Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart raced, my feet ached and my muscles burned as I raced across the terrain. The bangs that normally fell lightly on my forehead were instead slicked to my skin with sweat, what loose locks there were flying back in the wind. I was running, but from what, I wasn't sure. All I knew was that I had to leave. Get out of here now. Or something bad, very bad was going to happen.

Skidding to a halt, I looked around. I looked for anything; familiar land, like a beach or a forest, or even the enemy I was running from. But I saw nothing. Nothing at all. Only a solid blackness surrounding me, trapping me. Glancing down, there was no ground at my feet. Only the white. With a jolt - so similar to the elevator, it was scary - I began to fall, rushing downwards. The scream that echoed around me didn't sound like my own voice, though. It sounded unfamiliar, alien. This entire place was alien.

Without needing to look down, I felt the ground rushing up to meet me. Faster and faster. I remembered something I had been told when I was younger. If you hit the ground before you wake in a dream, you die in real life. I wasn't slowing down. If anything, I was speeding up. I was going to die, before I had even had a chance.

Then I remembered; this was a dream.

Gasping for air, I woke. But, unlike my nightmare, through the darkness around me I could see the shapes of furniture. A dresser, mirror, stuff like that. Sighing with relief, I sat back. Just what I needed. The night before the Hunger Games and I was being awoken by nightmares. After training today - which was incredibly boring, but I tried to concentrate - I was sure there was no way I was going to be able to sleep. How could I, knowing that when I woke up, I would be tested and then sent off to what was most likely my death? But the Games' organizer, or whoever ran this place, was smarter than that. Just before I began to get ready for bed, I was sent two small, white pills, with a note reading 'To help you sleep'. Plus a smiley face.

The pills had worked like a charm, but clearly their effects weren't lasting. After fifteen minutes or so of trying to fall asleep again, I found myself more wide awake than ever. Irritated, I dragged myself out of bed and into some loose clothing, not bothering to brush my hair. As if Tinker was going to be watching, scolding at the ready should she see me. Glancing at the glowing clock, I checked the time; three thirty a.m.. So the doors would still be locked, unfortunately. Too bad; a walk would have been nice.

I still had the phone, though.

I wasn't really sure why they had supplied us with a phone. As if we had anyone to call. Even if we did, they probably wouldn't let us. 'Privacy concerns' or something of the like. I knew for a fact that the others had been given phones, too, along with the small phone book I had been given. Grabbing it, I opened it, searching in the light of the clock. Finally, I found the number I was looking for: Nyxie Nightingale, Room 17h, number 00998. It was a long shot, for sure, but maybe she was awake. Maybe she had the same problem as me; nightmares.

Punching in the numbers, I dialed. There was silence on the other end for a moment, broken only by the beeping of the phone, but finally another voice picked up, surprisingly alert for this time. "Finn?"

"Yup. How'd you know?"

"Who else would be calling me at this time?"

"True," I laughed quietly, then continued, "So, you're awake too?"

"Yeah. Nightmares again?"

"Mmmhmm." We lapsed into silence. It was like that awkward silence in a room full of people; you all know the big thing you want to say, but no one has the guts to say it. Except this time, I managed to, "So...the Games tomorrow, huh?"

"...Yeah," Her voice was softer as she spoke, "Just so you know, Finn, I still stick by what I said at the parade."

"Ditto."

I heard her sigh on the other end, and the sound of rustling, as though she was adjusting her position. "Finn, do you ever wonder...why we were chosen for this?"

"Well, no. I mean, this is just an easy way for Primrose to get rid of me..."

"No, no, not like that. I mean...why me? It's not like she has any reason to hate me. I never even spoke to her back in District Twelve."

"Maybe..." I tried to find an answer, but I couldn't. Nyxie was right - there was no reason for Primrose to choose her. Unlike me, there was nothing she had ever done to make Prim hate her. "I don't know, Nyxie."

She sighed again, but this time longer, more exasperated. "Whatever. I'm going to get through this, no matter what happens."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," I said, and she laughed harshly over the phone.

"Sure, yeah. Speaking of that, we should probably get back to sleep. No use being tired for the testing."

"I suppose."

"Good night, Finn. And good luck."

"Good luck to you, too."

"May the odds be ever in your favor," She finished, and the phone cut off. Biting my lip, I put down the phone. She sounded so calm, so peaceful. Of course, inside she was probably freaking out, but she hid it well. Despite our conversation, I was fairly certain I wasn't going to sleep. For the rest of the night, I stayed awake, pacing, thinking, exploring. To my great surprise, I found a bug behind one of the dressers, the kind that recorded sound. Naturally, I crushed it, not liking the idea of the Capitol listening in to what I said. There were probably thousands more spread throughout the Center, but at least one was gone.

Eventually, the dark sky outside began to lighten, going from a navy blue to a creamy pink. It was during this time I did everything I had been told to; shower, brush my hair, everything like that. Even as I did this, I felt a change in the air. This wasn't just an ordinary day, like the past six had been. This was the day. The day we had all been training for. The day we got sent into the Games.

For twenty-three of us, it was the beginning of the end.