AN: so, I've decided to update on a schedule. (Organization? Say it isn't so!) Anyway, I'll update every other Wednesday. So, if anyone's actually following this, you know when to check. (I might update in-between when I want to, but no often) Thanks so much to Rachna ()! I'm glad you like it.

As predicted, I couldn't sleep. I lay still all night, staring into the dark as I tried not to imagine the days to come. At about nine in the morning, Effie knocks on the door, grinning hugely.

"You already have lots of sponsors!" She trills happily. "It seems everyone wanted to talk to Peta. Katniss even smiled!" She grins and gestures for Shura and I to follow her. Shura Leaps out of bed easily. I guess she didn't get any sleep either. We follow Effie down the thickly carpeted hallways, and I realize I'm trying to walk silently, like I'm already in the arena. Forcing myself to relax, I step harder, my feet thudding lightly on the floors. Shura seems to sense my shift, and I see her force her feet down harder, so both of out footsteps join the clicking of Effie's heels.

"Here we are." Effie says. We've arrived at a door, and she opens it for us, revealing a large concrete circle. A hovercraft hovers over it, a barely perceptible whir coming from the engines.

"See you on TV!" Effie dancing away, her silly shoes tapping against the ground. A man exits the hovercraft, roughly grabbing my arm and jamming a needle into it. He does the same to Shura.

"Tracker." He mumbles by way of an explanation. I step onto the hovercraft, Shura sitting beside me on a leather seat. The craft takes off, the engines changing pitch slightly, the whine growing higher as we climb. I feel as if my stomach is being forced into my feet, and I can tell by the way Shura digs her fingernails into her leg that she feels the same. The engines quiet down as the craft levels, then the whole thing pitches forwards, moving quickly across the sky. The engines begin to groan again, propelling the craft forwards as I travel towards the place where I will die. Weather all of me or just my heart will die in the arena is yet to be decided. I realize I've been digging my fingernails into my arm, and release it, semicircles of blood left behind. Suddenly, the machine I'm in begins to level out, the engines again wailing as we descend. I'm led into a room separate from Shura by Cinna. He smiles at me tightly.

"Here." He hand me a bundle of clothing, the things I'll be wearing into the arena. The bundle contains simple black pants that hug my legs tightly, but still allow full movement, a grey-blue T-shirt that, again, hugs my skin tightly, and a grey sweater, the same colour of pavement. All of the clothing fits perfectly. Cinna smiles.

"You look lovely." He hands me my shoes, and what appears to be a belt. The boots fit well, and are clearly made for running and climbing, with rubber soles and soft leather that hugs my foot like a sock. The belt slings over my shoulder and clips around my waist with a dull metal buckle. The sash-like strips of leather had holsters in them, and Cinna slips my weapons into them, the Bayonet resting just at my hip, where I could reach it easily.

"Good luck." Cinna nods, and the circular platform I stand on rotates upwards into the arena, slowly taking me away from everything I'm used to, into a world where the only rule is death. Welcome to the 75th hunger games. Let the games Begin.