Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games...

Hey! So, I'm going to talk more at the bottom make sure to read the starred (*) bolded and underlined areas of these little 'side notes' and A/Ns, by the way, they will entail info I want you to know, but I thought I'd begin incorporating Questions and Answers so that there is less confusion within the chapters!

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TheRisingAlleria said:

Love it! Maybe you could do senior year, high school transition into college or something like that? Yeah, I think that that's a great solution! I think around maybe senior year of high school? That would fit in, I think. Thanks!

*Any questions or confusion you have towards this story, feel free to leave a review!

Enjoy! :)


I shy away

One inch at a time

Nothing is safe

As long as I'm still nearby

I want to say aloud

The thoughts that I'm thinking

But this hope that's within

Won't stop sinking.


Chapter Two: Suspicions Confirmed

The nightmares plague both my wake and sleep, and I become unsure of which is which soon.

I wake from unconsciousness multiple times, each time from the horrific events that play behind my closed eyes. Most times, I'm screaming of crying. Sometimes, I can hear someone else crying, but I'm not sure who. I want desperately to open my eyes, but find that my body doesn't wake up as soon as my mind.

So here I am, trapped in my body- if you want to put it dramatically. This all sounds like a theatre performance. Oh, I'm sure the drama students would love to transform this into an act.

I listen to the noises that surround me. I hear shuffling somewhere in the room, and sniffling. Two sets of sniffling?

My heart aches as the faint noise reminds me of Prim. My sweet little sister who deserved more than this life could have ever given her. I feel a silent tear track down my cheek, but I'm unable to wipe it away, or even stop more from escaping. I have no real control over my muscles.

I've decided that even a terror-filled sleep is better than being unable to do anything but lie here and involuntarily weep.

As I once again slip into sleep, I feel a warm hand wipe away the tears on my face gently, though even the slight contact hurts. A deep voice speaks, but my mind is too far gone at the moment to truly recognize it.

"I'm sorry this happened to you, Katniss. Johanna and I, we've been so worried about you. You have to wake up soon, though. We brought you to her house after you went unconscious... Jo was hysterical, and I suppose I was too. Even if you don't know me that much, I hope we can get close. I... I don't know if we could do without you."

There's sniffle from the corner of the room before Johanna's voice croaks out, "You better explain what the hell happened, Brainless."

I inwardly smile at my nickname from her before falling back into a deep slumber.


This time, when I wake up, I'm able to open my eyes. Bright lights cause me to squint, and I swallow before wincing at the fire that envelopes my dry throat.

My eyes scan the empty room, coming to the conclusion that I'm in Jo's bedroom. I vaguely remember a comforting voice talking to me, but quickly dismiss it as another dream. I can hear her voice farther away, and a clank of metal before assuming that she's in the kitchen. I sit up and try calling her name, but words refuse to come out and instead quiet grunts escape. Licking my lips, I swallow again before calling out. This time, a barely audible, "Johanna?" comes out, and I can't help but feel a hint of pride. I try clearing my throat to the point of where tears build up, and try again, successful at this attempt.

"Jo?" I call out, my hoarse voice sending chills down my spine, but hear her voice continue on. How long have I been out? I try again, and immediately chide myself for the desperation that's evident in my voice. I hear her voice stop abruptly before a small whisper and footsteps rushing towards the closed door.

She bursts through the door, her eyes immediately filled with relief as they land on me, and she rushes over.

"Katniss!" she exclaims before flinging herself on me and hugging me. I suppress a pained grunt before hugging her back. In this past month, I'd forgotten that there are other people outside my world. A pang of guilt hits me, but I push it aside.

She lets go before a serious expression takes over her face. "Brainless, you better explain what happened," she tells me, her eyes pent up with emotions.

I look away. Would it be so bad to tell the truth? To have somebody who knows? But... Knowing Johanna, she'd go ballistic, surely. She'd probably call somebody about it, and they'll call someone about it, and the police will come... I sigh, but remain silent. I trust Johanna with all my heart, but-

"Katniss," she says again, gaining my attention again. She's said my full name more times lately than she's ever spoken in the four or so years we've known each other; she only uses it when she's worried or angry.

"What happened," she says, and I have to hold back the flinch at her tone, toning it down to the slight twitch of my eye. Her expression softens, though her eyes harden more so.

"Kat, is that why I've never been to your house?" She asks me, and panic swells up in my chest. Has she figured it out? Could she have connected the dots?

Her voice reduces to a gentle whisper. "Did you do this to yourself?" she asks cautiously, her eyes flickering down to the long scars that run down my arm. My tired brain takes a moment to fully register what she's saying, before my eyes widen in shock.

"What? You think I hurt myself intentionally?" I speak to her directly for the first time, slightly offended. She raises her hands up in defense.

"I'm not sure!" she exclaims, clearly hurt that I won't tell her. "It would make sense, though. I've never been to your house, Prim's died recently, your mom's drunk most of the time-" she stops abruptly, her eyes matching my rounded ones.

I look at her chocolate brown eyes, and see the last piece of the puzzle click in place. She's figured it out. My heart drops.

"Katniss," she whispers out, her voice seemingly gone. Her eyes flicker to mine, but I turn my gaze down, feeling the color drain from my face.

I hear her sharp intake of breath, and the bed sinks down beside me where she takes seat. I try to delay the inevitable.

"How long have I been out?" I ask her, trying to change the subject quickly.

"It was your mom," she says, more of a statement than a question. My silence only confirms it. I glance over at her, trying to rate her reaction, and by the hand that covers her mouth and the silent tears that have welled up within her eyes- I'd say she's pretty upset.

"Well," I say, forcing a light tone, as if this were all a joke, "I guess-"

"You need to tell me everything," she commands, cutting me off.

My stubbornness cuts in.

"Johanna," I say warningly.

"Katniss," she says back in the same tone, and I roll my eyes.

"I don't need you worrying about this. I don't need anybody worrying about this, okay? I don't want pity, or charity, or any help, okay?" I'm unable to stop the words that flow from my mouth, and once I say it, I instantly feel bad, but it's the truth.

Nobody will give a damn, nobody ever does. All anybody does around here is ignore, or try to sympathize. After Prim's death, all I'd hear was 'Oh, I know how you must feel right now' or 'Oh, I'm sorry for your loss'. It's all so overwhelming, and they don't know. Each loss, it's different, no two are alike. Each person I lose has memories, feelings, attached, and each of their deaths is just another part of my soul torn from me. I'd give anything to have them back, anything. It just feels like each person that I let in fully is just taken from me, and I don't want to lose Johanna. I'm on the verge of breaking already..

"You can't keep me from worrying, Brainless," she says after a few moments. "The only thing to keep me from worrying so much is to tell me the truth."

The tiniest amount of relief mixes with the dread. I'll no longer have to keep this secret to myself.


Note: Yeah, I know, a short chapter, but I felt like this was a good place to end it. I went back through chapter one and was thoroughly embarrassed at some of the grammatical errors I found there, so I've gone back and corrected a few things... I wrote that one on the Notes app on my phone, so basically: never again will I do that. *shudders*.

So, I hope you truly enjoyed it, and leave me reviews!

Also, sorry, no preview for the next chapter

*(^ since this one was short...) But, for the same reason, if one of you guys writes an awesome review, I'll PM you the preview!

*Review any questions you have about the story, and I'll answer them the best I can in the beginning of the next update!

*The next chapter will not be updated until I get at least a decent amount of reviews (And you guys don't know what my definition of decent is... So, get writing!)

Love you guys, as always!

~Burritoyum