The last goodbye

chapter 3

now to everyone these were just names. to me aswell. i didn't know them. but for 30 seconds after the announcement i see them. the tortured them. the gladers. i have to bite back a sob. as i think about what they've been through.

"mia?" katniss asks "you want food"

"i'm not hungry" i mumble.

"come on mia. you have to eat. you don't know when you'll next get a meal" she sighs.

"yeah?" i snap "well neither do they" i pause the video just as the gladers can be seen. they were standing in the crowd. to everyone else they just seemed more people waiting for the announcement. but i could see it. "im a shucking performing monkey. if i perform well they get food. if i perform badly. they get tortured"

she sighs "you can't beat yourself up about it" she sighs.

i take a deep breath and sigh. "but it is my fault isn't it katniss" i say quietly before getting to my feet and making my way to the living room.

"we should be arriving in the capitol in a few minutes" haymitch supplies. "how are we portraying this?"

"if you think im smiling and waving again your sorely mistaken" i say grumpily before sliding myself into an arm chair. he jumps at the sound of my voice.

"you? smile and wave. impossible" peeta tries to joke.

"now yes" i reply shortly.

katniss walks in and takes a seat beside peeta not before handing me a bowl of what looks to be lamb stew.

i pick up the fork and begin picking at my food eating a couple of bites. i really missed frypan's cooking. wow. never thought i'd say that.

 "so how are we portraying you guys" katniss asks

"haymitch is easy. he knows everyone." the escort. effie i learnt her name was. "he's an easy one. it's her you need to worry about"

"mia you disappeared for quite a while. maybe go for dark and mysterious" peeta suggests.

"fine. whatever" i reply staring at my bowl. not really eating it anymore.

at that moment we exit the tunnel we had been going through for the last few minutes and i get the first glimpse of the capitol i hadn't seen in years. the buildings are still tall and white. completely different from the glade. from everywhere i had been actually.

we pull into the station and the doors open. we exit the train me glaring at pretty much everyone.

we are taken straight to the preparation room's. the opening ceremony would happen tonight. it would all begin tonight.

3 hours of 'preparation' enough gossip to last me a lifetime im finally shown to a separate room to wait for my stylist.

as i'm left alone i begin to think what the stylist would make me wear. we were from a coal mining district so it would probably be another coal miner uniform. the last time it had been too big. that was done on purpose. Apparently.

i look up as the door clicks open revealing a man that could not be a stylist. or even be from the capitol. he studies me for a moment.

"my name's cinna" he finally says "i'm your stylist"

"so what will it be this year" i reply coldly "another miner uniform?"

he smiles slightly "you really didn't see last year's games?" he asks

"haven't seen them since i was forced to live through one when i was 12" i reply before asking "why?"

it took cinna 4 prep teams and an armed peacekeeper to get me into my outfit for the evening. if the glader's were watching. they'd laugh.

the outfit itself was amazing. the only problem was. it was a dress. the dress came to about mid thigh. the ends were made of satin the whole dress was orange and red. made to look like fire.

i stomp down to the chariots warehouse to find noone was there yet from my district.

to distract myself i stand clapping the horse's. i'm still glaring. i feel extremely out of place standing by the horses. i can feel people's gazes on me. i didn't know them. any of them. and they didn't know me. it made me wonder what my life would be like if i hadn't almost started a rebellion. if i hadn't been sent to all those tests. would i have turned to drink like haymitch. would i still be bitter and angry. i'm interrupted from my thoughts by a male voice calling

"amelia hallow" my head jerks up at the sound of my name and i find a man about 24 staring at me He was handsome just not quite newt handsome tall, athletic and chiseled, with tanned skin, bronze hair and especially stunning sea-green eyes walking casually towards me. and i can't for the life of me remember who he is.

as he get's closer i still can't remember who he was. so instead. i glare at him. "you are?" i ask

"where have you been for the last few years?" he asks

"a hunger games, 2 wars, a revolt"i count on my hands not really caring if snow heard anymore "oh and a camp for a while"

he stares at me a moment shock registering before he breaks into a smile "finnick odair"

a women is standing beside him with wide-set brown eyes and short, brown, spiky hair she studies me before saying "johanna mason"

i nod my head not really caring. they were just more people i would have to kill.

"mia Hallow i reply trying not to let my obvious anger fall into my voice.

"we all know you"finnick says "you won the games at 12. youngest victor ever. then you just suddenly disapeared. where did you go?"

"and why should i tell you" i say coldly. "you're the capitol's sweetheart. what's stopping you running back to snow and telling him everything" i spit the last part.

"Because. Sweetheart. We're not your enemy" he replies in a deadly tone. completely different from the one before.

"no" i admit "you're the distraction"

with that i turn back to the horses blanking them. they leave and katniss, peeta and haymitch walk across.

"what did he want" peeta asks

"other than to be annoying?" i ask "no idea."