XXX

"haymitch," i jostle him. he was asleep on the couch when i came back. "wake up."

his eyes open and he springs up onto his feet. he looks around wildly until he realizes there isn't any danger. "davina?" he finds me in the dark.

"i need you to contact theron for me," i whisper.

"what? why?" he rubs at his eyes. "it's 2 in the morning." he must've saw the worried look in my eyes because he stops asking questions and walks over to the phone on the wall, dialing a number. to my relief theron answers in less than a minute. i can't hear what he's saying but i can hear haymitch's side of the line. "yeah, it's me. listen, davina wants to speak to you."

i take the phone from haymitch and lift it up to my ear. "hello darling," his honeyed voice said. "can't sleep alone? the nightmares strong tonight?" he chuckles. "need a sleeping partner?"

even though he can't see me i roll my eyes. "if i did it wouldn't be you."

"ouch," he says, a sigh following. "you're taken, aren't you?"

isaac immediately pops into my mind but all that follows is piled up resentment. i'm not his. not anymore. "i need you to train me," i ignore his question. "can we meet at the same place we trained at earlier?"

"no," he pauses, thinking it over. "the only way to get to that floor is to take the elevator and there are cameras in the elevator, but you need to ride the elevator anyways to leave your floor. wait 10 minutes before riding the elevator down to my floor. be quick about it, davina."

i wait with haymitch, every few seconds stealing glances at the clock. 5 more minutes. i don't know what theron is doing in these 10 minutes but i can only hope it'll help me get to the district 1 floor without being caught.

the sound of a door being opened comes from up stairs, it could only be kit since our rooms are the only ones up there. my heart starts to beat faster as i look at haymitch in pure panic. "go now, davina!" he told me, already standing up to get ready to distract kit.

i look at the clock, relieved to see it reached 10 minutes. i run over to the elevator and it shows up in seconds. i look back at haymitch, mouthing the words thank you just before the doors close.

i click the floor for district 1 and wait anxiously as the elevator moves downward. my eyes search for the camera and to my utter surprise the red light that signals when it is on is no longer lit. waiting impatiently, i stare straight at the elevator doors. the elevator chimes, announcing its arrival on the district 1 floor.

the doors open, revealing a pitch black floor. the moment i step off the elevator i feel a pair of hands covering my mouth and with extreme force they pull me off to the side. i kick and squirm, trying to get them to release me. i stare helplessly as the elevator doors close and i have nowhere to run.

"it's only me, darling," theron's voice whispers into my ear. the pressure of his breath made me shiver. "district 1 tributes are in the next room. don't make a sound."

he leads me through the darkness, i don't know how he knows where he's going but we manage to get to his room without bumping into anything. his hand falls from my mouth, then i hear the sound of the door closing, seconds later the lights turn on.

"was covering my mouth really necessary?" i snap.

"you would've screamed if i hadn't."

i glare at him before exploring his room. it's all gold and white, with high walls that gleam like enamel, and a roof, high above, clear and glittering like diamonds. it's much fancier than mine. "nice place," i say, drawing aside a heavy swag of curtain. "a little too flashy for my taste, though."

theron rolled his eyes and walked over to the nightstand. he pulled out a bottle of wine and popped the cork off with ease. "i didn't design the room. just be glad the walls are soundproof."

i watch him as he pours the wine into two separate cups. "i didn't come here to drink with you."

"right," he said, walking closer to me with every word. "you came here to train. let me guess, you're lying to everyone and you're actually planning to win the games. i have to admit, even i believed you for a second little traitor."

my lips parted in surprise. rage flooded through me, a hot tide through my veins. without even thinking about it, i struck out at his face, my nails raking his cheek. he jerked back in surprise. "you can call me a lot of things but don't ever call me a liar."

he moved quickly, pushing me up against the wall but not hard enough to hurt me. "then why are you here, davina?" he smiled playfully. "you are a traitor, admit it."

i lift my leg up and push my knee into his ribs with enough force to push him away. "because i'm not the only one who's planning to die in that arena!" i walk to him, pushing him again and again until his back hits the wall.

"that's it, davina," he chuckled. "get angry."

i ball my hands up into fists and start hitting him on the chest. i'm not strong enough to inflict pain or even a bruise. it's like a small child trying to fight. tears stream down my cheeks in frustration. he grabbed onto my hands and held them in his. all the amusement has left his eyes and is replaced with worry. "davina," he said. it was the first time he didn't say something snarky. "i was only kidding. what's going on?"

"how do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved?" i say, it comes out weaker than i was expecting.

his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "what did kit say to you?"

"he said it was going to be me who survived but you and i both know i haven't got a chance. kit can actually win but not if he's trying to save me. he can try all he wants but if he dies protecting me, i have to finish the games on my own and i'm not strong enough. everything he would've done to get me to the end would've been for nothing. i need to be just as strong so he doesn't die trying to save me and when the time comes, i'll die."

he walked around the room, deep in thought with his chin in his hands. "then i guess we're just going to have to make you stronger. we'll need to pull off an all-nighter. are you up for it?" he says, smiling crookedly.

*
AN:

the next chapter is going to be really long so get ready haha