When I awake, it's to the sound of the anthem, blaring in my ears like the gamemakers are warning me to wake up, now.

The sky lights up with the seal of Panem, making me close my eyes briefly as it's BRIGHT. 

And then I open them again. I need to see who died. 

First is Dahlia from five. I expected that. I saw her die, didn't I? 

Didn't I?...

Yes. Yes, I did. So, Dahlia. One more tribute dead. 

The boy from ten appears in the sky. I think his name was Pepperoni- wow, interesting name. 

Then there's the starving girl from twelve who was with the career pack. Etta. 

I wonder if she was really that bad. I mean, she was with the careers, but maybe they were holding her prisoner. 

I mean, she probably didn't get food. Maybe she died from hunger. 

The sky fades too black, leaving me in complete darkness. 

I realize that I'm lying on the sand, and the careers are nowhere to be seen. They must've done as they said and left me to die. 

I groan. They should've just killed me! It'd be faster, plus I'll die anyways, and I don't want it to be something long and drawn out.

Wait- they gave me two good-sized cuts, which were both bleeding like crazy when I blacked out. 

Blacked out. From blood loss. I don't remember how long it takes to die from blood loss, but it must not be long if the careers were willing to leave me time to get away and try to heal myself. 

I mean really, how to heal blood loss for beginners: stop the blood from flowing. Easy. 

Then shouldn't I be dead by now? From blood loss? And shouldn't I be absolutely covered in my own bloody blood? And...

Wow, I'm really saying blood a lot, aren't I?

Or thinking it, really. Blood blood blood blood blood.

Too much blood. 

Too much violence. 

Too much- ugh. 

I've got a headache. 

And maybe heatstroke. I was lying out in the desert all day, after all. 

Well, in the morning I'll figure that out. 

I'll find a rock or something to hide under until- until something happens. I don't know what. 

Then maybe I'll figure out what I'll do next.

I close my eyes. Darkness envelops me. 

And I fall through the sandy ground into a dream. 

Or maybe it's a dream. Maybe it's not. 

Because it seems like I wake up. My eyes open to see the sun shining high above me. 

I groan, it's bright. My headache's gotten worse. 

I pinch myself. It hurts, but I don't wake up. 

So this is reality- weird. 

I sit up. My wounds seem to be healed. Maybe someone healed me while I was sleeping. 

My forehead aches as I brush the sand off myself.

I look around, and notice two dead bodies lying next to me. I wrinkle my nose at the smell, and tears start to form in my eyes when I recognize them as Victor and Dahlia. 

I look away quickly, and start to jog into the distance. I want to get as far away from them as possible, and it's not only because of the smell. 

A voice rings out through the arena. 

"Hello, my little gemstone..." My sister sounds like how I remember her, but her voice is so loud it makes me skip a step.

I trip, face planting in the sand, which isn't a very nice feeling, I have to say. Don't try it. 

"Asha!" I yell as loud as I can. Loud enough that everyone nearby has most likely heard me and is now coming this way- but I don't care, not right now, not when my sister might be alive!

She laughs, a mean sound that is nothing like the kind giggle she had in my dream. 

My dream. This must be a dream. This must be- 

And if it's a dream, can't I do anything I want? Well, maybe I could try. 

I ignore my sister's voice. She's mocking me, laughing at me, insulting me, bringing tears to my eyes. But I ignore her. 

Because it CAN'T be her. It just can't. 

Or if it is... I guess she's changed, a lot. 

Or maybe she hasn't. I never really knew her, did I? 

No. I didn't. I was too young... maybe she really is like this. 

I go back to concentrating. I don't want to think about Asha that way. Not now, not ever. 

I close my eyes and imagine a pair of wings sprouting on my back. 

Ones like eagles have, the kind we often see from the trees, which swoop around on their wide wings and then dive down to catch their prey.

Yes, I want those wings. I want to fly. I want to fly away from this, all of this, far, far, away, far enough that no one will ever find me or even bother to search for me. 

I feel feathers tickling my back and open my eyes. 

There, right behind me, is a magnificent pair of wings. 

I smile and laugh and spread them wide, then leap into the air. With no particular grace, wings are hard and this is my first time flying. 

I soar and soar, and don't slow down until my sister's voice has faded into the distance. 

I bask in the sunlight. It warms my skin, makes me feel like everything will be amazing forever and ever and-

The sunlight disappears, and rain starts to drench me.

Wet, wet, rain, which weighs me down and freezes me to the bone. 

I start to droop down. Fog clouds my vision, but I think I see people up ahead. 

I start to panic. I spread my wings. I try to land somewhere else, no, no, I don't want to die, I need to move-

The sudden sound of a scream surprises me. Well, fills me with fear. Whichever. 

But it shocks me enough that I forget to try to stop going downwards. 

My wings pull inwards, against my will, and I'm falling. 

I hit the sand hard, but nothing feels hurt. I look around. 

And there's Cassia. Holding up a knife, blood splattering her face but quickly being washed away by the downpour. 

She's laughing. A horrible laugh. An evil laugh. 

The screaming continues. I think I hear my name in it, plus the words 'help' and 'me', but I'm frozen. 

I can't move. My limbs won't work. The fog won't even let me SEE what's happening clearly-

A cannon sounds. Salty tears flow down my cheek like a waterfall. I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die. Right now. 

The fog starts to clear. Lightning lights up the sky with a flash. 

Cassia looks at me for one moment. Her skin looks translucent. 

She flickers once, twice, then vanishes. 

The sound of thunder rings out, and the fog disappears. 

Now the only thing I can hear is the rain hitting the sand. Hitting me. 

It's peaceful in a way, sometimes, when I hear it hitting the leaves in the forest or the roof of our house. 

But now it makes me sad. Sad and afraid. Something that makes me want to run away, run so far away. Away from my mother, forever. Away to my sister, to my father. 

I get a good look at the dead person. 

It's Aegis. Covered in blood, and I don't want to describe any wounds or relive it.

I scream, and a knife shoots into my heart. 

I crumple, falling to the sand, my last sound sound stuck in my throat.

The world falls away. I fall down, down, so far down, into the sand, into darkness.

And I wake up.