Ian POV

Aster lay limp in my arms. Her skin was ice cold, like she was dead, but when I put my hand over her heart, it fluttered like a bird's. People were beginning to crowd around. I picked Aster up and backed away. The square was in chaos. People were standing on chairs, trying to get a look at the stage to see what happened.

The shot of a gun got everyone's attention. A line of Peacekeepers had blocked the stage from everyone else. I looked over at the escort, who seemed to not know what to do. She caught me looking at her and I jerked my head towards the cameras. There was still a reaping going on.

"Congratulations," she said, her voice shaking, "to Aster Fallon and Ian Evans, your District 5 tributes!"

The crowd gave a halfhearted applause. No one was paying attention anymore, they were still trying to figure out what happened to Aster.

A crowd of Peacekeepers surrounded us and led us to the Justice Building. It was an old building, grey, like everything else in District 5. Part of the floor was marble, and my shoes made loud noises when I walked on it. We were led to a set of large, mahogany doors. A Peacekeeper turned to me and tried to take Aster. I backed away, holing her tighter, and shook my head.

"She needs to see her family," he said.

"You killed her family," I seethed, "We only have each other now."

The man looked like he was going to hit me, but the other Peacekeeper, the one who interrupted our kiss, put a hand on his shoulder. He stepped to the front and opened the gigantic doors.

The couch in the room had to be bigger than my house. Numerous pillows covered the soft fabric. I leaned back into the couch, being careful not to wake Aster. I moved her head on my lap and played with her hair. Her curls bounced when I pulled on them and felt soft and silky when I twirled them around my finger. Some of them got in her face. I brushed them away, and she opened her eyes.

She looked up at me and smiled, her eyes still half closed. I put my hand on her cheek, and she placed her hand over it. She closed her eyes and exhaled, a pleased smile on her face. Then her eyebrows knitted together and her whole body tensed up. Aster's fingers curled around mine as she opened her eyes again.

She no doubt knew where we were. Her eyes searched the room, trying to take it all in. With a jolt, I realized this would be one of the last things we see of District 5. I tried to look around, but all I could focus on was Aster. She had buried her face in my chest, and I could feel her tears on my shirt. I stroked her hair until she looked up at me. Her eyes were red from crying.

We stayed like this for a few minutes. The doors opened, and we both turned to see who it was. A man from the labs walked in.

"Well this is unexpected," the man said, "Ian, I kew you were going to be chosen this year, but Aster? How shocking. This will be one hell of an experiment."

We both stiffened. Aster's hands curled into fists. I could feel her hands getting hot, and she started to move to attack the man.

"Aster, no," I whispered.

"He's not worth it anyways."

The man stood there observing us the whole time, his head slightly turned to the side. He smiled to himself.

"I wish you both the best of luck," he chuckled darkly, before walking out the doors.

Aster watched him long after the doors had closed. We both hated him. That man was the one who preformed the horrible tests on us for years. The only compensation we ever got was a measly salary. She turned back to me, her eyes lit with blue fire.

"When you come home, kill him for me," she said, her eyes full of menace.

I laughed, "Don't you mean when you get home?"

We both looked away from each other then. I wasn't stupid, and neither was Aster. Only one person was allowed to win the Hunger Games. The only time two people won was when Katniss and Peeta were in the Games. They started the rebellion. When the rebels lost, they were forced to live in the Capitol with the other rebel victors, spending the rest of their lives mentoring future tributes.

The Peacekeepers came through the doors, motioning for us to leave. We walked to the door, pausing at the entrance. I turned to look at Aster. She looked at me, a question forming, but I just held out my arm.

"Shall we?"

"Let's."

The cameras were waiting as soon as we left the Justice Building. I smiled and waved at them, nudging Aster to do the same. The crowd went wild. The Peacekeepers had to create a wall around us so we weren't swamped. We finally got to the train and turned around, giving the paparazzi one last look. Aster blew a kiss and waved, while I just smiled. The train doors closed behind us. We both sighed, looking at each other and laughing. Suddenly, Aster gasped and took off towards the back of the train.

I followed her to a large window at the very back of th train. Her face was pressed up against the glass, her breath fogging it. I could see the grey mass that was District 5 growing farther away in the distance. A storm had started up again. Green pines began to obstruct our view of the District.

"Good-bye District 5," Aster whispered.

A flash of lightning and the boom of thunder gave us a final farewell.