Suzanne Collins

"And then he gives me a smile that just seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through me."

"You love me. Real or not real?I tell him, Real."

"I just... I just miss him. And I hate being so alone."

"For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first."

"The idea of being strong for someone else having never entered their heads, I find myself in the position of having to console them. Since I'm the person going in to be slaughtered, this is somewhat annoying."

"She's not here, I tell him. Buttercup hisses again. She's not here. You can hiss all you like. You won't find Prim. At her name, he perks up. Raises his flattened ears. Begins to meow hopefully. Get out! He dodges the pillow I throw at him. Go away! There's nothing left for you here! I start to shake, furious with him. She's not coming back! She's never ever coming back here again! I grab another pillow and get to my feet to improve my aim. Out of nowhere, the tears begin to pour down my cheeks. She's dead, you stupid cat. She's dead."

"Technically, I am unarmed. But no one should ever underestimate the harm that fingernails can do. Especially if the target is unprepared."

"It crosses my mind that Cinna's calm and normal demeanor masks a complete madman."

"I'm going to wake Peeta, I say. No, wait, says Finnick. Let's do it together. Put our faces right in front of his. Well, there's so little opportunity for fun left in my life, I agree. We position ourselves on either side of Peeta, lean over until our faces are inches frim his nose, and give him a shake. Peeta. Peeta, wake up, I say in a soft, singsong voice. His eyelids flutter open and then he jumps like we've stabbed him. Aa!Finnick and I fall back in the sand, laughing our heads off. Every time we try to stop, we look at Peeta's attempt to maintain a disdainful expression and it sets us off again."

"Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying."

"What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again."

"We could do it, you know. What?Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it."

"That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that."

"That should have been my strategy! By the time I’ve worked through the emotions of surprise, admiration, anger, jealousy, and frustration, I’m watching that reddish mane of hair disappear into the trees well out of shooting range."

"Sometimes when things are particularly bad, my brain will give me a happy dream. [...] When I fully awaken, I'm momentarily comforted. I try to hold on to the peaceful feeling of the dream, but it quickly slips away, leaving me sadder than ever."

"You don't destroy what you want toacquire in the future."

"Finally, the intercom crackles and Hatmitch's acerbic laugh fills the studio. He contains himself just long enough to say, 'And that, my friends, is how a revolution dies."

"He wants as many victors as possible for the cameras to follow in the Capitol. Thinks it makes for better television. Are you and Beetee going? I ask. As many young and attractive victors as possible, Haymitch corrects himself. So, no. We'll be here."

"No problem, Gale replies. I wake up ten times a night anyway. To make sure Katniss is still here? asks Peeta. Something like that,... That was funny, what Tigris said. About no one knowing what to do with her. Well, WE never have,... She loves you, you know, says Peeta. She as good as told me after they whipped you. Don't believe it,Gale answers. The way she kissed you in the Quarter Quell...well she never kissed me like that. It was just part of the show, Peeta tells him, although there's an edge of doubt in his voice. No, you won her over. Gave up everything for her. Maybe that's the only way to convince her you love her. There's a long pause. I should have volunteered to take your place in the first Games. Protected her then. You couldn't, says Peeta. She'd never have forgiven you. You had to take care of her family. They matter more to her than her life... I wonder how she'll make up her mind. Oh, that I do know. I can just catch Gale's last words through the layer of fur. Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can't survive without"

"Finnick? I say, Maybe some pants?He looks down at his legs as if noticing his outfit for the first time. Then he whips off his hospital gown leaving him in just his underwear. Why? Do you find this -- he strikes a ridiculously provocative pose -- distracting?I laugh. Boggs looks embarrassed and Finnick looks more like the guy I met at the Quarter Quell"