A million questions stream through my mind. Why? Why me? I hoped my face didn’t look stupid. I’m pretty sure I still have the same facial expression. “Why don’t I let you sleep on it and you can give me your answer in three days, okay,” she says. She walks away and has a Peacekeeper escort onto a hovercraft. Gone. I feel hands go onto my shoulders. I turn around to see Gale.

“You found out didn’t you?” he asks. I just nod my head. “They asked me to be an announcer during the games. I said no,” he says. He gives me a hug. “It’s all up to you from here on out.” Then he leaves to go back to the Capitol with Claudia. I see Peeta walking towards me. “What was all that about?” he asks suspiciously. I just go into his arms. “I’ll tell you when we get home,” I say. Once everyone leaves we walk home hand in hand. We both needed a shower badly. Peeta decided to take a shower in the basement while I took one in our bathroom. When I got out I put on my pajamas and braided my hair down my back. When I put my arms down from braiding my hair I saw my wedding ring in the mirror and it made me realize that I’m no longer a Everdeen but a Mellark. I smile. Peeta comes into the bathroom with his pajamas on.

“How’s my Mrs. Mellark?” he asks. He gives me a kiss on the cheek.

“Happy,” I respond. I put my arms around his neck.

“So what happened with you and Paylor?” he asks. I take my arms off his neck and leave the bathroom. I go and sit down on our bed. His face is filled with worry. He comes and sits next to me and folds his hands. “What’s wrong?” he asks with sorrow in his voice.

“You’ll find out one way or another,” I say.

“What?” he asks in a worried voice.

“Remember when we voted to see if there was going to be a Capitol citizen Hunger Games?” I ask.

“Please don’t tell me that they are going to have one,” he says. I nod my head. He gets up and begins to pace. He closes his eyes, probably trying to fight flashbacks.

“It gets a lot worse,” I say trying not to make eye contact with him.

“The only thing that could make that worse is if they wanted us or someone we know to host it or something,” he says. I don’t respond. He stops pacing and drops to his knees right in front of me. I look right into his light blue tear filled eyes.

“Please don’t tell me that they want us or someone we know to host it,” he says. I nod my head. He pounds his fists on the floor.

“Who?” he asks.

“She asked Gale to be an announcer, but he said no,” I say.

“Is that it or is there more people?” he asks. He looks me right in the eyes again. I can’t keep it in any longer.

“She……also asked me….to be the…..Head Gamemaker,” I say. He gets up and pounds his fists on the wall. He puts his hands up against the wall to steady himself. Tears begin to run down his face. I walk over there and wrap my arms around him and I put my head on his back.

“Did you say yes?” he asks.

“I didn’t give her an answer. She told me I have three days to give her one,” I say.

“Are you going to do it?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” I say.

“You’re actually thinking about doing it?” he asks while turning around. I wipe away his tears away with my thumb. He puts his arms around my waist.

“I might do it so they can get a taste of their own medicine. Plus it’s not like it’s going to go on for seventy five years. It will be for one year only,” I say. “But I’m not going to make any decision unless you are on board in case I decide to do it,” I say.

“I will support you 110% no matter which decision you make,” he says. I give him a kiss.

“We should make this decision together because I don’t want you to be unhappy if I did decide to take the position,” I say.

“Do you want to take the job?” he asks.

“I do but then I don’t,” I say

“Why? I mean this is crazy. I thought since Coin died that idea died to.”

“I do so then they can have a taste of their own medicine. But then I don’t because it would be killing twenty three innocent boys and girls and only sparing one life out of twenty four, and I would just feel awful.”

“Why don’t we talk about this tomorrow so then you have more time to think,” he says.

“I love you,” I say.

“I love you to,” he says. He gives me a kiss.

“If you need me in the middle of the night I will be right next to you,” he says. I nod my head. We crawl into bed and Peeta puts his arm around me. “I will be right here all night,” he says. He knows I’ll have nightmares tonight. I know I’ll have nightmares tonight. I think about what Paylor asked until I fall asleep. It’s about four in the morning when I wake myself up by screaming. Peeta wakes right up. He turns on his lamp and puts his arm around me. He makes me put my head on his lap. He begins to stroke my hair which sooths me.

“What was it this time?” he asks. I grab his hand.

“I took the job and I was suppose-to be present at the reaping. And when they were picking the names I dreamed that Claudia and Gale both had to go into the games because they are both Capitol citizens. I yelled saying that they were over the age limit but no one would listen. Then I fast forwarded to the end of the games and it was Gale and Claudia in the end and I had to watch Gale die. I was mortified,” I say. He kisses my forehead.

“That might happen,” he says.

“It can’t, they are too old,” I say.

“What if they change the rules?” he says. What if they did change the rules? I won’t be able to sleep tonight, but if I do sleep I need to be in Peeta’s arms or else I don’t know what will happen to me. Peeta sees the worry on my face. He lifts my head off his lap and makes me lay down. He puts his arm around me and I use it as a pillow. I put my arm around his chest so my hand is on his shoulder and fall asleep. When I wake up I’m still in his arms. He is there for me.

“Morning,” I say. He flickers his eyes open and smiles.

“Morning,” he says. He gives me a kiss.

“So have you thought about the offer?” he asks.

“I have actually,” I say.

“Are you going to take it?” he asks. I sigh and I find his hand and grab it.

“I am,” I say. His face is indescribable. “Only for Prim because if the games never happened she wouldn’t be dead, and I did vote yes,” I say.

“But if the games never happened we wouldn’t be married because I wouldn’t have enough courage to even make eye contact with you and you would’ve probably married Gale,” he says. He tightens the grip on me.

“But the games did happen, Prim did die, and I married you not Gale,” I say letting go of him. I begin to get out of bed but Peeta grabs my hand.

“Katniss, don’t. I didn’t mean it like that,” he says. I know he didn’t mean it like that. I just need to go on a walk to clear my mind.

“I know, I’ll be back in a little while,” I say. I go over and give him a kiss on the head. He starts to get out of bed. “I’ll come with you, just let me get my jacket,” he says.

“I want to go alone,” I say. I leave the bedroom, grab my father’s hunting jacket and leave. I start to walk towards the woods. This is going to be the first time I’m taking on the woods by myself. All of the chairs and the arch are still in the meadow. I walk over to the arch. Its white paint glistens in the mildew from the morning. Not even twenty four hours ago I got married to Peeta in this very spot. I feel bad for pushing Peeta away this morning. I was going to go back to spend time with him when I hear a bang in the woods. I begin walk into the woods with caution. I begin to see the lake and think that it is nothing when I see a shadow on the cabin. I walk over slowly trying not to make a noise. I grab a stick in case anything or anyone tries to attack me, since I don’t have my bow and arrow with me. I’m about 200 feet away when I see Claudia. She really doesn’t look like a Capitol citizen. She’s got dark brown hair and blue eyes. She doesn’t wear any wacky makeup or silly clothes. In fact her makeup looks like how I looked on my wedding day, it is not too much but not too little. And her clothes don’t look like Effie’s clothes. They look like natural, normal everyday clothes. I walk over to her.

“Hey Katniss, what are you doing here?” she asks.

“Just on a walk, what are you doing here?” I ask.

“Cleaning up from the reception, Gale would be here but he’s still passed out,” she says. I begin to help her clean up.

“Why don’t you look like all of the other Capitol citizens? Did you just move there or something?” I ask.

“I’ve actually lived there most of my life. When I was growing up I let my parents dress me in the stupid outfits. But by the time I was twelve I refused to wear any silly outfits or wacky hairdos, so my parents disowned me because I was not allowed to even leave the house until I ‘dressed up’. So since I was disowned I ran away. Within a week I was in Two. I decided to live there as a new citizen. I had a fake name and ID. When you exploded ‘The Nut’ that is when Gale and I met,” she says.

“Wow, I’m so sorry,” I say.

“Don’t be, my parents were snobs anyway, and if they didn’t disown me I would’ve never met Gale,” she says. She must really love Gale. I wonder if he feels the same way?

“How long have you been seeing each other?” I ask.

“About a year,” she says. We begin to stack chairs. It stays silent between us for a few moments.

“Are you going to take the job?” she asks

“I really don’t know, I mean I want to but then I don’t want to. I want to because I won the Games and my sister is dead because of it. But then I don’t want to because I don’t want twenty three innocent people to die because of me. Enough people have already died because of me, I don’t want twenty three more to die,” I hear a stick break behind me. I turn around to see Peeta.

“I told you I’d be home in a little while,” I say. “Yeah you told me that a half hour ago. I was starting to get worried,” he says starting to walk towards me. It feels like it’s only been a couple minutes. He grabs my hand. “I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he says. He gives me a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m fine,” I say putting my arms around his neck. He puts his arms around my waist.

“I love you,” he says.

“I love you too,” I say. He gives me a kiss then gives me a hug.

“I wish Gale did that to me,” says Claudia.

“I’ve told him I loved him and he never told me it back, the most he’ll do is give me a kiss on the cheek. I really wish we have what you two have,” she says. I let go of Peeta. I look at him and his eyes tell me that he knows exactly what I’m going to do. I look at him to ask if I can, and he just nods his head.

“You know Caludia, what made me fall in love with Peeta was the Games,” I say. She nods her head. “Are you strong?” I ask.

“Kind of, I did do a lot of masonry when I lived in two,” she says.

“And you love Gale right?” I ask.

“With all of my heart,” she says. I grab Peeta’s hand.

“If I accept this job we can make sure you get picked, and then Gale will volunteer for a guy’s spot to be with you and it will make you two closer,” I say.

“No, plus he didn’t volunteer for Peeta’s spot so why would he volunteer for me if he wouldn’t even volunteer for his best friend,” she says.

“Because he knew he had to stay to feed not only his family but my family. If our families weren’t starving everyday he would’ve volunteered,” I say. Her face looks shocked.

“What if he doesn’t volunteer?” she asks.

“He will to protect you. I know he will volunteer, I have no doubt. But if for some reason he doesn’t, then we will just get someone from one or two that has been training for the games their entire life to volunteer for you. All we would have to do is give the person a fake Capitol citizen ID card,” I say. She puts a smile on her face.

“My best friend was going to be in the seventy sixth Hunger Games. She’s been training since she was eight. And we are still friends so I could get a hold of her,” she says.

“Perfect, so I’ll take the job to get you and Gale closer,” I say.

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Do you think that that's a stupid decision to be the Head Gamemaker for The Games? Comment what you think and vote if you like this chapter!

Love, Bookjunkie001