It's amazing how quickly I can come about. Sometimes I even surprise myself with the rapidity in which I am able to take the soul away from the body. But what many human beings miss- especially if they're not the one doing the dying- is just how long those last couple of seconds seem.

Joule had been wandering around the arena for some time. With his slight and nimble frame and fast feet, he had managed to escape the bloody slaughter of the first day, though his partner, Luminaire, had been caught and killed nearly four steps near the Cornucopia. Joule had not time nor feeling to grieve. He was too busy fighting for his own life.

But just then, it had only been him in the arena, which was a marsh filled with tall grasses, scattered ponds, dozens of bushes covered in bright, multicolored berries, and overlooked by a constantly grey sky.

Joule really had no idea how he had managed to avoid me thus far, but he was only three days into the Games and he knew the Careers had formed an alliance, ready to take him or anyone else down.

He was as careful as he could be, but it was difficult and suffocating to stay hidden in the tall grass all the time. But if he exposed himself into one of the small clearings, he knew he would be killed. Such thoughts made him try to think of better times, so he found himself giving much thought to his home.

Despite living in District 5, Joule didn't know very much about his district's craft. His class had only just started learning it when he had been chosen to be a part of the Hunger Games. While he forced his way through mud and scratchy blades of grass, his thoughts were with his family and what they were doing without him.

Thinking about all of his classmates, still together, still learning, made him feel more alone than he ever had. As he laid down his first night by a berry bush that was becoming overtaken by the tall grass, he began to realize just how small and powerless he was. He had no weapons with which to fight; he didn't even have the power of knowledge that his craft would have given him.

But because he spent the night beneath the berry bush, he spent most of it smelling the delicious berries. His stomach growled angrily at him throughout the night, demanding the berries be eaten. But he knew he mustn't. His knowledge on berries was vague, but he was sure anything put in here by the Capitol would surely lead to poison.

So, for the second time in two nights, he found a berry tree to rest under. He wrapped grass around his bony, shaking frame, hoping it would be enough to keep him warm in the winds that had begun to rage with a storm brewing.

As he slept, he dreamed. He was back home with his family. His mother, a sweet, pale woman with vibrant brown curly hair was smiling at him as she sat him down at the kitchen table. His father was also there- a kindly man with glasses and graying, light brown hair who gave his son a pat on the shoulder. Joule's baby sister was also there in the family's old, wooden high chair, banging a spoon against the side.

Joule's mother set down a bowl in front of him full of fresh, beautifully ripe berries with swirling dark blue hues. Joule picked up the fork that had appeared beside his bowl and hesitantly poked a berry with the prongs, watching the purple juice flow down the metal of the prong with a slow fascination before putting it into his mouth.

His tongue exploded with the blissful flavors of that berry; it was sweet, tangy, spiced- the most delicious berry he had ever tasted. He could feel the juice flowing from his teeth and his tongue down to the back of his throat. His stomach was finally satisfied; it had stopped its menacing growling.

He looked at his mother, whose smile had turned sad, tears filling her eyes. Panicked, he looked at his father, whose tears were also brimming behind partially clouded spectacles. His sister's face crumbled as though she were about to cry.

But what could have happened? Joule wondered, staring around at his family, sad and scared, wondering why they were acting this way. He became even more panicked when he realized his tongue had gone numb.

He tried to raise his hands to see what had gone wrong with his mouth when he found his hands no longer bothered obeying him. They laid by his side, unable to move. What was going on?

A loud crash of thunder transported Joule from his cozy home to the dark marshes of the arena. Cold drops of rain were falling fast from an angry sky. He was still wrapped in the grass, but the numbness in his mouth and arms remained and he could feel it creeping down to his legs. His entire upper body was completely immobile, save for some of the muscles in his eyes.

He was able to look up, as he was lying flat on his back, to the berry bush, puzzled, and frightened. So very frightened.

The lightening flashed, highlighting the berry bush for a brief moment before sinking the world into rainy darkness once more. It only took that lightning flash for Joule to realize what had happened. A berry had fallen into his mouth while he was sleeping. What a stupid, stupid thing to happen to him!

His entire body was now numb. He couldn't feel the coldness of the rain anymore, nor could he have moved out of it if he had wanted to. Even the muscles in his eyes were beginning to wane power over to the berry's effects.

No. He couldn't die like this; he wanted his mother and his father. He couldn't move- he couldn't even blink. He was so scared- why couldn't they come for him if he needed him so badly? How could there be so many seconds and milliseconds before I finally came for him? He couldn't stand the anxiety of dying- all he wanted was to be home again.

So I gave him his wish.

I did it with a bitter heart, but welcoming arms. I took him to a place where the Capitol would never hurt him again, and I promised that his loved ones would find him there one day. His spirit was a calm one, as though his final moments of panic and anxiety had washed him clean of any worry.

I am happy for his spirit, but my passivity has given way to the roiling anger I have stored in my heart for the millennia of unjust killings. They must stop and you must stop them because I have not the power to do so

A/N: Hello dear readers! I apologize for taking so long to update! I hope you liked this chapter, though it's a bit depressing. I'll try to fix that for next time; it'll be a bit easier to work with District 4 because more is known about it.

As always, thank you for reading! I love getting reviews, and if there's something you liked or didn't like about this chapter, please let me know!

Farewell, dear readers!