User blog:Lexi13/The Seventy Sixth Hunger Games

Chapter One

My mother and I walk to the place where the reaping takes place. I see Effie. Her wig this year is bright green, and she's wearing a skin tight purple jumpsuit. I join Peeta in the eighteen year-old section. Ever since we lost the war it's been tragic. I've had a fear they would rig the reaping to where I'd be in the Games. Peeta holds me close to him as we wait for the names to be called.

"Welcome to the seventy sixth annual Hunger Games!" Effie calls out. "Ladies first!" She says. I can barely hear her as a name gets called. I can tell that by the way Peeta tightens his grip around me it was mine. He lets me go, and I make my way through all the people that are my age. I see Effie hold back laughter as she helps me up.

"Okay. Let's move on." She says. I look at Peeta as she digs her hand in the ball. I close my eyes as she opens the paper. "Reen Bonegee." She says. Then I hear him, Peeta calls out the words I knew he was going to.

"I volunteer as tribute." He says. He pushes his way through all the people in his way. He runs up the stairs. We shake hands, and Effie leads us back to the train entrance. As soon as Effie leaves us alone Peeta pulls me into his arms. I feel so safe, but I know we'll both be dead soon. I can't even act happy. I feel myself start to cry as Haymitch enters the room. Peeta and I neither one have anyone to say goodbye to.

"Why did you do that, Peeta?" Haymitch asks him, and he's drunk, as usual.

"Because I need to protect Katniss." He answers, and I look at him like he's crazy. He does know that we'll be forced to kill each other in the arena.

"Peeta, if I was the only one in there we could both live." I tell him. He ignores me, and plants a kiss on my cheek. I walk out of the room, and down the hallway. I can hear someone following me. "Peeta, I don't want to hear it." I tell him. I still feel angry about the whole volunteering thing.

"Katniss, I don't think your weak, I just love you. You need to understand that I want to protect you." He tells me, and wraps his arms around me. I pull away from him, and storm into my room. I lock the door behind me. I hear Peeta knocking on my door. I don't answer it, but I know he'll keep going until I do. I walk over to the door, and put my ear against it. I can hear him mumbling something. I put my hand on the door knob. I unlock it, and see the handle move. For a minute I think I'm going to cry. I can't be forced to kill Peeta. We love each other.

"Peeta, if we make it in this thing, we'll be forced to kill each other." I tell him as he joins me on my bed.

"Katniss-" He starts, but I interrupt him with a kiss. I can't remember the last time I kissed him. Ever since he got hijacked by the Capitol I've only kissed him once. "Katniss, I'm sorry. When I volunteered, I was only thinking about saving you." He tells me, and I hear Effie coming.

"Come on you two! We need to get you to the Remake Center!" Effie calls. Peeta takes my hand in his, and we walk out of my room, and off the train. In the Remake Center Flavius and Octavia are the only ones there. I don't say anything, because I'm afraid something bad has happened to Venia. They look over me, and something tells me they don't want to do much. Flavius takes my hand, and Octavia takes my other. They start to paint my nails a dark brown. Probably part of my costume.

"Venia can take it from here." Flavius says.

"You mean, Venia replaced Cinna?" I ask.

"Yep. And Golligio replaced Portia." He tells me. I think about Peeta. As Flavius walks out the door, and Venia enters I feel like our costumes will be silly.

"So, what are you going to do, Venia?" I ask her. And she smiles. I know it will be stupid, or something weird. Maybe even crazy.

"I want to enforce your love for each other." She says. I don't know what she means.

"We're suppost to wear something to represent our district." I tell her, and she lifts the corners of her mouth, and smiles.

"I'm going to use a little something I learned from Cinna. A simple flame." She tells me. I allow myself to smile. It must be something like the first year. When we had the flaming capes and unitards.

"I still don't see how that would represent our district." I say, and then a smile creeps onto her lips, and I think I know what she's thinking.

Chapter Two

Peeta and I stand on a chariot pulled by coal black horses. Before we go out on the Avenue of the Tributes, Peeta takes my hand in his. I'm wearing a long coal black dress, and a flaming headband. Peeta is wearing a black suit, and we both have a heartshaped flame overtop of our real ones. As we go out onto the avenue, I smile and wave to the crowd.

The crowd goes wild as Peeta plants a kiss on my cheek. I keep hoping that Venia put so much make-up on me that you can't see me blushing. After we get off the chariot, Peeta and I say we want to have dinner alone. We go up to our place on the roof, and see the Capitol playing the past Hunger Games.

"Katniss, they'll be playing ours next." Peeta tells me, and I get up, and start to run down the stairs, but Peeta's voice stops me. "Katniss, you're not the only person who feels like their owned." He tells me. This only makes me angry. I turn around, and find myself looking into Peeta's eyes.

"Peeta, you volunteered-" I start, but he interrupts me.

"Because I love you." He tells me. I feel the tears coming on. I feel Peeta's lips suddenly pressed against mine. I feel his arms wrapped around me. I feel the warmth in my chest.

When we finally break apart, I find my eyes staring into his blue ones. He wipes the tear off my cheek, and puts his hand on the back of my head, and I bury it into his shirt. I feel his lips on my neck, and he strokes my hair. When he finally lets me go. I run down the stairs, and into my room. I don't even bother to close the door behind me. I see Peeta run into my room, and I try to hide, but he's already seen me.

"Katniss, what's wrong?" He asks me, I don't want to answer so I run to him, and cry into his shoulder. "Shh, Katniss it's alright." He tells me, but I know what I'm feeling isn't. I'm going to be forced to kill Peeta. I just can't, though. Maybe in the end I can get Peeta to kill me, so I won't have to be scared annymore.

"Peeta, this isn't okay. We're going to be forced to kill each other. I can't kill you!" I tell him, and he wraps me in his arms. I should be taking him for advantage, in the arena we won't be able to love each other forever. I feel more tears coming, and I try to hold them back, but I can't. I run onto the bed, and wait for Peeta to come and comfort me, but he just swallows hard, and leaves. I run after him, and see he already is in his room, with the door locked and shut. I knock on the door, and hear his voice.

"Go away, Katniss. I don't wanna talk to you." He commands me. I start to cry harder than I ever have before. The boy I love, doesn't really love me.

"Fine, I guess you don't care about me as much as I thought you did." I tell him, and I hear him leap off the bed, and he opens the door. His eyes show something between anger and sorrow. I stare straight into them. "Do you?" I ask him.

"Katniss, nothing will not make me love you, or not care about you." He tells me. And I know this isn't true.

"That's not true, Peeta. The Capitol made you hate me. The Capitol made me hate you. Not anymore, because I love you. I know you love me, just not as much as I thought," I tell him.

Chapter Three

"Katniss, I never will love you any less than I always have, and that person you met a year ago. I'm sorry. They didn't do that to me, I did." He says.

"Peeta." I say.

"I really did. I keep hating myself for it." He says. I want to tell him that he can hate himself, but I never will. I just can't, though. I can never look at him the same way now that he told me that. I can never see him just as the boy with the bread. He isn't anymore. He's finally mine, and now I'll just lose him. I've kept him alive for all this time, and now he'll just die. It's because of me, I know. If he hadn't tossed me the bread, he would still live, and have a wonderful family, because I'd be gone, dead, I wouldn't be his problem, I wouldn't be anyone's problem.

"Peeta, that's what they wanted you to think. That you did it. But I'm the reason that it happened. If you hadn't tossed me that bread, I'd be dead, gone. I wouldn't be a problem, I wouldn't be your problem, I wouldn't be the Capitol's problem. You wouldn't have to die, you wouldn't be here." I tell him.

"No, Katniss. If you would've died, then I couldn't have lived with myself. I love you." He tells me.

"You wouldn't if I had died when I was eleven." I tell him, and I know he has nothing to say.

"Katniss, I did the right thing, and I'll do the right thing for you, too if I die." He tells me, and then I feel myself about to pour out thousands of tears.

"I need you Peeta, I really need you." I tell him, and he shakes his head, and pulls me into his arms. "Stay with me." I tell him. I pull away, and stare into his eyes, I see him smile, and I do, too.

"Always." He says, and kisses me. I pull him into my room, and jump on the bed. This time I motion for him to join me. He comes, and we both lie there. Smiling and staring into the other's eyes. He pulls my head down on his chest like he did in the arena. I fall asleep, as he brushes the hair off of my forehead.

In the morning an avox comes in, and wakes us. She hands Peeta a note, and he looks at me and back to the note. I look over his shoulder, but I still can't see it. "What does it say?" I ask him, curiously. I keep on getting mixed up with what's real, and what's not. I wonder if it's a dream, but I don't think it is.

"It says in the arena, I have to protect you at all costs. It's from Haymitch and Effie." He tells me. I want to go into Haymitch's room, and yell at him. Instead I put my head on his shoulder and cry.

"Peeta, you don't have to protect me at all costs." I tell him.

"Yes I do, Katniss. I was going to anyways." He tells me, and then I jump off the bed, and walk down the hall to the dining room. I see Haymitch and Effie.

"Why do you care if I die, Haymitch? Peeta doesn't have to protect me if he doesn't want to." I yell at him. Peeta's standing next to me, and he has the same look in his eye as I do.

"Because, you are still the Mockingjay." Hearing the name again, I start to plunge toward him, but Peeta grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"I am not the Mockingjay anymore. I won't be your Mockingjay." I yell at him. I turn and look at Peeta, "I won't let you get away from me, not this time." I tell him. If the Capitol were to figure out I was still the Mockingjay, they would take Peeta, and permanently hijack him.

"Katniss-" He starts, but I interrupt him.

"Not this time, Peeta. I let you go too easily last time. Never again." I tell him.

Chapter Four

In the Training Center, Peeta and I listen to the same speech we've heard two times before. We both stay together no matter what, even if he tries to wander off. The Careers this year are especially cocky. The boy from 1 is really scrawny, but he is a good archer, the girl from 2 is especially strong, and is talented with spears. I head over to the knot-tying station, and practice weaving nets. Peeta tries to persuade me to show the Careers my archery skills, but I just object.

"So, how is Lover Boy?" The girl from 2 asks Peeta. Then I recognize her, she is Clove's sister. She is a foot shorter, and is especially identical in looks. The thought of Peeta being called Lover Boy again aganizes me. It'll probably catch on. I walk over to where their standing, and grab Peeta's arm.

"Peeta, don't let her treat you like that! Your bigger and stronger." I tell him, but he just shakes his head. I don't know what else to say. I just stare into his eyes, they show hurt. I don't know what its from, the thought of being called Lover Boy, or me acting like his mother. "Sorry." I say.

"It's okay-" He starts, but then he grabs my hand, and sqeezes it tight. I feel his forehead, and he doesn't have a fever.

"Peeta, are you alright?" I ask him. He doesn't answer. ''Oh, no! Being called Lover Boy gave him a flashback. ''I think to myself. "Peeta?" I ask him. He shudders, and then releases his grip on my hand. "Are you okay?" I ask him. He takes me in for a hug.

"Katniss, I had a flashback from the hijacking." He tells me. Maybe it wasn't Lover Boy. Maybe it was me.

"You haven't had one in forever! What made it happen?" I ask him.

"I don't know, just stay with me, okay." He tells me.

"I will." I say, and help him up. I see all the Careers laughing at us. I wish I could shoot them all with an arrow, but I can't. I have an idea, though. "Peeta, show them how strong you are. They think your weak, but you're not." I command him. He shakes his head no. "Why not?" I ask.

"It's your turn to prove yourself to them." He tells me, and hands me a bow and arrow.

"Thanks." I say, and take the bow and arrow. I aim for the the dummy farthest from me, and aim straight for its heart. I release the string, and the dummy starts to leak stuffing. I turn to Peeta and find he's gone. I look around the gym, and see him standing at the spear throwing station. He gestures for me to join him in line. I smile, and put the bow down. I run over to join him.

Chapter Five

It's the day for individual training with the Gamemakers. I get to impress Plutarch Heavensbee. This'll be so much fun. I watch as all the other tributes go in, then I look at Peeta. I still haven't decided what to do. I'll probably just shoot again. I don't know what Peeta will do. "Have you decided yet?" I ask him.

"Yeah, have you?" He asks me.

"Yes, I'm just going to shoot again. What are you going to do?" I ask him.

"Throw things, throw a spear." He tells me. I laugh, Peeta can get a high score if he can prove how strong he is.

"You'll do good." I tell him. They finally call him in, and before he goes I kiss his cheek. I see him smile, and I smile back. "You do good." I tell him. I wait for about thirty minutes before they let me in. I get up, and walk in. I take a bow and say my name and district, "Katniss Everdeen. District 12." I aim for the target farthest from me. I shoot it straight in the middle. I look over at the Gamemakers, and see many of them smile.

"You are excused, Miss Everdeen." Says one of them. I walk out, and find Peeta waiting for me.

"What are you doing here, Peeta?" I ask him. I thought he'd already be back on our floor.

"I wanted to go up with you." He tells me, I take his hand, and we walk over to the elevator. He presses the button with 12 on it, and wraps me up in a hug. When we get back up, we go and sit down on the couch. I rest my head on Peeta's shoulder. He wraps his arms around me. All the Careers pick up an 8-10, and all the others get something from a 5-7. This year's tributes are good. Peeta gets a 9, and I get a 10. I smile at Peeta, and he smiles at me.

"Good job, Peeta." Haymitch tells him. Peeta and I walk to my room hand in hand. I pull him in, and we lie down on my bed.

"Good job, Peeta." I tell him as I dose off.

When I wake up, its 9 am, and Peeta isn't there. I get up, and knock on his door. No one answers. I check the roof, and there he is. His face buried in his hands. I walk over, and put my hand on his shoulder. He looks up at me, and sighs. I smile, even though I know something's wrong.

"What's wrong, Peeta?" I ask him, and he just gets up, and leaves. I follow him down the stairs, and into the dining room. "Peeta?" I ask him, but he won't say anything. I watch him swallow. He takes so much effort. I realize why he won't talk to me. Someone turned the boy with the bread into an avox.

Chapter Six

"Peeta!" I scream as I wake up. I look next to me, Peeta's there, awake. I give a sigh of relief, and give him a huge hug.

"Katniss, what's wrong?" He asks me. I don't answer, I just stay there wrapped in his arms. Crying into his shoulder. "Katniss, are you okay?" He asks me again.

"I thought they made you into an avox!" I tell him. He tightens his grip around me.

"Well, they didn't. Was it a nightmare?" He asks me. I shake my head no. "Really, Katniss?" He asks me. Then I laugh.

"Yes, it was. A really bad one. I thought I could never hear your voice again." I tell him. He releases me, and we walk down the hall. Last year we got a note saying we had the day off.

"Where's Effie and Haymitch?" He asks me, and I shrug. I look around, and see a note on the couch. Peeta sees it, too. He walks over, and reads it. He looks up at me, and smiles. I smile back, and walk over to look at the note, but he grabs it in close to his chest.

"What?" I ask him. He takes my hand, and spins me around. He scoops me up, and I wrap my hands around his neck. "So, Peeta, what did that note say?" I ask him. He leans into me, and puts his lips close to mine. He drops his eyes, like Finnick did to me with the sugar cube. He smiles, and presses his forehead against mine.

"What do you think it said?" He asks me.

"I don't know, that's why I asked you." I tell him.

"To the roof, your highness." He says, dropping me. He bows like he would to a princess. I laugh, and kiss his cheek.

"After you, my handsome prince." I say, and we both start laughing. He takes my hand and leads me to the roof. We order a bunch of food like last year, and take a couple blankets up. I take a piece of the pineapple, and plop it into my mouth. "Wait, Peeta, if I'm the princess, shouldn't you feed me?" I ask him, and he laughs. He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.

"What would you like?" He asks me, gesturing to the food. I look him in the eyes, and smile.

"I think you know what I want." I tell him, and wrap my arms around his neck. He leans into me, and we stay locked together until we have to go out for air. I smile at him, last year this would've been pretend, but now it's not.

"That was it right?" He asks me. I laugh a little.

"Of course. So what are you going to say at the interview tomorrow." I ask him.

"Well, I know I'm gonna die in this thing, and until I do, I guess I'll set my mind on saving you." He tells me.

"Peeta, I promise, I won't let you die." I tell him, and the laughter of everything creeps out of me.

"Katniss, you have to let me die. You have to. That's why they have these things, to teach people a lesson." He tells me. "One of us has to die, they have to have their victor." He says, repeating what he did two years ago. I run down the steps, and into my room. I lock the door behind me. I don't hear Peeta come down. I go lie down on the bed, and fall asleep.

Three hours later I wake up, and go outside. I look on the roof, and Peeta sits there, his head buried in his hands. "Peeta, no!" I call out, and run to him. I push his head up out of his hands. "Are you alright, what did they do to you?" I ask him. I see the confusion in his eyes. He puts his hand on my cheek. I hold onto it to make sure it stays there.

"Katniss, I'm fine. Wait, is this how it happened? Your dream where I became an avox." He asks me.

"Yes, now come here so I can hug you to death." I tell him. He hops up, and I wrap my arms around his neck, and he holds me in his arms. We stay there for about thirty minutes. I don't want to let go of him, but I think it's time I do. "Peeta, why were you crying?" I ask him.

"Because I can't lose you, and you can't lose me. But one of us has to die in order for these things to work." He tells me.

"Peeta, why do they have to work?" I ask him. He stares at me. I watch as the sun slowly sets. "Come on, we need to go to sleep." I tell him. We walk down the stairs, and we both go into my room. Peeta wraps me in his arms as we drift off into a world of nightmares and confusion.

Chapter Seven

"Come on, Katniss! Let us work with you!" Venia yells at me. They decided to put me a yellow, sleeveless gown that sparkles at the bottom. They put so much red lipstick on me, I almost looked like a clown. They put my hair in long curls with sparkly streaks of gold in them. I'm wearing sparkling red heels that almost look like they could be on fire, and they've done my eyes in a simple red to make it look more simple.

"I did, didn't I!" I tell them. I walk out of my room at the same time Peeta does. For a minute we just stare at each other. Then I find myself in his arms. I stay there for about two minutes, and then we break apart. We lock our arms in the same position we did last year. He's in a suit fit for a prince, it's a dark velvet red, with a flame embroidery on the edge of his pants. As we enter our spot in the line I see all eyes lock on us. I see the tribute girl from 1 go out on stage. Then the boy, and then I black out.

Luckily, Peeta caught me before I hit the ground. "Katniss, are you alright?" He asks me, his hands on my cheeks feeling for a fever.

"Yes, I'm fine." I say, and I hear a faint laugh come out of myself. I look at the other tributes, and see they are not there. I'm on next.

"Now, for the girl on fire, Katniss Everdeen!" Ceaser Flickerman says. I walk out on stage. I see the crowd, and look for Venia. "So, Katniss, what was it that your were thinking when Peeta volunteered as the male tribute for 12?" He asks me.

"I was thinking that, the boy with the bread, is going to be with me for the third year. I honestly could barely think at all I was so stunned." I tell him.

"What did you feel like two years ago when Peeta declared his love for you?" He asks me. I don't know how to respond. Two years ago I hated Peeta for saying that. I had pushed him against an urn, and broken both of his hands. How do I say anything? I know I love Peeta now, so what do I say about then?

"I was amazed he even knew who I was. I thought he just knew me because of the reaping." I lie. I was never good at lying, but I have to try now. I see Ceaser smile. I look at Haymitch out in the crowd, and he sighs with relief. I've said the right thing. Now it's Peeta's turn to make everyone in Panem on his side, or should I say our side.

"Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire!" Ceaser says, as he takes my hand and turns me around. I leave the stage, and join Effie and Haymitch. I don't even want to watch Peeta, I want to meet him over here, and cry into his shoulder. "So, Peeta, when you heard Katniss' name called at the reaping, what were you thinking?" Ceaser asks him.

"I knew if my name wasn't going to be called, I was going to volunteer, for her." He tells Ceaser. I allow myself to smile, he knows if he would've been called up, and not me, I would've volunteered.

"In the arena this year, what will be your main goal?" Ceaser asks him. Why would Ceaser ask him that? Everyone knows what he'll do. What I'll try to tell him isn't okay.

"I'm set on protecting Katniss. I'll do whatever I can to keep her alive." He tells Ceaser. I walk back, and hit my head on the wall.

Chapter Eight

Peeta runs over to me before I can fall. "Katniss, are you okay, are you hurt?" He asks me, but my head hurts to much to answer. He feels my forehead, I can tell by the look on his face I'm burning up. "We need to get her to bed." He says. He holds my hand, and helps me to the elevator.

"Peeta, my head." I manage to get out. I almost faint, but he catches me before I do. He kisses my forehead as we reach our floor. He helps me to my room, and lays me down on the bed. He is about to go, but I grab his hand. "Peeta, please, stay." I command him. He lies down next to me, and wraps his arms around me.

I think this is the first night before the Games that I've actually gotten any sleep. I know I'll have nightmares, though. I cuddle up to Peeta, and he tightens his grip on me. I just want to cry into his shoulder, but I know I can't. Tomorrow I'll be on live television, with Peeta.

"Katniss, it's alright. I'm alright. It was just a nightmare." Peeta calms me. I had another one of my avox dreams. Except in this one Peeta was my servant, and I could never speak to him unless to command him.

"Peeta, it seemed so real, though." I tell him, trying to hold back my tears. Peeta lets me go, and puts his hands on my shoulders.

"Katniss, it's alright. They didn't make me an avox. I'm right here. With you." He tells me. I throw myself back on the bed.