I'm standing at the Cornucopia, surrounded by darkness and the nights air is making my hair stand on end. The only sounds are the Mockingjay's in the distance calling out to one and other. One opponent left I think. One more murder then I can go home and see Prim. Prim. I wonder how she's doing, has Gale looked after her like he promised? Does she hate me for killing all these helpless children? No, she'll understand, I had to do it otherwise I wouldn't be come home to her, at least not alive.

My thoughts are cut short by the sound of my not so stealthy opponent. I can hear him flailing through the woods directly infront of me. I can hear the Mockingjays take flight as he enters the clearing, searching for me, he's only around 100 metres away. You can do this, just one more kill. I've grabbed the knife from my belt when he sees me. We lock eyes for a few moments and I try to search them for any sign that my attacker is still human and sane. But I only find a look I've seen many tributes before. He looks bloodthirsty. The arena changes you, no one ever comes out the same as they went in. Most Victors are driven mad by the obscenities they endure and enduce. District Twelve has only one Victor, Haymitch Abernanthy. He won the fiftieth Hunger Games. When he came back he resorted to alcohol to drown out all the memories. He hasn't been coherent for years. As he won the games each year he gets given District Twelves tributes to mentor. He has had to mentor 48 children. fourty eight children that he was forced to watch die while he sat there on the sidelines with no way to help, as usually our tributes are dying from starvation and have no skills in surviving so we never get many sponsors. You can only imagine what that feels like. But theres still me, I'm still alive and I've made it further than any tribute before, we usually dont last past the bloodbath in the begining of the games.

Mt attacker runs for me, stumbling often. I still stand, just waiting. Waiting for the right moment. I spread my feet shoulder width apart preparing for the oncoming tackle. My heartbeat quickens and my breathing ceases when I feel something crawl up my ankle. I try to run but it holds me firmly in place. Then it's grip tightens and I release a scream as I hear the bone in my ankle snap and then I fall to the knees helpless, with my knife now laying by my side.

I can make out the outline of the tribute when he's standing above me. He begins to laugh merciously at me. I can see his lips moving but I cant hear a thing over the pounding in my ears. I let out another scream as I feel the bone in my ankle snap again. My opponent smiles menacingly as I beg him for my life, he picks up my knife and wipes it on the edge of his top and begins to slash my arms. Tears streak down my cheek and I grit my teeth trying to hold in my cries of pain. I need to keep strong for Prim now and only hope he finishes me quick for her sake, but I know he wishes to prolong his last kill and entertain the audience. Wheres the fun in a quick, merciful kill? I squeeze my eyes shut as I feel the blade dig into my cheek and graze the bone.

"It's over now Twelve."

I bolt awake with sweat dripping down the nape of my neck and draw in the heavy air that fills my room generously. My covers are strewn across my floor and I notice Prim balled up in the corner of her bed, eyes filled with terror and just staring at me.

"I'm so sorry Prim." I say as I cross room to her. "Did I wake you? I'm really sorry. It was only a dream I'm alright."

I sit on the edge of her bed and invite her into my arms then slowly rock her back and forth stroking her blonde hair.

"Katniss, are you okay? I've never seen you that bad before, you were screaming so loud and kept repeating 'Please', I tried to wake you but it only made you worse." Her tone is filled with worry and fear. I managed to scare my little sister, my little Prim, I feel so guilty right now.

"I'm so sorry. I'm fine, really, it was just a bad dream." I say, trying to convince myself more than Prim.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I shudder as I remember the tribute slashing at me freely, this is defiantly not something I tell my sister. I cant tell her that I am worried about being reaped, it would only scare her more about it aswell. I shake my head so Prim pulls me into her bed and curls into my side.

"Was it about tomorrow?"

Tomorrows the anual reaping. The Capitol hold The Hunger Games once a year to remind the District's of the Dark Days. 74 years ago there was a thirteenth district which rebelled against The Capitol, this lead to a war and evetually the destruction of District 13. So as a reminder that this must never be repeated The Capitol came up with the idea of The Hunger Games. This is when one male and female child from each of the twelve districts is randomly chosen at the reaping. You become eligable for the reaping when you turn twelve and every year your name is put in that bowl until you reach the age of nineteen. Prim has just turned twelve so this is her first reaping. Once they are chosen they get sent to The Capitol to be trained this starts a week before the games begin. After being trained the 24 tributes will be thrown into a enclosed arena that could contain anything from a desert to a forest. When there they have to fight to the death for the entertainment of The Capitol, this is broadcast live to every TV in Panem. In The Capitol they treat is as a festivity; they place bets, throw parties and laugh at the deaths. Usually a Career will win as they are trained from an early age to fight. The Careers is a pack made up from the tributes from districts 1, 2, 4 but by the end of the games they end up killing each other off as there can only be one Victor.

So of course Prim is already pretty worked up about this, but her name is only in the bowl once so theres no way she'll be chosen. My name is in there 20 times as I signed up for tessarae for each of my family members and the tesserae accumilated from previous years . Each tessera is worth a years supply of grain and oil for one person. I hear Prims breathing deapen and it helps me to relax and I fall into a dreamless sleep with Prim beside me.