A blood-curling scream roused me from my sleep. My eyes instantly bolted open, and in the darkness they searched frantically for the source. It's coming from my parents' room, and thinking that they were in trouble, I instantly got out of bed and ran down the hallway to their room.

When I slammed opened the door, I saw Father holding Mother in his arms and rocking her in his arms. She was trembling, and when Father looked up at me, he gave me a comforting smile, telling me that everything was alright. Slowly, I backed away from the room and closed the door gently. I was stunned, because I saw the fear in my mother's eyes, and it was not any ordinary fear, but more intense, more tortured. This was the first time I've ever seen her this way. Mother is strong, always has been that way since I was born. She taught me how to hunt, how to shoot with a bow and arrow and set traps in the woods. She brought me fishing by the lake sometimes, telling me that it was my grandfather who had brought her there, and taught her the very same skills she had passed on to me.

Father was softer. More rounded at the edges and also very kind. He paints beautifully and I have a portrait he drew of me hung up on my bedroom wall. But I knew no matter how strong Mother portrays herself to be, Father was still her constant pillar of support and the only person she depends on. Each time if Gaius or I had done something wrong, she will always seek Father's eyes for consent before exacting our punishment. He is the man who is fiercely protective of the people he loves despite his mild demeanor. He makes the best bread and birthday cakes that warm our stomachs and our hearts.

Tonight everything I knew about my parents had changed. Something had scared my mother. And the hard look that overtook Father's eyes did not escape my notice. For a moment he was no longer the kind father I knew, but a man who had seen all darkness and evils of the world. As I thought of this, my body gave an uncontrollable shiver. I gathered my blanket closer to myself and remembered what they taught us in school. About the Hunger Games that stopped taking place two decades ago. The victors from District 12, where we live. Haymitch, our neighbour. Mother. And Father. The outline of the games were described to us – 24 tributes from all 12 districts killing each other in the arena until only one victor is left standing. When I first heard of that I thought instantly that my parents were murderers. Then I felt ashamed of myself. They had no choice, and to survive, they had to kill.

It was a silent rule that Gaius and I were not to ask my parents to recount their experiences. All records of the Hunger Games had been destroyed. The new government had decided to do that, and start afresh. In school, sometimes people looked at me with sad eyes. They tell me that my mother was impressive as Mockingjay, but then she went mad and killed President Coin. I shoved the girl who told me that once and she started crying. The teacher sent for my mother and told her about my conduct. I was ready for a scolding, but instead when we arrived home, my mother stroked my hair and told me, "Let's not be bothered by what others think of me. As long as you know that I'm not mad, who cares about the rest?"

I looked at her, and she had a sad smile on her face.

"I hate them Mother! I hate the way they speak about you," I say passionately.

"Prim, you've inherited my rashness, but unlike me, you're pure. At 16 I was forced to be an adult. I didn't have time to act like a girl. But now you do, and I don't want this to affect your life or your childhood. Promise me?" She watched me expectantly.

I gave her a grunt of agreement, because I did not trust my own words to keep that promise. At 16, I wanted adventure. Sometimes I'm envious of my mother because her life appeared to be so much more exciting than mine. It was not a life to be wished for, but nonetheless I craved some action in my mundane teenage life. I was born with this innate need for movement. I could never sit still for too long. And when I was old enough to join my mother in her hunt, I finally found something to satisfy my needs. I've inherited her love and skills for hunting, and it was a part of me I was very proud of because it felt like it was a precious gift from Mother.

The next morning, everyone at the breakfast table was quiet except for Gaius. He started complaining to Father about the older kids in school being able to go on a field trip to Capitol and that he wanted to visit the city as well.

"Oh! I forgot I was supposed to get your consent for that," I told Father sheepishly.

Gaius groaned loudly and exclaimed, "Not her too!"

After the incident last night, I suddenly wanted to find out more about the history of the Hunger Games and of my parents. I need to get to Capitol.

"Please, Father?" I asked pleadingly. "Mother?"

She avoided my gaze instantly but replied, "No."

"Why?"

"It's not a nice place…"

"I wouldn't know until I see it!" I answered defiantly.

"No, Primrose Mellark." Mother was firm now, and she looked at me with hard eyes. Like the eyes Father had last night.

Father placed a hand on Mother's. "Let her go, sweetheart."

"Peeta, you should know how horrible that place is better than I do!"

I see Father's knuckles turning white as his grip on Mother's hand became tighter.

"But those were our memories, Katniss. Things are different now. The Capitol has changed. We're now under a government we've elected. It's been more than 20 years, Katniss."

"Mother," I said softly, "Teachers will be there. I'll be safe. It's only for a day."

She pondered me with her gray eyes before closing them and saying, "Alright then, as you wish." The lines around her eyes seemed deeper, and her braid hung over her shoulders limply. She looked older than usual, and I felt guilty for forcing her to agree. Father put his arm around her, and she leaned into his warmth. I smiled a bit at that. My parents were always affectionate to each other, and their love emanated through their actions.

Gaius and I left the house for school and bade our parents goodbye. The full bloom of the primroses by our house caught my eye and it reminded me of the time Father told me the origins of my name.

"You were named after your aunt, Primrose Everdeen." There was a faraway look on his face as he continued, "She was a pretty little girl, and she had always wanted to be a doctor."

"What happened to her?" I had asked, and Father answered, "During the rebellion, she was headed to President Snow's mansion to offer help to the injured children held there. President Coin then dropped bombs over the area and your aunt was killed. She died for a noble cause, Prim."

Mother, who had been quietly beside Father then, had a painful smile etched on her lips. But behind her eyes I could see the pride she felt for her sister, and suddenly overwhelmed with emotions, I grabbed her hands and told her, "I'll turn out to be the best daughter you'll ever have."

Mother looked at me for a moment, stunned by my outburst, but then she enveloped me in an embrace and whispered into my ear, "I'm so glad that you came into my life."

Gaius nudged me and I was awoken from my reverie. He had his hands in his pockets as he reminded me that when I arrived at Capitol, I was to search for a gift for him. Amused, I ruffled his blond hair violently.

"Hey! Stop it! I'm not a child anymore."

I watched his defiant face coupled with his glaring gray eyes and laughed. His cheeks were red with exertion, and the 13 year old boy trying to act like an adult amused me greatly. To me, he will always be the baby brother whom I had played with since we were small. The brother I've watched being breastfed by Mother, and whom I had even changed diapers for. The little brother with his head of unruly blond curls, stubborn, strong nose and full lips, will certainly attract many girls after he has lost some baby fat in his cheeks. Wanting to tease him even further, I called out, "Catch me if you can!" and ran towards the direction of the school. I ran on and passed by some kids I know from school, waving to them while I was still being pursued by Gaius behind. I ran past Delly Cartwright and her daughter, Molly, and Delly called out to me in a laughing voice, "Be careful will you!"

I turned back to her and shouted, "I will!" before I saw her expression change into alarm and I ran smack into a tall pillar which was surprisingly warm. It knocked the breath out of me, and I fell onto the ground. My bottom ached from the impact and I rubbed it profusely as I struggled to stand up. A hand reached out to me and entered my vision. "That must've hurt," a deep voice above me said.

Slowly, I looked up and saw Calum Winsor looking right at me. I could feel a blush creep through my face instantly. He was famous for being the best looking young man in District 12. But he was also the most unapproachable of them all. He treats everyone with courtesy, but never gets too close with people. In school he is always alone, even though he smiles and engages in small talk with everyone. He also has the softest brown hair and the greenest eyes I've ever seen. Now at closer proximity with him, I noticed that there were golden flecks in his irises. Sudddenly, I realised that I still had one hand on my bum. Blushing all the way to my ears now, I hastily shot out my hand and accepted his offer to help. His hands were large, and very warm. They were strong too, as he used one hand to pull me up. As I was about to regain my balance, someone shoved me from behind and I ended up embracing Calum.

"Gotcha!" Gaius' triumphant voice came from behind me.

Catching a whiff of Calum's wonderful scent before taking a few hurried steps back, I shot Gaius a murderous glare.

"Thank you... And I'm so sorry," I told Calum.

A flicker of amusement crossed his face as he asked, "So you guys were chasing each other?"

"Yes and I caught her!" Gaius answered very enthusiastically.

I was feeling so embarrassed that the entire time I was staring at the ground. He must be thinking that I'm really childish, to engage in such games with my brother. Calum laughed upon hearing my brother's reply. A deep laughter that warmed me to my core.

"Sounds fun," he said, and as he turned around towards school, he continued, "Shall we head to school together now, Primrose Mellark?"

He knows my name, I thought.

And that was the only thing on my mind on that entire school day.