If you're wondering why I chose these names, Mackenzie means "fire-born", Dylan means "son of the sea", Aiden means "little fire", and Arden means "great forest". :)

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A Thousand Years by Christina Perrie

Being the child of two victors has its perks, but it also has its downfalls. I was always being watched. That was, of course, a downfall. I hated the attention. I wasn't the kind of girl who liked to be in the spotlight. I spent most of my time in the woods, hunting with my mom. I was exactly like Mom in every way. Not only did I look like her, I acted like her. Some (most) considered that a tragedy. I was cold, abrasive, and didn't trust easily. I wasn't always like this though. I used to be this sweet, innocent little girl until he died. He was Arden Hawthorne, a boy who I thought of as not only a friend, but a lover.

It was Sunday. Arden and I always went to the forest to hunt and gather, just like our parents did years ago. I didn't hunt though. I collected nuts and berries for the bakery. Arden was skilled with the bow. My mom had actually taught him. She tried teaching me, but I was a lost cause. Anyway, we were making our weekly trip to the woods to hunt and gather. I had gotten some berries, but there was no sign of any animals. We decided to take a break by the river. I was eating some of my berries while Arden threw pebbles into the water. I stopped eating and lay down in the grass, looking up at the clear blue sky. Arden did the same. We were both turned around, so we could see each other. I stared into his beautiful, gray eyes and grinned. I wondered if he knew how handsome he was, but I doubt it. If he did, he didn't show it. "You're beautiful," he whispered.

"I was just thinking the same thing," I whispered back.

"You were thinking about how beautiful you are too?" Arden teased. I rolled my eyes and rolled on top of him. He placed his hands on both sides of my hips and kissed me on the lips. I pushed him off of me when his hand found its way under my shirt. He didn't seem too pleased about that, but I laughed it off. Arden took my hands in his and stood up. I did the same.

"You're distracting me, Kenz. I'm never going to catch any game with you around," he whispered, his forehead pressed against mine. "But I can't get rid of you just yet."

"Good," I murmured. I was going to kiss him again, but I couldn't. The sun would be setting in an hour, and we still didn't have any game. "Come on. If we go deeper in the forest, we'll be able to find some deer." Arden nodded, and he and I continued to trek through the forest. We were unusually quiet as we had never been this deep into the woods and didn't know what kind of animals lived this far back. Mom had told us not to go past the river, but she also told us not to come back without any meat. We walked for ten more minutes in silence until I heard the sound a stick breaking behind some tall, thick trees. "I think I heard something," I whispered.

"Same." We heard the noise again, but louder. Deer never came close. They usually flee. What kind of animal was this? Arden didn't seem to care. He just wanted game. He tiptoed behind the trees, putting an arrow in his bow. I was going to follow him, but then I heard a growl followed by Arden screaming. I ran behind the trees and gasped at what I saw: a grizzly bear with Arden pinned under him. I could tell it had already clawed him by the bloody gash on the side of his face. The beat didn't seem to notice me. He was too busy scratching every part of Arden's body. I was in shock for a couple seconds, but I came back to reality when I heard Arden scream again. I couldn't just leave him. I reached for the bow and arrow he had dropped. It was the only arrow I had. The rest were with him. I didn't know how to shoot, and I only had once chance.

"You can do it," I whispered. I imitated my mother and shot the arrow at the bear. I watched in horror as it sped past the bear. I cursed under my breath. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to leave him as we're miles away from civilization, but I didn't have a choice. I ran as fast as I could through the forest and into town. I was a fast runner, but it still took me thirty minutes to get to the bakery. I was holding onto the thought that the bear left him, that was still alive, but I knew he was gone.

Things weren't the same after the accident. How could it be? The biggest change was me. I learned to hunt, cut and dyed my once blonde locks to a black bob, lost all my friends. I continued to blame myself for what happened. I was the one who insisted we go deeper into the forest. I was the one who could shoot a simple bow and arrow. What happened affected me more than I thought possible. I never thought of myself as that girl who depended on a boy to keep her alive, but, apparently, I was. All I did was go into the forest, never to or past the river, and cried over a picture of him in my room. I was pathetic. I knew Mom and Dad thought the same thing, but they never said anything. I don't know why Mom didn't. Her own father died, and she supported her family, not cry over an old picture. I tried to be strong, I tried to get out of bed on "those days", but I couldn't. I had been to a therapist in the Capitol, the same one that brought Mom and Dad out of their depression. He told my parents that I was going through teen angst. Yes, I was respected the man for helping my parents, but that was ridiculous. This was something different. My heart fell as though it was missing a piece, and it couldn't function properly without it.

This was only the introduction, so, of course, it's short. I'd love for you to review! I'll need at least two reviews to continue! Thank you!