Note: In this story, the girl named Copper isn't mentioned in the books. I wanted to make him have a romance with some girl from back home, so I couldn't choose a pre-existing character.

Marvel sat on a bench that was to the side of a path that ran through the woods. He took his bag off of his shoulder and placed it next to him. From the bag, he pulled out a wrapped sandwich and placed it on his knees. As he was unwrapping it, he heard footsteps. Marvel turned his head and saw his good friend Copper standing in front of him. She stood up tall, wearing a pair of shorts which allowed her long, tan legs to show. Her shirt was cut just above her stomach, and her red hair was pulled into a tight ponytail which hung over her back. She had a large smile on her cheeks, showcasing her brilliant white teeth.

"Hey man, what are you doing out here?" She said in her usual flirtatious voice before taking the seat next to him. She stretched out her legs before scooting closer to him.

"Oh, I just decided to have a solo picnic out in the woods. Here, you want some of this?" He offered up half of his sandwich to her, which she gladly took with a smile on her face. He looked at her smile for a minute before looking back down to his own food.

"Hey, what's that?" Copper asked with a mouth full of sandwich, pointing to Marvel's arm.

He tried to conceal it, but due to his short sleeves, found it impossible and gave up. "My mom…" he muttered, and he knew that that was all that he had to say.

Copper looked at him directly in the eyes. "Marvel, you can't just take that, okay? Your mom's got some issues, but it's not your fault. You don't have to pay for anything."

Marvel looked her back in the eyes. "I know, Copper. But like, she's my mom, you know? She needs me. I can't just run away like my dad. She'd be lost without me."

"Well, maybe that'd be good for her!" They locked in on each other's hardening gazes. "Marvel, just because she's your mom doesn't give her an excuse to treat you like shit."

Marvel's heart was beating faster and faster now, and he feared that he was on the verge of a panic attack. "Copper, I can't leave, okay? I'm sorry."

The two had each finished their half of the sandwich and sat in silence on the bench for a few moments, staring at the ground, before Copper spoke.

"I'm just trying to look out for you, Marvel, alright? I… I like you. You know that." Marvel couldn't help but to blush and she took his hand. "I don't want you to get hurt. I couldn't… live with it."

Marvel held her hand tightly. "Copper, don't worry about me – please. I'll be fine. They're just bruises. I'm okay."

Copper attempted to give him a small smile before nodding her head back down. Marvel pulled her closer to him and held her tightly. She laid her head on his shoulder as they squeezed each other hands.

After he walked Copper back to her home, Marvel traveled back to his own house. Quietly, he walked through the front door, down the hall and into his small bedroom. He flung his shoes off of his feet, still slightly in a daze as he always was whenever he was around Copper. He loved her so much, and he just always couldn't believe that she felt the same way. It was some sort of miracle.

In the next room over, he heard voices, and his head perked up in confusion. Who was in his house? Usually, it was just him and his mother. He pressed his ear against the wall and recognized the voice of his mother's friend, Anna. He gritted his teeth together when he recognized the voice, for he couldn't stand the woman. Several times, she had witnesses his abuse and simply smirked from the corner. His mother never got good ideas around Anna.

Through the wall, the noise turned from mumbling to clear words.

"Anna," his mother said, "I just don't want to deal with him anymore. He reminds me too much of his father. He's useless to me. I'd be much better off by myself."

There was a silence between the three of them before Anna spoke. "Here's an idea: you know that academy where they train kids to go into The Hunger Games?"

Marvel's heart dropped. Was she really suggesting this? Marvel knew Anna to be evil, but this would be something new. And if his mother were to agree… His entire perspective on them would change drastically.

There was another short silence. "No, I couldn't do that. What would people say about my sending my own son off to that place?"

"Honestly, they'd be happy. These kids are forced to volunteer at the reaping, so if your son was there, they'd know that their children would be safe. They'd probably thank you." The silence was killing Marvel, and he held his breath as he waited for the answer. "Also, if he won, you'd become rich."

Marvel closed his eyes in horror at this. Money was something that his mother incredibly craved. She always said that she'd do anything for some money, but he never thought that she would - -

"You're right. I'll call them tomorrow."

Marvel backed away from the wall in horror, nearly falling off of his bed. He felt his heart begin to race as his mind went completely blank. What was going on? Was anything real anymore? He couldn't breathe. The light around him began to darken until he lost consciousness.

Marvel woke up in the dark and the cold. A glance at a clock near his bed informed him that it was two o' clock in the morning.

There is a small window of time after a person when wakes up and before they realize all of the horrors in their life. The few seconds in which Marvel lay in his bed was that window. When the harshness of reality hit him, he leaned over his bed and vomited into a nearby waste basket. He clutched his stomach as the hurt sunk in: his mother was planning on sending him off to death.

Marvel pulled on his shoes and ran directly out of his house. The sky was as black as he had ever seen it, and not a star was in the sky that night. The clouds cluttered the sky, making it impossible to see anything but the faint glow of the moon pouring over him. Yet somehow, he knew exactly where he was going. He ran down the dark street. Not one person's house light was on, only the streetlamps could guide him to where he was going.

When he got to the bench, he fell on top of it. He drew his legs up to his chest and hugged them tightly. The breeze whipped against his face as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to drift off into a land where he wasn't being betrayed.