Diana Potter and the Hunger Games

Starless

Diana had been in the shower for over ten minutes, trying to convince the water to wash all of her problems away. Of course, it refused to, and she was left with her thoughts and irritation with herself. Someone knocked on the door. "Coming, sweetheart?" Haymitch called, his words slurring together.

Diana pursed her lips as she turned the water off and dried herself with the softest towel she had ever felt. "I wish you'd stop calling me that," she muttered before throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. She flipped her head, scrubbed her hair with the towel, and hung it back up.

"Habit," Haymitch replied when she opened the door. He offered her the bottle in his hand.

"No, thanks. I wouldn't trust anything that touched your lips." The words flew off her tongue before realizing what she said. She surveyed his face, looking for a twinge of hurt.

Instead, he shrugged and tipped the drink back, guzzling down at least half of the bottle. "Dinner's ready. I hope you like lamb." He walked ahead of her, swaying back and forth.

Diana wasn't sure her stomach could handle any food. The image of getting caught for using magic for her and Seamus's costumes kept changing. First, she was simply killed within the first ten minutes of the game by a rogue mine. Then it was Peacekeepers, breaking into her room and shooting her. Then it was Peacekeepers coming into her room, taking her, and forcing her to tell them where her people were.

She sat down at the extravagant table, flinching at the smell that wafted from the piles and piles of food.

Seamus was digging into it, a satisfied smile on his face. He met Diana's stare with a question in his eye. "Are you alright, Diana?" he asked around a mouthful of bread.

Diana nodded, grabbing a tray of strawberries and placing two on her plate. Fava cleared her throat, bringing the table's attention to her. She raised a glass of sparkling substance. "To the mysterious power that made our costumes the talk of the Capitol. I am a big enough girl to realize when I am wrong, and so, Diana—" she met Diana's eyes with a soft smile "—I hope you can forgive me for putting you in such a revealing outfit."

The shock Diana felt was an understatement. Everything Professor Smith had taught her about Capitolites and their arrogance fell apart before her eyes. Now she wasn't sure how to feel. Before Fava could take her silence as unforgiveness, Diana smiled back—a sincere smile she hadn't worn since she left Ilvermorny—and lifted her own glass. "Thank you, Fava."

Haymitch looked between them, his brows hidden behind pieces of dark hair. When they all sipped, he slammed back his entire glass of champagne, then poured a clear liquid from a flask into it.

Diana sighed, picking at her strawberries. At least Seamus had a sober mentor. Regret picked at her, like those annoying woodpeckers outside of her window at Ilvermorny. Maybe Diana could ask Lucy if she'd be willing to mentor both her and Seamus. Just the mere thought made her refuse. She would not give up on Haymitch so easily. Plus, there had to be a reason he won against forty-seven other tributes.

The Capitol at night was one of the most gorgeous things Diana had ever witnessed. Growing up in Ilvermorny, there weren't many lights at night and by the time she was fourteen, the beauty of everything quickly stopped affecting her.

But watching hundreds of tiny people walk through bright streets of all different colors took her breath away. Mountains were in every direction, making the Capitol a naturally protected city. Though the sun had set hours ago, she could still see the outline of the mountains from all the lights.

Diana wrapped the fluffy blanket she had stolen from the living room around her, protecting everything from the wind except her face. The wind changed direction and blew her hair into her eyes. She turned so she wouldn't have to remove her hands from the warmth, and she saw the door to the roof open.

Haymitch came out with a flask in hand and fury burning in his eyes. "Where the hell have you been?" he demanded.

That was unexpected. Diana narrowed her eyes. "Up here. Why? Worried Peacekeepers came and took me away?" She said it mockingly, even though she had just thought about it earlier.

"Yes!"

She blinked in shock, looking up at him as he stood before her. It took her a moment to find her words, surprised that he had even worried about her. Regardless of whether he truly cared about her safety or if it was for purely selfish reasons, she was not expecting that response. "They might one day."

Haymitch didn't reply. He took a seat next to her, a few feet away, and looked inside his flask.

They sat in silence as the Capitolites below celebrated and cheered, excited for the upcoming Games. Disgust settled in Diana's gut once again. No matter if Capitolites were arrogant or not, they still enjoyed watching children murder each other.

"How did you do it?" Her words came out meek, and she flinched at herself.

The young man leaned back on his elbows, staring up at the sky. Diana followed suit. Rather than the thousands of stars she could see in Ilvermorny, the sky was jet black. Funny how even the stars refused to look down upon them.

"I just did. I survived. And I paid for it." Haymitch cleared his throat, no doubt trying to mask his emotions. "Did you even watch my Games?"

Diana refused to meet his eyes, even though he was looking at her. She examined her dark painted nails, scratching a bit of the polish off. "I did. I... thought how you used that force field was clever."

"'Clever'? Ha! Sure, if that's what you'd call it." Haymitch shook his head, sipping at his flask. "They killed my family for that stunt. Which is why I'd suggest you try to win this as fair as you can."

Yes. They had killed his family. They killed Diana's as well. She pictured her brother's face—a face that will never grow old, a face that will stay young and round and dead. "Maybe I don't want to win," Diana sighed. "I've been thinking, and Seamus has much more to live for than me, anyway. He has family and a place, I assume, where he feels safe. I don't feel safe anywhere anymore."

Those words were probably the truest thing she'd ever said to anyone since her family had died. Not even the healers in Ilvermorny had pulled out that much in their therapy sessions. This was a suicide mission and nothing more. Well, and a way to save a little boy that deserved to stay alive.

Haymitch said nothing, and Diana found that much more comforting than any pitiful apology he could have come up with.

A/N: Hello! Sorry about the wait, y'all but we're back with a new chapter! Have a great weekend!