Terrible dreams find me when I sink to the bottom of the abyss. Dreams of fire, dreams of blood, dreams of screaming tearing flesh and death's pale hand closing over mine.

I try to find my mother, my sister, though they seem hidden behind tall patches of grey that I can't dig my fingers through. They cry out my name, but it's stifled behind the barrier, I can see their tangible shape writhing behind it. The shapes are like trees. I try to knock them down, push them over like pillars, but their roots thread too deeply down into the earth. They won't bend beneath my hand.

Thalia! Thalia, run! They're coming.

I'm powerless to save them.

And then the great shadow of a bird's wing eclipses the sun.

I look up, searching for it in the embers of the still-burning sky.

But it's gone.

I come up for air.

Gasping for breath.

A slender arm moves like a pendulum.

Back and forth.

Dizzying motions.

I feel a wet cloth press down on my temples.

"Don't be afraid. You're safe.

The words calm me.

"Go back to sleep."

And I submerge again into the dark water.

'I won't let you leave here without me. You know that.'

'You don't have a choice. I'm in charge around here. My orders are practically gospel. You have to follow them.'

'You don't have to protect me.'

'Yes I do. It's not safe for you out there – I'd feel better if you'd just listen to me and stay behind.'

'Nowhere is safe. Especially not now.'

'I don't want to put you in direct danger if I can avoid it. You're staying here. I won't hear it…stop trying to convince me.'

'You can't just leave me behind like this. I'm valuable to the operation and you know it.'

'You're no use to us dead.'

I come to again.

Skimming the surface of the waking world. My eyes roll over and back into my head. I try to steady them but it's no use; I let them slide closed again.

In the corner of the room, hushed voices rise and fall, and they sound strange as if half-underwater.

"She's not doing so good, Cato."

"That's not my problem."

"You don't quite understand, do you?"

"I'm not fucking stupid, Draeda. I get that she's in bad shape."

"What did you do to her?"

"She's just an Avox. Nothing to get worked up over. I can replace her easily, maybe even with one easier to handle."

"She's not who you think she is."

"Whatever. What's the damage? I'm not wasting good money on a lost cause."

"Nothing that food, iron pills and rest won't cure."

"Then I don't need you anymore. Get out."

"No, I'm not leaving until she's fully recovered."

A loud, insistent scoff. "Whatever. But the second she's back on her feet, you're out of here. And I'm not paying you to stay."

"Fine with me."

A pair of heavy footsteps echoes off the walls, receding slowly until they've left the room entirely. Cato. So that's the bastard's name. It suits him just fine.

I feel warmth spread across my bare arms like a shadow. "I'm here, now. I'm not leaving until you wake up. You can rest."

You can rest.

Her voice resonates, watery and thin, in my ears as the waves swirl over me and lure me back under.

'Don't do this. It won't prove anything. It won't make anything better.'

'You're right. It'll make things worse.'

'Then why? Why do you have to do it?'

'Because I have to.'

'That's just it, Thalia. You don't.'

'If we want to change things, then we have to take drastic measures. Sure, it makes our lives worse, but I guess that's the way it has to be. It's for the best.'

Hands. Lukewarm and barely there. Choked in a lost, grayness of feeling. They brush against my cheek. But I can't grasp the sensation of skin against my skin. It's like I've misplaced the sensation altogether.

'I love you. You know that, don't you?'

My eyes open again for what feels like the first time. They ache, the light of a candle hitting them hard. For a moment, I shield them with my arm, blinking away the sharp bright lights that pop against the back of my eyelids. As the pain subsides, I gently lower my arm – only to find another one reaching out to me.

I gasp, retreat back against the wall. A voice accompanies the extending limb.

"No, it's okay, you're all right." It's a woman talking to me, but I can't find her face. "You're safe. We're in the basement of Cato's house. In the Victor's Circle. Your remember, don't you?"

I'm still trying desperately to find her in the dark. But yes, I remember where I am. That's not the problem at hand. Who is talking to me? Why is she here?

There, it materializes a mask of soft aging gold. She smiles at me, a warm, assuring smile that eases the racing heart beneath my chest. "I'm Draeda. Cato's healer, but I stepped in to help you. You have no idea how long we've been trying to find you."

This puzzles me. Find me? I'm of no importance to anyone, not even Cato. What use do I have to a District 2 healer I've never met?

I look at her again, finding her face crushed, as if her heart has been torn out by its roots.

"What have they done to you, girl on fire?"

Girl on fire…

What?

Again, I wrench myself back, out of the way of her hands that stretch out and try to catch me. Girl on fire? Who does she think I am?

"Don't you remember who you are?"

She must see the confusion in my eyes. I don't know what she's talking about, or why I seem to be upsetting her. Her eyes are filling up with tears and I can see the fire of her hope go out in her, like the way my own extinguished in Cato's vice grip.

The words come out half-broken, forced out of a tight throat.

"You're Katniss Everdeen – the lost leader of the rebellion."

AN: I bet you guys didn't see that coming. :P Let me know what you think about the most recent turn of events!

I don't own the Hunger Games or its characters.