Shade-
Garren shook his head at me, clearly disappointed, "Shade you could do so much better than 20 per minute. Go we'll pick up again tomorrow. You better start trying because your reaping is coming up in a month."
I gladly walked out of the training room and out to my room. After changing quickly I climbed up to the slanted roof. I lay down on the roof and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally no more stuffy mentors and their training. The cool night breeze ruffled my already messy black hair and i half heartedly swatted at the air.
I looked up at the glimmering stars, they were far up cold and glimmering, always out of reach. Like my parents. All they ever wanted was a victor. I thought bitterly.
As I continued staring up I saw something. It became the face of a girl, a year younger than me. Her face was hallowed from hunger but her blue eyes seemed to spark. She swept her long blonde and brown hair back as she patted a little boy's back.
Her lips moved wordlessly before she got up and put on a ragged jacket. The scenery moved by in a blur as she ran. The whole scene suddenly flickered and I was afraid it would disappear. But it came into focus again with the girl pointing an arrow at me she let it fly and the vision or hallucinatioin disappeared. The last thing I saw were those blue eyes now twinkling with triumph.
The next few days the thing i saw kept coming back. I trained harder to chase it away but whenever i wasn't occupied the eyes came back to haunt me. A couple nights after I was about to fall asleep when it hit me, where I had seen those eyes before.

-

I was 7. My parents had some important business for the capitol, which they had to check on all the districts for. We were in 12.

The oppressing coal dust covered everything and made it all seem depressing. I remember there was a little girl with her older brother who looked around 13. Her little six year old hand held tightly to her brother's as they looked at the shops in the cake window.
"That one is pretty!" She said excitedly pointed to a blue cake.

She turned around as if sensing me watching her. Her eyes were brilliant blue and her brown and blonde streaked hair was down to her knees. She immediately shook off her brother's hand and ran towards me.
"HI!" She smiled with the cutest dimples, "Are you new here?"
I shook my head, "Just visiting."
She tapped me and ran, "TAG!"
I looked confused after her.
"What's wrong?" She frowned, "Don't you know how to play?"
Feeling stupid I shook my head.
Her spirit unhampered she still smiled, "Easy I tag and run and you try to tag me back! When you tag me back I run and try to tag you,"
"Oh." I said.
Then she ran. She was fast. She crossed the square before I had even gotten halfway across. Never did tag her. Suddenly the miner gates opened and her attention completely diverted. "Daddy!" She squealed.
She started running to the entrance but turned around and ran to the baker's shop. There from the window I could see as she excitedly told a woman with a slight bump on her stomach, pregnant.
Then she dashed towards the mines and ran straight into the arms of a man. Her brother trailed behind her and hugged the man as well. He walked over and kissed the woman in front of the shop. Her mother.
Her parents laughed and each held one of her hands before walking away. The girl turned one last glance at me and smiled before skipping along with her parents.

It was that girl from 12 I met 10 years ago. She was the one who I saw. She who taught me 'tag'

Arya Nightshade

I looked in satisfaction at the deer in front of me. An arrow caught in it's neck, chest, and eye. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. This was the first deer I had caught alone, without my brother. Breath in an out. I told myself shakily as tears threatened to overspill.

Jason had dark hair and pale skin with bluish gray eyes. He was always there for me. He was mining for some crystal when part of the cavern crumbled on him and some other miners. They were able to dig him out and now he was buried under his favorite oak tree in the meadow. Why did he have to die? My hand automatically when to the sapphire necklace he gave me. It was a simple sapphire on a silver chain. Ever since district 12 had discovered that crystal shaft things had gotten better, but not by much.

Jason was the one who had taught me how to hunt, it sort of ran in the family. Right now I would be teaching Leo if he wasn't so sick. I dragged the deer next to some brush and went back into the forest to collect the rest of my winnings that were currently in a burlap sack. In all after a couple hours of running around with a bow in the woods I had several rabbits and a gallon of assorted berries.

The deer would be going to the butcher. He pays generously to deer. The berries would be a good trade on the hob now that summer was set in. The rabbits I would take home and cook.

I waited in my thin jacket until night fell and I slipped the sack me and the deer under neath the supposedly 24 hour electrified fence. The last time I even heard the tell tale buzz of electricity was a year ago. Now that night was here I silently half dragged half carried the deer to the butcher whose name I had never bothered to learn.

He gave me a bag full of coins. "Here. I'll give you some of the venison when its done butchering."

I nodded my thanks and walked out still dragging my sack. After emptying most of it and some of the money at the hob for some cloth (I needed a dress, sue me) and a fairly new stuffed teddy bear.

Finally with the money bag around my wrist and the cloth and bear in my sack I headed home. I lived in a small house near the edge of the meadow. It was cozy and happy for our family of 5.

Or once five. Down to three now. Jason went first when I was 14. It wasn't fair, he was 23 and had a girlfriend. Mom went next. The blonde woman with grey eyes who always had a kind word for everyone. She worked as a baker's assistant; she was the one who decorated the cakes that would sit in the window. Jason was mama's boy no doubting that. The only things he got from Dad was his size, strength, and short temper. He'd explode at nearly nothing and I would punch him in the gut so he would calm down or at least be distracted. Mom was so depressed that her little boy was gone she refused to eat. She just sat at the window staring at nothing while holding a picture of Jason. Eventually Dad had to stay home to take care of her and we were slowly starving. I went into the woods. Someone had to get food and Leo, who was scared of his own shadow and barely well enough to go to school couldn't do that. I found the worn bow and arrows that had been food to us before. Eventually I developed techniques that would make up for not having Jason with me.

After that time Mom eventually recovered but she wasn't the same. She would still help me with my sewing, cook, play with Leo, and go to work but something was off. After a year or so we began to notice though she acted cheerier and cheerier, but her face became gaunt and pale. Finally she just collapsed one day. She had been starving herself for Leo. Of course it wasn't even necessary. Sure we had a few hungry nights when my arrows missed but generally we were fine.

I opened the door and winced at the creaking sound. "Dad? I'm home!"

"Ari?" Leo called.

Oh, Dad was working his extra shift, right. "Hey Leo! I got you something!"

I pulled out the stuffed bear I got him. It's fur was a bit ragged and his ear was nicked while its eyes were missing as well. I probably should patch him up.

"What is it Ari?" He asked.

I smiled and walked into his room holding the bear behind my back, "Its a surprise," I winked, "You'll see once I finish dinner."

I set myself to the gory and disgusting task of gutting the rabbits. Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid. I hunt and kill on a daily basis. Its just that a kill can be elegant, arrow pulled back with grace, then fired with precision. Gutting things is a gory mess that made me want to throw up. I'm also a hopeless cook. Stew I can do. Other than that all I can do is bake. What I prefer to hunting, gutting stuff, and baking is sewing.

I'm not girly. Well not shallow at least. I love feeling the scraps of cloth come together with needle and thread to form something beautiful. One day when I grow up I'm going to own my own tailor shop. A small little thing at the corner of the square. I would repair any clothes and possibly make new ones, not at too high of a price though. Of course I knew how far this was from reality. For now all I could do was dream about it and make a dress every once in a while for either me or for someone's 16th birthday.

I grimaced as I put the soup to boil and cleaned the bloody remains off my hands. I picked through the clothes I had. I had white and blues because someone had told me they were my best colors and matched my eyes.

I ran my fingers along the smooth material. I put the bear down on the kitchen table. Dress later, bear emergency care first. I pulled my most prized possession from under my bed. Well 3rd most prized. First was Jason's necklace, second was my bow and arrows. It was a box which had my design notebook, a pencil, and sewing materials. I picked the darkest blue fabric I had which was around a royal blue. I mushed bits of it into small balls and sewed them on as eyes and sewed any places with tears. Finally the bear looked new.

By then dinner was ready. I spoon a bowl for myself and slurped it all down (screw manners) and then grabbed another bowl for Leo. I brought it over to him where he sat reading an old tattered textbook in our room.

"Hey, what did you learn?" I asked as I looked over his shoulder.

He shrugged, "What nine year olds are supposed to be learning in school."

I handed him the soup, "You'll go to school once you get better, that'll be soon."

"Sure." Leo said distractedly.

Leo got the best of both parents, especially mom's. She was a flawless liar. Leo could convince someone a piece of coal was actually obsidian if he put his mind to it. Me? I can't exactly lie. I can't lie to save my life in fact.

"Want to see the surprise?" I asked.

He nodded, "Yeah. By the way did you put chives in the soup?"

"Uh yeah." I said. Leo also had the taste buds of a capitol food critic.

He shook his head in mock disappointment, "You put too much."

I gave him the stuffed bear and his eyes lit up like the mid day sun. He instantly hugged it and named him Sullivan. Who knew where he got that from.

I blew out the candles. "Its going to be late Leo, get some rest."

More for me than him. I spent 3 hours trekking the woods for prey, then another haggling over prices. As I slipped under the thin sheets I remembered a design for a dress I had though up with a while ago. Yes that would be my new dress.

For some reason just before I fell asleep. I saw a 18 year old boy with messy ruffled black hair and gold eyes looking at the stars on a roof. He reminded me of someone I had met before...

First Chapter, Good? bad? Awful?