Sorry for the late update. I'm part of a 'hunger games' of my own. It's called college

Amaryllis was sent to bed early but she couldn't drift off to sleep. She tossed and turned; fighting the covers that once brought forth comfort and relaxation but she could find neither one from them. Something in her mind has been bugging her; it was something that she has only realized until now and after a couple of hours of useless effort she got out of bed.

Thinking that a glass of warm milk might help clear her mind she headed straight into the kitchen; she prepared her creamy concoction and sat down on the couch near the dim light of a lamp shade. She sat down in silence for what seemed like hours; still thinking of a way to escape her fate. Of course deep down she knew that she can't escape and more questions then started to flood in her mind. Why would Snow even allow her to be reaped if it will inevitably lead to her meeting her parents? Why didn't he just send out someone to kill her at her infancy? Does he even know? Is it only by chance that she got separated from her parents? Did they willingly dessert her and regretted it after some thought? Could it be possible that they didn't regret anything and the lullaby was just some random song that she heard before and has mistaken for one that her mother used to sing to her? Could it be that they just pity her? Is that why they are being so nice?

She placed her empty glass on the counter and laid down on the couch. She blankly stared into the ceiling until she fell asleep.

"Wake up sweetheart... You should see this..." Haymitch lightly shook her shoulder.

"Wha- Is it morning?" She grudgingly sat up and stretched. She looked at her father in confusion. He showed her a tape.

"It's two in the morning to be exact. You need to watch this then it's straight to bed, alright?" He placed the tape inside the player and turned the television on.

The screen flashed to life and immediately she knew that it was a clip of one of the previous games. The first scene was a brief introduction about the games- the Quarter Quell to be exact. It was the 25th Hunger Games; the year that 48 tributes were to compete instead of the usual 24. Her father skipped a few scenes to save time but he showed her the important scenes.

She looked at her father with remorse. He lost everything, no one deserves that. "I'm sorry dad, no one deserves to go through what you've been through." she said.

Haymitch shook his head and looked at her daughter. "This ain't about me, this is about you."

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"Just don't make the same mistakes I did..."

She'd ask more but she can tell that her father doesn't want to discuss it any further. Is he talking about the force field? Is he really telling me to stay as a pawn in their games? To just go with it? She asked herself.

Haymitch led her back to her room, said goodnight and closed the door shut. She sat on her bed; looking back on that night's earlier events. Survival is crucial but it seemed so wrong to 'just go with it'. Should she just forever depend on others and let others control her life. Even before the reapings her life has been a constant battle; a battle that she had refused to fight and had allowed others to do it for her.

Sleep eventually caught up to her and she allowed herself to succumb to the slumber. She had another dreamless sleep that night.

Effie was the one who waked her up, but she didn't do it in her usual peppy tone. She just shook her and told her to get up. She need not remind her that this was the day; everyone knew that and no one wants to be reminded.

Immediately after she left her room, she can felt the cold atmosphere around the room. Haymitch and Maximilian were already at the table, eating their breakfast. She and Effie soon joined them and without a moment's hesitation decided to break the awkward silence surrounding the room.

"We'll just stay clear out of sight right?"

"Yeah, but the other tributes aren't your biggest threat. We don't know what kind of tricks those gamemakers are planning. Stay on your toes and keep moving." replied Haymitch.

Maximilian looked at him and asked. "What about our supplies? Should I grab some from-"

"I thought we talked about this... Stay away from the cornucopia. I'll send all the needed supplies."

"Alright, that seems simple enough..." Amaryllis said trying to fake her optimism.

"Easier said than done, sweetheart."

They ate the rest of their meal in silence and as soon as they were finished the stylists came and did a few preparations on the two tributes. Before they leave the floor Amaryllis had one last hug with her parents.

With tears in her eyes, Effie embraced her daughter tight; obviously dreading the time when she has to let go. She gave her a sad smile and said "Good luck, I know you can do this..."

Haymitch gave her a tight hug and whispered. "You can do this, sweetheart. I'll be seeing you in a few days..."

She didn't reply to either of them. Her words, wouldn't really matter anymore. In fact, it might just make things a lot more complicated for all of them.

As soon as she left the whole penthouse felt empty. Effie allowed her tears to fall from her eyes and Haymitch fought the urge to reach for the nearest bottle of liquor. This will undoubtedly be the longest hunger games in their entire career.

Time is relative...

A little too fast paced? Well the action is pretty much rising so... Anyway, I apologize for the extremely long hiatus and I think I should mention that it might also be quite a while before I update...

Please review ^_^