Disclaimer: I do not own "The Hunger Games," or ANYTHING associated with said franchise, movie(s), literature, games, merchandise, or other media.

Author Apologies(s): PLEASE, read ANY AND ALL of the following BOLDED text! Wow. Well, first of all, it has been a long time. I am so very sorry for the ridiculously-late response/update. I was caught-up with real-life, for a while (Baseball, Track-And-Field, Graduation, College Finalizations, Etc.), and my FIRST thought was to keep-track-of, and respond to any and all of the outstanding message-conversations that I have on this here site—and update any and all of my existing FanFictions. However, just as I got back on this site, I realized something: I have been reviewing/revising/re-writing my FanFictions, BEFORE I upload/update them, but it was NEVER ANYWHERE CLOSE to how much I NEEDED To review/revise/re-write them! ...So, I STARTED reviewing, revising, and rewriting ANY AND ALL of my FanFictions, and just when I was about HALF-WAY through doing that (I Have OVER 200,00 WORDS Published/Posted On This Godforsaken Site! Do You Know How LOOOOOONG That Takes To Review/Revise/Rewrite?! VERY LONG!), and about to respond to any and all of my messages, when my life fell apart—literally.

Between psychotic breaks, episodic events, and metal crazes, (All Of Which Were Caused By My Life, That Just Happened To Turn Super-Sucky), I was, well, incapacitated.

You don't need an excuse. But, you do deserve one.

The good news (For EVERYONE) is the following. Writing my OWN ORIGINAL Books-Series (There Are FOUR, SEPARATE, UN-Related, Book-Series, And Hopefully, I Will Have A Literary Agent/Publishing-Deal, In A Year, OR Two! …On The SLIM Chances That Is DOES Actually Occur, Or Happen…), looking for agents, looking-into-querying, and FAN-FICTION have become my outlet! ...So, my depressing life will make for AWESOME FanFiction, with HAPPY undertones (But, My Stories/FanFictions Will STILL Have Character-Deaths [Well, SOME], Gore, Blood [NOT TOO Much, Though], Romance, And NO OOC-Ness, OR Mary-Sues, Mind-You!).

I have JUST finished-up reviewing/revising/rewriting my CURRENTLY-POSTED chapters of any and all Fan Fictions, and today is the day that I shall be updating ANY AND ALL of my FanFictions. And, also, today is also the day, that I will-be starting three NEW FanFictions, and they will be the LAST FanFictions that I will EVER start—unless, I decide to do a cross-over, between my DC-Comics-FanFiction, and my MARVEL-Comics-FanFiction (BOTH, The MARVEL-FanFiction, AND, The DC-Fan Fiction, Features A Teenage, Next-Gen-Hero-Team, So Having Them Team-Up In A Cross-Over Would Be Kind-Of Cool. …But, IF I Do That Cross-Over, Then That Definitely Would Be The LAST Fan Fiction That I EVER START!)! For a timeline of future updates you should know this: "I Will NOT Cancel ANY Of My FanFictions!" I WILL FINISH THEM ALL! …If you wish to have a better idea of how often updates will be coming, though, I have FOUR FanFictions that take precedent over my others, and as such, those four will probably be updated faster than others. You should all note, however, that I WILL be updating ANY AND ALL of my FanFictions! However, I am unsure, as to how long each update will take, so PLEASE HAVE PATIENCE! So, to keep-up with the updates, PLEASE, subscribe to me/my-story, favorite me/my-story, or message me and ask me to personally message you whenever I DO update, and I will HAPPILY do so!

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Accolades/Appreciation: Thanks for ANY/ALL of the reviews! I really appreciate them, and I take them all into account. Don't stop now, though! ONWARD!

IV. Pregame

Blood flowed freely. Rivers, seas, and oceans of scarlet swirled around her. She was drowning. So she swam. She recognized this blood, though. This was the blood that she had spilt. She had filled all of these seas. This was her blood, the blood that she owed, the blood that she had spilt. She swam swiftly, skillfully, trying her best to reach the rocky coast in the dark distance.

After some time, she reached soft, scarlet-soaked, ground. She crawled ashore, and collapsed. She looked into the distance, and she saw what she feared the most approaching her. On the bloody beach, under the dark sky, was a bloody boy approaching her. She sat upright, and steadied herself, bracing for a fight.

He did not return the favor. He did not come to fight. He collapsed next to the girl, and he held his hand out to her. She went wide-eyed. She knew this boy. She hated this boy. She loved this boy. She killed this boy. She reached her hand out to him, and she gently grabbed his face. His face, showing that he was in preposterous pain, contorted into a sincere smile, as she caringly cupped his face. His smile fell, as she twisted his face, breaking his neck.

Against every single urge, every single resistance, every single want and desire in her body, she fought. She fought against her own will, and she did what she feared would be done. She killed the boy.

Prim snapped up, alert and awake, sweat sickeningly sticking to her skin. She turned to her left, and she saw that Klear was sleeping soundly on her bed, located directly adjacent to Prim's bed.

Prim let out the breath that she was unaware she had been holding in. She let her head fall back down to her pillow, and her mind began to roam reminiscently.

Prim closed her eyes, before she opened them and sprang swiftly out of bed. She was skillfully silent, and she was careful to ensure that Klear did not wake up. Prim grabbed her flannel pants from the hanger on the back of the closet door on the left wall of the dark, dreary room. Prim sighed, as she eased the door to the hallway beyond open, and stepped through, shutting it behind her.

She walked down the hallway, tying her hair up into a proportional ponytail, using only her hair and knotting it, as she walked. The gruesomely grey hallway did nothing to help alleviate her tension. Or her guilt.

She passed by the main living quarters of the train, and she heard laughter. The adults were still up. They were laughing. That was good. They rarely got to laugh. They rarely had reason to do so. Prim peered inside the room, and she observed the interactions inside, from a detached position outside of the room.

Inside of the room, a fire flared in the fireplace along the far back wall of the room, parallel to the hallway that Prim was standing in. Around the fireplace was a plethora of seats, and a multitude of tables, topped with deserts, alcohol, and reading materials. The plush seats were all occupied, save a few.

Katniss and Peeta sat beside each other, and in the next chair to their left sat Kol with Johanna on his lap. Haymitch sat to the right of Katniss, and he was fiddling with the wedding ring that was attached to the unbreakable chain around his neck, usually hidden beneath his clothes. Annie and Finnick sat directly across from Katniss and Peeta, a cold beer in Finnick's hands, and malt mixer in Annie's hands.

Kol got up from his seat, while Johanna was still laughing at someone's unknown remark, and he reached for a bottle of red wine. He poured her a glass, and she raised an eyebrow at him. He smiled and poured her another glass.

Katniss and Peeta both had full glasses of white wine and black rum respectively, but Haymitch was without alcohol, as was Kol.

"Y'know, Kol, it's oaky for you to drink too." Johanna said, smiling. "You won't win the game, but it's still fun to play." she said, smirking at him, and taking a sip of her wine.

Kolack smiled in return, repositioning himself beneath her. "I know. But I don't want to. Besides, it isn't fair that Haymitch is the only one that is forbidden from drinking, and I'm all for what is 'fair.'" Kol said, smiling sincerely at her. She smiled back and briefly kissed him on the lips.

"God, you two are too old for that. Besides, you know people from District Seven have no inhibitions. Do you want another child?" Haymitch asked mockingly. Johanna scowled at him. She didn't like people mentioning her age.

"No. But, you're one to talk about age, Haymitch! You're older than all of us, combined, and you obey any and all of your wife's orders, as if you're still a teenage boy trying to get some." Kol remarked.

Haymitch smiled. "I do get some. Probably more than you two. Put together." he replied. Katniss spit out her wine.

"Ughhhh. That is disgusting." she said.

Haymitch crossed his arms. "…Well…" he responded, feigning a tone of hurt.

Katniss raised an eyebrow at him.

"I didn't say it was disgusting when you and lover boy almost had sex on national television—twice—or when you put your hormonal horny teenage preferences above the good of the country—twice." he remarked. Katniss narrowed her eyes at him, but she stayed surprisingly silent. Haymitch was likely going to be in pain later tonight.

"I wasn't complaining." Peeta said, chuckling as he did so. Katniss hung her head. Everyone laughed.

"Seriously, though, Haymitch, how did you skip being a father, and go straight to being a granddaddy? That is both impressive, and sad." Finn remarked.

Haymitch chuckled. "Are you kidding me? Why would I have ever wanted any kids, after seeing—and raising—half of you psychopathic killers?!" he answered, and Finn responded by shrugging. Haymitch buried his wedding ring back beneath his shirt, and fixed it there.

Everyone erupted into a fit of merry, mirthful, laughter, and Prim smiled slightly. The sound of their laughter was like a rare drug to her ears. It was difficult to locate, and hard to hear, but when she did hear it, it was highly addictive. She smiled, and left the threshold of the open door, as she continued to walk down the hallway of the moving train.

After some time, Prim reached her destination. She sighed very deeply, and knocked lightly on the door in front of her. Silence ensued, and moments later, footsteps could be heard shuffling around in the dark room beyond. In mere moments, the door slid open, revealing Thal, and his arrogant smirk. And his shirtless torso…and his distinctly defined physical physique. Prim immediately regretted her decision.

Thal swiftly surveyed her, in her entirety. "Damn, princess. If this is you before your morning routine, then you're holding back when you do pretty yourself up." he said, smirking.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm stressed. I need an outlet." she said swiftly. Thal grinned.

He opened the door wider, and gestured to his empty bed beyond.

She wanted to slap him. But she did not. She saved it for later. "No, you idiot. I want to train. I need a sparring partner." she seethed.

He raised an eyebrow, and as he did so, Prim noticed something that she had previously missed. Thal was wearing glasses. "You mean that you need a punching bag. No thanks, princess. But, my preferred method of stress-relief is still on the table." he said, smirking once again.

She rolled her eyes once again.

"Coming?" she asked adamantly. He sighed.

"Fine. Just let me grab some stuff—and make-out my will." he said sarcastically. She refrained from rolling her eyes. She was known to be a sadist in training. Thal was used to that, though, and he would return the favor. She was sure of that.

Thal walked into his room, and Prim gingerly followed him, not wanting to wake her sleeping brother that rested on his own bed, on the opposite side of the room. Cain slept with his covers thrown off, his body in a haphazard position, his body bare, save for his boxers, and his bow gripped tightly in his hand, beneath his bed.

Prim entered the room, and she realized that it was not completely dark. She turned her head towards Thal's bedside nightstand, and she saw that he had a lamp turned on, and a novel was siting open beneath the lamp.

Prim walked to Thal's side, as he donned a pair of flannel pants over his boxers, and put on a shirt.

"You're reading?" Prim asked incredulously, as he removed his glasses from his face, and placed it next to his novel.

"Of course." he replied nonchalantly.

Prim raised an eyebrow, as he turned to face her. "Why?" she asked him.

"It would be a waste not to." he answered her.

Prim looked astonished. "How so?" she asked.

He smiled. "I'm going to live, because I want to, because I like life. I'm going to live, because my life is worthwhile, and wasting worthwhile things illogical. Worthwhile things—like myself—are meant to be used, not abused or thrown away. These books are worthwhile. They help me, by bettering myself, instilling me with knowledge, with experiences that I have never experienced, making me stronger, without making me weaker. They help me, and I help them—by reading them, they are not wasted." he explained. Prim stood silently still for a moment.

"I see…" she said, trailing off.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Would you like to borrow some?" he asked, and she thought for a moment before responding.

"What do you recommend?" she asked.

He smiled. "Everything." he said.

She looked at him with an unamused look. "I'm serious." she said.

"So am I." he replied, and she raised an eyebrow.

"I read everything, Prim. Every book that I can get my hands on, I read. I would recommend that you do the same. Young adult novels, fiction, nonfiction, biographies, books on religion, philosophy, theology, and even cooking are all useful books, and I would recommend that you read them all—even the bad ones." he elaborated.

Prim went wide-eyed. "Where did you find such a stash of books in a post-apocalyptic world?" she aptly asked him.

He shrugged. "There was an old library in District Seven that burned down. After the rebellion, no one thought it was valuable, but my dad wanted to keep as many books as he could, because aunt Klear loved to read. …So, I figured that I shouldn't let them go to waste, and here I am…" he said trailing off.

Prim nodded. "…I'll take a look at what you've got later. Right now, though I need to hit something, not read something." she said sternly. He chuckled.

"Alright then. Easy, princess. I'm all ready. Let's get going, then." he said leading the way out of his room. Prim followed, but not before gently throwing the covers back over her exposed brother.

Prim soon stepped outside of his room, and he shut the door. "Does he always sleep like that?" Thal asked.

Prim rolled her eyes. "Yes. You have no idea. He sleeps with his bow most of time, always expecting a threat, without realizing that he is the only threat in the room most of the time." she said, chuckling slightly. Thal smiled, and she immediately stopped chuckling.

"…And, what about you?" he asked her.

She turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "What about me?" she asked adamantly.

"Why are you up at this hour, Prim? Why are you so stressed out?" he asked her.

She huffed in annoyance. "I could ask you the same thing." she said bitterly.

He nodded. "You did. And I answered you." he replied. She swore mentally.

"I woke up, and I was tense, so I needed a way to relive the tension, okay?" she answered scathingly.

He nodded again. He sighed very deeply this time. "Did Klear wake you up?" he asked.

She looked at him in surprise. "…Klear?! No, of course not! Why would she have woken me up? She's been an angel, unlike some people on this train, you damn demon!" Prim whispered rashly.

Thal put his hands up in defensive motion. "Okay, okay, I was just checking. She has nightmares—often. I was simply wondering."

Prim stopped and looked lividly at him. "…She has nightmares?" she questioned quizzically. He nodded. "…Often?" she asked. He nodded again, sadly.

Prim tilted her head to one side. "Why?" she asked suddenly. Thal eyed her seriously.

"She was curious. She's smart, Prim; you know that. She wanted to know about The Hunger Games. Mom and dad tried to explain it to her, but she couldn't understand why people would do that to each other. Then, they broke it down even further for her. She understood. Unfortunately, with understanding comes—" Thal said, but Prim cut him off, before he could finish.

"—Fear." she said, finishing his statement. Thal looked at her and nodded slowly, sadly.

"I understand." she said. "I understand all too well." she added. He looked at her—and then into her. He had said more in that look, than he ever could with words. He knew that this girl could slit his throat at any moment of her choosing. He knew that she was capable of such a thing. He knew that she hated him. But, he also knew that she was the only person that he would want around in a fight. She was his greatest weakness—and his greatest strength.

"I know that you do. Klear is fine, though. She's getting better." he said, smiling sincerely. Prim nodded. She knew that that meant. One did not get better after learning about the atrocities of the Hunger Games. One only got used to it.

"How long does it take her to calm down?" Prim asked. Thal shrugged.

"She'll calm down and be right back to sleep, as soon as she gets in my arms. The problem is that I'm not always there." he said. Prim smiled.

"Well, at least when you are there, she has only good memories about you. Perhaps, then, it is best that you're not there all of the time. That way, she'll have to use her memories of you more often, and she'll only have the warm memories about you to use." Prim said. Thal nodded and smiled.

"As always, princess, what you do with your lips stun me." he said, smirking at his innuendo.

Prim huffed in severe annoyance. "At least there is one female that you give respect to." she replied.

She took off down the hallway, towards the training room. Thal followed close behind. "I don't give you respect, princess, because you are perfectly capable of taking it—and so you do. If I gave it to you, then I wouldn't be pushing you, and if I didn't push you, then you wouldn't become stronger, swifter, and smarter—as you have—and, in return causally challenge me to do better—to prove that I'm worthwhile. If I showed you respect, then we wouldn't challenge each other, and we wouldn't be playing this game, princess. And life is a game, princess. The point is to play." he responded elaborately.

"No. The point of a game is to win. I don't play games, Thal. I win them." Prim responded, without turning around. The smirk on Thal's face solidified.

Soon, the two tenacious teens reached their intended location: the train's central training room.

Prim opened the door to the room beyond, and she stepped inside, Thal following close behind. He closed the door behind him, and Prim flipped on the light switch on the wall to her left.

The lights came on, and they cascaded a bright barrage of illumination down on the two teens. The room was enormous. It was incredibly spacious, with a large, luminous, workout area to the far back, consisting of tons of machinery, free weights, and other devices designed to help tone one's body.

To their left was a target training center, with a rack of weapons—from firearms, to bows-and-arrows, to throwing knives and axes—and target ranges lay directly in front of the rack.

To their right was an extensive rope course, and a hardened foam obstacle course.

In the direct middle of the room was a foam floor mat, designed for controlled matches, and around the very outer edges of the entire training room, was a track designed for long distance runs. Prim eyed the mat, and then she shot a sinister smile at Thal. He smirked in return, and gestured to the equipment on the far side of the room. She rolled her eyes, and walked over to the equipment.

The children of the Victors were targets. The Capitol Crusaders wanted them to cease existing, because they gave strength to the ones that stopped the Capitol Crusaders from achieving their goals—the Victors, themselves. The Victors were symbols, symbols of hope and freedom, of strength. They were indestructible as long as their strong symbolism stood for what was just. The people of Panem had put their faith into these Victors, and that act took strength. That faith was strength. The people of Panem were strong for that.

And, now the Victors put their faith into the people of Panem, to rebuild this country, to make it better. And, together, the country began to eliminate weakness—and the country survived, because the strong lived. The Capitol Crusaders thought differently, though, and they believed that President Paylor and the Victors were weaklings, cowards hiding behind the people of Panem. Some they sought to prove that—by attacking.

The Capitol Crusaders were rebels that wanted the Victors and Paylor to be eradicated. Their numbers were small, but their efficiency was high. So, to protect their children, the Victors—and Gale, as he and his family were directly associated with President Paylor—trained, tempered, and taught their children to defend themselves—to survive. And they had succeeded. Soldiers, Victors, and skilled fighters had assisted these children in becoming survivors, and it had paid off, as there had been attempts on their lives—but they had survived.

The two teens located the small miniature refrigerator near the first row of treadmills, and they opened it, each taking a full bottle of water, and downing in almost a single gulp. They then stretched—extensively. When their flawless flexibility was up to their standards, they both looked to one another, and then they headed for the nearest treadmill.

They mounted two treadmills that were directly adjacent to each other, and they activated the machines, turning the speed settings well above the recommended settings. Then they ran. And they didn't stop. They didn't even slow down, and when their sides began to burn, when their breaths began to come in sharp, singeing pains, the continued to run.

They continued, against any and all odds, until the machines said that they had run for ten minutes at a constant rate of twelve miles-per-hour.

They both dismounted the treadmill simultaneously, and their breathing began to normalize rather quickly.

Thal looked to Prim, and she returned the look, smirking. "Finished with the warm up?" he asked her.

She thought for a moment. "Not yet. I'm not warm, yet." she replied.

He chuckled. "Trust me, princess, you're on fire. Careful, or you might set the whole train ablaze, hot stuff." he said, winking at her, as he got up, from his kneeling position. Prim did the same, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Every snide remark is an extra drop of your blood that I shall spill." she said, and as she did so, vivid visions of her dream reappeared in her head. She shook them loose. Thal turned around to face her, and he smiled at the remark.

"My blood is pretty valuable. Spill all you want, but, trust me, you're going to pay for it." he said, smirking once again.

Prim rolled her eyes, but the moment that he turned around, she inhaled and exhaled deeply. The images from her dream would not leave her, so she would have to force them away.

They then walked over to his free weights. They each grabbed two twenty-pound dumbbells, and they then proceeded to do fifteen sets of twenty-five lifts with the dumbbells in each hand, and their forms were excellent.

They relaxed for a few moments, before quickly dropping into a sit-up position and performing 100 consecutive sit-ups, each of growing intensity, power, and pace. They sat up the final time, and they caught their breaths, as their breathing normalized far faster than the average human's breathing would have stabilized.

They looked at each other and they nodded. The warm up was over. It was time to fight.

They walked over to the foam floor mat, and they both took their positions on the opposite sides of the mat. They expertly eyed each other, stretching and waiting for the other to make his or her move.

"Ladies first." Thal said, smirking once again.

Prim cracked her knuckles. "Throw the first punch, and I'll throw the last." she readily replied.

"Ground rules?" Thal asked. She smirked.

"Yes. You hit the ground, you lose." she responded. He raised his eyebrows. She did the same.

"I'm serious. Tap outs only. No cheap shots." Thal said seriously, and Prim nodded inn response.

"Agreed." she replied. Thal smirked.

"Good." he said. "Now, come on princess, let's get on with it. Enough foreplay, let's get right down to the physical activity. I like my women to take charge, to take the top—although they never last like that." he said smugly.

Prim smiled. "And like every woman before me, you will disappoint me, and last all of twenty seconds." she replied, equally as smug. He narrowed his eyes, and she did the same.

Prim and Thal assumed their fighting stances, each unique to their openly overt styles, and they slowly began to circle each other. Thal motioned towards Prim, telling him to throw the first punch. Prim shook her head, and repeated Thal's action. Thal smirked. 'On three?' he mouthed. Prim smiled and nodded.

On the count of three, both teens charged at each other, beginning a furious fight to the finish. Thal delivered swift roundhouse kick to the head of his opponent, and Prim blocked the attack, while grabbing Thal's raised foot with both of her hands. Prim threw her body weight forward, and she fell on Thal, as Thal had his leg pinned parallel to his body, bending in the opposite direction that it was intended to bend.

Thal winced, and he swiftly spun over, as he pinned Prim beneath him, while he hammered Prim's exposed side with a powerful punch. Prim reeled back, and in that instance, Thal swiftly snapped his leg—which was still painfully pinned up to his chest against its natural direction of motion—out to its full length.

The moment that his pinned leg snapped out and hit the soft floor, he powerfully propelled himself forward, using both feet. As Thal flew over Prim's body, parallel to the ground, he launched past Prim, and he secured his ankles tightly around the brunette's neck, as he planted his hands on the floor, and flipped flawlessly forwards. Prim was lying on her back before Thal's ankles had wrapped around her neck, and the moment that Thal flipped forwards, Prim went with him, face first, and she hit the mat on the other side of Thal, face down, in front of her standing opponent. Thal didn't get to catch his breath, though.

Prim threw all of her weight to her left, as she spun skillfully away from Thal's fist, and she swept Thal's feet out from under him, as her body rotated on the mat. Prim planted her hands on the ground, and she pushed off—hard. She launched herself upwards, and she caught Thal by surprise, as she grabbed Thal's throat just before he hit the ground.

Prim spun under Thal's body, and she used her momentum to carry her, as she forcefully slammed Thal, throat first, into the floor. While Thal was on the ground, he quickly kicked Prim's legs out from under her, and he followed her spin with a swift strike aimed at Prim's chin. Thal's backhanded blow impacted Prim under her chin, and she flew backwards, as Thal got to his feet.

Prim recovered quickly, as Thal came charging at her once again. Prim deftly ducked out of the way of a flurry of Thal's oncoming attacks, and she skillfully spun around Thal's body. With her back to Thal's back, Prim quickly reached behind her, and she clasped her hands tightly around his throat. Prim pulled her hands up and over her head—hard. Thal hit the floor, face first, and he impacted with the ground hard. Thal tried to get to her feet, but Prim held her grip on his throat and dropped her knee on his back.

"Tap out." Prim said.

"No!" came Thal's muffled reply from the floor. Prim rolled her eyes, and she released her grip. Thal launched to his feet once again, and the two teens circled each other and pounced once again.

Two hours later, both of the fighters were beaten, bloody, and bruised all over. The fight had ended in a draw.

"You should have tapped out." Prim said, through a swollen jaw.

Thal sighed. "There is just no pleasing you, is there?" he asked sarcastically, through bleeding lips, as the two teens erupted in loud laughter. The only time that they could ever have gotten along, seemed to be when they were trying to hurt each other. It was the only thing that they could agree on.

Thal got to his feet, and he offered his hand to Prim, but she refused it, and helped herself up.

The two tired teens limped to his room, and they stopped at the door. Thal turned to Prim. He sighed. "I'm sorry." he said.

She looked at him quizzically. "You don't have to apologize. You never have before." she stated simply. He nodded.

"But, this time is different. I hurt your face, badly." he replied.

"I kicked your ass too. I always do. It was even. I don't need an apology." she said, smirking, regardless of how it physically pained her to do so.

He shook his head. "I wasn't apologizing to you. I was apologizing to myself." he said.

She raised an eyebrow, and voiced the one word that was on her mind. "Why?" she asked.

"I am apologizing to myself for damaging the only thing—the only sight—that was able to bring me out of the crappy world that is our reality—that is the world of constant upheavals, and rebellions, and bloodshed. I am apologizing to myself for damaging my one form of solace." he said, as he gently, gingerly, graced her bleeding lip with his right thumb, wiping away her scarlet solution. His thumb lingered there for more than was medically necessary.

Prim locked eyes with him, and before she became engulfed in their gravity, she swiftly shut her eyes. The moment that she did, a flood of feelings rushed through her that she did know could exist. The visions from her dreams were no longer visions. They were real. Thal. The boy on the bloody beach was Thal. She had killed him, and it was real—all of it. She had killed him, by destroying the one thing that he cherished—herself; she had killed her true self by becoming the murderer in that dream. She snapped his neck. And, regardless of how much she fought he urge to perform the action, she enjoyed it. Her eyes snapped open, and she swiftly slapped his and away from her face.

She turned to head back to her room that she was currently sharing with Klear.

Thal took a step back, back from her, back from the touch, back from reality. "Nice fight, princess. No one won the game, though. I suppose you were wrong, then. The point wasn't to win. The point wasn't simply to play." he said, addressing her retreating figure.

"No." she said suddenly, stopping in her tracks. "No, Thal. The game's not over. We're still playing." she said, walking away, stunned by the truth of her own words.

A/N: Well, I hope that you all enjoyed that chapter. On a side-note, any and all of you, wonderful readers/reviewers, should surely check-out my profile, and see what other of my publicly posted FanFics might interest you! There may be a few. If you have read a book, then the chances are that I have read it as well, and if I have read it, then I'd love to talk about it! Message me, if any of you guys have any questions, or just want to chat, about ANYTHING. I'd love to hear from you! Also, if you want to enjoy more awesome "Hunger Games FanFiction," then I suggest that you all check-out my newest Hunger Games FanFic, entitled "Heartless Bloodlines." The first chapter of this new FanFic was published today! The faithful followers of this story will LOVE that other HG FanFic that I am writing, as will any fan of "The Hunger Games." Reading/reviewing that story will give the feedback that I need—and, when I get what I need to write, I tend to write more! Well, stay tuned for the next update, and please click that subscribe/alert button, if you want the alerts for updates on this story, or simply message me, and ask me to message you every time I update, as I would be HAPPY to do so! So, please R&R, and stay tuned for the next update!