"You have heard me correctly, Mademoiselle Everdeen. I wish to sponsor you," he smiled as he continued, "to help you during your games so that you may have a greater chance of surviving them." The news hadn't really sunk in until he repeated himself.

But then I realized the real reason he wanted to sponsor me; it was clear why. He wanted the attention of having a rising tribute from a lower district to sponsor and there was no way I was playing into his attention seeking hands.

"No," I said flatly. The look on his face was surprising, he wasn't angry like I thought he might be and he didn't beg. He just looked at me, his brown eyes boring into my skin.

"Mademoiselle Everdeen, I do not believe you really understand what I am asking of you."

That annoyed me. "Oh I understand perfectly. You want a girl from a measly district as your rising star for attention." I looked at him with daggers in my eyes. "Well you're not going to get it from me."

With that, I thought he would glare at me or storm off like any Capitol citizen might, but I had forgotten this man wasn't a citizen of the Capitol. Instead of doing what I expected, he suddenly burst out laughing. He really wasn't taking this seriously.

"Effie said you were a fiery one. Now I see why," he said, his expression becoming gentle, friendly even. "Mademoiselle Everdeen, I believe you do not understand me at all. When I say I want to sponsor you I am not asking lightly. Sponsoring is taken very seriously among ambassadors. For what I know, only six tributes have been sponsored by ambassadors since the first time they were given permission to sponsor, during the first Quarter Quell."

I was a bit regretful about my rudeness towards Jérémie Lafond but that didn't mean I believed him. "And they've probably all been strong tributes from rich districts," I said my voice laced with spite, but then he shook his head.

"Non, only two were from a rich district, the other four were from district three, eight and your own district. Though the last tribute was sponsored only nine years ago." I looked stunned and almost opened my mouth to ask something but Jérémie Lafond seemed to already know my question, answering it before I could ask, "Ambassadors do not take sponsoring a tribute lightly. Every one of us has only ten years of ambassadorial status in Panem before it is revoked and we are assigned to a more long term assignment. During this short period of time an ambassador may choose to sponsor one or two tributes, if they are from the same district, during a single game. After that game we are no longer allowed to sponsor any other tribute."

I nodded, "I see but I still don't understand why it's rare. I get you can only sponsor during one game but wouldn't that just make it easier?"

I guess I didn't understand because once again Jérémie Lafond shook his head, "Again, non. When we sponsor a tribute, we stand by that tribute for the rest of our lives. Even if they die our tie to them does not. We invest a great deal of time, energy, and money into that tribute. If they become a victor, we will give them a yearly allowance along with the allowance they receive from their victory. We also help with travelling through your country, attending events or celebrations they are the guest of honour in, we also become a small sponsor to the tributes they mentor, though it is different from how we sponsored them. If they die in the arena or by some other cause, we will care for their families and ensure they live in comfort. Our tie is very strong and is not taken lightly, that is why most ambassadors never choose to sponsor a tribute. They find it very difficult to invest that much into one person that may die within the first few minutes of the games."

Now I understood, Jérémie wasn't using me for attention but he was stating that he wanted to help me and, in a way, my family. He was a kind and caring person who wanted to help someone he thought was worthy enough. I stood tall and proud, despite my annoying appearance. "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions before you could explain yourself. If you don't mind dealing with someone stubborn like me until you die then, I would be honoured to accept you as my sponsor." Suddenly a thought occurred to me. "But I have one condition." He tilted his head and listened, waiting for what I had to say. "You sponsor Peeta as well."

POV Peeta

About a half hour ago I had been chatting with Haymitch and Cinna, mostly about what was going to happen in the next two days before the interviews.

"It's usually around noon on the third day that you start the individual sessions." Haymitch was explaining calmly, "That's when you really want to show your skills to the Gamemakers. Only problem is, by the time they get to District Twelve, they're usually bored out of their minds and won't pay attention to you. You'll be the last ones, so you gotta knock them off their feet to get a high score from them. Don't do it literally though, that could cost you points."

I looked surprised, "Last ones? But shouldn't that be District Thirteen?"

"The Capitol's always been a place that hates change." Cinna explained calmly, "The first few years after District Thirteen had first entered the Games, all the tributes they had were the children of Overseers. So the Capitol gave them special privileges for the individual sessions and the interviews. They let them go ahead of all the Districts but One and Two. The Overseers of the District thought it would give them an advantage in the arena, but it didn't. When the first child of a factory worker was reaped they didn't seem to want to change the order. The citizens and the gamemakers had gotten used to it so they decided they wouldn't change it. In a way, it's similar to Thirteen not getting their own floor. The Capitol just doesn't like change."

I nodded slowly, a few thoughts coming to my mind. The first was the fact that Cinna never said we or us when he talked about the Capitol. It was odd. I had heard Effie, Jerikan, Portia and even my prep team using those particular pronouns when they talked about the Capitol but Cinna never did. I shook my head, keeping the thought to myself and quickly asked, "When do they announce the scores?"

"Usually at 8, when everyone's finished eating dinner," Haymitch stated indifferently; he didn't seem to think that the time really mattered. He was wrong though.

"What time do our prep teams come to get us ready for the interviews?" I asked, a plan wheeling into motion. It was important to know when the scores were announced and when we'd begin getting ready for the interviews.

Cinna was the one to respond this time. "Probably at dawn, it takes quite a while for us to get you ready for the interviews. We'll have to get you ready in less than 15 hours, not including the three hours you get for breakfast, lunch and prep breaks. Your whole day will be booked."

And that sealed my plan. "If that's the case then I need your help."

They both looked a bit confused but intrigued. "What do you need from us, kid?"

I turned my gaze towards Haymitch. "I want to do something for Katniss."

And that got their attention. I spent the next bit of time going over the plan step by step until Effie, Katniss, and surprisingly Jérémie stepped off the elevator. Effie looked slightly put out for some reason though.

"I was not saying the outfit did not look fantastique only that it did not suit the girl, Effie. The girl on fire must look the part, not be decorated in clothes that a creature of fiction would wear."

I had no idea what the two of them were talking about, I did however notice that Katniss had changed. And she looked beautiful. Her hair was, as always, in the simple braid her mom had taught her how to do when she was ten. No makeup touched her face, making her look like herself. Her top was made from a clinging fabric that covered her chest but left her arms bare. It was a bright flame red that seemed to glow in the dim light of the fireplace. She covered her olive toned legs with black dress pants that were covered with a pair of combat boots. I smirked, she wasn't one for the traditional that was for sure.

"Is something wrong Peeta?" she asked me and my eyes went up to look into hers.

I shook my head quickly, "No… no… you look…" I was literally at a loss for words.

She blushed, smirking slightly. I saw Jérémie through the corner of my eye, he was watching us carefully, probably gauging our expressions. "You have stunned Monsieur Mellark with your beauty Mademoiselle Everdeen."

Katniss sighed and shook her head, "Please stop Jérémie. If you're going to sponsor both of us, you'll need to start calling us by our first names, and not adding Monsieur or Mademoiselle before hand."

"Wait what? He wants to…" I turned to the Eastern Canadian. "You want to sponsor me and Katniss? Are you serious?"

Jérémie suddenly chuckled, "You know, Monsi- Peeta," he stopped and corrected himself, "Kaniss said the exact same thing to me." It it was strange how he said Katniss' name, as though he was missing the 't'.

"Did she also say she accepts your offer?" I asked, knowing that this was a big opportunity.

"Yes… but not at first." Jérémie said with a broad smile, "I will see you at dinner tomorrow then. Effie has invited me. Bonne nuit." He walked back to the elevator leaving Katniss and Effie alone with us to explain what had happened.

POV Katniss

I was woken up early that morning to the sound of knocking on my door. I looked at my clock, 5:27 in the morning. God I hoped it wasn't Effie Trinket, if she was waking me up this early I was going to scream.

It didn't take me very long to get on my housecoat and slip on my comfy pale blue slippers. I tied the sash around my waist and made my way to the door, yawning as I walked. I tapped my hand to the pad on the door and it opened to Peeta's sleepy but smiling face.

"Good morning." his smile seemed to grow when he spoke those two words.

I smiled back at him, closing the door behind me, "Good morning."

Peeta looked at my comfy outfit and then lifted his eyes to look into mine, "I was wondering if you might like to see the sunrise with me again today, before breakfast?" his question lingered in the air, like he was afraid I might say no to him.

I took his hand and slowly walked towards the stairs near us. His face seemed startled, "Is that a yes?"

I laughed at his question and nodded, "Yes Peeta, I rather be woken up by your smiling face to watch a sunrise then have Effie Trinket's overly excited voice telling me to get up."

Peeta chuckled at that, climbing the stairs with me. I knew he agreed with me completely. Nobody, not even Peeta wanted an Effie Trinket wakeup call.

It was a bit colder outside today despite being mid-August, I pulled my housecoat tighter around me to keep out the nipping chill. Peeta caught the action and wrapped his hands around me for warmth, "Thanks." I whispered softly against his chest, "It's cold this morning."

He nodded, not saying a word, just holding me against his comfortable chest. If I could think of one thing I enjoyed the most about these times, it would be the peaceful quiet that passed through the two of us. Just sitting together watching the sunrise start to glimpse the horizon and rise with the start of a new day.

"Does Jérémie really want to sponsor us both?" Peeta asked me softly after a long silence, his breath calm.

I nodded, I had explained everything about yesterday to Peeta. About what being sponsored by an ambassador entailed, how rare it was and anything else I had thought of.

Peeta leaned his head on mine and whispered to me, "I was thinking about the part where he will care for our families if we die."

That caught my attention, I looked up into his eyes, "Why would that be important?" I asked, with confusion glimmering in my eyes.

"I was thinking of an alternative. My family doesn't need more money. They're fairly well off to begin with," he paused, a smile on his lips, "What if I asked Jérémie to care for Gale's family instead?" he suggested.

"Gale?" I think I sounded a bit more surprised than I had meant to. It was just that the whole idea coming from Peeta was slightly surprising.

Peeta nodded, his eyes on mine, telling me everything he was about to say without speaking, "Gale is your dearest friend, like family. He should be taken care of for all the help he's done for you, your sister and your mother. He works hard to help his mother feed his brothers and sister but we both know being a miner isn't a well paying job, and his mother can't work because she has to watch over his siblings. The money would be helpful to them."

My eyes began to water and I threw my arms around Peeta's neck hugging him tightly, "Thank you."

He returned my embrace, wrapping his arms just as tightly around me, "I know we'll need to get Jérémie's permission and of course Gale's before all this is finalized but I want it to happen, for you. In fact, even if I live, I'll insist that Gale gets half of the money." He said kissing my cheek gently.

We stayed nestled together for so long, a comfortable silence floating around us again. And as before I wanted to stay that way for just a few more minutes, but like all good things it wasn't to last. Peeta gently rubbed my back to break me out of my tranquil thoughts, "We should head back down for breakfast."

Mumbling something I don't remember, I rose from the bench and took Peeta's hand, almost like Prim did when she was younger and half asleep. Peeta chuckled, guiding me back to the stairwell and the steps that descended back into reality.

The two of us sleepily walked towards our dining area, our bodies close but not touching, just to make sure no one saw affection between us. Today's breakfast was different from yesterday's.

I paused at the sight of all the food. It was enough to feed my entire district for at least a year, maybe longer. I shivered at the thought of what the Capitol did with the food they didn't eat. It almost made me not want to eat at all, but if I was going to die in the next few days I might as well enjoy the abundance of food while I could.

I walked over to a single table that had been devoted to several bowls of batter. All but one had flecks of fruit or specks of brown in them. There were labels before each bowl explaining what each batter had in them. Beside that table was a smaller one were two Avox stood behind a large black pan. When I approached one I asked, "What are these bowls here for?" and was answered by her handing me a card.

On it was what looked like the making of a Capitol commercial. Please enjoy today's breakfast of pancakes. Choose the flavoured batter and additions, then finish with any topping your wish. Just tell the Avox to cook it for you and enjoy.

I handed the card to Peeta and proceeded to ask, politely for three different flavoured pancakes. As I waited for the pancakes to cook I looked at the next table. Bowls sat on the table filled with chunks of fruit, nuts and brown squares of what looked like chocolate, as it was similar to what my grandmother had given me and Prim for our birthdays. Flasks of liquid sat beside them.

"They're the toppings for the pancakes." I jumped at the sound of Cinna's voice, turning to him.

"Oh," I muttered looking back at the bowls, motioning to the one with the brown chunks, "Are these chocolate?"

Cinna smirked at the question, the gold in his eyes flickering, as he popped one the squares into his mouth, "Mm, definitely."

I smirked, at his casual attitude, then pointed at the flasks, "And these, I hope they aren't planning on us pouring alcohol over our breakfast."

He chuckled, shaking his head, "No, no, they're syrups." he picked a flask up and handed it to me. On the front was a label that read in elegant script, Maple.

"Huh." I exclaimed, I heard of that before but I always thought maple syrup was the only kind. I set the flask back just in time for the Avox to hand me a long plate of fresh smelling pancakes. I thanked her for the food and proceeded to top them with strawberries, blackberries, the maple syrup and a few scoops of butter. Afterwards I went to the last table and began loading my plate. A bowl of baked red beans, crispy home fries, slices of honey glazed ham, squares of fresh fruit, and light biscuits.

Once I had stuff my plate with food, I took a seat beside Peeta. An Avox with the serving table came to my seat and poured, to my request, a mug of hot chocolate and a crystal glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Just as I began to eat Effie Trinket and Haymitch walked up the stairs, both greeting us in their usual ways. Effie Trinket's bubbling, 'Good morning darlings!' contrasted heavily with Haymitch's, 'Morning'. The two were polar opposites even in what they ate.

Effie Trinket squealed in delight when she saw we were having pancakes and ordered six different flavours. Then went to fill a separate plate with two scoops of everything on the last table. Where did this woman put all that food? I sighed and looked at Haymitch who had gone straight to the decanters, pouring himself a large glass of what I assumed to be wine. After grabbing a piece of toast he sat down across from Peeta, striking up a conversation with him.

The topic was that of the situation between Cato and Jason from yesterday. Peeta brought up the idea of punishment which Haymitch quickly dismissed, "It rarely happens, Peeta but I've heard from some that tributes have been removed from the gym for fightin' amongst each other before the arena." He explained as he sipped at his glass.

"Is it possible he wouldn't be allowed back in the gym?" Peeta asked, his curiosity was insatiable at times.

Haymitch shook his head, "Unlikely, he is a Career and they receive a great deal of favouritism from the Capitol. It's more likely that he and the other boy will be closely monitored for the next two days. Careers hold grudges, at least from what I've seen."

"So there wouldn't be any punishment?" Peeta seemed quite adamant that someone be punished for yesterday. I touched his hand lightly, stroking the back with my finger.

"I think we'll all be punished enough having to go through all this, more punishment would be quite cruel." I told him as even toned as I could. I knew what I was saying somewhat contradicted itself. The Capitol was cruel to begin with, punishment would be right up their alley. They were sending 26 children in an arena to fight to death for their own entertainment. Suddenly I felt quite sick, not sure why it hit me now and not earlier in the day and a half I had been here. I held my hand to my mouth and gulped down the food I had been chewing.

Effie Trinket, who had just sat down at the table with her two plates of food, had a concerned expression on her makeup plastered face, "Are you feeling ill, dear?"

I looked at her with a bit of surprise, concern about my will being from Effie Trinket? What next? A meteor crashing into Panem? I shook my head at the thought and at Effie Trinket's question, "No Effie. I'm fine, just ate too quickly."

"Please be careful, Katniss. You aren't used to this much food and I won't have my dear tribute sick before she goes into the arena." Effie Trinket said, quite formally. She was right, I never ate like this back home. Breakfast for me was one third of a piece of toast with butter and, if we were lucky, a fried egg on top. Sometimes we had berries to go with but that was only if I hunted that morning. I wasn't about to tell Effie Trinket that though, I was not in the mood for one of her famous pursed lips.

We finished breakfast quickly, with Effie Trinket's insistence, and after we dressed, we were shooed to the elevator for the long ride down to the gym. I looked at the dining area belonging to District Thirteen and saw that Jerikan Dashton was rushing his tributes to finish their pancakes, "Take the elevator down first Effie dear. We'll get the next one!" He called, in his cheerfully obnoxious accent.

Effie Trinket replied back in her similarly annoying voice, "Thank you much Jerikan! Do hurry though, wouldn't want to be late!" Just as the doors to the elevator closed and we began our descent to the ground floor.