Disclaimer: I definitely do NOT own The Hunger Games series although I am a HUGE fan and I worship Suzanne Collins.

Chapter 8

Today is the day. Today is the day that the countdown starts and the games begin. Today might be the day Maggie dies. Naturally, I refuse to come out of my room.

"Come out of that blasted room, child!" screams my father, "You can't stay in there all day!"

I rise from my bed and open the door. I peek out at my father with a stern expression on his face. "Do you mind bringing me my breakfast? I don't feel like coming out today."

My father pulls open the door and grabs my wrist. "I don't care how much it hurts you. You have to watch the games. You don't have a choice."

I shake my hand out of his grip and run away. I run out the front door and through the alley. My heart is racing. I have no idea where I am running to. Suddenly, I feel my feet stop. Why have I stopped here? As if by fate, I turn to the right and next to me is Meyrick's store. Out of all the places I could have ran to.

Meyrick sits at the register looking down at his hands. There's no sign of his father anywhere. What am I to do? I can't go inside. So I turn and head home. The games are beginning in less than an hour. If the peacekeepers catch me outside they will drag me to the square. I need to watch the games in the safety of my own home.

My parents look at me in concern as I blankly walk inside and take a seat on the couch. They don't say a single word to me. The screen slowly fades into the image of Claudius Templesmith. I inhale.

I watch as each of the tributes are risen on their platform. The camera zooms in on Maggie. Her hair is tied back into two buns. It's a cute hairstyle. It's quite common in our district, although it is most often used by losers. It's rare for somebody of Maggie's class to have her hair in this way, and she knows it.

The countdown begins. 60, 59, 58, 57...

Our door is slammed open. In the doorway stands Meyrick gasping for air. 56, 55, 54, 53...

"Hello," he says. "Sorry for intruding. I'm here for your daughter." 52, 51, 50, 49...

"Why are you here Meyrick?" I ask, "You should be at home, watching the game with your family." 48, 47, 46, 45...

"I can't," he replies. "I can't be with them right now. I need you." 44, 43, 42, 41...

My mother looks over at me. "He can't leave now, the peacekeepers are all over." 40, 39, 38, 37...

I look at Meyrick. He seems distressed. I understand why he doesn't want to be at home. He can't stand seeing his parents cry. He can't be there to see them grieve. He had to come to me. 36, 35, 34, 33...

"Alright," I say. I scoot over to leave space for him to sit. He takes his seat next to me and his eyes focus on the television screen. 32, 31, 30, 29...

"I'm sorry," he says. "I know you have been avoiding me. I know this is awkward for you. But I need you. I need you to help me get through this." 28, 27, 26, 25... "I don't need my parents or anybody. All I need is you, Foxgirl. I care about you and I know you care about me." 24, 23, 22, 21...

I turn towards him, "Meyrick," I say, "I think I need you too." 20, 19, 18, 17...

He looks at me, "Then we can do this together. We can stay strong as long as we are together." 16, 15, 14, 13...

I nod. I feel his fingers wrap gently around mine. I grip his hand tight and he grips mine. 12, 11, 10, 9...

The air in the room seems to disappear as we approach the final seconds. 8, 7, 6, 5...

Tears begin forming in my eyes. 4... I look over at Meyrick. 3... He looks back at me. 2... Together we both brace for the impact. 1...

Zero.

A few seconds of pure fear pass, then comes the large boy with the spear. You can feel everybody's heart stop. It feels like time is moving slower. Meyrick's grip tightens. Then it's over. My mother grabs the remote and turns the TV off. The silence hangs in the room...