So I know I have a Daryl Dixon story on hold—sorry for all you lovelies who keep telling me to update and I don't—but I couldn't hold back from writing this. I have a crush on Jack Quaid who plays Marvel in The Hunger Games and thought I might as well right this idea down. First part. Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games or Marvel (sadly), just my ideas and OC.

Enjoy and reviews would be Marvelous ^^ haha, you see what I did there.

Dreaming in Black and White

Chapter 1

Chin up.

The first thing my mentor, Finnick Odair, had given me as advice. The first words he said to me before he even shook my hand and greeted me, offering me some sugar cubes to settle my nervous stomach.

It was the easiest thing in the world to follow. Chin up. After I cried my brown eyes out that first night after the Reaping and said goodbye to my dad, the only family I had, I vowed to stay confident. I had been for the most part. Training was better than the thought of it in my head. Sure, the Careers had their own private jokes on every tribute, but I brushed it off enough. District 1 and 2 think they're at the top and stand the better chance. I've noted that being the female tribute of District four, I'm also included in the Career category. But I don't feel like one. I'm swift, but not muscular. I'm strong but not overpowering. And unlike the other upper class tributes of 1 and 2, I have manners.

The countdown was loud and echoed around the arena. All around me, my eyes found green. A forest. Maybe something that I can work with, if I can find a good water source. The small wind blew at my face and my hand moved to tuck a loose black curl behind me ear. For this purpose, the grand start of the 74th Hunger Games, I purposefully tied my long locks back to keep from my face. It would only distract me from my target.

The other twenty three tributes stood poised on their circular metal disks, the plates that would explode if I even tried stepping off a second before the countdown was over.

My heart pumped faster than it had a minute ago when I had said my final goodbye to Finnick. The young mentor had brushed off my fear. He took this serious, of course, but he seemed to have more faith in me than I had in myself. Was that good or bad?

5

I looked up at the blue and cloudless sky. 'What now, Finnick? Don't feed me another feeble 'chin up'. You already gave me your last one when we said goodbye.' Knowing that my mentor would be listening and watching, just like the rest of Panem, which is why I couldn't yell it out loud like I yearned to.

4

'Yeah, yeah, I know. You're leaving this part up to me. Be safer and run for the forest to lessen my chances of dying right here in the first thirty seconds. Or head straight into the Cornucopia like the others, but only if I absolutely need to risk it. Why couldn't you have given me a direct answer? You're my mentor after all.'

3

This is my first test. Make it out alive and show Panem that I could last this thing. Maybe even gain a sponsor if I'm lucky. My eyes briefly moved around to scan the other faces. Fear. Determination. A broad mix among the tributes. A pair of chilling blues caught my gaze in that instant, giving me goosebumps. Cato smirked at me and winked. It wasn't sensual, it was a dead look. He was telling me how easy he could read me right now, how effortless it would be to get me at the end of his weapon. How he would enjoy it when he did.

2

I felt my skin prickle to look in a different direction though and was glad when I turned to look at Marvel. He met my eyes with a blank expression though, completely unreadable and immediately looked away back to the Cornucopia. How long had he been staring at me? Could he see how nervous I was too or did he just not care anymore?

1

Why would he care? It wasn't like we were friends.

Everyone was a blur around me as soon as the countdown was over. Out of the corner of my eyes, tributes were already grabbing items. One girl dodged around and was already running to the trees. Smart of her. I could hear the screams around me as well, of pain and anguish. Of surprise, that this was actually happening. We were in a new kingdom without any morality.

My hand quickly hoisted up a brown backpack and slung it onto my shoulder. It was the first thing that had lay in my path to the silver spears ahead just waiting for me to claim. Finnick must know my decision by now. But I couldn't let my guard down yet. My eyes darted around me, making sure no one was throwing something sharp in my direction to bring me down for good.

Everyone was too busy fighting though and a sudden confidence filled me. There my weapon was, standing propped up and ready to be grabbed. My olive skin toned hand reached out and took hold of the set of spears, until my shoulders tensed at the other firm hand that had grabbed the weapons at the same time I had.

My eyes traced up the arm and neck and rested on the face of my opponent. He stared back dangerously at me. I tugged on the spears as if it would be that easy to make him let go. He mimicked my actions and for a moment it felt like we were in a personal game of tug-of-war.

That was before Marvel caught me off guard. He quickly stepped forward and I saw the flash of his elbow before it collided with my face. The startling pain was immense. The view of the world shifted, making me dizzy. Before I knew it, I had fallen and was blinking to focus on the tall District 1 male tribute who eyed me on my back. His gaze was straightforward, firm, and didn't soften in the slightest.

No. Him and I were not friends.

I didn't even have the time to mentally smack myself, for thinking that during training Marvel wasn't a brute like the others, because he was already pointing the sharp tip of one of the spears slowly to the side of my face.