The reaping was tomorrow. Needless to say the district was in a depressed mode and very few people from the Capitol were wandering around in their colorful outfits. Blaze hadn't talked to Mills since their encounter at the store and didn't plan on it until after the reaping was over. Though she doubted her or Cato or any of her few friends would get drawn from the jar, she still knew there was a possibility and she'd rather not get any closer to them than she was. Of course Cato and her had to communicate, but on a very emotionless and simple level.

A little past six O' clock in the evening Blaze grabbed her bow and sheath of arrows and began to step out the door when Cato's voice stopped her.

"Where are you going?" His voice was soft but deep. Blaze turned to face him holding up her bow and smiling.

"Target practice in the square." She answered. Cato loved listening to her cottony voice, and he was sure he wasn't the only one in Two that liked her voice.

"Oh." He gave a tight-lipped smile and than walked to the cabinets to grab a cup. Blaze watched him the whole way.

"Yeah." She responded. Cato turned to look at her and they just looked at each other. Tomorrow Blaze could possibly lose the one person she'd finally grown to trust since she was 14. He stood there at 6"2', blond hair thrown around but neat, green eyes staring at her, and his mouth slightly opened. If she could choose, she'd volunteer for him, but she couldn't; she was a girl and can only volunteer for a girl.

He watched her black waves swish around her torso from the fan in the kitchen that was pointed in that direction. He knew there as a possibility he was going to lose her; she was his best friend. They were never really close but it was the closest he'd ever gotten to a person since he was 14. He swore he would never let anyone back into his life, but Blaze had gotten farther than he had expected. Right now she was all he had and he wasn't about to lose her.

"Do you mind if I come with you?" He wasn't demanding. She could easily say yes, but something in her wouldn't let her.

"Uh, n-no." She sputtered. "I don't mind." She finally shut the door and walked back into the kitchen. Cato nodded and walked into his room to grab his sword and a few extra knives in case Blaze wanted to practice that too. He grabbed the leather glove that Blaze had given to him last year for Christmas. He kept it under his pillow, it was his favorite thing besides the picture of him and his sister Maz.

At the Square there was a small place that very few people attended that was open for weaponry and target practice and whatever you could think of that could help you survive. It was small though, that's why few attended, with there being hundreds of these places that had even better services than this one. Though Blaze liked it. It was small and very few people were ever there unless it was a holiday; than nobody was there. This must have been a holiday. There was one other person there though they were leaving as Cato and Blaze had approached the small building. It was the day before the reaping, so more than likely people were in there houses, privately praying that their family was safe. The only ones out were, Cato, Blaze and those rare people who aren't eligible for the reapings and have no family or a heart.

Blaze shook her head and entered the small building. She always liked the smell of the place. There were plants that lined the walls and they blended their smells together and it reminded her of Five. How many plants grow around there and the numerous flowers her and Dawn would pick when they were little. The fields behind their house and the trees out front; It smelt just like it.

Taking a deep breath she smiled and than pulled an arrow out of her sheath and positioned it in the arrow. She closed her left eye lightly and pointed the arrow slightly above the bulls eye, just enough. She pulled the arrow back and than uncurled her fingers and watched as the arrow stabbed straight though the center.

Cato had always been amazed with her accuracy and how he has yet to see her miss once with a bow and arrow. Even when she was being distracted, it only took her a second to aim and shoot with complete accuracy. He could put a walnut on his head and wait for her to shoot without any worry of her missing. Her knife throwing was just about as accurate. He had seen her miss once when she had been mad and was practicing through anger but that's the only time.

Blaze had shot a few more times before eying Cato's belt of knives and listening to him chuckle. "Here." He handed her two knives, both bowies. She smiled at him and looked at her target with six arrows sticking out of the target in the same spot. She turned to the one next to it and tossed the throwing knife into the air, jumped catching it mid turn and at her highest point sent the knife straight into the target. She stared at it. She watched the knife fly into it and stick perfectly at least an inch and a half deep in the target.

If that had been a human, She thought.

Her breathing picked up slightly. She had done this her whole life, for what? Killing? Or was it pointless? Either way she didn't like it. She was so passionate about something that killed or something with no point. She thought about the reaping tomorrow.

if I was picked.. Just that was enough. Would I do that to someone?

She could imagine walking through the arena, and seeing a person, and without even thinking, would savagely murder that human being. A human that is someones child, or future parent, or sibling, or niece or nephew, or friend. What if it was someone she knew? Like if her and Cato were both put in the arena. Could she possibly lose herself so much that she would do such a thing to him? Or if someone she knew from Five was in the games? Could she murder a 12 year-old if needed? And if she didn't do all of this, could she possibly survive?

She had no idea she was on her hands and knees holding her chest with her left hand until Cato had his arms around her. She could feel it coming, though that last time she had vomited was when she was 14. She tried holding it in as much as she could, but the more she tried, the harder and more it wanted to come out. It was like a monster was breaking free from her stomach. It was painful but the monster reseeded back into her stomach before coming out. She gasped and choked on air and her own spit while Cato held her to his chest, mostly to keep her from hitting her head on anything. He twisted her hair behind her head and over one of her shoulders when she began to cry. She buried her face in his chest, soaking his shirt. He just rubbed the back of her head.

After an hour of crying she realized she was on Cato's lap on the floor and she stood up. She looked at his shirt and quickly apologized for making it so wet.

"Don't worry," He shook it off. He wanted to ask her why she has broke down so suddenly, but it came to him while they were on the floor. He had done the same thing; bottled his feelings up so much until they all come out at once, and to make matters worse the reaping is tomorrow.

Blaze took a heavy breath. "I don't know what happened." She did, but it wasn't as if she hadn't felt that way before. Why would she react so differently this time?

I'm Blaze Shadow. I'm 16 now. I have a sister.. Somewhere, but Cato was all I had. She reminded herself.

Tomorrow was the reaping. She would need every ounce of mental strength she had to make it through the night.

So I uploaded the first few chapters to get this story restarted. I posted a few chapters of this story a while ago but Fanfiction deleted them. I have the story finished so I thought, why not just redo it? Anyway, review for more updates(: I know it's a little boring now but I promise it will get heeps more interesting. Thanks.