Part I: "The Spark"

"Prim, you gotta stop scaring away the game."

Wow. That's the tenth time Katniss has hissed that at me, I can tell she misses Gale. I sigh and mumble in a whisper, "Sorry, Katniss. Thanks again for brining me." For the first time in a long time Katniss decided to bring me hunting with her. After the Games, it's not the killing that bothers me anymore, it's the fact that my body refuses to stop causing me to make noise.

She wants Gale to be hunting with her, but because he's working in mines, but to neither of their content, she brought me with her, because Mrs. Hawthorne asked her to bring Rory. Rory has been wanting to learn how to hunt for a very long time, and I guess Katniss decided it would be less odd if I came with them, being so close to Rory and all.

After the Games, me and Rory have been closer than ever, my best friend, and possibly something more if I wanted, but until the Victory Tour is over, and I'm sure that Snow isn't out to kill me, I'm trying not to get too close to him.

"Prim!" Katniss hisses when I step on a branch and the squirrels near her on the ground take off in another direction.

The reason I'm so uneasy is because everyone from the Capitol is coming today. That's the reason I can't just stand still, hold my poor excuse for a bow, and pretend that I'm having the time of my life. Rory's doing a lot better than me, he takes after Gale, his snares are amazing. Speaking of Rory, he lets out a close to silent chuckle that I barely catch, but when I do, I spin around and jokingly point my arrow at him.

"Easy, Miss Victor." he says, placing a hand on my bow and lowering it. I roll my eyes at him, but before I can say anything, Katniss hushes us, and peers into the weak morning light before us. The woods are nicer than I remember, very pretty at dawn. Suddenly, and arrow shoots out of Katniss' bow and sails a good few feet in front of our small group. We hear a sickening crack when the arrow hits its mark. "Good job, Katniss." Rory says admiringly.

I decide to turn on whatever predator instincts I have left from the Games. I'd like to hit at least one thing with my arrows. It's a mystery to me how I managed to kill Thresh with one of them. No. The thought of Thresh brings the Games back to my mind; I do my best to push it out again. Nightmares had claimed me since the Games ended, and I spent almost every night in my mother's bed.

"We can't stay to much longer though, Rory, you'll have to get back to Hazelle soon." Katniss tells us. "Besides, Prim's got important Victor duties to tend to."

Rory sighs in defeat. Ever since the Games, we've been closer, but then again, something about him has changed...or maybe it's me. I grew up so much in that arena, when I came home, pretending to be a scared little girl and still trying to keep that cover now, things changed. As much as I try to look intimidated by the world, everyone knows I'm a killer, and I'm starting to get as hostile as my sister. Regardless of anything, or who has changed, I'm assuming he wants to spend more time in the woods, or with me...he still confuses me.

"Another hour?" I ask hopefully, because no one is coming to our new house until a couple hours from now.

Katniss sighs and thinks for a minute, than tells us, "Sure, one more hour."

"Yes." Rory and me whisper in happy usion.

"But-" she says. Oh, she's not done yet. "-if you two scare off any more game, we're going home."

Rory groans, but I simply take it, because I know she's really talking to me. I decide to be silent to the best of my ability, the longer I stay here, the less anxiety I'll have about the Victory Tour.

The hour ticks by quickly, Katniss manages to shoot two more squirrels after collecting the first one, and Rory gets a bird, much to my envy. After that, we check our snares, Katniss' are doing pretty well, a good haul, Rory's are doing only slightly less good because it's his first time, and I only caught one rabbit. It's an embarrassment compared to what they caught, and I suddenly know I'm not cut out to be a hunter. I'm a healer, simple as that.

"Alright," Katniss says when the hour passes. "Rory, let's go to the Hob real quick, trade in some Game, get some food, money..." she trails off, knowing she doesn't actually need it. "Then you can go home and show Hazelle all your things, okay?"

Rory nods with a smile on his face. "Great," he says happily. "Prim, can I have your rabbit?" he asks, and without waiting for a response, he slits its throat and slides it in his new game bag that Mrs. Hawthorne made him. Classy.

After a fairly productive time at the Hob, we drop Rory off, he shows off all his game and money, Mrs. Hawthorne thanks us, and we go.

"Sorry about scaring away all the game." I mumble, kicking a rock as we walk and watching it fly out of my sights.

"It's okay, we caught enough." Katniss says, kissing me on top of my head. I smile, the kind of smile only Katniss can make come. "Now come on, your precious Capitol friends will be here soon." she says, quickening her pace.

"Hey, you'd like 'em if you go to know 'em." I insist as I catch up with her. "Or at least Cinna." I mumble as an after thought.

Katniss catches it. "You mean that Capitol stylist?" she asks, then shakes her head. "Honestly, Prim, do you really think I'd like anything or anyone that came out of-" she shudders, "-the Capitol."

I sigh. "You'd like Cinna." We walk home, and nothing more is said. When we come in, mother halts us. I get it, she worked day and night to make the house perfect. "Sorry mom," I say. "We'll take them off here." I look to Katniss for confirmation, she simply nods.

Mother laughs some kind of odd laugh and takes Katniss' game bag. "It's just snow." she says warmly...a little too warmly. "Did you and your sister have a nice walk?"

"Walk?" I ask. We've been in the woods for a long while. She knows that. Me and Katniss then both catch sight of the freakishly perfect man in the doorway. Without a doubt, he's from the Capitol.

Katniss, always thinking on her feet, and recognizing danger says, "It was more like skating, it's getting really slippery out there."

Seeing the man from the Capitol puts me on edge about my "role" that Haymitch has given me, and looking as innocent as I can, I start shaking.

"Oh, Prim, come here." Mother says with a gentle smile, and she wraps a blanket around my cold body.

"Thanks." I say, smiling back at her.

"Someone's here to see you." she tells me, she's a pale white color, and her voice cracks.

Something clicks in the back of my head. "Oh, can it wait a minute?" I ask her. "I promised Haymitch I'd wake him up before anyone came." I tell her, but really, I just want to get out now, I can tell something's wrong.

"This way, please, Miss Everdeen," the man in the doorway says, gesturing down the hall. I give my mother a questioning glance as one of my eyebrows goes up.

"How long will this take? Haymitch insisted that I-"

Katniss takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. Oh, I get it. I should stop talking.

I silently remove my boots, and walk down the hall, silently opening the door, and coming face to face with my worst nightmare. I find the strength to barely call back over my shoulder, "Katniss, could you wake Haymitch up for me?" Then I walk in.

Hey, look what I did! A sequel! Yeah...you guys asked for it. Yes, I know, it has a lame title, if you have a better idea, please PM me it or put it in a review...please. Anyway, because of some stuff you guys said, and personal things to me, Katniss is probably gonna have a much bigger role in this one, I'm just not sure how yet... Anyway, hope you liked Chapter 1, care to review? It'll make me smile... :)