Shell-shocked, I stand numb in my boots as the other tributes flow into the room. Even when the trainer announces that we may begin for the morning, I am unable to leave the spot I stood in when my already screwed up life got tossed in a blender (a luxury item we have in our suite that Capitol citizens use to crush fruit). The trainer walks up to me. "You waitin' for somethin' 12? Get a move on!" I'm thinking that I will just stay in this place forever until I can go back in time to before I knew.

There's no way they would do this. Surely even the Capitol knows that this is wrong wrong wrong. "Prim! What're you doing standing around? Let's get started!"

Jace is pulling me towards some activity, but I am too scared. She doesn't know... I think wistfully, wishing myself back to my own blissful ignorance. I am so scared, too scared to even acknowledge within my own head. I picture Awren's father, and I know he would die for his son. But they are so close, and it would break either to lose the other. I'm going to cry, this is so much worse than being reaped in the first place. This is 24 times worse. I squeeze my eyes shut, but I can feel them redden, already betraying my tears.

"Prim!" Jace again. My only friend in this hell is little comfort against the fresh horrors I've been privy to. "What's going on? C'mon! Let's get started!" How can I move though? How can I train when my mother will lose her life with me? Sacrificing my life for Awren's was all good before this, but now? What can I do? My own mother. My Own Mother. Looking around, I can't stop the fat, hot, miserable tears from pouring down my face. I cry for my mother. I cry for Awren's father. I cry for the parents of Jace, and Daz, and Cynth. Oh no. Fresh sobs wrack my wretched body as I realize that Daz and Cynth, already doomed by the worst of odds, will lose both of their parents to the arena as well as each other. Or worse, what if only one parent came? What if there is still someone at home, watching their family be slaughtered hundreds of miles away?

People are staring. I think some of the outliers might be showing sypathy, but even through my tear-blurred eyes I can see the contempt on the faces of the Career tributes. Except for Brooke. She just looks over at me with all of that pain and loss already in her eyes. Someone who loves her parents, and knows that she can never be happy with them again. The whole point of winning was that we could go home to our families, to normal. Before, I could lie to myself and say that soon I would be safe at home just like before. Now what's the point? Why fight? Why? There's nothing to return to, nothing to win for, nothing nothing nothing nothing. "What's the point?"

Silence. I hadn't meant to yell that out loud, but it burst from my lips and now that it's out there, there's no taking it back. Everyone in the room is looking at me. Their eyes are blank, ignorant if not outright innocent. They don't know.

I turn and walk out the door without another word. There is no point. We are all going to die, and I am not going to spend my last days learning useless skills that might prolong my inevitable death. As I leave the training room, Jace takes my hand and walks out with me, without questioning. Funny how fast friendships can form in the Hunger Games.

We go to the roof, where else? This is where I feel safest, and I want to share the safety with Jace. Up here, it's like the Capitol can't see me, and I can hide Jace and myself here forever so that I will never have to watch her find out what they are going to put us through. I need to grab Awren too, and Daz, and Cynth. While I'm at it, I might as well save Brooke and Curt too. I can hide all 24 of us up here, and all of our families. Put us all in a bubble where the Games and the Capitol are just a bad dream.

"You don't even know why I ran away," I say to Jace, blubbering the words through the relentless onslaught of tears. Why did she follow me up here? I know we're supposedly friends, but she should be training. I want her to have a chance.

"It doesn't matter," she says, and she gives me her big, beautiful, sad smile. My heart breaks for this girl, this strong, kind girl who has been thrown into this horrible place. How is she so calm when the world is falling apart?

"You don't know…" I say. "The Games are worse."

"I do know," she says. "I don't know what yet, but it's a Quell. They have to make it more dramatic for the audience, and that always means more pain for us. I don't know how you found out what it is, but you should tell me. Share it with me, and I can help you carry the pain."

I want to tell you. Oh I do! But I can't. I can't say those awful words out loud. I can't. I can't. I can't. "No," I say. Because I can't let Jace break too. I need her.

"That's okay too." She whispers. "Come here, Prim." Jace opens her arms and wraps them around me, in a tight, warm hug. Her embrace anchors me to the Earth, and keeps me from sinking into the pain again. Jace saves me, and I know that there is no way I can return the favor.

Jace is just the best. Kind of a dark chapter with a fluffy-ish end. You all are probably hating me right now, and laughing because that wasn't even close to fluff, but for this story (sorry guys) that was one of the fluffiest chapters you're going to get.It all depends though... I'm still not sure where I want to take the Prim/Jace relationship yet.

If you can battle through the depressedness, I hope you are still enjoying this! Thanks ever so much if you haven't abandoned this fic already, and I hope to hear from you in the reviews! ~~ Fancyclopedia