Blood and roses. Those are the two things that I registered he smelled like last time I saw them. Now I smell them again.

"Such bravery," he comments, and I see he's looking at a projection of when I handed Austin the berries so we could both stay alive. "Such spirit. Such... contempt."

"President Snow," I say, for a second shocked. But then I realise that I've been waiting for him to come since the moment I got released back to Twelve. I say my last three words sardonically. "What an honour."

I walk forwards and sit in the seat opposite the desk he's at. "My dear, I think we can make this whole thing a lot easier by agreeing not to lie to each other, don't you think?" He asks me.

"Yes, I think that would save time," I nod.

He sits down and we pause for a second, then he goes into full fledged story time mode. "I have a problem, Miss Hawthorne, a problem that began the moment you revealed those poisoned berries in the arena. If that head Gamemaker Seneca Crane had had any brains at all he would've blown you to bits then and there. But here you are, and I assume you can imagine where he is."

I nod silently. Just by the way he says it I can tell that Seneca Crane has been executed. "Yesz I think so."

"Well, after that whole fiasco there was nothing left to do but let you play out your little scenario," Snow says spitefully. "And you were very good. That love crazed, besotted school girl act. Impressive, truly. You convinced the people in the Capitol.

"Unfortunately not everyone in the Districts fell for your act," this is when I know my punishment is coming. I'm going to be killed. An 'accident' is probably being arranged for me now.

Snow continues. "I mean, you can't know this but in several of them, people viewed your little trick with the berries as an act of defiance. Not as an act of love. And if a girl from District Twelve of all places can defy the Capitol and walk away unharmed, what is to prevent them doing the same, what is to prevent, say... an uprising?"

My heart skips a beat as he says that word. "And that can lead to revolution," Snow says dismissively. "And then in a fraction of time the whole system collapses."

"It must be a fragile system if it can be brought down by just a few berries," I voice my thought.

"It is, yes, very fragile," Snow looks straight into my eyes and I force myself to look back. "But not in the way you imagine."

"How should I imagine?"

"You should imagine thousands upon thousands of your people dead. This town of yours reduced to ashes, imagine it gone, made radioactive, buried under dirt as if it had never existed like District Thirteen."

I stare at him for a second as he puts it into perspective. "You fought very hard in the games, Miss Hawthorne, but they were games. Would you like to be in a real war?"

"No," I answer immediately.

"Good. Neither would I," Snow takes a frosted cookie from a plate in the middle of the table. "Did your mother make these?"

I look at the cookies and I'm compelled to smile. The frosting work is so acute that it can only be Austin's.

"Austin."

"Ah, Austin, he's a lovely boy," Snow takes another cookie. "At what point did he realise the depth of your indifference towards him?"

"I'm not indifferent-"

"Don't lie!" He raises his voice. "You promised."

I can't respond to this. I know I'm lying as much as he does.

"Why don't you just kill me now?" I finally ask after a pause. "It would be a lot faster. And it would satisfy the Districts to show that anyone who defies the Capitol is getting killed anyway."

"But I don't want to kill you," Snow tells me. I'm taken aback. And if I wasn't before, I certainly am by what he says next. "I want us to be friends, but if not friends, allies."

I've thought that before. In the arena, when I was making an alliance with Foxface, or rather, Nina. She had only said 'allies' but soon, we became friends. So I know there's no such thing.

I know that you can't be 'allies'. There are only friends and enemies.

"So what do you want me to do?" I ask.

"When you and Austin are on tour, I want you to smile, I want you to be greatful, but above all I want you to be madly, prepared to end it all, in love. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes," I respond. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't.

"Yes what?" Snow asks me.

"I'll convince them."

"No," Snow shuts this down. "Convince me."

He pulls a white rose that reeks of perfume out of his jacket. "For you, Miss Hawthorne," he places it on the table in front of me and walks to the door. "And please do convince me. I have no intentions of killing you but for the sake of your family, and your friends..."

A video of me and Prim playing together is shown on the projector. A gasp escapes my lips as I suddenly know what he's planning to do.

But the door has already shut behind him.

I come out of the drawing room just a few seconds later to be met with Rory and Prim. "What'd they want?" Rory asked me, raising his eyebrows so that they almost went into his hairline.

"Oh, nothing much," I say evasively, heading away from them.

I'm just in the porch when the door opens, and it reveals Effie, Flavius, Octavia and Venia. "Ahh, there she is! My greatest triumph!" Effie's in a big white wig and a furry shawl with a glittery overstated white dress.

"Our little superstar!"

"Sweetie, we've missed you."

"Oh, what a cute little house, so quaint, isn't it?" Effie looks around in wonder. "Of course you've heard about Cinna."

"What happened to Cinna?" I ask worriedly.

"Oh dear, he's a fashion star, you're his muse! Everyone in the Capitol's wearing him, everyone, everyone!" Effie says excitedly.

"Well not, everyone," Effie steps aside and reveals Cinna. I instantly spring forward and hug him. "Cinna!"

"Willow?" I turn to see Posy, who's learned a lot this past year, especially how to speak properly.

"Oh, Willow is this your sister?" Octavia says.

I nod silently. "Oh sweetie! You are just adorable!" Octavia squeals, going towards Posy.

"Willow, are you okay?" Cinna asks me.

I give my best yes-I'm-fine-and-Snow-is- totally-not-scheming-how-to-kill-my-family- now look. "Yeah."

"Ready to work?"

"Yeah."

In half an hour, I get waxed, coated in make up and my hair done. Cinna puts me in a comfortable black snow outfit and a furry shawl, and I now await my time to go and perform for the cameras.

Outside, I hear the camera yell in Ceasar Flickerman's voice. "Let's go to District Twelve and find our star crossed lovers!"

"You're excited, you're in love," Effie gives me some last minute training. "Big smiles for the camera in three, two, one!"

She pulls the door open and reveals a standing camera that is talking in the same way Ceasar Flickerman undoubtedly is now. "There she is! Willow Hawthorne, the Girl on Fire!"

I see another camera tracking Austin as he comes out his house. "And there he is! Austin Thatcher, the baker's boy!"

Be. In. Love.

So I force myself to look into those eyes, and I walk towards him, smiling 'warmly' to see him.

When we meet, I slightly overbalance us, both of us laughing as we go down.

"Uh oh, trouble in paradise!" Ceasar jokes as I giggle. I know this is the chance I have. I don't want to but I know now, I must. So I kiss Austin full on the lips.

"Hello, er- anyone at home, should we come back later?" Ceasar calls through the camera. I decide this is fine and pull away from him, then he helps me up and we both dust the snow off ourselves.

"Sorry Ceasar," I giggle.

"No, please it's alright!" He cries. "It's alright it's your day, it's your day. So! How's it going?"

"It's- it's going good," Austin nods, steadying me slightly as we stand together. "We're good."

This didn't satisfy Ceasar as he hoped it would. "Is that all we get? 'We're good'? Come on, Austin, give us details! Details!"

"Things are, uh, things are great here in Twelve," Austin tries again, and I internally cringe on the inside.

"Thanks to the generosity of the Capitol we've never been closer," I step in. I'm grinning like mad and my face is hurting, but it's all fake.

"Twenty five yards to be exact," Austin jokes.

"Almost always less," I add, trying to be sweet and vulnerable, pecking his cheek in a way I hope looks kind.

"Ah yes, so, we'll be checking in with you throughout the victory tour. Ladies and Gentlemen, Willow Hawthorne and Austin Thatcher!"

We wave as the cameras go down. "Wonderful!" Effie shouts as soon as they stop recording. "Everyone get ready, we are out of here in ten!"

"I thought it was Eleven we were going to first?" Haymitch asks in mock confusion.

I'm compelled to laugh, but after a glance at Austin, I can't bring myself to do it.

I turn to him and realised he's already looking at me. This doesn't help. "I have to go and say bye to my family," I say to him, avoiding his eyes.

"Okay," he says, adding. "Good acting."

I would say 'you too' but I can't. Because to him, this isn't acting.

I make myself happy for my goodbyes, however, because everyone in my family except for Gale doesn't really know what's going on, and I can't let them suspect something before I leave for twelve days.

I hug Vick and Rory, say goodbye to my mother and then turn to Posy who's cuddling with Prim's cat, Buttercup, that she brought round. "I'll see you soon, Pos, okay?"

"I still don't get why you have to go," Posy tells me in her adorable little voice.

"I just have to, Pos, okay? Believe me, if I could stay, I would."

Finally, I see Gale, who's just arrived back from the Everdeen's. Him and Katniss stand together, and I sigh heavily as I go to hug them.

"Good luck," Katniss tells me, and I nod into her shoulder.

Gale, meanwhile, says. "Keep the act up."

I sigh. "Shut up, Gale."

However, when I hug him, I hug him tightly, hoping it will convey all the things I want to say to him.

Suddenly, Effie shouts. "Okay people, we are out of here!"

I sigh again. Gale may be annoying, but he isn't nearly as bad as what I'm about to face. Night after night, I'm going to have to be in love, and I just... I don't know if I care enough to act anymore.

If it was my life on the line, I might've given up already.

But that's the thing. It isn't my life in danger.

It's my loved ones'.