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But Between The Images, We Are Privy To The Real-life Action Being Played Out On The Set. Peeta's Attempt To Continue Speaking. The Camera Knocked Down To Record The White Tiled Floor. The Scuffle Of Boots. The Impact Of The Blow That's Inseparable From Peeta's Cry Of Pain. And His Blood As It Splatters The Tiles.

-Suzanne Collins

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But Between The Images,

Suzanne Collins

...

But Between The Images, We Are Privy To The Real-life Action Being Played Out On The Set. Peeta's Attempt To Continue Speaking. The Camera Knocked Down To Record The White Tiled Floor. The Scuffle Of Boots. The Impact Of The Blow That's Inseparable From Peeta's Cry Of Pain. And His Blood As It Splatters The Tiles.

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Flight Is Essential, But I Can't Let My Fear Show.

How Could I Leave Prim, Who Is The Only Person In The World I’m Certain I Love?

Jackson Has Devised A Game Called "real Or Not Real" To Help Peeta. He Mentions Something He Thinks Happened, And They Tell Him If It's True Or Imagined, Usually Followed By A Brief Explanation.

I Think....you Still Have No Idea. The Effect You Can Have.

By The End Of The Session, I Am No One At All. Haymitch Started Drinking Somewhere Around Witty, And A Nasty Edge Has Crept Into His Voice. "i Give Up, Sweetheart. Just Answer The Questions And Try Not To Let The Audience See How Openly You Despise Them.

Sick And Disoriented, I'm Able To Form Only One Thought: Peeta Mellark Just Saved My Life.

Ripred Sighed. 'i Suppose So. You And I Seem To End Up Doing Everything. Shall We Say Four Members For Each Delegation?' 'why Not?' Luxa Said. 'four Can Be As Stupid As Ten. No Need To Crowd The Room.' Ripred Laughed. 'you Know, I Think You An I Are Going To Get On Famously.

Let The Hunger Games Begin!

So At Least Half The Victors Have Instructed Their Mentors To Request You As An Ally. I Know It Can't Be Your Sunny Personality.” “they Saw Her Shoot,” Says Peeta With A Smile. “actually, I Saw Her Shoot, For Real, For The First Time. I'm About To Put In A Formal Request Myself.” “you're That Good?” Haymitch Asks Me.

I Can Hear Him Weeping But I Don't Care. They Probably Won't Even Bother To Question Her, She's So Far Gone. Gone Right Off The Deep End Years Ago In Her Games. There's A Good Chance I'm Headed In The Same Direction. Maybe I'm Already Going Crazy And No One Has The Heart To Tell Me. I Feel Crazy Enough.

Oh, The Fun We Two Have Together.

Yes, Frosting. The Final Defense Of The Dying.

The Evil Thing Is Inside, Not Out.

I Just Don't Want Them To Change Me, If I'm Going To Die I Still Want To Be Me.

What Will Break Me Into A Million Pieces So That I Am Beyond Repair, Beyond Usefulness?

Aren't They The Very Reason I Have To Try To Fight? Because What Has Been Done To Them Is So Wrong, So Beyond Justification, So Evil That There Is No Choice? Because No One Has The Right To Treat Them As They Have Been Treated?

I Swear If You Cry, I'll Kill You Here And Now.' Cinna Just Smiles. 'had A Damp Morning?' 'you Could Wring Me Out.' I Reply

I'm Unaware That My Feet Are Moving To The Table Until I'm Inches From The Holograph. My Hand Reaches In And Cups A Rapidly Blinking Green Light. Someone Joins Me, His Body Tense. Finnick, Of Course. Because Only A Victor Would See What I See So Immediately. The Arena. Laced With Pods Controlled By Gamemakers. Finnick's Fingers Caress A Steady Red Glow Over A Doorway. "ladies And Gentlemen..." His Voice Is Quiet, But Mine Rings Through The Room. "let The Seventy-sixth Hunger Games Begin!

I Killed You. And You. And You.

What Must It Be Like, I Wonder, To Live In A World Where Food Appears At The Press Of A Button? How Would I Spend The Hours I Now Commit To Combing The Woods For Sustenance If It Were So Easy To Come By? What Do They Do All Day, These People In The Capitol, Besides Decorating Their Bodies And Waiting Around For A New Shipment Of Tributes To Rill In And Die For Their Entertainment?

Everything Is Happening Too Fast For Me To Process It.

They Erase My Face With A Layer Of Pale Makeup And Draw My Features Back Out.

Stupid People Are Dangerous.

It's Meant To Be Pretty," Whispers Octavia, And I Can See The Tears Threatening To Spill Over Her Lashes. Posy Considers This And Says Matter-of-factly, "i Think You'd Be Pretty In Any Color." The Tiniest Of Smiles Forms On Octavia's Lips. "thank You.

You Would Think After All The Hours I’d Spent With Gale– Watching Him Talk And Laugh And Frown– That I Would Know All There Was To Know About His Lips. But I Hadn’t Imagined How Warm They Would Feel Pressed Against My Own. Or How Those Hands [...] Could Entrap Me… I Vaguely Remember My Fingers, Curled Tightly Closed, Resting On His Chest.

Roses. Wolf Mutts. Tributes. Frosted Dolphins. Friends. Mockingjays. Stylists. Me. Everything Screams In My Dreams Tonight.

Most Of The Peacekeepers Turn A Blind Eye To The Few Of Us Who Hunt Because They're As Hungry As We Are For Fresh Meat As Anyone. In Fact, They're Among Our Best Customers.

I Curl Up, Make Myself Smaller, Try To Disappear Entirely. Wrapped In Silence, I Slide My Bracelet That Reads 'mentally Disoriented' Around And Around My Wrist.

Right Before The Explosions Begin, I Find A Star.

Haymitch In My Head Full-time. Horrifying

Beetee Is Still Messing Round The Tree, Doing I Don't Know What. At One Point He Snaps Off A Sliver Of Bark, Joins Us, And Throws It Against The Force Field. It Bounces Back And Lands On The Ground, Glowing. In A Few Moments It Returns To Its Original Color. "well, That Explains A Lot," Says Beetee. I Look At Peeta And Can't Help Biting My Lip To Keep From Laughing Since It Explains Absolutely Nothing To Anyone But Beetee.

No One Will Forget Me. Not My Look, Not My Name. Katniss. The Girl Who Was On Fire.

The Way She Kissed You In The Quarter Quell…well She Never Kissed Me Like That…i Should Have Volunteered To Take Your Place In The First Games. Protected Her Then…i Guess It’s Katniss’ Problem. Who To Choose…katniss Will Pick Whoever She Thinks She Can’t Survive Without.

Even If Times Got Bad, He Would Never Again Deny Himself The Possibility That The Future Might Be Happy Even If The Present Was Painful. He Would Allow Himself Dreams.

It's Amazing To See Things That Are Suggested In The Book Fully Developed And So Brilliantly Realized Through The Artistry Of The Designers.

I Remember The First Time I Saw You. Your Hair Was In Two Braids Instead Of One. And I Remember When You... You Sang In The Music Assembly And The Teacher Said... "who Knows The Valley Song?" And Your Hand Shot Straight Up. After That, I... I Watched You Going Home Every Day...

Kind People Have A Way Of Working Their Way Inside Me And Rooting There.

So I Only Say, "so What Should We Do With Our Last Few Days?" "i Just Want To Spend Every Possible Minute Of The Rest Of My Life With You," Peeta Replies.

You Asked Why The Rate Hate Overlanders So Deeply. It Is Because They Know One Will Be The Warrior Of The Prophecy," Said Vikus. "oh, I See," Said Gregor. "so, When's He Coming?" Vikus Fixed His Eyes On Gregor. "i Believe He Is Already Here.

Is That Why You Hate Me?" I Ask. "partly," She Admits. "jealousy Is Certainly Involved. I Also Think You're A Little Hard To Swallow. With Your Tacky Romantic Drama And Your Defender-of-the-helpless Act. Only It Isn't An Act, Which Makes You More Unbearable. Please Feel Free To Take This Personally.

Panem Et Circenses" Translates Into 'bread And Circuses.' The Writer Was Saying That In Return For Full Bellies And Entertainment, His People Had Given Up Their Political Responsibilities And Therefore Their Power.

I No Longer Feel Any Allegiance To These Monsters Called Human Beings, Despise Being One Myself.

There Are Much Worse Games To Play.

Let Them Go, I Tell Myself. Say Good-bye And Forget Them. I Do My Best, Thinking Of Them One By One, Releasing Them Like Birds From The Protective Cages Inside Me, Locking The Doors Against Their Return.

I Swing My Arms To Loosen Myself Up. Place My Fists On My Hips. Then Drop Them To My Sides. Saliva's Filling My Mouth At A Ridiculous Rate And I Feel Vomit At The Back Of My Throat. I Swallow Hard And Open My Lips So I Can Get The Stupid Line Out And Go Hide In The Woods And-that's When I Start Crying.

And Then, When He’s Been Underwater So Long I Feel Certain He’s Drowned, His Head Pops Up Right Next To Me And I Start. “don’t Do That,” I Say. “what? Come Up Or Stay Under?” He Says. “either. Neither. Whatever

Beauty That Arose Out Of Pain.

Your Favorite Colour . . . It's Green?" "that's Right." Then I Think Of Something To Add. "and Yours Is Orange." "orange?" He Seems Unconvinced. "not Bright Orange. But Soft. Like The Sunset," I Say. "at Least, That's What You Told Me Once." "oh." He Closes His Eyes Briefly, Maybe Trying To Conjure Up That Sunset, Then Nods His Head. "thank You." But More Words Tumble Out. "you're A Painter. You're A Baker. You Like To Sleep With The Windows Open. You Never Take Sugar In Your Tea. And You Always Double-knot Your Shoelaces.

If I Feel Ragged, My Prep Team Seems In Worse Condition, Knocking Back Coffee And Sharing Brightly Colored Little Pills. As Far As I Can Tell, They Never Get Up Before Noon Unless There's Some Sort Of National Emergency, Like My Leg Hair.

People Don't Need Wings To Survive" "mockingjays Do.

The Problem Is, I Can’t Tell What’s Real Anymore, And What’s Made Up.

As I Descend The Stairs, I Can’t Help Brushing My Fingers Along The Unblemished White Marble Walls. So Cold And Beautiful. Even In The Capitol, There’s Nothing To Match The Magnificence Of This Old Building. But There Is No Give To The Surface - Only My Flesh Yields, My Warmth Taken. Stone Conquers People Every Time.

Because...because...she Came Here With Me.

Hunger For Love

Not Only Does He Hate Me, And Want To Kill Me, He No Longer Believes I'm Human. It Was Less Painful Being Strangled.

Just One More Thing. I Kill Snow.

Even In War There Should Be Lines You Didn't Cross.

It Starts At Midnight.

Something Flickers Across His Bloodshot Eyes. Pain.

But In School I Remember Hearing That For The Second Quarter Quell, The Capitol Demanded That Twice The Number Of Tributes Be Provided For The Arena. The Teachers Didn't Go Into Much More Detail, Which Is Surprising, Because That Was The Year District 12's Very Own Haymitch Abernathy Won The Crown.

You're Punishing Him Over And Over For Things That Are Out Of His Control.

Because I'm Selfish. I'm A Coward. I'm The Kind Of Girl Who, When She Might Actually Be Of Use, Would Run To Stay Alive And Leave Those Who Couldn't Follow To Suffer And Die.

I Must Have Loved You A Lot.

I Take Peeta's Face In My Hands. "don't Worry. I'll See You At Midnight.

I'm Sick Of People Lying To Me For My Own Good. Because Really It's Mostly For Their Own Good.

Of Course You Are. The Tributes Were Necessary To The Games, Too. Until They Weren't," I Say. "and Then We Were Very Disposable - Right, Plutarch?

But The Words Are Easy And Soothing, Promising Tomorrow Will Be More Hopeful Than This Awful Piece O Time We Call Today.

Katniss, Got That Spile?" Finnick Asks, Snapping Me Back To Reality.

I Guess After Tonight Boots Won't Think The Whole World Is Her Friend," Thought Gregor. She Had To Find Out Sometime, But It Still Made Him Sad.

Still, I Hate Them. But, Of Course, I Hate Almost Everybody Now. Myself More Than Anyone.

Mockingjay Book

How Are You Managing? And Don't Say You're Fine." It's True. Whatever The Opposite Of Fine Is, That's What I Am.

I Mean I Know It's Cold Out Here And Not Everybody Has A Sleeping Bag. But When You Grit Your Teeth And Stick It Out Until Dawn!

I Look Down At Our Linked Fingers As I Loosen My Grasp, But He Regains His Grip On Me. “no, Don’t Let Go Of Me,” He Says.

Yes, I’m A Mouse. Squeak, Squeak. Now Shoo-shoo Back To Your Little Bug Friends,” Said Rirped, Picking Up A Hunk Of Dried Beef. He Tore A Off A Piece With His Teeth And Noticed Boots Hadn’t Moved. He Pulled Back His Lips To Reveal A Row Of Jagged Teeth And Gave Her A Sharp Hiss.

Eyes On The Forest, Not On The Trees.

Greeting To The Final Contestants Of The Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The Earlier Revision Has Been Revoked. Closer Examination Of The Rule Book Has Disclosed That Only One Winner May Be Allowed," He Says. "good Luck And May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor.

Since My Father Died And I Stopped Trusting My Mother, No One Else's Arms Have Made Me Feel This Safe.

You’ve Got About As Much Charm As A Dead Slug.

Here, Cover Yourself With This And I'll Wash Your Shorts." "oh, I Don't Care If You See Me," Says Peeta.

Peeta Rinses The Pearl Off In The Water And Hands It To Me. “for You.” I Hold It Out On My Palm And Examine Its Iridescent Surface In The Sunlight. Yes, I Will Keep It. For The Few Remaining Hours Of My Life I Will Keep It Close. This Last Gift From Peeta. The Only One I Can Really Accept. Perhaps It Will Give Me Strength In The Final Moments.

If You Won't Talk About Yourself, At Least Compliment The Audience. Just Keep Turning It Back Around, All Right. Gush.

Peeta Bakes. I Hunt. Haymitch Drinks Until The Liquor Runs Out.

But After Several Hours, I Go Anyway, Walking In Silent Sock Feet, So As Not To Awaken The Ghosts.

No Matter What I Do, I'm Hurting Someone." - Katniss Everdeen

You Haven't Hurt People—you've Given Them An Opportunity. They Just Have To Be Brave Enough To Take It.

No One Really Needs Me," He Says, And There Is No Self-pity In His Voice. It's True His Family Doesn't Need Him. They Will Mourn Him, As Will A Handful Of Friends. But They Will Get On. Even Haymitch, With The Help Of A Lot Of White Liquor, Will Get On. I Realize Only One Person Will Be Damaged Beyond Repair If Peeta Dies. Me. "i Do," I Say. "i Need You.

Just The Perfect Touch Of Rebellion," Says Haymitch "very Nice." Rebellion?

What Do You Think?" I Whisper To Peeta. "about The Fire?" "i'll Rip Off Your Cape If You'll Rip Off Mine," He Says Through Gritted Teeth.

Buttercup, Miserable Even With Prim’s Constant Attention, Huddles In The Cube And Exhales Cat Breath In My Face.

The Star-crossed Lovers

Star Crossed Lovers

The Main Thing I Feel Is A Sense Of Relief. That I Can Give Up This Game. That The Question Of Whether I Can Succeed In This Venture Has Been Answered, Even If That Answer Is A Resounding No. That If Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures, I Am Free To Act As Desperately As I Want.

Desperate Measures

I Pull The Sleeping Bag Up To His Chin And Kiss His Forehead, Not For The Audience, But For Me. Because I'm So Grateful That He's Here, Not Dead By The Stream As I'd Thought. So Glad I Don't Have To Face Cato Alone.

But Because Two Can Play At This Game, I Stand On Tiptoe And Kiss His Cheek. Right On His Bruise.

Maybe Everyone Is Just Trying To Protect Me By Lying To Me. I Don't Care. I'm Sick Of People Lying To Me For My Own Good.

Hey, Finnick, Come On In! We Figured Out How To Make You Pretty Again!

They More Than Do Their Work, They Take Pride In It. Like Cinna.

She Must Have Really Loved Him To Leave Her Home For The Seam. I Try To Remember That When All I Can See Is The Woman Who Sat By, Blank And Unreachable, While Her Children Turned To Skin And Bones. I Try To Forgive Her For My Father's Sake. But To Be Honest, I'm Not The Forgiving Type.

But Mockingjays Were Never A Weapon," Said Madge. "they’re Just Songbirds. Right?" "yeah, I Guess So,” I Said, But It’s Not True. A Mockingbird Is Just A Songbird. A Mockingjay Is A Creature The Capitol Never Intended To Exist. They Hadn’t Counted On The Highly Controlled Jabberjay Having The Brains To Adapt To The Wild, To Thrive In A New Form. They Hadn’t Anticipated Its Will To Live.

You Know, You Could Live A Thousand Lifetimes And Not Deserve Him.

Frankly, I Could Use A Little Sugarcoating.

Now He's [cinna] Arranging Things Around My Living Room: Clothing, Fabrics, And Sketchbooks With Designs He's Drawn. I Pick One Up And Examine One Of The Dresses I Supposedly Created. You Know, I Think I Show A Lot Of Promise," I Say. Get Dressed, You Worthless Thing.

I Have Zero Interest In These Capitol People. They Are Only Distractions From The Food.

Tuck In Your Tail, Little Duck.

I Wish They Were All Dead And We Were, Too. It Would Be Best." Well, There's No Good Response To That. I Can Hardly Dispute It Since I Was Walking Around With A Syringe To Kill Peeta When I Found Them. Do I Really Want Him Dead? What I Want...what I Want Is To Have Him Back.

Just The Sound Of His Voice Twists My Stomach Into A Knot Of Unpleasant Emotions Like Guilt, Sadness And Fear. And Longing. I Might As Well Admit There’s Some Of That Too.

Where Did They Get Those Screams, Katniss?

Yes. I Killed Him. And Buried Her In Flowers," I Say. "and I Sang Her To Sleep.

Aim Higher In Case You Fall Short.

You Can Tell By The Way The Girls Whisper About Him When He Walks By In School That They Want Him. It Makes Me Jealous But Not For The Reason People Would Think. Good Hunting Partners Are Hard To Find.

In That One Slight Motion, I See The End Of Hope, Beginning Of Destruction Of Everything I Hold Dear In The World. I Can't Guess What Form My Punishment Will Take, How Wide The Net Will Be Cast, But When It Is Finished There Most Likely Be Nothing Left. So You Would Think That At This Moment, I Would Be In Utter Despair.

Taking The Kids From Our Districts, Forcing Them To Kill One Another While We Watch – This Is The Capitol’s Way Of Reminding Us How Totally We Are At Their Mercy. How Little Chance We Would Stand Of Surviving Another Rebellion. Whatever Words They Use, The Real Message Is Clear. “look How We Take Your Children And Sacrifice Them And There’s Nothing You Can Do. If You Lift A Finger, We Will Destroy Every Last One Of You. Just As We Did In District Thirteen

Having An Eye For Beauty Isn't The Same Thing As A Weakness...except Possibly When It Comes To You.

That Should Have Been My Strategy! By The Time I’ve Worked Through The Emotions Of Surprise, Admiration, Anger, Jealousy, And Frustration, I’m Watching That Reddish Mane Of Hair Disappear Into The Trees Well Out Of Shooting Range.

He Tilts His Forehead Down To Rest Against Mine And Pulls Me Closer. His Skin, His Whole Being Radiates Heat From Being So Near The Fire, And I Close My Eyes, Soaking In His Warmth. I Breathe In The Smell Of Snow-dampened Leather And Smoke And Apples, The Smell Of All Those Wintry Days We Shared Before The Games. I Don't Try To Move Away. Why Should I Anyway? His Voice Drops To A Whisper. "i Love You." That's Why.

It's Strange To Be So Physically Close To Someone Who's So Distant

This Was The Door To Both Sustenance And Sanity. And We Were Each Other's Key.

I'm Not Flailing Now, As My Muscles Are Rigid With The Tension Of Holding Myself Together.

I Don't Care If You Got Knocked Up. I Can Still Rip Your Throat Out

Haymitch Said You'd Take A Lot Of Convincing.

No, It Happened. And Right When Your Song Ended, I Knew - Just Like Your Mother - I Was A Goner,' Peeta Says.

If He Wants Me Broken, Then I Will Have To Be Whole.

You Can’t Miss Your Schedule. Every Morning, You’re Supposed To Stick Your Right Arm In This Contraption In The Wall. It Tattoos The Smooth Inside Of Your Forearm With Your Schedule For The Day In A Sickly Purple Ink. 7:00—breakfast. 7:30—kitchen Duties. 8:30—education Center, Room 17. And So On. The Ink Is Indelible Until 22:00—bathing

In Really Bad Times, The Hungriest Would Gather At His Door At Nightfall, Vying For The Chance To Earn A Few Coins To Feed Their Families By Selling Their Bodies. Had I Been Older When My Father Died, I Might Have Been Among Them. Instead I Learned To Hunt.

I Don't Have A Talent, Unless You Count Hunting Illegally, Which They Don't. Or Maybe Singing, Which I Wouldn't Do For The Capitol In A Million Years. My Mother Tried To Interest Me In A Variety Of Suitable Alternatives From A List Effie Trinket Sent Her. Cooking, Flower Arranging, Playing The Flute. None Of Them Took, Although Prim Had A Knack For All Three. Finally Cinna Stepped In And Offered To Help Me Develop My Passion For Designing Clothes, Which Really Required Development Since It Was Non-existent.

It's Impossible To Be The Mockingjay. Impossible To Complete Even This One Sentence. Because Now I Know That Everything I Say Will Be Directly Taken Out On Peeta. Result In His Torture. But Not His Death, No Nothing So Merciful As That. Snow Will Ensure That His Life Is Much Worse Than Death.

I Wonder How She'll Make Up Her Mind." "oh, That I Do Know." I Can Just Catch Gale's Last Words Through The Layer Of Fur. "katniss Will Pick Whoever She Thinks She Can't Survive Without.

I Trusted Him. I Put What Was Precious In Haymitch's Hands. & He Has Betrayed Me

We Star-crossed Lovers Of District 12, Who Suffered So Much And Enjoyed So Little The Rewards Of Our Victory, Do Not Seek Our Fans' Favor, Grace Them With Our Smiles, Or Catch Their Kisses. We Are Unforgiving. And I Love It. Getting To Be Myself At Last.

And We Must Fight Back! President Snow Says He's Sending Us A Message? Well, I Have One For Him. You Can Torture Us And Bomb Us And Burn Our Districts To The Ground, But Do You See That? Fire Is Catching! And If We Burn, You Burn With Us!

‎what Is To Prevent, Say, An Uprising?

Enobaria Smiles At Johanna. 'don't Look So Smug,' Says Johanna. 'we'll Kill You Anyway.

What Was That You Were Saying Just Before The Food Arrived? Something About Me... No Competition... Best Thing That Ever Happened To You.

As Coal Pressured Into Pearls By Our Weighty Existence. Beauty That Arose Out Of Pain.

I Can Almost Hear Haymitch Groaning As I Team Up With This Wispy Child. But I Want Her. Because She's A Survivor, And I Trust Her, And Why Not Admit It? She Reminds Me Of Prim.

Peeta Crouches Down On The Other Side Of Her And Strokes Her Hair. When He Begins To Speak In A Soft Voice, It Seems Almost Nonsensical, But The Words Aren’t For Me. “with My Paint Box At Home, I Can Make Every Color Imaginable. Pink. As Pale As A Baby’s Skin. Or As Deep As Rhubarb. Green Like Spring Grass. Blue That Shimmers Like Ice On Water.

Tonight. After The Reaping, Everyone Is Supposed To Celebrate. And A A Lot Of People Do, Out Of Relief That Their Children Have Been Spared For Another Year. But At Least Two Families Will Pull Their Shutters, Lock Their Doors, And Try To Figure Out How They Will Survive The Painful Weeks To Come.

Why Don't I Just Pretend I'm On Camera, Plutarch?" I Say. "yes! Perfect. One Is Always Much Braver With An Audience," He Says. "look At The Courage Peeta Just Displayed!" It's All I Can Do Not To Slap Him.

Peeta And I Had Adjoining Cells In The Capitol. We're Very Familiar With Each Other's Screams.” Annie, Who's On Johanna's Other Side, Does That Thing Where She Covers Her Ears And Exits Reality. Finnick Shoots Johanna An Angry Look As His Arm Encircles Annie. “what? My Head Doctor Says I'm Not Supposed To Censor My Thoughts. It's Part Of My Therapy,” Replies Johanna.

Look, If You Wanted To Be Babied You Should Have Asked Peeta.

I Drink In His Wholeness, The Soudness Of His Body And Mind. It Runs Through Me Like The Morphling They Give Me In The Hospital, Dulling The Pain Of The Last Weeks.

I Do Think You're Mad And I'll Still Go With You.

It's Lovely. If Only You Could Frost Someone To Death.

I Take His Hand, Holding On Tightly, Preparing For The Cameras, And Dreading The Moment When I Will Finally Have To Let Go.

Warmblood Now A Bloodborne Death, Will Rob Your Body Of It's Breath Mark Your Skin And Seal Your Fate The Underland Becomes A Plate

Did You Love Annie Right Away, Finnick?" I Ask. "no." A Long Time Passes Before He Adds, "she Crept Up On Me.

He Felt Around Desperately For A Weapon. What Did He Have? Diapers? Cookies? Oh, Why Hadn't They Given Him A Sword? He Was The Stupid Warrior, Wasn't He? His Fingers Dug In The Leather Bag And Closed Around The Root Beer Can. Root Beer! He Yanked Out The Can Shaking It With All His Might. "attack! Attack!" He Yelled.

Peeta: You Be Nice To Her, Finnick. Or I Might Try And Take Her Away From You. Finnick: Oh, Peeta. Don't Make Me Sorry I Restarted Your Heart.

If The Careers Want Me, Let Them Find Me.

And Then, If You Make It To Bedtime, You Feel The Joy Of Cheating Death Out Of One More Day," She Said. "do You See?

He Puts The Chain With The Locket Around My Neck, Then Rests His Hand Over The Spot Where Our Baby Would Be. “you’re Going To Make A Great Mother, You Know,” He Says. He Kisses Me One Last Time And Goes Back To Finnick.

In One Horrible Moment The Last Piece Of The Prophecy Became Clear. So Bid Him Take Care, Bid Him Look Where He Leaps, As Life May Be Death And Death Life Again Reaps. He Had To Leap, And By His Death, The Others Would Live. That Was It. That Was What Sandwich Had Been Trying To Say All Along, And By Now He Believed In Sandwich. He Put On A Final Burst Of Speed, Just Like The Coach Taught Him In Track. He Gave Everything He Had. In The Last Few Steps Before The Canyon He Felt A Sharp Pain In The Back Of His Leg, And Then The Ground Gave Way Under His Feet. Gregor The Overlander Leaped.

The Ones I Loved Fly As Birds In The Open Sky Above Me. Soaring, Weaving, Calling To Me To Join Them. I Want So Badly To Follow Them, But The Seawater Saturates My Wings, Making It Impossible To Lift Them. The Ones I Hated Have Taken To The Water, Horrible Scaled Things That Tear My Salty Flesh With Needle Teeth. Biting Again And Again. Dragging Me Beneath The Surface.

Entrails. No Hissing. This Is The Closest We Will Ever Come To Love.

Hunger Games Book

But I Feel As If I Did Know Rue, And She'll Always Be With Me. Everything Beautiful Brings Her To Mind. I See Her In The Yellow Flowers That Grow In The Meadow By My House. I See Her In The Mockingjays That Sing In The Trees. But Most Of All, I See Her In My Sister, Prim.

Yeah, We Wouldn't Want To Lose Our Little Mockingjay When She's Finally Begun To Sing.

And To Us, We're More Married Than Any Piece Of Paper Or Big Party Could Make Us.

"katniss?" He Drops My Hand And I Take A Step, As If To Catch My Balance. "it Was All For The Games," Peeta Says. "how You Acted." "not All Of It," I Say, Tightly Holding Onto My Flowers. "then How Much? No, Forget That. I Guess The Real Question Is What's Going To Be Left When We Get Home?" He Says. "i Don't Know. The Closer We Get To District Twelve, The More Confused I Get," I Say. He Waits, For Further Explanation, But None's Forthcoming. "well, Let Me Know When You Work It Out," He Says, And The Pain In His Voice Is Palpable.

Remembering From Last Year How Haymitch's Gifts Are Often Timed To Send A Message, I Make A Note To Myself. Be Friends With Finnick. You'll Get Food.

Ll I Can Think About, Every Day, Every Waking Minute Since They Drew Prim's Name At The Reaping, Is How Afraid I Am.

It'd Be Better If He Were Easier To Hate.

Birds Are Settling Down For The Night, Singing Lullabies To Their Young.

You Know, I Think This Is The First Time We've Ever Done Anything Normal Together.

He Never Lets Go Of Annie's Hand. Not When They Walk, Not When They Eat. I Doubt He Ever Plans To.

It’s The Final Word In Camouflage. Forget Chucking Weights Around. Peeta Should Have Gone Into His Private Session With The Gamemakers And Painted Himself Into A Tree. Or A Boulder. Or A Muddy Bank Full Of Weeds.

It's A Long Shot, It's Suicide Maybe, But I Do The Only Thing I Can Think Of. I Lean In And Kiss Peeta Full On The Mouth. His Whole Body Starts Shuddering, But I Keep My Lips Pressed To His Until I Have To Come Up For Air. My Hands Slide Up His Wrists To Clasp His. "don't Let Him Take You From Me." Peeta's Panting Hard As He Fights The Nightmares Raging His Head. "no. I Don't Want To. . ." I Clench His Hands To The Point Of Pain. "stay With Me." His Pupils Contract To Pinpoints, Dilate Again Rapidly, And Then Return To Something Resembling Normalcy. "always," He Murmurs.

Crying Is Not An Option.

A Spark Could Be Enough To Set Them Ablaze.

They Can Pump Whatever They Want Into My Arm But It Takes More Than That To Keep A Person Going Once She's Lost The Will To Live.

You're Not Going To Die. I Forbid It. All Right?" "all Right," He Whispers.

If I Can Make It Clear That I’m Still Defying The Capitol Right Up To The End, The Capitol Will Have Killed Me... But Not My Spirit. What Better Way To Give Hope To The Rebels?

Suddenly I Am Furious, That With My Life On The Line, They Don’t Even Have The Decency To Pay Attention To Me. That I’m Being Upstaged By A Dead Pig.

Thinking Like Your Prey. . . That's Where You Find Their Vulnerabilities.

"clove!" Cato's Voice Is Much Nearer Now. I Can Tell By The Pain In It That He Sees Her On The Ground. "you Better Run Now, Fire Girl," Says Thresh. I Don't Need To Be Told Twice. I Flip Over And My Feet Dig Into The Hard-packed Earth As I Run Away From Thresh And Clove And The Sound Of Cato's Voice. Only When I Reach The Woods Do I Turn Back For An Instant. Thresh And Both Large Backpacks Are Vanishing Over The Edge Of The Plain Into The Area I've Never Seen. Cato Kneels Beside Clove, Spear In Hand, Begging Her To Stay With Him. In A Moment, He Will Realize It's Futile; She Can't Be Saved.

Want A Sugar Cube? [...] They're Supposed To Be For The Horses, But Who Cares? They've Got Years To Eat Sugar, Whereas You And I . . . Well, If We See Something Sweet We Better Grab It Quick. [...] You're Absolutely Terrifying Me In That Get-up. What Happened To The Pretty Little-girl Dresses?

As We Curve Around Into The Loop Of The City Circle, I Can See That A Couple Of Other Stylists Have Tried To Steal Cinna And Portia's Idea Of Illuminating Their Tributes. The Electric-light-studded Outfits From District 3, Where They Make Electronics, At Least Make Sense. But What Are The Livestock Keepers From Distric 10, Who Are Dressed As Cows, Doing With Flaming Belts? Broiling Themselves? Pathetic.

So We Both Strip Off Our Boots And Socks And, While There’s Some Improvement, I Could Swear He’s Making An Effort To Snap Every Branch We Encounter

I Go To The Saltwater And Wash Off The Blood, Trying To Decide Which I Hate More, Pain Or Itching. Fed Up, I Stomp Back Onto The Beach, Turn My Face Upward And Snap, "hey, Haymitch, If You're Not Too Drunk, We Could Use A Little Something For Our Skin." It's Almost Funny How Quickly The Parachute Appears Above Me. I Reach Up And The Tube Lands Squarely In My Open Hand. "about Time" I Say, But I Can't Keep The Scowl On My Face. Haymitch. What I Wouldn't Give For Five Minutes Of Conversation With Him.

And While I Was Talking, The Idea Of Actually Losing Peeta Hit Me Again And I Realized How Much I Don't Want Him To Die. And It's Not About The Sponsors. And It's Not About What Will Happen When We Get Home. And It's Not Just That I Don't Want To Be Alone. It's Him. I Do Not Want To Lose The Boy With The Bread.

They Play In The Meadow. The Dancing Girl With The Dark Hair And Blue Eyes. The Boy With Blond Curls And Gray Eyes, Struggling To Keep Up With Her On His Chubby Toddler Legs. It Took Five, Ten, Fifteen Years For Me To Agree. But Peeta Wanted Them So Badly. When I First Felt Her Stirring Inside Of Me, I Was Consumed With A Terror That Felt As Old As Life Itself. Only The Joy Of Holding Her In My Arms Could Tame It.

I Send A Silent Thank-you To Dalton For Suggesting I Wash Off The Makeup. How Ridiculous, How Perverse I Would Feel Presenting That Painted Capitol Mask To These People. The Damage, The Fatigue, The Imperfections. That's How They Recognize Me, Why I Belong To Them.

What About You?" "not A Clue. I Keep Wishing I Could Bake A Cake Or Something.

You're Not Afraid I'll Kill You Tonight?" "like I Couldn't Take You.

You Love Me. Real Or Not Real?" I Tell Him, "real.

I'll Never Know What It Was He Wanted Me To Remember.

My Name Is Katniss Everdeen. I Am Seventeen Years Old. My Home Is District 12. I Was In The Hunger Games. I Escaped. The Capitol Hates Me.

I'm More Than Just A Piece In Their Games.

As Long As You Can Find Yourself, You’ll Never Starve.

Finding Yourself

Because I Can Count On My Fingers The Number Of Sunsets I Have Left, And I Don't Want To Miss Any Of Them.

They're Betting On How Long I'll Live!" I Burst Out. "they're Not My Friends!" "well, Try And Pretend!" Snaps Effie. Then She Composes Herself And Beams At Me. "see, Like This. I'm Smiling At You Even Though You're Aggravating Me.

It’s The First Time I’ve Ever Kissed A Boy, Which Should Make Some Sort Of Impression I Guess, But All I Can Register Is How Unnaturally Hot His Lips Are From The Fever.

Maybe I'll Be Like The Man In The Hanging Tree Still Waiting For An Answer.' Gale Who I Have Never Seen Cry Has Tears In His Eyes. To Keep Them From Spilling Over. I Reach Forward And Press My Lips Against His. We Taste Of Heat, Ashes And Misery.

Obviously This Person's A Hazard. Stupid People Are Dangerous.

Just Last Year I Wanted To Kill Him, But Now It Is My Duty To Save Him.

I Never See These Things Coming. They Happen Too Fast. One Second You're Proposing An Escape Plan And The Next...

They Recognize Me. Of Course They Recognize Me. My Face Is Uncovered And I'm Standing Here Outside Of District 12 Pointing An Arrow At Them. Who Else Would I Be?

Rue, Who When You Ask Her What She Loves Most In The World, Replies, Of All Things, “music.

Positioned On My Dresser, That White-as-snow Rose Is A Personal Message To Me. It Speaks Of Unfinished Business. It Whispers, I Can Find You. I Can Reach You. Perhaps I Am Watching You Now.

Unfinished Business

I Think About Going To The Lake, But I'm So Weak That I Barely Make It To My Meeting Place With Gale. I Sit On The Rock Where Cressida Filmed Us, But It's Too Wide Without His Body Beside Me. Several Times I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten, Thinking That When I Open Them, He Will Have Materialized Without A Sound As He So Often Did. I Have To Remind Myself That Gale's In 2 With A Fancy Job, Probably Kissing Another Pair Of Lips.

Yeah, About That,” Says Peeta, Entwining His Fingers In Mine. “don’t Try Something Like That Again.” “or What?” I Ask. “or . . . Or . . .” He Can’t Think Of Anything Good. “just Give Me A Minute.

So That's Who Finnick Loves, I Think. Not His String Of Fancy Lovers In The Capitol. But A Poor, Mad Girl Back Home.

Live Your Life, Take Chances, Be Crazy. Dont Wait 'cause Right Now Is The Oldest You've Ever Been & The Youngest You'll Be Ever Again

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