A/N: Sorry this update took so long- I was away for a few days. Also, I know there hasn't been a lot of Katniss/Finnick interaction, but they've been taking care of their tributes. Remember, Finnick has to worry about his sister. But the Games begin in this chapter, so there's going to be a lot more!

Nightmares plague my sleep. Every few hours, I wake up. They're all new nightmares. Instead of the recurring ones about my father, Prim, or Peeta, I have nightmares about Cato's brother slaughtering Gale and Alyssa. Around five, I just give up and order a warm milk to my room. The Capitol Attendant is there is a minute flat. "I took the liberty of adding some honey. And spice, just for taste." He looks at me expectantly, like he wants to say something else. I genuinely smile and thank him. The Capitol attendants are nice to me because they choose to be, not because they have to. I really appreciate them for that. Sometimes, kindness is all that I really need.

I decide to take a hot shower. I try to block out all of my thoughts and feelings. I let the hot water warm my skin. After everything that's happen to me, I just want everything to stand still for a moment. Not every thing has sunk in. In the last six months, I've gone from being a starving Seam girl to a celebrity and a prostitute. I also have a body count. Glimmer, Marvel, Cato, Peeta, and now maybe Gale and Alyssa. And I'm not even seventeen yet.

Last year, if someone had told me that all of this would have happened to me, I would have laughed and said that the odds of that happening are about the same of me dating Finnick Odair. And then that happened too. I turn off the water and wrap myself in an oversized towel. I comb through my hair with my fingers, and braid it out of my face. I put on one of my red underclothes sets and a pair of Finnick's boxers as shorts. He left them on my floor, as help convincing people we do it like rabbits. Yeah, right.

I don't know where to go, so I decide I might as well go to the roof. I put on my silk robe and take my milk to the roof with me. It's empty, so I sit alone where I sat with Peeta on the night before my games. I miss him every day. I've been thinking about Peeta a lot. For the most part, I faked the romance with Peeta. But when I risked my life to get his medicine, I realized I did love him. And I lost him too.

The sun begins to peek over the horizon and the dark purple sky I saw a few moments ago is streaked with pink, yellow and orange streaks of light. I decide to brainstorm interview and arena tactics for Alyssa. For the interview, Alyssa could do sexy. Cinna's styling her, so I could easily give my input. Now for the games. Ideally, Alyssa would pull a Johanna and act weak, but show off her skills at the end. But because of her high training score, everyone would see through that. What if she were to team up with Dahlia? The two of them could make a fantastic team. I'll run it by her when she wakes up. Or maybe even Gale. But I refuse to sell the Star Crossed Lovers. And there's no way Gale will grin and bear it.

I talk to Cinna as soon as he wakes up. I help him choose which dress to put Alyssa in. She's going to wear a tight black dress that goes to the middle of her thigh and has one lacy long sleeve. Her makeup is going to look "smoky", and look almost like it was smudged with coal. She'll also wear short, nude colored high heels. Her hair is going to be half-up, like Clove's was during her interview.

I thank Cinna, and decide to get some breakfast. It's nine o'clock, and everyone should be up. Haymitch, Effie, Gale and Alyssa are all eating breakfast. Gale looks hung over. "Morning." I smile at them.

"Morning!" Alyssa greets me back. She seems overly happy.

"Are you two ready for today?" I ask Gale and Alyssa.

She nods, but Gale shakes his head, "No. I don't know what do do."

"Well, you're easy. You're definitely gonna be sarcastic during your interview, like I was." Haymitch grumbles. Haymitch's interview was one of the best I've ever seen. He didn't have to reach far to get smart and sarcastic.

"What's mine going to be?" Alyssa asks us nervously. Haymitch looks at me expectantly.

"You're going to be flirty, seductive." I tell her.

"I'm not flirty. Or seductive. I have the sex appeal of dirt." Alyssa says pessimistically.

"So does Katniss." Haymitch adds. I throw my butter knife at him. He catches it easily and rolls his eyes. "See what I mean? The first day I met her, she killed a placemat." I smile at the memory.

"Manners!" Effie reminds me. "And that table was mahogany."

I mouth 'watch this' to Alyssa. "But Haymitch," I pout. "You couldn't stay mad at me for long." I bite down on my lip. "And even if you do, I know a few ways to make you change your mind." His face turns red.

Alyssa claps. "How the heck did you just do that?"

"She learned from the best." Haymitch explains, "But desperate times call for desperate measures, and fighting a bunch of other kids to the death qualifies as pretty desperate."

"And besides, you two are little bit more prepared than other tributes that have come from Twelve. Gale, you can make snares and you know how to hunt. Alyssa, you can use knifes, spears, all that stuff." I point out.

"Is it okay if I make an alliance?" Alyssa asks me. "This girl came up to me, and asked if I wanted to form an alliance with her."

"Who?" I ask. "And what can she do? Forming an alliance is fine but you realize that there is only one winner."

"She's really good at knotting stuff. She knows how to use a trident too. She told me her brother showed her when she was younger. She's from 4, so it's sort of a given. Her names Dahlia, I think." Alyssa says, completely oblivious to who she is.

Haymitch chokes on his orange juice. "I- um. Crap. Dahlia. Katniss, you make the call on this one."

"You two know her or something?" Gale asks.

"Go ahead, make an alliance. That's fine with me. When you think you're going to need to kill her soon- if there's only a few left, mutually break off the alliance." I tell her.

"We both know her. I've known her since she was very young. I'm friends with her older brother, and sort of dating her neighbor." Haymitch says.

"You're dating her?!" I ask, totally confused. I had no idea he was dating Johanna. I thought they were just friends with benefits. "What the... why didn't either of you tell me?"

"Alright," Gale slams his fist on the table. What's going on?"

"Dahlia Odair is a friend of mine." Haymitch says. "Katniss met her too."

"Odair? Like Finnick Odair?" Alyssa asks. I nod.

"No wonder she's so hot." Gale muses. I roll my eyes.

"Don't treat her any different. Okay?" I tell her.

Alyssa nods. "So, how do I do sexy?"

I laugh. "Well, it's all in your face. Your eyes and your mouth. Also, your body language is important. Don't do Alyssa being sexy, do Capitol Alyssa being sexy. Remove yourself from the actions and it's easier."

"What do you do?" Gale asks. I don't answer that question.

Instead, I just stand up. "Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to. And believe me, you don't wanna know."

I walk towards the bar. "Haymitch, you want a drink? There's no open flames this year." I laugh.

"Sure, sweetheart. You might need two or three for yourself, they're gonna air some footage from last year." Haymitch warns me. I curse under my breath.

"The games last year were fantastic! It was so much fun to watch." Effie chirps.

"It wasn't fun to be in them." I deadpan.

"No shit, sweetheart." Haymitch laughs darkly. "Oh, you're gonna love the mentor's lounge. You've met a few of them already. Cashmere and Wiress were in the car with us, Finnick, Mags, Johanna, Chaff and yours truly. Most of us are friends- except for the ones from 2. Nobody likes District 2. Except for District 1."

"You're friends with those killers?" Gale asks, clearly appalled. "Even the Careers?"

"Of course. We're no better. The Careers- they're better people than us." I tell him.

"How could you sleep next to them?" Gale's practically shouting now. Effie's reading a Capitol Tabloid, and Alyssa's picking at her food.

"Nightmares keep you up." Haymitch shrugs. "Or if you're like Katniss over here, she's up all night with Finnick."

"Haymitch!" Effie scolds him, "We're at the breakfast table. We don't need to talk about Katniss' sexual-"

"Stop it!" I stand up. "Thank you Effie. What my boyfriend and I do is private. And not up for discussion." I turn to Haymitch. "You, I have no problem throwing an axe instead of a butter knife."

"The scary thing is that she's dead serious." Haymitch tells Gale.

"Don't you feel bad after killing people?" Alyssa asks.

"Of course." I say. "But you have to do what needs to be done." I pause for a minute. "Also, stay away from the boy from 2. He wants to kill you."

"Why?" Gale questions me. "And how do you know?"

"He told me. Because I sort of killed his brother."

"Let's not go into details." Haymitch says. I mentally thank him for that. The last thing I wanna talk about is Peeta. I always what would happen if Thresh had killed Cato before the mutts, then Peeta and I would have won. Even if that rule didn't happen, I would have let him live. And now I'm the one who's alive. Not him.

I spend a few hours after breakfast going over interview strategies with Alyssa. I realize how much I want to her to live. But I also want Gale to win. And Dahlia. I don't know her well enough to mourn her if she dies, but I'll still be upset. And Finnick will be crushed. I can't watch him be in pain. I'm torn on who to root for. I decide that I'm not rooting at all. Let the odds be in everyone's favor. It's out of my control now.

Before I know it, it's time to bring Gale and Alyssa down for their interviews. Alyssa is wearing the black dress Cinna and I picked out for her, and Gale's wearing a black button-down shirt and pants, with a white tie. Effie compliments how handsome he looks- and I'd be lying if I didn't agree. But I don't have any feelings for him (of the romantic sort) and it'd be cruel to compliment Gale's looks, since he has feelings for me.

I don't pay attention to most of the interviews. I mostly drink small sips out of Haymitch's flask. Cato's brother - who's name I forget - acts tough and confident. Dahlia is stunning. She's wearing a strapless aqua dress that is tight throughout the body, and flares out after her knees. The style almost reminds me of a mermaid. Dahlia's hair is curled and pinned over her left shoulder. She reminds me of Annie before her Games. Caesar asks her some basic questions - about her time in the Capitol and how she thinks she'll do in her games. Dahlia acts friendly and bubbly. I have a feeling she was one of the more-liked people back in her district. Then, Caesar asks the big question that everyone is dying to know: is she related to Finnick Odair? When Dahlia confirms that yes, she's the sister of Finnick Odair, the crowd goes absolutely wild. Caesar says that it explains her great looks, and Dahlia blushes.

Before I know it, it's time for Alyssa's interview. All the male tributes are staring at her. She's so straightforward, it almost makes me blush. Caesar greets her and kisses her hand, telling her how lovely she looks. They talk a little about her time in the Capitol. Alyssa smiles flirtatiously, and plays her part perfectly, laughing at the right times, batting her eyelashes, and just sounding very... sexual. When Caesar asks her how she earned a score of 11, all Alyssa does is smile and say "wouldn't you like to know?" She was perfect. Then it's Gale's turn. Caesar compliments him on his high training score, and they have a bit of small talk about the Capitol. Then Caesar mentions how familiar he looks, and Gale tells Caesar that he was interviewed by the press last year because he's my cousin. I'm so relived that he's going along with the cousin thing. Then he asks if he thinks he can win this, and Gale says of course he can, if his girly little cousin can do it, he totally can- besides, he's pretty good at winning things. I want to roll my eyes, but I know that Gale's just putting on an act. That's it- the end of the interviews. Tomorrow, Gale and Alyssa and Dahlia will fight to the death on a television show. And at least two of them will die.

All the tributes and mentors are sent into a room where there's refreshments, and dessert. Nobody else is allowed in. I'm talking to Gale, when suddenly, a pair of arms wrap around my waist, and I squeal. It's Finnick. I turn around and I'm about to berate him for that, but he cuts me off by kissing me. There's a sense of urgency, and I know how pent up with anger he is. He's mad at the Capitol, and Snow, every citizen who's ever spent money on him, and he's mad at himself. I know the feeling. So when I gasp a little and he takes the opportunity to put his tongue in my mouth, I don't try to stop him. When I pull away fro breath, I realize how quiet the room is. Everyone is staring at us. Haymitch gives Finnick and thumbs up. My cheeks turn dark red.

"Why don't you two get a room?" Cato's brother tells us. Finnick puts his arm around me protectively.

Before I can come up with a witty comeback, I hear someone say, "They have one. You might not after tomorrow." It's Johanna. I smile appreciatively at her. The room is still silent.

"About that room..." I purr seductively into Finnick's ear, loud enough for everyone to hear. I realize how inappropriate, yet perfectly on-time this is.

Alyssa decides to walk up to the desert table, and get a piece of some type of pastry. That sort of breaks the ice. The tributes and mentors go back to socializing amongst each other. Finnick and I go to a table with a bunch of small fruit-shape cookies. Cashmere's there, filling up her plate. She smiles warmly at us. "Ugh, the food here's so good. It's a good think we work out so much, even if it's a bit unconventional." Cashmere laughs kindly. I like her.

Before we know it, all the escorts show up, Effie included, signaling that it's time to leave for the night. I'll say goodnight to Mags, Cashmere and Johanna, telling them I'll see them tomorrow. I kiss Finnick goodbye, and wish Dahlia good luck. On my way out, I manage to find Cato's brother. "Say hi to your brother for me." I whisper in his ear. It's mean and unnecessary, but I'm aloud to be mean. I am a killer.

"Rot in hell." He snarled.

I turn on my heel. "Oh you will."

I think about what Cato said on top of the Cornucopia. How he was just a ruthless killing machine, and the only thing he knew how to do was bring pride to his district. Suddenly, I feel a little bad for his brother. But I swallow the remorse down. I'm too angry at everyone to feel any sympathy.

Upstairs, I help Alyssa take off her makeup and undo her hair. I give her a little blue pill to help her sleep and close the door behind her. I then go into Gale's room. "Hey." I sit down on the corner of his bed.

"I don't think I can do it." Gale tells me. I look at him quizzically. I don't know what he means. After a moment, Gale clarifies, "Kill people. I just don't think I can. Could you give these to everyone back home? And don't look at yours until my canon goes off." Gale hands me a dozen or so letters. They're labeled to various people: me, Hazelle, Rory, Posy, Vick, Madge, Prim, my mother, Greasy Sae, a few people Gale was friends with from back in twelve, and surprisingly, Finnick. I wonder what he has to say to Finnick. Gale stands up and hugs me. I wrap my arms around him, and begin to sob softly. I hate people who cry, but the idea of losing Gale is too much for me to bear- especially since that idea might become a reality. I kiss him on the cheek, and tell him to try to get some sleep- I'll see him in the morning.

I don't even try to fall asleep, I just take the large blue blanket off my bed and bring it with me to the roof. Everyone in the Capitol is out celebrating. A year ago, I sat here with Peeta, counting down the hours till my death. Now, I'm counting down the hours until the lives of two people lay on my shoulders. I decide to go back downstairs and lay in bed. I manage to doze off for a few hours.

Nobody has appetite for breakfast. I manage to convince Gale and Alyssa to eat something, they don't know when the next time they'll have a meal or water at their disposition. Then, it's time for goodbyes. I'm bring Alyssa down, so I have to say goodbye to Gale first. I hug him tightly, but my tears refuse to fall. I end up making some type of noise that's a cross between a sob and a hiccup. "Don't give up on yourself, you know you can do this." I whisper in his ear. I stroke Gale's cheek, and just stare at his face. This may be the last time I see him ever again. "Please, promise me you'll try." It's selfish, but I don't think I can live without him. He's been my best friend for years, and life without him seems impossible to imagine. Sundays will feel so wrong if I'm not hunting with him. And there's no way I'll be able to face the Hawthornes after this. Hazelle will have lost her husband, and son. That's far too much.

"I promise." He tucks my hair behind my ear, and quickly presses his lips to mine. It's so unexpected, I don't know how to react. "Sorry, I had to do that at least once." He turns and walks away. I run my thumb over my bottom lip. I'm still in shock. What the heck just happened?

I ignore the questioning stares from Effie, Alyssa and Haymitch, and walk Alyssa down to the hovercraft. I hug her too, but a little bit gentler. "Get your hands on a weapon, and get the hell out of there. Climb a tree if you need to take a break. Don't make a fire at night, and don't attract attention to yourself. Don't take on the Careers alone." I tell Alyssa. She nods. "Oh, and stay alive. You can do this. You didn't get an eleven for nothing."

"Thank you." She whispers, and a silent tear rolls down her cheek. "I'm so scared. I'm gonna try my best." Before I can say anymore, she has to go, and Haymitch comes to bring me to the Mentor's room. He doesn't say anything about Gale, thankfully. I can tell he knows we're not cousins, but Effie still thinks we are. Awkward.

The Mentor's lounge in a gigantic suite room. It's in the center of the Capitol, and is on the eightieth floor of the tallest building in all of Panem. There's large couches, food and drinks, telephones everywhere, and twelve computers, labeled 1-12 for each district. There's a huge electronic board with the statistics of all of the tributes including, height, weight, training score, and odds. On one whole wall, there's a large television that will broadcast the games. This is the first time I will watch them and have power. It's exhilarating, knowing I can finally help. I guess I had a little power last year, in my own games. But now, I can fully help Gale and Alyssa.

I hated watching the Games growing up, but since most of District Twelve's tributes died during the bloodbath in the first hour, it was easily accepted that they were going to die, and it didn't hurt as much to watch. But now, both tributes from 12 have a real chance, so there's a decent chance they could make it to the second day. Or even longer. But since I actually care about Gale and Alyssa, watching this will be ten times harder than any other games. I think of Finnick watching Annie's games- having to watch the girl he loves go mad. I know Finnick loves Annie, and it doesn't bother me. He loves her the same way I love Gale, it's non-romantic. While it might have been at one point, it sure isn't now.

All of mentors meet and introduce themselves- Cashmere and her brother, Gloss from One, two older ex-Careers from Two, Wiress and some other woman from Three, Finnick, Mags, a few people from Five, Six, Eight, Nine, and Ten whose names I don't remember, Johanna and a man named Blight from Seven, Chaff, and another man from District Eleven, and of course, Haymitch. They all seem pretty cool, but something about the two mentors from District 2 seem off to me. They just don't seem as friendly. I shake it off.

30, 29, 28, 27. Caesar and Claudius start a countdown. 26, 25, 24, 23. Cinna and Portia are saying their last goodbyes to Alyssa and Gale, respectively. 22, 21, 20, 19. The tributes are rising up into the arena. 18, 17, 16, 15. I'm thrown off by the blinding light. The tributes are in a circle around a bronze-colored Cornucopia in a grassland. It seems fairly warm. 14, 13, 12. To the west is a continuation of the grassland, the east is a dry looking plateau with crumbling rocks. 11, 10, 9. To the north is a mountain that looks like it could be a volcano. To the south is a small stream. I can't tell where it leads to. 8, 7, 6. The tributes are on their plates. The room is silent in anticipation.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

A/N: Wow. Sorry, the arena's not all that interesting. I didn't have any ideas. I honestly teared up while writing the Gale/Katniss goodbye scene. And I don't even like Gale. In case anyone is wondering, the mentors aren't exactly the same ones as the ones from the Quell. Also, if you have any questions, I can't answer them if you're on Guest.

Again, Reviews = Love.