Amber couldn't sleep. Her mind was full of fear. Just thinking about what might happen in the morning terrified her. The worst thought was what would happen if Onyx died, but the seventeen-year-old brushed it off. Onyx wouldn't die. She wouldn't allow it.

Finally, the black-haired girl gave up and left her room, silently to avoid confrontation. She knocked on her brother's door. Onyx opened it immediately. He didn't look like he'd have any luck with sleep either.

He gestured for her to enter. Amber walked in. Onyx closed the door. When it was shut, he turned and pulled his sister in for a hug. Amber sobbed against his shoulder.

The girl was so scared about what was going to happen in the morning. She doubted she would live past the bloodbath at the start of the Games.

Onyx held her tightly. She cried in his arms. "It's not fair!" Amber sobbed.

"They never are." Her brother replied, looking angry.

"What do you think's going to happen tomorrow?" Amber asked after a while, her voice unsteady.

Onyx held her. "I have no idea, but I'm going to protect you. It's Drucilla I'm worried about."

Amber looked at him. "Why?"

Onyx looked at her as if she sprouted a second head. "You can't be serious. You mean to say you actually trust her."

"After those interviews?" The seventeen-year-old replied, raising an eyebrow. "You'd be stupid not to."

Onyx released her. Amber immediately missed the warmth. "Are you mad, Amber! She could be plotting to kill you! She a freaking Career! They're all bloodthirsty."

"What do you know!" Amber yelled back. "She's been nothing but nice to us since we got here! She's even helped us on our skills!"

"She's obviously just manipulating us. We such easy targets she's probably going to kill us in our sleep tomorrow night, if she doesn't get to us even sooner. You're so weak, Amber."

"Shut the hell up! Just… Shut up." Amber collapsed, defeated. Maybe they were wrong. Maybe she wasn't going to help them. They didn't do very well even with her help anyway.

Onyx sighed. "I'm sorry, Amber! Okay! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, but it's true. Drucilla is a Career? What's to stop her from killing us?"

Amber shook her head. "Forget it, Onyx." She turned over so he couldn't see her face. He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her temple.

"I love you sister. Promise me that you'll never forget that."

Amber turned her head slightly to get a better look at him. She couldn't see him well, but she could make out his silhouette. "I promise, but you have to promise me something in return."

"What? Anything."

"Don't die."

"You know I can't do that, Amber."

"No. You have to. I refuse."

"Well, I refuse to let you die."

"And I refuse to let you die."

"I refuse—wait, why are we even discussing this? More likely than not, Draco or Ruby are going to win. It'll be a miracle if we live past the first ten minutes."

"Don't talk like that, Onyx."

"Why not? It's true, isn't it?"

Amber sighed.

The next morning, their stylists entered the room. Amber's looked relieved. She figured the thing had checked Amber's first and freaked out upon realizing that Amber wasn't there. She didn't really care. Hell, she still didn't know if it was male or female. (1)

A few hours later, Amber was forced into a blue jacket with matching boots, along with green pants held up by a white belt. Under her jacket was a shirt that glistened like gold. Amber had never seen tributes in such a bright color before during the actual Games and she questioned this year's gamemakers.

Amber scanned her stylist warily. The thing…. was even skinnier than Amber, which was weird as the Capitol had more food than any of the districts, especially the Seam in District Twelve.

It had short hair the color of grass that came up to the nape of its neck, and eyes the color of raspberries. It creeped Amber out whenever it came near her.

Amber didn't even bothering remembering the creature's name.

The creature, unfortunately, had to be there for the entire time Amber headed to the arena, so it was there when the seventeen-year-old stepped into her tube to be sent into the arena.

In the background was the familiar voice from her nightmares. "Ladies and Gentleman, may the 72nd Hunger Games begin!"

She wasn't sure what she was expecting to see when she was standing on her pedestal, but it definitely wasn't this. In front of her was a large building that could only be described by the word 'castle' which she learned from her history book at school.

Everything else was a dark forest filled with leaveless trees, except for the cornucopia, which was placed in the middle of the castle moat. Half of the tributes were on one side of the moat, and the other half were on the other. Amber couldn't see Drucilla, so she figured she was on the other side. Amber couldn't swim, so she hoped Drucilla could.

Onyx was three people on Amber's right. She was grateful for his appearance. The weapons and some bags, probably containing food, were between the moat and the tributes. The weapons were placed closer to the horn, probably to draw in tributes.

Ruby was on Amber's other side, and she was worried by the way the girl was glaring at her. Amber knew that she was this girl's first target.

1. Not to offend any intersex/transgendered/gender fluid people