Quotes by Suzanne Collins

I know we promised Haymitch, wed do exactly what they said, but I dont think he considered this angle. Where is Haymitch, anyway? Isnt he supposed to protect us from this sort of thing? says Peeta. With all that alcohol in him, its probably not advisable to have him around an open flame, I say.

I go back to my room and lie under the covers, trying not to think of Gale and thinking of nothing else.

Entrails. No hissing. This is the closest we will ever come to love.

Everything is about them, not the dying boys and girls in the arena.

And then it happens. Up and down the row, the victors begin to join hands. Some right away, like the morphlings, or Wiress and Beetee. Others unsure but caught up in the demands of those around them, like Brutus and Enobaria. By the time the anthem plays its final strains, all twenty-four of us stand in one unbroken line in what must be the first public show of unity among the districts since the Dark Days. You can see the realization of this as the screens begin to pop into blackness. Its too late, though. In the confusion they didnt cut us off in time. Everyone has seen.

What have the nibblers ever done for you?The breeze ruffled her hair, pushing it back from her face, giving him a clear shot of her eyes. They were asking for an answer. Needing to know if she could count on him.They saved your life, he said.And for just a moment, Luxas face softened and she smiled.

District 12: Where you can starve to death in safety.

But a shift has occurred since I stepped up to take Prim’s place, and now it seems I have become someone precious. At first one, then another, then almost every member of the crowd touches the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and holds it out to me. It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means good-bye to someone you love.

My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother’s body, their cheeks pressed together. In sleep, my mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten-down. Prim’s face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. My mother was very beautiful once, too. Or so they tell me.

Prim, let go, I say harshly, because this is upsetting me and I dont want to cry. When they televise the replay of the reapings tonight, everyone will make note of my tears, and Ill be marked as an easy target. A weakling. I will give no one that satisfaction.

So what should we do with our last few days?”“I just want to spend every possible minute of the rest of my life with you,” Peete replies.“Come on, then,” I say, pulling him into my room.It feels like a luxury, sleeping with Peeta again. I didn’t realize until now how starved I’ve been for human closeness. For the feel of him beside me in the darkness.

I begin to fully understand the lengths to which people have gone to protect me. What I mean to the rebels. My on going struggle against the Capitol, which has so often felt like a solitary journey, has not been undertaken alone. I have had thousands upon thousands of people from the districts at my side. I was their Mockingjay long before I accepted the role.

I roll my eyes. So when did I become so special? When they carted me off to the Capitol?No, about six months before that. Right after New Years. We were in the Hob, eating some slop of Greasy Saes. And Darius was teasing you about trading a rabbit for one of his kisses. And I realized...I minded.

Obviously this persons a hazard. Stupid people are dangerous.

Youd have thought we planned it, says Peeta, giving me just the hint of a smile.Didnt you? asks Portia. Her fingers press her eyelids closed as if shes warding off a very bright light.No, I say looking at Peeta with a new sense of apreciation. Neither of us even knew what we were going to do before we went in.And Haymitch? says Peeta. We decided we dont want any other allies in the arena.Good. Then I wont be responsible for you killing off any of my friends with your stupidity, he says.

Im sure they didnt notice anything but you. You should wear flames more often, he says. They suit you.

And once we reach the city, my stylist will dictate my look for the opening ceremonies tonight anyway. I just hope I get one who doesnt think nudity is the last word in fashion.

Yeah, about that,” says Peeta, entwining his fingers in mine. “Don’t try something like that again.” “Or what?” I ask. “Or . . . or . . .” He can’t think of anything good. “Just give me a minute.

Gale is mine. I am his. Anything else is unthinkable. Why did it take him being whipped within an inch of his life to see it?

I call him my friend, but in the last year its seemed too casual a word for what Gale is to me. A pang of longing shoots through my chest. If only he was with me now! But of course, I dont want that. I dont want him in the arena where hed be dead in a few days. I just... I just miss him. And I hate being so alone. Does he miss me? He must.