A/N I don't have much to say for this chapter. Just be remember to check out my forum and be sure to PM me if you have some new character ideas.

But there is something! Okay, so I don't know if any of you ever asked this question. "How come religion in general is never mentioned in the books?" I'm thinking that since it was totalitarian and all of that, religion was probably made "illegal." But that wouldn't mean that everyone just stopped, right?

Hopefully this should answer some of those questions!

Raen Croele's POV

I pick at my food.

Today is the last day of Training. Which means that tomorrow is the day we'll be scored. And the day after that will be the interviewing broadcast.

And the day after that….

The scrambled eggs go down my throat in a thick lump. I gulp and take a swig of thick hot chocolate.

To my surprise, it wasn't hard at all to wake up this morning.

I just did it. It was the same yesterday and the day before that too. I thought I would be sad and slow and depressed. But I'm not really any of things at all.

More than anything else, I am worried. I must be a real coward, cause more than anything else I'm just worrying if it will hurt. It probably will. I hope it doesn't last long, that's all. I do know what comes after the hurt, though. In fact, I am more positive about that than anything else in the whole world.

When I was at the asylum, I used to have to drill myself on what was real and what wasn't.

Often, things I thought I knew for sure weren't for sure at all.

There is, however, one thing remaining clear.

And that is that there is something after this.

Some days it's gotten harder and harder to remember my family. The things we did together. The way Karma laughed or Brink smiled. The way my mother hummed while cooking or my father whistled while painting his furniture.

I do remember one thing that I won't ever forget.

We had a little wooden cross hidden beneath the floorboards.

That kind of thing was outlawed a long time ago. At least a hundred years, in fact.

But how can you extinguish something like that?

My mother used to take out the little cross after the sun set. The curtains would all be drawn. Karma would put her arms around me and rest her chin on my head. And I would giggle because her hair always smelled like wood shavings. Brink and Dad would smile at each other and start humming the same tune they did everyday. And then, my mother would whisper stories to us. Not just any stories either.

Stories about a place beyond.

She told us they had been told to her by her mother, our grandmother, who used to do the same thing. Every night, they too would bring out a cross and tell stories of Him.

And my great-father did the same. His father was a very religious man who wouldn't stand for his religion being taken away either. In the dead of the night, he would tell of times past when religion was something nearly everyone had, to some extent. He told these so it would never be forgotten that there once was freedom.

I don't think he ever knew how very true his prediction would be.

Mom used to tell me that were others like us. Those who kept ratted books with messages from above or other little crossed or ripped and torn prayer shawls hidden under floors and in cellars.

We were not alone.

I grind my teeth.

India looks at me strangely from across the table. Like the way a puppy looks when it's confused.

She can't even guess the pain I suddenly just got.

Because I can't remember a single word to that song Brink and Dad used to sing.

I know it was about a place called heaven. But what did it say about that place?

Damn.

I rack my brain for answers all the way down to the Center, but find none.

It is gone.

India merely looks sympathetic to me. She wears the same outfit I do, but it's a little too big on her tiny frame. Her black hair is pulled back in a braid, like always. Her black, bird-like eyes dart back and forth in her head. When we first arrived, she had what Esther would call an "episode." It was actually pretty scary. She moaned and touched everything, tears falling down her face. Every strange thing she touched made her cry harder.

She moaned for her family.

Now she's much better. She still touches everything, but now a curious, lopsided grin forms on her face. She bounces up and down at all the strange sights.

India has simply forgotten how to be sad.

I wish it were that simple for the rest of us.

"Raen is sad, yes?" She says softly. It comes out a little strange, but I can understand.

I try to hide the surprise that she actually knows my name. I've seen kids like her in the asylum before. Usually when they surprise you it's quite unpleasant. But India does seem a little more in-tune with some of them. She could almost remind me of Mouse, how she often doesn't talk.

I shuffle a little. "Yeah. I'm a little scared." I pause, then think better of it. I don't want India to remember how it feels to be sad again. Let her have her peace. I think I've almost reached mine, anyways.

"But it'll be a lot better soon." I add.

India doesn't question what I just said. She only nods. "Yes!" She grins. "Yes, yes! Raen gets it!"

I stare at the metal hallway around us. "Uh…gets what?"

"Always better." India nods enthusiastically. "Always better. Don't be scared."

She races ahead and pulls open the huge metal double-doors with a surprising amount of strength for her tiny arms.

Man, the kid is right. Even if I didn't understand that first part at all, she's right that I shouldn't be scared.

Maybe I will be able to see my family soon. Not the distorted visions of my family I get.

I haven't been getting those since we arrived. The shock of being here occupies my mind, still.

But I will finally see them in their true forms again. In the place called heaven that we used to whisper about when the stars came out and the candles burned low. The place we used to sing about long after everyone else gave up on finding things to sing about. The place we used to talk about, even though it seemed everyone else had gone silent.

I don't have to be scared.

But not just because of that.

I have an ally.

My mentor was very proud and surprised when he heard. After all, I was just another "crazy" from the asylum. How could I even talk to the others, let alone find an ally?

An ally, who, need I say, is a girl?

My heart quickens a little. It's just the way she talks to me. Like I'm completely…normal. Beyond normal, even. She treats me like I'll be some help to her.

I spot her right when I walk in, and she comes to stand next to me.

"Hey, Raen." She says.

"Hey, Thorn."

"So where are we headed today?"

I scratch my neck. "Huh. Um…how about fires? That seems useful enough."

Thorn shakes her head. "We did that yesterday. Besides, fires will lead everyone right to us. We really don't want that. I say we try out something new. How about the Obstacle Course?"

I don't see the point of that one, really. But that isn't the point. It's a diversion to us, that's all. We're just distracting ourselves from the inevitable, anyway. Anything that can take my mind off it all is appreciated. Even if that does mean getting swung at by heavy objects and risking hitting my face on a metal bar.

I follow her stiffly.

Thorn immediately begins talking to the instructor, but I find my own mind wandering. It is a wonder to me how Thorn manages to remain so focused.

She jabs my shoulder with one of her long, spindly fingers. "C'mon, Raen. What are you doing just standing there? I think I'm gonna do this thing."

I shrug and give her a little smile. "Go for it, Thorn. But make sure the Careers aren't watching. I don't know. I just don't want their attention for anything that we're doing."

Thorn nods, then faces the Obstacle Course. It's composed of swinging bars, moving platforms, and poles covered in rubber being swung at you. It's supposed to help you learn how to dodge weapons in combat or duck obstacles when running from something.

It just looks intimidating to me, though.

Thorn raises herself up on her tiptoes, then takes off.

She's not half bad at it. Her long, lean legs propel her through the thing lightning fast and her nimble fingers can easily grip onto things. When it comes to the large wooden wall at the end that she has to propel herself over, she clears it easily. Mainly because of the fact that she is so boney.

She rounds back to me, panting slightly.

"That was really good." I say to her.

She grins. "Really? Of course, I could do better. That pole that was swung at me grazed me shoulder." Her face turns serious. "If that was one of Julian's daggers or Shimmer's spears or those swords Adonis uses, I could be bleeding pretty hard right now."

I frown. "Don't think about that. Besides, even though I'm sure it isn't much, I'l do my best to make sure that doesn't happen."

Thorn nods, then gives me a sad little smile. "I have an ally, that's all that counts. I didn't really have any of those back home."

I laugh a little. But only a little. "I didn't have too many either."

When Thorn and I go to get water, I wonder about Birch, Esther and Mouse. What are they doing now?

It's lunchtime, or around that, at the asylum. Birch would be glued to the screen, watching every show on air that has anything to with the Games. He's waiting for a mention of me. That I'm okay.

I don't know what Mouse does all day. She wouldn't be eating much, that's for sure. Probably picking at her food the same way I did this morning, waiting for someone to talk to her. Birch won't talk to her, as he is too absorbed in the television.

God knows what Esther is doing.

They've probably still got her locked up.

Only because she's so upset and angry over all this. Over all that happened to me.

Poor girl. What did she do wrong?

The universe sucks. That's all I have to think about that one.

Why is it that some kids have to be forced into this? Why is that this even exists?

How is it that some kids are perfectly normal? And some are just born more misunderstood than crazy at all?

"What are you thinking, Raen?"

I meet Thorn's eyes. They go right into me. She's demanding an answer. The girl can be pretty assertive.

"I was just thinking about my friends back at the asylum. How they're all misunderstood, more than crazy. Of course, to say we're just misunderstood isn't right either. We're all pretty psycho. I mean, Birch has screaming fits out of nowhere and Mouse is completely mute. And Esther…man, she's just so far gone there's nothing anyone can do. As for me…"

"Raen." Thorn says sharply.

"What?"

"Raen, you're not as crazy as everyone says you are." Her voice is harsh and commanding.

"How do you know that?"

She folds her arms and lifts her chin defiantly. "Cause I just know, that's how. You're eyes are clear and so is your mind. It just takes someone who is willing to open their eyes a little to see that."

Her words make my heart flutter a little in its place. "Really?"

"Really." She shifts her eyes. "Now come on. Let's go to lunch. I think we've attracted the Career pack's attention."

Her wispy brown hair is falling slightly out of her ponytail. She brushes it back with her long finger, sighing slightly. Those big, owl-like brown eyes take everything in. Everything. Because Thorn sees things that no one else can. Thorn is different. She is special.

And I think that maybe the universe didn't screw just this one thing up.

Cause I ended up with the best ally this thing has to offer.

It's like India said. "Always better." Always better.

I think I get it now. She meant that things will always get better. There is always hope for that.

And, I think, it also meant that most of the time, things are better than I take them to be. Something good came out of something this bad.

Because of Thorn, I'm just that much closer to finding my peace.

To not being scared anymore at all.

I can only hope I can do the same thing for her.

I will try. God knows it, I will try. Mark my words on that one. Cause she sure does deserve it. It's the least I can do.

"Yeah, Thorn." I say. "Let's go to lunch."

India Gyfer's POV

I feel good inside right now.

At first, I did not feel good inside at all. I was so, so scared. I wanted Mom. I wanted her so much! I wanted Daddy and my brothers.

But that was the past. And the past does not matter right now.

Because right now, I feel Together. "Together" is a very nice word.

I am surrounded by the other kids. Not all of them. That is Okay because I do not want to be around all of them. Some of them are scary.

Kaja tells me that I shouldn't even look at some of them. That does seem a tiny bit strange to me, but then, many things do.

Many things seem strange when it feels like you are living underwater.

At least I do not feel lonely.

Next to me, a girl who looks a lot like me sits. She is a friendly girl, even if she is a little different. She talks kind of funny. Not the kind of funny I talk in. It is just that she uses different words that I do not know and sometimes she shortens words and it can be terribly confusing.

But I Like her. Her name is Jezebelle, but she likes to be called Jezi and she is even smaller than I am!

Jezebelle chews her meat slowly. Just like I am always told to do by Mom and sometimes Bay, especially when he feels like I am being a Burden.

"So Kaja, are stickin' with Gav and me the whole time? Cause this whole thing ain't gonna be easy for any of us, is all I'm sayin' here."

I scrunch my eyebrows. Man, why does Jezi have to be so darn hard to Understand?

Kaja smiles at Jezi, even though I can tell that she is not in a Happy sort of mood. I think I have gotten quite good at being able to see this. I know that people aren't in Happy sort of moods when their smile doesn't really reach their eyes. Their lips are all stretched out, but their eyes are still so empty.

Empty is how I feel without my Family.

"Family" is a word that should be written really big absolutely all the time.

I am positive about that one. No exceptions.

"I will stick with you and the rest of my allies." Kaja says.

Jimmy is sitting next to her. I do not know Jimmy very well, but he does seem nice. Any friend of Kaja is a friend of mine.

The reason I like Kaja so much is because she acts like a Mom to me and to the other younger kids too.

She's our Leader!

It is strange that there are so many of us. There is Gav, who is very fast at running. Then there is Jezi, who is smart, but not the kind like the kids from Three. She just knows lots of stuff about how to survive and where to get food. She's helped me out at the plant station before. Of course, I was no good at that. But she was just Happy to have someone to teach at all. That's just the kind of person she is.

Jezi really, really likes to talk.

Sometimes I think Gav finds her annoying, but other times he just gets this really sad look on his face whenever he looks at her.

I Don't Get that. But then, I Don't Get a lot of things.

Raen and Thorn sit with us. They like each other a lot, I think. I can tell by the way Raen looks at her.

Many people back home thought I was useless. They thought I was just a cripple and not to mention completely stupid.

But I can Understand some things that many people can't.

I know when people are happy and I know when they are sad. I know when they are mad, or when they really like someone a lot, too.

And I also know a thing or to about the way someone looks when he or she is in Love.

So I am fairly confident in my knowledge right this very minute. Raen and Thorn are in Love.

That makes me Happy. I giggle a little and stare at my food. Oh, I am so Glad for them! Here they are in a place where it seems no one at all is Happy. Why is it so hard? Maybe they can take lessons from Raen and Thorn and me. I can sure teach some things. No, I am not stupid at all.

But Jimmy is giving me a strange look while I'm giggling so I try to stop.

Some times are better for laughter than others are.

This is not the time or place. I have yet to Understand why that is. Every one of the kids here seems to be lost in his or her own world. And those worlds must be very bad places. It is like they decided to block out the sun or something. They do not want to see smiles. They do not want to hear laughter.

They only want to sit around in the stillness and silence and badness of all their unhappiness.

Now that is sad.

I lean my chin on my hand. I can Think this through, I know I can.

Why are they so sad to play a Game? Games are fun.

And we have been Chosen. There is no better feeling in the world than feeling Important. I know that because I had never felt that before all of this happened. But now, I feel so Important it feels like my Heart has just grown wings.

It is like a little bit of sun right inside me.

My district wanted me here. They Chose me. And there are so many other girls in my district. I saw them all at the Voting. Yes, there were so many I actually remember feeling scared.

Out of all those girls. They wanted me.

So why do the others not feel the same way?

They really should open their eyes a little bit. Their districts have Hope in them. And isn't Hope one of the best and greatest words in the whole wide universe? When Hope is put into you, you have just got to do something special with it. You can't let all those people down. Cause their Hope is a special thing.

You have to try.

And try I will.

I have never Won anything before. So I cannot Understand why I was picked in spite of this. But that does not matter.

This is the very first time I will Win anything.

The first time is the most Important. The first time is the best. People remember the first time.

I will be remembered.

I can think of no better way to make my Family proud.

Even Bay will have a smile on his face!

Jezi taps me on the shoulder.

"C'mon India." She says with her funny little voice. "Gav and me are haedin' to medicine plants and that kinda stuff. We thought you'd might to like to come with us. We gotta learn all the stuff we can before the Games cause there won't be any food. We'll have to find our own."

"Okay." I say.

Gav is throwing his tray out. I walk over to him.

Well, limp is probably a better word for it. A bad thing from Angelman is the limp I have. I cannot run, which is a hard thing to think of. But one cannot be said for something that can never be had.

I throw my tray out, even though the walk over was a little bumpy and I think I spilled some things.

He is looking at Jezi, who has turned around and is heading out the door.

"Gav?"

He whirls around, obviously surprised that I Know his name. Why yes, Gav, I do Know your name. I stayed up all night watching the television. So I Know that Gav is actually short for Gavroche, but he would never tell anyone that.

"Why you look at Jezi sad?" I choke out.

I sigh with relief. There. That was not so bad. Okay, maybe it was a little hard. And I did not get the exact Result I was wanting to get. Some words were left out for sure. But that always happens. Like so many frustrating things about myself, I can slowly get used to it. I do not mind when things do not turn out like I Hoped they would. In fact, I've come to expect it.

Gav moves his feet and the tips of his ears turn red. Uh-oh. Did I make him sad?

"I, um, well I actually have a little sister. And Jezi kinda reminds me of her, that's all."

"Why?" I ask.

That is the one word I can say all of the time, no trouble at all. It is because I say it so much.

Mostly I ask it to Aven because he is like my Teacher. It is hard not having him around.

So, so hard in fact.

There are many things in this strange place that I Need to be explained to me. I do not Understand so much of it. Like why the people here all dress so funny. And not funny ha-ha kind of funny either.

And why do we have to Train for so long? Surely, this Game we are playing must be very. very hard.

I Don't Get why some kids play with very scary weapons. The frightening kids do that one, of course. It is just a Game! And they could really hurt someone with those things. I imagine it would really hurt a lot if one of those things went inside me. So I try not to think about it too much. Still, I really wish they would put those big, sharp things on the ground and not pick them up anymore.

Maybe Aven knows why everyone here is so sad all the time.

But Gav is getting ready to answer my question.

He smiles a little, which is very good. I have made some Progress with him!

"She talks all the time, just like Azalea does. That's my little sister's name, by the way. And she's Azalea's size, I'm sure of it. Yeah, Jezi's real small."

"Me too!" I say. Because I am small. Even smaller than Gav, but maybe Jezi's size.

"Yeah, you too I guess. Jezi makes me think of Azalea cause she acts like she ain't afraid of anything all of the time, India. Man, sometimes I wish I could act more like that. But heck, I'm only twelve. There's still some things I'm scared of." He shudders. "This is one of 'em."

I Don't Get what he's talking about, but saying the few words I did say to him has already made me tired. So I just don't say anything.

He stares at the door Jezi has just walked out of, while talking to Kaja and to Jimmy excitedly.

"I dunno, India." Gav says softly. "There's something about that Jezebelle kid. She just seems so young, you know? I mean, sure she knows more about plants than I do. But she still seems like a real little kid."

Now I am starting to Think about this. And I do Understand what Gav is saying. Jezi seems a little younger than he does, that is for sure.

Even if she does pretend to be so very tough all of the time.

"I Get It." I tell Gav. Because I do. I very rarely Get things at all. So that is something to be Happy about.

But Gav's face crumples.

Definitely not the Result I was wanting from him.

"Oh Jeez!" He buries his head in his head, a mop of shaggy hair falling into his dark face. I peek under and see that tears have left even darker streaks.

"Gav?" I whisper.

"I-I-It's just I'm so scared for 'em! For Azalea and for Olive and Lily and Willy and little Basil. And for my Momma too! My Momma most of all!"

No. No, Gav is getting this all wrong. I have to Explain this to him. I have to be the Teacher. Yes, that is what I should do. I can help him, just like Aven helps me all the time. I clear my throat. Okay, all I have to do is find the words. They are in their somewhere. Then, I will push them out of me and Gav will Get It.

"Gav." I say. "Mom Happy for you. Not sad. There always is sun. Alway better."

The little sun right inside me starts to glow. There! I helped him. That is a good feeling. And I got all the words out too.

But once again, it is the very opposite of the Result I wanted.

Instead, Gav's eyes cloud. Like a blue sky that just turned gray.

So that means a storm is coming.

He clenches his fists and glares at me.

And I feel like I am shrinking a little way deep down on the inside. The sun is fading fast.

"Happy?!" He shouts. "How could anyone be Happy?! You don't know anything at all, do you?"

I am frozen.

Gav shakes his head. "I should have known better." Tears are in his eyes. "You're only a Retard."

Oh, no. Oh, no no no. There is that terrible word again. I Hate that word so much. So, so much. I thought I was done hearing that word. I really, really did. I was Chosen. I am the one my district has Hope in. I am not useless. I am a somebody.

But I do not feel so bad about this one at all, actually.

I only feel bad because Gav is crying so hard.

"No cry." I plead with him. "Please." I say, with every ounce of effort in my brain and in my mouth.

"You just don't Get It, do you?"

I only shake my head. I do not know what else to do.

"We're going to die, India." He says through clenched teeth. "You and me and Jezi too. I can't save her. I will try my best, but I can't. And that's why I'm scared for my Momma. Cause her oldest son is going to die. I can't run no more, India. And you can't run at all."

No.

He is not right. He cannot be right.

Gav's voice drops to a whisper. "This is how the Game is played. Everybody has to kill each other until one person is left. That's it. That's all there is to it. It's kill or be killed. It looks like the first for me and definitely for you."

That is how it works?

My face drops.

Dead.

The word makes a hollow thud into me.

No more seeing Mom. No more Dad. No more Bay or Aven.

That cannot happen. No, that will not happen. He is wrong.

I have not been Chosen at all.

I've been killed.

A/N Please make sure to put your favorite quote of the chapter in your review. You guys are great!