A/N: I am a horrible person. Sorry, I haven't updated for so long! No excuse other than my laziness. I was so occupied by spamming people on Omegle about Peeta's pies being Panem's best, and Tumblr is awesome :) I seriously am in love with Josh Hutcherson now.

*Go follow me at: thisisthegirlonfire . tumblr . com*

Chapter 5

When I get up that morning, I find a note in addition to a dark green sweater and sleek black pants, courtesy of Cinna. As I slip out of my pajamas and into my new outfit, something shiny falls onto the ground. I bend down and pick it up, and realize that it is the golden mockingjay pin that Madge gave me. I carefully place the pin onto my shirt.

I enter the dining room, and see that Gale and Peeta both have on the same sweater as me, but Gale's is blue and Peeta's is a light tan. Why were we dressed as triplets again? I would have to talk to Cinna, I decided.

I slid down into a chair next to Gale.

Gale grins at me. "Hey Catnip."

I swat his arm. "Give me that roll." I grab it off his plate.

"Hey!" Gale playfully smacks me arm, then takes back the roll.

"Sharing is caring, Gale. Remember?" I roll my eyes at him.

"What if I don't care?" Gale replies, smirking.

I pretend to be offended. "Why Gale Hawthorne, we are no longer friends."

Gale chuckles. "I don't care."

I stick out my tongue at him, and he collapses into more laughter. Soon I join in, and we are gasping for air.

Haymitch barges into the room. "Well, you're all mighty chummy."

I shrug. "We're best friends."

"The time will come where one of you will have to get rid of the other," Haymitch says grimly.

"I would never harm her!" Gale shouts.

"Same here," I exclaim.

Peeta is quiet. I see something flash in his eyes, but before I can register what it is, it is gone.

Haymitch has a grim expression on his face. He opens his mouth, seems to think better of it upon seeing Gale's expression, and closes his mouth again.

Effie bursts into the room. "So, today you will - " She looks around the room. "Well, start eating! We are on a schedule, you know!"

Everyone starts eating, but I don't have an appetite after what Haymitch said. It's true. What if it comes down to Gale and me? I would sacrifice myself in a heartbeat, but I know Gale would try to do the same. It would be a problem.

After breakfast, Haymitch stands up and clears his throat. We all stare at him expectantly.

"Now. First off, would you all like to be trained together, or seperately?"

Gale speaks up. "What difference would it make?"

Haymitch says, "Say you have a secret technique you wouldn't want the other to know about."

I look at Gale. "What should we do?"

Gale shrugs. "Well, we already know everything about each other, and we are going to be allies, so it doesn't really matter."

A cough sounds from across the table. Peeta. "What about Peeta?" I ask.

Peeta frowns. "I'm still here, you know."

Gale sighs. "What do you want then?"

Peeta drums his fingers on the table.

"Hurry it up!" Haymitch snarls.

I push back my chair, and it scrapes the floor. "Together."

"Fine," Haymitch replies grumpily.

"What the hell Katniss? Why'd you do that? You know he could learn all our trademark secrets." Gale whispers.

I hadn't thought about that. "Sorry. I don't know what happened." Truth is, I agreed because I realized that earlier, it was hurt and envy that flashed through Peeta's eyes. He felt lonely, I guess. And even though I know he would try to kill Gale and me, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Great. Now let's get started." Haymitch stood up and walked to a sitting room, and we followed behind. He sat down on a chair, and I sat down on a couch with Gale and Peeta beside me.

He tells us to focus on our strengths, how to get weapons, the basic survival skills necessary, and lots of useful information.

Finally, he says, "We're done for today. Now go away." He pulls a bottle of liquor from the mini-fridge and swigs at it.

For the rest of the day, Peeta leaves us alone and holes up in his room all day. Gale and I discuss the information presented by Haymitch. Then we start studying the other tributes and assessing them.

We stop our little study session when Effie calls us out to dinner. Dinner is a quiet event, and it is over quickly.

I tell everyone goodnight, hug Gale, and go back to my room. As I shower, I think about today. I am worried about everything. Do we really have a chance?

I shake away the thoughts and slip on some warm clothes, then drift off into a fantasy world.

"And we have the winner of the 74th Hunger Games!" Cladius Templesmith's voice rings through the whole arena.

I look around me. What? How did I win? Where was Gale? Peeta?

And when I am looking around, I see blood everywhere. All over the ground. The grass is no longer green. It is drenched with the scarlet liquid. When I look down at my clothes, they are all stained red. Dried blood is all over me.

First I see the tributes from the other districts. Then I see the little girl, Rue, sprawled in front of me, bleeding from a gap in her abdomen. And I realize I am holding a blood crusted knife.I scream and drop it. I run away. I see Peeta's lifeless body in front of me. I turn. I see Gale's motionless body. I scream and run over to him and drop down on the ground next to him.

"Gale! Gale!" I scream. I shake his body, and he moves. I shriek with joy. Then I realize that his eyes have opened, but they are bright red, just like the blood all over me. "GALE!"

"Ms. Everdeen! Ms. Everdeen!"

I bolt up in my bed. I see Effie standing beside me, a sight in a bright turquoise robe and curlers on her head.

"Effie?" I murmur groggily.

"Are you okay?" she asks cautiously. "You were screaming like a complete savage!"

I nod that I am okay, but then I feel the tears dribble down my face.

"Oh dear." Effie sits down on my bed and pats me on the back. "What's wrong, child?"

"Everything. I am going in the Hunger Games. I am going to die. And so is Gale. And what if I kill people? I'll be a murder!" I blabber nonsensically, hiccuping with tears dripping everywhere.

Effie rubs my back in small circular motions. "Now, now. Everything will be fine."

"How can you say that!" I yell. "I'll die! You're not the one fighting to the death!"

Effie grasps me firmly by the shoulders. "Now Katniss Everdeen. I have never taken you for a simpleton. I knew you were special the moment you volunteered for your sister."

I am surprised by Effie. She is usually so - so - so - simple. Dumb. But now she is really...wise? I never thought I would see the day.

Effie plows on. "I bet my buttons you'll win. In fact, I will be placing a bet on you. And when I win, my friends wiill simply cry in shame." She pauses. "They're betting on that handsome fellow of your's."

Effie stands up. "Now darling, go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a big, big, big day! You're going to be training and prepping, you know!" Her voice is back to it's cheerful tone, and she flounces out the door.

I lay there, then fall back into a dreamless sleep.

A/N: Effie was a little OOC, but I thought she should be more appreciated :) I adore Effie, she seems like a lovely person.