"Ladies and Gentlemen, the victor's of the seventy fourth Hunger Games, Sage Everdeen and Cato Hadley!"

We arrived in Eleven late that night, and right now are on our first stop of the tour. I am still angry beyond belief at Cato, given we never worked out our shit last night, yet all I want to do it make up with him right now.

However, I can't think about any of that as the doors to Eleven's Justice Building are thrown open, revealing Cato and I to all of Eleven. Effie stands behind us, but she offers little to no comfort.

"Smile, smile, smile, smile, smile!" She hisses, grinning.

I am frozen in fear. Because I don't know what I will do if I cannot convince them.

I do not smile as Cato and I walk the small distance from the doorway to the microphone at the front of the stage. I don't want to. I wouldn't be right.

And then, when we get to the microphone, I look around and all the air leaves my lungs.

The crowd is fine. They do not look happy, but why would they? They stand there, peacekeepers watching their every move whilst they watch our's. I don't really care for them.

But what I do care for are the massive projections up the back. The one on the left shows Thresh's face, and below it stand his family. Given he almost killed me in the arena, I cannot find much compassion when looking at his picture. However, when I look down at the one man standing below it, presumably his father, a small spike impales my heart.

But the one on the right is Rue. And below it is her family; a single mother and five little siblings. Emotion clouds my throat, my eyes, my entire body, and I almost stumble.

"Thank you," Cato's voice filling my ears snaps me back to life, and I quickly avert my eyes. His voice sounds weirdly stiff, and I deliberately do not look over. "We're honoured to be here with you today. And to be with the families of your fallen tributes."

Maybe not Thresh. Definitely Rue.

Cato pauses for a second, looking out at the audience. I do the same, and when I do, I am filled with fear. There is not one single face in the crowd that looks convinced.

Then Cato does the only thing that could possibly make this worse. He puts down the cards that Effie gave him, now talking completely from the heart.

Fuck you! I want to scream, because I am so angry at him I can't even see straight. However, what Effie wrote was complete bullshit, so I also cannot blame him.

"Though they fought with honour and dignity until the end, both Thresh and Rue were so young."

I look down, because yes, that is true, but also, Thresh tried to kill both Cato and I. He wasn't too young for that.

"But our lives aren't just measured in years," then he goes completely off the rails. "They're measured in the lives of the people we touch around us. For myself, for Sage," he looks at me, and I look back at him. Our eyes glitter with anger. "And for Rue and Thresh. So, in recognition of that, knowing that it in no way can make up for your loss, we would like to donate one month of our winnings to the families of the tributes, every year, for the rest of our lives."

All the air that was in my chest prior to that moment now leaves it.

Oh shit. Oh shit shit shit shit shit shit. If Snow wasn't happy with me before, he's going to actively hate me now.

And Cato is the one at fault.

There is clapping from the audience after this, and even some smiles, but I in no way am relieved. What the fuck did he just do?

"Thank you," Cato nods, holding his hand out to me and beginning to walk backwards.

But then I notice something.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot what I presume to be the eldest of all of Rue's siblings, a young girl that looks alarmingly like her, staring at me. Her brows are knitted and her eyes are disapproving.

I am confused. I may have just fucked up my entire life and the entire world, but Cato just promised her a shit tonne of money. Why is she-?

The answer hits me in a flash. It's because I haven't thanked her.

Thanked Rue.

So before anyone can stop me, I am stepping back up to the microphone. The districts aren't convinced, and to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if the Capitol was having second thoughts right now either. I have nothing to lose.

"I just wanted to say-" my mouth is dry and my lips are cracked, but I pull through. I face the audience, looking only at Thresh's projection. "I'm not here to talk about Thresh. He was doing what he had to do in that arena to survive, and I am sorry he's not here today," I take a breath. "I didn't know him."

I turn to the other projection, tears spiking my eyes.

"But I did know Rue," I brace myself, because I am completely unprepared, just a girl wanting to show that she feels grief. "She wasn't just my ally, she was my friend. I see her in the flowers that grow in the meadow by my house..." a tear falls, and I do nothing to stop it. "I hear her in the mockingjay song. And I see her in my sister, Prim."

Another tear falls, and this time, I reach up to wipe it, catching the next as well. "She was too young," my voice breaks. "Too gentle. And I couldn't save her."

I feel a hand take mine, and I know it is Cato's. He is doing it for the cameras, I am one hundred percent sure, and I try not to take comfort in it as he squeezes.

"I'm sorry," I say, because I am. I wish she could be here, celebrating her win. I wish I was dead, because that's what I deserve.

It's then that it happens.

An old man in the crowd, around two rows from the front, makes three fingers with his hand. Then he slowly raises them to his lips, and then up in the air.

But that's not all he does. He also whistles a tune. A four note tune. A four note tune both Cato and I know well.

It was our signal, in the arena. For if something went wrong with our plan.

But it's the worst thing in the world, witnessing it here.

Because then everyone else does it. Not the tune, but the symbol. They lift three fingers to their lips, and then thrust them into the air. The whole crowd does it.

It would be beautiful.

But it's terrifying.

Because before I can say or do anything, the peacekeepers are drawing their guns.

I freeze up. My whole body goes into a panic as they march into the crowd to grab the old man that started it, the innocent old man that I have just sentenced to death.

And then, before my brain can comprehend how stupid it is, I'm running into the crowd.

I don't get far, of course. In fact, before I can think, two peacekeepers are grabbing me roughly by the arms, yanking me backwards.

"No, leave him alone! Leave him alone!" I scream, because it's terrifying. "No! No, please!"

But the man is already being dragged in quite the same way I am, up the justice building steps and onto the stage, then being shoved to his knees, a gun barrel in the back of his neck. I continue to scream, even though I know it's futile.

"NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE, PLEASE STOP!"

The peacekeepers drag me backwards through the doors and there's Haymitch and Effie, and Salcilia and Cinna. And I am still screaming and crying as the doors are slammed shut.

Then the gunshot rings in my ears a second after.

Before I can think I am launching myself back up, running at the doors.

"YOU-! NO! NO, NO-"

Haymitch grabbing me roughly and lifting me up prevents me from what I was trying to do, which I don't even know. I scream again though, writhing and struggling as he yells in my ear. "Stop it! Stop!"

"What did I do?!" I finally scream as he sets me down roughly, and he just looks at me.

"Come on," he says, looking from me to Cato. "Come with me."

I look at Andrew, who's expression is unreadable, and then I follow him, my chest heaving. Cato falls into step beside me, but makes no attempt to touch or comfort me, and I want to punch and scream at him for how thoughtless he'd been.

As far as I'm aware, Haymitch has only been here once, on his Victory Tour, but by the way he climbs the stairs and swerves through corridors he could've lived here all his life. Finally, we get to where he needs us to be. The attic.

He hauls open the trapdoor, climbing up and in. I follow him, trying not to think about what's about to happen.

Then, before I know it, Haymitch is facing the two of us, sighing heavily. When he speaks, his voice is angry. "You two have a very simple task."

"I never meant for anyone to get killed, he has to know that!" I scream, tears pouring down my face.

Haymitch just looks at me, leaning in closer, still as angry as ever. "What are you talking about? Who has to know what?"

"Snow, he came to see me, he's worried about a rebellion in the districts, he thinks they don't believe our love story," everything pours from my mouth as easily as the tears pour from my eyes.

I can feel Cato looking at me, but I want to hear Haymitch's view first.

"So he wants you to make him believe it?" Haymitch asks. I nod.

Then Cato jumps in, making me turn to him. His voice is angrier than I thought it would be, and it almost makes me flinch. "You know, Sage, you should've told me that before I went out there and tried to give those people the money-!"

"Well I'm sorry I didn't give you a memo, I didn't know what the fuck to do!" I fight back, up in his face. "He threatened to kill my family-"

"Well, I have family too!" Cato yells, presumably talking about his little brother, rather than his piece of shit dad. "People that I need to protect!"

"Seriously? Your dad doesn't need protection, he needs therapy-"

"SHUT UP!" He roars in my face, his cheeks pink and anger in ever single syllable. "SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT MY FAMILY, SAGE! YOU DON'T KNOW HALF OF IT!"

In the silence that remains after he says this, still staring at me, Haymich demands, gesturing out the small window. "What about them? Who protects them?" He shakes his head, sighing again as he looks at me. "Look, Sage, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about Rue!" I scream, lurching forwards and grabbing onto Haymitch's arms, sobbing hard as I speakto him. "Look, Haymitch, just help us get through this trip, just please, help us get through this..."

"This trip? Girl, wake up!" Haymitch offers no support, snapping his fingers at me. "This trip doesn't end when you get back home! You never get off this train."

Wh-what?

"You two are mentors now," Haymitch gestures to Cato and I. "That means that every year, they're going to drag you out and broadcast the details of your romance. Every year, your private life becomes theirs!"

I slowly digest what he is saying, absolutely terrified.

I'll have to pretend to be in love with a boy I mutually hate... for life.

"From now on, your job is to be a distraction, so people forget what the real problems are," Haymitch finishes.

"So what do we do?" Cato's voice is low, and pained, and his jaw is locked.

"You're gonna smile, you're gonna read the cards that Effie and Salcilia give you, and you're gonna live happily ever after," Haymitch says, an air of sarcasm in his tone as he smiles wryly. "Think you can do that?"

I can't say no, so I nod.

"Come here," Haymitch mutters, pulling me into a hug. I latch onto him, craving some sort of comfort.

Instead, I am offered none. But not because of Haymitch.

No, it's because out the window I now can see though, the man that I killed is being dragged into a truck, his eyes shut, his head lolling to the side. His lips never to whistle a tune again.