A/N: Holy crap people, 32 REVIEWS! Best Christmas present ever, thank you all so much! Here's my gift for all of you :) Happy Holidays!

NOTE: I know some of you have been asking for chapter with Gale/Peeta's POV, but at the time being I want to keep it simply Katniss. So I'm sorry! Maybe later :)

Chapter 4

A few hours later, I am dressed in either the greatest or craziest and most dangerous costume in the history of opening ceremonies.

I am decked in black from head to toe. I am in a simple back unitard that covers me from ankle to neck, and I am wearing shiny boots that lace up to my knees. My cape is the outstanding factor. It has streaks of orange, yellow, and red, and I have a matching headpiece as well. Cinna tells me they will be lit on fire during the show.

I have little makeup on my face. My hair has been brushed and braided down the back. "You're going to make a mark," Cinna says to me. "Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire."

When Gale and Peeta show up, I am slightly annoyed to see them in the same outfit as me. What the hell were the stylists doing? Making us look like triplets?

Only the prep teams and Cinna, Portia, and Shaile are high on giddiness, gushing over what an impression we'll leave.

We are swept off to the bottom level of the Remake Center, which is filled with chariots that will pull the tributes of each district.

We are all carefully ushered into the chariot. I am positioned in the middle, with Gale on my left and Peeta on my right.

As the chariot starts moving, Peeta lets out a hushed whisper. "What do you guys think about the fire?"

Gale responds first. "We should rip off each other's capes."

I agree. "Deal. I'll do Peeta, and Peeta'll do you, Gale, and you do mine's."

We all nod in agreement. As we sit and wait for our turn, the opening music starts to blare loudly. Massive doors slide open to reveal a huge crowd surrounding the whole perimeter of the Capitol.

The District 1 tributes are first up, being carted around by glamorous white horses. The tributes are breathtakingly stunning, loaded with flashing jewels and glittering silver outfits.

District 2 follows, and soon it is our turn. I am nervous. Cinna appears before we are pulled on stage. He sets our capes on fire. "Here we go!"

I let out a small cry, waiting to be burned, but there is only a tickling feeling. Cinna beams. "It works." Then he sets our headpieces on fire as well.

Cinna stands back, then shouts out, "Hold hands! All of you!"

I glance at Gale and Peeta. What the hell? Peeta grabs my hand, and I grab Gale's. I take one last glance at Cinna, and he is smiling. Then we are pulled on stage.

The crowd reacts wildly. They first scream at the blazing flames, but then start cheering when they realize that it is contained. Everyone is whooping and shouting for us, for District 12.

I am bewildered by the crowd's love for us. Then I catch a close up glimpse of myself on the big screen and understand. We are enchanting.

I remember Cinna's words, and lift my head up high and put on my best smile. I blow kisses to the crowd, and everyone screams. Gale winks at the crowd, and I hear the crowd sigh. Peeta waves to the crowd, and girls shriek. I feel one spark of hope. Perhaps I could get at least one sponsor. After all, everyone seems to love us.

Once we enter the City Circle, I realize that I have clutched both Gale and Peeta's hands so tight. I let their hands go, but they both hold on.

All twelve chariots circle around the City Circle, and we stop in front of President Snow's mansion. The music cuts off. The president appears above us on his balcony. He starts off with the official welcome speech. The national plays after he is done.

The cameras roam around and cut to shots of all the tributes as we are paraded around the circle for one last time. When we are on screen, the crowd cheers again loudly.

Once the doors shut behind us, we are suffocated by the prep teams. They all shriek about how marvelous we looked. When they are done gushing, we board the elevator and it takes us to the Training Center, where we will train and reside until the games start.

We are greeted by Effie Trinket at the center. She congratulates us on our wonderful performance and tells us about her hectic day. She had been trying to find us sponsors, she tells us.

Effie shows us to our rooms, and I am amazed at how big my room is. It is bigger than my whole house back home. The whole place is just like my chamber in the train, but bigger, better, and more improved. The showers have at least thirty more buttons to choose from. My closet is filled with even more clothes, so many I would probably never be able to wear them all even if I wore a new piece of clothing everyday for the rest of my life.

I immediately hop into the shower and clean myself vigorously. I dry myself, then pull on a simple outfit: black pants and a white sweater. I suddenly feel drained, and I lay down on the huge, fluffy bed for a quick nap.

It only seems like minutes later when Effie knocks on my door, shouting about how dinner is ready, but I check the time and an hour has already passed.

I venture out and find the dining room. I see that Cinna, Portia, Shaile, Peeta, and Gale are already there. Even Haymitch is there, less drunk then usual. We all sit down and while waiting for the servers to arrive, everyone around me chatters mindlessly.

A young lady with red hair enters the room holding a tray of wineglasses in her hands. I gasp. "I know you!"

She looks up at me, her eyes wide. The whole room falls silent.

Effie speaks first. "How can you know her? She is an Avox." Her tone seems to be laced with disapproval.

"What's an Avox?" I look around the room.

Haymitch answers me first. "A traitor to the Capitol. Probably committed some crime. They cut out her tongue so she can't talk."

I don't know what to say, and I feel panic rising to the surface, as all eyes are on me. "I - uh - I -"

Gale drums his fingers on the table. "Illari." Everyone turns to him. "She bears a resemblance to Illari, that girl who's always trying to get Flynn to go out with her."

I know that Gale just saved me, but she looks nothing like Illari. Illari was a voluptuous blonde who constantly flirted with every boy in the school. I turn to Gale and smile gratefully. He smiles back and grabs my hand under the table. We have yet to make up, but it seems that I am forgiven.

Peeta chips in. "Oh yeah. I know Illari. Even their physique is quite similar."

Everyone at the table seems to relax a bit.

Effie sighs in relief. "Oh well, moving on."

The rest of them continue to talk, but I look at Peeta, trying to tell him thank you for helping me out as well.

Effie lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's all."

After dinner is finished, we move into a sitting room and watch the replay of the opening ceremony.

We are easily the most stunning group of tributes out of all of them, and I am grateful that Cinna gave me such a magnificent costume. Hopefully it helped me to scrape up some sponsors.

After the showing ends, I immediately jump into my shower, tossing off the fantastic costume I wore. Then I scrub my face, rinsing off the little makeup I had on. I run my hands through my hair, cleaning it up.

I grab a huge, fluffy towel and dry off. I dig around the drawers for clothes that aren't over the top, weird, or too flashy. I find a pair of gray sweatpants and a matching sweater. As I put on my clothes, I shiver. It is cold, and I see out my window that the sky has turned dark and it has started to rain. I stare outside, wondering what my mother and Prim were doing. Prim. I know that she must be worried about me, and I pray that she knows that I am okay.

My thoughts are shattered by a knocking on the door. I walk to the door, and grasp the doorknob. Who would it be? I twist it open, and Gale is standing out there.

I look at him, studying every aspect, every feature of his face. His hair is slightly damp, so I know he just came out of the shower. He is wearing a pair of black sweats, and just a simple white t-shirt. I note the little water marks on his shirt. His mouth is set in a straight line, but his gray eyes, so similar to my own, show a hint of emotion.

"Catnip," Gale whispers. He hasn't called me that since the fight. "Can I come in?"

I nod. "Yeah." I step back and open the door a little wider.

Gale walks in and sits down on my bed. I shut the door and walk over to him.

He speaks first. "So. That girl. That Avox girl."

I don't speak.

Gale put his head between his hands. "We should have helped her."

I kneel down. "We should have," I whisper back. "We should have."

There is another knock on the door. Gale doesn't move, but I get up and open the door again. It is the Avox girl.

I stare at her. "Why are you here?" I wonder if she heard our conversation.

She holds up a towel and runs it in circles in the air.

"Cleaning?" I ask.

She shakes her head yes. I let her in, and she starts wiping the floor.

I go sit next to Gale, and we watch her wipe the floor. At last Gale speaks. "We should have helped you."

The Avox girl looks up.

I feel a tear slip down my face. "We should have."

She gets up and hesitantly walks over to us. She points at her mouth, then at my chest.

She means that we would have submitted to the same fate as her's. Still, I feel so guilty. "It doesn't matter."

She shakes her head, a gentle smile on her face. She pulls out a new rag from her apron and wipes my face. Then she quietly leaves the room.

Gale turns to me. I look at him. "So why are you here, Gale? To discuss the girl? She's forgiven us, though I don't know how. But why are you here?"

Gale bows his head. "I wanted to apologize."

"For what?" I sit there.

"For volunteering. I know, I shouldn't have. We did make a deal, and I was stupid." He peeks up.

I cross my arms. "Yeah, you were stupid."

Gale stands up. "Well, that's all. Night, Catnip."

I watch him go, then I stand up and run out into the hallway. "Wait!"

Gale turns around.

I feel my feet move forward. "I'm sorry too. For yelling at you. I get it. You just wanted to protect me."

We look at each other. Then I pull him into a hug. His body is stiff, but then it relaxes, and I feel a sense of security and familiarity. His body is familiar to me - the warmth of his chest, the safeness inside his arms, the contour of his body. I feel my heart ache for the days when we were in District 12. I close my eyes and inhale. He smells like shampoo and oranges, and he still has a smoky air about him. It relaxes me.

"Forgive me?" Gale breathes out.

"Maybe," I say, pretending to consider it. Then I laugh. "Yeah. Except you have to be my personal slave."

Gale laughs too, then spins me in a circle. "I missed you, you know."

"Of course you did," I reply.

Gale lets me down and smiles again. "Night, Catnip." He is smiling that charming smile, the one that has caused so many girls to fall in love with him. I notice the intensity of his eyes, the ones that so many girls have looked into before me, and I feel nervous. Wait, since when have I felt nervous about Gale? He kisses my cheek, and I feel it heat up. And why am I blushing.

Before I have time to dwell on it, he pushes me into my room and smiles again, then leaves.

I am relieved that he didn't wait for a response, and I simply fall into bed and close my eyes, trying to leave behind my hectic day.

A/N: Another kinda slow chapter, but don't worry, we're getting there :D Review please!