The picture at the top is Luna, by he way. And remember to comment what you think about this book! Feedback really helps me. >w<

I couldn't sleep at all. Memories of President Snow and my outburst came drifting back to me, making me restless and angry.

How can a man be so cruel?

He practically killed my brother. My loving, caring brother that used to smile every morning at the sunshine.

I will never see his handsome smile again.

Never see him again.

I buried my face in my pillow miserably. Dear God, here we go again. Almost every night I thought about Michael and his warm, smiling face, and how I miss it terribly.

I miss my mom and dad, too, I realized as I lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Their supportive chants. Their comforting hugs. Everything about them I miss as the train steadily chugged towards the Capitol, away from everything I had ever known.

Away from my true destiny: to be a fisher and to sell fish.

That's what every mother and father wanted their child to be. That's what most people become. Others become traders and entrepreneurs, but District Four was based mainly on its fish. I smiled as I remembered that I caught a small minnow in the stream besides my house. My dad was teaching me how to hand-fish, and that was before the rebellion.

Before everything changed.

Before Michael got drafted into the army.

Dad was teaching Michael how to use a fishing rod, too. He caught a carp, and we hung our prizes in the hallways. They were still there today, placed in frames my dad's friend Aaron crafted himself. I closed my eyes, trying to chase the memories away, but of course they swam back, like bothersome little fish darting away from your hands, but in my case, they were coming towards me instead of away.

After a few fruitless attempts of chastising myself to sleep, I swung my legs over the bed and stood up, heading towards my door. I had no idea if there was a curfew on this train, but at this point, I didn't care. I softly closed my door and glanced down the hallways. It was so silent that if a mouse was under the floorboards, I could hear it. My stomach then grumbled, ruining the silence. I gritted my teeth as I remembered the stomachache I had earlier tonight, like hot iron rods poking at my intestines.

I tiptoed downstairs and found a wide windowsill with a curtain covering it, like it was a hiding place. I grinned, approaching it. Even if I wasn't allowed out here at this hour, nobody would find me.

...Well, if they didn't check the inside of the window ledge.

I gently swept aside the curtain and clambered inside, not noticing the shadows moving suspiciously at the other end. When I settled down, a voice spoke.

"You don't bother to be very graceful, do you?"

I stifled a gasp as Iver moved out of the shadows, but I forced a slight smile.

"I didn't even notice you."

"Yeah. I can blend in easily." He dismissed my comment with a wave of his hand. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Nah." I gazed out the window, at the scenery flying by, the lights overhead twinkling with life and darkness engulfing the world, like a blanket over the horizon.

"Me either. Why couldn't you sleep?" he inquired, leaning against the wall, also gazing out the window.

"What kept you awake?" I shot back.

"I asked my question first, so therefore you have to answer it first." I moved my eyes away from the window, and found that his were on mine.

"Okay. Fine. I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about things." I smirked at my general reply.

"What kinds of things?"

"I asked my question first, so therefore you have to answer it first," I mimicked him, grinning.

He rolled his eyes before sighing. "I was thinking about my family." His eyes clouded over, but he blinked it away and his gray eyes were like stone again. "Now, you have to be more specific now, since I answered your question."

It hit me that I knew practically nothing about Iver. We attended the same school and were in the same grade, but we never really properly got to know each other. We just knew each other's names, that's all. I suddenly felt the urge to ask about his family, but I forcibly made my mouth say different.

"I thought about our little argument with Snow and... and I thought about my family, too." I swallowed as tears stung at my eyes.

"Don't cry. I hate it when girls cry," Iver pleaded, his eyes glinting.

"Don't all boys?" I wiped my eyes on my sleeve. "Don't worry, I wasn't planning to."

"Good." Iver relaxed against the wall again. "What happened to your family?"

"I really don't wanna talk about it." My gaze drifted to the window again. It was just so easy to look out at the world and not at his piercing stare.

"Good," he repeated, closing his eyes and letting his body go limp. "Then I don't have to talk about mine."

The next morning Miranda suddenly called, "We're almost there, Mr. White and Ms. Waters!" I glanced up from my blueberry muffin and egg on a toast and glanced out the window. And I admit, my mouth hung open in shock. The Capitol was bustling and full of people, and it felt so...normal here. No one here starved. No one got or worried about getting punished. They all had ridiculous outfits similar to Miranda's. It was really amazing, and I was awestruck.

"Can you close your mouth before a piece of muffin falls out of it?" Iver asked me coolly, but I ignored him as I found myself saying;

"We're here in the Capitol."