Hey peeps, here is the next update! Now, can I just say, I had an asthma attack because of my hayfever and I wrote this chapter whilst on a nebiliser (this mask thingy machine) so I apologise for any drug induced madness that this chapter may contain. :D

I realise that I have gone OOC with Prim in this, I'm trying to make her a little more mature (aka sarcastic) but I am trying to keep her Primness intact so if you hate the changes that I have made in her will you please let me know :(

OMG.... 82 reviews. Holy bleep. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH, I LOVE YOU! x I never thought I would get this many reviews full stop. And the last chapter was the most reviewed of all of them so far. Wow. I want to thank Myst (aka xX-ATwiNaturalHungerForVic-Xx) for reviewing every chapter in a row. You really gave me a boost! I also want to thank the new reviewers and I hope that you like the fic enough to keep reading.

And, as usual, thanks to my faithful reviewers who always let me know what they think - gethsemane342 Montague Disciple daydreamingxxx x-FruitySkittles-x PeetaMellarkLove and tweetz1

Ok, I have rambled enough! Thanks for reading and please review!

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Chapter Nine - Prim.

Gone.

How could she be gone?

I stared in confusion at the empty chair that Katniss had sat in only moments earlier, shaking my head. Then I felt a sharp nudge in my side, prompting me forward, and I realised that I had been standing frozen in front of the crowd as they waited for me to mount the stage and claim my title.

Squaring my shoulders, I quickly bounded up onto the stage and smiled at the young looking girl whos name had just been chosen. She looked like I felt on the inside. She was in shock but she gave me a wobbly smile and without hesitation, leapt off of the stage into her mothers waiting arms. For a moment, I watched as they embraced, her mother sobbing and stroking her hair, holding her closely. A hard lump stuck in my throat and I licked my lips, swallowing slowly.

Then I looked around the stage and noticed that Effie was standing still, with the slip of paper still in her hands, her mouth hanging slightly open. Keeping my ready smile in place, I crossed the stage and took my place behind her to wait for her to announce the boy tribute.

I had a sense of deja vu for a moment, but then it passed and I scolded myself. I was a different Prim now. A stronger Prim. I was wearing an old dress of Katniss's, a sturdy forest coloured dress that fell just above my knees and I had adjusted the size of it by wearing a belt, tight around my middle. I was not the same girl as before and I almost felt smug at the fact the I had a secret from the Capitol,a secret that would change the world. But I stamped out that feeling as Gale's voice rang clear in my head.

Never get cocky. No matter how good your odds are, the tables can always turn, and you need to be ready for that.

Ready. I needed to be ready for anything.

To live.

To fight.

To die.

It was the not knowing that hurt the most. I wished I could just fast forward to the end of the nightmare, no matter how it ended, I was tired of waiting for answers.

I nodded at Hamitch who had looked slightly tipsy before but was now alert and wide-eyed. He mouthed something that looked dangerously like "Sweetheart?". Peeta sat beside him looking defeated somehow. He searched my face in confusion but I avoided his bright eyed gaze and turned my attention back to Effie.

She still stood with her mouth open, staring at me, her pink wig looking a little lopsided.

She shook her head, her fake pink curls bobbing with her, and came out of her daze, saying, "Yes... Em... Yes, of course. And..."

"The boy," prompted the Mayor, looking a little dazed himself.

"Yes!" she exclaimed again and practically ran to the bowl to read out a name.

The name sounded vaugely familiar but not someone I knew personally. The boy, who was fourteen, I had seen before around the square and I smiled apologetically as he started up the steps, but he didn't acknowledge me and I could feel despair emanating from him in waves.

I know how you feel, I wanted to tell him. But I knew that wouldn't help.

At least we would be in this together, at least we were a team and not seperate competitors, at least this year I had a plan that would make the games very different to previous years...

At least..."I volunteer too. I'll be a tribute!"

My head shot up from the floor of the stage and I scanned the faces that were in the direction of where the voice had come from.

And thats when I saw him...

And my heart plummeted.

My last thought had about to have been - At least this boy someone I can work with - and I knew I would have to take that back...

Because standing casually to the side of the fifteen year olds section, with one finger in the air as if he were in school and an almost bored expression on his face was...

Reed.

There was another one of those horrible silences, the ones where everyone present holds their breath in anticipation.

And then the boy, whose feet had barely touched the stage, let out a strangled cry and ran from the stage, stumbling over his own feet in his haste. He didn't stop running when he touched the ground, he kept going, past the eligibles, past the crowds, past the peacekeepers and out into the horizon... into freedom. Soon, I hoped, everyone would feel that way.

They let him go. He was no longer a tribute, so it didn't matter that he ran. He would come back on his own. He was no longer in danger.

I watched as his retreating silhouette got smaller and smaller untill finally, it vanished.

Then I snapped back into reality as I watched Reed hop over the rope and stroll, his hands in his pockets, up onto the stage.

I wasn't the only one who was stunned.

"Wow," Effie exclaimed toothily, trying to get the crowd going, "It looks like this is going to be another exciting event for District Twelve."

Reed ran a hand through his shaggy hair and slouched over to stand beside me.

I looked at him in disbelief.

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry/

Then Effie was twittering on about something in her excited voice but it was like a humming in the background for all the sense it made to me. I was trying to take my eyes off of Reed but he apparently was too busy brushing imaginary lint off of his clothes to notice.

I waited untill the Treaty was being announced, aware of the constant stream that the cameras were picking up, then I, as subtly as I could manage, stomped on Reeds right foot.

He yelped and jumped in the air, but I got the desired result... he turned and looked at me... like I was insane, but it was something.

"What the hell," I hissed through gritted teeth "are you doing?"

Reed shrugged and rolled his eyes, "What does it look like? I'm volunteering."

I sighed in frustration. "Yes," I mentally counted to ten "But why?"

He smirked, "You are so oblivious."

I sent daggers at him with my eyes and I was pleased to see he looked slightly alarmed.

"Did you really think that Gale was going to let you go it alone?" he whispered.

I opened my mouth to retort furiously that I could take care of myself, but he cut me off.

"He was planning to volunteer," he shocked me by saying.

I opened my mouth but no words came out. I turned my head back to face the audience, determined to keep up appearances whilst the cameras were rolling.

"But I convinced him that the..." he looked around quickly and mouthed rebellion to me, but said "You-know-what needed him. So, long story short? I offered to volunteer instead."

I felt ashamed, naiive even that I didn't see what Gale had been planning. Of course he didn't think I could do this on my own, of course he thought I needed someone to look after me, Of course he didn't trust me... Why did I think that he would?

But something was nagging me at the back of my head.

I spoke without turning my head, "But why you?"

I knew by his voice that he was frowning, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I get that Gale is needed here but why did he choose you to go with me? Why not some crazily strong, eighteen year old? Why you?" I wondered out loud.

The treaty finished and the anthem began to mark the end of the reaping, but I looked at Reed, waiting for an answer.

He hesitated, looking serious for the first time in... well, ever.

But then, he grinned suddenly, returning to his old self and simply said, "Why not?"

I was about to hiss something unintelligent at him but at that moment, I felt a large hand clamp down on my shoulder and looked back to see Haymitch standing behind us, a slightly alarming grin on his face. He leaned down closer, as though to wish us luck, and I recoiled at the strong smell of whiskey on his breath. He had Reed by the back of his neck and he pulled him closer too.

"Stop bickering," he smiled for the cameras "You're a team now. It's time to act that way"

He squeezed my shoulder, hard, and evidently Reed's neck too because we both grinned widely, unwillingly. Then he stepped back behind us, but not before giving me a sharp prod in my back and I looked up to see the Mayor frowning at us. I realised then that Reed and I were supposed to have shaken hands at the end of the Treaty, but we had been too busy to notice.

Grinning stupidly, I quickly threw out my hand towards Reed. He left it hanging there in the air for a minute, just staring at it and I was sure I heard a few laughs from the audience. I met his eyes and gave him what I hoped was a death stare. He shrugged, grinning for real this time, and reached out and slapped my hand.

I stared at my hand, which was still in the air, in disbelief for a minute. There were definetly laughs now. Furious, I put my hand back by my side and vowed silently to get him back for that.

"Congratulations to District 12's new tributes," Effie squeeked "And may the odds be ever in your favour."

Then the anthem ended and Reed and I were taken by the Peacekeepers directly to the Justice building as cameras zoomed dangerously close to our faces. We stopped at a door to the right and one of the Peacekeepers grabbed Reed by the shoulder and roughly pushed him into the room. I got a glimpse of the room and nearly gasped. It was beautiful. Just before the door slammed shut, I caught a look at Reed. He smiled crookedly and winked just as he dissapeared behind the door.

I felt like sticking my tongue out at the closed door, but I didn't think that would be good for the mature image I was going for.

We stopped again at a similar door a few feet away and I quickly stepped inside before I could get pushed in. The door slammed shut coldly and it sent a shiver up and down my spine. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm myself down so that I wouldn't break down now that I was out of the way of all those prying eyes.

I opened them again and took in the view. And boy, was it a nice view. It was the prettiest room I had ever been in. Katniss had told me about these rooms but I didn't think that they could be so rich and clean looking.

It brought me back to when Katniss had first returned from the Capitol. She had secured us a house in the Victor Village and though I was happy about that, I was still sad about leaving our old house behind. It wasn't much, but it had been home for a very long time and I had so many memories there. So what if it wasn't the shiniest pebble in the garden, it still meant something to me. Kind of like when I persuaded Katniss to keep our cat. He wasn't the most beautiful cat but I loved him.

And when we moved into our new house, I couldn't believe that something so new and light and pretty was our home. But Katniss had told me that it was nothing to the rooms in the Justice building, nothing to where the Mayor lived, nothing to the Capitol.

I don't think that she ever thought I would find out first hand.

All the memories, and the situation and Katniss... I just wanted to cry so badly but I knew that I couldn't. I couldn't wait and go home to cry anymore. I had to keep my head in the game. Crying wasn't an option. And it was hard, because tears came so easily to me but Gale had told me that crying would destroy the only plan I had going for me.

It could mean the difference between life and death.

Katniss never let anything affect her. I had to be like Katniss. But hers were very big hunting boots to fill...

Katniss.

Now that I was alone, I had time to dwell on what had happened. I sat, deflated, on the nearest velvet plush chair and sighed into my hands. Where was she? How could she just leave at a time like this? Whatever was going on, I knew that Katniss was always there for me so I would see her soon.

Besides, she was my new mentor.

Oh god.

That was going to be interesting.

And there was no way that Katniss, my Katniss, would let me get away with something like this. She had a short temper and she knew how to use it.

And just as I was thinking that, there was a creak and the door of the room swung open and hit off the wall with a loud bang.

Startled, I jumped to my feet and turned to face...

Gale?

I felt weak with relief.

"Gale!" I exclaimed happily as he stepped into the room, his woodsy scent filling up the air, "I thought-"

My voice halted abruptly when I saw the look on his face.

Determined... Resigned... Apologetic...

And Katniss stepped out from behind him, her face set with the fury of a thousand fiery suns...

And thats when I realiesd the irony of it all.

The girl on fire was going to burn me alive.

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Ok, thanks for reading and I hope that you review!!

HELP!!!!!!: Does anyone have any ideas for good names? I will need a good few for the games/rebels etc. Input is greatly appreciated.

Dont Forget - Was Prim way too OOC?? Ps. Any thoughts on Reed??

ODD FACT: Michael Jackson is dead... Weird huh? I just found out... RIP