Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm sorry I didn't post sooner, my weekend was really crazy and I hardly had any time at all to write. But I've finally got the next chapter here now. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: No, I'm still not Suzanne Collins… :)

Hiraeth

Chapter 6

Prim,

I hope you're doing well, little duck.

I miss you so much. I wish I could've said goodbye before I left, but I guess life doesn't always work out that way. I hope mom and Gale are doing well too. I think about you all often.

I sighed and drug my fingers through my sleep-tangled hair. I couldn't do it. I dropped the pen on the coffee table, crinkled up the piece of paper, and tossed it in the trash can.

"They all know how much they mean to you, Katniss." Peeta said, climbing onto the couch beside me. He'd known I'd been trying to write them letters. He also knew that I wasn't likely to complete a single one.

"And if they forget, you can remind them when you get back from the Games." Peeta had also been uncomfortable with the fact that I was trying to say goodbye. He was stubbornly in denial. But I wasn't going to be the one to burst his bubble just yet, not when things were finally getting better between us.

"You're right." I said, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Katniss, you'll be fine. You just need to be yourself and… you know… make a few allies." Allies… Haymitch and Peeta had been a united front on nearly every issue lately, it was starting to get on my nerves.

Peeta placed a soft kiss to my forehead, then stood up and made his way over to the dining room to get himself some breakfast.

The sound of heavy footsteps alerted me to Haymitch's presence. He was limping, but his leg was healing up quite nicely. The Capitol medicine really did do wonders. He, on the other hand, had been much more agitated than usual.

"Ready to go down to training, Haymitch?" I asked. He grunted, grabbed a bottle of the hangover tonic, and made his way towards the door.

"Okay, then…" I muttered to myself. I followed the older man out the door calling out a quick, "See you in a bit!" to Peeta.

It was the third day of training, the previous day had gone by quietly. Haymitch had mostly sat at the knot tying station or the edible insects and plants station, trying to let his leg heal.

I'd been trying to make allies with little success. No one, it seemed, would take me seriously.

Haymitch and I walked into the elevator. The doors closed around us with a beep.

"You should have just left me." Haymitch said quietly. I turned to look at him, nonplussed.

"What are you talking about?"

"When I fell. Sweetheart, now that they know that I mean something, anything to you, they can and will use that against you."

"Who's they?"

"The other tributes, of course." He said stiffly. The elevator beeped again and the doors opened giving us a wide view of the nearly empty Training Center.

There was something about the way he spoke that made me think he wasn't just talking about the other tributes.

Suddenly that made me feel very afraid for him.

I didn't dare ask him anything more, for I knew there were cameras everywhere, nothing we said would be safe.

Both of us had gotten pretty good with knots over the three days of training. Though not quite as good as Finnick Odair. When I was working on knots, Finnick had come over and made a noose and pretended to hang himself… He thought he was so funny and charming.

But still I agreed to show him how to shoot if he showed me his best knots. I didn't know, maybe they would come in handy. Besides, Haymitch wanted me to be making friends.

I spent most of the day learning intricate knots, I just hoped that I would be able to remember some of them.

Then I took Finnick over to the archery station. I grabbed a bow and quiver, they felt so natural in my hands. I hit my target every time without struggle.

I couldn't help but smile when Finnick's jaw dropped open. It was then that I realized everyone was staring at me.

Behind everyone else, in the back of the room, Haymitch gave me a thumbs up, a small smile visible.

Nice shooting, Sweetheart,

I could almost hear him say. I smiled widely back. I didn't think I'd have much trouble finding allies after that.

Peeta was able to eat with us at lunch. Haymitch suggested we go and sit with Chaff and Seeder. My shooting had been a prominent part of the conversation during the meal.

I had no idea that my shooting had been that impressive to people.

Peeta sat close to me, watching me with a look filled with pride.

I couldn't help but blush.

"You two are so sweet together." Seeder commented. She placed her elbows on the table, folded her hands together, and rested her chin on them. Peeta smiled at me.

"It's all her, really. She's got both the brains and the looks. I'm just glad she lets me stick around."

Chaff and Seeder laughed. I was very grateful that Peeta was there. He got along perfectly and effortlessly with both of them and he squeezed my hand under the table.

After lunch we began to make our way to the waiting room so the tributes could show their skills to the Gamemakers. Peeta and I walked a bit slower, he could tell that I was reluctant.

"Do you know what you're going to show them?" Peeta asked, he reached out to hold my hand as we walked.

"I don't know, maybe some knots? Finnick's been helping me out a lot with those today."

"Oh, Finnick Odair?" I couldn't help but notice the jealousy leaking into his tone that he tried hard to conceal.

"Mhm." I said with a nod, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Well, Katniss, whatever you do," He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Remember to shoot straight."

"I will." And with that I walked into the waiting room and Peeta left. I nodded at Haymitch who was already sitting at the back of the room. He nodded back and I sat in the chair next to him.

"You got something good planned?" Haymitch asked.

"Well, I was maybe thinking about doing some knots or something." I picked at a hangnail on my thumb and I didn't meet his gaze.
Haymitch sighed.

"Well, I suggest you try to surprise them."

And with that, we fell silent.

I sat in the waiting room watching all the other tributes get called back to amaze the Gamemakers with their skills. As if they didn't already know everything that we could do.

Haymitch had told me to surprise them, but I couldn't of anything that I could do that would surprise them.

Shoot some arrows, maybe?

Tie some of the knots that Finnick showed me how to?

I wondered what Haymitch had planned to do. His face was a blank slate as he sat beside me. I wasn't used to him being so unreadable.

Eventually Haymitch was called back, he limped slightly as he walked back to the room, then I waited.

The fifteen minutes that I waited there drug on and on. It was like time was torturing me on purpose.

"District 12, Katniss Everdeen." A voice finally rang out clearly. It was my turn. I stood up, brushed the wrinkles out of my clothes and made my way into the room.

The first thing I noticed was the smug face of the head Gamemaker, and all of the others behind him all safe up on the stage.

None of them had to worry about the Games the way we did, about dying, about losing all of their friends, their loved ones…

In my mind I saw Prim's small dirt covered face as she crouched on the ground trying to dig out some edible roots.

Gale, being whipped within an inch of his life for trying to feed his family.

And Peeta. Poor, sweet Peeta. The determined look on his face that showed that he was so ready to die for me, tossing the bread out to me when I was starving, holding me…

They did this to us.

And suddenly, I knew what I was going to do.

Maybe It was stupid, but I didn't care.

I grabbed the rope from the knot tying station and a knife from knife throwing. I cut the rope into appropriate size pieces and began to make knots.

At first, it didn't look like much, but they began to twist and turn, falling into place as letters.

I set one next to another, working on hiding most of it from view of the Gamemakers with my body. When it was done, I took a match, struck it, and lit the ropes on fire.

For Peeta

It read, burning brightly. I stepped out of the way to give the Gamemakers a good view view. Up on their platform they could read it perfectly.

I went and grabbed one of the target dummies and dug my fingers in some paint. The crude words that emerged on the dummy from my fingers read:

Seneca Crane

I held it up for the Gamemakers to see.

It was obvious that it caused a lot of distress on stage which sent a thrill down my spine. I was running purely on adrenaline.

I dragged the dummy over to the flaming words and dropped it in.

It didn't even take a second for the dummy to ignite. The flames consumed it, devouring the cloth like they had been starving.

They crackled happily, loudly, sparks flying.

I heard a woman shriek on the stage and a glass broke.

I watched for a moment until all that was left of the dummy was ash.

Then I bowed, never breaking eye contact with the head Gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee. The shock on his face, though quickly masked, had made itself evident.

He stared at me steadily.

"You may go, Ms. Everdeen." He said. I gave them all a fake smile before walking out of the room.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! :) I hope you guys enjoyed that one. Any reviews/comments will be hugely appreciated!