I wake up to see the sun shining through my window. The curtains were open which was weird, I hadn't opened them. Nobody knocked on my door which was weird usually people knocked in the morning, I guess I'd just have to wait. I took a shower and got ready for the day. I became more expectant every minute I waited until I couldn't stand it anymore. I paced. Then I check my clock. It was already eight o'clock! This was getting weird.... I walk to the dining room, there's food on the table but nobody on any chairs. I started eating the food. I started feeling nervous. They couldn't have... left me.... Why would they leave me here alone? All alone? Nobody here? Maybe I'm overreacting there has to be someone here. Or am I the only one here. Is this a day alone. I hate being alone. If someone's alone with me I'm fine but alone by myself nobody here? My worst nightmare. Someone has to be here.

I finish my food quickly and search around the building for anyone practically chanting, "Mira? Mira! Anyone? Anyone here?" I wonder what Mira would think of me now. Practically screaming for help. I couldn't take it anymore I had to find someone, anyone. Anybody. Anyone in the world. Even the people who took my parents. I had to. I scream for help. Then suddenly I'm somewhere else I'm trapped in a room the walls closing in on me. I look for something, anything. Then I see it. A piece of metal I knew what I had to do. I wedge the metal into one side of the room then I press my feet on the other wall and my back is on the other wall. It seems to be working a bit but not by much the wall still moved at me. There is a few nails and washers. I wedge them all into the other side it stops and I sigh. The floor disappeared from under me and I scream. My eyes flew open.

"Shh, Will its me. It's okay." Someone said. At that moment I knew it was Mira. I was breathing heavily and my chest was soaked with sweat.

"I w-was al-all alo-alone a-and t-the w-walls were cl-closing in o-on me." I stutter.

Wait... why am I stuttering? I sound like an idiot.

"Nightmares?"

"Yes...." I say

"What are you doing here?" She asks.

"The question is... what are you doing here?" I said.

"What do you mean? Isn't this my room?" She said.

"I'm confused." I say.

"Me too...." She says. She checks her clock. "What the-Will come see this."

"It's my birthday already? So we slept six days?" I say shocked.

"Not sleeping..... Will we were training.... You were acting kind of strange."

I yawn. "Haven't trained since like yesterday... I mean six days ago."

"Will, they controlled you. To you, you've been in a nightmare."

"What are you talking about?" I say. "I feel like I've been in a nightmare for a night."

"Wait a second... how did you get out of it? It would've lasted till the arena day." Mira says.

"I'm so confused right now.... I don't understand a word you're saying right now." I said.

"You were doing stuff you weren't doing."

"I was sleeping. Still confused." I say.

"They made you walk and talk and train while you were sleeping." She says.

"That was stupid of me to walk, talk and train while I was sleeping...." I said. Why am I being so stupid? I understood everything she said.

"Idiot."

"Thanks." I said.

"What is wrong with you, Will? This isn't you."

What is wrong with me? I cant do what I want to. Ugh, so annoying. I want to talk to her. Why can't I?  This is confusing me so much.

"Nothing is wrong with me. Do you love me? I'm an idiot. Do you like puppies? Ooh! How about hamsters? Or fish? Is your favorite color pink? Or is it blue? Am I talking fast? If I am I can talk slowly like this!" Shut up! I didn't say that.

I start to make a slow motion sound.

"I like talking fast better. Do you like to talk fast or slow? How fast can you run? How far can you climb? How fast can you climb? Do you climb mountains or walls? Do you run races or around the block? I do-"

"Shut up!" She yells.

"What does shut up mean? Please tell me! I like to learn stuff! Is it good or bad? I have to know! I am tired, are you? Maybe I should take a nap. Or should I stay awake and talk to you all night? I don't know what I want to do. What do you want to d-"

"Will if you're hearing or seeing this I'm really sorry!"

She hits me in the head with something hard and I'm out.

My eyes flew open. My head is killing me and I can't lift my head or anything I can't move. Not my arms or legs. Something is holding my arms onto whatever I was laying on. I had a gag in my mouth and I think my arms and legs were tied up. I try and scream but it's muffled by the gag. Someone who looks like Mira comes up to me with something in hand I can't see it because everything is in a blur of colors. She brings it to my head and I'm out again. This time when I awake Mira is sitting next to me. At least I think she was. She was blurred but I could see her blonde hair. My head hurt worse than before. I was still tied up with the gag in my mouth. My ears started to ring and my head hurt worse and worse by the second. My eyes open wider and I see she has something in her hands and is putting something onto my head. I try to lift my head but she pushes it down softly.

"Will, stop moving."

"I-it hur-hurts."

Pain explodes in my skull. Just hearing myself talk makes it hurt.

"I know. It's supposed to hurt. Let him go!"

"St-stop." I say. "What a-are y-you doing?"

She doesn't respond. I didn't know what she was talking about. My eyes squeeze shut. Then it stops. I don't move still. I feel a prick in my neck and I get lost in thought.

Darkness is all I see. The dark void beneath me just waiting to swallow me whole. The only thing was: I wasn't falling. What a birthday this was.... Fifteen year old being, taken to fight in a game, getting knocked out several times by a girl, my brain going all awkward and that's not even close to all of it. Maybe this way I wouldn't have to fight in the arena. I would be in this dark void forever. Maybe it's better for my sisters to live with a baker. Someone with food, clothing, and a home. I don't have a home. My home is gone forever, and I won't ever see it again. Same with my sisters. Staying in this dark void forever, may be boring. But who cares? I won't do anything wrong and I can't hurt anyone. Nobody here except me.

Suddenly a whole platform appeared beneath me, with a road leading to a home.

"Couldn't get better then this." I grin.

Void taken care of, now for food and water.

I walk over to the small house feeling tired, yet happy. I accidently trip and scrape my knee. Although I don't feel anything and when I look at it it's not even hurt. Paradise. Ill be living in paradise. Nobody here with me, though. I'm all alone. My worst nightmare. It seemed to scare me even more since I'd be like this forever. Forever and ever. Shivers ran down my spine and I sit down in the grass. Rocking back and forth hugging my knees. I should've been brave but I'm not brave. I'm not strong. I'm not fast. I'm nobody. 'Nobody'. It repeats itself over and over inside my head. 'Nobody'. At least nobody will see me like this; I won't be noticed and nobody will ever know.  I bring my locket out of my pocket and the memory burns into my mind. I remember when my mother pressed this locket into my palm. I almost remember it as if it had happened yesterday. "Will, never lose this. It's a special locket." My mother had said. I never lost it and I held it now. Nobody knew about the locket besides me and my Mother. What would she think of me now?

I can't and won't think of anything else. So the only thing I can do is sleep. My eyes close and I drift off. When I awake I am not in my paradise. I'm somewhere where I will suffer pain. Horrible pain. I groan. Pain is one thing I can't escape from and I never will be able to. It's impossible, pain is something everyone can't escape.

I lie there, feeling the agony of it all. I don't know what else to expect. Something that feels like cold metal is touching my head, even though I lie down on something soft. I don't bother check my surroundings. Moving my head makes the pain far worse than it already is. I don't understand what's happening at all. All I do know is I'm having a very... painful birthday. Someone walks over to the side of the bed carrying a needle I think. Everything is too blurry for me to see anything. My ears ring far to loudly for me to hear anything. The figure comes closer. I close my eyes hoping they didn't see them open. To see I think I'll have to blink a few times. So I do, and I can just barely make out a girl. Mira? Is it?

"Where am I?" I groan.

Her mouth moves but I don't hear her voice. I could talk without as much pain, now.

"What?" I ask.

She says it again.

Then she mouths 'can you hear me' I think. So I say, "no."

She's about to inject something into me when I say, "Please don't...."

She hesitates, but she does it anyway. Then she moves over to my head and does something to it. My vision clears a little bit and I can hear. I sigh when the pain goes away.

"Better?" She asks.

"Yes." I say. "Who are you?"

"You don't remember me?" She said.

"No I don't think so.... Why?" I ask.

She adjusted something else and I can see clearly again. As clear as a diamond?

"Now, let's see if you remember me when you look more closely." She said.

I stare at her for a second then say, "Mom?"

"Yes." She said.

I smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't you think I heard you were going into the arena?" She says.

"Yeah, but... I never thought...." I say.

"I know," She said.

"Where's Mira?" I ask.

"You mean the girl who kept hitting you with a saucer pan?"

"Wait what?" I said.

"Oh by the way happy birthday!"

"Thanks." I say. "Wait why are you here then?"

"To get you safe, your father is here too." She said.

"Can we take Mira with us?" I say.

"Mira, come here." She called. "Want to come with us?"

"Sure." She said.

"Will, one thing we have to do though. We have to get whatever they gave you out. We almost finished and you only have about five minutes till we finish." My mother said.

"Okay." I groan.

She worked with the machine and I couldn't hear anymore. My eyes started to blur. Five more minutes and it will all be over. The intense pain goes through my body and I feel more then I did before. My hands instinctively go to my head and try to take it off but two hands push them down. It seemed like I had been feeling the pain for hours when it had only been four minutes. The pain grew larger so it hurt even more. It stops instantly and I sigh. My father I think stands over me and places his hands under me. I feel more hands grabbing onto me and I feel myself being lifted into the air. My parents are here or am I dreaming? Big surprise. My happiness drains away when I black out.