I walked through to the rest of the team eating dinner, but for some reason, Austin isn't there, when I ask Haymitch, he couldn't care less.

"He's in his room," he shrugs, then moves on to more important things. "Now, listen, tomorrow's the last day, and they let us work with our own tributes right before the games so you and I will be going down at nine."

The last step before the games. The interviews Ceasar Flickerman will sit upon a stage with thousands upon thousands of Capitol members below him, and one by one host the twenty four tributes.

Yet to me Haymitch has missed out something vital.

"What about Austin?"

"Oh, he says he wants to be trained on his own from now on."

I take a moment to digest this. "What?"

"This kinda thing does happen at this point, there's only only one winner, right?" Haymitch says.

As Effie tries to break the tension ranting about chocolate covered strawberries, I'm trying to figure out whether I'm too shocked to be pleased, or too pleased to be shocked.

☘︎☘︎☘︎

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your master of ceremonies, Ceasar Flickerman!"

I watch backstage on the TV as Ceasar gets up and everyone does an exorbitant amount of clapping. "Thank you! Thank you! Welcome to the Seventy fourth annual Hunger Games!"

More clapping. They're cheering for kids to get beaten to death, I think disgustedly.

"In a minute they're all going to be out! All the tributes you've heard about! Aren't you excited!"

Cinna pulls me aside then to put the finishing touches on my dress. It's beautiful. Red, strapless and sparkly. But I don't feel like myself in it.

I twirl for Cinna, revealing a secret that I'm going to save for later. "Amazing," my stylist smiles softly as he comments.

I look to him. "I don't feel amazing."

"Don't you know how beautiful you look?"

"No! And I don't know how to make people like me, how d'you make people like you?"

"You made me like you," Cinna shrugs and stands up.

I roll my eyes. "That's different, I wasn't trying."

"Exactly," Cinna puts a strand of my beautifully braided hair in place. "Just be yourself, I'll be there the whole time, and pretend you're talking to me. Okay?"

He gets a barely whispered "okay" back.

I head back through to the line of tributes waiting to go just in time to see District One come out.

"Let's see if she does indeed shine, let have a warm round of applause for Glimmer!"

"...So, Glimmer, are you prepared?"

"Yes, Ceasar, I am very prepared."

I see the other careers rolling their eyes at her from where I'm standing.

The boy from District One who I find out is Marvel, is very arrogant, even cheering himself when he's about finished.

Clove and Cato from District Two go next. I miss most of Clove's interview but I get some of Cato's.

"...It's an honour representing my District..."

"So you're a fighter?"

"I'm prepared. I'm viscous. I'm ready to go!"

He again cheers himself off.

I watch through District Three and Four before a familiar face pops up. It's the red head one from the training centre that's really smart. I decide to call her Foxface, as the name fits and I think she's going to be a force to be reckoned with in the arena.

"...I find that I can apply myself to the situation present and I will be able to figure it out."

Soon she goes off.

They get through Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten before I see little Rue take the stage. She looks beautiful in a little blue dress with puffy shoulders.

"...Good, so you can climb trees, you're pretty fast, and are you a hunter? A gatherer?"

She answers the questions nice and concisely, then Thresh is called and he does the opposite, responding with grunts and one word answers.

Finally, I get taken up to the stage and I cringe when I hear Ceasar's intro for me.

"From District Twelve, District Twelve you know her as the Girl on Fire! But we know her as the lovely Willow Hawthorne!"

I slowly walk out to Ceasar as everyone in the crowd goes ballistic. We sit down, him rather enthusiastically, me more refined, then comes the first question.

"Well, that was quite an entrance you made the other day," he hints at the fire. "Do you want to tell us about it?"

"Well I was just... hoping I wouldn't burn to death," I say honestly. Just be yourself, I think desperately. But who is myself?

That causes the crowd to laugh.

"When you stepped out of that chariot, my heart stopped," Ceasar turns to the audience. "Did anyone feel the same way? My heart, stopped."

"So did mine," I answer bluntly and honestly. Again, some laughs.

"Now, tell me about the flames, are they real?"

"Yes," I say impulsively. I look to the crowd and see Cinna, he nods slowly. "In fact I'm wearing them today, do you want to see?"

"Wait, wait, wait, is it safe?" Ceasar checks, and I giggle and nod.

Getting up, I look at the crowd. They almost don't deserve it, the amount of fake in them. However, I do do it.

I start to spin, trying to see the wonder in everyone's eyes as flames start to burn in a circle on the bottom of my dress. Once I stop, the flames burn out. Without any damage done to the dress at all.

"Now that was really something, thank you for that," Ceasar smiles at me. I nod slightly in return. "Now I have one more question to ask you, it's about your sister."

"She's... not my sister," I say. I know he's talking about Prim.

"Is she not?" Ceasar raises his eyebrows. "Well, I'm sure that we were all very moved, then, when you took her place at the reaping. Did she come to say goodbye to you?"

"Yes," I nodded. "She did."

"She did?" Ceasar leans closer. "And what did you say to her, in the end?"

"I told her that I would try to win," I say. "I would try to win... for her."

"And try you will," Ceasar seems to be lapping up the emotion. He turns to the audience, making me jump with the loudness of his voice. "Ladies and Gentlemen, from District Twelve, Willow Hawthorne, the Girl on Fire!"

I smile for the crowd then breathe in relief when I get dismissed.

"That was incredible!" Effie shouts when I join her, Haymitch, and Cinna, who has escaped the crowd, a few seconds later.

"Nice job, sweetheart," Haymitch pats my shoulder.

"Ladies and Gentlemen... Austin Thatcher!"

We see Austin's smile for the cameras as he sits down beside Ceasar.

"Now, Austin, how are you finding the Capitol?" The interviewer asks.

"It's uh... it's different," Austin admits.

"Different... well, how? Give us an example?" I can already tell that Ceasar and Austin have hit it off.

"Well the showers here are weird," Austin shrugs. I'm overcome with the urge to laugh.

"Showers, we have different showers," Ceasar shrugs as the audience laughs.

"Well I actually have a question for you, Ceasar," Austin says. Where is he going with this? "Do I smell like roses to you?"

They go through this very weird phase in front of the whole country when they're smelling each other for roses. Then Ceasar asks the vital question.

"How, Austin, I have to ask, is there a special girl back home?"

"Nah, not really," he shakes his head.

"I don't believe it for a second, do you, ladies and gentlemen?" Ceasar turns to the audience and raises his voice. There's a great cheer that says no.

"Look at that face, handsome man like you, there must be someone. Come on. Tell me."

It's clear that Austin has wanted to say this all along. "Well, uh, there is this one girl that I've had a crush on forever, but I don't think that she actually knew I existed until the reaping."

"Well," Ceasar's lapping it up. "I'll tell you what, Austin, you go out there, you win, and when you get home, she'll have to go out with you. Right folks?"

The audience gives a big cheer but Austin shakes his head. "I don't think winning's gonna help me at all."

"Why not?" This properly confuses Ceasar.

"Because..." Austin begins. "Because... because she came here with me."

There's a stunned silence that follows this. I take a second to digest this. It's me! He means me!

"Well that's bad luck," the interview's still going on.

"Yeah... it is," Austin nods, looking down.

He yells. "Austin Thatcher! District Twelve!"

But even when he leaves, I'm still standing at the TV, shocked and scared.

☘︎☘︎☘︎

When Austin comes through the door from his interview I grab is arm and use mine to pin him up against the wall.

"What the hell was that?" I shout, not caring who hears. "You tease and bully me for years, don't talk to me and then say you have a crush on me? You know I knew you were an idiot but I didn't think you were this thick-!"

Haymitch pulls me off him and I face my mentor now, not my fellow tribute.

"He did you a favour," Haymitch growls.

"He made me look weak!"

"He made you look desirable!" Haymitch snarls. "Which, in your case, can't hurt, sweetheart!"

"He's right, Willow," Cinna says, voice still neutral.

"Of course I'm right!" Haymitch shouts. "Now I can sell the star-crossed lovers from District Twelve-"

"We are not star crossed lovers!" I yell.

"It's a television show!" Haymitch tries to bring me back to real life. "And being in love with that boy might just get you sponsors, which could save your damn life!"

He turns to Austin, who seems to be annoyed that I'm not in love with him. Surely it was just an act, though? "Why don't you get out of here? Maybe I can deliver you both in one piece tomorrow."

Austin gets taken upstairs by Effie and I glare at him as he goes. But not before my escort shouts "manners!" At me.

I roll my eyes, weighing up the good and bad of this situation.