"This is the start of how it all ever ends"

Scarlet let out a sigh of relie fwhen she entered her District's room. She slumped against the door, after having displayed her abilities at the training centre she had to avoid Johanna, knowing she noticed her bruise. She pulled out, and when she went to light it, Moxie yelled at her.

"Uh, uh, uh. No smoking inside, go to the roof." Devin said, mockingly waggled her finger at the woman. Scarlet let out a heavy sigh, before turning and leaving the room. She shook off the memories that the elevator resurfaced, instead focusing on what she was going to do for her private session. Eventually, she settled on doing something to spite the gamemakers, to spite President Snow, the man that got her in the stuck in this place. Scarlet stepped out of the elevator, raising the cigarette to her blood red lips, lighting it soon after. She leant over the railing, watching the excited Capital people below, lost in thought. The small, quite beep of the elevator woke her from her thoughts and she looked back to see who it was, suspecting Finnick. Scarlet was pleasantly surprised, however, to see Peeta walking towards her.

"Hello, Peeta." She breathed, smoke billowing from her mouth.

"You know, those things can kill you." Peeta pointed to the cigarette, leaning on the railing next to her. She laughed, taking another drag.

"Well, I'll be dead in the next week anyway." He shook his head.

"No, I think you'll win."

"Then you don't know me very well." Scarlet dropped the cigarette to the ground, placing her foot over the top of it, snuffing it out. "There are two people who are coming into the arena with me, and I will do all I can to make sure they get out alive." She smiled at him, "Just like what you did, what you will do with Katniss."

"I guess we're more alike than I thought." Peeta looked to the floor sadly, "My mother hit me when I was younger before I won the games." He turned his gaze out to the skyline, "I moved out after." Scarlet nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry I didn't do anything more last night." Scarlet shrugged off his apology, about to say that it was alright when he spoke again. "And I'm sorry about your mother." Her head snapped towards him.

"I guess Haymitch told you that she died while I was in the games?" She continued when Peeta nodded, "Well did he tell that I was only thirteen at the time? Or that I wasn't reaped, I volunteered? I guess not. I volunteered because my mother was very sick and the medicine that she needed was extremely expensive. The only reason I wanted to win was to buy that medicine, but when I got back she was already dead." She sighed, "Because I didn't have any other living relatives in District 5, I had to go live with Haymitch in District 12. He was disgusted by my volunteering and used to hit me every night. I stayed for a year before I ran away to the Capital. Here I was protected and no one could touch me because I was a victor, loved by the people because of my volunteering and my cause. Here, I met Finnick and Johanna and after they learnt my story, the offered their homes to me. I don't want to impose on them though." Peeta could tell what she had just said was a lie.

"Why really?" Scarlet's eyes darted around the rooftop before, pulling Peeta towards herself.

"President Snow keeps me here." She whispered, before letting go, leaving his lips slightly tinted red. To anyone watching the scene, it would have looked like they had kissed, protecting her secret.

"I'm sorry, I've got to go." Scarlet apologised, rushing away, leaving Peeta dazed and confused. She needed to get some rest before the one on one training sessions tomorrow.

The next morning, Devin woke Scarlet by shoving her out of bed.

"If you wanted to be woken up nicely, you should have asked Moxie." Was her defence. She groaned, before getting off the floor and showering. She ran her, now dry, blonde hair through her fingers. Although she was going to dye it to rid herself of all memories of Haymitch, she couldn't bring herself to part with it. Scarlet applied her normal red lipstick and dark eye makeup before putting on the training suit. She exited the room, grabbing an apple on her way out which she ate on the elevator. She sat down in her designated seat, waiting for the others to come down. She got lost in thought until she felt a pair of eyes glaring into the back of her head. Scarlet turned to look behind her, spotting Katniss. She smirked to herself, before getting up to talk to the Girl on Fire.

"Hello, Katniss. Where's Peeta?" She asked, noticing the absence of the kind boy.

"I think you've seen enough of Peeta," Katniss said, jealously clear on her voice. Scarlet let out a laugh when she realised that by the red left on Peeta's lips, Katniss had assumed they kissed.

"We didn't kiss if you were wondering." She said, before walking back to her seat now that Finnick had arrived.

"Hello, darling," She said, wrapping her arms around him.

"Hey, love." Finnick kissed her nose, pulling Scarlet onto his lap. She laughed as he picked her up, before leaning in, making it look like they were kissing.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid when you're in there." He whispered, making her roll her eyes.

"And if I do?" She grinned at him. Finnick sighed, knowing that he couldn't stop Scarlet from doing what she wanted.

"Have you told Johanna?" He asked instead.

"No, I know she'll kill Haymitch this time and I don't want Katniss and Peeta going unguided." She sighed. Then another voice cut into their conversation.

"Get a room!" Taurean yelled in their ears as he sat down next to them, effectively breaking up the couples 'kisses.

"You get a room." Scarlet retorted, getting off of Finnick and sitting in her designated chair. She looked around the room, noticing that the one on one session where up to Finnick.

"Finnick Odair." The metallic voice told Finnick that it was his time to go in. He shared on last kiss with Scarlet, before walking into the room. She hoped that he didn't show off in there, knowing that the victors would go after the highest scoring first. Then, she went to go talk to Johanna, deciding that she deserved to know.

"Hey, babe." Scarlet said, kissing her girlfriends cheek.

"Don't you 'hey, babe' me! I know you've been avoiding me." Johanna said angrily, before letting out a sigh. "It's because you knew I would kill whoever hurt you and you're protecting me, isn't it." She let out another sigh when her girlfriend nodded. "Can you at least tell me? I promise that I won't kill them." Scarlet lent in, whispering in her ear.

"Haymitch," She pulled away, watching as her girlfriends face contorted in anger. "Use this anger to fuel you in there. I-"

"Scarlet Ab-" The metallic voice began.

"I'm going, I'm going!" She yelled, blocking out the rest of the words, hands over her ears. She forced her muscles to relax before she walked into the session.

"Scarlet, you have ten minutes to show us your skills." Plutarch Heavensbee, the head gamemaker, told her. Her eyes looked scattered and afraid, as she stood still, showing no recognition of being spoken to. "Scarlet." He repeated her name, this time, she looked up at him. "You-"

"Yes, yes I heard you the first time." Her cold voice cut him off. She turned away from the gamemakers, going towards the dummies. She pulled one onto a table, and used berry juice to paint a rose on its torso, along with the words 'President Snow'. Then she strung it up, before grabbing her signature knives, throwing them hilt deep into the dummy's head. Scarlet smirked at the gamemakers, bowed and then left, knowing that she now had a target on her back.

After Scarlet returned to her floor, she had a quick nap. Moxie woke her friend an hour later.

"Training score time." She smiled sadly at her friend before her eyes turned to the screen. Cashmere and Gloss both get 9, Brutus gets an 8 and Enobaria gets a 9. Beetee gets a 7, Wiress gets a 3, Finnick gets an 11 while Mags gets a 5. Taurean got an 8, making a sly grin slip onto his face. Scarlet looked over to him, uneasily. She knew that that score was on purpose, she just didn't know why yet.

"Scarlet, with a score of, my god, the first ever 12!" Devin looks over to her, a bored look on her face, and then she begins to clap.

"Well done, Scarlet. You've got yourself killed!" Scarlet just grinned back at her escort.

"Well, Peeta told me that cigarettes kill you, so I'm already half way there!" She joked, trying to lighten the mood, before concentrating back on the training scores. The Morphlings get 5, Blight gets an 8 and Johanna gets a 9. Peeta and Katniss both get 12 as well. Scarlet smiled at the engaged couple's scores, at least she wasn't the only one in that boat.