Chapter One.
The cool woods seem to shimmer with dreamlike phosphorescence. The soft leaves underfoot and earthy smells invading my nose always make me feel alive, but today, it's different. Today, Katniss will know. Today, I will tell her. But…not yet.
We stumble through the woods on what seems like an endless trail, carelessly chattering and laughing, unwise to any other form of life around us. The air seems to glow as if nothing will ever go wrong.
But, within seconds of this thought crossing my mind, Katniss, in her carelessness, stumbles violently over a protruding root. Falling face first into a mountain of fallen leaves, Katniss lies still. My heart racing I sprint towards her motionless body, fear infecting my bones.
As I near her, I see that she is violently shaking in the leaves. My first thought is maybe she has been shocked or some illness has befallen her, but as I near I quickly realise I was worried over nothing. It's laughter.
As she turns over and catches a glimpse of my face, she begins laughing even harder, tears spilling from her eyes, hands clutching her sides in hysterics. I can't help but smile myself at how ridiculous she looks. Her hair and clothes are covered in dirt and leaves but the sun light bursts through the trees and spills over her. I gasp. She is truly beautiful.
As I lean over her, her giggles begin to die down. She looks more like just Katniss again – dark, mysterious and haunted. I don't care. The playful look in her eye remains, and when I lean in further I can smell her. The familiar smell of earth and coal fused together became too much, and I lean in again. But as I am about to close my eyes, her own widen in absolute terror.
I stop. Have I scared her? But her eyes fix at something beyond me, and turning to look up I see a Capitol hovercraft lower its dreadful metal claw towards us. The sun brightens, the light becomes too much. Why can't I hear it? Where is the light coming from? I jump to my feet in confusion, terror and horror, but I am too fast and I fall almost immediately, smacking my face off the cool hard floor….
Floor. I'm grounded again. I'm at home. The sun is spilling through my window into my eyes. Squinting, I sit up. I shake my head at the memory of the dream. They have happened much to often this past week, but I put it out of my mind and rise. Stretching out my muscles I glance around the bedroom. Vick is fast asleep in the corner, and Rory in another. Damn. Little Rory. No wonder he is curled up tight in a helpless ball. It's his first reaping today. I've been dreading this day since my father died in the coal mine explosion 5 years ago. No chance in hell is he taking out tesserae.
Myself on the other hand…well, my name is in the reaping ball 42 times this year. May the odds be ever in my favour? Haha. Good one, Capitol.