A/N: That's Lilac⬆️ She's portrayed by Indiana Evans.

* * *

EITHER one of us dies or both of us do. I want to win, for Katniss and Prim. Olive doesn't have any family. All she has is her dying grandma. If she won, she would be going home to no one. I want her to be alive by the end of this, but my family needs me.

My family comes through the doorway of the holding room. Katniss comes running in, tear stains on her cheeks. "Don't go, please!"
    "Hey, hey, it's gonna be okay. I'll be home soon," I say and I can't hide the uncertainty in my voice.
    "If you die, I will never forgive you," Katniss cries. Her brown hair falls in front of her striking green eyes and I push her hair behind her ear. She's a spitting image of our father and she's the only one who got his brown hair and green eyes.

"If I die, take care of Prim for me. Teach her how to hunt. Help her grow into the beautiful girl I know she will be," I start. "Also, be a good girl for me, and for Mom. Hunt like I taught you to. Gale can practice with you."
    "Gale is my best friend, just like you and Olive," Katniss says, her eyes lighting up.
    "That's right. He will always be your best friend. Don't ever lose him."
    "Okay, I won't. Be careful," Katniss says, pulling me into an embrace again.
    "I will."

Katniss takes a step back and Prim runs into my arms. "Don't go!"

She doesn't understand, she doesn't know where I'm going. She's just mimicking Kat and my heart breaks when a tear runs down her cheek.

"Hey, Prim, be a good girl while I'm gone, okay?" I ask.
    "Okay, Lil," Prim agrees. "Where are you going?"
    "Somewhere special, I'll be home soon. I love you."
    "I love you, too."

I pull Prim in my arms and kiss her head. When I let go, I turn my head back to Katniss.

"Take care of her at all costs. She'll always be your best friend." I kiss her forehead. "I love you."
    "I love you, too," Katniss says softly.

I turn my attention to my mom and this is the first time I'm noticing that she's crying.

"Don't cry. I'm coming home," I assure her and hug her.
    "I know you will."
    "I love you." I look into her icy blue eyes which are identical to mine.
    "I love you, too," she replies.

The peacekeeper at the door speaks up, interrupting our last moment together before I have to leave. "Alright, time to go."

He guides my mom out the door, but has to pry Katniss and Prim off my legs. I know I shouldn't think like this, but I wonder if that's the last time I'll ever see them.

*   *   *

Effie rambles on, as if Olive and I are listening to her, on our way to the train that takes us to the Capitol.

"So as you can see... you will be treated well..."

Blah, blah, blah. Neither of us really cared enough to pay attention. I was more focused on the beautifully decorated train. District 12 is like a black and white movie, and the assortment of colors inside the Capitol's train almost blinds me. Every dish, chair, and table is a different color. Even the foods are colored in every shade imaginable. From the brightest neons, to the softest pastels. When Effie finally stopped talking, she left Olive and I to devour our meals which were perfectly placed on white, porcelain plates on a shiny, glazed wooden table in the first train car.

"This is all so good!" Olive exclaimed.
    "Yeah, this is our 'before you are sent off to die, here's a little banquet meal' meal," I reply with a light chuckle to hide my aggravated tone.
    "You're so negative sometimes," Olive says.
    "Do you know what's going on here? Are you that ignorant? Did you just forget that we are being sent to enter an arena full of people that will all be trying to brutally murder us? Only one comes out, Olive!" My voice starts to raise.
    "Yeah, I know." Olive starts to become irritated, too. "Maybe if you didn't volunteer, we wouldn't have a problem."
    "I volunteered to save your dumb ass! You shouldn't have volunteered! I know we made a pact, but the smarter decision would've been to just let me go!" I slammed the table with my fist in frustration and started to head towards the door.
I hear Olive faintly say, "Whatever happens in there will be your own fault."
I ignore her and slam the compartment door on my way out.

I love Olive, but since we're going into the games together, we need to be on the same page. Olive is like a dandelion, she's sensitive and delicate. She goes wherever the wind takes her. She never has a plan for what's gonna happen next.                

I guess it's a good way to be, but not when you're about to go into the Hunger Games. You need to have a plan. You need to know what your next move is, and what everyone else's next move will be. You need to be quick and agile. Sneaky and quiet. Olive is the opposite of all of those. She's slow and clumsy. She's loud and energetic. Believe me, I love that about her, but not right now. I need to protect her and I need her to realize how serious this is.
What she said was true, about everything being my fault. That's exactly why I refuse to let anything happen to her. Olive's blindness to the severity of this situation is going to kill her and she doesn't even know it.

*   *   *

Frustrated and still dazed from the reaping, I search for my corridor to find some solitude. But just as I turn the corner, I accidentally crash into a man coming out of the bar, which makes him drop his glass. The cup shatters and tiny little shards of glass are sent flying across the train floor.

"Wow. Making your mentor lose his liquor is not the best way to make a first impression."

When he says this, I finally realize who he is. Haymitch Abernathy. District 12's second and only living victor. He had survived the second Quarter Quell and faced 47 other tributes and won at the age of 16. Now looking back, I remember him being on the stage at the reaping, but being next to Effie, he looked too normal to draw any attention away from her.

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to--"
    "Don't worry about it. I've already had more than I should. Here, help me clean this mess up."

We both get on our hands and knees, and as I get closer to him, I realize there is a strong odor of alcohol coming off of Haymitch's breath. The odd part though, was that he didn't look intoxicated at all. His hair was neatly trimmed, and he dressed rather put together.

"So, you're this year's victor to be, huh? Hopefully when you come back you can take this job off my hands," he laughs slightly.
I laugh and answer, "I don't know. If I do survive, I'm sure I won't want anything to do with these games or the Capitol. How do you deal with it?"
    "Oh, that's a trade secret. You just have to be drunk enough not to feel the emotions, but sober enough to look great while doing it." Haymitch finds great amusement in this little comment, and although him being under the influence isn't the most comforting, it's good to talk about something other than dying.

We get almost all the pieces picked up before Effie trots into the room and finds us.
"Well, I see you two have been acquainted. Up, up, both of you. We come to the Capitol to have people do these things for us. Now, let's make our way back to the dining car so that Haymitch can meet Olive and we can talk strategy."
    "What exactly is your idea of strategy?" Haymitch asks in a sarcastic tone.
    "How to get sponsors, of course! You ladies need to look fabulous at all times, and I want you to keep an eye out for any game makers that might come to watch training."

I can't help but smirk at Effie's remark. She truly doesn't see past the 'game' part of the Hunger Games. To her, it's just a way to cozy up to the Capitol, but to Haymitch, Olive, and myself, it's a fight for survival.

We make it back to the dining car, and Olive is glued to the window, eyes darting as the world whizzing by.

"Olive, Haymitch. Haymitch, Olive," Effie says in a peppy manner.
    "Pleased to meet you," says Haymitch as he shakes Olive's hand and takes his place at the table. "You girls have gone through the ringer today and I don't want to worry you too much at first. Chances are in the state you are in, you won't remember anything anyway. I just want to cover the basics right now. First, you will die of thirst before you die of starvation. Make water your first priority at all times. Second, no matter what you do, never light a fire. You will let the other tributes know exactly where you are and unless you are willing to face a pack of hormonal teenagers itching to make a kill, grab the blanket before you grab the matches. And finally, this is a show after all. Sponsors will support people they like. When you go on stage and introduce yourself to the world, create a personality the people will remember. Make them like you. You two are best friends after all, so that won't be too hard."

Olive looks at me and her eyes tell me she is starting to get scared.

To break the tension I grab her hand and say, "Look at that. Volunteering may have saved us after all."
I don't mean it as much as I want to, but at least Olive has calmed down. With Effie taking care of my appearance, Haymitch coaching me, and a life of struggling to survive backing me up, I feel more confident that I can do this.