Fire Emblem: The Hunger Games

by DarkieDucessa

Fifteen years after the Hero of Blue Flames defeated the Goddess of Order, the continent has been divided. A shining Human Capitol and the twelve districts of the Laguz, the Branded, and the Beorc who stood with them in the Dark Years. And then there are the Hunger Games. It is the year 224 of the Second Age, and the 224th Hunger Games are about to begin... (Yaoi in later chapters)

4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

IKE

The next morning, after breakfast, Ike and Mia talked with Shinon. They decided to be coached separately, so Ike had to wait outside for a few minutes while their mentor talked to Mia. When Shinon called him in again and asked him to describe his skills, he was a little hesitant.

"Well... uh..." Ike stammered, trying to think of how to tell him he could fight without revealing exactly how he'd learned. He didn't want to get anybody in trouble, after all.

Shinon seemed to sense this. "Just answer this; what weapons can you fight with? And you don't have to say how you learned, either."

That was a relief. "I know how to use a sword and I have some experience with bows." he answered honestly.

"Hmm..." Shinon appraised him for a minute. "You look fit enough, and I know you're fast...but of course, you've never had any real experience with a blade." he stated. "The laguz will. The lions, blacks, ravens—they'll definitely know sword-work."

Districts 1, 2, and 4 were the Career districts, and the lions, black dragons, and ravens were almost always Careers. So of course, they would know how to use weapons.

In the Hunger Games, considering the inherent advantage—Transforming—laguz hold over the beorc and Branded, a rule had been installed in the arena to assist the other two races; as part of their pre-Games injections, laguz were given a limitation that restricted them to transforming for only fourteen hours total in the duration of the Games, or less, if the laguz wasn't strong enough to stay shifted. And less than that, even, considering that some laguz were known to use up to four hours just in the Cornucopia bloodbath, greatly cutting down their Transform time, as it was called. However, as a result of this, the laguz also trained in weapon fighting, which effectively removed any advantage the limitations had given the two lowest districts.

"I know." Ike said. "Any advice on that?"

"Practice." Shinon took another drink. "Spend your time learning something you don't know. Don't practice your best skill, though. Save it for the private training session." He paused. "One other thing. Get them to like you."

Ike started to protest, but Shinon cut him off; "It's not open for discussion! You're beorc and they're laguz, most of them anyway, which automatically makes you their first and easiest target. The less of them that want to kill you, and the more allies you can stick with until the near-end, the better. Now get out."

Though the training officially started at ten, Ike and Mia were the last ones to arrive. As soon as they joined the circle, the head trainer, a tall, athletic woman named Jill Fizzart, stepped up and began to explain the training schedule. They would be free to travel from station to station as they chose, per their mentor's instructions. Some of the stations taught survival skills, others fighting techniques. They were forbidden from engaging in combat with any of the other tributes, and laguz were forbidden from transforming, ever, unless in the specified laguz Transformation training station. There would be assistants on hand if anyone needed a training partner.

Ike's eyes couldn't help flitting to the other tributes. He noticed at once that he was taller than most of them, and he realized now that his lifestyle had given him an advantage over the more starved and emaciated tributes; he was strong and fit from years of hunting and working in the fields, and better fed than most of the others. The exceptions were the Careers; the lion girl was almost tall as him, the boy even taller; the two black dragons were a bit on the small side, but both were well-fed and would have an inherited strength that Ike had seen evidenced in the previous Games; the ravens were tall and thin, but he knew they would be incredibly fast and dexterous. His eyes passed over Kita—the poor girl still looked ill—and fixed on Zelgius' emerald orbs for a few moments before he kept looking. Once again, he noticed that Leanne seemed unusually cheerful, compared to the sober faces of the other tributes, many of which glared at Ike and Mia with contempt.

Finally, Jill finished and they were released. The Careers went straight to the fighting stations and wielded the most exotic weapons with ease; some of the other tributes went to shakily pick up their first weapons. Mia went straight to the knife station, apparently eager to practice her fairly underdeveloped skill.

Ike distantly wondered if he should join her when he noticed Zelgius and Kita quietly standing together alone, apparently unsure of what to do. Before he was thinking, he walked forward to join them. "I don't suppose you'd want to train with me." he said casually, causing the girl to jump. He offhandedly registered that Zelgius was actually a few inches taller than him.

The raven-haired boy turned to face him. "Perhaps I would." He glanced down at his sister(whom Ike now registered as being probably the smallest tribute here, over a foot shorter than Ike himself). "Ike, this is my sister, Kita. Kita, this is Ike. District Eleven."

"I know." she said quietly. "I saw you in the reapings."

He nodded. "I saw you, too. So... what do you want to do first?"

Zelgius glanced around. Sakira was hefting an axe to compare with Skrimir's while Kurth discussed a sword with the sword trainer; by contrast, Leanne was holding a bow and seemed unsure what to do with it, while the trainer tried to show both her and and the hawk boy how to hold it at the same time. "Suppose we tie some knots." he suggested.

Ike shrugged, and the three of them went to the rope station.

The next two days seemed to blur together in Ike's mind. He went with Zelgius and Kita from station to station, practicing various things from knot-tying to knife-throwing to camouflage to climbing to archery. He also spoke with them a lot, and though he sensed that they were both trying not to get close, they were more comfortable with him than the other tributes. He learned that they were most eminently hawk and heron Branded. He learned that Kita liked music and could sing(probably from that heron ancestry), and that Zelgius had taught her all the songs she knew, which he'd learned from his mother(though he never sang in front of Ike). He learned that Kita was actually eighteen years old—she was so much smaller and appeared so much younger than him, when she was actually older. He learned that they were orphans, their father having died in a mine accident and their mother passed away from starvation, illness, and heartbreak.

And finally... Leanne. He met her in the archery station; around two o'clock on the first day, he found himself shooting targets next to her, who was still trying to figure out how to hold the arrows properly. Something sparked inside him, and he walked over to her and showed her how to do it. He helped her stance and the way she drew it, and she fired and hit the target dead-center. It was a lucky shot, but her happy little cry made him smile in a way he hadn't since he'd left District 11.

She joined their small training group, and as the time passed he got to know her. She was the second-youngest of her family, just seventy-four years old, which Ike guessed was young for a heron. She was a little naïve and spoke her mind without really thinking about it, sometimes so fast her soft heron accent blurred together and it took Ike a minute or two to decipher what she'd said. But she was good-natured, kind, and almost always had a warm smile on her face. At the end of the first day, when the tributes split up to return to their quarters, she gave him a friendly peck on the cheek and laughed when he blushed. It made Ike smile again, and when he met Zelgius' eyes he saw that he was almost smiling too.

When Shinon asked at dinner on the second day if he'd gotten any 'friends'(read: allies), Ike didn't even have to think; "District Twelve. And Leanne Serenes."

Shinon did a facepalm. "The two half-breeds and the heron...great. What about you, girl?"

Mia shrugged. "Not much...I have seen Zelgius practice. He's good, but Kita and Leanne... they're both liabilities. I'm guessing they'll die in the bloodbath."

Ike shot her a dark look. "No, they won't." he snapped. "Zelgius will protect Kita, and I'll be protecting Leanne. And besides, the girls aren't that bad. Leanne can use a bow, and Kita's pretty handy with camouflage."

"Then you take them." she said flatly. "I don't need allies anyway."

"Fine!" They glared at each other.

Shinon groaned. "Juust great!"

Ike wouldn't budge, though. As the second day wore on, and the four of them trained together, he found that he couldn't imagine going into the arena without them now.

He noticed at lunch on the second day that the Careers had already formed into the usual pack. All six tributes from 1, 2, and 4. The other tributes avoided them warily, but by the second day Ike noticed they were avoiding his group, too.

His group. Himself, Leanne, Kita, and Zelgius. He realized he was actually forming his own pack now, even if it consisted of fewer and weaker tributes than the Careers. But at least these tributes were his friends.

ZELGIUS

On the night of the second day, I go back up on the roof and think. Micaiah instructed me and Kita to get some friends—if anything, I'll need help to take care of Kita and take out the other tributes—but the only people on my mental list are Leanne... and Ike.

The name goes through my head, over and over again. Ike. Ike. Ike. Why do I keep thinking about Ike? There are certainly other people I've seen who would serve as good, maybe better allies. People like the hawk boy, or maybe Volug, the wolf boy. People I consider minor acquaintances, but not friends. People I can deal with without my emotions playing tricks on me.

What is with me? I promised myself when I volunteered that I wouldn't allow my emotions to interfere with protecting Kita. I promised our mother that I would do anything to protect my sister. Kita... she's all I have left. I have to protect her. I have to!

So why do I keep thinking about him? Ike, Ike, Ike...

...Maybe it's something in his name...

The sound of footsteps startle me out of my reverie. I glance up to see Ike exit the dome and walk over next to me. "Mind if I join you?" he asks.

I shake my head. Again, even as Ike sits down beside me, resting his arms on his knees and leaning back casually, I feel my emotions getting stronger.

I notice he's wearing a pin. "What is that?" I ask quietly.

He glances down at it. "Oh, this?" He unpins it and offers it to me. "It's a Yune pin. My friend gave it to me, before I left."

I take it and turn it over in my fingers. It's indeed a stylized Yune in flight, attached by its wingtips to the outer gold ring. "It's... pretty." I say, handing it back to him.

"Thanks." He pauses for a moment to pin it back on, then suddenly asks "What was your mentor's advice on training?"

I glance at him, only a little suspicious. "Isn't that supposed to be a secret?"

"Well, yes, but... I was just curious."

I give in. "Micaiah told me to practice survival and to look for potential allies."

"Really?" Ike laughs slightly. "That's what Shinon said, too." He pauses. "What do you think of Leanne Serenes?"

"Leanne?" I only think for a moment. "As an ally?"

Ike nods.

"She's not much of a fighter," I say. "But she's the best archer out of this year's tributes, I think. Why?"

"Well... I was considering asking her to ally with me. In the Games." Ike says. "Shinon and Mia think it's a bad idea."

I suddenly feel a slight stir of anger. I wonder why? "Don't go against your instincts." I say harshly. "Listen to yourself, not them. If you believe she can be a good help, or you just don't want to kill her, then ask her to join you."

I pause then. Here I am, telling Ike to follow his instincts, while not following my own! But then again, I promised...

"Zelgius..." Ike says quietly.

If I remain friends with this boy, it'll only hurt more when he dies later. He'll have to die. I know that. "Yes?"

"I... I wanted to ask you something."

I've endured... the pain of loss before. Maybe... it'll be worth it, just to know him. He's... he's a good man. I don't want to... "Go ahead."

"...Would you be my ally, too? Join my team?"

There. That's it. What do I say?

Well... what else is there to say? I like him. I want to be his friend. No matter what that does to me, to us. I smile faintly, and it's not forced. "Our team, you mean?"

Ike's face brightens. "Is that a yes?"

I offer my hand. "Yes. That's a yes."

He takes my hand and shakes it. "It's settled, then. Me, you, Kita, Leanne."

"Even though... there is only one victor." I have to remind him of that, before we completely agreed to this.

Ike nods. "I know. When it comes down to it... then we'll have to split up again, probably, but until then, we're a team. A... a pack. Right?"

"Right."

Later, I realized...For the first time since Sydelle died, and I'd been left alone to care for my little sister... I think I felt happiness, right then. Real...happiness.

IKE

On the third day, the Gamemakers—twenty men and women in dark-toned clothes, who'd appeared early on the first day in their special viewing balcony—began to call the tributes out of lunch for their private sessions. District by district, the girl first, then the boy tribute. Of course, 11 and 12 are slated for last. Ike and his newly official allies—he'd asked Leanne and she'd happily agreed, and of course Kita was with Zelgius—lingered in the dining room, not quite sure what to do, so just talking nervously. When no one else wanted to talk, Leanne filled in the silence with questions.

It was around Vika's rather arrogant departure that the heron brought up galdrar. "I was also thinking of singing something," she said cheerfully, when speaking of what she planned to do in her session.

Ike frowned slightly. "Singing something? How will that help?"

She just laughed, and Zelgius quickly filled in; "Ike, have you ever heard of galdrar?"

"No."

"They're songs in the ancient tongue," Zelgius explained. "When sung by a heron, they can channel magical energies. A galdrar can restore an ally's strength, and also destroy an enemy's confidence."

"That makes no sense..." Ike muttered. "How can singing do that?"

"It's called seid magic." Leanne said. "We use it for all sorts of things in District 7, from keeping ourselves awake on night shifts to the Final Rites."

"Final Rites?" Ike asked. "What are those?"

"It's a galdr. We sing it at funerals." she replied. "We believe that it gives the spirit good luck and assists his or her passage on to the next life. It also involves flowers."

"Huh."

"I know a few of the words," Zelgius said quietly, drawing a glance from Leanne. "but not the whole song."

"Oh?" Leanne smiled slightly. "I'm surprised you know any. The herons are very secretive concerning galdrar, ever since the Dark Years... I can teach you, if you like."

Ike raised an eyebrow. "You're going to start singing?"

She laughed. "Of course not! The Final Rites can only be sung over a fallen friend, or so they say. It would be disrespectful to just sing it whenever. But I can teach you the words and tune."

Through the next five tribute sessions, Leanne put the three of them through a brief course on the ancient language. By the time her name was called, Ike had memorized both the Final Rites and a simple galdr she called the "Galdr of Rebirth."

When the heron's name came around, she got up from the table, not a hint of nervousness in her face or posture. "Shoot straight." Kita called as Leanne left. The heron shot back a smile before she left the room.

Zelgius put an arm around Kita's shoulders as the girl smiled weakly, and Ike realized it was probably the first time she'd spoken all day besides "Good morning." That's funny. I didn't even realize...

The room was quiet when Leanne had left. Disturbingly quiet. Ike went over the galdrar in his head to pass the time.

District 8, then 9. District 10.

Ike's name was finally called. He, Zelgius, and Kita were the only ones left. Zelgius said something encouraging, but Ike hardly heard it; admittedly, he was more than a bit nervous.

He walked into the gymnasium and instantly knew he was in trouble. The Gamemakers had been here too long, sat through twenty other demonstrations, had too much wine. Wanted nothing more than to go home. Weren't even paying attention.

Still, he stuck to his plan. Walking over to the swordfighting station, he selected a sword who's weight felt good in his hands. It was one of the bigger ones, probably intended for a lion or dragon. He spun it in his wrist experimentally and frowned; the balance was off. He decided it would have to do. A quick glance told him they still weren't paying attention, so he called "Ike Greil." When a few of them glanced down at him, he added "District Eleven."

Ike test-swung it a bit more. The balance was much worse than he'd thought; it was hard to swing it accurately, and he accidentally dropped it, which made the Gamemakers laugh. Flushing angrily, he picked it up again, readjusted his grip, and got started on the practice routine that he and Mia had invented, back in District 11, when they were teaching themselves how to swordfight. Step forward, level the sword in a sort of salute. Right foot, swing down-left; swing down-right; spin right to swing horizontal right and left foot forward. The steps and swings came so naturally to him now, it probably made him look better than he actually was.

His brow furrowing slightly in concentration, he repeated the movements, but mirrored this time. Everything was harder with this terrible sword, but somehow he managed. Then he threw in an extra strike and used his momentum to propel himself backwards, landing in a crouch, his left hand balancing himself on the ground. He straightened slightly, ran forward a few steps to get the sword practice dummy in line, and leapt into the air. Doing an only slightly lopsided flip, he came down on the wooden dummy hard, the sword hitting so hard plastic went flying and the dummy split in half all the way to the lower torso, where the blade finally stopped. Then he jerked it sideways and kicked it, sending it sprawling in pieces. Ike flourished the heavy blade and threw it into the ground.

None of the Gamemakers were paying attention to him; most of them seemed more interested in a roast pig on the table. All of a sudden, Ike was furious. My life might be on the line here, and I'm being upstaged by a... a frickin' dead pig...!?

Pulling the sword out again and spinning it one final time, Ike caught it upright and threw it with all his strength. It spun vertically, ran through the apple in the pig's mouth, and slammed into the wall behind it. Pieces went flying as people jumped back and shouted in alarm. The blade embedded itself about a foot into the wall, still quivering from the sheer strength of the throw, and the apple fell to the ground in two neatly-cut halves. Some of the Gamemakers stared at Ike in disbelief.

He bowed slightly. "Thank you for your consideration." Then he spun and marched towards the exit without being dismissed.

Later, sitting on his bed, Ike was regretting his actions in the private session deeply. Now you've done it! he mentally screamed at himself. You've ruined everything! What'll they do now? Arrest me? Execute me? Take away my family? Send Mother to prison and Mist to the community home? Oh, dammit! What were you thinking!?

He was so flustered and confused, he could barely register anything around him. He did notice that he was holding his pin for some reason; he had no idea why, but he gripped it anyway, his fists clenched tightly in his lap, something of reality to hold on to.

He faintly heard a knock on the door and wondered who it was. Probably not Shinon, or Mia. Aimee, maybe. He didn't feel like talking to her right now—or really talking to anybody—so he ignored it. He closed his eyes and tried not to imagine what might happen to his sister now, because of his stupid actions.

He heard the door open—Why didn't I lock that?—and then it shut again. A few quiet footsteps. The bed creaked slightly as whoever it was sat down next to him. Ike felt a warm touch on his hands.

He opened his eyes and was surprised to see it was Zelgius who had come in. "I... didn't think tributes were allowed on other district's floors." he said softly.

"I don't think they are." the other boy replied quietly. "But it's not like they lock the doors or supervise the elevators."

"Why...why'd you come, then?" Ike asked.

"...You know how herons are." Zelgius said vaguely. "I... sensed you were upset. I wanted to see what was wrong. What happened?"

Ike sighed deeply and unclenched his fists, lightly putting a hand over Zelgius', the other one turning the pin over. "I—I threw a sword at the Gamemakers."

Zelgius raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yes." Ike wouldn't meet his eyes.

The other boy laughed slightly. "No wonder they were so alert when I came in. I thought I saw a hole in the wall. They must have been terrified I would throw something even bigger."

Ike found himself laughing slightly, too. Then he started laughing more. He couldn't help himself; after all the terrible thoughts he'd been thinking, he hadn't realized how humorous it really was. Zelgius started laughing too, and Ike felt all his tension draining away. "D-do you think they'll arrest me?" he finally asked, wiping a tear from his eye.

Zelgius shook his head, a barest hint of a smile on his face. For him, Ike knew that was the equivalent of a grin. "I doubt it. It'd be hard to replace you at this stage. And besides, they'd have to reveal what happened in the Training Center for it to have any worthwhile effect, but they can't do that, since it's supposed to be secret." He guessed Ike's next question and quickly added "Same thing goes for your family. They can't do anything, because it's secret."

Ike suddenly felt lighter and happier. He laughed again, remembering what they'd looked like. "Oh, Zelgius, you should've seen them. They were so—shocked, ridiculous—" His smile widened into a grin. "One started so badly he tripped and fell backward into a punch bowl."

Zelgius laughed and suddenly they were both cracking up again. In the back of Ike's mind, he vaguely wondered how he could go from anger and remorse to happiness and lightheartedness in just a minute's conversation. Maybe it's him, he thought.

He suddenly hugged Zelgius, causing the other boy to start. "Thanks, Zel." Ike said. "You've made me feel so much better. Thank you."

Zelgius' faint smile didn't fade, but his eyes were slightly pained. "It's getting late. I should probably sneak out before your escort come to get you for dinner. Or mine comes for me," he added as an afterthought.

Ike released him and leaned back, taking a deep breath. "You're probably right. Oh, good luck on the training scores."

Zelgius nodded. "You too." Then he quietly left, the door shutting almost silently behind him. Ike took another deep breath and felt himself relaxing.

Thanks again, Zelgius, he thought. You're... such a good friend.

A few minutes later, Aimee tapped lightly on the door to call him to dinner. He felt cheerful enough as he went down to the dining room to hum the Galdr of Rebirth quietly to himself, mentally ignoring the fact that he would probably get the lowest score of the twenty-four.

Lyn and Roy were there, too. For a brief moment he wished they weren't, as if he would be disappointing them when they saw the ridiculously low score he was likely to get. Mia was a little downcast, but still chatted easily with Aimee and the stylists. Shinon actually wasn't drinking, which was a first, though he didn't say much. Ike didn't talk during the dinner either; in fact, the only sound he made was his quiet humming, which everybody politely ignored.

Around the main course, Shinon finally asked "All right, enough small talk; just how bad were you today?"

"It didn't really matter by the time I got there." Mia said quickly. "A few of them were singing and the few that were sober were too disgusted by their companions to pay much attention. I threw some knives and did a few sword routines before they told me I could go."

"And what about you?" he asked.

Ike shrugged and casually replied "I threw a sword at the Gamemakers."

Everyone stopped eating. "You what?" Aimee demanded, horrified.

"I threw a sword at them." Ike repeated defiantly. "Not exactly at them, I guess, but in their direction. I was just mad, because they were ignoring me."

"And... what did they say after that?" Lyn asked carefully.

"Nothing. I left then." the teen replied flatly.

Mia and Aimee both looked incredulous. Lyn looked faintly surprised. Roy was baffled.

Shinon's face was impassive, but the corner of his mouth twitched in a smile. "What—what'd they do when you threw the sword?"

"Um... well, they looked pretty ridiculous." Ike said.

"Oh." Abruptly he laughed. "Did you say anything after..?"
"'Thank you for your consideration.'"

"Thank you for...!" Shinon cracked up. "Genius!" Roy and Mia both started laughing, and Lyn was suppressing a smile.

Aimee was fairly shocked. "Well, I don't think we're going to find this funny if the Gamemakers decide to take it out—"

"On who? On him?" Shinon asked. "On her? They already have." He looked back at Ike. "I would've given anything to see it."

Roy and Mia dissolved into giggles and Lyn disguised her laugh as a cough. Aimee looked a bit offended. It was all Ike could do not to grin.

After dinner, they went to the sitting room to watch the scores announced on television. Most of them, anyway; Shinon stayed behind in the dining room.

"Why?" Mia demanded. "Don't you want to know our scores?"

"You can tell me later." he replied flatly. "I'm... not going to watch. I'll have a... a drink or something."

Aimee started lecturing him on his 'duty as a mentor,' but he was already drinking. Ike sighed for a lost cause and followed Lyn and Roy into the sitting room, where it was just starting.

First they showed a picture of the tribute, then their score was read aloud. Naturally, the Careers were all in the eight-ten range. The lion girl pulled an eleven—that was surprising, even though she was a Career tribute; she certainly didn't look impressive enough to elicit that score, not next to her male counterpart(who got a ten). Most of the others averaged five or six. Ike noted that the Volug, the wolf boy, pulled a ten; he would be someone to watch out for. The District 7 boy had a four; pretty normal for a heron. But Leanne got a surprising seven, which must've been record high for her district. Ike felt strangely proud of her.

District 11 finally came. Mia got an eight, so someone must've been paying attention. That, or someone was taking pity on her. Then they read Ike's score.

Eleven.

Aimee squealed and suddenly everyone seemed to be cheering and congratulating him. Ike was mostly confused. "How—I thought they—what?"

"They liked your temper, I suppose." Lyn said thoughtfully. "They need some players with some heat."

Ike was so caught up in his surprise he almost missed the District 12 scores. Kita pulled a six; Ike hoped she hadn't gotten ill in her session. Then Zelgius' face came up on screen and they read his score. Eleven.

Mia and Shinon were the only ones still paying attention. "What—eleven again!?" she yelped. "Has that ever happened before?"

"Not to my knowledge." Shinon replied, frowning deeply. "Unless they were Careers. But two elevens, from the lowest two districts—that's got to be a first."

Ike didn't even speak. He was both happy for Zelgius and also sympathetic—this meant that they would both be targeted by the Careers, and that would make it harder on Leanne and Kita. The game was getting dangerous.

ZELGIUS

Eleven. How did I get an eleven? My mind spins as I lie in bed that night. I know I should be sleeping, but my thoughts are too distracting to focus on anything else.

None of the others could figure it out, either. I showed the Gamemakers what little blade skill I had, but surely that wasn't enough to elicit an eleven? Sothe doesn't think so. Elincia does, but I think she's just trying to be encouraging.

Maybe they were still distracted by Ike's stunt. Maybe they got some of my demonstration confused with Kita's and forgot some of hers, and that's why hers was so much lower. It's strange...

Kita rolls over to lie on her back, opening her eyes. I think she senses my worry; only natural, I suppose. "What's wrong?" she asks.

"I was just thinking," I say. "How did I get an eleven? I don't think my skills are good enough to elicit that, especially compared to the Careers."

She pauses before answering; "You must have impressed them. Perhaps they saw something in you like what they saw in Ike, to give him an eleven as well." Her voice lowers, "You certainly were better than me."

I reach down and clench her hand tightly. "Don't say that," I say quietly. "Trust in yourself or you won't have reason to."

She sighs slightly. "That old philosophy again? I thought you'd given up trying to drill those sayings into my head."

I stiffen. "They aren't just sayings; it's true."

I sense she's laughing inwardly. "As you say," she replies, before rolling over to nestle up against me. I put an arm over her shoulders and try to banish my thoughts from my head, to clear my mind so I can rest, but it's impossible. I'm so tired, but I cannot sleep at all from these thoughts...

I hate losing control of my emotions.

I hate the Hunger Games.

I hate my insomnia.