『 𝗧𝗢𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗥𝗡 』𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Convince Me

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" You're getting pretty good, Y/n." Says Katniss as the two of you walk through the woods. You glance down at the bow in your hand, turkeys in the other hand. After the Games you found it hard to use your knives, your arms would shake and your palms would sweat, and horrible visions of the games would flash in your mind every time you picked one up. You couldn't hunt. It doesn't matter to your aunt anymore. She can afford to buy butcher meat in town, although you both don't like it any better than fresh game. But your best friends, Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne, and their families will be depending on your haul and you can't let them down.

Katniss offered to teach you how to shoot. And since she had already shown you how a few years ago, you had a basic idea of how to do it. But with her help now, you've learned to perfect your aim. She's right, you're getting good.

" If I didn't know any better I'd say you're getting better than me." Katniss says.

You scoff, " Noone's better than you Katniss."

" Maybe not. But you're close." She smiles.

It's silent now. Not that you mind. You need the quiet. It's cold in District 12. Snow packed down on the ground, freezing gusts of wind nipping at your face. You take in a deep breath of air before sighing.

" How are you and Gale?" You say after a few minutes of comfortable silence. When you returned home from the Games all those months ago, Gale and Katniss greeted you together, hand in hand. They gave you a few weeks to get used to being back before they officially told you they were together. You weren't really that surprised. Katniss always had a thing for Gale. Ever since you were kids. That's why when you began to develop feelings for him of your own you kept them a secret. She deserved him.

" We're good." Katniss says with a small smile. You nod awkwardly. Your feelings for Gale have long been gone, but your two best friends dating has taken some getting used to.

Katniss clears her throat, " How's Peeta?" She asks hesitantly.

You sigh, " The same."

Ever since arriving home Peeta has been cold towards you. You wish you could just tell him that you've figured it out now. That you aren't confused anymore. That no matter how hard you try to deny it, you feel things for him. You just wish you had it figured out when he asked you.

Katniss frowns sympathetically, before changing the subject. " Are you ready for today?" You bite the inside of your cheek, your stomach dropping at the reminder.

By noon they will all be at your new house in the Victor's Village. The reporters, the camera crews, even Effie Trinket, your old escort, will have made their way to District 12 from the Capitol. You wonder if Effie will still be wearing that silly pink wig, or if she'll be sporting some other unnatural color especially for the Victory Tour. There will be others waiting, too. A staff to cater to your every need on the long train trip. A prep team to beautify you for public appearances. Your stylist and friend, Cinna, who designed the gorgeous outfits that first made the audience take notice of you in the Hunger Games.

If it were up to you, you would try to forget the Hunger Games entirely. Never speak of them. Pretend they were nothing but a bad dream. But the Victory Tour makes that impossible. Strategically placed almost midway between the annual Games, it is the Capitol's way of keeping the horror fresh and immediate. Not only are you in the districts forced to remember the iron grip of the Capitol's power each year, you are forced to celebrate it. And this year, you're one of the stars of the show. You will have to travel from district to district, to stand before the cheering crowds who secretly loathe you, to look down into the faces of the families whose children you have killed...