Prologue

The night covered everything in what seemed like everlasting darkness. Everyone was asleep; except for Primrose Everdeen and her sister, Katniss. Their mother had undoubtedly wept until her eyes refused to produce tears. It was likely that the broken woman had let sleep consume her in hopes that tomorrow, neither of her girls would be taken by the reaping. The smaller of the two girls climbed out of her bed and tiptoed to her sister's room. She opened the door and slipped inside. It wasn't long before she had moved to curl up against her older sister. It was only then that Prim let her tears fall one at a time down her cheeks.

"Katniss?" The girl's voice carried through the room despite how softly the question was asked.

"What is it Prim?" My own voice was muffled due to the pillow I had half shoved in my face. My back was to her; but it wasn't long before I turned, wrapping my arms around her small form.

"I'm scared." Prim had to be the strongest in what was left of our family. Next to me, that is. Our mother was and has been completely broken since the death of our father; so needless to say, when Prim said those two words, I too was scared.

"It's your first year Prim. Your name is only entered in the reaping once. You won't get called."

I sounded so confident; but I was. Prim wouldn't, couldn't get called. Not when Gale and I have entered our names in over twenty times. Tesserae did that. The more tesserae you took, the more your name was put into the reaping to be drawn. I held her close that night, pressing my forehead to hers. Prim is the complete opposite of everyone from and in the Seam. We all had dark hair and eyes; while her features contrasted us with blond hair and blue eyes. Like that day with the bread, she was the dandelion; the light in the dark. That was before everything caught fire.