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Then, In My Most Careful Handwriting, Come All The Details It Would Be A Crime To Forget. Lady Licking Prim's Cheek. My Father's Laugh. Peeta's Father With The Cookies. The Colour Of Finnick's Eyes. What Cinna Could Do With A Length Of Silk. Boggs Reprogramming The Holo. Rue Poised On Her Toes, Arms Slightly Extended, Like A Bird About To Take Flight. On And On. We Seal The Pages With Salt Water And Promises To Live Well To Make Their Death Count.

-Suzanne Collins

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Then, In My Most

Suzanne Collins

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Then, In My Most Careful Handwriting, Come All The Details It Would Be A Crime To Forget. Lady Licking Prim's Cheek. My Father's Laugh. Peeta's Father With The Cookies. The Colour Of Finnick's Eyes. What Cinna Could Do With A Length Of Silk. Boggs Reprogramming The Holo. Rue Poised On Her Toes, Arms Slightly Extended, Like A Bird About To Take Flight. On And On. We Seal The Pages With Salt Water And Promises To Live Well To Make Their Death Count.

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I've Spent So Much Time Making Sure I Don't Underestimate My Opponents That I've Forgotten It's Just As Dangerous To Overestimate Them As Well.

Aim Higher In Case You Fall Short.

I Search His Eyes For The Slightest Sign Of Anything, Fear, Remorse, Anger. But There's Only The Same Look Of Amusement That Ended Our Last Conversation. It's As If He's Speaking The Words Again. "oh, My Dear Miss Everdeen. I Thought We Had Agreed Not To Lie To Each Other." He's Right. We Did. The Point Of My Arrow Shifts Upward. I Release The String. And President Coin Collapses Over The Side Of The Balcony And Plunges To The Ground. Dead.

Peeta" I Said "stay With Me" I Heard Him Say One Word Before The Drigs Pulled Me Under, I Realised Later That What He Said Was 'always

I Walk Around The Room Eating Goose Liver And Puffy Bread Until There's A Knock On The Door. Effie's Calling Me To Dinner. Good. I'm Starving.

I Don't Think It's Going To Work Out. Winning...won't Help In Any Case. Because...she Came Here With Me. - Peeta Mellark

It Crosses My Mind That Cinna's Calm And Normal Demeanor Masks A Complete Madman.

They Hadn’t Counted On The Highly Controlled Jabberjay Having The Brains To Adapt To The Wild, To Pass On Its Genetic Code, To Thrive In A New Form. They Hadn’t Anticipated Its Will To Live.

Someone Ought To Get Haymitch A Drink.

Katniss Everdeen, The Girl Who Was On Fire, You Have Provided A Spark That, Left Unattended, May Grow To An Inferno That Destroys Panem," He Says.

Oh, The Fun We Two Have Together.

Frankly, I Could Use A Little Sugarcoating.

Highly Unlikely But Not Impossible.

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

Yes, Frosting. The Final Defense Of The Dying.

Never Underestimate The Power Of A Brillian Stylist.

Never Underestimate

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

If You Are Not Trying To Hold On To Time, You Are Not So Afraid Of Losing It.

Gregor The Overlander

It's As If I'm Finnick, Watching Images Of My Life Flash By. The Mast Of A Boat, A Silver Parachute, Mags Laughing, A Pink Sky, Beetee's Trident, Annie In Her Wedding Dress, Waves Breaking Over Rocks. Then Its Over.

If I Get Home, I'll Be So Stinking Rich, I'll Be Able To Pay Someone To Do My Hearing.

Winning The Games Will Make You Famous, Losing Will Mean Death.

If I'm Going To Cry, Now Is The Time. By Morning, I'll Be Able To Wash All The Damage Done By The Tears From My Face. But No Tears Come. I'm Too Tired Or Too Numb To Cry. The Only Thing I Feel Is A Desire To Be Somewhere Else. So I Let The Train Rock Me Into Oblivion.

We Follow Instructions To My Destination, A Chamber For My Preparation.

She's Not Here," I Tell Him. Buttercup Hisses Again. "she's Not Here. You Can Hiss All You Like. You Won't Find Prim." At Her Name, He Perks Up. Raises His Flattened Ears. Begins To Meow Hopefully. "get Out!" He Dodges The Pillow I Throw At Him. "go Away! There's Nothing Left For You Here!" I Start To Shake, Furious With Him. "she's Not Coming Back! She's Never Ever Coming Back Here Again!" I Grab Another Pillow And Get To My Feet To Improve My Aim. Out Of Nowhere, The Tears Begin To Pour Down My Cheeks. "she's Dead, You Stupid Cat. She's Dead.

As The Alcohol Overcomes My Mind, I Hear The Glass Bottle Shatter On The Floor. This Seems Appropriate Since I Have Obviously Lost My Grip On Everything.

I Mourn My Old Life Here. We Barely Scraped By, But I Knew Where I Fit In, I Knew What My Place Was In The Tightly Interwoven Fabric That Was Our Life. I Wish I Could Go Back To It Because, In Retrospect, It Seems So Secure Compared To Now, When I Am So Rich And Famous And So Hated By The Authorities In The Capitol.

Remember That Even In War There Is A Time For Restraint. A Time To Hold Back Your Sword.

That If Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures, Then I'm Free To Act As Desperately As I Wish.

Desperate Measures

Well You Are A Piece Of Work Aren't You?

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

But What Was It Haymitch Said When I Asked If He Had Told Peeta The Situation? That He Had To Pretend To Be Desperately In Love? “don’t Have To. He’s Already There.

I Can’t Fight The Sun. I Can Only Watch Helplessly As It Drags Me Into A Day That I’ve Been Dreading For Months. Katniss Everdeen

Cinna Just Smiles. 'had A Damp Morning?' 'you Could Wring Me Out,' I Reply. Cinna Puts His Arm Around My Shoulder And Leads Me Into Lunch. ' Don't Worry, I Always Channel My Emotions Into My Work. That Way I Don't Hurt Anyone But Myself.

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?

Just Remember, Stealing's Punishable By Death

I Take A Few Breaths To Calm Myself, Step Back, And Lift Buttercup By The Scruff Of The Neck. "i Should've Drowned You When I Had The Chance." His Ears Flatten And He Raises A Paw. I Hiss Before He Gets A Chance, Which Seems To Annoy Him A Little, Since He Considers Hissing His Own Personal Sound Of Contempt.

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.

You Can Swim, Too." He Says. "where Did You Learn That In District Twelve?" "we Have A Very Big Bathtub.

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!

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.

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

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'm More Than Just A Piece In Their Games.

The Realization That I’d Have Nothing To Take Home Had Finally Sunk In. My Knees Buckled And I Slid Down The Tree Trunk To Its Roots. It Was Too Much. I Was Too Sick And Weak And Tired, Oh, So Tired. Let Them Call The Peacekeepers And Take Us To The Community Home, I Thought. Or Better Yet, Let Me Die Right Here In The Rain.

And It’s All My Fault, Gale. Because Of What I Did In The Arena. If I Had Just Killed Myself With Those Berries, None Of This Would’ve Happened. Peeta Could Have Come Home And Lived, And Everyone Else Would Have Been Safe, Too.” “safe To Do What?” He Says In A Gentler Tone. “starve? Work Like Slaves? Send Their Kids To The Reaping? You Haven’t Hurt People – You’ve Given Them An Opportunity. They Just Have To Be Brave Enough To Take It.

Even Though I Don't Ask, Plutarch Gives Me Cheerful Updates On The Phone Like "good News, Katniss! I Think We've Almost Got Him Convinced You're Not A Mutt!" Or "today He Was Allowed To Feed Himself Pudding!

My Spirit. This Is A New Thought. I'm Not Sure Exactly What It Means, But It Suggests I'm A Fighter. In A Sort Of Brave Way. It's Not As If I'm Never Friendly. Okay, Maybe I Don't Go Around Loving Everybody I Meet, Maybe My Smiles Are Hard To Come By, But I Do Care For Some People.

That Was The One Thing I Had Going For Me. Taking Care Of Your Family.

Eyes On The Forest, Not On The Trees.

Whatever It Takes To Break You.

Whatever It Takes

If He Goes And Dies On Me Now, I Know I'll Go Completely Insane.

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.

I Know. I Was Hoping," I Say. "exactly. Because You're Desperate," Says Haymitch. I Don't Argue Because, Of Course, He's Right.

I Don’t Stand A Chance If He Doesn't Get Better. You’ll Never Be Able To Let Him Go. You’ll Always Feel Wrong About Being With Me.” “the Way I Always Felt Wrong Kissing Him Because Of You,” I Say. Gale Holds My Gaze. “if I Thought That Was True, I Could Almost Live With The Rest Of It.

The Glue Of Mutual Need That Bonded Us So Tightly Together For All Those Years Is Melting Away. Dark Patches, Not Light, Show In The Spaces Between Us.

If It's True, Why Do They Leave Us To Live Like This? With The Hunger And The Killings And The Games?" And Suddenly I Hate This Imaginary Underground City Of District 13 And Those Who Sit By, Watching Us Die. They're No Better Than The Capitol.

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.

How About You, Mockingjay? You Feel Totally Safe?” “oh, Yeah. Right Up Until I Got Shot,” I Say.

Haymitch Said You'd Take A Lot Of Convincing.

Oh, My Dear Miss Everdeen. I Thought We Had An Agreement Not To Lie To Each Other.

I Can Feel Peeta Press His Forehead Into My Temple And He Asks, 'so Now That You've Got Me, What Are You Going To Do With Me?' I Turn Into Him. 'put You Somewhere You Can't Get Hurt.

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

If Under Fell, If Over Leaped, If Death Was Life And Death Life Reaped, Something Rises From The Gloom, To Make The Underland A Tomb Hear It Scratching Down Below, Rat Of Long Forgotten Snow, Evil Cloaked In Coat Of White, Will The Warrior Drain Your Light? What Could Turn The Warrior Week? What Do Burning Gnawers Seek? Just A Barely Speaking Pup That Holds The Land Of Under Up Die The Baby, Die His Heart Die His Most Essential Part Die The Peace That Rules The Hour, Gnawers Have Their Key To Power

For There To Be Betrayal, There Would Have To Have Been Trust First.

I'm Not Good At Talking About Myself.

"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.

Fine. I'll Train. But I'm Going To The Stinking Capitol If I Have To Kill A Crew And Fly There Myself." Says Johanna. "probably Best Not To Bring That Up In Training," I Say. "but It's Nice To Know I'll Have A Ride.

Telling A Story In A Futuristic World Gives You This Freedom To Explore Things That Bother You In Contemporary Times.

Destroying Things Is Much Easier Than Making Them.

Hunger Games Book

How Much Energy They Put Into Harming Each Other. How Little Into Saving.

Crying Is Not An Option.

I Vote Yes....for Prim.

I Realize Only One Person Will Be Damaged Beyond Repair If Peeta Dies. Me.

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

I Flee What I Can't Fight. What Can Only Do Me Harm.

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

Peeta?" I Creep Along The Bank. "well, Don't Step On Me.

Let Me Go!” I Snarl At Him, Trying To Wrest My Arm From His Grasp. “i Can’t,” He Says.

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.

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

It Means Thanks, It Means Admiration, It Means Good-bye To Someone You Love.

You Could Do A Lot Worse.

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

It Takes Ten Times As Long To Put Yourself Back Together As It Does To Fall Apart.

Smiling Is Mostly About Smiling More.

How Did Rue End Up On That Stage With Nothing But The Wind Offering To Take Her Place?

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

Because Something Is Significantly Wrong With A Creature That Sacrifices Its Children's Lives To Settle Its Differences. You Can Spin It Any Way You Like... But In The End, Who Does It Benefit? No One. The Truth Is, It Benefits No One To Live In A World Where These Things Happen

The Arenas Are Historic Sites, Preserved After The Games. Popular Destinations For Capitol Residents To Visit, To Vacation. Go For A Month, Rewatch The Games, Tour The Catacombs, Visit The Sites Where The Deaths Took Place. You Can Even Take Part In Reenactments. They Say The Food Is Excellent

I Guess This Is A Bad Time To Mention I Hung A Dummy And Painted Seneca Crane's Name On It.

Remember, Heads High. Smiles. They're Going To Love You!

So What I'd Really Like Is To Try And Conceal Him Somewhere Safe, Then Go Hunt, And Come Back And Collect Him. But I Have A Feeling His Ego Isn't Going To Go For That Suggestion.

Not Like This. He Wanted It To Be Real.

The Damage, The Fatigue, The Imperfections. That's How They Recognize Me; Why I Belong To Them.

Come On And Eat With Him. I Promise, I Won't Let Him Kiss You Again.

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.

In Stark Contrast To Two Nights Ago, When I Felt Peeta Was A Million Miles Away, I'm Struck By His Immediacy Now. As We Settle In, He Pulls My Head Down To Use His Arm As A Pillow; The Other Rests Protectively Over Me Even When He Goes To Sleep. No One Has Held Me Like This In Such A Long Time. Since My Father Died And I Stopped Trusting My Mother, No One Else's Arms Have Made Me Feel This Safe.

To The Everlasting Credit Of The People Of District 12, Not One Person Claps. Not Even The Ones Holding Betting Slips, The Ones Who Are Usually Beyond Caring. Possibly Because They Know Me From The Hob, Or Knew My Father, Or Have Encountered Prim, Who No One Could Help Loving. So Instead Of Acknowledging Applause, I Stand There Unmoving While They Take Part In The Boldest Form Of Dissent They Can Manage. Silence. Which Says We Do Not Agree. We Do Not Condone. All Of This Is Wrong.

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.

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

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.

Do I Really Want Him Dead? What I Want... What I Want Is To Have Him Back.

Not If We Blow It Up," Gale Says Brusquely. His Intent, His Full Intent, Becomes Clear. Gale Has No Interest In Preserving The Lives Of Those In The Nut. No Interest In Caging The Pray For Later Use. This Is One Of His Death Traps.

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

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

Desperate, Yet No Longer Alone After That Day, Because We'd Found Each Other.

Peeta Smiles And Douses Haymitch's Knife In White Liquor From A Bottle On The Floor. He Wipes The Blade Clean On His Shirt Tail And Slices The Bread. Peeta Keeps All Of Us In Fresh Baked Goods. I Hunt. He Bakes. Haymitch Drinks. We Have Our Own Ways To Stay Busy, To Keep Thought Of Our Time As Contestants In The Hunger Games At Bay.

And She's My Fiancee. So If You Want To Get To Him, Expect To Go Through Both Of Us.

She's Prim's Size In Diameter.

Well, Don't Expect Us To Be Too Impressed. We Just Saw Finnick Odair In His Underwear.

And Then It Happens. Up And Down The Row, The Victors Begin To Join Hands. Some Right Away, Like The Morphlings, Or Wiress And Beetee. Others Unsure But Caught Up In The Demands Of Those Around Them, Like Brutus And Enobaria. By The Time The Anthem Plays Its Final Strains, All Twenty-four Of Us Stand In One Unbroken Line In What Must Be The First Public Show Of Unity Among The Districts Since The Dark Days. You Can See The Realization Of This As The Screens Begin To Pop Into Blackness. It's Too Late, Though. In The Confusion They Didn't Cut Us Off In Time. Everyone Has Seen.

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

He Wants As Many Victors As Possible For The Cameras To Follow In The Capitol. Thinks It Makes For Better Television." "are You And Beetee Going?" I Ask. "as Many Young And Attractive Victors As Possible," Haymitch Corrects Himself. "so, No. We'll Be Here.

All The Writing Elements Are The Same. You Need To Tell A Good Story... You've Got Good Characters... People Think There's Some Dramatic Difference Between Writing 'little Bear' And The 'hunger Games,' And As A Writer, For Me, There Isn't.

Right Before The Explosions Begin, I Find A Star.

Beauty That Arose Out Of Pain.

So I Thought If I Stopped Being So, You Know, Wounded, We Could Take A Shot At Just Being Friends. - Peeta Mellark

Haymitch In My Head Full-time. Horrifying

Hope Is The Only Thing Stronger Than Fear.

I Am Not Pretty. I Am Not Beautiful. I Am As Radiant As The Sun.

The Anguish I Always Feel When She's In Pain Wells Up In My Chest And Threatens To Register On My Face.

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

We're Supposed To Be Making Up This Stuff, Playing At Being In Love, Not Actually Being In Love.

My Name Is Katniss Everdeen. Why Am I Not Dead? I Should Be Dead.

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

Peeta Looks At The Glass Again And Puts It Together. "you Mean This Will Make Me Puke?" My Prep Team Laughs Hysterically. "of Course, So You Can Keep Eating," Says Octavia. "i've Been In There Twice Already. Everyone Does It, Or Else How Would You Have Any Fun At A Feast?

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.

Maybe . . . Because For The First Time . . . There Was A Chance I Could Keep Him,” I Say. “so Now That You've Got Me, What Are You Going To Do With Me?” “put You Somewhere You Can't Get Hurt.” And When He Kisses Me, People In The Room Actually Sigh.

I Killed You. And You. And You.

So I Learned To Hold My Tongue And To Turn My Features Into An Indifferent Mask So That No One Could Ever Read My Thoughts.

Courage Only Counts When You Can Count.

What Have The Nibblers Ever Done For You?" The Breeze Ruffled Her Hair, Pushing It Back From Her Face, Giving Him A Clear Shot Of Her Eyes. They Were Asking For An Answer. Needing To Know If She Could Count On Him. "they Saved Your Life," He Said. And For Just A Moment, Luxa's Face Softened And She Smiled.

I Look Down From The Branch I'm Perched On. The Careers Look Murderous. Now I Smile.'how Have Things Been With You?' I Ask Sweetly.

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.

You Don’t Forget The Face Of The Person Who Was Your Last Hope.

Peeta, How Come I Never Know When You're Having A Nightmare?” I Say. “i Don't Know. I Don't Think I Cry Out Or Thrash Around Or Anything. I Just Come To, Paralyzed With Terror,” He Says. “you Should Wake Me,” I Say, Thinking About How I Can Interrupt His Sleep Two Or Three Times On A Bad Night. About How Long It Can Take To Calm Me Down. “it's Not Necessary. My Nightmares Are Usually About Losing You,” He Says. “i'm Okay Once I Realize You're Here.

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.

On And On We Seal The Pages With Salt Water And Promises To Live Well To Make Their Deaths Count.

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.

I'm Running On Hate. When The Energy From That Ebbs I'll Be Worthless.

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.

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.

Yes, And I’m Sure The Arena Will Be Full Of Bags Of Flour For Me To Chuck At People.

But There's Food If You Know How To Find It. My Father Knew And He Taught Me Some Before He Was Blown To Bits In A Mine Explosion. There Was Nothing Even To Bury. I Was Eleven Then. Five Years Later, I Still Wake Up Screaming For Him To Run.

Don't. Don't Let's Pretend When There's No One Around.

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

Yes, Victors Are Our Strongest. They're The Ones Who Survived The Arena And Slipped The Noose Of Poverty That Strangles The Rest Of Us. They, Or Should I Say We, Are The Very Embodiment Of Hope Where There Is No Hope. And Now Twenty-three Of Us Will Be Killed To Show How Even That Hope Was An Illusion.

So That Day, In Music Assembly, The Teacher Asked Who Knew The Valley Song. Your Hand Shot Right Up In The Air. She Stood You Up On A Stool And Had You Sing It For Us. And I Swear, Every Bird Outside The Windows Fell Silent...and Right When Your Song Ended, I Knew - Just Like Your Mother - I Was A Goner.

My Lips Are Just Forming His Name When His Fingers Lock Around My Throat.

Delly Lost Her Temper At Peeta Over How He Treated You. She Got Very Squeaky. It Was Like Someone Stabbing A Mouse With A Fork Repeatedly.

Deep In The Meadow, Hidden Far Away, A Cloak Of Leaves, A Moonbeam Ray, Forget Your Woes And Let Your Troubles Lay, And When Again It's Morning, They'll Wash Away. Here It's Safe, Here It's Warm, Here The Daisies Guard You From Every Harm, Here Your Dreams Are Sweet And Tomorrow Brings Them True, Here Is The Place Where I Love You.

Star-crossed Lovers Desperate To Get Home Together. Two Hearts Beating As One. Romance.

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.

Poison. The Perfect Weapon For A Snake.

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.

Just Don't Die For Me, You Won't Be Doing Me Any Favour !

No More Kisses For You, Until You Have Eaten !

It's Lovely. If Only You Could Frost Someone To Death." "don't Be So Superior. You Can Never Tell What You Will Find In The Arena. Say It's A Gigantic Cake-

I See Now That The Circumstances Of Ones Birth Are Irrelevent. It Is What You Do With The Gift Of Life That Determines Who You Are

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

Johanna Glances Over At Finnick, To Be Sure, Then Turns To Me. “how’d You Lose Mags?” “in The Fog. Finnick Had Peeta. I Had Mags For A While. Then I Couldn’t Lift Her. Finnick Said He Couldn’t Take Them Both. She Kissed Him And Walked Right Into The Poison,” I Say. “she Was Finnick’s Mentor, You Know,” Johanna Says Accusingly. “no, I Didn’t,” I Say. “she Was Half His Family,” She Says A Few Moments Later, But There’s Less Venom Behind It.

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

I Don’t Want Anyone With Me Today. Not Even Him. Some Walks You Have To Take Alone.

I Don't Know What It Is With Finnick And Bread, But He Seems Obsessed With Handling It.

They're Betting On How Long I'll Live!' I Burst Out. 'they're Not My Friends!

I Really Can't Think About Kissing When I've Got A Rebellion To Incite.

We Have To Joke About It Because The Alternative Is To Be Scared

Instead, I Watch Myself Get Shot On Television.

Let The Seventy-forth Hunger Games Begin, Cato, I Think. Let Them Begin For Real.

Something Inside Me Shuts Down And I'm Too Numb To Feel Anything. It's Like Watching Complete Strangers In Another Hunger Games. But I Do Notice They Omit The Part Where I Covered Her In Flowers. Right. Because Even That Smacks Of Rebellion.

While I Was Waiting...i Ate Your Lunch.

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

In Other Words, I Step Out Of Line And We're All Dead.

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

No One Knows What To Do With You, Girlie.

That What?" "that I Knew I Misjudged You. That You Love Him. I'm Not Saying In What Way. Maybe You Don't Know Yourself. But Anyone Paying Attention Could See How Much You Care About Him," He Says Gently.

Technically, I Am Unarmed. But No One Should Ever Underestimate The Harm That Fingernails Can Do. Especially If The Target Is Unprepared.

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

A Light Was On In The Kitchen. His Mother Sat At The Kitchen Table, As Still As A Statue. Her Hands Were Clasped Together, And She Stared Fixatedly At A Small Stain On The Tablecloth. Gregor Remembered Seeing Her That Way So Many Nights After His Dad Had Disappeared. He Didn't Know What To Say. He Didn't Want To Scare Her Or Shock Her Or Ever Give Her Any More Pain. So, He Stepped Into The Light Of The Kitchen And Said The One Thing He Knew She Wanted To Hear Most In The World. "hey, Mom. We're Home.

I Can Hear President Snow's Voice In My Head. 'on The Seventy-fifth Anniversary, As A Reminder To The Rebels That Even The Strongest Among Them Cannot Overcome The Power Of The Capital, The Male And Female Tributes Will Be Reaped From Their Existing Pool Of Victors.

No More Fear Of Hunger. A New Kind Of Freedom. But What Then ... What? What Would My Life Be Like On A Daily Basis? Most Of It Has Been Consumed With The Acquisition Of Food. Take That Away And I'm Not Really Sure Who I Am, What My Identity Is. The Idea Scares Me Some.

One Time, My Mother Told Me That I Always Eat Like I'll Never See Food Again. And I Said, "i Won't Unless I Bring It Home." That Shut Her Up.

I Realize, For The First Time, How Very Lonely I've Been In The Arena. How Comforting The Presence Of Another Human Being Can Be.

The Morphlings From District 6 Are In The Camouflage Station, Painting Each Other's Faces With Bright Pink Swirls.

Here's Some Advice. Stay Alive.

Hunger Games Book

Underground. Which I Hate. Like Mines And Tunnels And 13. Underground, Where I Dread Dying, Which Is Stupid Because Even If I Die Aboveground, The Next Thing They'll Do Is Bury Me Underground Anyway.

If I'm Going To Die, I Want To Still Be Me

"i'm Not Their Slave," The Man Mutters. "i Am," I Say. "that's Why I Killed Cato ... And He Killed Thresh ... And He Killed Clove ... And She Tried To Kill Me. It Just Goes Around And Around, And Who Wins? Not Us. Not The Districts. Always The Capitol. But I'm Tired Of Being A Piece In Their Games."

The Idea Of Being Strong For Someone Else Having Never Entered Their Heads, I Find Myself In The Position Of Having To Console Them. Since I'm The Person Going In To Be Slaughtered, This Is Somewhat Annoying.

But Just Before They Cut Back To The Main Newscaster, I See The Unmistakable Flash Of That Same Mockingjay's Wing. The Reporter Has Simply Been Incorporated Into The Old Footage. She's Not In District 13 At All. Which Begs The Question, What Is?

No. Now, Shut Up And Eat Your Pears.

I Don't Want To Cry. Everyone Will Make Note Of My Tears And I'll Be Marked As An Easy Target. A Weakling. I Will Give No One That Satisfaction.

The Rat Turned His Glowing Eyes On Him, And Gregor Was Shocked By What He Saw There. The Intelligence, The Deadliness, And, Most Surprisingly, The Pain. This Rat Was Not Like Fangor And Shed. He Was Much More Complicated And Much More Dangerous. For The First Time In The Underland, Gregor Felt Completely Out Of His League. If He Fought This Rat, He Wouldn't Stand A Change. He Would Lose. He Would Be Dead.

If You'd Been Taken By The Capital And Hijacked And Then Tried To Kill Peeta, Is This The Way He Would Be Treating You?

It's Just Me And The Bane. And I'm Fighting Him Because He Killed All Of Those Innocent Mice And People, And I Have To Stop Him. Not Because Sandwich Says So But Because I Say So.

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.

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.

I'm Almost There, Almost To The Barricade, When I Thinks She Hears Me. Because For Just A Moment, She Catches Sight Of Me, Her Lips Form My Name. And That's When The Rest Of The Parachutes Go Off.

The Eleventh Plague Hits Disturbingly Close To Home An Excellent, Taut Debut Novel.

I Can't Help Comparing What I Have With Gale To What I'm Pretending To Have With Peeta. How I Never Question Gale's Motives While I Do Nothing But Doubt The Latter's. It's Not A Fair Comparison Really. Gale And I Were Thrown Together By A Mutual Need To Survive. Peeta And I Know The Other's Survival Means Our Own Death. How Do You Sidestep That?

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