[Authors Note]

Just a warning, but I am not all that great at writing romantic stuff. I prefer adventure/war stuff. But, it's not all that bad.

Stay classy and drop a comment! Tell me what you are thinking so far! Decided to have a bit of a reward thing :) first three people to leave a decent length comment will get a follow, a shout out, and the first comment will get both of those things and on of the unnamed tributes :)

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Gloss and Cashmere, brother and sister from District One.

Enobaria and Brutus, from District Two.

Wiress and Beete, from District Three.

Hector and Kaylee, from District Five.

Percy and Criss, from District Six who looked even more frail than Mags.

Johanna and Blight, from District Seven.

Cecelia and Woof, from District Eight.

Too many faces from the reaping recaps. Too many Victors who had been betrayed by the Capitol by being tossed back in the games. Quinn hadn't been able to bring herself to watch the rest of the reapings, all she knew that Katniss Everdeen-- the darling of the Capitol had been reaped. The odds of Peeta Mellark not volunteering to go with her were slim too-- at least if all of that star-crossed lovers and marriage were all fake. Which Quinn was positive it was. Twelve hadn't had a Victor for years, they needed anything to get one. And pulling a card like that sure improved their chances.

Quinn had her blankets pulled tightly around her. She stared blankly at the window by her bed, watching the scenery fly by her in the darkness at two hundred miles an hour. The only reason she knew that was because Remilda had tried to start up conversation at dinner by bringing it up. It was something to think about, but her mind kept wandering back to what would be happening in just under a week. In just one day she could end up back in the games. But she tried not to think about that, she tried to think about the fact that another Victor could have been voted into the games.

But the idea of Finnick and Mags being in that arena with Victors who were angry and just wanted out, Victors who were prepared to fight like Enobaria with her filed teeth to be fangs...it wasn't something she wanted to watch happen. She already felt helpless-- this had been the main thing that Quinn had run away from. Losing a tribute, thinking there could have been anything that could have been done.

Quinn took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she tightened her grip on her blanket. She couldn't help but let her mind wander to the voting that was going on at that very moment in the Capitol. Who was Orion voting for? Did he even vote? Was it even a requirement? He wouldn't vote for her, would he? He'd refuse to vote. He wouldn't even vote. That wasn't like him, to do something like that. He was opposed to the games, he saw what it did to tributes-- he didn't buy anything the Capitol said about it.

Quinn hadn't done much thinking about Orion. She had pushed him out of her thoughts, but she had had Coleman and Isabella to distract her. But now, going back to the Capitol. She was bound to see him, which in a way she was glad about.

If there wasn't going to be a favourite tribute, then seeing Orion may have been the one good thing about being a mentor. But if there was a chance that Quinn could be the favourite and go back into the arena, only to die-- she didn't want to see him again. She didn't want to lose him.

Quinn took a big breath again and let it out in a sigh as she rolled over and finally tried to go to sleep. Slowly her eyes stayed shut, and she could feel herself drifting off into sleep.

There was a quiet sound from the woods. Birds singing, and the rustle of the leaves. It was a lot nicer above ground than it was down in the bunkers. She should have been with Dylan and Quinten still, hunting. But she hasn't showed all that much interest in it. She wasn't too keen on killing things that weren't even trying to hurt her. If it had been a tribute, she probably would have been able to do it.

"There you are," Quinn looked up from her seat in the grass with her back against a tree. "Dylan said you were up this way."

Orion sighed as he crouched down in front of her.

"Her and Quinten are already done?"

He shook his head, "Nah, just getting help. They got a deer."

"The cafeteria will love that." Quinn replied.

"Yeah but we won't." he smirked, "They really need to work on their cooking."

Quinn scoffed, "I've had worse." she said with a shrug.

"Anyway, Coin needs you." he said after a moment of silence and stood up right. He held out a hand and pulled her up to her feet. "Something about training."

"I thought she didn't want me in training anymore..." she sighed, "After what happened the other day." Quinn frowned. She didn't want to go back to training, she preferred her schedule now.

He shrugged a bit and looked down at her, "I'll tell her I couldn't find you. burn some time." he sighed, "I don't really want to go back down there either..."

"Want to go see the ruins? By the river? Usually there's a bunch of mockingjays down there." she asked.

He shrugged, "Sure, why not."

The two of them made their way thru the trees. Eventually, old, crushed stone began to pop up covered with moss, or had plants growing thru the cracks. Then they got to bigger ruins that were near running water.

"It's hard to believe that this used to be Thirteen," he sighed as he looked at some of the ruins near him.

"It still is, they just don't live up here anymore." she sighed, "Do you think the Capitol knows that it is still around? Underground?"

He shrugged, "I never heard anything about it till I got to Three."

"Where had you guys been going if you weren't going to Thirteen?"

"Anywhere. There has to be more countries than just Panem." he sighed heavily.

"I bet they're nothing like Panem." Quinn confessed, "I bet they are sort of like how North America was before."

He thought for a moment, "You think so? Anyone can talk to anyone, no fences separating people?" he raised an eyebrow, "From what I learned, they weren't all that great to each other either."

"They didn't have twenty-four kids trying to kill each other." Quinn pointed out, "Nothing could be worse than that..."

He nodded in agreement, "I guess that's why Coin is planning on changing everything once this is over."

She nodded, "What do you think things would have been like if things had been like they were then?"

He thought for a moment, "I donno," he paused, "Maybe we would have known each other sooner." he said, smirking a bit. "Under different circumstances."

"Yeah, I guess the circumstances are pretty bad." she scoffed.

He shrugged again, "They don't seem too bad here in Thirteen." he replied, "Seems like there's some sort of normalcy for everyone."

"If you consider living in bunkers, with no free time to do absolutely anything normal, then I guess so." she replied.

"There's no schedule here," he shrugged.

"Yeah, but we need to get back to one." she sighed, "Coins probably going to send someone else soon."

"Not yet though," he sighed, and stared at her for a long moment. It seemed like his eyes stared into hers for hours, until finally his lips pressed against hers...

Quinn jolted awake, she looked around quickly for any sign of Orion or her apartment in Thirteen. But the low sound of the train reminded her that she was on the train going back to the Capitol and that she had only been sleeping.

It was only a dream.

One that felt like a nightmare. Because it was something that she didn't ever want to happen, not now. Not before the games.