Katniss stared at her reflection in the broken mirror hanging on the wall. Cold, hardened grey eyes stared back and her lips were chapped. Her hair was down her right shoulder in a tangled mess. There was a time before all of this mess, a time where it was easy and the only hardship she had to face was the finding of food for her family. There was a time where her father lived and sung songs to her that mockingjays mimicked in unison. There was a time where she wasn't a merciless killer, she was just a young girl who had the weight of her family on her shoulders.

She heard the footsteps behind her and her mother was seen in the mirror behind her. She turned Katniss around and immediately braided her brown hair neatly with her clever fingers. Her mother had a nervous, tense movement about her, this usually happened when there was something bad. Katniss tried to meet her eyes but she refused to look at her.

"There," her mother breathed. "Your hair is perfect." She turned to leave but Katniss gripped her wrist, vetoing her from leaving. "What happened?" she asked softly.

Her mother closed her eyes, "Katniss." But Katniss knew better than to let her go. She tightened her grip and she saw her mother flinched. "What is it?"

She sighed in defeat and opened her eyes before saying, "Peeta is gone."

Katniss tensed, "What do you mean he's gone?" She almost shouted. A sweat broke down her forehead and her nails were digging into her mother's wrist. Her mother gritted her teeth in pain but never said anything to ask her daughter to let her go.

She turned to her daughter, the girl who grew up to become a symbol of a rebellion. With sympathy in her eyes and voice, she said the words that broke Katniss down.

"They took Peeta away."