….

SUMMER POV:

Yeah it was cruel, but it got the point across. Jenik looks like he's going to cry and Kay….. looked pissed. She was a tough one.

I have a reputation, as an emotionless person. Nobody remembers my games, uneventful as they were. That's not how I got this reputation. No, it was because of what happened after.

When I got home, my parents, and little brother were overjoyed. My brother was only 7 at the time. I volunteered because my family was starving to death, we only had food for a few more weeks before we would run out. My dad had been crippled and couldn't work. No one would hire my mom. We were slowly dying….

If I won in the Games, my family would get money. We would survive. If I died well….. one less mouth to feed. They would still survive longer.

And I loved my parents and brother. Even more than myself. So I did it.

I volunteered for the poor 12 year old girl who wanted nothing more than to live her life with her family. I saved a girl that I didn't even know.

And District 12 had no victors at the time. We just had Kilee. Kilee loved me at first, since I had volunteered, but I ignored her and everyone around me, including my district partner, he was 15 and scared out of his mind. His name was Lye.

I went to training, learned how to use a knife, learned what plants were poisonous and which were not. Made sure I could survive in the Games.

I got a 7. Not bad for a girl from 12. The Careers, getting 10's and 11's, scorned me.

And I didn't feel fear. I just felt anger.

At my interview with Luster, the old host who had retired a few years ago, I made myself quiet. Not rude, angry, or sad. Just a quiet little girl from 12. Who had so happened to volunteer.

The games were in a desert, the days were terribly hot, and the nights excruciating cold. Many people froze to death, afraid to light fires. I lit a fire, but blocked the smoke with wire I had picked up so the careers didn't get me. I had no weapons, I had just ran at the beginning.

It was just me. And my ally. A 13 year old from District 3.

She was smart, happy, kind. Her name was Elise.

She didn't deserve to be here. A lot of us didn't.

The first night, 13 tributes had died. Among them was Lye.

The next, 4.

The next, 1.

Then it was just the girl from 1, boy and girl from 4, Elise, me, the boy from 11, and the boy from 8. How he had lasted I don't know.

The boy from 8 attacked us. I punched him in the gut as he tried to sneak up on me. Then Elise punched him in the face. We didn't have any weapons, you know.

While he laid on the ground, groaning, we searched his pack, and found a blanket, some dried fruit, matches, and three knives. I gave Elise one and took two myself.

Then with difficulty….I stabbed the boy. Elise gasped as I did, and I felt awful but…. This was a killing game. To win, the others had to die. If Elise won, that would mean I would die. If I won, Elise would die.

It was inevitable.

Sadly, Elise and I went off, trying to hide from the remaining Careers. That night, two faces were in the sky. The girl from 4. And the boy from 8.

The next day, the girl from 1 and boy from 4 attacked the boy from 11. He was unprepared and scared, but managed to hurt the boy from 4, stabbing him in the eye.

He started screaming. "Get it out! Holy shit, it hurts! Diane!"

The girl from 1, Diane, just laughed.

"I'll kill two birds with one stone," she said and stabbed the boy from 11 with her spear, killing him. His cannon boomed. Then she turned to the boy from 4.

"Kio, you didn't really think I cared about you, did you?" She asked, an evil gleam in her dark brown, almost black eyes

He sputtered for breath, obviously in pain. "Diane, please I-"

"Sweet dreams Kio," she cut him off, shoving the spear through his throat.

It was awful, and Elise screamed.

Exposing us in our hiding spot.

"Hmm? Oh, is it that pathetic little group, Districts 3 and 12? Don't make me laugh," Diane's eyes gleamed with darkness, somehow.

"I'll get to you as soon as I'm done with him!" Diane screamed the last word and stabbed Kio in the chest, as he screamed and bled, and….. died.

She turned just as his cannon sounded, and Elise ran out, tears streaming down her face.

"NOOOO! THAT'S MURDER, GODDDAMN YOU!" Elise screamed. I had never seen her this mad. I had no time to run, no time to breathe, before Elise ran at the bigger girl and stabbed her in the stomach with her knife.

Diane hissed in pain.

"Think you're so great? Trying to avenge some dick you don't even know?" She hissed at Elise, and cut through the middle of her arm.

"AGHHHHHH!" The cry Elise emitted barely sounded human.

I finally found my voice. "ELISE!"

I ran to her, her blood gushing out way too fast, how could I help her?!

"Let me help you with that," growled Diane, and stabbed her in the stomach, making Elise let out another blood curdling scream.

I screamed, louder than I ever had before, and rage took over me.

"YOU THINK YOU'RE SO GREAT?! KILLING A 13 YEAR OLD GIRL?!" I screamed at her and drew my knife, and stabbed her in the head, 5 times.

"Oaughhhhhh…" Diane moaned as her cannon boomed.

I had…. I had actually killed somebody. I did before but this wasn't like before, I killed her not because I had to do it, it was because I WANTED to!

But she had… hurt Elise and….. ELISE!

"Elise!" I whirled around to look at the girl. She looked bad, missing half of her right arm and a giant gash in her stomach.

"Elise, no…." I whimpered, supporting the girl's head in my arms.

She tried to look up at me and succeeded, focusing on my face.

"Summer?" She coughed out, very softly.

"Elise?" I said, tears started to form in my eyes.

"You… you killed Diane?" She questioned softly.

I nodded. "I'm not proud of it though."

She shook her head slowly, using up her energy. "Doesn't matter. You won, Summer. You can go home."

"No, you're still fine, there are two tributes left, me and you, Games aren't over yet, I won't let them be!" I said hurriedly, I tried to convince myself she'd be okay…

"Summer. I'm dying. And even if you can save me, we'll just have to fight to the death anyway. You should go home, while you're not injured. While you're sane and happy. This place….makes you violent, you shouldn't stay here any longer Summer. Go home. To your awesome parents and brother that you told me about," she gave me a small smile that quickly turned into a grimace.

"What about your family?" I say, tears running down my face. "What about you?!"

A tear ran down her face. "On your Victory Tour…..tell them that I love them."

And then the cannon sounded.

"Ahh…ahhhh…." I moaned, looking down at her.

"Noooo!" I screamed. "NOOOOOO! ELISE!"

She was dead… and there was nothing I could do.

A hovercraft descended on the arena, and a voice started to speak.

"Summer Underwood, the winner of the twen-"

"NOOO!" I screamed, and he stopped in confusion.

"What?" The voice asked, puzzled.

"I said; NOOOOOO!" I screamed again, looking down at the lifeless body that was once my friend. Why did this have to happen… why?

"Somebody just sedate her and get her out of there!" The voice screamed to somebody else. The ladder fell down and hit me in the head, and I was fixed to it.

Why can't I move? I remember thinking that and not being able to speak or anything, I could only watch sadly as they pulled me away from Elise.

I just remember a flash of white, me passing out, and a voice saying,

"Congratulations Summer Underwood, Victor of the 23rd Hunger Games!"

When I got home…. We moved into the Victor's Village and had a giant meal.

We were happy. But of course it didn't last.

On my Victory Tour in the Capitol, I was raped by a random Capitol guy. It was horrible, and frankly, embarrassing. So I told on the guy to the President, assuming he could do something about it. Get the guy arrested or something.

It backfired.

He told me that must mean that I'm "desired", and he basically asked me to become a prostitute in the Capitol.

I refused. Who would possibly take that offer?

He said that he understood, and let me leave.

But when I got home, something was terribly wrong. There were people crowded all around the Victor's Village. I ran past them all and saw my house.

Or rather, the ashes of my house.

"Where are…. Ty and…." I started, the people around me looking at me with pity.

"I'm so sorry Summer, but your family burned to death in the fire," a girl my age told me, fighting back tears herself. Her name was…. Delilah I knew her.

"NOOOOOO!" I screamed.

"NOOOOO! NOOOOO! NOOOO!"

He can't hurt me anymore. I didn't show anyone how much it hurt me, not on public television at least. And I never will.

To show emotions can only hurt you, I cried for Elise, for my parents, for little Ty!

And what did it get me?

Pain and suffering and loss. I refused to deal with it anymore.

So I stopped showing emotions. Not all emotions. I can show pity, and annoyance.

But nothing so drastic as happiness, or sadness.

Because it will only be used against me. It can only hurt me.

And I refuse to be used anymore.

If I grow to like Kayleen and Jenik….. it will just hurt me.

Because they will just die in the arena.

Hey guys! :D

Sorry about the wait, I've been busy.

So... Summer's POV! Good? Yes? No? Maybe...

So the chapters coming up, not the next one, I believe the one AFTER that...

Will start our private sessions with the Gamemakers, from every person's POV.

Just so you guys know, during the games the POV's will switch from Noah, Jenik, Sky, Avon, Lydia, Matthew, Brendan, Quota, Rust, and Kayleen. So pick your favorites, because I haven't decided who will win yet.

Thanks for reading and please review!

Kate