A/N: Hi, again! I promise I'm not on hiatus, but my updates aren't going every couple of days. :( Alas, I've started school, so the dreaded long update time is upon us. Now! On to the story...

Chapter 8: Getting Sponsors

"Thirty-six?" I ask in disbelief. "Peeta, are you joking? You were only there an hour. How did you do it?"

He shrugs and replies, "They're practically tripping over themselves."

"Peeta, that's fantastic! Wait—what are you doing here?"

His eyes glinted and told me the answer. This was the perfect chance for us to be seen together in public, and since Peeta did so well this morning, there would be no pressure to reach a certain amount of money. I looked back at the screen one last time. It was early morning in the arena, so the tributes were still sleeping, but here in the Capitol, it had been daylight for hours. I suppose the Gamemakers had to do this because of how late people in the Capitol rise.

Unfortunately for the mentors, it meant staying up half the night and getting about two hours of sleep. Peeta and I alternated keeping watch last night and got maybe four or five hours of rest between us. This was going to get really tiring by the end of the Games. A cold chill goes up my spine. We won't be doing this until the end of the Games. They had to have their victor this year, right? What if our punishment for winning together was mentoring dead tributes for the rest of our lives?

"C'mon on, Katniss," he said. I follow him to the lobby, where each district has a booth for donations from the public. I've always imagined that it would just be a desk with two chairs on each side where wealthy Capitol people could slide money across the table, but it was a lavishly decorated and made for a homey feel.

Almost immediately, a woman with blue shimmery skin approaches us. "Oh, there you are!" she exclaims, her shiny cyan lips forming an O. "I want to sponsor District Twelve this year!" Peeta and I glance at each other.

"Okay," Peeta replies, pulling a pencil from a nearby clipboard on the table near the love seat we're sitting on. "How much would you like to donate?" he asks.

"Whatever you need," she replies haughtily. "Here's my financial information." She produces a crisp, white piece of paper from her purse and stands to leave. Peeta's mouth is hanging open and I imagine I'm having a similar reaction.

"Miss—don't you think—I mean—," Peeta stumbles. She smiles and walks away.

"That was generous," I say in an awestruck daze. "We have a limitless amount of money, can we go back now?" I ask. How wealthy must you be to give your money to a dead man? Peeta and I will live, I'm sure. The Capitol wouldn't dare kill their sweethearts. It will only be a matter of time before we're forced to take our relationship further, but for these Games at least, we're safe. Lenora is who I am concerned for. If Kade didn't want to take out the Careers so desperately, would she even be alive at all? If she weren't an asset to killing off his enemy?

"Not just yet," Peeta said. "We need to mingle, make sure everyone sees us."

He grasped my hand and we strolled around from booth to booth, occasionally waving at a Capitol citizen. They were complete strangers, but they went berserk thinking that Peeta and I somehow remembered them.

"Really?" Johanna Mason asks irritably as we pass District Seven's station.

"Yes," I reply quietly. "Publicity for the Games. President Snow's idea."

Her eyes light up with excitement. "Make him pay for it," she answers, and turns away to busy herself with something else.

After that, Peeta and I hastily make our way back to our office. I can tell Peeta's offended by my explanation to Johanna, but I don't press and act as though nothing's amiss. We sit in silence, watching as a few tributes wake up for the first time in the arena.

"So we're forced, now?" Peeta asks suddenly, breaking the silence. I turn to face him when I see he's holding back angry tears. His blue eyes are so hurt and vulnerable, I can't help but apologize instantly. For the first time, I feel guilty about how I explained our outing. Sure, neither of us were concerned with lying about President Snow, but I acted like it wasn't my choice to be with Peeta. "Wasn't this your idea to begin with?"

"Yes—look, Peeta, I'm sorry," I say. "It's not fair for me to use you—I won't anymore if you're uncomfortable with it, but I thought you understood that this is for show."

"You know what? Maybe you're right, Katniss!" he says bitterly. "I know that it's all for the cameras! None of it's real! It's all to keep the districts happy. To make the Capitol happy. To get money to keep kids alive. But what you don't understand is that my happiness counts, too! Yes, I agreed to do this. I know that none of it matters to you..., but you can't keep leading me on just to shut me down again."

I haven't felt this bad since I was scolded as a child. I just nod and sink lower in my seat as I turn to watch the screen again. Peeta's still upset and now I feel badly about how I've acted. Wasn't this just supposed to be for publicity? I ask myself. We were never actually in love, anyways. But I knew Peeta was. Ugh. My stupid conscious. That small voice at the back of my head that let me know when I'd done something wrong.

I excuse myself to go get some water and leave the room. Here in the Capitol, you drink from small fountains attached to the wall. It was a strange concept for me to grasp at first, but I can see how easily accessible water would benefit the public. It would definitely have been useful in the arena.

"Want a sugar cube?" a familiar, sultry voice asks. I whip around hurriedly in distrust. "Come on, we're all in the same boat together. Trying to see one of our teammates through to the end. Even if they die, all that's left is the mentors at the end of the day, trying to pick up the pieces and not get their hopes up again."

I slowly reach my hand out and accept his peace-offering. "Well, are you not going to eat it?" Finnick Odair asks. I lift the sugar cube to my mouth and swallow it. The sweetness explodes across my mouth and down my throat, coating it in a sticky splash. "So, what do you say? Allies?" he offers.

"Why should I trust you?" I ask immediately. It may be rude and forward, but it is the pressing question.

"Trust me," he says. "If I had wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already."

"Thanks," I respond sarcastically. "I'll keep that in mind. Who are your tributes, again?"

"I guess we don't make an entrance as well as Twelve, do we?" he remarks. "Oceana and Micah. Micah is talented, but ultimately doesn't have the guts to kill anyone. Oceana, on the other hand, is a hot ticket. Now, let's face it, your little anti-Career charade won't last long in the arena. You're going to need help to do some damage. What do you think?"

District Eleven is plenty lethal, and Kade is just as fiery as I am. He's talking about Lenora. That she'll be killed quickly if she goes without protection in the arena. And he's offering that protection. He knows that if Lenora dies, Peeta will never forgive the Capitol. Or himself. He knows that I will do anything in my power to prevent it from happening. Finnick sees the gears turning in my mind, and I hear an "okay" slip my mouth.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the control room," I say quickly as I start to stride away from him.

"Wait—didn't you come to the water fountain to get water?" Finnick asks, but I'm already running toward the nearest bathroom.

I slam the stall doors open as I storm past them. Why am I so impulsive? I haven't thought of Peeta's opinion at all today; I don't think I can bear going back to face him. I slide down the wall and put my head in my hands. What have I done?

A/N: Hello! So, my sister started a FanFiction account, and I'm going to try and get her as much traffic as possible by letting you guys know. Her penname is TheMustangGirl and she will have a story out in the next month, so PLEASE go follow her. I've read her work and I promise you WILL be amazed. If you have any questions or comments, please PM me!

Thank you for sticking around! I hope you'll take a moment to drop by and leave a review!

HoneyBadger22