As I walk down a hill, I see a deer. Not just any, but a buck. He stands tall and looks me in the eye, almost daring me to shoot.

"What are you waiting for?" Katniss asks me, her gray eyes staring right back at the deer.

"What happens when we kill it? Someone is going to notice." I reply, my hands ready to shoot.

"That's their issue. Not like a peacekeeper is going to say anything if we give them some meat."

With that, I shoot the arrow. It hits the buck in the shoulder, but he runs away. I grunt in annoyance and turn to Katniss, who has a bemused expression on her face.

"Good try, you're getting better. At least you hit it."

"Wish I could've killed it though." I shrug. "And it's been six months already."

"Want to do something else?" Katniss suggests "I think I saw some strawberry bushes to the east."

I nod and we walk over to the bushes. I stuff my face with them as Katniss laughs.

"Slow down there Madge. You might digest something poisonous there."

I stop eating strawberries and put some in my pockets for later. Katniss picks some more as I move onto another bush which has lots of black berries on it.

"Hey Katniss, what berries are these?"

Katniss looks at the berries and her face suddenly pales.

"Don't touch those!" She screams and pushes me away from the berries and we both fall on the ground.

"What the hell, Katniss?" I yell at her, brushing the dirt off my clothes.

"Those were nightlock, Madge. Didn't you watch last games? Foxface ring a bell to you?"

"I didn't watch the last days. I was scared for you."

"Didn't you watch the final two though?" Katniss asks accusingly.

This time, my face pales and I turn around.

"I remember."

"Good,"

There is an awkward silence between us for five minutes. I eat some more strawberries, but all I can think about is the finale of the 74th Hunger Games.

"No. Do it." Peeta puts Katniss's bow back in her hand. She refuses and the two start to argue before Peeta rips off his bandage. Katniss's face of despair suddenly switches to a face of someone with an idea.

She pulls out nightlock berries. Peeta looks at her and she looks back, and tears start to form in her eyes.

"Katniss? What are you do-"

His speech is suddenly cut short as Katniss jumps toward him, shoving the nightlock in his mouth. Peeta attempts to get up but Katniss manages to force his mouth shut. Peeta suddenly stops moving and his cannon sounds. Katniss suddenly seems to realize what she just did and screams in terror as she is announced as victor.

"We better go. Remember to hide your bow." Katniss interrupts my thoughts. I must look surprised because she asks what I was thinking of.

"Just that, uh," I stammer, trying to think of something I could tell her. Katniss seems to realize what I was thinking of, and the silence returns once again. We hike up the hill and hide our bows in the grass. We both duck under the fence and Katniss starts to talk again.

"Quell announcement is today. What do you think it'll be?"

"Something awful for sure."

"That's guaranteed." Katniss and I both laugh.

"I'm worried about mentoring." Katniss admits.

"Don't be. You'll be fine. You can teach your tributes survival. Twelve needs a decent mentor anyway. "

"That's true." Katniss replies. "But it took Haymitch 24 years to get a victor. He had to watch 47 kids die."

I search for words I can say to her, but I don't have any. I've never been in her position.

"Can we go to your house? I think Prim and my mom are out. "

"Of course!." I respond. We head to my house and Katniss plops down on the sofa. I go upstairs and meet my mother, who is lying in bed.

"How are you feeling?" I sit down on the bed and stroke her hair.

"My head hurts." She replies, staring at me. "Maysilee died. I could have saved her. I could have saved her."

"It's ok mom. It's ok." I keep stroking her hair and kiss her forehead. She seems to calm down and closes her eyes.

She rolls over and attempts to fall asleep. I start to go downstairs but see Katniss and my dad talking. I sit down on the steps and try to listen to their conversation.

"I don't think the quell will affect Madge at all. But it's always a possibility." Katniss whispers.

My dad shakes his head. "She better be safe. I don't think her mom can afford to lose another loved one."

This comment takes me by shock. Does my father think I would die if I entered into the games?

"She's decent with a bow and arrows and much better with toxicology. Though she didn't recognize nightlock at first. "

"You're right about that." I answer, walking down stairs. Katniss and my dad both whip around to see me, and both let out an awkward chuckle.

"How much of our conversation did you hear?" My father smiles warmly at me, and walks to embrace me.

"Only the last bit." I lie and hug him. He smiles and lets out a sigh of relief, which I guess he thought I did not see.

"The quell announcement is starting." Katniss says out of the blue. My father and I both walk over to the couch as President Snow begins to speak.

As President Snow talks about the Dark Days, I begin to think about what it must have been like to live during that time. All the bombing, betrayals, and the war make me shudder as I think about it.

As I look at the TV, President Snow is talking about the fiftieth games. My father's face pales, and he twiddles his thumbs, and the only thought I can think of is my aunt, Maysilee. My mother's sister. I can't imagine what my mom must have gone through to see her own sister die on TV.

"And now we honor our third Quarter Quell," President Snow's voice rings out, and I feel sick. I cross my fingers as a little boy holds a wooden box that the president picks a single envelope out of marked with a 75. He smiles and opens the envelope and picks out the simple paper from it.

"On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder that the riches in the districts were used to supply the rebels and left the Capitol poor, the male and female tributes will be reaped from the richest family in the district. No volunteers are allowed. "