The TV flickered as the screen showed a pale rusty colour, the red hot desert glowing bright in the sun, each of the few trees dying in the heat with no water in sight. Caesar Flickerman appeared grinning, each tooth perfect white, his hair dyed a dark red with streaks of golden touching down across his cheeks and tainting his eyelids. "Well as you can see this is to be an interesting game, there is little water and already the sun I staking affect"

For a moment the scenery changed to the cornucopia, blinding in the sun. Each tribute stood, shakily, upon a metal ring; their hands shielding their eyes, some struggling to keep cool in the heat. For a moment the camera came up close to one tributes face. The boy from one, his face perfect and smooth, like all from his district, well fed with a strong jaw and bright eyes.

"He will win"

She turned to face him, his eyes still so big, so young. A nine year old should not be cheering on tributes and training to kill. "You don't know that Cato"

He turned to face her, this lips twisted into a sinister smirk with no childish playfulness left in it. "Because he is a killer"

Frowning she pointed at the girl on the far right of the screen, with long plaited blonde hair and copper wire bracelet in one hand. "Imagin's a killer as well, and she's from our district"

But Cato shook his head as the countdown ended and the tributes started to run, picking at the weapons and slashing at one another. Just children.
"Nah, she cares too much for her district partner. He'll probably be the one to kill her"

Those same words ran through her head as Imagin's partner cut her down.

Those same words as the boy from district one was announced winner.

Those same words as her name was pulled from the reaping.

Those same words as her friend was chosen as her male partner.

She sat quietly in the waiting room, the voices outside belonging to her mother and father, her brother who was now determined she would join the line of victors.

The door opened and Cato ran in, stopping before reaching her and looking her up and down as if she held something dangerous like a knife. "Good luck, you're going to win" Shrugging she reached to hug him, but he seemed to hesitate before accepting.

"Maybe, but I'm not a killer. I've been trained like one, but I could never kill Troy, not my own district partner" Cato squeezed her slightly tighter and mumbled something she could not hear. Maybe this was a dream, maybe she would never have to kill or watch blood be shed before her eyes. It didn't feel real. And no matter how accurate his predictions had been before, she doubted she could muster the energy to push back emotions and win the games.

When all had said their goodbyes and she'd been swept away into a train she finally allowed herself to break, to cry, to wish for something else.

At some point along the ride her mentors pulled them both out to mention a few things about the games and how to gain the Capitols approval.

Then she returned to the darkness of her room, her dreams haunted by memories of a younger Cato smiling and playing games with a much simpler mean. Every time she would reach for him, asking for him never to change, to stay young and innocent. But every time he would turn his eyes were black and his lips moving in a sentence she could not hear. Until the end.

Only when she stood to far away she could barely make out his soft face and blonde hair did she hear his words loud and clear: "Welcome Meera to the sixty sixth hunger games, and may the odds be ever in your favour"

More chapters coming soon! Tell me what you think should happen next? :D