Have you ever been in one of those situations where you want to tell someone everything but not even an eternity of life would be enough time to say it all?

I have.

It's true what they say - 99% of true love is communicated through the unspoken. It's in the electrical looks, the sensation of touch, the fizzing feeling of excitement and desolation on equal measures together whenever they are in the room with you. I knew I felt these and I knew he felt them too.

However, it had never been said.

And I longed to say it...

How much time does it take to tell someone everything? As I said, an eternity of life isn't even enough. But I didn't even have an eternity of life. I had -

'THIRTY SECONDS UNTIL THE GAMES'

The heartless electronic voice, who doubtless had never experienced true love before in its life, rang out, piercing the loaded silence of the room.

Yes, forget eternity of life, my life was looking shorter and shorter by the second. Each second that went by was a second closer to the end of my life, a second closer to my death.

I had to say it now. Had to acknowledge it.

I didn't mind dying, but I didn't want my love to die with me. With love breathes hope, hope in love and in the rebellion.

My mind reeled and my heart raced as he went about his final checks, dusting off my shoulders of the standard issue suit that all competitors wore. I knew he felt it too. I knew that he had no real need to keep touching me apart from a true love's desire.

'TWENTY SECONDS UNTIL THE GAMES'

Words and love erupted in my throat, mingling with fear and nausea. I had to say it now. I had to I had to I had to-

'Cinna-' I began.

'Katniss' he said, at precisely the same time as I.

Father and mother had always taught me to be polite and let people speak ahead of me. I cursed their teachings, as my truthful resolve conceded to his voice.

'Go on' I said, politely and nervously.

His eyes looked at my eyes and the usual spark of promise and destruction crackled ominously between my lined lashes and his gold lidded eyes.

That look spoke everything. Yet, again, it was a secret, silent promise. Would this promise ever be said together in the open?

'Katniss,' he repeated, his golden eyes telling me a thousand stories of yearning and desire. 'I...I have brought you your pin.'

The mockingjay. A secret, golden treasure. I knew that, to him, I was his little mockingjay.

He was my secret golden treasure (due to the make up he often wore).

He pinned it to my chest, and I knew he must've felt my heart pound-pound-pounding beneath my standard issue suit that all the competitors wore.

'TEN SECONDS TO THE GAMES'

Ten became nine, and, with a cruel inevitableness, nine became eight. I was losing time, and losing time meant losing Cinna.

As the countdown ticked on he led me over to the gaming tube that was to send me up to my almost certain death.

FIVE

'Cinna I...'

FOUR

'Katniss, I know...'

THREE

'Ever since the first moment I met you in the Capitol'

TWO

'Ever since then, and forever more'

ONE

(In unison) 'I LOVE YOU!'

The words shot out of my mouth as smoothly as the tube shot me into the sky and up onto my starting pod at the start of the hunger games. But I was no longer afraid. I finally had something to fight for. Something - and somebody - to live for.

I eyed my competitors as the final countdown clocked down to zero. I was ready. I was ready to win this. To win it for Cinna. To win it for us.