A/N: If I didn't love you all enough…

Hello each and every one of you! I'm really, really, really, really, REALLY sorry that I didn't check in on all of you in a really long time. I've been kind of busy lately. I'm sure you all understand. But don't worry. None of my stories are cancelled or dead. None of anything is held off. Everything's perfectly fine.

And now I'm going to write my first "Hunger Games" story! Yay! :)

Enjoy enjoy!

*I OBVIOUSLY OWN NOTHING AT ALL!*

Prologue

The light of the moon is the only source of light I have. There is no candle. There is no lantern. There is no match, or flame, or spark to give me my glow-in-the-dark ability to see everything around me. Just the moon. The full moon, given to me by the peacekeepers. The silver glow peeks through the wide-holed opening of the cave, like a child over the booth of a seat. Sneakily. Suspiciously.

Peeta is cuddled up beside me, grasping me as if I would slip away from his grip. His eyes are closed. His body is trembling, but not because it is cold. He must be dreaming about me. A nightmare, I sense. If only I could see what was happening. A few times, I had heard him mumble my name. "Katniss," he was whispering, full of desperation and bliss. I would become confused. I would not understand. What is it he is thinking of me? What is it that he needs? His grip is tighter, and he begins to pant. A heavy flow of breathing enters his nose and exits his mouth. He is sweating hard, so hard his outfit is drenched in minutes.

I glance at him; my nose nuzzles his neck, his face, and his ears. He stirs, awakening from his slumber, looking at me with eyes of concern.

"Katniss?" He whispers. I shush him by placing my finger over his lips. He stops so short. His eyes, which were nearly squinted shut, were now alert, and all attention was paid to me.

"It's okay. Just relax, and try not to talk a lot."

I take my jacket and bundle it up, fluffing it a bit and slipping it under his head, making it as a use of a pillow. He smiles at my motherly generosity. He's so sweet. So kind and so loving. What did this game do to us? We never talked to each other, never once acknowledged each other back in District 12. Just that day he gave me bread. And my father's funeral, when he first told me he loved me. And now, apparently, we're "star-crossed lovers." What does that mean? Why must we pretend we're in love?

"But we aren't pretending," he told me the day before we entered the arena. "We are." He added feeling in his voice. So much I thought he looked serious. That he was serious. Did he really love me? No. No, he can't love me. He couldn't have loved me. This is just a load of tosh. Just a coax. We're not in actual love. This is just a trick to our sponsors. To get more gifts when we need them and to get what we need to survive.

That, besides getting out of this hellhole, was our main task.

He cleared his throat and moved himself back more, against the wall of the forbidden and dark cave, full nightmare-ish shadows and dark memories of ours. The enemies out there, like Thresh and Cato and Clove, were somewhere, looking for us. And for all we knew, they may have been so close to our current territory. Our hideout. Then where would we go? What kind of shelter is out here, close to this cave? Or at least in walking distance?

I crawled over next to him, sighing as I moved closer and connected the contact of my arm around his shoulder. He moved his hand up closer to mine and laced his fingers through. I took this gesture rather seriously and leaned my head on his shoulder.

He looked down and gave me a sorrowful look. A face that showed almost no feeling. Almost… completely apathetic.

"Katniss," he began. "Are you okay?"

I forced my eyes upon his face. They began to trail up and down his body. Not exactly physically toned, but nowhere around unfit. A really weird feeling began to build up. It was nearly indescribable.

"Peeta," I placed my hand on his chest and burned my eyes within his. "Do you really love me? Or are you just pretending… you know… for our sponsors."

"Oh Katniss," he began, snuggling closer to my body. What was he doing? "I really do love you. Let's go to sleep."

"But…"

He kissed my lips to silence my angst words. But they still played in my mind, chilling me to the bone, making me think.

"To sleep Katniss. Go ahead. I'll stay awake until you slip away…"

I let out a warming grin and turned over, closing my eyes. I felt Peeta's arms slip around my waist. The comfort of him made me fall faster and soon, I could no longer think or feel anything. I was asleep. I was gone…

As the chirping of the night birds and the croaks of the frogs died down, and the glow of the moon became ever more tinted, the night was slowly becoming a very faded point of time. There was no sound out there, but the strong wind, like the blowing of a fan in a face. Not rough, not strong; as one.

The soft snores from Peeta could be heard. But I was still in my own little world. My turquoise eyes, which were once open, were now closed and blinded from sight. Darkness had long taken over. Every sound was still around me, however, and everyone was recognized. Peeta's snores. The wind. The animals. And me, thinking.

All seems normal, I began to talk to myself. But you must get some sleep Kat. You have a long day tomorrow.

But I was asleep. Just slightly paralyzed. I could think. I could hear. But I could not move or see.

And all was well and full of peace.

Until that one abnormal, unblended sound gave itself away.

The crunch of leaves breaking. A foot stepping on it. And it happened right outside of the cave.

What was that? Wake up Kat, wake up! Come on, 911! Wake up!

But I tried to open the eyes that were now deceiving me. Forbidding me to protect myself from the danger that was to come. But no matter how much effort was put into it, my eyes would never open.

It's okay. It's all going to be okay. Hopefully, Peeta will wake up from it.

I could only hope…

The sound drew itself ever more closely. Each step making a crack. Each step shifting its weight. Each step ceasing my heart.

I feel a presence among me, but I feel that it's Peeta, and so I don't worry as much. But I also hear the sound of another body, struggling to pull itself through the only entrance to our cave. Another body? It is more than one person!

The next thing I hear is the choked gasp of someone next to me. A knife or sharp object stuck within someone's gut, and then the ripping of flesh, and the smell of a dead corpse fills my nose, and also, worms its way into my mouth.

It is only then that my eyelids allow the entrance of my orbs shine in the light as they open. I let my head fall to the left and gasp silently. Peeta was dead, and blood was nearly all over the cave of the wall. I stared in disbelief. And then I'd seen Clove and Cato, grinning and snickering at each other. They were all the way at the far end of the cave, right above Peeta's body, kicking it slightly to see if he would so much as twitch.

I was in the wide blood light of the moon. And they hadn't even acknowledged me yet! They hadn't seen me! I had a chance to hide! Luckily, I could be a very sneaky gal when I wanted to, and I silently, and slowly, squirmed into the dark shadow of the cave wall, making sure I blended in with it. The black clothing of my outfit helped me camouflage.

It was only then that I let the tear fall. I watched in horror as Cato dug deeper, cutting a circular hole in Peeta's stomach, and ripped the remaining flesh away, digging out the intestines of my "boyfriend," feeding off of him like a mis-raised, wild, rapid dog. I almost lost my lunch, but turned my head away, before seen more than what was in store for me. One tear turned into multiple, until I was not crying, but weeping.

Peeta… he… he's gone. He's gone… why? Why! I can't do this alone!

"Mmm," I heard Clove moan in hunger. "Yummy."

"Why do you think this is called the 'Hunger Games,' babe?" Cato joked. He drank some of the blood from his inside, making sure that he offered Clove her fair share as well.

"No thanks. I want to eat the girl. She's the one who pisses me off."

She searched around, her combat boots kicking some of the dirt along with her. She unsheathed her combat dagger and held it out, poking it around in the shadows. She went around in a circle, and she was coming close to me. She was getting so close; I could smell the desperation in her breath. I wonder if she was always like this. Or if she was exactly like Peeta didn't want to become. Changed. By the capitol. I could sense her. I could read her like a book. Like the back of my hand. She was no longer a young, teenaged girl. She was a cannibal. A blood thirsty, human-hunting animal. And she smelled like she would stop at nothing to eat someone's meat, particularly mine.

"Oh Katniss," she began to sing in a little voice. "Come out, come out. Wherever you are."

Cato wiped his mouth and brought out his sword as well. And Peeta… he didn't even look like himself anymore. Because most of him was gone.

"You're not making this very easy on yourself, Hun," Clove growled. "I'll kill you like I did you're little friend Rue."

She slashed at one edge of the dark and fumed when she caught nothing but air, only then continuing her search.

"Oh, you think you're so sneaky, huh? Dancing around with your ugly, little, face."

I felt so much acid dripping from her voice; I thought some of it fell to my soul, and that I was going to melt, right then and there. Why did Clove hate me so much? I don't get it. I never did.

"Katniss, we're not gonna hurt you. We're gonna kill you. But just make it easier on yourself. Because if I have to hunt you, I'll kill you slowly and painfully. But if you come out now, I'll consider finishing you off nice and fast."

She sliced at another empty void in the dark, found nothing, and ventured on. I'd be damned if I left her find me in there. I had to get out. I had to find a way toward the exit. I looked at the hole. I could wait until they turned around, then I'd make a dart for it. But wouldn't that mean risking away my shadow? They would see the outline of me. That would completely give it away. Unless… I stopped right outside the exit, shot a bow right at Cato's head, and then dash out before Clove would even take notice. No, that wouldn't work either. Clove was a pretty accurate thrower when it came to knives.

Speaking of which, she was still on the prowl for my blood. It seemed that she wouldn't stop unless I was found, dead, and eaten. It was only then that I felt the grip of someone's hand yank my shoulder and pulled me into the moonlight, which turned my pale skin to twilight silver.

"Well, well, well," Cato tapped the knife against his arm, and then aimed the tip directly at my throat, covering it in the thickness of Peeta's blood. "We have a surprise visitor. You're just in time. I feared that Clove and I were going to have it all alone with your little boyfriend."

He pointed toward Peeta's corpse and my eyes wandered there as well. This, in turn, was not a good idea. I bent over and threw up whatever was left all of the squirrel, duck, and any other animal I've eaten. Clove laughed and Cato smirked.

"Not so tough after all, huh?" She pointed and cackled as if she were an energetic hyena.

After the funniness whined down, he dug the knife deeper in, earning a cry from my pleading mouth.

"Please…"

"Please what? I want to go home, and there's no way that will be possible with you in the way."

"Why team up? You'll end up fighting each other off anyway."

"Because… it wouldn't hurt to have a little help with things once in a while. Now,"

He held it at an angle against my neck, the blade itself glistening in the moonlight. It was intimidating.

"Just finish her off fast. I'm tired of seeing her ugly mug."

"Patience Clove," he turned toward her, and then looked back at me. "We kill her nice and slow. That's what we both agreed on."

She took a few steps towards me and slapped the back of my head teasingly, putting on another smirk as she kneeled at level so that her eyes came in contact with mine.

"Take all the time you need. And finish this little rat off."

"Will do," he growled. "Goodbye Katniss. And may the odds be ever in your favor."

With that, and with one swipe of his knife, my throat was split two-in-two and I fell over, dead to the floor…

I barged up, heaving deeply and running a hand over my braid. It was all just one big nightmare? Apparently so.

"Katniss?" An arm fell over my shoulder. I instinctively shoved it away, grabbed my bow, stood up, turned, and aimed straight behind me.

Peeta put his hands up in a surrendering way and rose too, backing away from my fuming, heated body.

"Katniss, it's me, Peeta."

"Peeta?" My eyes became watery, and I lowered my bow. He nodded his head slowly with a confusing look on his face.

"Peeta?" I pleaded in a relieving way. My bow clattered to the floor and I dashed straight into his arms. He held me tightly and I gripped myself close, my hands rubbing his hair.

"Oh God. Peeta, please… never leave me!"

He said nothing, but pulled me ever so closer, in response to my anguish.

"Peeta… please! Don't… don't let them… take you away! Don't let them take you away from me! Promise me, damn it! Promise me you won't let them take you away from me!"

"I promise Katniss. What-?"

I didn't let him finish. I just kissed him, a long, loving, despaired kiss, as if he would float away, and I wouldn't be able to help him. He lifted me into his arms and laid me back down, climbing on top of me, careful enough not to put his full weight on me in fear he'd hurt me. I sighed into his lips as he pulled me closer, breaking the dam between us. Between love and blissfulness.

"Oh Peeta…" I whispered. In response to this, he kisses me even harder, the lust of his lips practically melting into my mouth, dripping on my tongue. I taste… bread. Weird, I know, but very true. And actually, very comforting.

But little did with both of us know that I was as I tired as ever, and eventually, I fell asleep, with the taste of his lips still dancing on the muscle in my mouth. He pulled himself away and stared at my closed eyelids, no longer seeing my turquoise orbs. He smiled and laid me down, kissing my forehead. He turned over and with the final thought of, 'I'm glad that fate had brought me here,' he fell asleep as well.

A/N: Okay. So that was the prologue. I know what you're thinking. A lot to say for just the prologue. But trust me, the chapters get even better. That's why I decided to, instead of updating my other stories, squeeze in some time to write this one since I practically spend all of my time with the others. So enjoy this while it lasts, because I might not update until, well, probably next month. I'm sending an author's note to all other stories about this, so do not fear! : )

PleaseR&R,

DA98 : )