A/N: Okay, I am sorry. That last chapter .. was extremely rude on my part.

To all my reviewers, I am deeply sorry. I was just typing, and that's my personality. I let it flow, and I am sorry.

I'll try to continue this, although it's going to be a bit hard for me to transport this to the Capitol.

I've just had this major writer's block that'll hopefully ease up. I've been also quite distracted, because I have a concert coming up for band and stuff. Kind of stressful.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunger Games.

Rated M for future chapters.

Chapter 5. Memories

Aka's POV

I don't want to get up. I want to stay in my bed forever. Cuddle within the thick blankets, try to shove the memories far away, out of my mind. But it's difficult.

Sighing, I roll over. I know I have to get up sometime, at least eat a small piece of food. Or a whole breakfast. I'm honestly still not sure how my stomach is today.

Maybe I can just go back to sleep, I think to myself, eyes rolling lazily to the clock on the neat, expensive night stand beside me. 8:32. They expect me to get up for breakfast at 9:30.

Tch.

I roll over again, tightening my grasp on the corner of the blanket. I beg for sleep to fall over me, but like mentioned before, it's just so .. Difficult.

I finally decide to count sheep, to see if that would work. It surprisingly did, and that was my last thought before I finally sunk into another deep sleep.

Dream. ((A.k.a memory))

Aka's POV.

"M-Mom .. I swear," I whisper, hugging myself. My gross body, my disgusting, ugly body..

She snarls slightly, "Your father would never do that to anyone, let alone his own daughter!"

That seemed to trigger me. I don't know if it was the words, or her facial expression. Maybe both. "You don't know shit!" I've only heard that word once or twice in my life, it being rarely used in the house. "You were gone for more than a week, leaving that drunken monster ready to pounce!" I feel myself begin to lose breath, and instantly try to calm down.

Then, there was a slap. A harsh one, right across the cheek. Stinging. Oh, the pain, both physically and mentally. I've never been slapped before, until this past week. Both by him and .. my mother.

"Don't you ever talk about him that way," my mother says, glaring at me with such force.

"H-How would you know .. a-anything?" I demand, afraid of her.

Where is Sokka?

She shakes her head. "I just know it. Your father is a good guy. I don't know why you would lie about this, and, frankly, I won't have it!"

"That's just what you think!"

Another slap. Harder, in the same spot. It actually brought tears to my eyes. I tear myself away from her, not even wanting to look at her. I tremble.

"I-If you think I'm lying about .. t-this .. You're sadly mistaken." I stand up a little straighter, ignoring the tears full of pain and betrayal trailing down my cheeks. "This is a sick thing to joke about, let alone lie." I curl my lip. "If you have the slightest thought of me," I gesture to myself, "Your own daughter, for Christ's sake.." I take a breath, ".. L-Lying about this .. Then, I guess you're not my mother."

She looks shocked. She looks like she wants to cry. And, oh, guilt washes through me, but I know, just know, that I can't take it back. She .. She has to understand.

W-Where is Sokka?

Suddenly, her face softens. She cups my cheek, whispering, "I'll talk to him." It seems like it took time to say it, as if it was stiff.

I flinch away from her, moving away. I run up the stairs. "Sokka?"

He's sleeping? Really? I sit beside him on his bed, shaking him gently.

"Sokka."

He peeks open one eye. "Aka?" he grumbles.

I smile forcefully, "Yeah.. Why are you sleeping so late?"

He shrugs. "I dunno."

I laugh, shaking my head. This was all forced.

End of dream.

I wake up, panting. Wow. That .. That was a lot. I run a hand through my white hair, hearing loud banging on my door. I flinch, turning slightly to the sound. "Yeah?" I call loudly.

"Breakfast!" Kiara. She sounds angry, maybe just tired.

I sigh, getting up. Quickly, I change out of my pajamas, pulling on a warm, blue shirt along with some black pants. Huh. These feel .. comfortable.

Unlocking the door, I slowly step out of the room. I'm a bit jumpy, flinchy, I notice. Whatever. Stepping into the dining room, I spot Fifa, Sokka, and Kiara. Sokka looks comfortable, but Kiara is just sitting down, with a small scowl placed on her face.

I take my seat next to Sokka. "Morning," I say, quietly. He doesn't respond, simply smiling at me. I expected him to give me a small kiss, but really, I'm kind of glad he didn't touch me. I mean, I love him, but I can't have anyone touching me right now. Not after those dreams .. Those memories.

Kiara looks up at me with her piercing eyes. "Eat."

I want to ask what's wrong, but decide against it. I don't want to get yelled at. Fifa is quietly eating, surprisingly. Oh, she just wiped her mouth. Maybe she's about to -

"We'll be at the Capitol today!" she states, brightly. I kind of flinch at her loud voice, nodding.

"You'll meet your crew, and they'll pretty you up for tonight!" she continues. "You're meeting the Capitol tonight."

I shudder, nodding once more. "Cool," I murmur in a small voice.

Kiara shoves a plate of food in front of me. "Eat," she says again. Actually, it's more of a demand.

I lazily pick up the fork that was given to me, tearing small pieces of the egg and silently plopping them in my mouth, hoping that it won't come up later.

"So, Aka, how did you sleep?" Sokka asks. He's acting weird, to say the least. He knows I barely sleep, and if I do, it's usually filled with memories, or nightmares.

What is wrong with everyone? Fifa is the only one acting .. normal.

"Ehh. You know how it always is," I say, in a quiet voice. He nods, shrugging.

"That's how it always is?" Kiara demands. "You're thrashing in your bed every night, crying in your sleep?"

What?

I'm surprised that she heard me. I turn to her. Actually, it's almost as if I flipped around to stare at her in shock.

"H-How do you know?" I ask, shrinking in myself a bit.

She rolls her eyes. "Sweetheart," she says, curling her lip, "we can all hear you. I'm surprised no one came to help you." She gives a pointed glare in Sokka's area, which makes me kind of confused. .. Why didn't he help me?

Fifa remains quiet, pursing her lips.

I can't say anything. I'm not hungry anymore. I bite my lip, pushing the plate away from me.

"You never answered my question," Kiara states, "is that how it is .. every single night?"

I shrug. "M-Most of the time, I-I just c-can't sleep," I admit, "I-I don't kn-know what happened l-last night."

"Well, what do you dream about?" she commands, staring at me.

I stare. "S-Stuff. M-Memories." I refuse to tell her about them. Then, she'll find me a disgusting human being, and I can't let her do that. Glancing over at Sokka, I see that he's kind of stiff. He knows.

"Memories?" she says.

"Memories," I confirm.

"About?"

I shake my head almost instantly. "I do not.. Uh, I-I don't w-want to .. t-talk about them."

Sokka sighs a bit, frowning. It looks like he wants to hug me, but I'm glad he doesn't. I can't .. I won't ..

No hugs. I am glad.

"Let's just eat, yeah?" I say quickly, scooping up a forkful of eggs in my mouth. Mistake. I chew quickly, though, just wanting to have a full belly for once.

Sokka hesitates, before he says, "Hey, Aka. Need a hug." It wasn't a question.

I kind of freeze. "No," I say, swiftly. No hugs.

He nods, continues eating. I silently do the same.

Only one thing in my mind is clear to see.

Knowing that I'll have to strip soon, for three strangers.. I shudder. No. I can't do that.

I cannot do this.

A/N: This was more of a filler, really, before they're at the Capitol. Next chapter will be in Sokka's P.O.V.

Hope you enjoyed!

As always, review.

~iiCollz