I was about to find a new animal to prey on when I heard a frantic voice. “Jang Wonyoung!” the voice screeches. 

    That voice. I can recognise it easily and immediately. I can tell by the sound of it that she had just crossed the electrical fence. The border which can fry you to death in just one mistake of a strategy.  All of a sudden, as if I ran out of time, I sprinted as fast as I could promptly. Letting my feet take me onto the source of voice I heard from the back of the woods. 

    I knew her so much—she's the only one I have. The only person I can rely on. The only person I trust aside from my mother. The only one I have that is until now, alive. I can't bear to lose her. Ever. 

    Even though my sister is 3 years older than me, I still care and concern for her. And despite the fact that she had to get a tessera, in exchange for risking her life in an unknown danger just to feed the both of us—not to mention my sister not letting me get one myself, I still want to be there and protect her. To be the one who fights her nightmares—given the fact that she almost lost herself when mom passed. Besides, I'm sure she has her own set of fears herself.

    “Yuri-eonni…” I say, panting heavily by the exhausting running. “What are you doing here? I was just about to take off to the,” I paused, whispering in order to make sure no one hears me, “woods… to get food for us.” 

    Here in our district, I'm certain that we aren't exactly allowed to go reach for the wilderness and hunt. It's illegal. Punishable for death, even. But whatever. We needed to survive. And undoubtedly, we can't possibly figure out how to eat a full meal course three times a day without getting that tessera. Hell, I suppose not even a single grain could be eaten by us if I don't volunteer to trail wild animals myself. Not even our crops and wheat harvests are allowed to be consumed by us, the very own district residents. Not even a single plant. If I don't hunt for the two of us, and if Yuri-eonni herself won't mind getting a tesserae, then what would our future be? We probably would've starved to death until the next delivery of the food rationing comes. 

    “Wonyoung, don't you remember?” Yuri asked, frowning. Maybe because of the thought of me, her younger sibling, needs to hunt for food for the two of us. Life is life. I had to do it. To escape death. To live. To survive. 

    I noticed the golden ring she was wearing. It was our mother's. Back when she was still alive. “Remember what?” I asked back, tilting my head in utter curiosity. “It's time.” she answers. Time for what, exactly? I thought to myself. It surely isn't her birthday, nor my mother's, nor mine. What was the event I don't seem to remember? 

    On cue, as if she knew I was in pure loss, she cleared . “It's the day of the reaping, Wonyoung-ah”

    It didn't take too long on what seemed to be imaginative stones began to invisibly hit me. The Reaping! How could I forget? How could I seem to fail on remembering my—our, rather, worst and utter nightmare?

    I hate this. I hate living a life like this. I'm not even certain if I could call this life of mine as 'life' itself. Not when you're trapped in your government's own hands, keeping you from being free. Making innocent and pure children fight to the depths of their lives, and only one survives. 

    The Capitol can change you. Your will of wanting to live and escape the nightmare out of the arena will surely poison your mind. It doesn't matter how upright nor innocent you are. It doesn't even matter how kind and generous you are to others; to strangers. Once you are set inside the arena, only the will to survive the games will occur to you. You will kill people. Children as naive as you. But it doesn't matter now, don't they? Your hands will be painted and tinted with blood and sinful acts. And even part of it is the Capitol's, you'll know deep inside you: It's the only way to survive.