A/N: Okay, I lied :-P they don't actually meet the stylists yet; I got too involved with all the emotion and I ddidnt want to make this chapter too long. Anywayyz I'm having some trouble nailing down the characters, specifically Gale and Haymitch. If you have any tips for me on how to do that, please say so! Thanks for reading and revewing its helped a lot! :) Constructive Criticism is very very welcome :) Read&&Review por favor ;D Hope you like it

Gale

When I woke up, I was groggy. The mattress beneath me felt much too soft, and when I opened my eyes, I didn't know where I was. I was instantly alert. Where was I? Why was I here?

The questions had barely entered my mind when I remembered their answers. The Hunger Games. The Capitol's cruel and unusual torture for the districts. And now I must face their wrath. My blood boiled as I thought through the preceding day, of my family left alone back home, with no one to provide for them.

Wait, no. Katniss's family would support them. I still wasn't used to having someone to help me. Katniss and I had always helped each other, but this was something new, when she didn't need me anymore, but I still needed her. It felt odd, out of balance. I hated feeling like I owed her, but I didn't show it. I would rather Katniss be helping my family than anyone else in the district. Not that anyone else would...

I was abruptly jolted out of my reverie when Effie Trinket knocked on my door, telling me it was time for breakfast and that it was going to be a "big big big day!" I rolled my eyes. These Capitol fools had no idea what a "big day" was. There lives had never been turned upside down in less that twenty four hours. Not like mine had. And it had happened to me, twice. All because of their precious Games.

When I sat down in the dining room, almost everyone was there already. Katniss and Peeta sat at one end of the table, so I sat at the open chair across from them, next to Mira. Haymitch must still have been in his room.

I noticed that Peeta kept staring at Mira when he thought she wasn't looking. That wouldn't be good for their "romance," I thought wryly to myself. The meal was a quiet event; with Effie trying to rouse Haymitch no one forced us to be social. I tried to catch Katniss's eye throughout it, but she refused to look at me.

When Haymitch stumbled in, he didn't seem to be as drunk as I would have thought. He took his seat next to Peeta and started on a bread roll. "So. What can you do?" he grunted at me.

"I can hunt. I'm alright with the bow, and I can set traps," I said, looking him straight in the eye.

Katniss's head snapped up. "Alright with the bow? Haymitch, he is amazing with the bow, and a genius with traps. He can climb a tree almost as high as I can, and he can wrestle." She looked at me. "Don't underestimate yourself, Gale," she said, with some undecipherable emotion in her voice. She looked at me intensely for a moment, then dropped her gaze. I could only guess what was going through her head.

Katniss

My head felt so crowded with the thoughts and feelings I held in it. Trying to keep straight the love story with Peeta, what he really meant to me, what Gale meant to me, how he felt about me... it was all too much.

I knew Gale had been trying to get my attention, but after I interfered on his behalf, I abruptly excused myself, muttering something about a shower. I fled to my room to straighten out the mess in my head.

I thought back to my discussion with Gale the night before. I had knocked on his door, lightly, half hoping he would say "Go away," or the like. But no such luck.

"What now?" he had grunted, so I assumed Effie had been in to tell him about the schedule. I had opened the door.

"Hey," I'd whispered.

"Hey Catnip," he'd said, and patted the spot on the bed next to him. I'd closed the door behind me, and sat down with out hesitating.

"How are you doing?" I'd asked.

And Gale being Gale, he'd said "Oh, not bad. The food's terrific." I'd laughed a little. "Really though, I'm alright. Better than I thought I would be, anyway. How about you?"

"I'm fine."

"Right, I totally believe you."

"It doesn't matter, it's not about me. I'm so sorry Gale; I wish you didn't have to be here. It isn't fair."

"Life isn't fair, or isn't that what you used to say? This system isn't fair. These Games aren't fair." Anger and hardness were creeping into his voice, but this was hardly the place for one of his rants against the Capitol.

"Gale, hush, not here, not now."

"Why not? You practically had your own rebellion, didn't you? What do you have to lose?"

"It isn't about me! And you know I didn't."

"I know Catnip. But still, what do you have to lose, anyway? What does it matter to you?"

I was quiet for a long time as I tried to discern how he could ask that question. He was more than half the reason... "Gale, I have everything to lose. Including you," I'd finally whispered.

I didn't wait for his reply. "I have to go," I had said, and walked out the door.

That probably wasn't my best decision. I hoped I hadn't given any wrong impressions, but that was probably too much to hope for, since my feelings weren't clear even to me.

On the other side of things, I have been giving Peeta a bit of a cold shoulder lately. Haymitch was bound to get on us soon about it. Since this seemed like the easier option than sorting out my emotions or talking to Gale, I decided to go find him and get on my romance.

Peeta

After Katniss fled the dining room, everyone stared at me. I just looked at my food. I had no idea what to do about it.

After about a minute of my inactivity, Haymitch glared at me and said, "What is the matter with you boy? You are supposed to be madly in love! Go after her! You two really need to work on this, or Snow is not going to be happy."

Because I was already on edge, I snapped. "Well, why don't you tell her that! She's half the act here! If she's not playing along, it doesn't matter what I do, because it won't work!" I glared at my stew.

"Woowww," Gale said. "You two have some issues."

"Shut up," I said as I stood up.

"You better be going to find her," Haymitch warned.

"I AM!" I thundered.

First though, I went into my room, trying to collect my thoughts. I hadn't meant to snap, but I was so sick and tired of everyone trying to run my relationship. I loved Katniss, and I wanted to show her on my own terms. I knew Haymitch was trying to help, in his own way, but a guy needs some space. I desperately wanted my relationship with Katniss to be normal, natural. But everyone was trying to shape it for us, how could it ever be natural?

On the other side of my head, I had been staring at Mira during the meal, wondering how on Earth she had ended up here. She was upper-class, even for the merchants. She'd never had to take out tesserae.

But neither had I, I reminded myself. I was proof that merchant kids get chosen, just like the rest of them.

I could hardly remember anything about her. She had been pleasant, but quiet. Not dull though; she had seemed more... incomprehensible. Like she had some deep secret that no one knew. I had never looked deeply into it though. She didn't hold as much interest for me as another girl.

Another girl that I had to go see. I walked down the hall to Katniss's room, but as I reached for the door she opened it herself, startling me. She smiled up at me. "Hey, I was just coming to find you," she said.

"Well, here I am," I smiled.

"Can we talk?"

"Of course, I wanted to ask you the same thing."

We went into her room and sat on her bed. I took her hand, showing her we had to ramp up the romance. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I haven't been treating you very nicely; I'm sorry," she said, taking me completely by surprise.

"Well you haven't been mean," I laughed. "Did Haymitch make you say that?"

"No!" She laughed, the sound like bells... "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Haymitch was getting on my case for not being couple-y enough."

"I was wondering when he was going to do that," she sighed.

"Well, it shouldn't be too bad. We only have to act for him and the cameras..." I said, and loosened my fingers around her hand.

"Yes, I suppose so. We could always practice though."

"Mmm..." It was silent for a few moments. "What do you think of them?" I asked quietly. I hated discussing Gale and Mira like this, but we had to do it sometime.

"I think Gale has a chance, and not just because I want him to. I really think he could do it," she whispered.

"He can. I know he can. He's strong. Stronger than I am," I said, trying to convince her, and believing it myself.

"But what about the girl, Mira? She's hardly spoken at all, I have no idea what she's like, who she is..."

"Oh, yeah, about that..." I began.

"What, Peeta?"

"I know her. Mira and I were friends in grade school, and we ate at the same table before...last year," I said.

"You...know... her? Well, what is she like? Are you good friends?"

"Well, not good enough even that I immediately realized that it was her. She really keeps to herself. I don't have much of an idea who she is, as a person."

"Do you think... could we go talk to her? Now?" Katniss asked hesitantly.

"I don't see why not. Do you want to?"

"Yes. I'd like to get to know her, but only a little bit, in case we can't..." she trailed off.

"Yeah. Okay, let's go."

But just then, Effie's voice was at the door, saying that the replays of all the reapings were starting, so we had to put off our conversation for a while.