When I got to my room, I was still shaken up from my encounter with Katniss. I wasn't glad that she saw me as a traitor. But at least she was warming up to Peeta, obviously caring for him. I was happy for him. He deserves to be loved.

I took a shower and changed into my sleepwear and put a dressing gown over it. I went to the dining room and piled spaghetti on my plate. It immediately made me think of how my parents are doing back home, what put me in a somber mood. I went to the living room and saw there Darby. Again.

"Hi." I said and sat on sofa with my legs crossed under me.

"Hey." Darby greeted back and coughed awkwardly.

I continued eating in silence, my mind still on my parents.

"How was the training?"

I would have told him some snappy remark, but I was not in the mood to bicker. At least he was trying to hold a conversation without moaning about something.

"Pretty good."

"I would suggest you to go to the snares station, to learn some more knots and maybe try your hand at netting." He looked a bit uncomfortable advising me.

"Look. If Elma made you try to talk to me, you can cut the crap now. I think it is a bit too late to start handing out life-saving advices. And about this morning, don't bother. I won't tell anyone. I'll be dead in two days anyway."I said to him in a calm voice, explaining my point of situation. I stood up to leave but his voice stopped me.

"I'm sorry that I was acting like an asshole." He said, looking rightfully ashamed.

"It's alright. I'm not holding it against you."

"It's just that too much things happened at once and it was too much on me. This is my first year as a mentor, even though I won a few years ago. The previous mentor died in a car crash. Who would have thought that a guy that survived the Games would be killed in such stupid way. A meeting with certain people didn't go well and on a top of that, Elma made me meet her parents." He confessed, his eyes casted downwards.

"Will you sit here with me?" He asked.

I sighed, shifted my plate from one hand to another and sat on the sofa.

"Her parents were that bad?" I said jokingly and he looked at me with a glint in his dark eyes.

"You have no idea."

I was surprised to find out, that Darby isn't such a lost case. We talked about his meeting with Elma's parents, about the previous mentor, who mentored him when he was in the same position as me and he gave me some more tips.

"Let's be honest. Your combat abilities are at freezing point, you are afraid of heights and dark and are unable to kill a human being." He summed up counting each point on his fingers after I told him the truth about my abilities.

"Well, that isn't the best outlook for surviving the games."

"Jeez. Thanks for the support." I rolled my eyes.

"But your positive points are that you are flexible, which means you could cram yourself in a small places, you aren't horribly slow and you know herbs and plants what is very good. Means that you won't probably poison yourself and you could stop infection if needed."

"That's good, right?" I asked not having big faith in my abilities.

"Well it is definitely better than nothing."

"Hey!" I protested and threw a cushion at him. He caught it with ease, placing in under his head and laying down.

"But I am telling one thing that you have to keep." He asked seriously.

"At the Cornucopia, don't try to play a hero. Just run. You heard me? Run for your life."

Went Atala let us go, I looked for Peeta to go with to the snare station once more, but I haven't found him. I looked around myself and saw that he was already with Katniss at the plant identification. She was surely keeping up to her words, snatching him away, before I had the chance to talk to him. Morris was already with Rue , again at the ropes. Thankfully, it didn't bother me being alone that much because I had my own things to concentrate on.

It was just an hour but I already learned how to start a fire. I was proud of myself watching as the flames were licking the dry splinters I used. Then I went to the snares station and learned the basic netting technique and few more snares.

After lunch, I decided to try my luck at knives, wanting to know if I really was that hopeless.

I took a medium sized one and prepared myself. I flicked my wrist and sent the knife flying to the target, missing it by a whole foot. I made a face at my failed attempt and went to retrieve it. When I looked up, knife in my hand, I barely registered Clove throwing a knife in my direction. It embedded itself between the foam eyes of the target.

"Ouch." I mumbled and tore the knife out of the foam.

"What's with you Careers throwing sharp things at people?" I asked Clove, as I handed her back her knife.

"Maybe because we can do it apart from you." She said, throwing the knife again hitting perfect bull's eye. She gestured me to go next.

I sighed knowing that this time won't be any better. Even though it hit the target in stomach, it hit it with the handle, not the blade.

"You have a really shitty aim." She commented.

"And you have pretty hair." I thought for a moment that she was going to kill me right there on the spot. But she laughed quietly and threw another knife.

"Marvel was right when he said you were crazy." I sat on the mat not far from her, playing with knife in my hands.

"I don't know what Cato sees in you. You are not exceptionally pretty, can't handle any weapon and quite useless. Don't look at me like that. You are."

I opened my mouth to say something in my defense, but her look silenced me.

"Glimmer isn't very fond of you. But I am willing to accept you. It is refreshing to talk to someone who isn't shitting their pants because they are talking to careers." I smiled at what she said and stood up to throw knife again.

It flew right behind the target. I hid my face in my hands out of embarrassment.

"Stop throwing right now. I can't look at it." Said Clove exasperatedly. I gave her my knife back, but she turned around, pointing the blade right in someone's face.

It was Vale.

"What do you think you are doing?" Hissed Clove. He was standing still, his blank yet disturbing. She was pretty small and Vale towered over her. He didn't even flinch when she was glaring at him.

"Fuck off, or you will not last till the arena."Clove snarled, trailing the tip of the blade across his neck. His eyes jumped to me, locking me in place. He moved closer to me, not minding the fact that the blade drew a small line on his neck.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Along with the voice Cato came into the view, shielding me from him with his large body. Vale lingered in his place for a few moments before walking away.

"I can't wait to kill that psycho." Said Clove with a determination in her voice.

"That creep has some weird obsession with you too." Commented Marvel and leaned on spear.

"I don't know why. Don't ask me."I put my hands up in the air.

"You will not leave my side in the arena." Cato announced to me in a firm voice.

"Why? You think that I can't beat him?" I asked defiantly believing in myself.

"I don't think. I know. " He said derisively. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I believe in my myself and I know I could handle myself if he should attack me." I know that I am not very strong, but I am deeply convinced, that my inner strength would emerge and I could take anyone down.

"Punch me." Cato said raising his hand.

"I'm afraid I would hurt you. I decline." That was a bit of a lie. I knew I would not hurt him but I was trying to save my pride.

"Don't worry, you won't hurt him." Reassure me Clove.

I look him in face and suddenly threw my fist into his palm ,trying to catch him off guard.

Unsurprisingly, his hand didn't move an inch.

I huffed at his chuckles and propped myself up on his arm trying to push it down with my weight. He slowly raised his arm so that my feet were no longer touching ground. My hands gave up beneath me and I hanged from his arm like a rag doll.

"Okay, put me down." I said, blood rushing to my head.

"Why?"

"Because I said so you big blonde chicken!"

"Like that's going to make me do it."

My face was hot and it was getting really uncomfortable, so I flipped myself over and landed in a crouched position. Offended, I started walking away but an arm grabbed my waist.

I rolled my eyes, Cato was sometimes so predictable. He pressed me to him, holding me in his arms, my back against his chest.

"You are not going anywhere."He growled playfully.

"Sexual harassment still doesn't ring any bells?" I ask off handedly.

"Not really."I sighed and an evil idea began forming in my mind. I sneaked my arms around him and started patting him.

"What is this?" I asked curiously.

"What?" He looked down with a frown on his face.

"Oh my Finnick." I called out.

"Is that a fat?" I asked horrified and ran away when I had the chance. I didn't look back, but I heard Clove and Marvel laughing and Cato trying to quiet them.

It was the time for our private session in front of the Gamemakers. I was so nervous. My hands were shaking and my stomach was in knots. I needed someone to calm me down but I am not sure if they would succeed.

Morris was as bad as me, so he was out of question. But I couldn't even talk to him, because he was next to Rue.

I glanced at Peeta, who was staring at his clasped hands. Katniss sensing that I was looking at him, gave a don't-even-think-about-it look. I groaned and started tapping my foot on the floor.

"District 6, Vale Hughs." Announced a voice through speakers and dark-haired boy left.

I shot out of my seat and went to Peeta, ignoring Katniss.

"Hey." I said in a quivering voice. Peeta looked up and gave me a small smile.

"What was the last thing you baked?"I asked, desperate for any distraction.

"Cinnamon buns."

"That's sounds great. I love cinnamon."

"What flour did you use? The one that we sent you? It was a good flour. Really white and smooth. I hope there were no grains there. It would be…" And I rambled on and on. Peeta wasn't really listening, but my rambling had a calming effect on both of us.

"District 9, Coreen Mahoney."

"and grains were bigger than… Shit. I'm going." I looked wide-eyed at him.

"You will do great." He hugged me and I stopped by Morris and Rue. I wished them luck and closed the door behind me.

The gamemakers were talking loudly among themselves, just a few of them registering that I am there.

I told them my name and district and turned around on a spot to show them what I can do.

I went to the survival station and started a fire. Then I made few snares and then went to the obstacle course. I am not very into the visual effects, but now I tried to put on a show. I did a few rolls, bridges and at the end a back flip, hoping that I won't break my neck.

"Watch out!" I shouted at Cato, when he showed up on roof. He caught an apple that I threw at him with ease.

"An apple?" He raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"No ice cream for you. Or you will get fat." I said munching on my own apple.

"I'm not fat." He said irritated.

"How did you get 7?" He asked referring to my score.

"Nothing exceptional. Started a fire and went through an obstacle course." I shrugged my shoulders. I noticed that at the mention of fire, Cato's eyes flashed.

"Girl on fire. Fucking pathetic." He spit out.

"I could crush her within seconds. And she gets fucking 11. 11!" He yelled and clenched his fists. He walked to the railing, leaned on it, silently fuming. He threw half eaten apple into the mass of lights.

I learned that he is a spitfire. Most of the time acting without further consideration, acting on impulse, and he can't stand still.

I stroked his arm and leaned on him, hugging him from behind.

"Don't worry about her. She is not worth it." I mumbled into his back. He turned me around, circling his strong arms around me.

"You are better than her. You are stronger and better with weapons."

"And you have prettier hair." He smirked at my last comment and shook his head. I was glad, because it meant that I wasn't walking on a thin ice anymore.

"You are mine." He said under his breath tightening his hold on me.

I smiled softly and soaked in the warmth.

He is such a big baby sometimes.

Disclaimer:I still own nothing from Hunger Games.

You guys made me very happy today morning after checking the stats. I hope that I am improving my writing a bit.

EGilly: Thank you! Cory likes to have fun and Cato just doesn't like sharing. I am glad that you love my story.

Thanks for reading. Lia