AN: I have taken much too long... I would name excuses, but that would make me an even worse writer, so I suppose you can shame and just read the chapter... :( ... On the bright side, I'm brimming with ideas for chapter 15!

Disclaimer: Dislaimed (how do you say "disclaimed" in French?)

Sunlight streaked through the window above my bed. I stretched my arms above my head and sat up. This morning was different. I didn't feel so energized, like I usually did after a nice, long sleep. I felt restless and worn-out.

Maybe it was because the Hunger Games finally started.

Maybe it was because Marx was in the Hunger Games.

Maybe it was because I didn't have Anders anymore.

That was most likely it. No Anders, no energy. Right? Oh, I don't know. All I know is that I was tired. I tossed and turned all night without getting any sleep. I looked out the window again. A walk would be nice…

I tossed the bed sheets aside and jumped out of bed, putting on a pair of pants and a shirt over my pyjamas. I opened the door and walked out into the frigid air. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep warm. It was sunny out, but it was still a bit chilly because it was the morning. Then, in the distance, I saw somebody walking up the small hill with some things slung over their back. I squinted.

It was Anders.

I frantically moved around the porch and finally just hid behind the side of the house, safe from his view. He climbed the porch and he had a serious look on his face. I watched him carefully.

Stalker. Creep-o. I know. Whatever.

He put down the dead animals he hunted and leaned against the railing. He looked so deep in thought… Then, all of a sudden, he pulled something out of his pocket. It was a necklace with crescent-shaped locket.

A pang of anger suddenly surged through me.

These Hunger Games were ruining everyone.

So much for leaving the past in the past.

I slid down the wall and waited for him to go inside the house. When he finally did, I slowly got up and went on with my walk. But I wasn't into it anymore. I felt worn out all of a sudden.

When I got to the crest of the hill, I started walking back home.

Home.

It felt so weird calling it home.

But that's what it was.

Wasn't it?

All of a sudden, I just sat down in the grass and put my face in my hands. The tears were coming all over again. Well, that didn't last very long. I cried until I didn't have much left in me. I was weak again.

I got up and scolded myself for being so negative and stupid. I wasn't weak. I was strong. I wiped the tears off my face and walked back home.

Home.

It didn't feel that strange anymore.

When I walked in, everything seemed to be running smoothly. But it was quiet. And there was some sort of tension in the room. Adella and Ariya were sitting at the table doing some work. Mae was cleaning the meat. Anders was helping her. Mae looked up when I walked in.

"Oh, Evelynn! I was sure you'd run off somewhere!" She exclaimed.

"I just went for a short walk. No worries," I said.

"All right then."

After that I got changed and ate lunch. It was quiet. I was ready to start screaming. I couldn't handle all that stillness. All that quiet. I scraped my chair back and muttered something that should have sounded like "excuse me" and walked out on the porch. I was spending a lot of time there lately.

I have no idea how long I stayed out there. But at some point, Mae came out to get me.

"The chariot rides are going to start in a few minutes. You should come in," she said quietly. I nodded.

"Thank you for getting me," I responded.

We went back in and sat down at the dinner table facing the television. Ariya came and sat on my lap. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, as if protecting her from the evil that would appear on the television set. Then, the television flipped on. President Winters' face appeared.

"Hello Panem! These are the first annual Hunger Games!" He exclaimed.

The way he said it, as if he was proud of all that he was doing. I hated that we were being forced to watch. I didn't think I could handle it.

The cameras zoomed in on the grand doors as they opened and the District One carriage paraded into the stadium. I ignored all the chariot rides. Hey, technically, I was watching. My mind just wasn't processing. I was hearing, but not listening.

So I obviously heard when "District Twelve" was bellowed out by the announcer.

I lifted my eyes from the floor and watched the grainy image on the television. The charcoal black District Twelve Chariot rolled in, holding its two tributes.

They were standing far apart from each other, as if they were going to contract some sort of disease from the other if they merely shared the same elbow room. They waved stiffly and kept their faces serious.

They were dusty mining suits. Melanee's was made into a sort of dress, but it still looked like the jumpsuits the coal miners had to wear. Marx looked more like a tuxedo, but still plain grey. They were covered in coal dust.

I wouldn't sponsor them to save my life.

Apparently the Capitol agreed with me.

"Shame the stylist and that mentor. Oh, and the escort," said the announcer. "But that mentor. She's something. Her story is completely secret. Some people say she had major surgery so no one would know who she was. Some say she had the looks of an original Seam person. Thing is, she made a huge deal with the Capitol so she could stay alive. Rumour is she left behind everyone she loved to stay alive."

"I think she's a pretty good mentor. Looks strong, smart, very serious. Maybe she'll be the best one out of all of them. However, she might be at fault for a fake identity. From hearing what you said Jones, maybe her real name isn't even Catreena Ozwell?" A second announcer said.

An original Seam person. Peering into her dark blue eyes and her strawberry blond hair that glinted red in the sun, it didn't seem possible. Her porcelain skin was nothing compared to the olive toned skin all the other Seam people had.

But somehow, I could believe it. There was so much… crap… going on here, looking back, I would've done anything to stay alive. I was just too immature to see it that way then. The most mature out of all of us was Jayne. She was always there, acting like the mother bear of our group. We made fun of her for it, but maybe she was right that way.

And Catreena, she looked familiar. As if I'd seen her around town or something before.

Thinking of Jayne, memories from before the Dark Days came flooding in. Jayne was the mature one, making sure we didn't get into any trouble. Tomas, he was smart. Like, really smart. Genius, actually. Marx always made jokes, pulled pranks. He was always taking risks and chances. And me? I was quiet, sneaky, and a general mastermind of our escapades.

"Ev? Hello! Ev!" I heard Ariya's voice say. I snapped back into reality. "It's late, come on." She tugged on my arm and I slowly got up, following behind her.

"Where are you taking me, Ariya?" I asked.

"Come on! I want you to read me a story!" She exclaimed.

"A story?" I asked in a confused manner.

"Like a book! Just part of it tonight, another part tomorrow, and so on."

"All right…"

She led me into hers and Adella's room. She made me sit on her bed next to Adella, and I found myself surprised at her strength. Or maybe it was my weakness. She grabbed a really old book off the shelf and brought it to me, sitting in my lap. I looked at the book cover. The title was Animal Farm. I hadn't read that one yet. I opened it and began to read.

"Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes…." I began, reading out loud to Adella and Ariya.

Soon enough, they were asleep, and I was getting a good idea of what the book was about. I tucked them in on their beds and walked to my own bed. I needed to get sleep, too.

And I hoped that hope was enough to make everything go back to normal. As in, before Dark Days normal.

I chose Animal Farm because it's my favourite classic... So:

-Have you read Animal Farm? Catcher in the Rye? (I have :D)
-Grammar?
-Are you still mad at me for the wait?
-Fave classic?

-AL