Chapter 1

Katniss POV

Nothing could have prepared me for how cruel the Hunger Games actually are. Not 17 years of watching them on television, not my ability to shoot, not Haymitch, not even Cinna's reassuring words.

Unknown to the public, the Hunger Games are a lie. Completely staged. The only true events are what happens leading up to the moment the games start. We make an entrance, we train, we're evaluated, and then we're interviewed. That's when the truth stops. The game makers, or should I say directors, pick which tributes will become 'characters' and which unlucky suckers will continue to believe the games are real. These kids are the ones who will die at the blood bath. I don't know how they make sure this will happen, but it does. The careers are instructed to kill everyone besides their own at the cornucopia, and the rest of us have to flee into the wilderness until we hear 'CUT!' screamed into our head set implants inside our ears.

You're probably wondering about the characters' death scenes too. The answer is simple; they're fake as well. None of the characters actually die, they are just ushered to a new district, district 17, which is comprised of nothing but past game characters. If they resist, then they are truly killed. Whoever wins the games is the only person who will make it home. The game makers decide once the interviews have concluded who will win the hunger games, and in what order the others will parish. But we are not allowed to know either of these things, we're just told that we have been chosen to survive.

The morning after the interviews the other game characters and I were woken early and brought into a conference room where they broke the news. They told us if we refuse to play along, we die. If we tell anyone who is not a character, we die and so do they. A lot of work just to play a sick game right? They just had so many problems getting the perfect shot or making things climactic and interesting that they gave up on the real hunger games 37 years ago.

Peeta's little love charade helped me more than I could have imagined. Well actually my high training score and my selfless act of volunteering for prim probably would have assured me a spot as a character, but Peeta's act made sure of my position as well as his.

The characters sitting around the conference table proved how predictable the game makers were. All of the career tributes from 1, 2, and 4 made the cut. The boy tribute from 3 made it, The district 5 female, the district 8 female, the district 10 male, I was kind of surprised since he's crippled. Rue and her district partner from 11 made it, and then Peeta and I. 14 characters in total, and one of us is the winner... Already.

There are only two days left of training before the games started. For those who didn't make the cut, two more days of fear. For those of us who were lucky enough to be selected as characters, two more days of utter bullshit. I think Peeta is actually excited knowing we don't have to die and that he has a shot with me now, but I don't really have the heart to tell him I only see him as a friend. I think things will only get more awkward for me considering the game makers want to milk this star crossed lovers thing for all it's worth.

Everyone was assigned an acting coach just like how we each got a designer. Instead of training we each spend time with our coaches. Those kids who didn't get picked are probably twiddling their thumbs in the training room wondering where everyone went.

I'm not so fond of my coach, Rakelle. She's pretty tall, has light blue skin, and her hair is curled into a huge blue 'beehive' as she calls it.

"If you're going to be playing the part of a teen lover you need to loosen up!" she cries.

"But I'm not a teen lover!" I insist. "And I never wanted to be."

Rakelle just rolls her eyes and waves me away. This is her way of saying take five. I immediately rise out of my chair and exit the room. The hallway has silver metal tiles and red plated walls. No decorations, no windows, no anything. This is where we go to train for the games now.

I make my way down the hallway to the break room when I heard another door open and close behind me. My head turns to see who else is on break. Our eyes lock for an instant and I know who it is. That boy from district 1. He just glares back at me. I face back foreword as of nothing happened.

The break room has green shag carpet and green swirly walls. It's surprisingly very plush with it's been bag chairs, sofas, and various arrangements of pillows. I throw myself across the couch. I do not want to go back to Rakelle any time soon

"Tired yet, 12?" says a deep voice behind me.

"I have a name."

"I'm sorry." he says sarcastically. "Tired yet cat piss?" his laughter booms through the air.

"My name is Katniss you inbred moron." I say as I rise from the sofa. "Or can you not remember the only person who outscored you in training?" I see his face turn slight pink in anger.

"You got lucky in there, 12." he says calmly.

"No I didn't." I counter as I return his glare. "You just can't deal with the fact that you, a boy from district 2, lost to me. A girl from 12."

A smile escapes his lips. "Call me Cato." I watch as his eyes lower to my feet, then work their way back up to my eyes. Pig.

"Okay, Cato" I say as I roll my eyes. Making sure to say it mock suggestively.

"Now what would lover boy think if he heard you talking to me like this?" says Cato with a smirk.

"He would kick your ass." I say proudly even though I know this isn't true. Cato just laughs.

"Oh please. The guy's a puss."

"Don't say that about him!" I whisper to keep others from hearing me even though no one's there to listen. "He's more of a man than you will ever be!" With that I walk past him back to the hallway. Even though I hate Rakelle I hate this guy Cato even more right now.

I'm almost to the door when I feel a set of hands on my shoulder. My back is shoved against the wall and my wrists pinned above my head. Cato stands there, face bright red, seething with hatred.

"You listen to me! I'm more man than anyone you will ever encounter in your pathetic little life! I don't know how you managed that 11 in training, but it won't get you far. If you cross me one more time I will not hesitate to kill you myself. I don't care what the game makers do to me!" his breath right on my nose as he speaks.

"Let go of me!" I hiss as my arms struggle against his grip. I can feel my tender flesh begin to bruise. "Cato let go!"

His lips perk up into a smile. I drop to the floor holding my wrists as soon as he releases me.

"Just stay out of my way." he calls as he leaves the room. I'm left on the floor tending to my wounds.

Cato POV

No girl has ever spoken to me like that. They're all just supposed to throw themselves at my feet! Not fight back. Girls are supposed to be like Glimmer. Speaking of which I think I might be able to get a hunch or two in considering we're not going to be dying.

I get back to my acting coach's room at the end of the hallway. The door makes its annoying 'click' sound as I open it. Serahm, my acting coach isn't there, so I just seat myself in the egg chair.

"Who does that girl think she is anyway?" I ask myself. They way she yelled at me, like she knew I could kill her, but she wasn't scared. I feel myself grin. It's kinda hot.

I decide to just call it a day. Serahm is nowhere in sight and I know he won't care. I grab my jacket and head back out into the hallway and towards the elevator. The door clicks shut behind me as I leave.

I catch a glimpse of something as it disappears into the elevator. It looked like a brown braid. I feel another smile on my lips. I jog towards the elevator and quickly remove my shirt. This'll be fun.

Katniss POV

I press the '12' button in the elevator and wait as the doors close. Just before they can, a hand comes through and stops them. The hand looks all too familiar. I instinctively grab my wrists.

The doors slide back open exposing a shirtless Cato standing there. A large smile slapped across his face.

"Hey fire girl." he says. Great another name for me besides Katniss.

"What do you want Cato?" I say as he steps into the elevator. He brings a somewhat musky scent in with him. It makes me think of the training room.

"I just wanted to check on my favorite enemy." he says as the doors close behind him.

"You're favorite enemy? How touching."

"I know right? Why? You want to be something different?" he says with a wink

"Gross. You're a bully Cato. I don't want to have anything with you." my eyes stay locked on the doors to keep myself from eyeing up his chest.

"I meant like friend's or allies but in glad to hear that's what you thought of." a playful shove comes my way. I feel my cheeks blush. "What would lover boy think?" he says reminding me of our last encounter. My wrists are stinging again.

"We're not like that!" I spit. "It was all a lie to get sponsors. Well for me it was a lie." I could practically feel his eyebrows raise.

"Hot and clever." he says while laughing.

"Shut up Cato." I hiss at him. The elevator makes a beep sound signaling that I'm on my floor. I step out without even saying bye. The doors close behind me.

Cato POV

As the doors close I realize that I never pressed my floor button. So my elevator ride just became ten times longer than what it should have been. It was still worth it though to mess with 12 like that. I hope the directors make her death climatic. Maybe even give her runner up next to me so I can kill her myself.

"She'll be fun to play with." I say to myself. I really need to stop that.

The door opens and I find myself on my own floor again. Time for bed.