I wake up in the middle of a forest, surrounded by people who look like they had just made the trip to hell and back. Of course, I don't want to be a hypocrite; I probably look like that too.

A guy about my age, maybe a couple years old leans over me. He turns to a man behind him and says,

"She's coming to." The man, who looks like your typical Seam guy, simply dismisses him with a wave of his hand and a single word: "Great."

The guy leaning over me returns his focus to my and my heart beats a little faster. This dude is hot. He's got really short golden hair and eyes like dark chocolate. Mysterious.

Gently, he starts to speak.

"Hi there. My name is Jacob. I'm 19. I saved you from the bombings. Are you alright? What's your name?" His voice seems distant and quiet. I barely manage to croak out,

"I'm Izzy Regan." before I start into a fit of hysteric coughing. Someone hands me a bottle of water. I chug it in seconds, then ask for more. Jacob smiles, a killer smile that makes my heart melt. I'm handed some more water and quickly finish this, too, but I already feel so much better.

"I'm 17. My mom…" I shoot glances all around me, but I don't see my mom. I feel tears running down my cheeks. How can I be crying? Jacob begins to comfort me.

"Listen. What's your mom's name? She might've left with the earlier group."

"Janice." I say.

"He smiles. Yeah. She was with Steel. But you're the last to join our group. Gale over there-" he points to the guy who he was talking to earlier, "is going to lead us to District 13."

"But- isn't 13 dead?"

"Not anymore. They rebuilt themselves. They live in secrecy of all of us. Only the rebels know. No Hunger Games for them."

"Uh-huh." I nod my head slowly, taking it all in. "What happened?"

Jacob's beautiful face takes on a look of despair. "Well, the Capitol bombed us, and it sounds like most of the other districts as well. Only about 50 people got out."

"Oh." Is all I can say. Then I notice my head is pounding and hurts like hell. I put my hand to my forehead. Noticing this makes me realize my body aches all over. Come to think of it, I feel like crap. I let out a tiny "Ow" and Jacob is all over me, asking me if I'm alright. He calls another man over. I recognize him from the shops I have to pass on my way to school. When I was little, I'd stop in and he'd give me a lollipop. Now I realize he was the vet.

"Hi there, Izzy. I'm Glade. You remember me, don't you? I'm going to check you out, if that's alright." I nod solemnly. Jacob steps back and puts a worried expression on his face.

Glade asks me a couple questions about when I was in our house. I answer as truthfully as I can. The whole memory is kind of hazy. He inspects me all over but is careful not to hurt me. Finally he rolls my sleeve back down and puts his tools back in his doctor bag, which he amazingly must've saved.

"Well Izzy, you're pretty badly beat up. I'm pretty sure you have a concussion and I think you're now deaf in your right ear. You have a third degree burn on your stomach, which I treated as best I could, and a fourth degree burn on your arm. I figured out you were lucky and your body shut down your arm before it could kill you, but it's always hard to say this- it's paralyzed."

As I process all this information Jacob steps in to comfort me again. I relive the memories of me writing with my left arm, hugging with it, even eating with it. I relive those memories, then I try to recreate them. I move my arm up to touch my nose. It stays firmly in place. I break down in tears. Jacob moves and strokes my ugly thin brown hair. My eyes dart up to his and I suddenly feel better. Gale's shouts interrupt my betterness.

Damn you, Gale.

"Let's pack up, people! We're heading to 13!"