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Chapter Twelve

I dress in flannel pants and a white t-shirt that I'd grabbed from one of the wooden drawers of my dresser and crawl into the cool blue sheets lining my king-size bed. My mind is restless from the day behind and the one ahead I'm forced to face. Five words echo in my skull, reverberating until they impair my emotions.

She's a survivor, that one.

The words sting, burning a hole through my heart, one that's impossible to fill; because it's one that only a mother's love can.

My eyes tear up, and as I rub them, a warm tear rolls down my cheek. I lay there crying for a few minutes, the salty taste of tears growing stronger in my mouth until I see my artwork, illuminated by the beams of moonlight shining through the silky navy curtains. Why is everything here blue? I think to myself. I stare at the portrait for a moment longer, smiling. My mother's words repeat once more, but this time, as I stare into Katniss's avocado eyes, I'm happy. She is a survivor, and that means there's no need to worry about her. I've known it since the beginning, but I was consumed with my own troubles then. I silently vow that no matter what, even if it means my death, I will protect Katniss Everdeen. Nothing can make me break this promise.

My muscles loosen, a calmness flooding over me. 

Katniss Mellark. 

It has a nice ring to it, and the thought of a family with her fills me with warmth and joy, but I know this will never happen, even in my wildest dreams, because there can only be one victor.

Nonetheless, as I drift asleep, I'm smiling, knowing saving her life and returning her to the ones she truly loves is more important than anything in the world.