𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐒 ❦ The Hunger Games

four

☆ CHAPTER FOUR! ☆
004. Familiar faces

|| STARLIGHT ||
❝Far away from the
memories, of the people
who care if I live or die.❞

➳➳

KATNISS AND PEETA sat uncomfortably in the same train they used only months before during their victory tour.

The rooms were decorated the same way, much to the tribute's surprise, considering the outlandish and wasteful way the president spent his money. Gold lamps and insects on the wallpaper still shone brightly as the train ran above ground and caught the light, the same unbiased ivory was painted on the walls that flashed in and out of the direct cloudy weather. The cushions on the train's seats were still outlined in a forest green velvet, while the seat the pair were sitting on was made from the same black leather.

As much as Katniss hated to admit it, she was happy they forced her victory tour on her. She hated it at the time, particularly the way they all looked at her as if she had unfairly stripped their lives from them- in some ways she knew she had- but now there was a small part of her that was thankful that she had seen the other Districts and their winners before she had to sit down and talk about them now.

It would help her realise who she should avoid when it came down to it in the arena.

While the couple sat, Haymitch Abernathy (the only surviving mentor for the pair) stood above the two tributes with the reapings on the screen and a drink in his hand. He swayed slightly on his heels as he stood due to the large amount of alcohol he had consumed from the train's bar. Katniss wanted to scold him for it but she couldn't bring herself to; it was a free bar and he was more than emotionally exhausted after such a day, although his expression did not say it, he was more than grieving for his fellow Victors. Even if he was not the one who had to kill them.

Katniss hated that it had to be her.

"I want you guys to forget everything you think you know about the games. Last year was child's play, this year you're dealing with all experienced killers." Haymitch grumbled as he picked up a silver remote from a nearby table.

Peeta shuffled uncomfortably in his seat while he glanced towards the girl next to him. His mind was no different than the other tributes, angry and panicked, but he didn't yet know how to hide it like the others did. Instead his discomfort was rather obvious to those in the room with him that both looked fine- when neither of them really were.

"Alright, what does that mean for us?" Peeta asked after he swallowed to ensure his voice didn't crack from concern.

"That means you're going to need to have some allies. "

Haymitch walked closer to the so-called couple, trying to stress the importance of what he just said. He knew that they would probably ignore him when he wouldn't be around to remind them about how vital that step was to their survival, but he still thought he had to try. The social side of the Hunger Games had never been so important and truly, the mentor didn't know what to tell anyone who wanted advice. Nobody had seen this coming; there was no way that he could have some plan for the two other Victor's to escape against the likes of his older friends.