Chapter-7

A/N: I hope you are all enjoying the story so far! I know some of the events are out of place on the train, but with Peeta and Katniss being friends, I don't see Peeta and her leaving each other's side often. So Haymitch can't have his private conversation with Peeta where Katniss walks in and joins.

Please review and leave feedback! Constructive criticism is welcome, as long as it's respectful. :)

Chapter 7

We each sit in our compartments for an hour or two, until an attendant comes to get us. I change out of my reaping dress, and follow them. They lead us to the dining table. Haymitch looks a little refreshed, I'm assuming after a nap.

We sit around the table. Effie, Haymitch, Peeta and I don't say a word. What is there to say? Congratulations? Good luck? I'd rather sit in silence anyway. I wish I could see Prim, spend my last days alive with her. I know she's in good hands, and she'll be fed and clothed by the people of District 12, but I miss her. She was the only reason for me living, and I've been ripped away from her.

The attendants bring out plate after plate of food. So much food, we all won't be able to eat it all. Is this what it's like in the Capitol? Nobody would go hungry in District 12 for a week with this much food in front of me. It's almost sickening, and I've lost my appetite. I have to eat though, I need to be strong for the arena. I have to try to win, for Prim. But can I kill Peeta?

I don't think I could. If it really came down to it, I'd have to try, but even if I did attempt to kill him, he's stronger than me. He's bigger too. I am faster and more stealthy though, which depending on the terrain of the arena, will become an advantage as long as I survive the bloodbath.

The bloodbath is the first 30 minutes of the Hunger Games. All the tributes are placed in a circle around a pile of weapons, food, clothes, and other supplies that will increase your chances of winning. The closer you get to the center, the better the supplies. This is a trap though. It's like this to lure you in, to get you closer to the other tributes who also want these supplies. The careers, or the tributes of Districts 1, 2, and 4, are normally the ones who gain control of the better supplies.

Districts 1, 2, and 4 are all wealthier districts. They train their whole lives for these games. Normally, they create an alliance between themselves, and hunt down the rest of the tributes. Once enough are dead, they slowly turn on one another.

I wonder if Peeta would form an alliance with me. He's the only one I trust in there. Plus, it is almost an unwritten rule that you mustn't kill your district partner until absolutely necessary. If you were to do this, and win, your district will hate you for it. I'll talk to Peeta about it later.

Before we begin eating, I ask Haymitch to stop drinking tonight. He's drank enough, which was apparent when he fell off the stage. He looks at me and takes another sip. I scowl at him, and tell him to stop drinking this time.

"Give me a chance to wake up sweetheart. This mentoring is very taxing stuff."

I leave him alone until attendants tell us dinner will be out soon. It seems like Peeta and I are on our own in here. Haymitch doesn't seem to care at all.

We eat dinner, and Effie looks at the table. She's looking at the hole where my knife landed. Haymitch and I have a smirk on our faces, and Peeta is using his shirt to muffle his laugh.

"What is this?" Effie shrieks.

"Sweetheart here stabbed the table," Haymitch jokingly says with a grin. Peeta can't control himself, and starts laughing out loud. I can't help it, and I laugh too. It's weird laughing, I rarely have since my dad died.

"Stabbed the table? But… That is mahogany!" Effie yells. This causes the whole table to laugh, even Haymitch. Effie gets angrier by the second, but the look on her face just causes another round of laughter. She gets up to leave, I'm assuming to go to her room.

We eat rolls, noodles, soups, pastries, anything you can think of is here on this table. I've never eaten so well. My favorite dish is the lamb stew. It's amazing, and I have seconds and thirds of it.

When we finish eating, Haymitch, Peeta and I head to the living room car. It's 2 large white couches, and 2 large chairs on either side of the couches. It's amazing how fancy the Capitol trains are, especially considering where they're taking us.

"Alright Haymitch, what should we expect if we make it to the night?" Peeta asks.

"Well, you'll freeze to death first."

"I'll just light a fire then," Peeta persists. I don't think Peeta gets it. Haymitch doesn't care about us, he's toying with us. He knows we're going to die, and he isn't going to do anything to help us stay alive.

"That's a perfect way to get yourself killed."

"Alright, how do you find shelter?" Peeta asks, getting a little angry with Haymitch. I don't blame him.

"That would come in handy, if in fact, you were still alive."

"How do you find shelter?" I ask angrily.

"Fine. You really want to know how to stay alive? You get people to like you." Haymitch says.

Get people to like you? How am I supposed to do that? I'm not a friendly person at all. I think Haymitch sees my confusion written on my face.

"Oh! Not what you were expecting? Well, when you're in the middle of the Games, and you're starving or freezing, some water, a knife, or even some matches can mean the difference between life and death. And those things only come from Sponsors, and to get sponsors, you have to make people like you. And right now sweetheart, you're not off to a real good start."

He's right. How am I going to get people to like me? Peeta will have no trouble with this, but me? Anyone who looks my way receives a scowl. Getting people to like me will not be easy.

"Okay, so we need people to like us. How can we do this?" Peeta replies, like he's the one who needs to worry.

"Smile at people, wave at people, and most importantly," he looks directly at me, "don't give people death glares and scowl at people. You may not like these people, I know I don't, but you need to think of them as your friends. They need to feel like you like them, or they won't send you anything."

It's dark outside now, so we all retreat to our rooms. I want to be near nobody. I want to be left alone. I want to fall asleep, and wake up next to Prim, and realize this was all a dream. But it isn't a dream. This is real.

I can't sleep. Nightmares plague my dreams. Prim being reaped while I'm too old to volunteer, Gale being killed for hunting, Peeta being killed in the Games. I won't sleep tonight, so I get up to wander the train.

I walk through the living room car, the dining car, the storage car, to the end of the train. It's the back of the train, surrounded by glass. It looks like you're really outside, moving at 300 miles per hour. I see Peeta sitting on the couch, looking out the window.

"Hey," I say walking towards him, so he knows I'm here.

"Hey, couldn't sleep either?"

"No. I keep seeing Prim and Gale and you killed everytime I close my eyes. I miss Prim," I whisper, and tears start to fall.

"Don't worry Katniss, you'll see Prim in less than a month. I promise."

"How can you promise something like that? You don't know! You don't know if we'll ever see our family again! They'll watch us die, and there's nothing we can do!" I'm screaming at him now. I'm angry with the world, and I'm taking it out on him. And he just takes it, he doesn't yell back, he doesn't leave.

"Katniss, they aren't going to watch you die. Come here," he says. How is he so calm? We're hurtling towards our death, we'll be dead in 2 weeks, and he's telling me it will all be alright?

I sit next to him. He wraps his arm around me and holds me while I cry into his shoulder, every once in a while whispering, "shhh, it'll be okay."

"Peeta?" He looks at me, and I whisper, "can we work together? In the arena?"

"Of course Katniss."

With that, I doze off, and Peeta doesn't move. He lets me sleep on his shoulder, knowing I need the sleep.

I wake up after a couple hours, and realize where I am. I'm still in the observation room, watching the world fly by me. Peeta's sitting next to me still. He looks like he didn't sleep at all.

"Oh hey, you're up. Effie's going to be mad we're late for breakfast, but if we leave now, we won't miss it," he says.

Did he stay here all night so I could sleep? That's ridiculous, but it is definitely something Peeta would do for me. He looks so tired, he has bags under his eyes.

We walk to the dining car, and see Haymitch and Effie eating. We sit down and each grab a plate, filling it with eggs, bacon, rolls, and grabbing a cup of coffee. Peeta puts cream and sugar in his, and stirs it. I try a sip of mine without any, and it's disgusting.

"Here, let me help with that," Peeta says with a small smile. He pours cream and sugar into mine and stirs it, then hands it back. I try a sip, and it's still very strong, but it actually tastes alright.

"Alright, we'll arrive in the Capitol in three days!" Effie exclaims.

"What do we have to do there? I know we have training and interviews, right?" I say.

"Yes dear, you'll meet your prep teams who will fix the two of you up and make you guys look wonderful! Then, you'll be training for a few days, learning new skills that could help you in the arena. You'll show off your skills for the Gamemakers, and receive your training scores. Then come the interviews. You'll be dressed up, and we'll go over etiquette and manners beforehand, so you're prepared. And then, you'll go into the arena!"

She sounds excited to send us to our deaths. Like this is some big game. Well, I guess to the Capitol, it is a big game.

After breakfast, I go to my room. We don't really have anything to do for the next three days, but I still want to get as much information from Haymitch as possible.

I change out of my old clothes from last night, and into a green sleeveless shirt with matching pants, and a brown belt. I put on green slip-on shoes, and head to the living room car.

Peeta and Haymitch are talking quietly on a couch, and Effie is reading a magazine in one of the two chairs. I approach Haymitch and Peeta. They don't hear me.

"...You have to save her Haymitch. You saw her volunteer for her sister. Her sister needs her. If we get sponsors, promise me they'll go to her." Peeta is whispering angrily at Haymitch. He looks up and sees me.

"Good morning sweetheart, nice of you to join us," Haymitch says.

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Strategy in the Games. Sit down," he says back.

"I heard what Peeta said. That plan isn't happening. You're helping both of us, not just me. It isn't fair to Peeta, especially since he's the most likeable between the two of us. He'll get us most of our sponsors."

"Katniss," Peeta says but I cut him off.

"No, we're working together in there anyway. And you have a family to go back to also. Don't give up your life for me, Peeta."

"Oh yeah, I'd love to go back to my family Katniss! My mother beats me, my father watches and does nothing, my brothers ignore me or yell at me. That's what you think I want to go back to?"

"Peeta," I say, but it's his turn to cut me off.

"No Katniss, you need to win. You have people counting on you. Prim, Gale, Gale's family. You have to win for them."

"That was very touching, you two, but you need to get sponsors first, before arguing about who gets what from them," Haymitch says.

We sit in silence for a couple minutes, maybe an hour. Haymitch drinks from his flask and Peeta stares at his shoes.

What is Peeta planning? Why is he trying to get Haymitch to help me, when only one of us can go home? He must've given up. Or he doesn't want to win, doesn't want what comes with it. I can't blame him, to be honest, after seeing how the Games affected Haymitch.

Maybe he's right. I do have Prim, Gale, Hazelle, Rory, Posy, and Vick that need me. I have to try to win the Games.

A/N: So there's chapter 7. Like I said before, the placement of some quotes are different than in the books/movies, but it makes more sense this way. Hopefully, you guys are enjoying this story! :)

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