybody know where I'm from."

"Yeah, now I remember. You faked being sick so you couldn't go into Twelve and let anybody see you." she realized.

"Yeah. And they bought it all. The vomiting and everything." I told her and she gave me a confused look.

"How did you fake vomit?"

"It's something from the Capitol they use when they have feasts and stuff. They eat so much then they take this drink to puke it all up so they can eat more. At least that's what Brutus told me." I explained to her and she nodded.

"Yeah I remember my mom telling me about it. Nasty tasting stuff I heard."

"It helps everything come back up though." I joked and she laughed.

"Well you must be tired right?" she asked and I shrugged.

"A little, I couldn't do much when I faked being sick. So I got a lot of sleep. But I need to get back on the right schedule." I reminded needlessly. She nodded and threw some pajamas at me to get ready for bed.