Prologue

I was there the day he was reaped. The fear in his eyes and the terror in mine. A glance at his mother and younger brother and the same expression that was adorned on my face was reflected on theirs. I waited in silence for a volunteer, but there was no one to save him. Haymitch was going into the games.

I was there to say goodbye to him, at the time I believed those to be the last words I would ever speak to him. I cried, his family cried, but he never cried. At least, I never saw him cry. The odds were never in your favor, and now their were 48 tributes. 47 people were going to try to kill my boyfriend.

I was there to watch his scores, and interviews, and every minute he was in that damned arena. I watched all of it. I never took my eyes off of him. I saw him win, if you could call it that. Nevermind that, I saw him survive. As much as I loved him, I could hardly jump up and down at 47 murders. But I saw him live.

I was there the day he came home. He didn't run towards us or smile or embrace us. He just walked to us and the group of us walked to his new home in the Victor's Village. He didn't look at me or acknowledge me, but I stayed there. I loved that poor boy.

I was there when his mother and younger brother were murdered. He didn't say anything, but I stayed with him all night and all day, and eventually time just blended as we laid on the floor crying. He cried then. He cried all the time.

I was there when he went on his victory tour. And I was there when he got back. It was the next day he opened his first bottle of liquor.

So, I was there when he became an alcoholic. I hid bottles from him and would pour the vile liquid down the sink when he wasn't looking. I stood there as he yelled at me in his drunken stupor. And as he threw empty bottles and trash at me, and then as he apologized when he sobered up a little. I would sweep the broken glass as he slept.

I was there at the next reaping, when he had to go back to the capital to become a mentor. I watched his first tributes die in the games and I watched as he drank more and more and more.

I guess it was only fitting that he was there when I got reaped in 52nd annual Hunger Games.

Author's Note: Well I hope you liked it! This is my first Hunger Games fanfic, but I've written many fanfics before. (Many are posted on another account with an old email. I'll try to update this account) This prologue is rather short, but if you have seen my other fics, you would know that my chapters get progressively longer, typically. If you have ever written fanfiction, you would know that reviews are really encouraging, even if they are negative. Any and all comments are very welcome. I'll stop blabbing now and get on to writing chapter one!