"Remember, I love you!", I shouted to Katniss before the peacekeeper closed the door behind me. I wasn't sure weather she had heard me, but I wanted her to know how much she meant to me…

In my mind I could still hear her begging not to run into the bloodbath. In my whole life I've never felt so miserable, but the thought of having her at my side while I was getting the backpack was even worse than the guilt I felt. At first I had thought that I hadn't heard right, but she had seriously told me that she would come with me. Katniss was brave, sometimes even tougher than I was, but that didn't keep me from worrying about her at all.

"Are you ready?" A deep voice brought me back to reality. Could you ever be ready for something like the Hunger Games? Was I really ready to fight for our lives with all means? Was I really ready to kill for her…for us?

"Yes", I mumbled and turned round. I just had to be ready and even if I wasn't, there was no way out. An old man looked at me, his eyes full of pity.

"Good luck."

I gave him a short nod. "Thank you. I am going to need it."

He brought me to the elevator that was supposed to bring me into the arena. When he opened the door another deep voice started with the countdown. Ten seconds…

...

I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall, thinking about my family and Katniss.

It was already late at night and I was sitting at the old table in our kitchen, studying. Suddenly something touched my leg and when I looked down I saw Posy who was pulling at the hem of my shirt.

"Hi sweetie, why aren't you in bed yet, hm?" I asked and pulled her on my lap.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and cuddled up to me. "Can't sleep. Can you tell me a fairytale?"

I sighed. Posy was really into unicorns and princesses these days. I mean, she was really cute, but I had no idea what was so fascinating about unicorns.

"Okay, why don't you get one of your books and I am gonna read a bit with you, okay?"

Her face lit up at once and she placed a wet kiss on my cheek. "It's on the couch."

I wrapped my arms around her and stood up. I sat down on the couch with Posy on my lap and took the book. After a while her head that was resting on my shoulder got heavy and I noticed that she had fallen asleep. I kissed her forehead and removed one of her curls from her face. "Good night, little angel." I grabbed the blanket from the other side of the couch and covered us with it before I slowly fell asleep, my arms wrapped around my little sister protectively.

Suddenly Posy's face disappeared and I saw Katniss in front of me. Her screams echoed in my mind and I wished that I could have hugged her once more, telling her that we were going to be alright. I missed her. I missed her kisses, her closeness, yeah, I even missed the angry glance she gave me yesterday. Had she seriously thought that I could be interested in someone like Octavia?

...

The countdown had reached five in the meantime and I noticed that the old man was smiling at me encouragingly. I hesitated for a moment before I replied his gesture. I had four seconds until I had to enter the arena. In four seconds the hardest fight of my life would begin and in four seconds I would see Katniss again. Even if I was glad that I would see her soon I was also really worried about her. I had always suppressed this thought but what if we were really the only ones left in the end? The rules said that there could only be one winner, but if it came down to the two of us that was impossible. We couldn't harm each other, let alone kill each other.

...

"Two!", the voice that was counting the seconds came through my thoughts. I breathed in deeply and tried to focus on my strengths. I was going to need them.

"One!"

"Please, let us be alright!", I begged and clung to the handle of the elevator.

"Happy Hunger Games… and may the odds be ever in your favour." I shrugged as I noticed what I was mumbling. Where the hell did that come from? I tried to forget that immediately. The last thing I could need right now was the Capitol's slogan controlling my thoughts.

"Zero."

My heart started racing as the elevator began moving upwards. The 74th Hunger Games had officially begun…