That night, I wake up and feel a stab of pain in my neck. I try to move my hand up to the source, but have no control over my limbs. I manage to pry open my eyes, and see a looming figure leaning over my bed, retracting a syringe from my neck.
I try to open my lips and scream, but I'm now completely paralysed.
The figure lifts me, and drapes me over his shoulder. As I stare down his back, I recognise the shape of the Peacekeeper uniform and feel my heart rate elevate. He walks out the front door, and takes me to the abandoned house across the street.
Once we're inside, he sets me down roughly in a chair and positions me at the window, just in time to watch my home go up in flames.
I'm forced to watch the spectacle with unblinking eyes. It isn't long until the neighbours notice, and the screaming begins. I see people carrying buckets of water to try and smother the flames, but it's already too late. My eyes watch as my parents room is enveloped in the flames.
All of this seems like a nightmare, that I'm sure I'll wake up from until he arrives. I hear him calling my name from the end of the street, but it isn't until he's outside the house that I see him. He's drenched in sweat, his hair sticking to his face. His eyes dart frantically at the house for a moment, before he runs inside. I feel my heartbeat increase more, until I'm sure it's going to burst, but it doesn't give me the relief.
A few minutes later, Haymitch is back again. Choking on the smoke, with tears rolling down his cheeks. He collapses in the street, the way I did when he was selected at the Reaping. The only difference is, that he manages to scream a scream that makes my heart ache, and I feel the tears begin to trickle down my own cheeks.