Catching Fire: Prim [Completed]

Chapter 4: Orange like the Sunset

Haymitch is right. If I want to live, I have one future, and it's in the Capitol.

I make it back to my room and crawl in under the covers. But my mind has no thoughts of going to sleeping.

I'm only 12, I should have a dream, something to root for. But even that has been taken away from me. Could I avoid Snow? Fighting seems impossible, but there's always running away. I can't leave all my friends and family behind, so I'd have to take them with me, of course. It's not impossible but not likely either. Vick and Posy in the woods? Nu-uh. Katniss would probably say no to "Prim in the woods", but the games have changed me tremendously. I laugh bitterly at how far I've come.

I continue to thinking of ways to gain control over my future, but after about two hours of aimless brainstorming, I just give up. I decide to focus on the Victory Tour, which is coming closer by the minute. There are lives depending on this tour. And it's up to me to save them. I spend the next two hours thinking of ways to convince the people, and I don't get that far on that either.

Dawn comes before sleep, and I hear knuckles rapping against my door. I jump out of bed, a bit tired, and open the door slightly. It's Effie.

"Good morning," I whisper.

"Good morning Prim. Now get dressed, and the prep team will pizzaz you up!" Effie squeals, oblivious that she could be waking up the others. I close the door and change into a simple shirt with a pair of jeans, then head over to the dinning car.

The prep team preps me up, and soon I'm at lunch. We're all excited about the Victory Tour, except for Haymitch and I. He's picking at a muffin, and I'm not eating at all. The others at the table start to notice my odd behavior. They try to get me involved but I just brush everything off, which is odd behavior.

"You sure you're okay? You don't look that good, Prim. Maybe you're not getting enough sleep or-"

"I'm fine!" I snap as I stand up. I just can't stand it anymore. Everyone at the table stares at me, and I dramatically walk out of the dining car.

The train stopped at this point, something about a malfunctioning gear or something, and it's staying like this for at least an hour. So I walk out of the train itself, thinking maybe it would help me cool down a little. Soon after, I hear footsteps behind me. Must be Haymitch, coming to scold me.

"I'm not in the mood for a lecture," I warn him.

"I'll try to keep it brief," Peeta says, as he takes a seat beside me.

"I thought you were Haymitch," I tell him.

"He's still working on his muffin," he replies. "Bad day?"

"It's...nothing really," I lie. There's a short but awkward pause.

"Hey, about the romance angle with your sister. It's...pretty real for me. I don't know about Katniss, but then...she has Gale going on. Could you...you know, talk to her maybe? I-I don't know, but just...help me," he whispers the last part, and I'm scared. I need to play the family angle, they have to play the romance angle, and even that may not be enough.

"I'll help you," I tell him.

"Thanks Prim."

"And in return, can you help me?"

"Sure, whatever you want."

"Well...Katniss and you are playing the romance angle, I would like the three of us to play the family angle," I tell him, choosing the words carefully.

"Sure, just like the last games. I'll be like your long lost older brother," he says and I laugh.

"Thanks."