Hiya guys, I just wanted to say thanks for checking out my story:D Again, sorry about the random lengths of each chapter, I just get caught up in the story and keep going and going and going. I hope you do too! PLEASE review I would love to hear your thoughts and would greatly appreciate some constructive criticism!

Chapter 3

Before anything has a chance to sink in, they whisk us away to the Justice Building and stuff us in these little waiting rooms, to say goodbye to our families.

The first people to come and see me are my friends. They hug me and tell me how sorry they are, and reassure me I will win, but deep down I know they're just glad they're not in my shoes.

Then my brothers come in. They stare at me for a while, then hug me until the peacekeepers drag them away. They scream 'Good luck!' and 'I love you!' as they struggle against the guards.

My mother comes in, without my father. To yet again, my surprise, her eyes are red from crying. But her mood quickly changes. "How dare you!" She slaps me across the face, leaving my left cheek stinging. "How dare you split this family up!" What?

"You're blaming me for involuntarily being summoned to my certain death?" I scream. My mother is taken aback by my sudden outburst, because I never talk back to her. "Get out! Get out!" I beg, I wish I could push her, or somehow punch common sense into her, but I would never lay my hands on a woman. Of course that's all about to change…..

My father is my last visitor. He is a man of few words, and this moment is no different. I can't think of what I needed to tell him, and then it suddenly comes to me.

"The squirrel.. the one I cleaned this morning, I forgot to put it in the fridge. Its still on the counter. Sorry." I stumble through my words.

My father stares at me, then breaks down crying. He grabs me and rocks me and tells me he loves me. I've never seen my father like this. I've never seen him cry, nor has he ever told me he loves me. He pulls away, and now tears our sliding down my cheeks. He grabs my shoulders and shakes me a little, looking me straight in the eye.

"Will you try? Try to win, I mean?" He pleads.

"Yes." I say after a moment. "Dad, tell mom I love her and I'm sorry." I say. That was a bad way to end things with her, even if I think she's a witch. We all know I wont be coming back, and I don't want her to remember me like that.

"Of course, son." He promises. He has stopped crying, but still holds me until the guards come to get him. He leaves without a fight.

Apparently Katniss still had more visitors, because I waited there for another fifteen minutes. I wiped my tears and now I'm angry that I cried at all, because whenever I cry my eyes get all puffy and red and Katniss will surely notice. I'll appear weak. Too late, Effie comes in and tells me to follow her. I walk out the door, and there is Katniss. I pretend to pay no attention to her, but I glance at her out of the corner of my eye. Err, a couple of times. She appears stone cold, but her eyes give her away. Her face is cold and expressionless, but her eyes ar glassy and full of remorse. This reminds me of an incident way back….

*Flashback*

"You stupid idiot!" My mother shoves me away from the oven as she attempts to save the expensive bread loaves I have burned. "Look what you have done!" She hits me across the face with the still burning bread, fresh out of the oven. I grab my smoldering cheek and cover the rest of my face with my arm, knowing that her rampage is not over. "Take it like a man, Peeta! Grow a pair already, dammit!" She hits me again on the arm, leaving a big red mark, and takes my hand so she can shove the two bread loaves in it. "Feed it to the pigs, you worthless piece of-" I'm already out the door. I rip one of the loaves into small pieces and toss them into the pin. I briefly look up, not expecting to see anyone outside in this horrible weather, but lock eyes with a small girl huddled by a tree. Her cheeks are hollow, and her beautiful grey eyes tug at my subconscious. She looks pale and far too skinny for her age, same age as me, 15 I look at the bread in my hand. We aren't supposed to give handouts; my mother would probably kill me. I run to the door and peek in. My mother is screaming at my brother as she kneads more dough, not paying attention. I run back out and make eye contact with the girl again. I throw the bread as hard as I can, and it lands right in front of her feet. She stares at it in disbelief, then at me. Tears are in her eyes as she tucks the bread in her jacket and walks as discreetly as she can in the opposite direction. I pretend nothing happened and get back to work in my father's bakery.

The train station was surrounded by cameras and reporters that grabbed at my shirt as I walked by. They kept trying to stop me and ask me questions but Effie told us to ignore them. We are rushed onto the entrance step and forced to turn around and smile for the cameras.

The train is the most beautiful place I've ever been to in my life. The curtains that line the windows probably cost more than my house and the family bakery combined. We are each assigned a room and private bathroom with running water. Running. Water.

I don't bother exploring the rest of the train, I just go to my room and take a long, soapy shower. My first shower, in fact. When I'm done, I smell like heaven. Actually, I smell more like roses. Effie told me dinner would be ready in an hour, so I climb out and put on the first thing in my trunk full of clothes, provided generously by the Capitol, that fit me perfectly….

I wonder around until I find the dining room.

"Ah, there you are, I was just about to come get you!" Effie pats a chair seated next to a hung over Haymitch, who's face down on the beautiful tablecloth.

"I'll go fetch Katniss." Effie skips out of the room.

Haymitch's china is pushed up so there is room for his head. I started to think he was dead, because he wasn't breathing, when he grumbles and heads off down the hall. Some mentor.

Effie comes back with an exhausted looking Katniss, and I realize I must look just as tired.

"Where's Haymitch?" Effie asks.

"Err, last I saw him, he left to take a nap." I guess. The guy looked wrecked and in need of sleep.

"Oh, well. It has been an exhausting day." Effie looks relieved.

We all sit down and the waiters bring course after course of these rich foods I've never heard of. I don't care what it's called, if its on my plate then it's in my mouth. Effie keeps telling us to slow down and leave room, that there is more to come, but I have no idea how to make room for this food. I end up finding a way.

Effie makes a comment on our table manners, which were apparently better than last year's tributes. Her ignorant comment makes me extremely angry. I guess this peeved Katniss off so much, she started to eat with her hands, making Effie grimace. By the end of dinner, my stomach is so stuffed I feel like it'll pop. All my food threatens to make another appearance, but I mange to keep it down at the dinner table. But then we are excused to go back to our rooms until the television program about the reapings.

I blow chunks in that shiny Capitol toilet. "Uuuuuuggghhh." I groan. So much food. So much rich food. I've never eaten that much food in my life. I rinse out my mouth and head out to the tv room. As I sit down on the couch, Effie asks me if I'm alright.

No. I think. I woke up this morning, only to find out my life is about to end in the worst way possible, and while you're at it, the first and last love of my very short life, will be trying to kill me along the way, and I will be trying to kill her. Oh, and I just puked! Today is NOT my goddamn day.

"Mmmhmm." I moan. I clutch my stomach and sit next to Katniss. She still looks green. How is she holding that all down? I knew it was coming back up the moment dinner was over.

That's when I registered my thoughts. I automatically thought Katniss was the first love of my life. I look at her again. Yeah, yeah it's true. I've had a crush on her forever, but I never thought it was anything more. I love Katniss. She was the first love of my life, and my last. I'm not exactly upset by this, though.

The show is on, and one by one, our competition's faces flash across the screen. Each face that flickers on the screen, is just another life I have to end, to get to the top. I size the guys up, and notice that there are only one or two that are bigger than me. I'm not very tall, but I'm not short, and my shoulders are wide set from lifting things in the bakery. I can easily overpower the girls, but Katniss can't be more than 50 pounds. All the girls are double her size, except for a 12 year old from District 11. I look sadly at the little girl's face, innocent and terrified. She doesn't deserve this. None of us do.

Finally District 12 flashes on the screen. Primrose being called, then Katniss volunteering. Then I'm called, but no one jumps to my aid. I couldn't blame them. I quietly take my place on stage, my face is emotionless, but my eyes are filled with shock. The anthem plays and then the show endes.

"You're mentor has a lot to learn about presentation!" Effie huffs.

I laugh out loud, making Katniss jump. "He was drunk. He's drunk every year."

"Every day." Katniss corrects with a small smile.

"Yes, how odd you two find this funny. Your mentor is your lifeline in these sports, you know!" Effie snaps.

As if on cue, Haymitch stumbles into the room and asks when supper is, then proceeds to puke all over the ground and fall face first in it.

"So laugh away!" Effie hisses and leaves the romm making a tsk tsking noise.