Austin, Haymitch and I get escorted through the gap in the crowd by Peacekeepers and up to the Justice Building. Effie's there, with a butterfly outfit today. She's trying to hold in tears too, I can see.

And then I see the reaping bowls, well, bowl. There's the usual one for Austin and Haymitch, with two slips inside it. Pick Austin, I internally beg, please pick Austin.

And then I see the plate on which my name is lain. One single slip sits upon it. No doubt, the name Willow Hawthorne on it.

As I walk to the front of the big crowd, I see my mother, Mrs Everdeen, Rory, Posy, Vick, Gale, Katniss and Prim at the front of the assembly. Prim looks me with a look of anger (at the Capitol) and also sadness. Tears stream down Posy's cheeks. Gale (who never shows emotion) looks like he's going to drop down in sadness any minute. My mother's already gone, and I can see her bottom lip is trembling.

Austin lets my hand go and I stand on the other side of Effie from him and Haymitch. I'm devastated. And if they pick Haymitch's name, that devastation will multiply by a number so great I couldn't count.

Effie steps forward to the microphone. Even she sounds solemn. "Welcome, welcome. As we celebrate the seventy fifth anniversary and the third Quarter Quell of the Hunger Games. As always, ladies first."

She goes over to the plate my name is on and grabs is, pinching the paper in between her index finger and thumb. Soon, she arrives back at the microphone. "The female tribute from District Twelve is..."

She unfolds the slip of paper and utters out the inevitable name. My name.

"Willow Hawthorne."

I slowly connect my eyes with Austin's then walk over to Effie's side. "Wonderful!" She says, in an effort to keep the mood going, because right now, all the crowd is deathly silent, narrowing their eyes at her.

"And now for the men," Effie heads over to the bowl that the male names are in. Austin, Austin, pick Austin. I look over and make eye contact with Haymitch, he nods slowly as Effie picks a name out.

"The male tribute from District Twelve is," she sighs. Whether in relief or sadness I do not know-

"Haymitch Abernathy."

NO!

"I volunteer as tribute," Austin says without missing a beat.

"No, you can't do that," Haymitch sticks a hand out to stop him.

"You can't stop me," Austin says, equally grave.

"Austin-"

"Let go."

He takes Haymitch's hand off him and goes to join me on the other side of Effie. A tear runs out my eye and falls slowly down my face.

Fuck.

This was not supposed to happen.

"Very well then," Effie says. "Our tributes from District Twelve. Willow Hawthorne... and Austin Thatcher." When no one claps (as is tradition in Twelve) she goes on. "Well all that remains is..."

She trails off as my mother, Prim, Mrs Everdeen, Katniss, Vick and Gale put their three fingers to their lips then up in the air. I put mine up as well, and then more and more people and then the whole crowd...

Suddenly, I'm getting yanked by none other than Thread into the Justice Building, but I soon see that we're not going to the rooms in which the chosen tributes go to to say goodbye, we're going to the train.

"No! I have to say goodbye!" I shout, struggling against Thread's grip.

"New procedure, straight to the train," he says gruffly. I can see he's smirking however.

"Willow!" I hear Prim and Posy shout at the same time, but peacekeepers hold them back, anticipating their moves.

"I have to say goodbye!" I fight harder when I see the sister I have and the sister I've always wanted to be mine.

"Willow!" Rory and Vick join in now, and the four children I never wanted to be included in this mess suddenly are.

"Goodbye!" I shout, tears suddenly stinging my eyes as the doors slam shut.

I'm never going to see my family again.

☘︎☘︎☘︎

The next day, after a restless night in which I tossed and turned and had nightmares by the dozen, I was sat in an armchair on the train, Austin beside me, both of us stewing after a particularly stiff talk about why he volunteered. Haymitch is sat across from us, and Effie (complete with golden hair as a wig and an overstated red dress) walks in just then.

"Alright, now, I've had a thought," she begins, leaning on the edge of my chair. "Willow has her mockingjay pin, I have my hair. I'm going to get you two boys something gold."

She waved her hands in front of her face and grinned. It was as if we were supposed to be mystified or amazed.

"Why is that?" Haymitch asks, sipping some more wine.

"A token. Show them we are a team!" Effie says as if it's obvious. "And they can't just..."

She flicked away a tear that was threatening to ruin her comprehensive makeup and I took her hand. "Thank you."

Effie gave me a sentimental nod and looked up, breathing in and out once and composing herself.

"Now, everything will be different, because it's a Quarter Quell.

"The Capitol has spared no expense. A new training centre, new tribute living quarters and, of course, a very special arena. But this year you'll be facing other Victor's, Capitol favourites. Smart, cunning, skilled, and they all know one another. You two are the outsiders."

The train slowed to a stop half an hour later and we got taken straight to the tribute centre afterwards. We get in a lift and rush straight to the top floor. When we get there, Effie goes off somewhere that she hasn't bothered to tell us and Haymitch gets a luxury dinner cooked up for us. We sit at the table as he drinks some whiskey, swirling it around in the glass.

"I want you 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."

"Okay, so what does that mean for us?" Austin asks him as I push food around my plate.

"It means you're gonna have to have some allies," Haymitch says as if this is going to be a hard job.

"Okay, so I think that if-" Austin begins.

"Whoop. You're not the problem," Haymitch says, pointing in my direction. He knew Austin would probably be easy to convince. Me, not so much.

"No," I say immediately, looking up.

Haymitch raised his eyebrows. "Sweetheart, I know you're stubborn, but this is a different level. I'm trying to keep you alive."

"And we all know what I think about that, don't we?" I question, raising my eyebrows at him. This, of course, is telling him that I don't care if I live or die, I just want Austin out alive.

"Look," Haymitch sighs, sitting down. "You're starting at a disadvantage, most of these people've been friends for years."

I shrug, taking the mick now. "Makes it harder for them, I guess, having to kill their little chums-"

"Look, do it your own way, but I know these people," Haymitch says loudly, speaking over me. "You go it alone, their first move is gonna be to hunt you down and kill you, both of you."

"Willow, come on," Austin makes me turn and look at him.

I pause. Because the evilness of this is just too horrible. I can't stand it. "How could any of us even trust each other?"

"It's not about trust, it's about staying alive," Haymitch tells me. I'm compelled to laugh. The whole 'stay alive' joke has really dragged on further than we meant it. But I've already resigned to the fact I'm not getting out of the arena alive.

But Austin will be.

☘︎☘︎☘︎

"Cashmere and Gloss, brother and sister, District One, they won back to back games, Capitol favourites, lots of sponsors. They will be lethal," Haymitch says. He's turned on the TV in the other room and is showing us videos of the other tributes so we can start thinking about allies.

On right now, I see a woman with long blonde hair and a man with short brown. They look like big fat phonies to me. But then again, I was and still am one, so who am I to judge them?

"In the other half of the career pack, Brutus and Enobaria," Haymitch clicks a button and the video changes. It now shows a man with a brutal look about him (hence the name, I thought). And a woman, with razor sharp-

"What's with her teeth?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"She had them filed into fangs so she could rip people's throats out," Haymitch says as if he's trying not to laugh.

"She's committed, I'll give her that," Austin replies honestly.

I don't want to laugh, but I have to try very hard not to.

"Wiress and Beetee, not fighters, but brilliant," Haymitch switches to District Three. These two look older and more withered. "And... weird, real tech savvy. He won his games by electrocuting six tributes at once."

We go from Three to Six in one jump. "The morphlings, masters of camouflage. Basically won their games by hiding until everyone else was dead. Self-medicating ever since which I applaud, not a threat."

I don't even consider these people enemies. Or indeed, allies.

Haymitch clicks the button again and onscreen appears a picture of a man with blonde hair, enticing eyes and a smirk on his face. I know this one.

"Finnick Odair, right?"

This guy is the type of person I roll my eyes at whenever he appears on television.

"Yeah he won his games at fourteen, the youngest ever, extremely humble."

"You're kidding?" I raise my eyebrows at Haymitch. I know for a fact this isn't true.

"Yes, I'm kidding, he's a peacock, a total preener," Haymitch does a bad acting job of what he's like. "But he's the Capitol darling, they love him here, charming, smart, and very skilled at combat, especially in water."

"Oh, good for him," I roll my eyes. "How am I supposed to make him my ally? Get in his bed-?"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Haymitch says, not even looking like he's going to laugh. "You have a fiancé, Willow."

"Yeah, and not by choice," I mutter.

"Alright, back to Finnick," says Austin. "What are his weaknesses?"

Haymitch switches to the other tribute of Four, about an eighty year old woman, putting her hand up to volunteer for a young girl with red hair and sea green eyes. "One, Mags, she volunteered for Annie. Mags was his mentor and basically raised him, if he's trying to protect her in any way it exposes him."

"A guy like that has to know she's not gonna make it, I bet when it comes down to it he won't protect her," I voice my thoughts.

"Well, Willow, I just hope that when she goes, she goes quickly, she's actually a wonderful lady," Haymitch tells me.

I roll my eyes. Either Finnick's leading everybody on with this story or...

... Or he's not as bad as I thought he was.