The smell of burned grease fills my nose as I venture into the Hob. Generally, I avoid this place, being the mayor's daughter, but today, I'm on a mission. I scan my surroundings, thinking. Where should I go first? I decide on Greasy Sae's soup stand, because I know Katniss always sells some of her meat there. I pull up a stool, and wait for an opening to talk to the old woman.

"Hello, girly. Fancy seeing you here," she says.

"Hello."

"Well, spit it out. I can see it on your face. You want to ask me something."

I glance over my shoulder, and tell her my plan.

"So, since Katniss is our tribute, and we all know she might be able to win, I thought we should... we should help her out. Start a collection of money to sponsor her."

Greasy Sae's face lights up. I can tell she adores Katniss like her own daughter- or granddaughter.

"That sounds like an excellent idea." I let out a sigh of relief.

"Great," I say, "So, um, what do I do now?"

"If I were you, I'd strike the people that she trades with first. The people who would be the most affected if she were to die." I grimace internally at the old woman's blunt words.

"Thank you. Do you-- do you have any change to spare for Katniss?" I immediately regret asking. She probably doesn't.

"Yes, actually," she says. I try to hide the surprise on my face, but to no avail. She sees it and chuckles.

"Didn't think I did, did ya?"

"No," I admit, looking down at the ground sheepishly.

"Well, here you go." Her bony hands push a few coins into mine.

"Thank you."

"Of course. I can't be losing my source of wild dog now, can I?" she says with a wink. Smiling, I shake my head and walk away.

Over the course of the morning, I collect small donations from dozens of people. After word got around, some have even been coming up to me without having to seek them out. Even Gale's mother who does some of the wash around town insisted on me to take a small amount. This is the most together District 12 has been in my 16 years of life.

At home, I count out the money. Including my own donation, it's a respectable amount. Not enough to buy a weapon, like that guy from 4 a few years ago, but maybe some food or a tool of sorts. I'll have to learn the protocol to send the money to Haymitch, so that he can make the decisions of what Katniss will need once in the arena.

I was so caught up in my morning adventures that I almost forgot about the event today: the Tribute Parade.

The Hunger Games is about the farthest thing from a beauty contest, but at the same time, eerily similar. How tributes are dressed today could determine their fate, because all the rich sponsors will be watching. The outfits of the tributes are almost always related to what their district exports. Usually, 12 is dressed in some horrible coal miner outfit, except for one year when they were naked and covered with coal dust.

Remembering my promise to the Everdeen family, I go to their house. I'm barely even allowed to knock once before Prim opens the door, ecstatic.

"It's about to start! C'mon Madge! What do you think they'll be wearing? Who do you think will be the best dressed? I'm so excited to see Katniss! I miss her already, don't you?" Mrs. Everdeen shoots me an apologetic smile.

"Sit down, dear. As you've heard, the parade is about to start." Caesar Flickerman's voice enters excitedly.

"Over 100,000 people craning to get a glimpse of this year's tributes. And, the sponsors get to see the tributes for the first time. The importance of this moment cannot be overstated." The cameras then cut to President Snow, sitting in his large chair with a hard look on his face.

"He never looks happy," Prim says. Her mother shushes her. We all know the Capitol is listening to us, and saying things like that will only anger them.

The crowd erupts into cheers. District 1 enters the track dressed in over the top feathery pink headdresses, waving excitedly to the crowd. The boy, Marvel I think, looks unhappy about being dressed in hot pink. I snicker under my breath,

"There they are. This year's tributes." Caesar looks overjoyed.

The camera zooms in on District 7, who seem to be dressed like trees. It looks cheap and it isn't really very flattering.

Suddenly, the crowd begins to roar even louder. The sound must be deafening. I squint at the television. A pair of shiny black horses pull two tributes who seem to be on fire.

"What district is that?" I ask Mrs. Everdeen. She puts her hand over her mouth as I hear whoops of... joy from the houses around.

"It's-- It's us. It's District 12."

The screams grow even more louder when Katniss and Peeta hold up their intertwined hands, a show of unity. Their black jumpsuits seem to shine with the reflection of the fire. Katniss's face fills the screen, and almost as if she can see us, she begins to smile. Roses rain down around our pair of tributes. Caesar's commentary is drowned out by the crowd, and by the appraise of those in our district. Katniss catches a rose from the crowd and sniffs it delicately, blowing kisses to the crowd. It isn't anything like her, but at the same time, it's everything about her.

President Snow stands up to address the crowd, and they quickly become quiet.

"Welcome. Welcome," he says. "I wish you a happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor." The audience grows wild again as his snakelike lips twist into a smile. 

Most of the description from this scene, and some of Caeser's dialogue, is from the movie. I hope you are enjoying this immensely, and remember to vote and comment. Voting really makes a huge difference for a book; it can catapault it up the ranks so that more people discover this book. Also, if you want to know when a new chapter is out, add this book to your private reading list or follow me: @YourLocalSwimmer.

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