Here is chapter 3!

I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES!

Enjoy!


The fear in all of the other boys has vanished. I pull away from Ben and my hand falls back to my side. All eyes are finally on the person who's name has been drawn and slowly make a clear path for me to walk atop the stage.

I was just about to leave my place when my arm was tugged back.

"NO!" I looked back to my left to see Ben with both hands tightly gripped on my forearm cutting off any circulation. I looked back towards the arch formed by the Peacekeepers and saw a few making their way towards me.

"No Ben, let go now," I tried keeping my voice in control as to not make him panic anymore than he already was, but the more I tried prying his hands off the more they constricted. "Please, please Benny, let go." I hadn't called him that since we were young kids but it managed to loosen his grip. I seized my chance and escaped his death grip walking on the clear path towards the stage.

"No! Jon!" I paused and looked back to Ben being struck in the face with the stock of a Peacekeeper's gun and fell to ground.

"No, no!" I looked further back and saw my father shoving his way to the front. "My boy! My boy!" He was brought down by two Peacekeepers who needed another two to hold him down in place while they handcuffed him.

I immediately turned back towards the stage trying to keep a face that showed no fear and made my way up the steps. I could see behind the mask of Effie's makeup that even she was repulsed by the brutality of the Peacekeepers. Guess some of them are human after all.

I stood right beside Sophia as Effie was right between us with a heavily painted hand on our shoulders.

"Very well then," she managed trying to pull herself together. "The tributes of District twelve. No go on, shake hands," she encouraged.

I faced Sophia and was appalled by how much younger she looked from twelve years. Her dark straight hair was in two separate braids and her olive skin was more wan as she held out her small hand to me. I held it gently in mine with it only being able to wrap around my fingers and was cold to the touch. Her glassy grey eyes would not meet my own. How could they not? If by some miracle it came down to the two of us in the games, one of us would have to kill the other.

"Happy Hunger Games," Effie cheered into the mic. "And... may the odds be ever in your favor."

My last view of the audience before us was of them pressing three fingers to their lips and saluting us as we prepared to leave for the capital.


The train was delayed for departure because of an unexpected heavy rain that began to fall shortly after the reaping.

Tributes were required to be in the waiting room in the hall of justice before departing. We were able to spend some of that time separately with any family that wanted-more so had the courage-to say goodbye.

My shoulder was resting against a windowpane as my eyes traced the raindrops that fell against the glass.

The door was shoved open and I saw Ben there with his shoulders slightly damp. We collided with one another and I held him while running a hand through his hair as he sobbed in my chest.

"No," was all I could make out from his voice.

"Shh Benny, it's okay, it's okay," I inhaled the sweet scent of his hair given off from the moisture that coated it.

With him still in my arms I guided us on the small couch in front of the window. Hours had seemed to have passed before his body stopped quivering.

"I just got you back," he mumbled.

"What?" I pulled away with his head still down. "What do you mean 'you just got me back'?" His grey eyes were already red. "Benny, you never lost me." I gently rubbed the scratch from the Peacekeeper's rifle on his cheek. "I never stopped caring about you or thinking of you as my friend."

A smile slowly formed on his face and I wiped away the last few tears that fell. "Maybe, you can win it," he said hoarsely. "You're good at hunting and I've seen you fight before with older kids when we were young."

"Yeah, maybe I can win. So don't give up on me yet."

"I won't," he said and placed his head back against my chest.

"What happened to my dad?" I asked.

"I don't know, I only saw them take him away from the crowd."

"Benny?"

"Yeah," he said gripping my dress shirt.

"If I don't make it out, promise that you'll look after my dad."

He shot back in fear. "But you just said you could-"

"I know, I know. But if I don't Benny, will you promise me that. I don't want him to do anything reckless if I'm gone."

He exhaled slowly. "Alright. I promise."

We both rose off the couch when the door opened again to a Peacekeeper stepping inside with his rifle slung over his shoulder. "Your times up," he motioned at Ben who then drew me in one last tight embrace. "Common," the Peacekeeper said pulling on Ben's sleeve. Before he could use more force Ben quickly pulled away slightly looking into my eyes and then kissed me. It was brief but long enough for me to feel the softness of his lips against mine. The Peacekeeper gripped his arm and hauled him out the door.

"Wait," I protested but the door was slammed shut.

I was left alone in the room with too many thoughts to process at once. I stepped back towards the window but alarmed at the door knob being turned. The door slowly opened and my father stood their in the threshold his head nearly reaching the top part. One of his eyes was swollen and bruising while blood trickled from a cut on his forehead.

"Dad..."

He limped towards me and drew me into his arms and buried his face in my neck.

"My boy, not my baby boy." I could feel warm moisture on my shoulder. My own arms came around him and supported some of his weight.

"Dad."

He pulled away with a more stern look in his eyes that were still glassy. "Son, remember everything that I taught you. Exam your environments, work with them and use them to help you survive."

"I will dad."

He gripped the fabric on my shoulders and clench his teeth, biting back more tears and sobs. "This wasn't how it was suppose to be. You were suppose to come back home when all of this was over."

"Dad, please."

"But, maybe you can still come back home. I know you can stand up to even those carriers, I know there's still a chance you can still come back-"

"DAD!"

He froze and his lifeless eyes were finally fixed on mine.

"There's a chance that I might not come back."

"Son, you don't know that for sure."

"Be prepared for the worst. That's always what you told me dad, and now I'm telling you to please be prepared if I don't come back."

"No. No I can't. I already lost the woman I love, I don't want to lose my boy." His face was back in my neck with more tears and sobs in pursuit. I cradled his quiver body and never thought that I would be doing this to my own father. Comforting him as if he were the child and I the parent. He kissed my forehead and gripped the back of my hair. "Promise me that you'll try. Try to win."

"I will dad. I promise."

The Peacekeeper was back again through the door not needing to confirm our time was up.

My father drew me back into a fierce hug kissing the top of my head. "I love you so much my son," he said softly, and then was gone.


We boarded the train half an hour later once our farewells were made. The trains throughout Panem exceeded over two hundred miles per hour so we would be in the capital in the late morning.

Once aboard the train Effie took us to a cart made out entirely in a dinning room layout with eating utensils that were probably made from real silver and plates were scattered with food that I had never seen before. I had more complications on how I should eat it rather than where to start eating from the assortment.

"Now, you too help yourselves to whatever you would like while I go get Haymitch," I was surprised that her makeup didn't melt off from the rain.

Once she was gone I took a seat on a polished wooden chair and began pile a plate with foods that I looked the most appealing to me. Sophia took a seat right next to me and looked from every corner of the table not knowing what to do.

"These are pretty good," I said handing her a bread that was wrapped and filled with chocolate that was still warm.

"I want my mom," her voice cracked at the last word and hid her face to cry.

"Hey, sweetie. I know that you're scared." I turned to face her and pushed stray wisps of her dark hair away from her face, my hand so pale against her olive skin. "Would it make you more comfortable if I told I'm scared too."

Her sobbing lessened and she looked up at me. "Really?" she asked. "I thought big kids don't get scared."

"And who told you that," I said wiping away stray tears falling from those grey orbs.

"All the other big kids say that."

"Well I'll let you in on a secret. Everyone gets scared of something. Kids, big kids, and even adults."

Her eyes had dried and then she leaped off her chair and into my lap clinging to me desperately. "Please don't let them hurt me!" she cried. "Don't let them hurt me."

I brought my arms around her and slowly rocked her small shaking body. Why is it that she's saying hurt instead of kill? So even kids her age could accept the fact that there was no other way out of this.

"Shh shh, don't worry sweetie. I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise."

"Okay," she mumbled, her body becoming more relaxed.

"Here we are!" Effie cheered as the card door opened. "Oh my," she looked at the fragile thing in my arms a pained look on her face. "Well then, I guess I'll leave this to you then." And the lone victor of District 12 walked in before us. Haymitch Abernathy.