I felt guilty. Guilty that I had a comfortable life at 4, while the people in 12 starved.

You could see it in their thin bodies and shallow faces that they don't get enough to eat. I walked through the street, Newt by my side, and I kept my head down somehow feeling ashamed that I had a full belly. We walk over to the district centre where the mayor was standing upon the little stage. "Welcome!" He greeted us, "District 12 is delighted with your presence here today miss (Y/n)."

"Thank you, sir" I said with a smile. A little girl about the age of 10 came up to me with a bouquet of flowers, a little withered but nonetheless beautiful. Her brown doe eyes looked up at me and she gave a shy smile. "Thank you so much, I really like your dress" I said, even though her dress was a simple grey frock. She blushed and mumbled a thanks in return before running down the stage to her mother.

"Citizens of 12, please give a warm greeting to the victor for this year's games, miss (Y/n) (l/n) from district 4! " The crowd clapped politely and that is when I noticed the family of the fallen tributes on a platform at the back of the district centre. "Miss (Y/n), would you like to come up and speak a few words?" I look towards Nat, who nodded and I walk up to the microphone, clutching the cards that she had scribbled upon for my speech the previous day. My hands were sweating and I desperately wanted to put the cards down, and so I did. I placed it by my feet and stood up and faced the crowd.

"Um Hello," I started not knowing what to speak at all. But I knew that to read from the cards would be a cowardly move. I took a deep breath and continued, "I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I really didn't want to...uh.. I didn't want to kill anyone, but I had to.. and the blood... of the tributes will always be on my hands. I seek forgiveness for the lives I have taken... from the families of the fallen tributes, and I-" I stop myself from saying anything further, realizing that the Capitol was watching. I couldn't say anything bad about Snow or the system, something which I was so close to doing. Terrible things have happened to those who have spoken against the Capitol. Instead I say, " and I'm eternally grateful to the Capitol for helping me cope up with everything." I couldn't stand lying another minute so I quickly said a thank you and got off the stage where Newt and Natasha were waiting.

"Why didn't you read from the cards?" She asked, walking along with me to the mayor's mansion.

"I couldn't" I reply, still feeling guilty for everything.

"It's alright, love. You did good." Newt said with a warm smile. I continued walking with my head bent down. A few peacekeepers escorted us into a room where they said that I could freshen up for the dinner that was held later that evening. I splashed water onto my face the moment I entered the small room, a little dusty from the lack of use.

I calmed myself down but the nagging feeling didn't escape my head. I can do something to help these poor people. But the fear of endangering my loved ones stopped me.

I changed into a simple dress that Dylan had laid out for me and my team completed the look with a little make up.

A few hours later, we sat around the dining table in the mayor's house who had invited us to the feast. The mayor, his daughter and his wife were sweet people, who offered us a lot of food. I lost my appetite because of the situation right outside the house, where the people of 12 hungrily ate the little food they were given. I excused myself from the table, Newt giving me a concerned glance as I carried my plate, full of food, outside the room and towards the kitchen. I grabbed a piece of paper towel and covered the food with it.

I opened the back door and stepped out of the house, relishing the cold air outside. The backyard was filled with dead leaves and dry grass, little twigs scattered about the lawn. I made my way towards the crowd, hiding in the shadows. I saw a lady gently shushing a crying baby, about 2 years old, in her arms.

"It's alright baby, mommy's here. Don't cry my child" she cooed. Her thin face was smudged with dirt, and her eyes, bloodshot. I walk up to her, and place my free hand on her arm, gaining her attention.

"Oh lord, what is a sweet victor like you doing in the streets? You mustn't be here!" She said.

I placed a finger on my lips, indicating her to not reveal my presence. The dress should have gained a lot of attention, but the need for food was more for the poor people. I quietly asked her to follow me, and we walked behind the house so we wouldn't be seen. I uncovered the plate to reveal the food.

"Here, have this, you must be hungry." I said, while handing the plate to her. She was confused, her eyes filled with a questioning wonder.

"I can't take this, this is your food" she said while trying to hold her still crying baby. I shook my head firmly and asked her to sit down on the stairs that lead to the back door. I sat beside her and she made the baby sit in between the both of us.

"I really am not hungry. And you need the food. So please, do eat" I say, motioning to the plate on her lap. She had tears in her eyes as she stared at the food as though it was a treasure. It was a plate full of vegetable salad, a few sliced of bread with butter and some dinner rolls.

"Thank you," she choked out "Thank you very much". I smiled in reply with sincerity. "You have no idea how much this means to us. Ever since my husband died in the mining accident, there was nothing left for me or my son other than a little house. No means of income or food. So thank you very very much." She placed a hand on my arm and tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Thank you."

"It is the least I can do. I can try to get something to drink if you like" I say while standing up.

"You really dont have to, you have already done a lot. And if we get caught you might be punished." She said.

"All the punishment is worth seeing you and your baby with a full tummy, even if it is for only a night." I smiled and quickly stepped into the house, making sure I was as silent as possible. I found a glass in one of the drawers and filled it with water. I spotted a loaf of bread, which had a sweet smell to it. I'm sure the mayor won't mind me giving this loaf of bread to someone. After all it is for a good cause. I took the loaf and wrapped it in more paper towels and took the glass of water outside where the lady was feeding her baby a piece of tomato from the salad.

"Here you are" I handed her the water and the bread which she took with a grateful smile "I sneaked out some bread for you"

"You are a wonderful person. I hope you have a happy life ahead of you, my dear, you deserve it"
I smiled and sat down next to her.

A few minutes later when she was almost done chewing the last dinner roll, I asked, "So tell me, what is your name?"

"I'm Treenie, and this is Eddie" she motioned towards the baby who was munching on a carrot stick. "My husband, Marvin, loved the name Eddie." She smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry. But, if you don't mind me asking, what actually happened?" I blurted out, curiosity getting the best of me.

"District 12 is known for its coal mines. All the men worked there while all the women took care of the house. This district was a happy one actually, until a few years ago. One day when they were working overtime, deep under the earth to dig the coal out, the tunnel collapsed." She closed her eyes and I placed my hand on her back in a comforting manner. "Eddie was 4 months old when it happened. The tunnel collapsed and many of the workers died. Including my Marvin" a tear rolled down her cheek and she kept her empty plate down and buried her face in her hands. I wrapped my arms around her thin frame and I whispered, "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, no. There is no problem in asking, I would have asked too." She said while hastily wiping her tears away. She took the glass of water and gulped half of it down and gave the other half to her son who was looking up at her with his green eyes. "After the accident, all the families affected were paid a little money. It ran out months ago. To feed two stomachs three times a day, everyday when there is hardly any work around is tough. My neighbour, also a widow, is going through the same thing except she has 4 children. The last was born a little while after the children's father died." These people are going through so much that I couldn't even imagine was possible.

"You are so very brave, you know" I said, " I don't think I can go through all that. I feel so pathetic that I used to complain about my problems."

"Don't say that, you are a wonderful and generous soul. And I think it is very brave of you to offer me food under these circumstances with peacekeepers about." She said.

A comfortable silence fell upon us as we sat there for a few moments in the night's cold air.
The door behind us clicked open and we jumped around to see who it was. "Newt what are you doing here?" I asked, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart, with the fear that the mayor had caught us.

"You didn't return, so I thought I'd check up on you." he said, "Is everything alright here?"

"Yeah everything is fine, I'll be inside in a minute." He nodded and went back into the house, closing the door behind him.

"I need to get going" Treenie said while standing up. She lifted Eddie up and I bent down and picked the loaf of bread up. I handed the bread to her and she pulled me into a hug. "Thank you so much once again, I'll never forget you." She mumbled.

"You're welcome, and I'll never forget you too, you are an amazing mother and a strong woman. Hope things go well for you. I wish I could do more."

"You've done more than enough. Thank you darling." She smiled and with a wave, walked back to the street where the crowd had dispersed, just a few people roaming about. I watched until she disappeared around the corner and I went back inside the mansion.

Newt was waiting in the kitchen with a glass of water and he gave it to me which I gulped down. "The lady with the kid, " He asked, "who was that?."

"Just someone in need of food. I wasnt hungry, so I gave her mine."

"That was a very nice thing to do" he said with a smile. "You are really kind" I smiled back, feeling happy that I did something worthwhile that helped someone.

"C'mon let's go back before somebody sends a search party to look for you."

The both of us made our way back to the dining hall. I made a friend that night. The thoughts of Treenie and Eddie will forever be in my mind, amongst the memories that I cherish the most.