The sun rose above the gray concrete buildings of district 2. It was barely 6 am and nearly everyone was still asleep. The streets were dead silent with a somewhat eerie feeling around them. At one end of the district, isolated from any other structure stood a massive building made of glass and of course, cement.

The Academy was one of the busiest places in district. It was the only place you could see people when it was as late as 1am and as early as 4 am. The day had already begun for the trainers and their diligent trainees. Most of the parents sent their children to the academy only because they didn't want them dead in case their name was reaped. There were some however, who wanted their child to volunteer and come back as a glorious victor. They didn't say it directly of course, (what kind of parent would?) but one could tell who wanted their child to survive and who wanted their child to win.

The clangs of swords and the cheers of triumph could be heard at a distance. The trainers were yelling at their trainees, which was quite normal. The trainers were encouraged to be firm and even a little ruthless with the trainees. And it wasn't hard for them considering that some of them were previous victors or the children of victors. Partiality was not tolerated in district 2 but like any other evil, it had found a way to sneak through the cracks of the firm administrative system.

Everything was normal, everything except one thing. Enobarnia was angrily shouting at someone, now that wasn't necessarily the odd part. Even as a trainee, Enobarnia would shout at the younger initiates and sometimes bully them and now as a victor and a trainer, she had been given the divine right to do so . No, the odd part was the person who she was yelling at. It was the person who she had taken a special liking for ever since she had first seen him years ago. It was the person who she had treated like her little brother. It was the person who she thought would achieve something even greater than what she had. It was Cato

"What is wrong with you? Even a 5 year-old can do better than that!" She sneered, baring her new golden fangs

"I am trying!" Cato shot back, emphasizing on trying. That's all he had been doing since he got back, he was trying. Trying to throw a spear properly again, trying to be the career he was before and the hardest of all, trying to forget the girl with those gray eyes he had met before.

"Well, try harder then!" Enobarnia shouted. Her voice was a fix of frustration, infuriation and disappointment.

Cato was about to retort but something stopped him. It was not a something but a someone; and someone important enough to make Enobarnia straighten and a little composed. The bright white light behind the figure made it difficult to see who it was, but Enobarnia and Cato already knew. They were too familiar with this face to make a mistake.

The figure came forward and eyed both them, scrutinizing every detail. The person was in his early forties, with midnight black hair which was streaked with a little gray. His sturdy shoulders, firm and well-built body showed he was closely related to academy matters. The look on his face portrayed aristocracy. Certainly, he was an important person.

Enobarnia went forward to bend but midway remembered she was no longer a trainee and instead gave a curt nod

"Caspian" she said

"Enobarnia, congratulations on your victory. Although it would have been wiser for you to stay at the cornucopia and not wander around like a lost puppy. All the same you've done well" Caspian replied.

"Thank you Caspian, that's a lot coming from you" said Enobarnia with a little hint of bitterness

He dismissed Enobarnia comment with indifference and moved on to addressing Cato

"Cato. How are you doing?" He asked in a cold but concerned voice

"Father, I have been doing well" he replied, not to look into his father's eyes

"Well, that's not what I heard. Your performance has been exceedingly poor ever since your… little trip to the other districts. "

"Ugh…um" Cato stumbled. If there was one thing he was not good at except archery, it was lying. Especially to those greenish-blue eyes that belonged to the person he called his father.

"There is no problem Caspian, he is doing just fine" Enobarnia finished in a stony and firm voice. Unlike Cato, deceptiveness was her partner in crime.

"Well, that doesn't explain why you were shouting at him earlier does it?" Caspian narrows his eyes and asks.

"Excellence shall be strived, brilliance shall be achieved and weakness shall be perished. That's exactly what I was doing. Cato isn't perfect obviously but he is bloody brilliant for his age. I was just telling him to be better." Enobarnia said point-blank. She was good at hiding things, especially her fear, nervousness or any other puny human sentiment.

Caspian looked as if he found what Enobarnia said hard to believe but there was not much he could do about it, without sufficient testimony, even his authority was overpowered.

He eyed his son. There was not a moment when he could look at him without remembering his wife. The bitter memories came soaring back to him. Cato was a splitting image of his late mother who had died a rather tragic death in a fire not long before. Nothing had been the same ever since."Father?" Cato said, wondering what had happened to his father that put him in some sort of trance. Caspian snapped out from the reverie of the happier times they had as a family and quickly composed himself.

"Very well." Caspian replied, not looking fully satisfied "Keep on practicing. I'll come and check on you later and when I do, I want that spear piercing straight through that dummy" With an air of pride and certain power, he left.

"I won't be there to cover up for you every time." Enobarnia turned towards Cato and muttered after making sure no one was within earshot"You have to get back on track"

"I know" was the only response that came to Cato's mind. What else was he supposed to say?

"Doesn't look like that" Enobarnia snapped spitefully. She was livid, irritated, frustrated and most of all worried. Worried that the Cato she knew had been replaced by a weak, feeble, pathetic doppelganger and that he might never come back.

She sighed in frustration and bent down so she was eye-level with him. "Look, I don't know what you are going through right now. I don't even want to; it's none of my concern. But this phase, this rough patch has to pass. You have to let go of whatever's keeping you confined. You understand?" This was probably the most considerate thing she had ever said to an initiate

He nodded, no daring to look into her eyes. Fearing what he would see- Anger? Anxiousness? Disappointment? Regret that she chose him to be her trainee? He didn't know what was the most unbearable of these.

He wanted that spear to stick right through the center of that dummy, he wanted to be good, he wanted that see the pride and fulfillment in Enobarnia's eyes. He didn't want to let her down.

He took a deep breath and cleared his mind - He had to let go, let her go – and threw the spear. It hit the dummy, missing the centre by an inch

Back in district 12

The sun was shining radiantly over a patch of land called district 12. There were people moving around, doing their daily jobs. Katniss's father had gone to the coal mines; he was working night and day to make the ends meet. Her mother was at home looking after little primrose. Katniss had just come back from school and was chewing a stale piece of bread as her lunch. It was an entire ordinary day, nothing unusual. Or so it seemed.

Katniss looked at her mother hesitantly, debating whether she should ask her mother what she wanted or just contain her curiosity. They had discussed this topic before – questioning was forbidden in the Everdeen household. Her mother, a generally calm, composed and gentle woman had come as close as to smacking katniss once. But she just couldn't let it go, let him go. Yes, that obnoxious blonde boy from district 2 who katniss had befriended refused to leave her mind

"Mother…" she slowly walked towards the slim figure that was busy washing clothes

"Yes dear?" she replied, barely looking up

"Uh..I'm not entirely sure if father mentioned…" she trailed off and looked her at her for any sign of recognition, but her mother just wiped of the sweat off her brow and replied "mention what?"

"That when daddy and me were hunting. We met this-" but before she could finish, her mother cut her off. Evelyn Everdeen's complete attention was turned towards her daughter who had a nagging habit of getting herself into things she ought not to. She looked at her gravely and finished the sentence "career who was being trained to become a juvenile murderer. Yes, your father might have mentioned him"

"Well, that future juvenile murderer is my friend" Katniss continued but was cut off by her mother

"A friend who might one day go on to volunteer for those savage games and kill 23 other blameless children. Yes, you really are lucky to have a friend like that" Her mother finished. Her soft-spoken, composed mother turned aggravated and perhaps even harsh when the games were mentioned. And Katniss never understood why. She would like to ask about it but then again, it would possibly enrage her mother even more

"Mother…you don't know…" she started but was- for the third time- cut off by her mother. Normally, she wouldn't tolerate anyone interrupting her but this was her mother, and she knew not to mess with her mother especially when she was derisive.

"No Katniss. You don't know." Evelyn's voice was bitter and steely "You don't know the games, the careers, you don't know anything. You must know how they think about people like us. They woundn't –"

This time, it was katniss who had interrupted her mother. She had had enough of it, but she also knew that debating over it would be futile.

"Yes mother" she looked down at the floor in a defeated manner. She never even got to say what she wanted to – That she would like to go visit district 2 sometime- but she didn't dare now, her mother would never agree anyway, in fact, she was pretty sure she would be outraged and probably traumatized.

Katniss began walking away slowly and wondered what had turned her normally docile and gentle mother so fierce at the mention of the games.

Like always, inquiring would lead to trouble so she deiced to keep her curious mind shut from the outsiders who had learned to accept the world as it was. She was almost out when her mother called in her kinder tone.

"Remember honey, the world is a dark and hungry place with demons lurking around the shadows to consume your essence. And the best you can hope for, is not finding your own ray of light but being the torch to someone else's soul"

These were deep heavy words which the eight year old tried to comprehend but couldn't. Regardless she nodded and went. With these precious lines etched in her heart waiting to be deciphered.

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