❛ 𝑺𝑰𝑳𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬- 𝘵𝘩𝘨

Chapter 21

The next few days on the train were painfully long and boring. We made it to the capitol, so the tribute parade was tonight. Beetee and Wiress were dressed in outfits studded with electric lights. Violet must have gotten the idea from Cinna, district 12's stylist. A few days ago, Haymitch and Plutarch, this year's gamemaker, got a handful of mentors and tributes together. They wanted us to help save Katniss in the arena.

The plan was that if we managed to keep her and Peeta alive for a few days, then they'd rescue the tributes from the arena, and take us to district 13, which wasn't destroyed as everyone thought. It was actually thriving underground. I went into the elevator, knowing that Beetee and Wiress were waiting by the carriages.

When I approached them, I could see Violet giving them instructions. I got close enough to hear it. "I would like you to smile and wave. Act naturally pleasant." Wiress nodded looking at the ground. That was another thing, Wiress had been trying to avoid me for the entire ride.

I don't know why, but she was like that since the reaping. Cordin was standing next to them, so I joined them. Beetee and Wiress got up on the carriage, so Cordin took my arm and we walked up to the stands. As the parade preceded, I could see that district 12 stole the show for the second year in a room, bursting into flame. A few other stylists other than Violet had taken the idea of making their tributes glow, for example, the district 10 tributes had flaming belt.

After the parade, I escaped early so that I didn't have to listen to Haymitch gloating again this year. As I was going into the elevator lobby, I saw the doors close on Johanna, Haymitch, Katniss, and Peeta. I stifled a giggle. That's not going to go well at all. I'm expecting one to not come out at the end.

I waited for another elevator to come and take me back to my room. When I finally got up, I changed and went to sleep, only to be awakened agin by nightmares about my father and Wiress dying in the arena, so I started sketching.

The next few days, Beetee and Wiress went to training while I hung out n my room drawing pictures of each of my friends and family to give to them. Soon, the night of the interviews came. I was dressed in a a short lacy peach dress with sandals that went up to about my knees. I kept my hair down, and went into Wireless's room after she was ready. We walked to the backstage area in silence before she turned to me.

"I'm sorry I've been avoiding you the entire train ride. I've just been nervous that you were upset that we didn't talk about the volunteering issue. I didn't want you to be upset at me if me or your father were the last ones and I would wind up killing him because he was to noble to kill me."

I couldn't find the right words to respond, so as I racked my brain for a logical response, I grabbed a drawing that I'd made of her, my Dad, Carter, and I, and held it out to her. "It's alright. I know I don't want you or my Dad to die, but I really didn't want to go into the arena again. Take the drawing so you can always have a piece of me in the arena. My token of gratitude, although I doubt I'll ever be able to fully show my gratefulness."

She smiled at me, before pulling me into a hug. After we released one another, we continued our walk to the backstage area. Wiress and Beetee joined the line of tributes, and as I studied the other tributes, I realized that they looked to be the smallest ones there, other than a few others. All of the others seemed to still have been training, even after winning the games.

I made my way into the stage to get a seat next to Cordin, and he smiled an waved at me. Soon, the interviews began. Most all of the tributes were trying to get the games called off, or delayed. District three got a fair amount of supplies, but district 12 blew the crowd away, because Peeta and Caesar were talking about the wedding that had to be cancelled because of the games, and Peeta told the crowd the Katniss was going to have a child.

After Peeta's interview, he joined the other lines of victors, but as Caesar was trying to end the program, a ripple seemed to be happening between the victors. All of them were gripping each other's hands, showing unity from all. Of the victors, something that hasn't happened since the dark days.

Then, the power went out. Everything was completely madness, with people yelling and pushing others. I made my way to the elevator area and hopped on one with Johanna and Finnick. Once I had made it to my room, I changed and fell on my bed, with the event's at the end of the interview playing over and over again.

Maybe, finally, the districts had unity to fight against the capitol, and stop the hunger games after 75 long years.