Monsters Among Us.

The 45th Hunger Games.

Prologue - Part One

"You say you know love but you are just reflecting words you hear. No iron in your veins could give you any sense of pain or fear."

Eris Belmont, 22, District One.

Eris glanced over to where Daphne was curled over in the bay window, arms wrapped around her knees and eyes fixed on something that he couldn't really see. It had been like this since she returned from the Games. His Daphne was reduced to the shadow of the girl she once was. Eris had proposed to her the day before she volunteered. He took her to one of District One's best resturants and told Daphne everything he felt right there.

Eris would do anything in his power to take away her pain and see that bright smile again. There was something about Daphne, perhaps the snarky personality or the desire of being the best in everything, that reminded Eris of himself at nineteen. That's why he had insisted that they should leave her alone. Eris could still remember Daphne's face, messy blonde hair and a vacant expression, after the Victory Tour. He did her best to try and know what happened, for Daphne's sake, but he wasn't Dario. His best friend was the one that could get information out of anyone that he wanted, just like they were two teenage boys in the Academy, discussing who had the best odds to win the Games. But still, he tried and asked Dario for help. For Eris's suprise, neither he or Dario succeeded.

They hadn't let him be her mentor even thought he had fought them tooth and nails. As soon as the council had decided that Daphne Kane would be the female volunteer, Eris had been at their throat, begging them to choose him as Daphne's mentor.

No one else loved her as much as Eris did, after all.

"It's a conflict of interest, Mr. Belmont," was all the mayor said to him, before he turned away, the vacant look in his eyes telling Eris that he didn't give a damn if Daphne came home or not. He couldn't leave District One while Daphne was in the Capitol, that were Mayor Amori's orders.

He was there for her victory party, but it was already too late. The light had already left her eyes.

Eris had to admit, he was never that close to Caius in the first place. But since he realized Caius had done everything in his place to bring Daphne home, Eris knew that he knew that he would never be able to repay him. Devon was the one that he connected the most with, maybe because they went throught almost the same thing, when they were only innocent children, who couldn't even speak and Devon was Eris' first successful mentorship, after all. Eris had made a vow to look over him, too. The young boy was never supposed to know the truth about what happened when he was only a small child. He would be in serious trouble if the President found out the dark secret of one of his perfect victors.

It took eight months before he allowed himself to hope. Catatonic, they had said. The best doctors in the Capitol, with their blank eyes and forced smiles, assured him that her voice would return soon. That he didn't have to worry. But Eris knew that they were so wrong.

He knew the fear that could make you weak and shaking as the faces of dead people appeared right before your eyes, and you could do nothing to stop them. He knew how it felt to find yourself unable to move, to scream or do anything at all as they crept up on you. All that Eris wanted was to help her but instead, he found a locked door every night.

He didn't know what they had done to her in the victory tour and Eris could only pray that they didn't do to Daphne the same thing that they had done to him. The people in the Capitol, with their ridiculous clothes and stupid smiles, wanted to get a taste of the new Victor every year. When Eris won, he was sold to four clients in the same night. He didn't want to imagine what they would do to a beauty like Daphne.

"Look at the snow, Eris. So beautiful," she said suddenly one day and Eris has to stop himself from crying, because the shock of hearing her voice for the first time is too much. He had been on their counch, watching the news, when she spoke, gaze fixed outside.

He had to stop his hands from shaking with hope, after all, it wasn't the first time. There had been many false alarms in the past months, when she just said a few words and then disappeared into her own little world. He climbed into the window opposite her and while she was gazing at the snow, Eris was looking at her. The tumbling, golden curls that were stuck in a ponytail but still fell over her face like a curtain, protecting her from cruel world outside.

Eris couldn't stop himself, he bent over and kissed her cheek, to show her how happy he was that she came back to him.

Maybe it was worth the wait, after all.

Author's note:

Song: "Rules" by Jaymee Dee.

Hey guys. So, this was the prologue to my new story, Monsters Among Us. I hope all of you enjoyed this and if anyone is wondering, we will be seeing more from both of them, with a POV from Daphne herself in the next chapter!

I'm probably missing something. Oh yes! Open submissions for this SYOT. Deadline is November 24th. Form is on my profile, and I will only recieve tributes throught PM.

I would like to thank kindnessandbravery, jakey121 and bobothebear for helping me with this. You guys are amazing.

Anyways, next chapter will have the tribute list and blog link!

Again, hope you guys enjoyed this!

- 'loe.