After Peeta and I shake hands, we are ushered into separate rooms for our goodbyes. The capital is kind enough to allow us 10 minutes to say goodbye to our family and friends before we are sent to the capital to be paraded around and eventually killed. I don't have very many friends so unlike Mr. Popular next door I should get a few minutes with my family.

After about a minute my mother and Prim come running in. Prim immediately jumps into my arms and I pull her close to me, holding her tight. I'm trying not to cry but the thought that this might be the last time I get to hold my baby sister brings a few tears. If my mother happens to zone out again, she will only have the Hawthorne's and they already have a full house. I don't even want to imagine what would happen to my sweet, innocent little sister.

After I finally release Prim, I walked up to my mother and whispered in her ear, "I don't care what happens to me, you need to be there for Prim. You can't leave again no matter how hard it may be. If I die, you are all she has so you better not let her down. Do you understand?"

It probably sounds a bit rough to say to my mother but it's all true. She can't leave. That plus our mother-daughter relationship was broken the second my dad died. My mom finally agreed to my terms and I looked back at Prim. She came up to me and told me she had one final request of me.

"Please win and come back to me."

That was her one request of me. To survive these horrid games and come back to her. And I can't deny Prim anything, so of course I say yes. I promise her I will try my hardest to come back and see her again. I always keep my promises, but I'm not sure how I'll manage to keep this one. Given that our mentor is a drunk, I'll probably try to get help from another mentor. Though why any other mentor would want to help a girl from 12, I don't know. I will definitely try my damn well hardest to win one of them over even if it seems hopeless.

After one more tearful hug from Prim, Prim and my mother are dragged out of the room by a peacekeeper. Then Gale comes in. He envelopes me in a bone crushing hug as soon as he enters.

"Listen Katniss, you are a master archer. Just get a bow in the arena and you'll be able to win no problem. Killing a kid isn't mush different from killing the animals in the woods when we go hunting. You are going to win this. You have survival skills and experience with weapons. You have this in the bag. I'll take care of Prim and your mother while your gone. You are coming back to me. I won't take no for answer. I'll see you soon."

He then kissed my forehead and walked out the door. I never got to say goodbye but that was probably the point. I won't need to say goodbye because I will see him again. After I win these games.

My next visitor was my kind-of friend Madge, the mayor's daughter. Madge and I were both the wallflowers at school so we sat together and lunch and would partner up for partner activities. She wished me look and told me that she knew she would see me soon. She also gave me this gold mockingjay pin that apparently used to belong to her aunt to use as my token. It was a sweet gesture considering that I never thought we were that close.

My final, and completely surprising, visitor was Mr. Mellark, my fellow tributes father. He came in, wished me luck, gave me a bag of cookies, and then left. It was quite strange but I brushed it off. The peacekeepers then "escorted" me to the train. Really they just dragged me onto the train, but if saying they escorted me there makes them feel better, more power to them.

Our tribute, mentor, escort reunion was more of us all nodding at each other and then going to our separate apartments.

. . .

After a semi-eventful train ride me arrived at the Capitol. The one main event of the train ride was Peeta and I forcing Haymitch to sober up and help us. During this altercation, I might have thrown a knife into the table in front of Haymitch. That was when he, and I quote, "saw my spark."

In the Capital, there were probably a thousand weirdly dressed teens wanting to catch a glimpse of the tributes. It truly is sick. How twisted was these peoples upbringing that watching kids kill each other is fun? It's almost like they're not human.

Entering the lobby of the training center, there is one person who catches my eye. The district seven mentor, Johanna Mason. I must have been staring because I notice her wink at me. I immediately looked away and then wondered why I did. I never back away from a challenge. Why is it different with her? Is it because I'm about to have to kill other children to survive or is it her? I choose to go with the first because there was no way in hell the second option is true. She's most certainly not a friend and the only other option would be I'm attracted to her, but that too is not possible. I'm straight. Everyone in district 12 is straight. That's the only way to live. You marry to reproduce not just for love. Marriage must be practical.

Haymitch eventually starts to push me towards a stairwell with a giant sign saying, "prep" above it. I guess it's time to make me "pretty." I wish look to whosever job that is.

. . .

Prep was literally hell. I had every single possible concoction poured on my skin and had all the hair except me eyelashes, eyebrows, and the hair on my head violently ripped off of my body. I was then brought to beauty base zero, natural make-up and nails painted a neutral color. I hardly recognized myself when I was allowed to look in the mirror. I don't look like myself at all.

After prep, I was sent to an empty room and given a robe to hide my nakedness. I was sitting on this large, soft, extremely comfortable couch, looking out the window at the obnoxiousness of the Capital. I heard a door open and close and assumed that was my designer.

While I was right that that was my designer, Cinna, he was not at all what I expected.