I wake up suddenly due to a terrifying nightmare where Enobaria rips open both Finnick's and my throat with her surgically sharpened teeth. I jolt up in bed, and I see Finnick clutching onto the mattress tightly in his sleep, as if his life depends on it. I shake him gently to rouse him from the terrifying bad dream he must be experiencing. He groans as he wakes up, and smiles a little at me. "Thanks. Did I wake you?" He stifles a yawn. I shake my head no. Finn wraps his arms around me, and pulls me close to him. "Let's get back to sleep then." I nod in agreement, and lay my head on his chest. The thump-thump of Finnick's beating heart lulls me into sleep.

Around nine, I wake up for real. We have the whole day to ourselves, since we're helping each other with our well-practiced interview techniques. I throw on some leggings and one of Finnick's tee shirts. We decide to spend the whole day on the roof with Johanna and Blight. Cashmere and Gloss have other plans, and Gale, obviously, is not someone I'd like to spend my last day with. We all grab a bunch of blankets and fill up a basket with some food and drinks and bring it up to the roof where I spent time with Peeta two years ago. In two years, so much has changed but so much is the same. Two years ago, I was set on coming back home, I needed to, my family needed me to. This year, my best friend hates me and my family will probably be safe if I'm dead. All my friends are in the arena this year, and so is Finnick. Finnick. That's it. I know my strategy, I'm going to keep Finnick alive. He'll have Annie and his family and Grant to be there for him. If I'm gone he'll be alright. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding in as I come to this conclusion. I stand up a little straighter, and smile. Even though I'm going to die, everything seems to be falling in place. It's gonna be okay. Cashmere looks at me, confused. "Are you alright? You just got a lot happier. I don't think that's normal."

"Everything's okay now." I smile, pulling Finnick back by his hand and standing up on the tips of toes to kiss him. Johanna make a gagging noise. "I love you," I whisper to Finnick before leading them to the entrance to get onto the roof. For our last day alive, everyone seems eerily calm. I know I shouldn't, but I feel unnerved by this. Cashmere isn't even spending time with her brother. I don't know, but everything seems off. I still don't think it's really sunk in that I'm going back into the arena: the land of death and the mutts. The cause of my nightmares. Rue's death, Peeta's death, Maysilee Donner's death. And soon Johanna, Gale, Cashmere, Gloss, Blight's and my names will be added to the list of the hundreds, no thousands of tributes who have died at the hands of the Gamemakers or the other tributes. But I have a feeling this will be different. For the first time in the history of the Hunger Games, the Capitol will mourn. Whoever the winner is, there will be twenty-three victors who die, who the Capitol adored.

We spend the day relaxing and just enjoying life. We lay in the sun, talk and laugh. We all pretend we don't know what will happen tomorrow. At one point, our alliance, our friendship, will end. I start a game where I throw the apple against the forcefield surrounding the roof, and Finnick or Johanna or Cashmere catch it. It's funny and dumb and kills time. We eat our favorite foods, and Gloss and Blight join us. We finish a whole bottle of vodka. We're giggly and tipsy and just happy. "I wish I could freeze this moment and live in it forever," Johanna admits. We're all silent for a little, since we're all thinking the same thing. I'm taken aback, mostly because it's the kind of thing Johanna would never say.

I lay in Finnick's lap and he absentmindedly plays with a strand of my hair. I've been wearing it down for the past few days instead of in the usual braid. Cashmere smiles sadly at us. "Me too. I really love you guys. You're like my family now," She admits.

"One fucked-up prostitute family," Gloss mutters. It's true.

"No. Never again." I shake my head. I have no more appointments, no more creepy men I need to sleep with. Those two years of my life are over. I turn around and kiss Finnick quickly but passionately. "You're my first and last." I tell him quietly. He just holds me in his arms. I notice that Cashmere's sitting on Blight's lap, and Johanna on Gloss'. "Are we couple-ing up?" I ask all of them.

Johanna shrugs, "He's hot. What can I say?" We all laugh. I think at one point, I doze off. I'm woken up by Finnick gently shaking me.

"I thought you wouldn't want to miss the sunset," Finnick says. I thank him. I can count the number of sunsets I have left on one hand. This might just be my last. I notice how Johanna is sitting on Gloss, and I try not to look at them. "You're so virginal. We're just that bad," Finnick laughs at me. I stick my tongue out at him, and he pulls me in close, kissing me. It's just as good as every other kiss I've ever had, but this one feels different. Not more passionate, but hurried. He knows our time left together is short. Nobody calls us down for dinner, but Effie comes up and tells us that we're being sent to our prep team, there's an hour until the interviews. She almost loses it when she sees Finnick and I making out and has to excuse herself to go into her room.

Effie brings me down, Haymitch is bringing Gale. This will be the last time I see her. She's wearing the same pink wig she wore when I was reaped. She leads me down the hallway to my prep, I stop before she can walk away without a goodbye. "Thank you for everything, Effie. You were the best escort I've ever seen, always on time and you kept everything in order. You're more than that to me. You're a friend. Remember that time you showed me how to do my makeup and helped me walk in high heels? I do. You were always there for me to talk to, and put up with my terrible manners. I'm so glad I met you," I tell Effie, overdoing a little in the style of the Capitol. But Effie deserves a dramatic goodbye.

"Oh, Katniss." She tears up a little, and hugs me so abruptly, I almost fall over. "Thank you, for everything. You can win, I know you can. I'll see you in a week or two, this isn't the end. I know it." She walks me to my prep team and runs away, crying. Silly Effie with her rules about decorum and how to walk and how to talk. I used to think she was annoying, but I miss her already. All these goodbyes are overwhelming.

I thought Effie was emotional; my prep team is a wreck. Venia keeps making these sobbing noises and Octavia cries so much that her pink mascara begins to trail down her face. I don't notice Flavius is crying until I feel something dripping on my arm. I tear up a little too. When I'm beautified and turned from plain-faced to smoldering and seductive with my red nails and lipstick, and smokey black eyeliner and shadow. Lines are extended from the corners of my eyes out to my cheekbones. It looks almost cat-like. I have long fake eyelashes and I'm not sure how they don't get tangled in my eyes. I stand up and they each hug me tightly. Venia's the only one who speaks, "We just wanted to let you know how- how it's been our honor and such a privilege to make you look your best."

My prep team. My silly, childish prep team with their pretty concerns and material needs, care about me. They don't see this as entertainment. They've grown attached to me, and I have to them. It breaks my heart. Tears stream down my face, and I'm thankful that the eye makeup is waterproof. "I'm going to miss you all so much. Thank you for making me beautiful," I say kissing their cheeks. Then, I see Cinna. I'm so emotionally worn out by the time I get to him. "Please don't cry, please don't cry." I tell him.

"Don't worry, I promise I won't. I channel my emotions into my work so I don't end up hurting anyone but myself." Cinna tells me offhandedly. The detail seems important though. He smiles a little, but he's not happy. I can see it in his eyes. Cinna, with his golden eyeliner and ingenious designs turned me into a superstar. And he was the first friend I ever had in the Capitol. Cinna, my friend. I think I'll miss him even more. He puts me in a long red dress that matches my lipstick and golden high heels. He fixes my straightened hair and poufs it up a little. The dress hugs my body tightly, and is flowing after my hips and butt. I look stunning. But he had to alter it a little, I gained a few pounds. It doesn't bother me at all, I was always underweight. The dress is heavy though. When I ask him about it, Cinna tells me, "The dress is special. Make sure to twirl for Caesar. But don't lift your hands up before then, otherwise the flames might go off. It would ruin the surprise."

I nod, and hug him. "Thank you," I whisper. "For everything you've done for me, thank you. You changed my life, you kept me alive."

"Your life isn't over." Cinna smiles. He's hiding something. He shakes his head, smirking and gently pushes me out the door. "I'll say goodbye to Portia for you. Go make me proud, Girl on Fire." I wave a little, I'll see him tomorrow. I get on the interview line outside the stage, and all the chatter stops when I walk in. All eyes are on me.

Gloss breaks the silence by whistling. "Damn. You look good." Cashmere nods in agrement, and Johanna gives me a thumbs up. I blow a kiss to Finnick and laugh a little, before getting in line between Chaff and Gale.

Haymitch comes over. "Do you two have interview strategies?"

Gale and I nod. "Haymitch, I'm being seductive..." I smirk at him, lowering my voice to make it sound alluring and flirty. I bite my lip a little and laugh when I realize Gale's beet red. "What, it works. I'm pretty well practiced in being sexy." I turn to Gale and talk quietly so only he can hear. "Look, we aren't too friendly right now. But I don't want to die being mad at you. No matter what happens, you'll still be my best friend from when we met six years ago in the woods."

Gale agrees. "I love you, Catnip." He tells me. I hug him tightly. Any onlooker would think he means as family, but we both know that's not true. I don't respond to that, and I just wish him good luck. There's no way I can respond.

During the interviews, I really realize how much the Capitol loves their victors, and how much the victors hate the Capitol. They're sly about it, and make it seem like they're sad for the Capitol. Cashmere is interviewed first. Her long curly blonde hair is in a bun on the top of her head, and while it's weird, it looks good on her. She's wearing a tight fitting pink and gold dress, and she looks great. Caesar Flickerman introduces her, and instead of shaking his hand, she runs into his arms, crying. They show a clip from her games, where she snaps someones neck. With all her beauty and intellegence, Cashmere was a Career, and acted like it. After a minute, she manages to calm down enough to have her interview. She keeps mentioning how sad she is that she'll never get to spend time in the Capitol again, how clearly the Capitol citizens don't like her enough to stop the games, (which the audience responds to by cheering in her support) and how she's going to miss everyone so dearly. Gloss' clip is him snapping a neck just like his sister did. He talks about how he's going to miss the beautiful women in the Capitol. Enobaria and Brutus' interviews are the same as each others, but different from the other tributes. Enobaria's shows the famous clip when she ripped open her opponent's throat with her teeth. The clip from Brutus' Games is when he impales someone with a spear. They talk about how excited they are to get back in the games, but they too make side comments.

Wiress shyly questions if the Capitol even cares at all. Her clip is setting up a snare to kill someone. She isn't very lethal looking. Beetee, in his jumpy manner, wonders about the legitimacy of the Quell, because everyone is aware of the Capitol's power. It's hard to imagine Beetee killing anyone, but there he is, years ago, electrocuting a bunch of his fellow tributes. Mags things its weird since it seems so different from the last two Quells. She stabbed someone with a knife. I love Finnick's interview. He and Caesar hug and have a little handshake – it's clear they must be friends or something. They show him spearing someone with a trident, what a surprise. They chat for a little, and then Finnick asks: "Caesar, if it's alright with you, can I do something?". Caesar asks the crowd if they want him to and they cheer. He stands up and says, "Well, each victor has a talent. Mine is poetry. This is for my love in the Capitol," Everyone turns and looks at me. It's for me. This is real. Finnick clears his throat and begins:

"The sparkle in your eye,
The warmth of your skin.
Your breath on my neck,
That shakes me within.

The touch of your hand,
The smell of your hair.
The naughtiness in your smile,
That strength in your stare.

Your kiss on my lips,
Your body near mine.
The stroke of your touch,
That feeling inside.

The Compassion in your embrace.
The power in your face.
The beating of your heart.
That we may never part

The beauty of your kiss,
and that magic in your touch.
It is for all these reasons and more,
Why I love you so much."

The crowd cheers and at least twenty women in the audience fainted because they thought it was about them. I tear up a little. He shakes hands with Caesar, and walks off stage. He walks right over to me, and I kiss him passionately, fully aware that this is on camera. I make sure not to lift my arms, like Cinna said, it's pretty difficult. "That was beautiful." I tell him, smiling.

The tributes from 5 and 6 don't do anything during their interview but lay on the couch and stare at the ceiling. It's really funny. They too killed people, but I'm sure they wouldn't be able to do that now. I like Johanna's interview, but I'm scared for her. She's being really gutsy. It's funny, but I feel like she'll get punished for it. They show her throwing an axe into someone's back. When Caesar asks her thoughts on the Quell, she claims that "Clearly President Snow is scared of the victors, otherwise he would have no reason to kill us off". She also says, "I feel terrible for all the citizens of the Capitol who have fallen in love with their victors who feel like family, and now are having them taken away to fight to the death. But this is exactly how the families of tributes feel every year for your entertainment, for these stupid Games. You should feel bad." Most of the crowd starts crying, and Caesar looks uncomfortable. She is really pushing it. But then I remember who she is. She has nothing to lose, no family left. She can get away with it. I don't think I've ever been this proud to call someone my friend.

Blight isn't shy, but he's not a huge talker. He's very lethal – his clip shows him strangling someone. Whenever he does say something, it's meaningful. Blight talks about how there's no way he'll cancel the Quell, so the Capitol will just have to suffer. Cecelia threw knives. She talks about how it's terrible to make adults to go into the arena. I realize at eighteen, I'm the youngest tribute. This is both a good and bad thing. Woof pushed the kid next to him off his plate at the begging of the games, but now he's too drunk to do anything. The tributes from 9 and 10 aren't memorable at all, but could kill as well. We all have blood on our hands, even sweet little Mags. The odds are in everybody and nobody's favor.

Then, it's Seeder's turn. I like Seeder, she's kind and seems to be healthy. But I notice how she grips the side of her chair when they show her Games when she cut off someone's arm with a sword. She says that "If President Snow is all-powerful, doesn't he have the power to change the Quell? Nobody wants this." Chaff is as drunk as Haymitch. They show his final fight where half of his arm gets chopped off, and he smashes his opponent's head with a rock, killing him. Then, Haymitch is patting my back, and I take a deep breath. Make them love you, you've done it hundreds of times before.

I strut onto the stage, and kiss Caesar's cheek in the Capitol greeting. We sit down and talk for a little. First off, they show by best kill – when I shoot an arrow at Marvel, killing him instantly. Caesar begins, "So, Katniss. What do you think about the Quell?"

I sigh. I can't be seductive with this. "I don't know if you've noticed Caesar, but I seem to have terrible luck with my love life," I admit. The audience laughs. "Seriously. The first boy I fall in love with is reaped in the same year as me, and the I finally get over him and find a great guy. You all know Finnick Odair. He's the best. But now we're reaped together. It's almost like the Capitol wants me to be single." The audience makes a collective aw.

Caesar puts his hand on mine, "I'm sure that's not the case, Katniss." Oh, it is. "Well, I think we all were pleasantly surprised with your training score. You got the first score of Twelve in Hunger Games history. That's the best score anyone could get. We know that what happens in training is secretive, but do want to tell us a little of what to expect in the arena?"

I smirk, I can work with that. "Well, I think I definitely earned that Twelve. So make sure to keep your eyes on me. Oh, and Caesar, remember the flames I wore two years ago? I have them again, today. Would you like to see?" The crowd goes crazy. I stand up and twirl, raising my arms above my head. The flames are a lot larger than last time, and when I put my arms down and the smoke vanishes, the crowd screams. I look down, and my red dress has been transformed. The shape is the same, but now the dress is black with small grey and black feather-like details. "Mockingjay. It's the bird on the pin a wore."

A shadow of recognition is visible on Caesar's face, but he masks it quickly. He must know that my mockingjay is much more than a fashion statement. "My oh my. He's done it again! Let's get a round of applause for Katniss's stylist, Cinna." He stands up from the crowd and takes a bow. Suddenly, I fear for Cinna. I'm not sure what he's done, but the Capitol will not forget it. "Katniss Everdeen!" The crowd cheers – they're such a nervous wreck I think they'd react the same to everything now. He hugs me and whispers into my ear on the side the audience can't see, "You be careful out there. Something big is coming." I don't know what Caesar knows, or what Cinna or Haymitch or Johanna or that actor Thomas knows, but I feel like I'm being kept out of the loop. I join back into the line of tributes as Caesar shushes the crowd and welcomes Gale out on stage. Caesar asks him, "So, Gale. How does it feel to be back going back into the arena for the second year in a row?"

Gale shrugs. "It's a lot to handle – I'm not gonna lie. But I also have it fresh in my mind, so I'm better prepared for what's to come."

"How is it for your family, having both you and your lovely cousin, Katniss Everdeen in the Games with you?" Caesar asks.

Gale sighs, before asking, "Can the audience here keep a secret?" They cheer. Well he knows how to work the crowd, that's for sure. "Well, Katniss and I aren't really related at all -" He's cut off by the noises from the crowd. When Caesar calms them down, Gale's able to continue. "We met when she was twelve and I was thirteen. Our fathers died in a mining accident, and we bonded over that. We've been best friends since then. When the Capitol interviewed me, they decided that we would be cousins since we look similar and they didn't want to risk her at the boy Peeta's 'star-crossed lovers' image being ruined. I've had feelings for her for the longest time, and I think that's why I was reaped. The Capitol has a problem that I'm in love with her."

The crowd's reaction is insane. They're screaming and yelling things. I hear the buzzer go off, meaning Gale's time is done. But Caesar has given up on trying to calm them down, or even reign them a little. This is insane. Gale stands next to me on line, and says something to me. I can't hear, and I just shake my head at him. Chaff offers his bad arm to me, and I close my hand around the stump that ends his arm. I look down the line. Something has started with us. He holds hands with Seeder who holds hands with the male victor-tribute from District 10 all the way down to Gloss and Cashmere. In the chaos that is going on, the camera has not pulled away. The Anthem plays so loud I feel the vibrations from the speaker in my bones and then the lights on the stage fade to black. But this has not been missed.

Everybody in the audience, in the Capitol, even all the districts of Panem has seen this. There was mandatory viewing. I realize what this was, the magnitude of we've done. Us victors, the strong ones who have faced the Capitol have shown a public rebellion. We've defied the Capitol and the essence of the Games. The Games are to keep the districts competing against each other, so that we won't come together to overthrow the Capitol. And that's exactly what we've just done.

In the dark, we all trip over each other. I hear people move past me, and I try to find someone, anyone. But I can't Finnick or Johanna or Haymitch or even Gale. When I manage to stumble into the light, I can't see anything over Cashmere's head. I hear a scream and the unmistakable sound of someones fist making contact with a jaw.

A/N: Sooomeone got punched. Meh. They deserved it.

The poem is called "What I Love About You". I found it on Google.

On a bit of a serious note, nobody's been reviewing. It's kind of hard to continue if it looks like nobody's interested.